Lost Rose
by moguera
Summary: A badly-injured Ruby Rose is discovered in the middle of the wilderness by a pair of young men. Nursed back to health, Ruby struggles to understand what happened to her, and what to do about it. In the process, Ruby will undergo training like none she has ever experienced before, unlocking the infinite possibilities that dwell within the secret recesses of the human soul.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This is my first official RWBY story, with well over a hundred chapters already written, to be submitted at a regular pace. This story is still being in the process of being written, and has been for over a year. Normally, nowadays, I try to have an entire story finished, before I start posting. But I figured I've had this on the burner long enough, what with Volume 6 coming out, and me starting this back when Volume 4 was still in progress. That being said, I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1:**

"… _ey_ … _Hey!…_ Hey!"

Chapped lips parted to allow the low, hoarse groan to issue forth, straining a dried and sore throat. Sticky eyelids struggled to force themselves apart, almost as though the surface of her eyes themselves had turned to glue. Still, slowly, and with considerable effort, she managed to peel them back, revealing irises of the purest silver.

"Can you hear me?" the voice that had called her back from the brink asked. It was soft, yet stern. Just listening to it urged her to respond.

"Y-ye-" Her voice was cut off as the pain in her throat grew too severe for her to speak, triggering a wave of painful coughs that wracked her body, sending jolts of pain shooting through her chest and out to the very ends of her limbs.

"A response is good enough," said a second voice, this one much lighter and higher, but still somewhat boyish.

Shadows loomed over her, the people talking to or about her, she supposed. The air around her was filled with low, angry growls, accompanied by the sound of crunching foliage, and detritus crushed beneath the heavy tread of several sets of padded and clawed feet.

"It doesn't look good though," said the first voice. "She's lost a lot of blood. I think she has internal injuries too."

"Just do your best," said the second voice. "I'll deal with the Grimm."

"All right," said the first voice. One of the shadows leaned in closer, and she felt her heart beat faster as it approached. Something brushed against her cheek…someone's hand. But it felt cool to the touch. The hand moved up to her forehead, and the feeling was almost indescribably soothing. She managed to focus her vision enough to make out a pair of amber eyes with slit-shaped pupils, looking right back into hers. At the moment, that was all she could make out. Already she was beginning to feel the fog pulling at her again.

"Just relax," said the stern voice with surprising gentleness. "I'll do my best to treat you. You can go back to sleep."

"O…okay…" she said, her eyes sliding closed again.

* * *

"There, that's the last of it I was able to find," said Gin as he carefully deposited the shards of shattered metal he'd gathered onto the pile that the two of them had already accumulated. As he crouched, the light of the fire seemed to glint off his silver hair, cut short so that his bangs just barely rested above his eyes, although it was slightly longer towards the back. He was dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt with a pale-blue stripe running horizontally across his chest, which tied shut at the front. He'd used the shirt to hold the pieces of metal that he'd carried into the cave. Having set them down, he straightened up, revealing a pair of pale-blue shorts and sandaled feet. "I checked up above the cliff too. There were quite a few pieces there."

"Hmm…" Ayumu carefully picked through the pieces, separating them out so that he could look at them individually, pinching them in his fingers so he could examine them in the light of the fire with his grayish-blue eyes. He was about a head taller than his companion, sporting a slender build that was hidden by the pale-blue kimono he wore, which was complimented by a pair of matching hakama, tied shut at the ankles over a pair of feet, covered with sandals and white socks, much like those worn by his companion. His jet-black hair was nearly identical in style to his companion, though its cut was somewhat rougher, leaving a pair of slightly longer bangs that ran down the sides of his face, neatly framing his eyes, while a few more grew down, almost long enough to cover his eyes themselves. Despite being older and taller than his companion, Ayumu's face had a much more boyish look to it, sporting smooth and youthful skin that would have been the envy of vain women the world around.

"Any idea what it is?" asked Gin, crouching down again and picking up a shard of metal to examine. It was black, with a gray edge running along the inside of a gentle curve, running out towards a tapered tip.

"It's hard to say," said Ayumu, frowning speculatively as he picked up another piece, this one of metal painted over with red. "Even where they aren't broken, the blade fragments don't seem to be completely connected to one another. I'm guessing they're segmented in some fashion."

"To allow the blade to fold away?" wondered Gin.

"That would be my guess," said Ayumu. "They would reposition themselves when deployed, lining up to form a proper, continuous edge." He picked up another section of gray blade, tracing his fingers along it. "This curvature…and the cutting edge is on the inside…"

"Like a sickle?" posed Gin.

"…More like a scythe," mused Ayumu, setting the piece of the blade down. "And a big one at that."

Gin blinked and then frowned. "That's certainly an odd weapon. You don't see many of those around."

"Most definitely not," agreed Ayumu.

"And you think it was hers?" mused Gin, turning his eyes towards their guest, who lay unmoving beneath a blanket over a sheet spread across carefully assembled padding made from gathered foliage.

The girl hadn't moved or made a sound ever since she'd passed out again. Fortunately, that had made treating her injuries easier. She was a fairly short girl, about fourteen or fifteen by their estimation, the same age as Gin for that matter…and of a height with him to boot, should she stand up. Her light skin contrasted nicely with the black, neck-length hair covering her head, which gradated to red towards the tips. It was cut asymmetrically so that the locks on the right side of her face were longer than the left.

When they'd found her, she'd been clad in a black blouse and skirt, the skirt sporting a red hem, along with black leggings and a pair of combat boots tied with red laces. Her ensemble was completed by a red, hooded cloak, draped across her shoulders and fastened by a pair of cross-shaped clips. She'd apparently also worn a black corset with red lacing, along with a belt, decorated with an emblem of a silver rose. But those had been cut away by the same edge that had left a deep wound across her abdomen. Her blouse was stained by the blood that had seeped out from that injury, and the narrow puncture just barely missing her left breast…and, more importantly, narrowly avoiding her heart and lungs inside.

At the moment, her clothes had been discarded and set aside. Gin…despite how uncomfortable he had been with doing so, had been forced to strip them off her in order to fully assess her injuries and treat them. In addition to those wounds, she'd accumulated numerous other scratches and bruises, along with possible breaks that might have come from some kind of blunt object…or might simply have been a consequence of her presumed fall down the cliff they'd found her at the base of.

In any case, treating her had been a difficult task, one only made more complicated by the pack of Beowolves that had been ringing her body when they'd found her. Ayumu had dealt with the Grimm easily enough, while Gin used the skills their master had taught them to treat her injuries.

"I don't see any other conclusion to draw," said Ayumu. "Of course, we can confirm it by asking her when she wakes."

" _If_ she wakes," said Gin glumly.

"Come now," said Ayumu, giving his companion an amiable smile. "You did a fine job treating her. It's rather remarkable. Despite the apparent fall, we didn't find any traces of head or spinal trauma, so she should wake once she's rested a while."

Gin pursed his lips and directed his gaze back at the girl. "Well, if it is hers…she certainly has the build for it." Despite her small stature, her clothes had hidden tight and compact musculature, which, ironically enough, had been what had helped to hold her body together, despite the severe wounds she'd taken.

"And then there's this," said Ayumu, lifting up another piece of the item they'd scavenged. "I'm not so experienced with these sorts of things, but it appears to be part of a trigger assembly."

"For a gun?" asked Gin, his eyes going back to the mess of metal. He picked out another piece. "This looks like part of a barrel…Do you think they're from the same weapon?"

"That is what I assume," said Ayumu, putting the piece back down while Gin did the same.

"A scythe with a gun…" said Gin skeptically. "I've seen some weird weapon choices. But that's one of the strangest things I've ever heard of."

"There's a scope too," said Ayumu, picking up the piece in question. "Given the presumed size of the weapon, I think it's safe to assume that the whole barrel was quite long when it was assembled."

"So…a rifle then," said Gin.

"A sniper-rifle no less," said Ayumu. "One with an impressive caliber too. I'd guess that the barrel was fitted into the shaft assembly, so that its presence doesn't interfere with the scythe blade."

"So…a sniper-scythe," said Gin, resting his chin on the curled knuckles of his hand as he sat cross-legged on the cave floor. "Definitely weird. How is something that complicated even functional?"

"Well, the salvage appears to include hinges, gears, and even pistons," noted Ayumu. "Therefore it must have mechashift capabilities."

"Well, that's not the sort of thing your average girl out for a walk in a Grimm-infested forest would be carrying," said Gin with a soft snort. "Add her build on top of that, and it seems pretty obvious. She's a Huntress."

"I don't know…" said Ayumu, turning his gaze back to their patient. "As well-built as she is, she seems too young. She looks to be roughly the same age you are. A Huntress that young is unheard of."

"A student then," said Gin simply.

Ayumu's frown deepened. "That still seems unlikely. Last I heard, the Academies don't take students until they turn seventeen."

"Maybe they relaxed their age requirement, or she's some kind of special case," said Gin. "There's no way a mere Combat School student would be out this far from civilization, right?"

"I suppose not," said Ayumu, running a hand through his hair and mussing it slightly. "Another thing on the list of questions to pose to her when she wakes up, I suppose."

"Let's assume she's a student Huntress for the moment," said Gin. "What Academy is closest?"

"Hmm…I'm not entirely sure," admitted Ayumu. "I think we're fairly close to Vale…but there's a chance she could be from Vacuo."

"We'll find out when she wakes up, I guess," said Gin, settling back and crossing his arms, leaning back against the cave wall.

"Agreed," said Ayumu, still frowning and scratching his chin as he continued to pick over the pieces of broken metal. "But…there's still something that perplexes me."

"What's up?" asked Gin.

"These fragments…" said Ayumu. "Some of them are broken…but other pieces are intact. Some of this weapon was indeed damaged, particularly the blade segments and the larger pieces of the frame, but it also seems as though other parts of it were systematically disassembled." He examined them closer. "I'm not sure, but I don't think this weapon was broken by some kind of severe impact. It wouldn't have been so completely dismantled if that was the case."

"Odd," agreed Gin.

Ayumu sighed and settled back as well, resting his eyes on the girl. "I suppose we'll just have to ask her. It always comes back to that."

The two of them settled in to wait for their charge to regain consciousness.

* * *

Her eyes flickered open. The lids still felt sticky and resisted the effort, but it wasn't as much of a strain this time. The pain had faded considerably, almost to the point of disappearing completely, though it was at least partially present. She felt weak and tired. But her body no longer felt like something partially detached from her. Parts of it felt bound and tied together.

Opening her mouth, she tried to speak. But the only thing that emerged was a hoarse croak. Her throat was parched and felt almost as though it was burning.

"You're awake," commented a vaguely familiar, boyish voice to her left. It was soft, the speaker deliberately using a low volume and trying to avoid startling her.

She slowly turned her head, feeling it propped up against something soft and cool…a pillow of some kind.

The boy speaking to her was slightly obscured by the light of the fire, which sent shadows playing across his face. However, what she saw seemed reassuring enough. He had a friendly, gentle look to him that almost immediately put her at ease, smiling quite naturally.

The boy slowly moved to her side, being careful not to make any moves that might be interpreted as threatening. "My name is Ayumu Ao," he said. "My friend and I found you and treated your injuries. We're presently in a cave…I can't give you an exact location where, I'm afraid."

She blinked, unsure of what response to make. She was sure a "Thank you," was warranted, but presently didn't feel as though she could speak very well at the moment.

"If you look to your right, you'll see my friend, Gin Ueno," said Ayumu pleasantly.

Doing as she was bid, she turned and found a second, younger, silver-haired boy sitting a short distance away. The sight of him made her slightly nervous. While younger, Gin seemed much more serious and stern than his companion, his lips not really twitching as he slowly raised a hand in polite greeting.

"Please don't be worried about his expression," said Ayumu. "That's just the default face he makes. He's not upset with you or anything. He's also the one who treated your injuries."

To her surprise, even though it was a bit harder to make out through the firelight, she was certain that his cheeks turned an impressive shade of red, and he looked away. The strangely bashful expression he made triggered the impulse to giggle, though the sound was ultimately unable to worm its way out of her tortured throat.

Ayumu chuckled. "Unfortunately, in order to properly treat your injuries…I'm afraid he was forced to remove your clothes, which was why he's so embarrassed."

Now her cheeks colored, though it seemed that Gin's were coloring even more. Ayumu's words also made her more aware of her condition. She was covered by a soft, warm sheet or blanket of some kind, but she realized that said blanket was resting right against her exposed skin…where it wasn't bandaged. In other words, she was all but naked underneath it. From what she could tell, only her panties remained, either because none of her injuries were in that area, or because even Gin had limits to how far he would go to inspect her condition. Her body tensed and her fingers bunched the fabric of her only coverage as she reflexively tried to pull it tighter over herself.

"I'm sorry," said Ayumu, now very gently resting his hand on her covered shoulder. "There isn't a whole lot we can say or do to ease your discomfort in that area. All we can do is assure you that we only did it in order to effectively treat your injuries. Afterwards, we made sure to keep you covered. For what it's worth, I promise that neither of us took any advantage of you."

Given her condition, she found that she didn't disbelieve what Ayumu told her. Considering her current state and the careful manner in which he had approached and spoken to her, she found little reason to mistrust him.

"Now then," said Ayumu, "I just wanted to make sure you had an idea of your situation so that we can continue. I'm going to help you sit up now, so that you can take some water. I imagine that you're feeling quite parched right now."

She nodded.

Registering her response, Ayumu smiled. "I'll hold your blanket up so that you remain covered, and Gin will give you the water. Is that all right?"

She nodded again.

"Good," said Ayumu, carefully slipping his arm beneath her shoulders. "Here we go."

Moving carefully, he began to lift her torso up with his right arm, while using his left hand to keep the blanket from falling down past her chest. When she was mostly upright, Gin approached, holding a metal mug with a pair of folding handles, bringing it right to her lips. She allowed them to part slightly so that, when he tipped the mug, the water passed through her lips and down her throat.

The liquid was cool, but not cold, soothing the painful, scratchy feeling that made the thought of speaking such a pain. Gin was careful to tip the mug slowly so that she was able to swallow it down easily. When he finished, he lowered the mug away and met her eyes.

"Would you like some more?" he asked.

She nodded slowly, her neck still feeling slightly stiff. Gin immediately turned to a canteen and poured another mug of water for her, bringing it back to her lips and, once again, slowly tilting its contents into her mouth. The action of swallowing was even easier this time, the pain disappearing by the time she reached the bottom of the mug. Her throat felt much better too, though a faint trace of hoarseness remained.

"More?" prompted Gin.

She opened her mouth to speak, then found herself needing to cough a couple times to fully clear her throat. Doing so sent jolts of pain shooting up from her body, particularly on points under the bandages covering her chest and abdomen, where she could feel a pulling sensation.

"Careful," admonished Ayumu gently. "Please don't strain your injuries."

Shaking her head slowly, she coughed, more carefully this time, to clear her throat. "No, thank you," she said, giving Gin a grateful smile. Her voice was still a bit hoarse, and there was a little pain. But speaking didn't feel like agony for her anymore.

She couldn't help but notice that Gin's cheeks colored again. But he kept his stoic expression in place and set the cup down.

"In that case, you should lie back down," said Ayumu. "We'll have something a bit more substantial for you in a little bit."

She nodded and allowed Ayumu to gently lower her back down to whatever was serving as a bed for her in this cave. It was slightly springy, and not very soft…but not painfully hard either, so she didn't think she was lying on solid stone.

After lowering her back down, Ayumu gently tugged the blanket to make sure she was fully covered. "You could probably do with some more rest," he said. "But, now that you seem to be up to speaking, for the most part, I just have one question for you."

For some reason, that made her lips quirk up in an amused smile. "Just one?"

"For now," said Ayumu. "Actually, we have several questions for you. But you did only just wake up, and we don't want to cause you any stress right now. We can worry about particulars later, when you've recovered more. Until then, the only thing that we wish to know is your name."

"My name…" Her eyes narrowed, then she scrunched her forehead slightly. "My name is…" Her throat began to tighten and her body tensed. She had an inkling, like something was resting on the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn't get the words out. She knew her name…but…for some reason…she was having a hard time saying it.

"Are you having trouble remembering?" asked Ayumu, looking down at her in concern. "If it's too much…you don't have to answer."

"No!" she said quickly, almost shouting. "I know this…I have to know…"

Gin leaned towards her. "You were wearing that red cloak," he prompted. "You seem to like red. Does that have something to do with it?"

Red. That word was familiar. She remembered someone using that word to refer to her. But she also knew that wasn't her name. But she knew that it was related. Her name had something to do with the color, red. She even knew it started with an R.

"R-R-R…" She scrunched her face tighter and felt her heart pounding in her chest. It was terrifying to realize that she was having so much difficulty just saying her name.

"Please don't strain yourself," pleaded Ayumu carefully, throwing a warning glance over her at Gin, who ignored it, his gaze fixed on her face.

"Red…Ru…Ruby…" Her eyes widened. That was it! "Ruby!"

"Your name is Ruby?" said Gin.

She nodded. "Ruby…R-R…" She knew her last name started with an R as well. It too had something to do with red, but more than that.

Gin narrowed his eyes, apparently thinking of something. "The emblem on your belt…it was a flower. A rose I think. Does that have something to do with it?"

Her eyes widened again and a gasp of realization escaped her. "That's it!" she said. "Ruby Rose. That's my name."

"So that's it," said Ayumu, nodding slowly. "It's nice to meet you, Ms. Ruby."

"Y-yeah…" said Ruby, her voice trailing off as she thought about why she'd had so much trouble recalling her name. Gradually, her breathing picked up pace. Sweat began to gather on her forehead.

"Ms. Ruby…" said Ayumu, his expression growing more and more worried by the second.

"I can't…" said Ruby, her voice almost frantic.

"You can't what?" asked Gin.

"I can't remember…who I am."

* * *

 **It's good to be posting stories again. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this story. Obviously, I can't say too much about it right now, as details will become clearer as we go on. For now, I have a few notes about the two main characters, aside from Ruby.**

 **Gin Ueno: Visually, Gin's appearance is borrowed from the ninja, Sarutobi Sasuke, as he's depicted in the anime/manga series, _Samurai Deeper Kyo_. Sasuke is one of my favorite characters from a design standpoint, and, since I first started reading that particular manga, I've had a tendency to write an expy of him into many of my stories (most of which have never seen the light of day yet). As for his name, Gin, of course, is the Japanese word for silver, in order to fit with the color-naming rule that Monty established, back when RWBY was first created. Ueno, on the other hand, is mostly a generic surname.**

 **Ayumu Ao: Another of my habitual expys, in this case of Seta Soujiro, from _Rurouni Kenshin_ , another of my favorite manga/anime character designs. In this case, his surname, Ao, comes from the Japanese word for blue or green (midori, the modern word for green being something of a new development).**

 **For those of you interested in writing, or already writing RWBY fanfics of your own, I highly recommend the site, Behind The Name, for if you want to operate within the boundaries of the color-rule. It helpfully contains lists of names organized by themes, including colors and things that can be evocative of color. I'm clearly not the first one to stumble on this site, as someone has already indexed several names under a list of names used in RWBY, but if you haven't heard of it, this site is my go-to tool for coming up with character names.**


	2. Chapter 2

**And here we are with Chapter 2! I'm glad this story got such a warm reception right off the go. It's modest, but it's not as though I've got much of a reputation in this particular fandom right now. Of course, the advantage of having so many chapters written in advance is that I can post _much_ more frequently. And now...a brief disclaimer:**

 **Disclaimer: The author does not claim any background in psychology or other fields related to the subject of amnesia. The author has also not done any independent research, save for a cursory reading of the wikipedia page on the subject. The pretense of realism shall be subordinate to the importance and convenience of the plot. Any attempts to point this out shall be met with an indifferent shrug and a non-committal "Eh..." You have been warned.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2:**

Ruby was breathing, but it didn't seem to be helping her. Her lungs were drawing in air, yet she still felt as though she was being suffocated. As she worked out what was going on, she became more and more aware of what was missing. Her memories were like a tattered piece of clothing, more holes and tears than actual cloth. She was only able to recall enough to realize just how much she was missing, which only made her feel even more panicked.

" _Stop_." Gin's stern voice cut through the haze of fear that was swamping her consciousness, his tone carrying an air of authority that made her thought process suddenly grind to a halt.

"That's enough," continued Gin. Now Ruby felt a cool hand resting on her forehead, the familiar touch that had calmed and reassured her when she had been in pain and barely clinging to life. It reassured her now too. More than Gin's voice, that gentle contact eased her anxiety, which allowed her to bring her breathing and heart under control.

"But I can't remember," she protested, trying to lift her head.

"Worry about remembering later," said Gin firmly, gently pressing her back down with the hand on her forehead. As weak as she was, he didn't need to exert much pressure at all. "Right now, rest."

"I agree," said Ayumu. "It's clear that the effort is causing you quite a bit of distress. If you keep this up, you could wind up aggravating your injuries." He reached down to adjust the blanket, which had been knocked askew by Ruby's panic. "When you're healed, then we can worry about what you can and can't remember."

"But…" Ruby protested weakly.

"It's all right," said Ayumu. "We're here for you. You're safe."

" _Rest_ ," repeated Gin, keeping his hand on Ruby's forehead.

Ruby wanted to protest, but Gin and Ayumu's reassurances, along with the comforting feeling of Gin's cool hand on her forehead drained her resistance. Gradually, Ruby's eyes closed and her breathing slowed and evened out. The last thing she remembered as her consciousness faded away was the feeling of the blissfully cool skin of Gin's hand on her forehead.

Gin kept his hand where it was until he was assured that Ruby had fallen asleep. Carefully, he moved it upward to brush through her bangs. "What do you think?" he asked, looking over at Ayumu.

Ayumu hummed softly to himself. "I'm not sure. We didn't see any signs that she suffered any kind of head injury. But that doesn't necessarily mean that she didn't. Perhaps we just didn't see it. Or…"

"Or what?" pressed Gin as Ayumu's voice trailed off.

"Or perhaps the issues of her memory are the result of some kind of emotional trauma," suggested Ayumu. "I've read a little about things like that. Apparently, an event is so traumatic that the person who suffered it chooses to suppress their memory."

"Could that be it?" wondered Gin. "From the sound of things, she lost a whole lot more than memories of just a single event. She's forgotten her own identity, to the point that she almost wasn't able to remember her own name."

Ayumu shrugged. "I don't know what to say. It's not as though I've studied those sorts of things. I'd be the last person to call myself an expert in this area."

"True," agreed Gin. "I don't have any insight to offer either."

"In any case, the best plan is to go with what we decided earlier, ensure that her physical injuries are healed first, then we can work on dealing with what she does and doesn't remember," said Ayumu.

"Works for me," said Gin. Standing up, he stretched, then yawned. "In that case, we should get dinner ready."

"Of course," said Ayumu. "Would you do me a favor and catch us something? I would not be adverse to a few herbs either."

"Right," said Gin. "Give me a couple of hours."

"I think we'll have time," said Ayumu, turning his eyes back to Ruby.

Gin nodded and took his leave. Ayumu watched over Ruby, frowning contemplatively as he stared at her. He thought back over what had happened when they'd found her, her situation and her injuries. _She was on top of the cliff, but was knocked off at some point. She fell and lost consciousness. We found her before the Grimm could take advantage of that…But…_

His eyes moved over the blanket, tracing the areas where he knew she'd been injured. _Those cuts and punctures were inconsistent with teeth and claw marks. I'm not sure that a Grimm made those wounds._

* * *

Ruby awakened to the sound of her stomach growling. With a groan, she began to sit up, stretching her arms over her head, as her blanket fell away from her body. She winced at the pulling sensation of bandages against her bare skin, as well as sharp twinges of pain from her wounds.

"Um…Ms. Ruby…"

Ayumu's voice made her gasp in surprise and, more importantly, remember her situation. In the process of sitting up, she'd let the blanket that covered her mostly-naked body fall down, exposing herself to her two caretakers. Her breasts were partially covered by bandages, but that didn't exactly help her embarrassment as Ruby squeaked, quickly laying back down and pulling her blanket back over herself, her cheeks flushing pure red.

Ayumu and Gin had both quickly looked away when she'd begun to sit up. Now that she was covered again, they were able to turn their eyes towards her. Ruby noticed the pink dusting their own cheeks, and found herself grateful that she wasn't the only one feeling the awkwardness of their situation.

"Well, you seem to certainly be feeling better," noting Ayumu wryly as he stood up. "I'll get your blouse for you. That way you'll at least be able to sit up while you're eating."

Ruby nodded and Ayumu went to the back of the cave to fetch the garment. "I'm afraid we haven't had the chance to clean it yet," he said. "We can take care of that later though."

He handed Ruby her blouse, both Gin and Ayumu averting their eyes while Ruby sat up to slip her top on. Now that her upper body was covered, she was able to sit up as Ayumu and Gin finished their dinner preparations.

A skin or hide of some kind hung suspended from pieces of wood over a fire. Ruby guessed they were using that in place of a regular pot. Inside the hide, she could see a bubbling broth of some kind, the surface disturbed by the occasional piece of meat rising to the top, as well as several pieces of various vegetables and herbs drifting around the infusion. The smell rising from it made her stomach growl even louder.

Taking the same metal mug that had been used to serve her water earlier, Ayumu dipped it down into the stew, filling the mug with the broth, but being careful not to allow any of the chunks of meat into it. "We'll start light," he said as he handed the mug to her. "Considering your injuries, your stomach may not be up to solid food yet."

Ruby nodded, accepting the mug gratefully and putting it up to her lips. The broth was warm, but not too hot. It was somewhat thin and watery, but the flavor was rich, and she hummed with pleasure as it slid over her tongue and down her throat. Her hands shook a little, her arms feeling a little on the weak side. But, all in all, Ruby was both surprised and pleased to find that she hadn't completely lost her manual dexterity.

"Any pain or discomfort swallowing?" Ayumu asked as Ruby lowered the mug from her lips.

"No," said Ruby. "I feel great."

"Would you like some more?" inquired Gin.

"Yes, thank you," said Ruby unable to completely hide her eagerness as she handed the mug back. She made a bit more of an effort to hide her disappointment as Ayumu once again filled the mug only with the broth, trying not to think about how much she would have liked some of those hunks of meat floating around inside it.

"Try and finish this," said Ayumu, handing the mug over to her. "After that, we'll wait a few minutes to see how your stomach reacts. If there aren't any problems, then I think you can handle the solids as well."

"Okay," said Ruby, taking the mug once again and sipping it down. It took some restraint to keep from chugging it straight down so that she could hurry to the more solid stuff. Once she finished, she lowered the cup with a happy sigh. The thin liquid was already beginning to pool in her stomach, certainly taking the edge off the hunger, albeit not completely sating it.

Turning her attention back to her caretakers, Ruby blushed when she saw that Ayumu was watching her intently, while Gin was making a point of keeping his eyes fixed on the stew, stirring it slowly. "Um…uh…"

"Sorry," said Ayumu, blinking, apparently only just realizing that he'd been staring.

"It's…okay," said Ruby. It was hard to really put into words how she understood it, but she realized that there was nothing about Ayumu's gaze that had made her particularly uncomfortable. All she could sense from him was a sincere concern for her wellbeing and he was watching her for even the smallest signs of pain or discomfort.

"May I…?" asked Ayumu, lifting his hand and holding two fingers up towards her forehead.

Ruby nodded wordlessly, but not feeling at all threatened by the gesture, particularly because Ayumu usually made it a point to get her permission, spoken or otherwise, before touching her in any way. Gin was a bit more forward about touching her without asking her first, but he'd never done so in a way that made her feel uncomfortable. Instead, she found herself wondering what Ayumu was looking for.

Ayumu's fingers gently pressed against her forehead. From there, Ruby couldn't see them, but she caught a flicker of pale green in her peripheral vision. A second later, she felt her body heat up slightly. The sensation passed in just a few seconds, leaving her wondering what Ayumu had just done.

"Your Aura is recovering nicely," noted Ayumu, withdrawing his fingers and sitting back. "That should accelerate the healing process, and you'll be fit to travel in a couple more days."

"Aura…" said Ruby, rolling the word around with her tongue, pondering it. _I…I know what that means. Aura is the manifestation of my soul. It protects my body, and I use it to fight…fight…fight the Grimm._

"Are you all right?" asked Ayumu, canting his head as he regarded her.

"I just…" Ruby shuddered. "It's weird. I know what Aura is. But I can't remember why."

"Memory is a tricky thing," said Ayumu. "If I remember correctly, there are actually different kinds of memory that function differently from one another. But I never studied the topic all that deeply, so that I can't tell you what they are. But I think that facts and knowledge are supposed to be separate from your memories of experiences or people, which…if I'm guessing correctly…seem to be the ones you are missing."

"Okay," said Ruby, frowning, her forehead creasing.

"Ah," said Ayumu quickly, raising a finger in front of her, causing her eyes to focus on it. "Remember, you need to get better first. Then we can start worrying about what you've forgotten."

"Are you sure it'll be okay?" asked Ruby.

"Fairly," said Ayumu.

"Whereas we know it will _not_ be okay if you reopen your wounds by fretting too much," added Gin brusquely.

"All right," said Ruby. Then she frowned, noting something strange.

"Is something wrong?" asked Ayumu.

"Not…wrong…really," said Ruby. "But I was wondering…well…why you're doing all this for me."

Ayumu blinked, then looked over at Gin, who shrugged. "Um…well…I don't think we ever thought too much about why. The best I can say is we didn't see any reason not to."

"We were on our way to Brandywine," said Gin. "But we don't have any pressing business there."

"So…you helped me because you…didn't have anything better to do?" ventured Ruby.

"That's one way to put it, I suppose," said Gin with a shrug. "To be honest, we haven't given any real thought to the question of 'Why?' We just did."

"Oh." Ruby blinked, trying to process it. These two boys had gone to a great deal of trouble on her behalf, without being asked, taking care of her wounds and treating her with the greatest consideration…all without any apparent reason. In its own way, it was even more reassuring than if they had given her some speech about duty to help the helpless.

She fell silent for a little while, watching as Gin tended the fire and stirred the stew. The aroma filled the cave and, soon, Ruby's stomach was growling demandingly.

Ayumu chuckled. "Well, I think we've kept you waiting long enough. How do you feel?"

"Hungry," said Ruby, a little more eagerly than she intended.

"Good," said Ayumu, taking the mug and filling again. This time, Ruby's mouth watered as she saw chunks of meat and vegetables mixing with the broth as well. Ayumu produced a spoon and handed both it and the mug to her.

Accepting them, Ruby dug in with a gusto, though Ayumu had to remind her to eat slowly so she didn't upset her stomach (or choke herself). Despite the fact that it was rather simple, when all was said and done, she had the feeling that it was the best meal that she'd had in a long while. She couldn't remember what her previous meals had been like. But this one seemed particularly good for some reason. Perhaps it was because it was her first meal after her brush with death earlier.

In the end, she wound up draining a second mug of stew, before falling back with a burp, that made Ayumu, and even Gin, chuckle. Her stomach full, Ruby felt content. It was strange, but the feeling of relief that followed having her hunger sated eased away even the tension that came from thinking about her memory loss.

"Feeling better?" asked Ayumu.

"Yeah," said Ruby drowsily. Her full stomach was making her sleepy.

"Before you go back to sleep, use this," said Ayumu.

"Huh?" Sitting up, Ruby was surprised to see Ayumu handing her a thin, short twig. The bark was peeled back about an inch away from the tip. "What's this?"

"It's what we use in place of a toothbrush," said Gin. "The saps and extracts of certain trees are good for your teeth. Chew on the end until it softens into something like bristles, then brush your teeth with it."

"Really?" said Ruby, staring in amazement at the twig. Doing as she was bid, she took it and chewed on the exposed end until she felt the plant fibers separating into something like toothbrush bristles, then began to scrub it across her teeth. After a few minutes, she was done and handed it back to Ayumu.

"I'll take care of it for now," he said. "But, in the future, you just rinse it off and allow it to dry before storing. You'll be able to use it multiple times in the future and, when the bristles wear out, just trim them off and remove the bark further up."

"Oh," said Ruby, fascinated by the idea. Somehow, she knew it had never occurred to her that she could create hygiene products from nature like this. However, such consideration would have to wait. Her eyelids began to get heavy and she laid down. She was barely conscious of someone pulling the blanket up over her shoulders before sleep claimed her.

* * *

Ayumu smiled as he watched Gin gently tuck Ruby in. They had yet to eat, preoccupied with their concern for their charge. Now that Ruby was asleep, Gin and Ayumu filled their own mugs and took their time with their meal.

"What's the plan?" asked Gin, in between bites of the stew.

"Once she's well enough to travel, we'll continue on to Brandywine," said Ayumu. "It's the closest settlement after all. It should only be about five-days' walk."

"That's going by our pace," Gin pointed out. "Even once her injuries have healed, she won't be able to travel very far in one go."

"We can carry her if we need to," said Ayumu. "But you're right about it taking longer." He shrugged indifferently. "Oh well. We're not in any hurry, and walking will be a good way to help her recuperate. We'll just go at her pace until we get there."

"Works for me," said Gin. "And, when we get there, what then?"

"We'll try to use the CCT to contact Vale," said Ayumu. "Assuming that's where she's from, then, presumably, there must be someone there missing her. Hopefully her name will match up and we'll be able to arrange for someone to pick her up." He glanced at a small pile of wrecked electronics set to one side of the cave.

"Sounds like a plan," said Gin. "But how are we going to use the CCT? We don't have any money for the call."

"I'm assuming that the administrators can make an exception for an emergency situation," said Ayumu. "Reporting a missing person found probably falls under that."

"Well…I guess we'll just have to find out when we get there," said Gin, leaning back.

"Indeed," said Ayumu. "How long before we set out, you think?"

Gin frowned. "Well, like you said, a couple more days before her wounds finish healing. Then maybe a couple more to just get her active again. Then we can set out."

Ayumu nodded. "We'll also have to tell her about that," he tilted his head towards the pile of metal pieces they'd collected.

"Yeah…that should wait until she's recovered," said Gin. "I get the feeling that seeing it isn't going to make her very happy."

"It might jar her memory though," said Ayumu.

"It might," agreed Gin. "But, just as you said, if the reason for her issues now is because of some kind of emotional trauma, it's not a can of worms we want to open right now. You saw how she got when she tried to remember something."

"Very true," said Ayumu.

"For now, let's not cause her any undue stress," said Gin. "We can worry about the tricky stuff later."

"Agreed," said Ayumu.

* * *

 _Light glinted off of metal. Impact jarred her hands and sent painful tremors up her arms. At one point, she was surrounded by fire that burned her. Something slammed into her stomach, causing her to double over in agony. Finally, what she was holding was ripped out of her hands. The loss was accompanied by a sense of overwhelming despair. She wasn't given time to reflect on it. Instead, she felt the sting of something piercing her flesh, followed by a powerful kick of impact. She was knocked back and felt the ground give way to a yawning abyss as she teetered on the edge, trying to recover her balance. She might have recovered, but then she felt another stinging pain, this time in her chest, accompanied by a bitter chill…a chill that was only deepened by the hate-filled eyes that met her own as she pitched over the edge and into oblivion._

 _Her senses became lost in a haze of panic and despair, as she realized she was going to die. Worse still, she couldn't remember why. She didn't want to die. She hadn't done anything to deserve this. A whimper trickled out from her lips. Her heart pounded and her head felt like it was on fire._

 _Then, a cool sensation settled on her forehead. She felt someone's hand gently brushing through her bangs. That person's touch soothed her, easing away the terror. The pain of her injuries faded, then vanished. Her heartbeat slowed and the burning feeling was washed away by the cooling sensation of that gentle touch._

 _"You're okay," the voice said. "You're safe now."_

 _She sighed in relief and slept once more. No dreams troubled her._

* * *

When Ruby's eyes opened again, she heard birds chirping and small animals rooting through undergrowth. The sounds were strangely muted in the cave. The place looked a little brighter, now that it was lit from without as the angle of the sun allowed its rays to shine on and through the entrance, though coming in at an angle that didn't reach all the way to the back. With a yawn, Ruby sat up, stretching her arms up towards the cave ceiling. This time, with her blouse on, she didn't have to worry about exposing herself to the boys who were taking care of her.

"Good morning," said Ayumu from where he stood, over by the entrance. "Did you sleep well?"

Ruby nodded slowly. "I…I think I had a nightmare at one point though," she said.

"That's what we thought," said Ayumu. "But it seems that Gin managed to calm you down. After that, you slept quite soundly."

Ruby felt her cheeks heat up slightly and decided to distract herself by looking around. "Where is he anyway?"

"Out, fetching breakfast," said Ayumu.

"Okay," said Ruby.

"I'm sorry to make you uncomfortable," said Ayumu, coming to sit beside her. "But, after you eat, I'm going to need you to take your blouse and underwear off."

"What?" gasped Ruby, her cheeks now bright red.

"I'm sorry," said Ayumu, bowing his head to her. "But we figured that it might be a good idea to wash them before you wear them again, considering the condition we found you in."

Ruby gulped and looked down at her blouse, noticing the cuts and the stained fabric around them.

"Um…also…at some point…we're going to have to check your injuries and make sure they aren't getting infected," added Ayumu.

Ruby shivered. Checking those would mean stripping off the bandages over her stomach and chest. The former didn't trouble her nearly as much as the latter.

"I know it's difficult," said Ayumu, running his hand through his hair. "But a little embarrassment is preferable to gangrene, I think."

"Y-yeah," stammered Ruby, feeling more than a little worried at the idea of stripping for these two boys, even if it was for the most benign of reasons. Granted, she was well aware that they had already seen her naked. However, that didn't make her any more comfortable.

"We'll try to make it as quick and un-invasive as possible," said Ayumu. "If you truly don't want us to, then we won't. We can wait until we get to Brandywine and have an actual doctor take a look at you."

Ruby swallowed. "Well…I'll trust you. You haven't taken advantage of me yet."

"And we don't intend to, ever," said Ayumu, bowing his head to her.

Ruby nodded and smiled, albeit it was a somewhat strained smile. She had spoken true when she said that she trusted them. But that didn't change the fact that the situation was unquestionably awkward.

Then something occurred to her, something that she hadn't noticed before, what with the strangeness of this situation. She didn't know who these boys were…aside from their names. Granted, they didn't know any more than that about her either. However, at least she had the excuse of not remembering much beyond her name. Perhaps, at the very least, she could learn more about the boys who rescued her.

"Um…I was wondering…" she said.

"Yes?" said Ayumu, looking up at her.

"Well…who are you two?" asked Ruby. "I mean…I know your names. But that's about it."

"Ah," said Ayumu. "Oh my! I didn't even think about that. You're right."

"It's all right if you don't want to answer," said Ruby.

"No, it's fine," said Ayumu. "I'm happy to answer your questions." He looked up. "Well, to be honest, there isn't all that much to say about us. We are traveling apprentices, students of the martial arts."

Ruby's eyes widened. "Martial artists? You mean like Huntsmen?" At the utterance of that word, Ruby's pulse quickened in excitement. Had she paused to think about it, she might have wondered why the thought of Huntsmen and Huntresses excited her so.

Ayumu chuckled dryly. "Not so much," he said. "We do not have the duties nor the authority affiliated with such an exalted profession. In fact, to be blunt, you might say we have more in common with wandering vagrants than anyone else. We have little property to our name, and roam from place to place, living off the land and doing odd jobs here and there."

That brought a frown to Ruby's face. "That's it?"

"I told you there wasn't much to say," said Ayumu with a soft laugh.

Then something else occurred to her. "Wait! You said you were apprentices, right? That means there's someone you're apprenticed to, right?"

"Ah, yes," said Ayumu, his smile faltering. "Fortunately, he is not present right now. I can't say for sure when we'll see him again."

 _Fortunately?_ "What kind of teacher just leaves his students?" demanded Ruby, the idea of such negligence striking her as extremely insulting, especially to the people who had done so much for her without any thought of recompense or reward.

"An odd one to be sure," said Ayumu. "You're not the first person to react in such a manner." He scratched his head. "But this is nothing particularly new nor special. After we reached a certain point in our training, our Master would regularly go on sojourns, turning us loose to fend for ourselves in the meantime. According to him, it is a way of testing our ability to apply what we have learned from him, and to grow our experience in the real world at the same time."

"That still seems…careless," said Ruby.

"Well, there's no denying that," said Gin, suddenly appearing at the cave mouth, his sudden appearance startling Ruby, though she managed to avoid jumping out of bed, given that the only things she was presently wearing were her blouse and panties. "Don't mistake it. Our Master is _not_ a good man. If we wound up dying before he met up with us again, he wouldn't shed a single tear. In fact, he'd probably go and immediately find new apprentices to bully."

"Very true," said Ayumu. "He has always been stringent in that regard. Ever since he taught us the skills of survival, he has indicated that our success or failure lies with us, and it is our fault that we cannot properly apply the things that he taught us."

"But that's so…brutal," said Ruby, horrified by the thought.

"Be that as it may…there's no denying it was effective," said Gin, holding up the pair of rabbits that he caught in one hand, and a sack of vegetation in the other. "The skills we used to treat your injuries, to find and prepare the food we've given to you, even to make most of the tools we use, were all taught to us by him."

Ayumu nodded. "Thanks to him, we can thrive indefinitely in the wilderness, without the need for most of the equipment and luggage an average traveler would need to carry. We can find sustenance in nearly any environment. Even those that we have not been directly taught about, we can learn to determine what is safe to consume and what is not. In a sense, Master's sojourns are a chance for us to apply what we have learned. It is tactless and merciless, but it is not without merit."

"I see…" said Ruby.

"That being said, if you are fortunate, you will not have to meet him," said Ayumu. "He is a singularly…eccentric…individual."

"Which is to say that he's a sadistic asshole, whose only concern is his own gratification," growled Gin.

That drew a sigh from Ayumu. "Crass as his wording may be, Gin's statement is undeniably correct. Our Master is, perhaps, the furthest thing from what you might consider to be a 'good' person."

"Then why do you follow him?" asked Ruby.

"Well, we don't," said Gin. "Like we said, he leaves us when the mood strikes him and comes back in much the same way. No matter where we wander, he can track us down effortlessly."

Ayumu began to build the fire in the center of the cave. "And we weren't given much choice about becoming his students," he said. "To be honest, it was life or death."

"He threatened to kill you?" gasped Ruby.

"Oh no," said Ayumu quickly, waving the idea away with his hand. "However, you might say that he found us in similar straits to us finding you. Granted, neither of us had to deal with any kind of amnesia, but…"

"The feeling of being lost, of feeling at the end of everything…" said Gin, staring at the ground, "…standing at the edge of death, with no hope of survival, save for accepting the hand a mysterious stranger has held out to you…if we wanted to live, there was no choice but to accept his terms."

"We each ended up regretting it almost immediately," said Ayumu with a laugh. "But…at the same time…we each resolved to persevere."

"Why?" asked Ruby.

"Our Master is not a 'good' man. His character is utterly reprehensible. There are a thousand other terrible traits of his we could tell you about him. But…" Ayumu lifted his eyes to stare at the cave ceiling, a wistful look on his face.

"…He's strong," said Gin, picking up the thread of the conversation, raising his own eyes to meet Ruby's. She felt a shudder of excitement as she saw the look of iron determination in his eyes. "He's stronger than anyone we've ever met. His strength transcends nearly everything else. Even if we hate nearly everything else about him, we can't help but appreciate that one thing and…pursue it with all our strength."

"Wow," said Ruby, admiring the kind of dedication it must take to train under someone that you despised so much, whose character you held in utter contempt. What kind of strength could inspire such admiration as to allow these two students of his to look past the numerous manifest character flaws they saw in him?

"Well…we can talk about that later," said Ayumu. "Now, it's time for breakfast."

"Okay," said Ruby, her stomach adding its input to the conversation with a faint growl, which caused her to blush, even as she giggled.

* * *

 **There honestly isn't all that much to say about this chapter. The going for this story is gonna be slow at first. But things will pick up as we go on.**

 **Next time: Ruby learns a magic trick.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Another day, another chapter. I figured once per day was good for a start, just to get people engaged. However, I intend to slip into an every-other-day schedule in a few chapters; not because it's too much work, but because there's another story I'm going to start posting, one that I actually finished a while back, and have been waiting to start posting until I was further along with this one.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3:**

"Hmm…No sign of infection," said Gin, very carefully examining the stab wound on her chest. "The stitches are holding, so it hasn't reopened at any point."

"G-g-g-good," stammered Ruby as she stared at the ceiling, fighting down the urge to cross her arms and hide her breasts. It amazed her that Gin could examine her wound with such care and not show a sign. But, then again, he was using his focus on the wound itself as a way around the inherent awkwardness of the situation.

"All right, looks good," said Gin, transitioning his gaze downwards and to the wider, but shallower cut that had been etched into her abdomen. The blanket had been pulled down to Ruby's waist, allowing her to maintain a minimal amount of modesty in this situation. Fortunately, Gin's examination did not require him to proceed any lower.

As soon as his attention moved away from her chest, Ruby reflexively crossed her arms over her breasts, and relaxed a little. A shiver ran across her skin as Gin's cool fingertips gently traced the line of the closed cut on her stomach.

"Looks like everything's fine down there too," said Gin, nodding to himself. Reaching for the end of the blanket, he pulled it up so that Ruby could cover her upper body once more. "Sorry about that," he said, turning his eyes away and flushing furiously.

Ruby couldn't help but blush as well. "Well, it can't be helped," she said. "Thank you for not making too big a deal about it."

Gin nodded, though he still couldn't quite bring himself to make eye contact with her again. "Ayumu should be finished washing your clothes soon. Once they've dried, you should be able to get dressed properly."

Ruby nodded, feeling quite eager for the moment. It was difficult to spend so much time confined to a single location. Though she still felt a little weak, she would be glad for the chance to move around under her own power and, more importantly, without worrying about exposing herself to Ayumu and Gin.

"And then what?" she asked.

"Well, we're going to wait a couple more days to make sure your injuries have healed," said Gin. "Your Aura is speeding the process along nicely. Once that's done, we'll head on to Brandywine."

"Brandywine?" Ruby blinked, wondering if the name was familiar to her.

"It's a small settlement," said Gin. "A pretty nice place, from what I've heard."

"Oh," said Ruby.

"Once there, we'll hopefully be able to find a CCT facility, and try and get in contact with anyone who might be looking for you," said Gin. He jerked his head towards a small pile of crushed electronics that had been set out to one side of the cave. "You had a scroll, but it didn't survive the fall."

"Looking for me…" For some reason, the thought of that caused a sickening feeling to settle in the pit of Ruby's stomach. She almost didn't hear Gin's other remark.

Her apparent uneasiness had drawn Gin's attention, overriding his awkward feelings and allowing him to look at her once more. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"I…I'm not sure," said Ruby nervously.

Gin frowned. "If you'd rather we didn't-" he began.

"N-no! It's all right," said Ruby. "It's the right way to go about this. I'm just…I'm sure it just has something to do with what I've been through…just some average weirdness…that's all."

"If you say so," said Gin. "But, if you'd rather do something else, please tell us."

"What else could I possibly suggest!?" shouted Ruby, sitting up, clutching her blanket to keep it from falling down from her chest. "I can't even remember who I am! All I have are hodgepodge memories and weird feelings. I…I don't have any idea what to do…" She trailed off, panting for breath after her outburst, her cheeks slightly wet from the tears she hadn't even realized were falling.

Then Gen pressed his hand to her forehead and Ruby once again felt the cool sensation of his skin against hers. It soothed away the burning heat of her anger and fear. She sighed softly, her breathing slowing once more.

"Sorry," said Gin. "I didn't mean to…"

"No! It's not your fault," said Ruby, laying back down. "It's just weird for me. I'm getting all these mixed up feelings. It's like I want to remember, but I don't at the same time."

"That actually makes sense," said Gin. "It definitely tracks with Ayumu's idea about your condition."

"What idea?" asked Ruby, her eyes darting up to meet Gin's.

"We couldn't find any sign of head trauma when we found you," said Gin. "Which isn't to say that there wasn't any. We have training in treating injuries, but we aren't doctors. Our diagnosis isn't perfect. But, Ayumu's idea is that your memory loss might be the result of emotional trauma."

"What does that mean?" asked Ruby.

"Well, the basic gist of it is that, while your physical injuries were severe, that may not be the worst thing that happened to you that night," said Gin. "It might have been something so awful that you unconsciously walled off your own memories to protect yourself from the pain they would inflict."

"So…I've forgotten who I am because…I don't want to remember?" said Ruby, her tone a little dubious.

"That's our best guess at the moment," said Gin. "It would certainly explain your anxiety, I suppose. If that's the case, it's up to you whether or not you want to confront the truth of what happened that night, because, if our guess is right, if you do remember, then you'll be hit with everything, the good and the bad. The only thing we know about what happened to you, that night on the cliff, is that it was _bad_."

"Oh…" said Ruby, her voice trailing off.

"For now, don't worry about it," said Gin.

"I'll try…" said Ruby, ducking her head slightly. "But…I…"

"What?" asked Gin.

"Never mind," said Ruby, looking away, her cheeks coloring again. "It's nothing."

"If there's something I can do, please tell me," said Gin, leaning towards her.

Ruby shuddered, then drew a deep breath to try and calm herself. "I was just wondering…could you…would you…hug me?"

"Hug you?" said Gin, his blush returning as well now.

"Y-yeah…I've been feeling really…lost," she said. "I feel like I could use a hug."

"Well, if you're sure…" said Gin nervously.

"If you don't want to-" began Ruby.

"No! It's fine," said Gin, cutting her off. Then he paused and scratched his head. "Um…you'll want to sit up again."

"O-okay…" said Ruby, doing as she was bid.

Gin situated himself behind her, then pulled at the edges of the blanket so that it wrapped around her completely. Then…hesitantly, he hugged her from behind, snaking his arms around her torso and pulling her back against him.

"H-how does this feel?" asked Gin as Ruby leaned her head back against his shoulder, fortunately at an angle that kept her from seeing the vivid red decorating his cheeks.

"Wonderful," breathed Ruby, feeling the tension leave her body. "Um…"

"Yes?"

"Could you…" Ruby hesitated, mostly because this request seemed even stranger and more childish from her point of view. "Could you put your hand on my forehead again?"

"Sure," said Gin, moving his right hand up and resting it over her forehead.

Ruby sighed happily at the cool feeling flowing out and down from the hand against her skin. Her body relaxed and her breathing deepened as she allowed herself to become lost in the comforting feeling. The longer it went on, the more relaxed she felt, until she found herself slipping away into sleep once again.

Realizing that she drifted off, Gin moved to lay Ruby back down and make her comfortable. A few minutes later, Ayumu entered the cave to find Gin sitting next to the dozing girl, his hand still resting on her forehead.

"She seems to enjoy that," noted Ayumu with a chuckle.

Gin nodded. "If it helps her," he said.

"You seem to have grown quite fond of her," noted Ayumu.

Gin snorted, what looked like twin streams of mist flowing out of his nostrils before dissipating in the air. "That has nothing to do with anything."

Ayumu blinked in confusion. "I'm not sure what you even mean when you say that."

Gin sighed. "Neither am I. And her clothes…?"

"Drying now," said Ayumu. "What about her condition."

"Looks good," said Gin, sitting back. "We should be good to head out by tomorrow."

"Very good," said Ayumu.

"She's strong," said Gin, turning to look at Ruby again. "She healed up faster than I expected."

"She'll likely be able to push herself harder than we think too," noted Ayumu. "I'm not sure what made me figure that, but she seems the sort who likes to defy expectations."

"No doubt," said Gin, nodding his agreement. "Whatever the case, we'll wrap up things here and set out tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan," said Ayumu.

* * *

Ruby sighed in relief as she pulled up her leggings, then her blouse, finally following up by putting on her skirt. The belt and corset had both been cut through by whatever had left that slash on her stomach. She'd have to wait until they reached Brandywine to get them mended. Still, it was good enough to have some real clothes again. She especially felt better when she draped her cloak over her shoulders, fastening it in place, and letting the hood rest, lowered behind her head, where she could pull it up if she needed.

The only troubling thing was the sense of discrepancy that came from this. She still couldn't remember much. But her hands and fingers moved with a surety that told her that she'd dressed herself like this countless times. It was a reminder of just how much was missing from her, yet the knowledge that that information lingered just outside her reach.

 _"…_ _if you remember, then you'll be hit with everything, the good and the bad…"_ That was what Gin had told her. She wasn't sure if she wanted to remember, if that was the case. If whatever had happened to her was so bad that she'd willingly forgotten it and, by extension, everything associated with it, then perhaps it was better if it remained forgotten.

 _No!_ Ruby blinked furiously and shook her head to clear those traitorous thoughts away. If she chose to forget and keep it that way, then there was no telling what else she was leaving behind. She didn't know why, but she felt that simply running away from her past was not the right thing to do.

Lowering her fingers away from the cloak, Ruby sighed and spun around to observe herself. Even if her ensemble was incomplete, she felt relieved to finally be fully clothed again. It wasn't perfect. The cuts over her stomach and chest were still there, along with some faint discoloration from the blood, that, unfortunately, could not be completely washed out. But she was at least decent. It would be good to be able to interact with Ayumu and Gin while not being mindful that she was partially, or even mostly, naked a lot of the time.

"I'm done," she called out to the cave entrance, where the boys had gone to wait while she dressed herself.

They came back in, Ayumu's smile widening as he saw her. Gin's cheeks colored slightly, and he averted his eyes. For some reason, that bashfulness on his part made Ruby feel a little happy…and proud.

"You look much better, Ms. Ruby," said Ayumu. "How do you feel?"

"A lot better," said Ruby, stretching her arms over her head. She could feel a slight pulling sensation from the stitches. But no sharp jolts of pain erupted from her chest or stomach.

"Very good," said Ayumu. "Then we'll set out tomorrow."

"Right," said Ruby, looking out the mouth of the cave. She'd slept through most of the afternoon, and the light outside was beginning to fail. She supposed that it was a good idea to wait until the next day before they started traveling. They likely wouldn't find shelter as good as this cave with the limited daylight they had left.

"That being said, there's something we need to show you," said Gin, his expression somber as he finally brought his eyes back to hers.

"What is it?" asked Ruby.

Ayumu's smile also slacked. "We didn't want to show you while your wounds were still closing, but now is as good a time as any."

"Over here," said Gin, gesturing to what looked like a pile of scrap metal piled up near the entrance, set off to one side, behind a slight protrusion of rock that had blocked it from Ruby's view, where she'd been lying down.

"What is it?" asked Ruby, heading over to it.

"We were hoping you knew," said Ayumu. "We found those pieces around where you had fallen and we figured that it belonged to you."

Walking over to the pile of metal, Ruby looked down at it, catching glints of black, gray, and red. A faint gasp escaped her lips and her eyes suddenly overflowed with tears. "Oh God!" She dropped to her knees in front of the pile, her fingers picking up pieces and turning them over. "I know this! I know what this is!"

Neither Ayumu nor Gin said anything, standing a respectful distance behind her, watching quietly as she began to sort through the pieces, separating them and setting them out according to their apparent purpose. Pieces of the blade and frame she set off to one side, gears, hinges, and screws, to another. She began to join them together, putting the device together with the same degree of familiarity with which she'd put on her clothes earlier.

Several of the larger pieces were broken. But, strangely, the smaller and more delicate pieces were all intact. The points where the weapon was broken, she lined up in an approximation of where they would join when they had been intact. After just a few minutes, a massive scythe with a curved blade, formed from hinged segments that folded in on one another when its frame closed down, lay across the opening to the cave. However, its blade section, both the blades themselves and the frame that held them, was broken in six places, including the tip, which had been snapped clean off. Likewise, the shaft of the weapon had also been broken, in three pieces this time. Despite Gin's efforts to track down all the missing pieces, it was clear that there were still fragments and small components missing here and there.

"This…this is mine…" said Ruby, her hands going over her mouth, tears continuing to stream down her face. "It's mine…My sweetheart…" Feelings of pain and sorrow bubbled up within her, and she doubled over, folding her arms against the ground and crying into them, her entire body shaking with the force of her sobs.

Moving carefully, Ayumu moved to crouch next to her, resting a gentle hand on her back, but saying and doing nothing else, a silent gesture of reassurance, yet one that also spoke of care not to intrude if she wanted her sorrows to remain private.

Ruby was so distraught, she didn't hear a chorus of howls sound from outside. Nor did she notice the glance that Ayumu and Gin shared. Wordlessly, Gin walked past her, careful not to disturb any pieces of the partially assembled scythe as he headed out of the cave and into the fading evening light.

* * *

Ruby sniffed and shivered, curling up on herself slightly as the pain in her heart shuddered through her again. Ayumu and Gin had been right to wait to tell her. She couldn't even begin to imagine what might have happened to her wounds if she had seen her beloved weapon while still waiting for them to close.

Thinking about the two boys made Ruby realize her condition. _Why am I lying down?_ More than that, she realized that a blanket was covering her again. _I…I cried myself to sleep._ For some reason, that realization filled her with a sense of shame. Crying so much that she ended up falling asleep seemed childish. For some reason, the thought of being childish irked and shamed her. She couldn't remember why that was important.

"…it bad?"

She became conscious of Ayumu, speaking in low tones, barely audible over the crackle of the fire.

"Just a small pack of Beowolves," Gin's voice replied. "I'm amazed there were any still around."

"There are always more," chided Ayumu gently. "So you think it was her?"

"I can't see any other reason," said Gin. "They were making a beeline for the cave. She was releasing quite a lot of negative emotions, so I can't say I'm surprised."

"Nor am I," said Ayumu. "Should we tell her?"

"Let's keep it to ourselves for now," said Gin. "Whatever she's been through, that weapon was clearly important to her. She has the right to grieve at least. I can handle a few extra Grimm, no sweat. I don't want her to think she has to bottle up her emotions for our sake."

Ruby sniffed, fresh tears welling up in her eyes. Part of her was happy that these two boys cared about her so much that they would go to such an extent to protect her feelings and allow her to be sad, if being sad was what she wanted to be. However, at the same time, she also felt ashamed that they even felt the need to do so. She felt like a useless burden. Worse, she felt as though she was an active threat to the very people who'd been doing so much to help her. _It isn't right._

Despite that, she still felt tired and emotionally wrung out. She couldn't muster the energy to get up yet. Perhaps just one more night like this was fine. She could be strong in the morning.

* * *

When morning came, Ruby didn't feel very strong. She felt lethargic and melancholy. As she slowly sat up, rubbing her reddened eyes, she took in the sight of Ayumu, sitting by the fire, stirring some kind of porridge in the animal skin that served as the boys' pot. Predictably, it seemed that Gin was nowhere to be seen.

"Hello, Ms. Ruby," said Ayumu, giving her a small smile.

"H-hi," said Ruby awkwardly.

"Do you feel better this morning?" he asked.

"I…I…" Ruby sniffed and her eyes drifted to the cave entrance, where her assembled, but broken and useless scythe lay. New tears welled up in her eyes. "No," she finally admitted.

"I see," said Ayumu, his smile fading.

"I'm so sorry," said Ruby, looking at her blanket. "I thought I'd be better in the morning, but…"

"Grief isn't something that disappears overnight," said Ayumu, filling a mug with the porridge he'd been stirring. "Here, have some breakfast. A hearty meal can ease the heart."

"Thank you," said Ruby, accepting the mug and the spoon. She was surprised by how good the porridge tasted. It was rich and nutty, and surprisingly sweet.

"The cave isn't the only reason we settled here," said Ayumu. "There's a stretch of grasslands nearby where certain grains, particularly oats, have been growing wild. And Gin found a beehive not too far away. Based on the topography and some ruins we found, we think that there was a settlement here at one time."

"Oh," said Ruby, looking up from her mug. "What happened to it?"

"It was abandoned or wiped out," said Ayumu, his voice falling. "That tends to happen with varying degrees of frequency. Sooner or later, a settlement will be overrun by the Grimm. Depending on their location, producing enough food to feed their population can be hard, so they might decide that they're better off settling elsewhere."

"Oh…" said Ruby. The Creatures of Grimm. She knew about them. However, she couldn't remember how she'd learned that information. All she knew was that they were the enemy of the people of the world. Thinking about them made something stir within her, some kind of determination. _Wasn't I supposed to fight them?_

"In any case, we aren't pressed for time or supplies," said Ayumu. "We can easily dwell here through the fall if we need to. If you don't feel up to heading out today, we can wait as long as you need."

Ruby's first impulse was to assure him that she could handle leaving. However, one glance at her broken weapon and she felt her resolve begin to crumble. Getting up, she went over and knelt beside it, gently picking up a broken piece of the shaft. "I'm not sure," she said.

"It must have been very important to you," said Ayumu.

"I made her," said Ruby. "I don't remember doing it, but I know that, somehow. I knew every part and piece of her. I could take her apart and put her back together with my eyes closed."

"Did she have a name?" asked Ayumu.

Ruby nodded slowly. "Crescent…Rose."

"A beautiful name," said Ayumu, his eyes tracing the curve of the scythe's blade. "It suits her. Your work is excellent."

"You're just saying that," said Ruby with a sniff, as she wiped her eyes.

"I'm not," said Ayumu. "It's true that she's broken. But, when we first found her pieces, we felt her life."

"Her life?" asked Ruby, looking up in confusion at him.

Ayumu nodded. "In a sense, you could call it a function of your Aura. It's something that even ordinary people, who haven't had their Aura unlocked, can do. When you invest your heart and mind in the creation of something, you impart a piece of your soul into it as well. You took that a step further and wielded that blade as well, channeling your Aura through her time and again, over the course of who knows how many years. Doing that produces a powerful bond that serves to make both wielder and weapon stronger than the sum of their parts.

"However, such a bond can have its downsides. When this weapon was broken asunder, it was as though you'd lost a piece of yourself, like part of you had died. That's why you feel your grief so keenly right now. That's why we understand that you need some time to come to terms with it, and why we won't pressure you."

"Thank you," said Ruby with a sniff, wiping her eyes again. "You really are kind, doing all this without any reason."

"Well…I can't think of any reason really," admitted Ayumu. "But we'll help you as best we can."

Ruby nodded. She turned to look back at her weapon. "So…if part of my soul was in this…"

"Yes," said Ayumu sadly, "it's gone now. You could say that she has died."

"So…I can't just fix her," said Ruby.

"You could," said Ayumu. "But it wouldn't feel the same. It wouldn't come alive in your hands the way she used to. It would be like a lifeless lump of iron to your hands. The difference would be jarring, and take the edge off your skill. You would be best served by laying her to rest and forging a new weapon for yourself, investing the same passion and dedication in its creation that you utilized for your Crescent Rose."

"But…if that one breaks," said Ruby.

"It's inevitable," said Ayumu. "Nothing lasts forever in this world, and all things are transient. That is true for all things, even weapons…and people."

"I see," said Ruby, her eyes falling.

Ayumu scratched his chin, his eyes fixed on her falling face. "That said…" he said, "I could help you to forge a new weapon, one that wouldn't be broken as easily as a normal blade, even one as exceptional as yours, one that would endure and remain unbroken for as long as you do."

"What!?" exclaimed Ruby, looking up, her silvery eyes fixing hopefully on Ayumu's. "Really? How?"

"Well, the creation of such a weapon doesn't utilize normal materials," said Ayumu. "Nor is the manner of its creation normal. If I explained it, you probably wouldn't understand right away. It's better if I show you."

"How?" asked Ruby.

"Well, I can demonstrate once we set out," said Ayumu cheerfully. "It's practically a given that we'll run into more Grimm along the way to Brandywine. You'll see plenty of my weapon then."

"Wow! That would be awesome," said Ruby, her eyes shining before she remembered where she was and what she had been doing. She quickly lowered her eyes back to Crescent Rose's broken form. "So I guess…I should leave her here."

"We can take her with us, if you like," said Ayumu. "But I think it would be best if you said your farewells and parted ways here. We'll help you lay her to rest."

* * *

Ruby was fairly certain that she'd never thought she'd hold a funeral for a weapon, an object. Yet, she somehow knew that Crescent Rose was far more than a mere object. She had been a part of her, just as Ayumu had said. So, as she stood over the hole that Gin had excavated, she turned over each and every piece of Crescent Rose before carefully lowering it into her grave, taking her time, saying her farewell to even every bolt and screw.

Gin and Ayumu waited a respectful distance away, haversacks slung across their shoulders as they watched her say her goodbye. Finally, Ruby stood up, and Gin came over to help her move the excavated dirt back into the hole to cover up the remains of her weapon. Ruby wiped her eyes one final time and looked over at the boys. "Let's go," she said.

Gin and Ayumu nodded. Together, the three of them set out through the wilderness.

* * *

Within a few hours, Ruby was panting and sweating. It irked her to already feel so weak, despite knowing that they'd only gone a few miles at best. She'd spent the past few days doing little but lying down. As a consequence, her joints felt stiff and her legs were sore. Even though she wasn't carrying anything, she was having difficulty keeping up with the rather basic pace that Ayumu and Gin set.

They walked through most of the morning, and a good portion of the afternoon, stopping only for occasional breathers, where they would sip some water and eat some dried fruit and jerky. Finally, as evening was approaching, Ayumu called a halt to their walk. Ruby collapsed gratefully.

"Well done, Ms. Ruby," said Ayumu as he and Gin began to clear space for a campsite. "You did an excellent job keeping up. I didn't think we'd cover so much ground today."

"You…you still had to…slow down for me…didn't you?" asked Ruby in between pants.

"Not as much as we thought," said Gin, arranging rocks around a bare patch of dirt. "Yes, we had to slow down a little. But it's not something you need to hold against yourself. Even with your Aura helping you, it's going to take some time to get used to being active again."

Ayumu nodded. "Tell me, aside from your weariness, have you had any chest or stomach pains, any problems with the injured areas?"

Rush shook her head. "Nope," she said. "I barely even feel them now."

"Then you're doing well," said Ayumu pleasantly. "By the time we reach Brandywine, you'll probably be fully recovered."

"That'll be nice," said Ruby. "What about what you said you were going to show me?"

"Oh…that…" Ayumu scratched his head. "Well, I must admit that I'm a bit surprised we didn't run into any Grimm today. They normally become more numerous the closer we get to where people live."

Gin spoke up. "Well, we've still got a ways to go, and we must have wiped out most of the Grimm in the general vicinity of our original location. It could be a few days before we see more." He looked at Ayumu. "You might as well show her now. You're just being dramatic by waiting for something to use it on."

"I suppose you're right," said Ayumu with a sheepish chuckle. "It's been a while since the last time we had someone to watch. I guess I wanted to show off a little."

Ruby couldn't help but giggle at that. "It's okay if you want to wait," she said.

"No," said Ayumu, rubbing the back of his head. "I'll show you gladly. Besides, the sooner you understand, the sooner we can get started."

"Okay," said Ruby, leaning forward eagerly.

"Go ahead and show her," said Gin. "I'll finish setting up camp, and find us some food."

Ayumu nodded and held out his hand to Ruby. She took it gladly and allowed him to pull her to her feet. Allowing her to lean on his arm to remain steady, he led her a short distance away, into a space between trees, not quite large enough to be called a true clearing, but enough that they had some room to move about.

"You've already had your Aura unlocked," said Ayumu, moving to stand a short distance away from her. "And you have a weapon. You were probably trained to use your weapon as a conduit for your Aura. That's typical for Huntsmen and Huntresses."

"You think I'm a Huntress?" said Ruby, tilting her head. That didn't seem right.

"Not a full-fledged one," clarified Ayumu. "We think that you're a student, possibly from one of the Huntsman Academies. Our most likely candidate is Beacon Academy in Vale."

"Beacon…" Ruby rolled the world around in her mouth. It had a comfortable familiarity to it and, for some reason, the thought of her being a student there sounded right. Closing her eyes, she tried to picture the place in her mind's eye, but only found herself picturing formless blurs.

"We can worry about your point of origin when we get to town," said Ayumu. "The point is that you've been trained to utilize your Aura in a somewhat indirect manner, by channeling it through your weapon."

"And what about you?" asked Ruby, looking back at Ayumu, her curiosity about what he had to show her overriding her desire to examine a clue from her murky past.

"Well, I've managed to learn how to cut out the middleman, or so to speak," said Ayumu cheerfully.

He stood up straight, almost to the point of standing at attention. He clasped his hands together in front of his chest and bowed his head over them, his eyes closing in momentary concentration. Then he changed the position of his hands, opening his right hand before curling the fingers around, as though gripping an invisible object. With his left hand, he extended his first two fingers so that they pointed straight out, before bringing his hands back together so that the curled thumb and index finger of his right hand met the extended two fingers of his left hand. Then he drew them apart once more.

This time, Ruby found herself gasping as she saw Ayumu's shimmering, green Aura, condense into something solid and tangible. First came a curved cross-guard, a pale-green color that almost reminded her of weathered copper. It was followed by a slender, straight, double-edged blade of a slightly darker green at the edges, transitioning to almost black along the spine. The darker section of the blade's spine was decorated with images of stylized dragons in the same pale green as the cross-guard, which ran all the way up the length of the blade. As Ayumu continued to draw it out, the handle, also a dark-green that was almost black, emerged from the other side of his hand, finishing in a rounded, ring-shaped pommel. Finally, a tassel of bright-yellow threads seemed to weave itself out of thin air as Ayumu finished seeming to pull the blade out of his left hand, as though he'd drawn it from an invisible sheath.

Now holding the sword, Ayumu worked it through a series of rapid, circling passes, the blade trailing a pale-green wake, cutting cleanly and soundlessly through the air. Ayumu wielded it with incredible speed and precision, the blade itself becoming nothing more than a blur in his hand. Finally, he finished by whipping the sword out to his right side, the snap of his wrist causing the blade to flex in a sort of ripple that moved its way up its length, triggering an eerie ringing sound.

"It's…it's beautiful," gasped Ruby, staring in awe at the blade.

Ayumu beamed at her praise. "Thank you for saying so. This is my weapon. I call it Green Destiny."

"And you made it with your Aura?" said Ruby.

Ayumu nodded. "Yes. As you know, Aura allows you to utilize the power of your soul to exert force on the world around you. However, this takes it a step further and transmutes the essence of your soul into a tangible material. This is the art of materialization."

"And it's strong?" Ruby wanted to know.

Ayumu nodded. "This sword might look thin and fragile, but its edge is sharper than any you could obtain through any regular forging method or any mundane material, even the most advanced alloys. I have yet to find any manmade materials that can hold up against this cutting edge."

He began to move the blade through several more passes. "Because it is material made from your soul, it is not beholden to the regular physical laws that govern normal materials and substances. That can be used to give such a weapon a variety of qualities far beyond any ordinary weapon, even those made with the most advanced technology available in Remnant. And, of course…" He stopped his movements and then held up his left hand, extending his first two fingers again. Sliding the sword, tip-first, behind the fingers, Ayumu acted as though he were inserting the weapon into an invisible sheath, the blade disappearing behind his fingers. As his hands came together, the hilt, handle, pommel, and tassel all vanished as well. "…because you create it from your Aura, you don't have to worry about losing your weapon, or having an enemy see it. In other words, effortless concealment."

"Wow!" gasped Ruby. "And…you would teach me how to do this?"

"Of course," said Ayumu cheerfully. "I should warn you, it's not easy. By its nature, such a skill is several levels above the regular kind of Aura-control you normally learn."

"All right…" said Ruby. "How do I start?"

"Well, I'll start by teaching you how to manifest your Aura," said Ayumu. "Come, sit."

He sat crosslegged on the ground and gestured for Ruby to sit in front of him. She did so. Now Ayumu held up his hands, fingers spread, but slightly curled, holding them up so that there was about half a foot between them. Ruby quickly mimicked the position as best she could.

"To start, focus your Aura in your hands, as though you were going to try and use it through a regular weapon," said Ayumu, channelling his Aura into his hands, which began to shine a faint, pale-green.

Ruby frowned, a bit worried, not sure if that was something she knew how to do. She envisioned herself holding Crescent Rose, trying to remember the feel of swinging it. Somehow, it appeared her body and soul remembered the action, because her Aura flowed down into her hands, which began to shine a vivid, red color.

"Very good," said Ayumu. "Now is the tricky part. Project your Aura out into the space between your hands, and form it into a ball." His Aura did exactly that. A glowing, green orb formed, hovering between his open palms, growing more substantial with each passing second.

"Why a ball?" asked Ruby.

"Well, it doesn't necessarily have to be a ball," said Ayumu. "Technically any shape will do. However, a simple sphere is usually a good place to start, as it's easy to envision and maintain. This is simply an exercise in molding your Aura into a specific form. Once you've managed this reliably, you can began to manipulate it into more complex shapes."

"Okay," said Ruby, frowning down at her hands.

"Focus on the space between your hands," said Ayumu. "Hold in your mind the shape you want your Aura to take. The clearer and more well-defined the better. Imagine binding the essence of your soul into that form."

Ruby tried to follow his instructions, imagining a glowing orb between her palms, like the one Ayumu held between his own. Slowly, like the light of a candle, a flickering, red light appeared in the air between her hands. She could feel her Aura flowing out into it. She began to channel more and more of her Aura into the form, trying to keep the image she wanted it to be in her head. Her Aura began to take shape, a glowing orb hovering between her palms. However, as she held it, Ruby could feel her Aura escaping, dissipating into the air. Furrowing her brow, she tried to clamp down on it with her will, trying to keep it from escaping.

That seemed to do the trick, but it took a lot of concentration. The orb began to distort as Ruby began to lose hold of the image within her mind. Desperate to keep it, she imagined something like a skin, a membrane around the outside of it, one that would keep the Aura within contained. The orb smoothed out and became more clearly defined.

"Very good," said Ayumu with evident approval. "For starters, let's see how long you can maintain that."

"Okay…" said Ruby, unwilling to take her eyes away from her work, having trouble even hearing Ayumu's voice, such was the focus she was bending on her task. For his part, Ayumu merely settled back to watch, impressed by Ruby's dedication.

It was tricky work, primarily because Ruby found it difficult to maintain her focus for so long. Every few minutes, her mind would start wandering. Her eyes would want to drift away from her Aura to take in their surroundings. Every crunch of foliage and every rustle of leaves would demand her attention. Her body began to protest. Itches would appear, urging her to scratch. Her breathing would pull at her stitches. Every minute, there were dozens of potential distractions. However, Ruby did her best to maintain her focus, keeping her mind and will bent towards maintaining that small orb of red that hovered between her palms.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt Ayumu's hand rest on her shoulder. "Ms. Ruby…"

"Yes!" she said a bit more urgently than she'd meant to, her surprise getting the better of her. As her attention shifted to Ayumu, she lost focus on the ball of Aura. The realization struck her a fraction of a second after she moved her eyes to Ayumu. In her hands, she could feel the orb start to lose cohesion. Strangely enough, she also felt the membrane she'd used to encase it hold, so that, when she snapped her attention back to the orb, she was amazed to see that it was still there.

"Very well done," said Ayumu, squeezing her shoulder. "But now, unless I miss my guess, Gin is probably almost finished with dinner. We should be heading back."

"Okay," said Ruby, looking up at him again, this time taking comfort in the feeling of the orb maintaining its shape. She wondered if Ayumu had deliberately startled her in order to test her ability to maintain the projected shape, without directly focusing her attention on it. She suspected that he had.

"Now, don't let that Aura dissipate," said Ayumu. "The next step is to reabsorb it back into yourself."

"Reabsorb it?" said Ruby.

Ayumu nodded. "When you learn to manifest a weapon, you create the weapon out of your Aura. Technically, that Aura counts as expended, as it is no longer in your body. However, you can avoid the loss by drawing it back into yourself, rather than simply letting it go."

"Oh," said Ruby, nodding in understanding.

"Now then…slowly bring your hands together, until they're touching your projected Aura. Do you feel it?"

"I do," said Ruby, feeling as though she were cupping a soft, warm ball of some kind in her hands.

"Good. When I tell you, I want you to take a deep breath. As you inhale, envision pulling your projected Aura back in through your hands."

"Okay," said Ruby.

"All right…go ahead."

Doing as she was bid, Ruby inhaled. Strangely, she almost felt as though she was breathing in through her hands as well. They were drawn together and she felt the membrane she'd been using to hold her Aura's shape dissolve as it and the Aura it contained were drawn back inside of her. Opening her eyes, she found herself staring at her hands, which were now pressed together.

"Excellent," said Ayumu cheerfully. "That was perfect."

"Thank you," said Ruby, letting out a breath and sagging down a little. This kind of training wasn't particularly physically stressful, but it was mentally draining.

"Come on," said Ayumu, holding a hand out to her. "I bet Gin's almost done with dinner."

* * *

 **And so we come to what will be the core of this story, and Ruby's development throughout. I love the idea of exploring all the different things that Aura might be capable of, mainly because the series doesn't do a whole lot to plumb the depths of what Aura can and can't do. That's not entirely bad. By its very nature, an animated series is going to have a different pace and flow than a written work. There's way more moving parts, and a lot more planning has to go into what can be shown, versus what can't. They have to cut the fat somewhere, and, in a series like that, the progression of the plot and characters usually needs to take precedence over fleshing out the world.**

 **Although, that hasn't always worked out so well. One of my biggest gripes about RWBY as a whole is that, _because_ they haven't gone fully in-depth with the mechanics of the setting, particularly when it comes to the three pillars of those mechanics: Aura, Semblances, and Dust; when Ozpin reveals the existence of magic in Volume 3, and when we see it actually being used _as_ magic (as opposed to the times Cinder used it covertly before), it doesn't have as much impact. **

**When we saw the Volume 3 stinger, with Qrow transforming into a Qrow, no one hesitated to label it as his Semblance, because there was absolutely no reason to believe that it wasn't, because it was never clearly defined what Semblances could and couldn't do. Sure, it did lead to a nice, "Wait! What?" moment in Volume 4, when Qrow reveals that his Semblance is actually bad luck, but overall, it detracted from the sheer otherworldliness that we should have felt seeing Qrow transform, in my opinion, at least.**

 **Likewise, seeing Cinder, Amber, and Raven (I'm going to assume that the vast majority of my readers have already watched Volume 5 in its entirety, and know that Raven is the Spring Maiden) cut loose and use their powers is spectacular, on an effects level, because it leads to some of the most exciting, flashiest moments in the series. But it doesn't have the impact that it should. In a setting where the major characters have access to a force that essentially grants them superhuman levels of strength, speed, and durability; on top of almost everyone possessing one random superpower; on top of most of them using a substance that allows them to wield elemental powers of their own; some of which is accompanied by the classic visual hallmarks of magic, like glowing symbols, and flashing glyphs (see Glynda and Weiss); in the face of all of that, so far, the main thrust of what magic is, is that it allows people to do that without needing the other things listed before, and on a bigger scale.**

 **Magic in RWBY, thus far, just lacks a certain je ne sais quoi, a little something to make the viewers go, "Wait! That doesn't make sense!" when see magic in action.**

 **The conclusion of this little rant is that this story also serves as my vehicle for exploring the potential applications of Aura. And, as you'll eventually see, the possibilities get pretty wild. I hope you'll stick with me through it all.**

 **Finally, yes, Ayumu's weapon is _that_ Green Destiny, from _Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon_. I've always had a love for that particular sword, and its design. I hope that doesn't turn anyone off to this story.**


	4. Chapter 4

**And here we are with Chapter 4. I noticed that the story didn't get bumped up when I posted Chapter 3, maybe because I posted it too soon after Chapter 2. I haven't posted a story on FFN for so long that their submission and editing methods have been completely revamped from how they were on the last stories I posted to this site. Just check the last-updated stats on those abandoned projects on my profile, and you'll see what I'm talking about. Oh well...Onwards.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4:**

"She managed it on the first try…just like that?" said Gin skeptically.

"I was shocked myself," said Ayumu from where he was seated, across the fire from Gin. "Even when I deliberately distracted her, she didn't lose the shape."

After dinner, Ruby, worn out by all their walking, as well as her training, had barely had the presence of mind to brush her teeth, before wrapping herself up in the blanket and falling asleep, using a spare roll of cloth Ayumu carried as a pillow, too tired to care about the hard, lumpy ground. Ayumu and Gin remained awake for a while longer.

"Well, she already has some training, from what we've seen," said Gin, giving Ruby a careful look. "But that can't explain it all."

"The best answer I can come up with is that she's just as talented as you are," said Ayumu, beaming at Gin. "You suggested she's a student at a Huntsman Academy. I was skeptical, seeing as she's so young. But…after seeing her train, I believe I can understand why someone might have allowed her into an Academy, despite her age. She might well be a prodigy."

Gin was silent for several seconds. "That's not good," he said finally.

Ayumu frowned as well. "You…might be right. But I wonder if her case is different from yours."

"All the more reason we don't want her to meet Master Yu," muttered Gin. "You know what he does with prodigies."

"Well, you know even better," said Ayumu sadly. "That said, we can't pretend that it wasn't effective." His eyes drifted back to the sleeping Ruby. "Adversity is an essential catalyst for growth. But, because things come so easily to them, prodigies experience very little of that in comparison to average people. So they are less accustomed to dealing with adversity when they finally encounter it."

Gin rested his chin on one hand. "I'm not sure," he said, his eyes also going to Ruby. "Something tells me that she's had to deal with plenty of adversity before."

"You might be right," said Ayumu. "She can probably manage it. We'll keep going on as we planned then."

"Yeah," said Gin. "But let's make sure to get her back to her people before Master Yu comes back from wherever he wandered off to this time."

"A good plan," agreed Ayumu.

* * *

Their days took on a pattern. They would rise in the morning, Ruby usually waking up to find Ayumu or Gin foraging for breakfast. After the morning meal, they continued on their journey, walking through the day. In the evenings, Gin would prepare dinner, while Ayumu continued with Ruby's training.

Within just a couple of days, Ruby had the hang of keeping the orb of Aura suspended between her hands without even thinking about it. Then, at Ayumu's instruction, she began to manipulate its shape, stretching and lengthening it, before forming it into more and more complex constructs. At every step, she didn't take long to grasp the concept at work, progressing at an incredible pace.

Her memories, however, continued to remain elusive. She had yet to remember anything beyond vague impressions. She couldn't recall where she had come from, what family she had, what she had been doing, and, most of all, what had happened to her on the night Ayumu and Gin had found her. It was troubling and frustrating, Ruby worrying that maybe she had lost those memories for good. She used her training as a distraction, practicing with projecting and manipulating her Aura, even outside the time Ayumu spent teaching her, while she was waiting for breakfast, even while they were walking. At one point, she even made her Aura into a game of Cat's Cradle to pass the time…not that she actually knew the particulars of playing.

On the bright side, her strength was rapidly returning. She knew that Ayumu and Gin were keeping to a leisurely pace for her sake. However, their pace was increasing slightly with each day and, as they progressed, they were gradually covering more and more ground. She no longer passed out from exhaustion each night, but spent time with her new friends, learning more about them and where they had been. She was amazed to learn about the variety of places they had visited over the course of their training.

However, as their journey continued, they had yet to encounter a single Grimm. For some reason…that seemed to trouble the boys more than anything.

* * *

By Ruby's count, it was the better part of two weeks before they reached Brandywine. She didn't remember what the date was, or even what day of the week it was. She hadn't even thought to ask Ayumu or Gin. She wondered if they knew or bothered with dates to begin with.

She was about to turn and ask Gin, when he and Ayumu both froze in place, Gin holding out an arm to forestall Ruby's movement. Ruby opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong, when her own instincts went on alert, causing her body to tense up as she dropped reflexively into a crouch.

Leaves rustled and branches cracked, the sudden surge in sound indicating several fair-sized bodies moving through the undergrowth, plowing through bushes without pausing. Ruby's eyes caught shadows darting towards them in irregular paths through the surrounding woodland. Every once in a while, she caught a glimpse of bone-white or fiery red.

"It would seem that we've found the Grimm," said Ayumu cheerfully. Pressing his hands together, he drew forth his sword, the blade releasing its eerie ring as he held it at the ready.

"And quite a few of them," added Gin, also sinking into a crouch. Ruby's eyes widened as she saw his fingernails elongate and shift, transitioning into a set of curved claws.

 _Well, he is a faunus,_ she thought, then blinked. There it was again, that perplexing, yet frustrating feeling of realizing that she knew something, yet couldn't remember why or how she knew it, or why that information was important. She knew what faunus were. In fact, thinking about faunus had a sense of familiarity to it, making Ruby think that she must have known a faunus at one time or another. _Maybe even recently._

All such thoughts were banished from her head when, with a series of low growls and angry barks, a pack of Beowolves emerged from the undergrowth, their white masks and gleaming red eyes standing in stark contrast to their pitch-black fur, which was such a pure shade of black that it didn't seem to consist of any earthly material. The beasts growled, barked, and yipped as they surrounded the trio, slavering jaws slowly opening to reveal curling tongues as they prowled towards their prey. They looked like something straight out of a nightmare.

Despite that, Ruby felt no fear. For whatever reason, Beowolves didn't frighten her. If anything, seeing them once again filled her with that sense of familiarity, the sense of a situation she'd been in a dozen times before. However, her trepidation returned when she also realized that, during such situations, she must have had Crescent Rose. Her precious weapon and partner, now shattered and buried, was of no help to her here, and Ruby was also somehow intrinsically aware that fighting these things with her bare hands was not a good idea.

Her fear was assuaged when Ayumu glanced back at her. "It'll be fine, Ms. Ruby," he said cheerfully. "I've been waiting for this. This is a good chance to demonstrate the application of what I've been teaching you."

Ayumu's cheerful demeanor hadn't changed in the slightest, despite the pack of monsters surrounding them. His words made Ruby relax and let out the breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding.

One of the Beowolves circling them lunged at Ayumu, trying to take advantage of what appeared to be his lapse in attention. However, Ayumu's head immediately whipped back around, his eyes fixing effortlessly on the incoming beast. Green Destiny whistled as it cut through the air itself before blade bit into the flesh of the Beowolf's neck, then cleaved right through it without the slightest sign of resistance. The beheaded body of the monster collapsed to the ground, while the head itself bounced a couple of times before settling several meters away, thrown more by the Grimm's own momentum than the strength of Ayumu's swing.

That attack seemed to be the signal that impelled the rest of the pack into action. The Beowolves surged forward in a chorus of howls and barks, snapping with their teeth and slashing with their claws. Ayumu went into motion, his body seeming to glide over the ground as he moved to the next one in line, swinging his sword in a sideways slash that cut the creature in two at the waist.

Another Beowolf tried to flank Ayumu from the opposite side, but he spun effortlessly out of the way of its snapping jaws, his turn also serving to bring his blade around in a downwards slash. This Beowolf, older than the previous two, raised its arm to block the incoming blade. Said arm was covered in a bony plate that could deflect all but the strongest strikes.

However, the Green Destiny passed effortlessly through the obstruction and the Beowolf yipped in pain, reeling as its severed forelimb dropped to the ground. Before it could recover, Ayumu darted in, his sword swiftly dancing upwards so that Ayumu could thrust its tip straight through the base of the creature's jaw, the blade passing out through the top of its skull. The Beowolf went limp and Ayumu quickly pulled his blade free, dancing back as its body sagged to the ground where he had been standing a second earlier. Several more ranks of the monsters closed in, and Ayumu turned to meet them with perfect grace and composure.

Enthralled, Ruby had to rip her eyes away from Ayumu to turn to keep track of Gin's progress. On the surface, Gin's movements seemed less refined than Ayumu's. His current opponent advanced with slavering jaws, which threatened to close around his skull. But Gin merely ducked beneath them, rushing in to reach the monster's exposed stomach and swinging his left hand around, his claws gouging deep slashes in the Grimm's flesh. The force of the blow flung the Beowolf backwards, forcing two of its comrades to jump aside, lest they bey flattened. It landed on its back and remained motionless, drifting black particles, like smoke, dancing off its form, indicating that Gin's blow had been a lethal one.

Gin was already moving on, dashing across the ground at his next intended victim. The Beowolf didn't even have time to react as Gin closed in, his hand reaching out, fingers curling over the top of the Grimm's head, claws sinking in and holding fast. Before it could even begin to think about struggling, Gin pulled, then pushed, sharply downwards, slamming the Beowolf's head to the earth with enough force to smash it. Even as he released his grip, his body's position was already shifting, his eyes going to his next intended target.

Gin rushed from one Grimm to the next, rarely ever giving them a chance to attack. On the surface, his movements seemed uncoordinated and flailing, relying more on raw ferocity than skill to take down his opponents before they could react or consider a defense. However, upon close inspection, Ruby realized that Gin's technique was just as refined as Ayumu's. It relied more on his strength than Ayumu's, which relied on the precision with which the taller boy employed the magnificent cutting edge of his weapon. However, that power was employed fluidly and gracefully. Ruby could see Gin's body shifting, allowing him to put far more force behind each blow than he'd manage with just his arm-strength alone. The result was that he dropped Grimm just as quickly and easily as Ayumu did, his movements curving, turning, almost sinuous in nature.

Ruby blinked her eyes furiously, almost feeling as though she'd been staring into a bright light. Gin's Aura emerged from the edges and tips of his claws in flashes of the purest silver. However, accompanying those flashes, Ruby caught glimpses of something else, her eyes catching flickers of something like a scaled, serpentine body that flashed in his wake, twisting and winding in synch with his steps and matching the swings of his clawed hands. Deciding that her eyes were playing tricks on her, Ruby turned her attention back to Ayumu for a little bit.

On the battle went. Ruby lost count of how many Beowolves there were. Ayumu and Gin moved in perfect sync with one another, advancing and retreating, all while continually circling, never straying too far from Ruby. By and large, the Grimm focused their ferocity on the two boys, who were clearly the greatest threat. However, once in a while, one or two would try to slip by them and go for Ruby instead. Whenever that happened, however, either Gin or Ayumu would shift position to smoothly and effortlessly intercept.

Because of that, Ruby found a strange sense of detachment from the battle around her, feeling like she was wrapped in a bubble of safety, standing perfectly in the calm eye of a powerful hurricane that was raging all around her. The barks, howls, and snarls of Grimm filled the air. Their gleaming, red eyes glared, filled with murderous hatred and savage hunger. Teeth gnashed and claws slashed through the air. Despite that, Ruby didn't feel a trace of fear. Instead, she was free to settle back and watch, observing the skill and strength of the two boys protecting her, taking in the details of their techniques and forms. She watched…and she learned.

At length, the last Beowolf dropped to the ground in pieces, before dissolving into smoky particles that drifted away on the wind. Ayumu whipped his blade through a few more passes, then made the motion of sliding it into an invisible sheath, which caused the sword to vanish. "Well, that was a nice bit of exercise."

"That was a pretty big pack," noted Gin, his claws sliding back into his fingers as he lowered his arms and relaxed his body. "It's almost like they were making up for the fact that we didn't run into any of them earlier."

"I doubt that's the case," said Ayumu with a chuckle. Then he frowned. "By any chance, did you notice what way they came from?"

Gin nodded and pointed off through the woods. "That way," he said. Then his eyes narrowed. "But I don't think they were hunting us. They were heading somewhere else, when they caught wind of us and shifted their path to find us."

"That's what I thought," said Ayumu, his frown deepening.

"What's going on?" asked Ruby.

"Unless we miss our guess, those Beowolves were heading the same way we were," said Gin.

"Is that bad?" asked Ruby.

"Well, given that Grimm are drawn by negative emotions, it would imply that something might be happening in Brandywine," said Ayumu worriedly.

Gin nodded his agreement and looked to Ruby. "We're going to have to pick up our pace. Are you okay with that?"

"Sure," said Ruby, nodding.

"Then let's not waste time," said Gin, stooping to pick up the haversack that he'd dropped when he'd first sensed the incoming Grimm, Ayumu doing the same.

They set off at a more rapid clip, a walk that was just a little bit down from a full-on jog. Ruby got the impression that the boys probably would have broken into a run, if it weren't for her. She had the impulse to urge them on ahead, but reined it in, realizing that they would never agree to that. She also couldn't deny that the thought of the two of them leaving her alone in the forest, when there might be so many Grimm around, was a frightening one.

At this rapid pace, Ruby felt her legs begin to burn from the exertion. Her lungs labored with each breath. Her brow became soaked with sweat. Despite that, she pressed on. They hadn't been following anything that could be called a road or a path. At best, it could be charitably called a trail. It was a thin line worn between the trees by the passage of animals, probably a game trail of some sort. As a consequence, it was broken in many places by irregularly shaped rocks and tree roots. Ruby, who had focused all her concentration on keeping up with the pace that Gin and Ayumu set, found herself not having the awareness to spare for where she put her feet at all times.

Her foot caught on a tree root and Ruby abruptly pitched forward. However, instead of the hard ground, she found herself falling onto Gin's back. He'd stopped the instant she'd tripped, taken a slight step backwards and to the side, crouching down so that Ruby fell onto him.

"Hold on," he said.

Ruby barely had time to wrap her arms around her shoulders when he stood up, his arms hooking under her legs and lifting them up so that Ruby was now riding piggyback.

"I can walk!" she protested.

"We know," said Ayumu. "But still, it's best not to push yourself too hard yet. We'll take care of the rest."

"And now we can pick up the pace some more," added Gin as he and Ayumu broke into a jog that gradually accelerated into a run.

From her place on Gin's back, Ruby watched with wide eyes as he carried her along with no signs of strain. The trees rushed past as the two boys ran along the forest floor, not even worrying about the roots and other irregularities in the ground that would have tripped up most people foolish enough to try running in this kind of environment.

Surprisingly, despite how fast they were going, Ruby couldn't help but feel at ease. Even through his clothes, Gin's body felt cool to the touch, where it pressed up against hers. She felt her temperature falling and found herself relaxing as he ran on, leaning down slightly and relaxing her head against his shoulder, almost to the point of falling asleep.

However, thoughts of rest were chased from her mind when a new sound reached her over the wind rushing across her ears. Up ahead, the air filled with roars and howls, accompanied by the occasional bark or yip. The cacophony was punctuated by sharp cracks that Ruby's ears recognized immediately, despite not remembering why, the sound of gunfire.

"We're getting close," Ayumu shouted as they bounded between the trees.

Finally, they broke through the edge of the forest, finding themselves standing on the edge of a swath of cleared land. Ahead of them lay their destination.

Ruby's jaw dropped and her eyes widened at the sight of what lay before them.

The town of Brandywine was quite sizable. A twenty-foot wall stretched across the other side of the clear space, curving and winding slightly, bridging a river that apparently ran through the middle of the town itself. Behind the wall, Ruby could see slate-shingled roofs stretching upwards, most of the buildings no higher than two or three stories, save for a single, tall structure in the center of town, a building that was tall enough, but just a little too broad to be called a tower, antennae and dishes stretching upwards from its roof.

Behind the town loomed mountains, rocky and uneven ground that ascended at a sharp angle. The mountains had branched, forming a sort of wedge that occupied the town's opposite side. Nothing seemed to be grown or built on that space, looking too treacherous to support anything substantial.

All told, it was a pleasant-looking place, the kind of place that people might want to live in. From their low angle, the three travelers could only see a small portion of the town that rose above the level of the wall though. However, thoughts of seeing what lay behind that barrier were put on the back-burner, mainly because of what lay between them and the safety the wall represented.

Grimm seemed to be everywhere. There were Beowolves, like the pack they'd fought in the forest. But there were also burly and spiky Urasi, lumbering to and fro. Between them wandered strange, bipedal Grimm that were devoid of forelimbs of any kind, Creeps. From her perch on Gin's back, Ruby even spotted the yellow stinger of a Deathstalker bobbing amongst the crowd, not too far away.

Some of them threw themselves at the wall, scratching at it with their claws and paws, before they were killed or driven back by the gunfire from armed men and women atop the wall. Claws and fangs weren't able to break through the solid material of the barrier, but they did leave behind several deep gouges. One of the Grimm's most dangerous aspects was their persistence. Over enough time, attacking the same portions of the wall over and over again, they could wear their way through it, little by little. Right now, the wall showed plenty of signs of that infamous persistence, deep claw marks scoring it up and down its length. The Grimm had been brought down before they could progress very far. However, the presence of all those marks showed that the pressure of their continual attack had left the residents of Brandywine no time to affect repairs.

"Goodness, I wonder what happened here," mused Ayumu, looking around, he and Gin taking a breather, as the Grimm hadn't apparently noticed them yet.

"Who knows," said Gin, frowning as he looked up. "I don't see any fliers. If the Grimm are this numerous around here, I figured we'd see a few small Nevermores, or even a Griffon or two."

Gin swept his gaze along the Grimm besieging the walls. _Or maybe there were fliers,_ he thought. _It's not impossible, but their absence is abnormal. If they were here, then someone cleaned them out before they could fly over the walls. That means someone who knows what they're doing is manning the defense. But still…_

"Where's the gate?" asked Gin, looking around.

"That way, I'd guess," said Ayumu, pointing to the right and along down the wall, where the the most intense sound of gunfire was coming from.

"Well, let's follow it around," said Gin, lowering Ruby off his shoulders. "Can you walk?" he asked, looking back at her.

Ruby nodded wordlessly.

"Good," said Gin. He stretched his arms up and back behind his head, popping sounds coming from his shoulders. "We'll start here, and sweep along the wall until we reach the gate. That should take some pressure off the defenders."

"Perhaps we should sweep the rest of the perimeter," added Ayumu. "That ought to improve the mood of the townspeople and, hopefully, limit further attacks."

"Worth a try," said Gin.

The two of them set off, Ruby falling into step slightly behind them as they walked straight for the wall. Whatever was going on behind the barrier had a pretty solid hold on the Grimm's attention. They were more than halfway to the wall before the first Beowolf took notice. A second later, it let out a snarling bark, drawing the attention of its brethren. All the Grimm in the vicinity completely abandoned their efforts to break through the wall, their attention drawn by the easier prey walking right into their midst…at least…it seemed like the trio of approaching travelers were easier prey.

Ayumu drew his sword and Gin's claws slid out over the tips of his fingers. The two of them didn't even break stride as the Grimm charged them en-mass. As the monstrous horde closed to within striking distance, the boys broke into a flurry of motion, their attacks leaving streams of green and silver light in their wake as they tore through the Grimm effortlessly.

Ruby found herself walking between the two of them, watching in quiet fascination as Ayumu and Gin carved their way through the center of the attacking Grimm. As the fight progressed, the awareness of enemies in their midst seemed to spread to the Grimm further up and down the wall's length, prompting them to abandon their efforts and converge on the approaching trio.

A short distance from the wall, the three of them turned their path to the right and began working their way along the wall's length. All the while, the Grimm charged and threw themselves at them with wild abandon, but not a single fang or claw made it past Ayumu's sword or Gin's claws.

The monsters fell in droves and, before long, the ground behind the trio was littered with dissolving corpses. Despite the constant fighting, neither of the boys showed any signs of flagging, even though the previous battle, along with the run that had followed it, should have eaten through a considerable portion of their stamina.

Gradually, they followed the wall's curving path, a gate coming into view. The sturdy doorway was constructed of some kind of dark, heavy wood, reinforced with metal bars and studs. It stretched up nearly the entire height of the wall, its curving form fully encompassing the width of the dirt road that stretched out in front of it and snaked off, winding across fields that ran alongside the edge of the very forest the three of them had come from.

As they approached the gate, the number of Grimm attacking began to slack off, and the reason quickly became apparent. A trio of men held the ground there, standing between the monstrous onslaught and the only visible means into the town. The ground around them was littered with dead and dying Grimm, its torn and battered state indicating that even more had fallen there earlier, but had dissolved.

Ruby stopped in her tracks and let out an excited squeal as she saw them. "Huntsmen!" she exclaimed, her eyes fixing on their weapons eagerly.

"Yep," agreed Gin, showing less enthusiasm, appearing to regard the defenders with an air of unconcern.

"Competent ones at that, if they've held out this long against such a continuous Grimm attack," mused Ayumu.

Their leader, at least, the one they assumed to be the leader, if his position in the center of their formation and the orders he called out to the other two were any indication, was a burly man with close-cropped brown hair, a beard of the same color, but considerably longer steaming down from his chin as he whipped his head this way and that. He was dressed in a long, dark-brown duster, which flapped around behind him, almost like a cape as he fought. Underneath that, they could see a black shirt, crossed by a single belt, running diagonally across his chest from over his left shoulder and down to his torso, just above his right hip. A second belt, festooned with numerous pouches, was wrapped around his waist. Each flap of his duster revealed his legs, clad in a pair of black pants. For some inexplicable reason, the right leg was decorated with a leather guard over his shin, and a second one over his knee, while the other was unadorned.

As they approached, he swung his weapon, a massive-looking morning star, slamming it down on the head of an attacking Ursa and pulverizing it in an instant, his swing continuing on down and shattering the ground below with enough force that Ruby, Ayumu, and Gin felt the tremor of impact, even though they were still a fair distance away.

A yellow flash drew their attention to the second of the three Huntsmen as he drove what appeared to be a long spear into the ribs of a lunging Beowolf. The twin prongs of the weapon's blade, separated by about an inch from one another so that their elongated ends terminated in a double point, like an isosceles triangle that had been slit lengthwise and separated slightly, looked surprisingly delicate, yet showed no sign of strain as they penetrated the Grimm's flesh. A second later, crackling yellow electricity ran along their lengths and then broke out across the Beowolf's body as it spasmed in pain before slumping down lifelessly, allowing the man to withdraw his weapon.

Its wielder was quite different from the first Huntsman. His build was slender and somewhat lanky, compared to his burly companion, his arms and legs seeming a bit too long for his body. The effect was enhanced by the sleeveless, black vest he wore over his torso, which rested over a grey undershirt, which was also sleeveless, leaving the toned, whipcord-like muscles of his arms on full display. His too-long legs were covered by a pair of unadorned dark-red trousers, which clung fairly tightly to the muscles of his legs so that, whenever they flexed or bent, the fabric always seemed to be on the verge of tearing. His long, rust-red hair whipped around in the air behind him, stirred up by the wind of his spear as he spun it over his head.

The third man was the source of the sound of gunfire as he drove the short end of one of the twin weapons he wielded under the chin of a Creep. A gunshot cracked through the air and the back of the armless Grimm's head splattered outwards. The man withdrew his weapon and the Creep collapsed onto the ground.

In comparison to the other two, this man didn't seem to be dressed for the battlefield in any capacity. He was clad in a black suit with a white shirt underneath, with a matching pair of trousers on his legs, the ensemble complimented by a dark-blue tie. It was crisp and free of wrinkles of any kind, giving the impression that it had just been freshly ironed. He looked more like an office worker than a Huntsman. The sunlight gleamed off the smooth skin of his bald head, which was completely devoid of hair, save for the the short, black goatee that extended down from his chin.

His weapons appeared to be a pair of black and gold tonfas. However, the shaft of the weapon was vaguely triangular in shape, reaching its widest at where it met the handle, before tapering at a sharp angle towards the front end, from which a gun barrel protruded. Along the long arm of the weapon, it tapered down into a sharp point at the end, which rested just past the man's elbow, when he held it normally. A cutting edge, lined with gold, lined the gradually widening long end of the weapon before terminating where it suddenly tapered back down to the front. The two tonfa were identical.

All three men wielded their weapons with clear confidence and skill, remaining undaunted by the number of Grimm pressing them. As Ayumu and Gin carved a path towards the trio, the number of Grimm began to slacken. As the last one fell, Ayumu's sword vanished and Gin's claws slid back into his fingers.

Getting closer finally brought them into the notice of the trio of Huntsmen guarding the gate. Their leader delivered the finishing blow to the last remaining Beowolf with an upward swing of his morning star, which shattered the creature's head, even as the Grimm was sent flying upwards and backwards, its lifeless body landing on its back and beginning to dissolve.

Lowering his morning star, the brown-haired man finally looked in their direction, his eyes, the same shade of brown as his hair, fixing on them. Something flashed within in them that neither of the trio could identify. They tensed reflexively as the man stared at them, his attention attracting that of his companions so that, now, all three of them were staring at Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu.

Then the man broke out in a wide grin. "Well now!" he barked out with a harsh laugh. "What do we have here? Travelers, eh? Are you the ones who took the pressure off our right flank?"

"I imagine so," said Ayumu politely, his expression not flickering in the slightest. "We just started working our way down along the wall. We figured it would a be a good idea to do what we could, since we were heading here anyway."

"I see," said the man. "Well, even if it wasn't necessary, your help was appreciated all the same."

The second, red-haired man came to stand to his leader's right, his dark-green eyes narrowing slightly, though his lips still curled up in a smile. "And what business brings you to our lovely town."

Gin fought to keep from frowning at the light sense of possessiveness that had inhabited the man's use of "our," wondering what it meant.

"Well, it's not business per-se," said Ayumu, his demeanor not changing in the slightest. "When we left the last town we'd been in, we settled on this as our next destination. I suppose you could say we're tourists, of a sort."

"Oh…" said the bald man, coming to stand to the leader's left, not bothering to even try and erect a facade of pleasantness, his expression pointed and suspicious, "…and why would tourists come to Brandywine?"

Despite the sudden interrogation, Ayumu didn't miss a beat. "Why…tomatoes, of course," he said cheerfully. "Brandywine is famous for their tomato crop. I've heard their Caprese is the best in all of Sanus. I've been dying for a chance to try it."

Ruby stared in confusion at Ayumu, wondering if he really had crossed entire swaths of Grimm-infested land for a taste of a fancy salad. Gin merely smirked and nodded his agreement.

"Yet you seem to possess some degree of combat skill," said the bald man. "Are you Huntsmen?"

"Nope," said Ayumu, with all frankness. "Of course, one cannot hope to travel between towns without some skill in the martial arts. But we are not Huntsmen."

"I see…" said continued the bald man, apparently not completely satisfied with Ayumu's answer. "And who are you, exactly?"

"My name is Ayumu Ao," said Ayumu cheerfully. He rested a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "This is my younger sister, Ruby. And this fellow is our friend, Gin Ueno. The three of us are simple wanderers…vagabonds, you could say."

Ruby swallowed, a bit unnerved by the interrogation, and doing her best to hide her surprise at Ayumu referring to her as his sister, wondering just what had prompted him to lie about their relationship. However, she kept her mouth closed. Something about these men set her nerves on edge, which might have been the reason for Ayumu to use the lie. She decided to go with it for now.

If the bald man's eyes got any narrower, they'd probably close completely.

However, their leader didn't seem to share the bald man's reservations. Laughing boisterously, he raised a meaty arm and delivered a heavy slap to his companion's back. Despite the powerful sound of impact, the bald man showed no reaction to the blow, his body not even twitching.

"You'll have to forgive Nigel," said the brown-haired leader. "He's got an untrusting nature. I'm sure you three are just fine."

Nigel's only response was to sheath his tonfa so that they crossed behind his back, then to reach into the pocket of his suit and withdraw a cigar and a lighter, igniting the cigar and taking a puff.

For some reason, the mundane action put Ruby's hackles up. She couldn't say why, but the sight of Nigel smoking reminded her of something…or someone…unpleasant. Who or what that was, she couldn't say. She tried her hardest to keep her agitation from showing on her face. As far as she could tell, she was successful as none of them gave her much attention, instead focusing on Ayumu and Gin, Ayumu in particular.

"We're just a little wary about new people coming in when all this is going on," said the red-haired man, gesturing to the battlefield, where the last of the Grimm corpses had dissolved, a swath of torn, cratered, and burned ground providing the only evidence that a battle had taken place.

The brown-haired leader nodded in agreement. "Don't worry though," he said. "You seem like nice kids. Come on inside. My name is Bruno Grosse. I'm the leader of this team. To my right is my partner, Rufus Benbow."

The lanky, red-haired man swept into an exaggerated bow that Ruby couldn't help but find a tad mocking. As he did, the handle of his spear contracted in on itself, the two prongs of its blades joining together, resembling something more like a knife than a spear. Rufus then inserted the blade part into a leather sheath he wore at his waist.

Bruno's lips pulled back in an easygoing grin as he swung his morning star slowly over his shoulder, prompting it to attach to something on the back of his duster so that it remained in place when he released it.

"And this," he said, gesturing to the bald man on his left, "is Nigel Jewell."

Nigel puffed his cigar and favored them with a curt nod.

"In any case, you're all welcome to our lovely little town," said Bruno with a chuckle, "especially a pretty little thing like your sister."

His words, while pleasant in tone, made Ruby swallow nervously. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gin shift his position ever so slightly as his fingers curled a little, preparing to unleash his claws at a moment's notice.

However, Bruno and his two companions instead turned and made their way to the gates. "Open up!" shouted Bruno, his eyes narrowing into a glare at the top of the wall, his tone suddenly harsher and more demanding. "We're coming in!"

There was a brief moment of silence. Then, with a low, echoing creak, the gates swung outwards, not opening all the way, but easily wide enough for them to get through. As they entered the town, the three new arrivals found their eyes darting every which way, taking in the sights and sounds. The buildings of Brandywine all had a rustic, homey feel, assembled largely from wood, with some sporting walls that had been covered by a layer of plaster. The streets were cobbled, the stones smoothed down by years of weather and wear. Despite the markings of Grimm claws on the walls, the buildings and the streets showed no signs of damage that they could see, a sign that the perimeter was holding. As a whole, the town exhibited a pleasant ambience.

Yet, there was also a feeling of wrongness they couldn't shake. The streets were bustling with people going about their business. Windows shined brightly, the houses and businesses lit from within, giving every evidence of a sense of normalcy, despite the siege that had just taken place outside. However, people shifted to give them, particularly the three Huntsmen in the lead, a wide berth as they made their way down the streets. Conversations dropped down into hushed whispers or stilled entirely. It seemed that, despite all that they'd done to protect this place, the people regarded these Huntsmen with worry and suspicion, feelings that now appeared to be settling on the three newest arrivals, by dint of their traveling with this trio of Huntsmen.

As for their guides, either the trio of Huntsmen didn't notice the oppressive atmosphere that seemed to follow them around, or they didn't care. Bruno talked a mile a minute, pointing out different things of interest and promising to guide them to Brandywine's inn, where he also promised them a fair rate.

 _I wonder how he has the wherewithal to make all these promises,_ mused Gin.

Gradually, the inn came into sight. It was a long, low building, constructed in a large L-shape. The short end appeared to be occupied by a large common room and tavern that also served as one of the social hubs for the entire town. As the six of them entered it, they found the tavern quite full, the tables occupied by several inhabitants, many of them swigging down drinks or tucking in to plates of food. Seeing them eating made Ruby's stomach growl demandingly.

The innkeeper manned a desk on the far side of the tavern, where a set of doors apparently led to the inn's rooms. He was a somewhat portly-looking man, his head covered with a receding set of thin, brown hair, combed over towards one side. His mouth was partially concealed by a bushy, brown mustache that twitched occasionally. He looked up as they approached, mousy, blue eyes darting their way, his skin blanching slightly as Bruno and his companions approached. "Ah! Sir! Welcome back! I trust today was successful."

"Town's still standing, ain't it?' asked Bruno rhetorically, the same harsh edge to his voice that he'd used when calling upon the residents to open the gate. When the innkeeper flinched back, Bruno switched gears and burst out laughing. "Not to worry," he said boisterously after a round of guffaws. "Today's Grimm have been dealt with, and your home is safe a while longer."

"That's…good to know," said the innkeeper.

"Anyway," said Bruno, moving Nigel aside and gesturing for Ayumu, Ruby, and Gin to come up to join him, "we ran into these three outside the gates. Apparently they traveled here all the way from…" He paused and looked questioningly at Ayumu.

"Anduin," Ayumu supplied helpfully.

"Right! Anduin," said Bruno. "They were a big help in clearing the wall. I want ya to spot 'em for rooms and dinner tonight."

"O-of course, sir," said the innkeeper, nodding a little more quickly and fervently than he probably needed to.

Once again, a wave of uneasiness rolled across the trio of travelers. Ruby remembered Ayumu saying that he and Gin didn't actually have money, and that they usually bartered their services for room and board whenever they visited a settlement. Having Bruno just arrange things for them should have been good, a sign that they didn't have to arrange extra work to ensure they had a place to sleep or food to eat for the night. But the manner in which Bruno had dictated what was to be done, and the way the innkeeper responded, only reinforced the impression that something was quite wrong here.

"I'll have three rooms prepared right away," said the innkeeper quickly.

"Actually, one will suffice, if you have a room with space for three," said Ayumu politely.

The innkeeper's gaze turned to Ayumu in earnest for the first time, having only really glanced over him when Bruno introduced him before. A flash of something that looked like relief flickered across the man's face and he nodded. "If that's your preference, then I am more than able to accommodate you."

"Huh," huffed Bruno nonchalantly. "Come on, kiddo, he was gonna give you each your own room. Gotta live it up while you can."

"The three of us are used to traveling together, so we're more comfortable sharing a room," said Ayumu with a sheepish laugh. "Strange though it may be, that's the way we are."

"Well…if you insist," said Bruno, though he seemed slightly disappointed by their decision.

"If you don't mind, I'll show you to your room so that you can get your things settled before dinner," said the innkeeper, gesturing for them to follow him down through the hallway.

"We'll see you kids at dinner," Bruno bellowed after them.

Leaving the ruckus of the crowded tavern behind them, they found themselves following the innkeeper in an uneasy silence.

"Are you folks really with those Huntsmen?" he asked finally, after an uncomfortable delay.

"Well, we met them at the gate," said Gin. "We've just been following their lead from there."

"And what do you think about them?" asked the innkeeper.

"They appear to be doing a fine job of holding the gate," said Ayumu. "But I can't help but feeling that something is amiss." He frowned slightly. "For example, despite all that they do, I can't help but notice that you and your fellow townsfolk aren't exactly happy to have them here."

The innkeeper sighed, taking them up a flight of stairs to the second level of the inn. "We were quite happy to see them when they first got here. After all, our mayor did request the services of Huntsmen after all. But…since then…they've long worn out their welcome."

"I see…" said Gin, frowning darkly. "Then I'm guessing that, after they completed the job they were initially hired for, they wound up hanging around longer than they were supposed to."

"You could say that," grumbled the innkeeper, stopping at a door. "However much we might not like it, it's _their_ town now."

* * *

 **A trio of wild Huntsmen has appeared. I don't think that anyone is going to have difficulty identifying them as the antagonists of this first story-arc. With that being said, allow me to introduce them properly.**

 **Bruno Grosse: Our big, burly leader. Bruno is derived from the Germanic "brun," meaning "brown," in this case.**

 **Rufus Benbow: Rufus means "red-haired," which is straightforward enough, I suppose.**

 **Nigel Jewell: Nigel is commonly associated with the Latin word, "niger," meaning "black." Nigel is another of my more straightforward expy characters, his appearance and weapons are based on Nizer Bruckheimer: Chronos Number V, from the _Black Cat_ manga series (there was an anime...but we don't really talk about that). His tonfas are, in appearance, based on Nizer's weapons from that series, which were made from the fictional metal, Orichalcum. In this story, they aren't made from anything like that, but I did amp them up a little, by giving them sharp edges, and adding a gun...because, in RWBY stories, weapons with guns in them are the norm. Okay, maybe there was a bit of influence from Elie's weapons from _Rave Master_.**

 **Until next time.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

"What did he mean?" asked Ruby as she settled on the bed. "How is it 'their' town?"

"I'm not entirely sure," said Ayumu, settling on the bed that was next to hers. "He left without really explaining what was going on."

That was an understatement. After his dire pronouncement, the innkeeper flinched, clearly realizing that he'd said more than he thought he should have. Instead, he'd quickly handed Ayumu the key to the room and scuttled away, muttering excuses.

"We'll have to find out what's going on," said Gin. "I don't like it though."

"Agreed," said Ayumu, before giving Ruby a smile that looked distinctly apologetic. "I'm sorry about the lie I told earlier. I hope you don't mind."

"Oh…that," said Ruby, remembering that Ayumu had claimed that she was his sister. "Why did you lie about that?"

Ayumu threw a worried look at the door. "At the moment, I think that claiming that you are family will provide a better measure of protection than admitting that you're an amnesiac stranger we happened to stumble across in the woods, on the way here."

"Agreed," said Gin. "I didn't like the look in that Bruno guy's eye whenever he looked your way."

Ruby shivered, thinking back to it and deciding that she didn't like the look in his eye either.

"Likewise, I apologize for not getting you your own room," said Ayumu. "But, for the time being, I don't think it's a wise idea to allow you to be separated from us. Likewise, I think you should make sure either Gin or I is with you at any given time."

"Okay…" said Ruby. These measures seemed distinctly paranoid, but she couldn't deny that they were probably a good idea. Despite their friendly behavior (with the notable exception of Nigel), there was something that struck her as distinctly wrong about those Huntsmen. She couldn't bring herself to trust them either.

"So…what do we do?" asked Ruby.

"For the time being, we observe the situation, learn what is going on, then formulate a plan of action from there," said Ayumu. "Aside from that, we have our original plans for when we got there. We need to place a call over the CCT and make inquiries to see if we can find out who you are."

"Right," said Ruby, nodding.

"But we'll have to be discrete about that part," said Gin. "As far as everyone around here is concerned, she's your sister now, Ayumu."

"Of course," agreed Ayumu. "That does change things at little. Still, placing a call over the CCT shouldn't be too much trouble. We can ask the innkeeper about the procedures during dinner."

* * *

When they returned to the common room/tavern, the volume had dropped considerably. It seemed that, shortly after their arrival, many of the patrons found pressing reasons to be elsewhere. Despite that, it was still plenty loud, even if the source of so much noise was a smaller number of people.

Bruno was laughing uproariously, pounding the table in between taking long pulls from the mug of beer that he held in his other hand, regaling a small group of patrons with what sounded like a recounting of their battle to hold the gate earlier that day. From the way the men seated at the table with Bruno watched and listened, Gin guessed that they were something of a captive audience. It was visible in the conservative manner with which they sipped at their own drinks, and the way they jumped every time Bruno's fist had slammed down. It suggested that the table hadn't been the only thing Bruno's fist had been striking in recent days.

Rufus had commandeered another table, and appeared to be playing a card game with the others sitting at it. Just as with Bruno, the other players appeared to be less than willing to participate, but appeared to not have been given much of an option of withdrawing. The pile of lien cards in the center of the table was dwarfed by the pile in front of Rufus, normally the sign of a winning streak, but possibly suggesting that he wasn't playing fairly, whether by cheating or intimidating the other players into losing on purpose, maybe some combination of both.

Only Nigel remained alone, seated on a stool in front of the bar. He sipped from a short glass, filled with some amber liquor. Once it was finished, he would tap the bar with his fingers and the bartender would hurry over and, with a strained expression, pour some more liquor into the glass. Gin suspected that the food wasn't the only thing Bruno and his compatriots were getting on the house around here.

They picked an empty table, of which there were quite a few now, and settled in. The waitress; a young woman with wavy, brown hair; dark-green eyes; dressed in a white apron with a short, green skirt visible underneath that showed a considerable portion of her shapely, light-skinned legs; came by to take their orders with a wary expression. Her expression relaxed a little, thanks Ayumu's polite demeanor, and she was quick to fawn over Ruby, after just a few seconds of interacting with her. Gin's rather neutral personality appeared to ease her further, and she departed from their table with a smile. She disappeared into the kitchen for a minute to report their orders, before returning to serving the other patrons, particularly Bruno, and those at his table, her smile disappearing once more.

"Looks like this place has seen better times," grumbled Gin, watching their benefactors with a careful eye.

"It would seem so," said Ayumu. "I wonder just how much of his supplies the innkeeper has been forced to give up for nights like this."

"But why would they do this?" asked Ruby, looking over at Bruno. "I thought Huntsmen were supposed to be heroes."

"Heroes can fall," said Ayumu gravely. "More to the point, just because one is a Huntsman, it doesn't necessarily mean that he takes that occupation with altruistic motives."

"Given the way they're acting, I'm guessing they see all the free food and lodgings as 'fair compensation' for their services," said Gin. "It's not a far cry from what we do."

"Although, when we do it, the people we negotiate with tend to have more leeway," mused Ayumu idly, taking a sip from the glass of water that the waitress had brought to the table, along with Ruby and Gin's, when she'd first come to them.

A high-pitched shriek made Ruby nearly leap out of her seat, her head whipping around in the direction the scream had come from. She caught sight of the waitress just in time to see her jump away from Bruno like a startled rabbit, her eyes wide and her face caught in a grimace of indignation and fear. From the flare of her skirt, the short length of which she was no doubt regretting, and the position of Bruno's empty hand relative to her backside, Ruby had little doubt about what had been the cause of her sudden exclamation.

"Mr. Grosse! Please stop doing that!" protested the waitress, turning around, hugging her empty tray to her chest as she took nervous steps back from him.

Bruno simply belted out another series of booming laughs as he pulled his hand back. "I can't help it if you keep letting your guard down, Tawny. Isn't that right, boys?" He turned back to the others at the table, who caught the cue and began to laugh sycophantically, one or two pausing to shoot the harassed waitress apologetic glances.

The waitress, whose name was Tawny apparently, flushed red at the cheeks, though the hard set of her mouth suggested that this treatment was not at all infrequent. It was the look of a woman who'd asked a man to stop his inappropriate behavior, only to be subjected to said behavior again and again, because she had no further recourse beyond asking.

"You know, I could do a lot more with my hand," added Bruno, leering at her. "Why don't you come to my room and I can show you."

"No, thank you," said Tawny, a slight tremble in her voice. "I'm sorry, Mr. Grosse, but I have to serve the other customers now."

"You know you can always come on by when you get off," Bruno shouted after her retreating figure.

"More like you can get off if you come by," Rufus called out from his table, triggering another round of hollow laughs from the other patrons.

Nigel remained indifferent, staring into space and sipping his liquor.

"Disgusting," growled Ruby, horrified by how Bruno had treated the waitress.

"Try not to show your outrage too much," said Ayumu, placing a calming hand on Ruby's shoulder. "At this point, we don't want to risk provoking them."

"Why not?" asked Ruby. "Are they too strong?"

"Well, that's not the issue," said Gin. "The real question is whether or not fighting is on the table right now…if it's actually needed or not."

"As bad as it seems, we don't yet have a full picture of the situation," said Ayumu. "Besides, if we start a fight here and now, who do you think will be the most affected?"

"Oh…" said Ruby, looking around at the inn. Her mind drifted back to Bruno swinging that morning star of his, which now rested at the side of his chair, its handle leaning against the chair's back. He'd shattered Grimm skulls with a single blow from that weapon. In this enclosed space, it would probably crush wooden beams and walls into matchsticks. This inn might have just been a temporary place for her and the boys to stop, but to the innkeeper; Tawny, the waitress; as well as the man behind the bar, it was their livelihood. If it got destroyed in a fight involving a trio of Huntsmen, their lives would be hugely impacted…for the worse.

"We need to choose our battles carefully," said Gin, "and not just on the basis of whether or not we might win or lose."

"Right…" said Ruby worriedly.

A few minutes later, Tawny emerged from the kitchen, approaching their table with a genuine smile, one she hadn't shown Rufus or Bruno. "Here are your orders," she said, depositing the plates on their table.

Ruby cooed in excitement at the sight of the plate of spaghetti in a tomato and meat sauce, topped with a generous helping of parmesan cheese. Gin let out a rare, wide smile at the sight of the pan-fried trout in lemon butter that was deposited in front of him, while Ayumu's calm expression was overcome by one of childish excitement as the waitress settled a plate of what he had ordered; sliced tomatoes, each one topped by a thin slice of mozzarella and thinly-sliced basil, drizzled with dark balsamic vinegar.

 _He wasn't lying about coming here for the tomatoes,_ thought Ruby with a giggle.

"Oh, you think it's funny?" asked Ayumu teasingly. "Why not try a bite and see for yourself."

Ruby did so, taking a slice of tomato with some of the toppings. Biting into it, she hummed with pleasure, the sweetness of the tomato mingling with the mellow flavor of the cheese, the aroma of the basil, and the complex tartness of the vinegar. It was delicious. She didn't think she'd ever had tomatoes quite like this before.

"I've never had tomatoes like this before," she gasped…before freezing, once again struck by that perplexing sensation of knowing something, but not remembering how or why she knew it. She just knew that the flavor was one she hadn't tasted before.

Eagerly, she turned her attention to her spaghetti, finding the sauce coating the noodles to be thick and rich, the tomatoes' sweetness permeating and mingling with the savory flavors of the spiced sausage mixed with it.

"Looks like you three are enjoying yourselves," commented Tawny as she came back to refill their water glasses, taking particular pleasure in the sauce-splattered smile Ruby flashed her.

"It's amazing," said Ruby, before Ayumu reached over with a napkin and began to wipe her lips, playing the part of an affectionate older brother. Tawny giggled at the display.

"I know that the Huntsmen made arrangements," said Gin, looking up from his fish. "However, if possible, we would like to offer some form of compensation."

"I'm afraid we have no money right now," said Ayumu. "But I have plenty of experience washing dishes."

"And I've cleaned more than a few toilets," added Gin helpfully.

"Oh…and I…" Ruby blinked, looking between Gin and Ayumu nervously, trying to think about what offer she could bring to the table. "I can…carry stuff…yeah."

Tawny giggled. "Please don't worry about it," she said. "I'm glad you're not like those Huntsmen, but we're fine with at least one night on the house for you three. You seem like good kids."

"If you're sure," said Gin reluctantly.

"I am," said Tawny. "You did us a big service by getting those Grimm off the wall."

"For all that it lasts," said Gin glumly. "Do you think the workers will have enough time to repair it?"

The smile dropped from Tawny's face. "It's up in the air," she said. "It might be a day or two before the next wave comes. But the damage is so widespread there's no way they can get to it all in time."

"I see," said Ayumu frowning. Then he smiled politely at Tawny again. "By the way, there's something I would like to ask about."

"What is it?" asked Tawny.

"We're making our way towards Vale," said Ayumu. "We have family there and promised to keep in contact with them."

Now Tawny's expression was sour. "I'm sorry," she said. "But the CCT center has been locked down since the 'emergency situation' began. I'm afraid only the Huntsmen have authorization to use it. Even if you have your own scrolls, everything but local signals have been blocked."

"That makes no sense…" muttered Gin, scratching his chin.

Tawny looked as though she was going to say something else, but a heavy tread, coming from behind her, made her think better of it, even as she felt a large, burly hand brush underneath her skit yet again.

"Mr. Grosse!" she screeched as she jumped away before he could make contact with anything but the fabric this time.

"Almost had ya that time," said Bruno with another booming laugh, before smiling down at Ayumu, Ruby, and Gin. Then his smile faded into a frown that made them all tense slightly. "Water," he said disappointedly. "Come on, kids! You're out in the world. You should live a little. This place has some pretty fine stuff for a settlement out in the boonies."

Over at the bar, the bartender bristled with clear indignation.

"I'm terribly sorry, but I don't drink," said Ayumu. "Rather, I can't. I have no tolerance to speak of."

"So you're some kind of lightweight who gets drunk off alcohol fumes?" speculated Bruno.

"It's a fair sight worse than that," said Ayumu with surprisingly good humor. "Ingesting alcohol doesn't make me drunk. It just makes me sick. In simple terms, you could say that I skip straight to the hangover."

"That's a sad thing to hear," said Bruno with evident sincerity. Then his eyes found Ruby, which made her tense. "And what about you, Little Red. You up for drinking with the big boys?"

Ruby opened her mouth to turn him down. Given how irritating she was beginning to find him, her wording would have been a long ways from pleasant. However, Ayumu's hand on her shoulder calmed her slightly.

"I'm afraid Ruby isn't allowed to drink," said Ayumu. "Maybe it seems silly, but I promised our parents that I wouldn't allow her to partake until she's of age. I'm afraid she has another two years before that."

"Hmm…" Bruno's expression hardened slightly, and Ruby got the impression that he was probably going to press the issue.

However, before he could, Ayumu pointed quickly across the table at the last member of their company. "Gin, however, is under no such restrictions."

"What?" said Gin, clearly startled by suddenly being under the spotlight.

Ruby looked at Gin, then looked at Ayumu in confusion, a little worried to see a twinkle of mischief in Ayumu's eyes. "In fact, Gin's the opposite of me. His tolerance is incredible, especially for someone his age. I daresay he could drink the lot of you under the table."

Now Bruno's eyes locked on Gin as the silver-haired boy groaned and dropped his face into his hands with a low, "Not again."

Bruno's eyes lit up. "Oh! Is that so," he boomed out. "Well now, I wasn't expecting a challenge. That sounds like fun!" He whipped his head around. "Oy! Nigel! Rufus! We've got a contender!"

He turned and grinned down at Gin. "I hope you don't mind a little three on one, unless you wanna pick some partners."

"No no," said Ayumu quickly, much to Gin's obvious distress. "This is fine. After all, you three have something of a head start on him. It's only fair. He can drink one glass to match each of yours."

In other words, if he was up against Bruno, Rufus, and Nigel, they would be drinking one glass of liquor each, while Gin would have to down three each round.

"Ha! That's pretty bold of you to suggest that, kiddo," proclaimed Bruno.

"It's because he's not the one doing it," grumbled Gin irritably.

"This'll be fun!" declared Bruno. "Are we doing it or not?"

Gin threw a sidelong glance at Ayumu, who nodded with a sly smile, before sighing in resignation. "Fine," he said, the word emerging as a groan, "might as well get this over with."

He looked to the bartender. "Might as well be done with it quick. Bring out the strongest stuff you've got."

The bartender looked intrigued, fortunately not irritated by Gin's demands. After all, Gin had asked for the "strongest" liquor, rather than the "best." The two were not necessarily one and the same.

"What are you doing?" hissed Ruby into Ayumu's ear, as Gin reluctantly stood up and made his way to the table that Rufus had directed his former card-playing partners to set up. "Gin obviously doesn't want to do this."

"Just watch," said Ayumu with a chuckle. "You'll see something interesting."

Gin took his seat at the table, while Bruno, Rufus, and Nigel all took theirs across from him. Bruno and Rufus looked confident, as though they expected this to be an easy win. Nigel looked to be the only person taking this matter seriously, although Ruby suspected that he was the kind of person who looked as though he was taking _everything_ seriously.

The bartender brought out a large bottle of liquor that was almost perfectly clear, while Tawny came out, holding a tray with six shot glasses. She set one each in front of the three Huntsmen, and then placed the remaining three in front of Gin.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" the bartender asked, looking between them.

"Whatever," said Gin, fighting back a grimace as he stared at the bottle. "Let's just do this."

"All right," said the bartender. "The rules are simple. Each round, you will need to consume your assigned quantity. If you are unable to do so, you will forfeit the match. The contest will continue until all all members of one side are unable to continue."

"Simple, as usual," grumbled Gin.

"Well, this should be fun," mused Bruno.

Ruby didn't think it looked fun at all. It was clearly just an opportunity that the three Huntsmen were indulging in to bully someone younger than them. What was more, Ayumu had been the one who had deliberately presented them with this opportunity. She had at least thought that he and Gin were friends. But to do this to him…

"Round One," declared the bartender, pouring out the drinks.

"Well, here's to a quick and easy victory," declared Bruno, taking his glass, Rufus and Nigel following suit. "Bottom's up!"

With that, they each drained their glass in a single go, smacking them back down on the table. Rufus coughed, while Bruno gasped. Nigel showed no reaction whatsoever.

"Now there's something to put some hair on your chest," said Bruno. "What is this stuff."

"It's a grain spirit produced in Barrowdown," said the bartender. "It's one-hundred-eighty proof."

"What's that mean?" asked Ruby, leaning over to Ayumu.

"That marks it as approximately ninety-percent alcohol by volume," Ayumu whispered back. "Taken in substantial quantities, it can be dangerous, even lethal to consume. That's why they're doing it in such small amounts at a time."

Once again, Ruby was fuming. _Then why are you making Gin drink that?_

The bartender was now pouring Gin's shots, topping off all three of them. Gin stared down at them, looking absolutely miserable. "God, I hate this part," he grumbled.

Reaching out, he grabbed the first glass and drained it, followed by the second, then the third, in rapid succession, clearly doing the utmost to drink them as quickly as he possibly could. Smacking the third one down, his face contorted and Ruby thought he might throw up for a moment. "Done," he said. "Damn, that's nasty."

"Heh heh," chuckled Bruno as the bartender topped off his and his compatriots' glasses. "Looks like the kid's almost ready to throw in the towel after the first round. Let's put him away boys."

Ruby looked on with horror as they drained their glasses just as quickly as before. Once again, the bartender poured out three glasses for Gin. Gin, clearly not any happier than he'd been the previous round, drained them the way a child might drink a particularly nasty-tasting cold medicine.

Another round passed, the men just as confident of their victory as before. Now Rufus was beginning to sway in his seat, cheeks reddening. Bruno's words were beginning to slur. Only Nigel still seemed to be relatively unaffected. But he was also bracing himself against the table.

Once again, Gin matched them, drinking three glasses to their individual ones. Now he was holding his head in his hands, looking absolutely miserable. Then Ruby realized that, for all that he obviously hated what he was doing, Gin showed no signs of inebriation. _He's not drunk yet?_

Another round passed. Rufus set his glass down with shaky fingers…then pitched forward onto the table, knocking his glass over.

"Ha! Don't tell me you're done already!" teased Bruno, though he was now swaying in his seat.

Nigel remained rigid in his own chair, staring determinedly forward.

Once again, Gin drained his three glasses, moaning in disgust when he was done.

"Too bad, kid," taunted Bruno as the bartender moved to refill his glass. "You're done for…" His voice trailed off and Bruno toppled over sideways.

"Mr. Grosse and Mr. Benbow are unable to continue," declared the bartender. He turned his attention to Nigel. "Can you continue, Mr. Jewell."

"Yes," said Nigel tersely, his arms trembling.

"Very well then," said the bartender, pouring him another glass.

Nigel managed another two rounds. However, after Gin drained three glasses yet again, Nigel stared at him with a look of pure determination. The bartender poured Nigel's glass and waited for the bald man to take his drink. But Nigel made no move, his eyes remaining fixed on Gin's.

"Mr. Jewell…you need to drain your glass," said the bartender. "Are you choosing to forfeit the match?"

Nigel didn't respond. Slowly, cautiously, the bartender held up a hand, passing it in front of Nigel's eyes, which didn't so much as blink. Then he snapped his fingers in front of Nigel's face, once again failing to elicit a reaction. Nigel had passed out, sitting up, eyes wide open.

"Mr. Jewell is unable to continue," he declared. "Mr. Ueno is the winner."

Ruby jumped in surprise when the room was abruptly swamped by exultant cheers. She realized that the other patrons, who had become the audience to this contest, were now celebrating and laughing. A few looked as though they were going to go to Gin and slap him on the back. Only the irritated look on his face held them back.

"Finally," groaned Gin, slumping down in his seat.

"That was incredible!" declared Tawny, crouching down beside Gin and resting a kind hand on his shoulder. "Let me know if there's anything I can do for you, honey."

"Ugh…bathroom…" was all that Gin said.

"Down there," said Tawny, pointing to a nearby hallway that ran a few meters before ending with a pair of doors marked with the typical symbols of public restrooms.

With a groan, Gin lurched to his feet and began to shamble in their direction.

"Is he okay?" asked Ruby. "He looks like he's going to be sick."

"It's fine," said Ayumu cheerfully, apparently unaffected by Gin's distress. "It's simply the natural consequence of downing so much liquid over such a short period of time."

"I'm amazed," said the innkeeper, coming to stand next to their table. "The boy sure can hold his liquor."

"More than hold it," said Ayumu. "Gin's constitution is unlike anyone else's. He could drink far more potent liquor than that, and a lot more of it, and not be affected at all. It's not just alcohol. He can eat and drink things that are outright poisonous, with no ill effects. I've never once known him to be sick. I'm not certain wether it's something he was born with, or a quality he developed from his experiences, but his constitution surpasses the limits of humans and faunus."

"Then why was he having such a hard time?" asked Ruby. "He looked like he wanted to throw up through the whole contest."

"Because it tastes nasty," said Gin, returning to their table. "Alcohol has an awful, burning, acrid flavor. I'd puke it up if I actually could."

"Can I get you something?" asked Tawny.

"Water, please," said Gin, giving her a grateful look. "I need something to wash that out of my mouth."

Tawny nodded with a smile and went to fetch more water.

At the table where the contest had taken place, a few of the inn's staff were carrying off the three unconscious Huntsmen to their rooms.

"Well, those three will be out of it for a day at least," observed the innkeeper. "That might leave things nice and quiet for a change. I'm grateful to you boys for that."

"Then we might be within our rights to ask some compensation," said Ayumu, drawing a surprised look from Ruby.

"Of course," said the innkeeper with a sigh, slumping down. "It's always about compensation, isn't it? What do you want?"

"I would like some information," said Ayumu simply, "including an elaboration on what you said to us earlier. Now that our dear Huntsmen are temporarily out of commission, I figured this was the ideal time to speak about that without them overhearing."

"Oh!" said the innkeeper, his posture straightening and his eyebrows going up.

"So that's why…" said Ruby, her gaze flicking to the table and the glasses that the bartender was now picking up.

"Yep," said Gin, drinking down his glass of water, which Tawny immediately refilled. "It still wasn't pleasant, and I'm getting back at you, Ayumu, at the first possible opportunity."

"Oh, and what do you intend to do?" asked Ayumu cheekily, raising a playful eyebrow.

"The next Southeast Mistrallian restaurant we find, I'm ordering you something and telling the chef to pile up as much cilantro as he can on it," riposted Gin. "Then I'm going to make sure you eat. Every. Single. _Bite_."

As bizarre as the threat was, it was clear that Ayumu took it very seriously, if the sudden paling of his skin and the horrified look on his face were any indicators. Not willing to address Gin's threat, he decided to escape his anxiety by returning to business, and returning his attention to the innkeeper. "You said that this was 'their town,'" said Ayumu, nodding in the direction that the Huntsmen had been carried. "What does that mean?"

The innkeeper frowned, clearly hesitant to talk.

"It means those bastards have decided that they're free to do whatever they want and that we can't do a thing to actually stop them," said Tawny, clearly angry enough to ignore her normal fear of speaking out.

"How did it start?" asked Gin. "I assume this place wasn't originally a Grimm magnet."

The innkeeper sighed and pulled up a chair to sit at the table. "It was about a month ago. Old Granny Adler passed away in her sleep. It wasn't anything overly tragic. She, and we, all knew that her time was coming for a while. But she was popular. She'd been a schoolteacher, back in the day. Even after she retired, she still loved to look after the children. She was practically an honorary grandmother to every boy and girl in town. That meant she was on good terms with all their parents as well, not to mention the people who would've been bothered by rambunctious kids, had Adler not been keeping them occupied with her stories and her treats."

"She sounds like a wonderful person," said Ruby, the description causing a nostalgic feeling to well up inside her…for reasons she couldn't place.

"She was," agreed the innkeeper. "So, even though we'd all known it was inevitable, we were all affected by her passing. The whole town was in mourning."

"And the resulting surge in grief brought a corresponding surge in Grimm," guessed Gin.

"Exactly," said the innkeeper with a despondent sigh.

Ruby covered her mouth to stifle a sob. More than their ferocity, their determination to wipe people and civilization off the face of the earth, this was the most terrible aspect of the Grimm. The negative emotions that drew them included things like sorrow and grief. In the Kingdoms, it was was one thing. But, out here in the settlements, it made basic, albeit unfortunate, aspects of life, like the passing of loved ones, into threats to survival. It wasn't fair. People should be able to mourn their losses and have the chance to move on, not be driven out of their grief with the threat of the Grimm at their backs like a whip.

"So you called in Huntsmen," said Ayumu knowingly.

"That's right," said the innkeeper, accepting a glass of water from Tawny.

"At first it was good," said Tawny. "They showed up and took out the Grimm. We thought we'd show our appreciation with a nice celebration, but they took it the wrong way."

"More like they got addicted to the adulation," said the innkeeper. "We figured a nice party was a way to show our appreciation. Plus, it would raise people's spirits to help keep more Grimm from being drawn. Our new Huntsmen friends liked it a little _too_ much it seemed."

"The Grimm were still coming for a bit," said Tawny. "So the Huntsmen settled into town for a bit longer-term. They'd come back from the battlefield, having seen off a pack or two of Beowolves, or maybe a few Ursai, and suggest another party to celebrate."

"Of course, everything had to be on the house for them," continued the innkeeper. "They'd snap up our finest foods, our best drinks, and insist that we owed it to them for keeping the town safe."

"They commandeered the CCT for their own use," added Tawny, "saying that it was to keep things organized because of the crisis. Before we knew it, they'd made themselves at home, and weren't budging anytime soon."

"They were getting rougher about their insistences too," said the innkeeper. "Once they cut off our line of communication with the outside world, they pretty much dropped most pretense and simply started demanding what they wanted from us and the other residents."

"Of course, that didn't help the mood any," grumbled Tawny.

"Which brought increasing pressure from the Grimm," concluded Ayumu, seeing where this was going. "It's rather well thought out for them."

"I'll say," said Gin. "It may not just be carelessness on their part. They're actively abusing their power in order to generate negative emotions, and increase the incidence and intensity of Grimm attacks, so that they have an excuse to continue garrisoning the town. Likewise, it's an added pressure to you, because they now have the option of just pulling up stakes and leaving whenever they feel like it, and the town will likely be overrun by the Grimm that have already been attracted."

"What about the CCT?" asked Ayumu. "Now that our friends are sleeping off their contest, perhaps now is the time to retake control."

"I wish that we could," said Tawny, shaking her head slowly. "But there's one big problem remaining."

"What problem?" asked Ruby.

"The _fourth_ member of their team," said the innkeeper glumly. "You haven't met her yet because she's practically moved into the CCT center. She's the one enforcing the communications block. She knows her way around technology, that's for sure. On those occasions where she has to join her teammates in the field, she puts a blocking program on the center terminals to keep us from using them. She always gets back faster than any of our techs could remove the block."

"That's odd…" said Ayumu. "If she can just do that, there's no reason for her to maintain continuous occupation of the center, is there?"

"Well, blocking the terminals like that completely shuts down our signal," said the innkeeper. "If the terminals were kept completely silent for too long, the authorities in Vale would be alerted, and realize something odd's going on here. So she has to stay in there and keep watch as much as possible to ensure that nothing looks off to the people in the Kingdom."

"So that's how it is," mused Gin, resting his chin on the back of his hand, supported by his elbow on the table.

"That's the entirety of it," said the innkeeper with a defeated sigh.

"Well, it certainly clarifies things," said Ayumu.

Ruby looked at Tawny. "I know that Bruno jerk has been harassing you. Has he ever gone further than that."

Tawny, seeing the earnest worry in Ruby's eyes, smiled warmly. "No, he hasn't gone further than groping me when he catches me off-guard. You don't have to worry about it."

"His advances have been getting more aggressive though," said the innkeeper, prompting Tawny to shoot him a look that practically begged him to stop. "But none of them have gone so far as to force themselves on anyone…yet."

"Probably because they know there's a line they can't cross there," said Gin. "The realization that they're willing and able to exploit people here to that extent would dump morale into the pits and bring the Grimm on in numbers that even they couldn't hold back for long. That being said, it worries me that it might only be a matter of time."

"Why do you say that?" asked Tawny, paling.

"'Cause this town has an expiration date now," said Gin, "and our friends know it."

All the town residents in the tavern blanched at that dire pronouncement.

"Wha-what do you mean?" asked one of the bystanders.

"I figured it would be obvious," said Gin. "I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about."

Everyone traded glances, their worry growing.

"Um…what is he talking about?" asked Ruby, leaning towards Ayumu and whispering her question to him.

"In the end, these Huntsmen can beat off the Grimm at the gates as many times as they like," said Ayumu. "But the Grimm along the walls continue to inflict damage. Because of the ongoing pressure, there's no respite that the residents can use to repair the walls so, little by little, the Grimm are wearing their way through. At this rate, it's only a matter of time before they force a breach."

"But what can we do?" moaned the innkeeper, slumping down at their table and planting his face in his hands. "We can't simply turn around and pretend to be happy, as if that would even fool the Grimm. We can't change our moods like flipping a switch."

"Of course not," said Ayumu, smiling widely. "Emotions stem from a cause, a result of the environment. In this case, there is a particularly toxic environment here that is poisoning your emotions. If we remove that poison, we remove the cause and, likewise, your negative emotions will be rescinded."

"What are you talking about?" asked Tawny.

"Simple," said Ayumu. "We were worried about earning proper compensation for our stay here. But this makes things easy."

"We'll earn our keep…" said Gin with a growing smirk, "…by taking care of your parasite problem."

"But how?" asked the innkeeper, staring incredulously at them. "You're just kids."

"Please don't worry about us," said Ayumu, beaming at the innkeeper. "We'll take care of everything. But, for now, we should keep up pretenses. I do want to know more about this mysterious fourth member of their team. But those are matters that can be addressed tomorrow. Let's all retire for the night."

"I don't see how we have any other choice," said the innkeeper with a sigh.

The trio left the tavern. Feeling eyes on her back, Ruby turned to see Tawny looking after her with a worried expression. Ruby gave the waitress an encouraging smile and turned to hurry after Gin and Ayumu.

* * *

"Wow! I'm beat," said Ruby, flopping back onto her bed. "It's been so long since I've slept in a bed. I-" She gasped and covered her mouth.

"What is it?" asked Gin.

"I…I don't know," admitted Ruby, sitting up, tears gathering in her eyes. "I keep recalling these things, bits and pieces of information I know. But I don't know how or why I know them, why they're important. It's so confusing."

"That fits with what I said," said Ayumu, emerging from the bathroom. "There are different kinds of memory. You apparently still have your memory of facts and knowledge, but not your memory of experience, of events and interaction."

"It hurts," said Ruby, curling forward.

"Your injuries?" asked Gin, worriedly crouching next to her bed.

"Not those," said Ruby, shooting him a reassuring smile. "Those are fine. But…" She sniffed. "I miss it."

"Miss what?" asked Gin.

" _I don't know!_ " Ruby almost shouted. "I don't know who or what I'm missing. Because of that, it just feels like this big, empty… _thing_ inside of me. It makes me feel alone."

She felt the bed shift as Gin got onto it behind her. Then his hand snaked around and came to rest on her forehead, the cool sensation of his skin against her own making the heat drain out of her face and sending a soothing sensation wash throughout her body. His other arm snaked around to hug her around her shoulders and collar, pulling her back against him so that the back of her head rested against his shoulder.

"You're not alone," Gin promised. "We aren't leaving you."

"Thank you," Ruby whispered, letting her eyes fall closed. A few minutes later, she was asleep.

Still holding her, Gin looked over at Ayumu. "What do we do?"

"For now, let's deal with our Huntsmen friends," said Ayumu. "We'll tackle our problems, one at a time. That's the most reliable approach."

"Right," said Gin, laying Ruby down on her bed and pulling the covers over her. "So what do we do about them?"

"Well," said Ayumu, tapping his chin, "how do you feel about our chances of taking them in a fight?"

"Not bad," said Gin. "They're good…but they're not us."

"My thoughts exactly," said Ayumu with a cheerful smile. "But our greatest concern is reducing damage to the settlement and ensuring that we can deal with all of them. Fortunately, that shouldn't be hard at all."

"I shouldn't think so," said Gin. "We just need to figure out the best way to draw them into the arena of our choosing."

"Let's sleep on it for now," said Ayumu. "We'll scout things out further in the morning."

* * *

Morning brought with it a few other things to pile up on their to-do list. One of the first things Ayumu suggested was that they take Ruby to the local tailor to see if they couldn't get the damage to her clothes and personal effects mended. Ruby was grateful, happy to get the holes in her dress mended, as well as have her belt and corset repaired so that she could start wearing them again.

Despite that, she expressed some worry. "What if the Grimm attack?" she asked.

"I doubt that it will happen today," said Ayumu. "There will generally be only so many Grimm within a given radius. It will take time for others to be drawn in."

"It also helps that our 'new friends' probably won't be up and about until much later in the day," said Gin. "And, given how they're gonna be feeling, they won't exactly be up to going around and making people's lives miserable for a while after that, which further reduces the draw."

"So we have time to take care of other affairs," said Ayumu.

To their surprise, Tawny chose to accompany them. She explained that she would pay for the mending, having taken a liking for Ruby the night before. Her shift at the tavern didn't start until the late afternoon, so she was free to help with the matter of Ruby's clothes.

At the same time, Tawny insisted on buying some extra clothes for Ruby, pointing out, quite logically, that it wasn't a good idea for her to sit in the changing room, mostly naked, while she waited for the tailor to finish repairs. For Ruby's alternate clothes, she picked out a dark-gray blouse and black skirt, under which she wore her usual leggings, as well as her red cloak, fastened over the shoulders. It was a relatively simple outfit, but more than suitable for walking around town.

"I'll wait here and meet you back at the inn with your stuff," said Tawny, waving them off. "You kids go take care of business now."

"She certainly seems to have taken a liking to us," noted Ayumu as they headed off down the street.

"To Ruby, you mean," said Gin, smirking at Ruby.

Ruby blushed slightly. "Well…I guess…" She directed her gaze downwards.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Ms. Ruby," said Ayumu. "You are an extremely likable person."

"Thank you," said Ruby, still blushing. "So, where are we going now?"

"To the CCT center," said Ayumu.

"What?" gasped Ruby, staring aghast at him. "But didn't they say that-?"

"They did," said Ayumu, "and I believe them. Still, there's no harm in trying, not in the least because I want the opportunity to get the measure of this fourth member of their team. There's also the chance, however slim, that she might make an exception for us because we are not residents of Brandywine."

"Not likely though," commented Gin. "But this'll be useful all the same."

They made their way through the streets, heading in the general direction of the tall building that housed the CCT center. As they did, they were greeted cheerfully by the residents, who showed considerably less wariness without the Huntsmen around. Of course, the story of Gin subduing the three Huntsmen in a drinking game the previous night had been making the rounds as well, smoothing things over them, and ensuring that they had no shortage of support from the townsfolk.

Their destination had been given its own distinct plaza in town, a yard of neatly trimmed lawns and colorful flowerbeds encircling it on all sides, making the final approach to the looming building a pleasant affair. The front entrance consisted of a pair of extremely modern-looking glass doors that were distinctly at odds with the town's overall rustic aesthetic and even that of the rest of the building, a somewhat overt reminder of the technology that the building had been built to house.

The doors slid open, and Ruby immediately had to suppress a shiver as they entered the lobby, which had been air-conditioned to the point that she was amazed her breath wasn't misting in front of her face. That cold matched the look of the interior, which was undecorated, gray metal; cold, lifeless, and austere. On the far end of the lobby from the door was a reception desk, built in a semicircle, with a pair of elevator doors set into the wall directly behind it.

The lobby was completely deserted, with even the reception desk being unmanned.

"Well…looks like nobody's home," noted Gin, looking over the top of the desk. "You think she stepped out?"

"Unlikely," said Ayumu. "More likely that she's somewhere up above, where she can control access to the upper floors, and the terminals used for making calls."

" _Good guess,_ " announced a voice from speakers hidden around the room.

The elevator door slid open to reveal the speaker. She was a severe-looking young woman, her skin just a few shades off from being pure white, only the barest hint of color distancing her from being an albino. As she left the elevator in measured, precise steps, she surveyed them with a pair of pale-blue eyes that were set into an elegant face, her mouth fixed into a small, but tense smile as she approached them. Her hair was a beautiful, silvery-white that was almost a match for Gin's, flowing down in a smooth cascade past her shoulders, and to the small of her back. She wore a white dress and blouse, the latter of which was covered by a set of lamellar armor, consisting of rectangular alabaster plates, laced together in parallel rows that covered her torso and shoulders. Her arms and legs were also covered with curved, alabaster plates of armor.

At her hips were her weapons, a pair of circular blades that formed a broad ring, with shorter, curving, wavy blades extending outwards along its circumference, like rays from the sun. One curving section was composed of darker metal, blunted to serve as the handle. From the handle emerged metal extensions that joined with another, crescent-shaped blade in the center of the circle that formed a hand-guard. The hand guard on her left hip was inset with a red Dust-gem, the one on her right was set with a green one.

"Well now," she said, looking down on them imperiously. "You must be the new arrivals Bruno told me about."

"And you would be the fourth member of their team," observed Ayumu. "Ms…?"

"Whitney…Whitney Schirmer," said the woman. "Together with my teammates, we make up Team Brown."

"Brown, huh," said Gin, already fitting the letters in their names together and picturing how it could be written out. _BRWN._

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," said Whitney, her eyes narrowing as she examined them. "I must admit that I was curious about a trio that could fight their way through a Grimm horde to reach the gates. It's even more surprising, seeing as you don't have a single weapon on you."

"We're resourceful like that," said Gin.

"So noted," said Whitney, her eyes drifting. "By the way, what's the problem with the girl?"

"Huh?" said Gin and Ayumu in unison, turning to look at Ruby…

…Only to see that she was shaking like a leaf, her skin having almost completely lost all color, turning it even more pale than Whitney's. Trembling and cowering, she had stepped behind Ayumu and was squeezing her eyes shut to try and keep from looking at the woman in front of them.

"Ruby…?"

* * *

 **At this point, I should make it a point to explain that, when it comes to team names, I differ in how they're written. When a team's name appears in the narration, it will appear as it would be designated in the show. But, when it appears in dialogue, then I write it how it would be pronounced. So RWBY, would be "Ruby," and JNPR would be "Juniper." I just figured I should inform people about that, because it's the way of writing that makes the most sense to me.**

 **Chapters like this always interest me to write, because I get to explore some of the larger issues that affect Remnant that the show just doesn't have time to do. When you think about it, the Grimm are terrible, because, if they're drawn by negative emotions, then there's a whole host of things that could lead to them attacking. It's horrible to think that you wouldn't be able to properly mourn the loss of a loved one, because doing so might bring down a horde of flesh-eating monsters on your head.**

 **With Volume 6 starting off with a train ride that, predictably, ends in disaster for our heroes (apologies if this is a spoiler for anyone, but the trailer kinda gives it away), it once again makes me wonder just how the people of Remnant are able to maintain any infrastructure at all, outside the heart of their Kingdoms. Think about how the existence of the Grimm complicates things like maintaining roads or train tracks. No wonder airships are so prominent in the setting.**

 **On a different note, I did put a little of myself into Ayumu, insofar as his aversion to cilantro is concerned. I absolutely loathe the stuff, and, in any dish where it is present, I can always taste it. Depending on the restaurant, it can make eating Indian, Thai, or TexMex a real challenge.**

 **Onto the characters. The innkeeper is one who kept getting a bigger role than I intended, despite the fact I never really came up with a name for him. As for some of the others...**

 **Tawny: Obviously a shade of brown. If the description didn't make it apparent, Tawny is based off the waitress who appears in Qrow's story in Volume 3, Episode 4. Qrow's story places her as being in Mistral's territory, but his story always held the hint of being something of a tall tale, and I could see drawing off multiple experiences to craft a single story to entertain his nieces.**

 **Whitney Schirmer: Whitney means "White Island" in Old English, while Schirmer means "fencer," or "fencing master." Boy, there's something about her that seems familiar though.**


	6. Chapter 6

**First off, I want to start by wishing everyone a Happy Halloween. Of course, for fans of RWBY, this day is important for another reason. So I hope you'll all join me in saying...**

 **"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RUBY!"**

 **And now...on with the show!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6:**

"Well now, I can't say I've ever left that kind of impression on someone before," said Whitney, raising an eyebrow, seeming to take amusement in Ruby's fear, where most people would be concerned, or even affronted.

"What's wrong?" asked Gin, stepping closer to Ruby as she pressed up against Ayumu's back.

"I…I don't know," she whimpered, her trembling increasing.

Gin looked up at Ayumu. "I'll take her outside, maybe see if that helps."

Ayumu nodded.

"Come on," said Gin, carefully holding Ruby by her shoulders and guiding her out of the CCT center's lobby.

"Curious," said Whitney, her eyes following Ruby out the doors.

"Yes," agreed Ayumu. "I must admit, I'm not privy to all my sister's experiences, as I had been traveling separately from her for many years, before we set out on this journey together. It must be some trauma she hasn't told me about yet."

Whitney hummed and shook her head dismissively. "Well, it doesn't really matter. In any case, I'm much more curious about what brings you here."

"Of course," said Ayumu. "You see, we are making our way to Vale to visit some relatives. We promised to contact them regularly. I understand that the CCT center here has been placed under lockdown, due to the crisis. However, I was hoping you might be willing to make an exception for us."

Whitney's eyes narrowed and a fierce tension began to build up within the lobby. "I'm afraid that is not permissible," she said coldly. "This center has been closed to all except the most essential communications. It's too bad, but you're just going to have to give up on that."

"Is that so?" asked Ayumu. "And just what counts as critical communications and who decides on that?"

"I decide what counts as critical," said Whitney, her tone growing harsher, her fingers drifting down to the handles of her circular blades. "As for what counts, that is no business of yours." Then her glare was replaced by a sly smirk. "However, I might be persuaded to make an exception, _if_ you are willing to allow me to completely monitor your call, from beginning to end."

"And why would you want to do that?' asked Ayumu mildly. "We'll just be exchanging pleasantries, and giving a report on our progress. It's not terribly interesting at all."

"If that's the case, there's certainly no reason for you to object to me listening in," Whitney countered, her smirk widening. "Unless, of course, there's something in your conversation that you don't wish to be overheard."

"What could we possibly have to say?" asked Ayumu, his own smile widening as well. "Unless, of course, you're worried that someone might hear something of what you lot have been doing in town."

Whitney's smile disappeared. The tension returned and redoubled, her hands actually closing around the handles of her weapons.

Then Ayumu took a step back. "I'm sorry," he said, raising his hands. "I didn't mean to upset you. I suppose it's unfortunate, but we'll have to wait until we reach the next town to make our call. Our relatives will be worried, but I don't think they'll mind overly much, as long as we get in touch with them eventually."

Whitney's posture relaxed slightly, though her hands remained by her weapons. "I'm sure," she agreed. "However, I'm afraid that they're going to be in for quite the long wait. With the continuous pressure from the Grimm, it's not safe to travel, so we can't permit you to leave the town. It's for your own safety. I'm sure you understand."

"Perfectly," said Ayumu, his expression not faltering in the slightest. "Well, we'll be on our way back to the inn then."

"Have a pleasant day," said Whitney, keeping her eyes fixed on Ayumu as he backed towards the doors, then turned and exited. She didn't stop watching until the doors slid completely closed. Going over to the reception desk, she reached down and flipped a switch, the front doors locking with a low click.

* * *

"How is she doing?" asked Ayumu, finding Ruby and Gin resting on a bench not far away, surrounded by the pristine, green lawns of the CCT center's yard.

"A little better," said Gin, having wrapped Ruby's cloak tightly around her body and pulled up her hood, gently rubbing his hand up and down her back. "She's still got the chills though."

Ayumu sat down next to Ruby, on the side opposite Gin. Carefully, he pulled her up onto his lap and hugged her tightly rubbing one hand up and down her arm, where it rested underneath her cloak.

"I'm not much good in this situation," said Gin with a sigh.

"Well, your body temperature is lower than most," said Ayumu. "She normally finds that quite comforting. However, there are times when what's needed is warmth, not cool."

Gin nodded. "She hasn't said anything," he added, dipping his head to look under the cowl of Ruby's hood, seeing her silver eyes staring off into space.

"Something about Ms. Schirmer must have jarred her memories," noted Ayumu. "That's the only thing I can think of that would produce such a strong reaction."

"If you say so," said Gin. "But it can't have been a good memory if this is the way she reacts."

"It's hard to say," said Ayumu. "I suppose it isn't our place to make assumptions. We'll just have to do our best to help her through it.

"Right," said Gin.

"In the meantime, we should return to the inn," said Ayumu. "Ms. Tawny is supposed to be meeting us there with Ms. Ruby's clothes."

"Right," said Gin.

"Ms. Ruby…" said Ayumu, loosening his hold on her. "We're going to be heading back now. Are you up to walking?"

After some time spent in Ayumu's arms, Ruby's tremors seemed to have calmed. "Y-yeah," she said softly, her tone distracted as she allowed Ayumu to shift her so that she could stand up.

With Ayumu and Gin supporting Ruby, they made their way back to the inn, where they took her up to their room and tucked her into bed. Ruby lay down with a sigh and settled her head on the pillow, her eyes sliding closed. Gin decided to remain close, while Ayumu went to wait in the tavern for Tawny.

* * *

About an hour later, Ayumu was sitting in the tavern, sipping from a glass of water when Tawny entered, carrying a wrapped bundle in her arms. "Here you are," she said, carefully placing them on the table that Ayumu was seated at.

"Thank you very much for your help, Ms. Tawny," said Ayumu.

"Where is Ruby?" asked Tawny, looking around.

"Well, something unexpected happened," said Ayumu. "She's taking a nap right now and Gin is looking after her."

"He must be very trustworthy if you trust him to look after your _sister_ ," said Tawny, a slight note of suspicion entering her voice.

"Well…" Ayumu tilted his head as he regarded the waitress. It was clear that she was exceptionally fond of Ruby, which didn't surprise him, given the kind of girl Ruby was. "The truth is that she isn't actually my sister."

"I didn't think so," said Tawny, taking a seat at the table. "It's obvious that you care about her, but you aren't close enough to be family. You're also treating her very carefully."

"I can tell you," said Ayumu. "But only if I have your word that not a syllable of this will find its way to Mr. Grosse's ears or those of his fellow Huntsmen."

Tawny snorted in a very unladylike manner. "Please," she scoffed, "as if I would give any information on that sweet girl to those louts."

"I can trust you on that," said Ayumu with a chuckle. "Very well then…"

He related the story of how they'd found Ruby and treated her injuries, as well as learned about her amnesia. Tawny listened with wide eyes, her hands covering her mouth as she gasped to learn what Ruby had been through.

"That poor girl," she said, once Ayumu had finished his story. "I can't believe she went through that."

"Well, the evidence speaks for itself," said Ayumu, his finger tracing the rim of his glass. "The more I've thought about it, the more certain I am that those wounds were not made by any kind of Grimm. Someone attacked her, critically wounded her, and left her for dead in that forest."

"Who would do that to such a sweet girl?" wondered Tawny.

"It's hard to say," said Ayumu. "Given her body condition, and the nature of her clothes, and the fact that she was carrying a highly sophisticated weapon at the time, we believe her to be a student Huntress, most likely from Beacon Academy in Vale. This might well have been some form of training exercise gone very wrong."

Tawny nodded. "So that's the real reason you wanted to use the CCT center. You wanna call the authorities in Vale."

"Yes," agreed Ayumu. "Given that we have her name, and the knowledge that she was probably a student of Beacon, it's highly likely that we'll be able to learn her full identity and help her get where she needs to go. Even if she wasn't a student of Beacon, the staff at the Academy should have little trouble checking with the other Academies and finding out if any of them are missing any students."

"That's good," said Tawny. "That should be easy, once you deal with our problem, we'll be happy to let you use the CCT for whatever you need."

"I'm glad to hear that," said Ayumu. Then his smile faded slightly. "I can only hope that that will actually solve our problems."

"Why wouldn't it?" asked Tawny.

"There's still the question of who did this to her," said Ayumu. "The easiest assumption is that she made some kind of enemy, possibly amongst Vale's criminal element or the White Fang. But…"

"But what?" prompted Tawny.

Ayumu opened his mouth to answer, only to be cut off by a wordless, angry bellow, coming from the doors leading to the inn's rooms. They flew open, slamming against the wall with a loud cracking sound that made everyone, especially the innkeeper, wince.

"WHERE IS HE?" roared Bruno, staggering into the tavern, stumbling, catching himself on the desk where the innkeeper had signed them in, needing its support to remain standing for a minute. "WHERE IS THAT CHEATING BRAT?"

"Wha-what are you talking about, Mr. Grosse?" asked the innkeeper, careful to keep out of range of Bruno's meaty arms. He flinched and yelped, taking a couple of extra steps back as Bruno fixed him with an angry glare with his bloodshot eyes.

"Where's that damn kid from last night?" snarled Bruno, his lips curling back in an angry sneer. "You better not be hiding him!"

"O-of course not," said the innkeeper, throwing a worried glance at Ayumu.

Bruno, despite his condition, noticed the innkeeper's glance and followed its line, finding Ayumu seated at a table. Tawny had already shot to her feet and had been backing away towards the wall.

"You…!" he growled, pushing away from the desk and staggering across the floor of the tavern. He swayed with every few steps, to the point where it seemed he might fall over at any moment. But he managed to make his way to Ayumu's table, towering over the seated boy and glaring down at him. "Where's your little friend?" Bruno snarled, his hands clenching into fists.

"In our room," replied Ayumu pleasantly. "He's keeping my sister company. She's had a busy morning, and needs to rest. I would rather you didn't disturb them."

"You don't get to tell me to do anything," said Bruno, his voice a dangerous rumble. "I'm going to make that cheating brat pay for humiliating me last night."

"And what makes you so sure that he cheated?" asked Ayumu.

"There's no other way he could've won," replied Bruno. "A little kid like that handling enough stuff to put away the three of us…there's no way it's possible. He should've been dead."

"Well, I can assure you that he did not cheat," said Ayumu, which wasn't entirely a lie. It was true that they'd taken no measures to make the contest easier for Gin. However, knowing about his unique metabolism meant that the contest had been impossible for Bruno and his cronies from the start, which was a kind of cheating, Ayumu supposed.

"You're lying," growled Bruno, swaying slightly. "No way he could beat the three of us in a straightforward contest. He's a cheating snake! I'll make him wish he'd taken us seriously last night!"

"You will not," said Ayumu, no trace of malice or threat in his voice as he rose to his feet, making Tawny, the innkeeper, and the rest of the tavern's patients gasp in shock. Despite not matching the Huntsman's height, Ayumu's unruffled attitude gave him a presence just as powerful as that of the hungover Bruno, a presence that was as powerful as it was quiet. "As I told you, Gin and my sister shouldn't be disturbed right now, so I ask that you refrain from any rash action, Mr. Grosse."

"Don't tell me what to do!" snapped Bruno.

"Is there really any reason to be angry?" asked Ayumu pleasantly. "We wagered no stakes on last night's contest. You haven't actually lost anything. The only harm done was to your pride. Is that really worth getting so upset over?"

"My pride…" Bruno rumbled, his anger building, despite Ayumu's efforts to placate him. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"Pardon?" said Ayumu, canting his head.

"You'd love it," growled Bruno, before flinging his head around, throwing his gaze across the room. "I bet you'd _all_ love it, wouldn't you? You get to see a Huntsman taken down a few pegs…Never mind that we go out there, day after day and risk our lives so that you can continue to live your inane and pointless lives! We're the ones who take on the monsters, and you assholes get to sit back and complain when we ask for some reasonable compensation! You think you're better than us, huh?!"

"Mr. Grosse…" said Ayumu in a warning tone.

"Well, we'll see if you enjoy sticking it to us if I KILL. Every. Last. One. Of YOU!" howled Bruno, his voice reaching a roaring crescendo as he slammed his fist down on Ayumu's table with enough force to split in two.

Fortunately, Ayumu reacted quickly, pulling the bundle of Ruby's repaired clothes off the table before Bruno's fist could smash it. The table wasn't as lucky, splitting with a loud crack, its two halves falling in on themselves, collapsing to the floor. Ayumu's water glass was sent flying through the air, flinging its contents across the floor before shattering on impact. Fortunately, none of the bystanders were struck by the fragments.

"Think you're so clever now?" growled Bruno, looming over Ayumu, foaming spittle flecking the corner of his mouth. "Now, get that brat out here and-URK!" Bruno's voice choked off with an abrupt grunt, his entire body spasming suddenly, his hands going limp and the color draining out of his face.

Most of the bystanders had a hard time seeing what had brought about such a dramatic change in the burly Huntsman. Even those who had been at an angle to actually see it had missed it, so swift and small the action had been.

Ayumu had quickly raised his left hand, curling it into a fist and extending his thumb out. In a blurring movement, he'd then driven his thumb into the upper-right quadrant of Bruno's abdomen, sticking the digit in a crease between Bruno's powerful muscles. The movement had been small, but the impact had completely driven the fight out of the man.

"Please calm yourself, Mr. Grosse," said Ayumu, his tone as polite and friendly as ever. "You're hungover right now, which explains your irritability. You just need some time to recover. You're dehydrated and in need of some electrolytes, sugar too actually. Have a seat and drink something that's _not_ alcoholic. Contrary to popular belief, the 'hair of the dog that bit you' is not a good remedy."

Moving to steady the man, Ayumu began to guide Bruno towards an intact table. The man went along placidly, apparently pacified by the pain Ayumu had inflicted with such a tiny gesture. Tawny, the innkeeper, and the other patrons watched them with wide eyes and a rising sense of hope. This was the man who had been terrorizing the settlement with a laugh and a grin. But now he'd been reduced to putty in the hands of the boy who'd arrived the previous day. For the first time, they began to truly believe that Ayumu, Gin, and Ruby could turn this situation around.

* * *

Ayumu knocked softly on the door, announcing his presence before letting himself in. Gin looked up from where he sat, in the chair at Ruby's bedside.

Ruby herself was sitting up, drinking from a glass of water, poured from a pitcher that was set on the side table.

"I see you're up," said Ayumu cheerfully, setting aside the bundle that contained her clothes. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah," said Ruby quietly, giving Ayumu a weak smile.

"Ms. Tawny brought your clothes back," said Ayumu, gesturing to the bundle.

"Great," said Ruby, feeling a bit awkward, seeing as Tawny wasn't here for her to thank at the moment.

"Well, seeing as you're feeling better, I hope you don't mind if I inquire on what happened?" asked Ayumu.

"Uh…" said Gin, looking a bit nervously back at Ruby.

"If you'd rather not talk," said Ayumu, "there's no need, especially if it makes you feel uncomfortable."

"No, it's all right," replied Ruby, staring at the sheets. "I'm not sure. When I saw that woman…it just felt…really familiar."

"I see…" said Ayumu. "Do you believe you met Ms. Schirmer at some point in the past?" That seemed unlikely. In spite of Ruby's powerful reaction to seeing Whitney, Whitney herself had displayed no signs of recognizing Ruby.

Ruby frowned. "I…I don't think so. I think she reminded me of someone. But I can't say who…"

"Well, that's something at the very least," said Ayumu. "It means that Ms. Schirmer could potentially serve as a point of reference to better incite recall…perhaps."

"What worries me is that this Whitney woman didn't exactly seem like a reminder of something good," said Gin. "Ruby's was a fear response. There's no mistaking that."

"Well, at this point, any response is better than none," said Ayumu. "We can work out more details later. However, we should now turn our attention to the problem of Team Brown and their presence in town."

"Any plans?" asked Gin.

"Not yet," said Ayumu. "Though matters may come to a head sooner than I would like. I just had an unpleasant altercation with Mr. Grosse in the tavern earlier. He was quite upset at losing to you."

"He's _not_ getting a rematch," groused Gin irritably. "You are not putting me through that crap again."

"Of course not," said Ayumu with a light laugh. "I managed to pacify him for the time being, but only through the careful application of force. I doubt my intervention did much to soothe his wounded pride, so I find it highly likely that the goodwill of him and his teammates towards us has reached its limit."

"So what?" asked Ruby, her tone unusually sharp. "The sooner we get rid of them, the sooner we can stop them from bullying the townspeople."

"That is true," said Ayumu. "But hasty action inhibits our ability to properly determine the venue. If we aren't careful, we could wind up fighting them inside the boundaries of Brandywine itself, which would have severe consequences for the residents."

"Oh…" said Ruby, her face falling.

"The problem is that you might have already burned our bridges," said Gin.

"Perhaps, but maybe not," said Ayumu. "Mr. Grosse was hungover when we had our altercation. It's likely that he'll be in a better frame of mind, once he's had some time to get over his hangover, the other two as well."

"Any idea on where and how to engage them?" asked Gin.

"Hmm…" said Ayumu, scratching his chin. He was silent for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "I've got it."

"What is it?" asked Gin as he and Ruby leaned over attentively.

"I've noticed that, while they've been happy to abuse their power quite recklessly, they've also been quite cautious in the way that they manage the town," said Ayumu. "If we do this right, we can make that caution of theirs work to our advantage…"

* * *

For the remainder of the day, tension in the tavern was high. Despite being nursed out of his hangover, Bruno was in a foul mood. Rufus and Nigel, once they too made their way into the common room, were less than enthused at being bested the previous night. The waitstaff, Tawny especially, found themselves walking on eggshells around the men. Ayumu, Gin, and Ruby, wisely made themselves scarce for the most part, taking an alternate exit from the inn to visit more of the town.

Ayumu made it a point to see the fields where Brandywine's famous tomatoes were grown. They saw broad fields, nestled up against the river that ran through the town, almost bisecting it. Rows upon rows of green vines climbed up vertical trellises, festooned with yellow blossoms and fruit in various stages of ripening. Other fields were given over to the growing of a variety of herbs, including basil, thyme, and marjoram. Finally, there was also a substantial vineyard for white grapes, which, much to Ruby's surprise, were not used for winemaking, but were instead fermented down into the dark, thick, rich, complex balsamic vinegar, which had been drizzled upon Ayumu's Caprese the previous night. The makers were happy to explain the particulars of the process to the travelers, who were amazed to learn that it was an intensive process that took up to twelve years to complete, producing a very small amount of vinegar at a given time, which resulted in a price of hundreds, or even thousands of lien in other settlements or Kingdoms.

"That was amazing!" exclaimed Ruby as they made their way back from the fields. Now the sun was setting and they figured that now was as good a time as any for dinner and bed.

"It certainly is incredible," agreed Ayumu. "It makes it all the more important that we deal with this situation. I'd hate for Brandywine to be destroyed and for such a unique product to disappear."

"Always about food with you," muttered Gin in amusement, prompting a giggle from Ruby.

"Of course," said Ayumu without a lick of concern.

Unfortunately, what greeted them at the tavern was an unpleasant scene, to say the least.

"Let go!" screamed Tawny, struggling to extricate herself from the grip Bruno had on her left forearm. His powerful hand was clamped tightly around it, keeping her from getting away from him. Tawny's right arm flailed, desperately batting away Bruno's other hand, which was pawing and groping at her, particularly aiming for her breasts and butt.

"I'm tiiiired of yer teassing," slurred Bruno, glaring at her as he struggled to get a more effective grip. "Yoooouuu don't ressssspect me."

"Stop it!" shouted Tawny, jerking her body harder in an effort to get free and avoid Bruno's pawing.

Unfortunately, she wasn't getting much in the way of help. A few of the tavern's patrons cowered up against the wall, where a calm, yet also drunk-looking Rufus watched them for any signs of an attempt to help. The innkeeper lay on the floor, bleeding from a shallow cut on his forehead, clearly the result of an attempt to intervene.

By the bar, Nigel remained aloof, completely ignoring the commotion and sipping at his glass, while the bartender cowered as far away from the bald man as he possibly could. Nigel looked to be in a particularly surly mood.

"I'llll teach ya so-ssssome respect," continued Bruno.

"Pawing at a lady like an oversized gorilla is hardly a good way to earn respect," commented Ayumu, stepping boldly onto the floor. "It seems you've gone and gotten yourself drunk again, Mr. Grosse."

Ayumu's voice drew Bruno's attention immediately. The brown-haired man's head snapped around to glare at the boy. "Sssso it's you again. Baaack to cause more trouble, eh?"

"You seem to be causing plenty of your own," said Ayumu placidly. "Please let go of Ms. Tawny. She does not appreciate your attention."

"I'm gonna _make_ her appreciate it," said Bruno, turning his head back to leer at the waitress. "I'll take ya to my room and we'll have all kindsss of fun." Then he titled his head. "Why wait? I'll just do it here!"

Once again, Bruno began to reach out his hand, hooking his fingers over the collar of Tawny's apron and pulling, the fabric ripping loudly. Tawny screamed as Bruno ripped away her apron and a significant portion of her blouse, exposing her to everyone in the room.

Then Bruno's head snapped back as a black combat boot collided with his chin. Stumbling backwards, he released Tawny's arm on reflex, overbalancing and falling over onto his back, his vision filling with scattering red petals.

Ayumu and Gin both found themselves blinking in shock, taken completely off-guard. When Bruno had begun to tear off Tawny's apron and blouse, Ruby had suddenly vanished from their side, leaving a trail of red petals scattering in her wake as she shot across the room with the speed and force of a bullet, kicking Bruno in the jaw hard, landing next to Tawny, who'd fallen to her knees upon being released. Ruby protectively hugged the sobbing waitress to her, glaring furiously at Bruno.

"Leave her _alone!_ " snapped Ruby as Tawny clung desperately to her.

"Did…" Ayumu blinked and had to shake his head, before turning to Gin. "Did you know she could do that?"

"Nope," said Gin flatly, looking just as bemused as Ayumu.

Rufus and Nigel whirled around in, both of them orienting on Ruby. Ayumu and Gin weren't nearly as fast as Ruby, but they interposed themselves between the two other Huntsmen and Ruby, before they could begin to advance.

"Y-you bitch!" exclaimed Bruno, lurching to his feet. "I'll teach you some respect."

Ruby hugged Tawny tighter, her body tensing. Without her weapon, she wasn't a very effective combatant. She'd managed to knock Bruno down because of his inebriation, and the fact that she'd gotten the drop on him, surprising even herself with what she'd just done. But, in a straightforward fight, even if it counted as little more than a brawl, given that none of the Huntsmen had their weapons, she was very uncertain of her chances. At the very least, she figured she could get Tawny out of harm's way.

Bruno loomed over them, almost seeming to swell in size to her perception, his arms reaching out, looking as though they could enclose the whole world…

A sharp report, almost like a gunshot, made everyone freeze in place. In actuality, it was the sound of a someone clapping their hands exactly once, but with impressive force. The sudden noise immediately drew everyone's attention to the one who'd made it. Whitney stood at the doors of the tavern, her face severe as she took in the situation.

Once again, Ruby felt a chill of fear go down her spine at the sight of the white-haired woman. There was something familiar about her, she looked like someone, which made Ruby's pulse pound frantically. Her grip on Tawny tightened and she was now clinging just as tightly to the waitress as Tawny was clinging to her.

A dead silence fell over the tavern, even Tawny forgetting to sob as the tension in the air rose higher. Whitney's armored boots clicked loudly against the tavern floor as she strode forward with perfect, measured steps, the sway of her hips making those strange, circular blades of hers swing slightly, drawing eyes to them, the only visible weapons in the room.

Whitney strode forward, walking right past Ayumu, who continued to block off Rufus, then past a trembling Ruby and Tawny, to stand right in front of Bruno. For a moment they stood there, staring straight into each other's eyes. Then, with a flash of motion, Whitney slapped Bruno across the face… _hard_.

The noise was just as sharp and loud as her earlier clap had been. Bruno's head snapped to the side so swiftly that it was almost as though it had been temporarily detached from his body.

"You're making a scene," said Whitney coldly, her voice laden with icy malice.

"B-but…but she…" Bruno began to protest.

"Shut it!" retorted Whitney harshly, her voice causing Bruno's mouth to snap shut with an audible clack of teeth. "If you can't control yourself, you're worse than useless. Go back to your room and sober up." She whipped her head around to glare at Rufus, then at Nigel. "You two too. We're gonna have work tomorrow, so I don't want any hangovers in the morning. Got it?"

"Y-yes," said Rufus reluctantly, already making his way to the door.

Nigel met Whitney's eyes with an indifferent stare, before doing as he was bid as well. As they left, the silence in the tavern became almost overpowering as Whitney's head slowly turned, taking in the scene. Then her eyes landed on Ayumu and her lips twisted in a sneer. "I should have known you'd be causing trouble."

"We were aiming to end the trouble," replied Ayumu amiably. "If anything, it was the behavior of your teammates that has been causing people distress. Perhaps if you spent less time lounging around the CCT center, and more reining them in, there wouldn't be so much of a problem."

Whitney's eyes narrowed. "Clearly we're going to have to do something about you."

"Clearly," replied Ayumu, with his usual unflappable cheerfulness.

"But…we still have a use for you," said Whitney. "Our lookouts spotted a sign of Grimm moving through the forest. They estimate they'll be at the walls by dawn, tomorrow. If you want us to forget about this incident, you'd best give a good accounting of yourself out there."

"We shall endeavor to do our best," said Ayumu.

Whitney's eyes narrowed and then she turned sharply on her heel, striding out, her steps just as composed and measured as they'd been on their way in.

When the doors clicked shut behind her, Ayumu immediately turned to kneel down beside the innkeeper, examining his injuries. He was joined by several of the tavern patrons, one going to the bar and collecting the first aid kit from the bartender.

In the meantime, Tawny broke down crying in Ruby's arms again, pulling the two of them down to their knees. Ruby held her tightly and made soothing noises that she vaguely remembered someone else making for her, combing her fingers through Tawny's locks of wavy, brown hair.

"Lend her your cloak," said Gin, coming to kneel next to Ruby.

Ruby blinked in confusion for a second, before realizing what Gin was getting at. "Oh! Right!" she said, unclasping her cloak and draping it around Tawny's shoulders so that the woman could pull it around to hide her chest.

"Let's get you to your room," said Gin, as he and Ruby helped Tawny to her feet.

While most of the staff had their own houses in the surrounding settlement, the innkeeper, the bartender, and Tawny all had their own rooms in the inn. That was convenient, as it made for a short walk for them to escort Tawny to her room. There, Ruby took Tawny inside to comfort and settle her, while Gin stood outside, keeping watch, in case Bruno or one of the other Huntsmen decided to try something while Whitney wasn't present to stop them.

Ruby settled a shaking Tawny on the bed. "Are you going to be okay?" she asked.

"I will," said Tawny, smiling through her tears and then reaching out from under Ruby's cloak to hug her. "You're a wonderful girl, you know that?"

"I…I just couldn't stand by and let him do that to you," said Ruby, hugging Tawny back.

"I know," said Tawny. "That's what makes you so amazing. I really hope you get your memories back. If this is what you're like when so much of your past is lost, I can't wait to see the kind of person you'd be, once you remember who you are." Leaning over, Tawny kissed Ruby's forehead. "You're probably the most amazing girl I've ever met."

"Thank you," said Ruby, blushing furiously.

Tawny giggled and rested her forehead against Ruby's, Ruby leaning back. The two of them relaxed together for a while, letting the tension of what had just happened bleed out of them.

* * *

After about half an hour, Ruby returned to the hall, where Gin was still waiting, fixing her cloak on her shoulders.

"Tawny?" asked Gin.

"Sleeping," said Ruby, before noting that Gin hadn't moved the entire time she'd been in there. "Thank you for keeping watch."

Gin nodded, then stretched, the bones in his arms popping. "I'm gonna keep an eye on things here, in case the bastard wants to have another go. Ayumu should still be in the tavern. Keep close to him."

Ruby nodded and made her way down the hall and through the doors. Sure enough, there was Ayumu, settling the innkeeper, whose forehead was now wrapped with a bandage, onto a seat, while the bartender provided him with a glass of water.

"You seem to have taken a pretty serious hit," said Ayumu, examining the innkeeper's eye. "But I'm not seeing any signs of a concussion. Is there a doctor in town?"

"There is," grunted the innkeeper.

"Then you'll probably want to call her over to confirm. I'm not a medical professional, so it's best to get a second opinion."

"I'll do that," promised the bartender, already pulling out his scroll.

Ayumu stood up from the innkeeper's side and his eyes found Ruby. "Ah, M-Ruby. There you are. Where's Gin?"

"Keeping watch," said Ruby, walking over to join him.

"I see," said Ayumu. "Probably a wise precaution to take. Ms. Schirmer's intervention appeared to take the fight out of those men, but we don't want to take chances on Mr. Grosse getting any ideas later tonight." He turned to the innkeeper. "I'm terribly sorry about all of this. I didn't think that losing a simple drinking contest would leave them in such a poor mood."

"It's not your fault," said the innkeeper. "Shallow people like that make up for their lack of substance with an excess of pride. I really hope you can do something about them."

"I believe we can," said Ayumu. "And, unless I miss my guess, we'll be able to resolve this problem tomorrow."

"Why's that?" asked Ruby.

Ayumu's eyes narrowed the tiniest bit, though his smile remained in place. "Because I believe that tomorrow will be when they try to resolve the problem that they have with us. So it shall be a contest to see who can deal with whom."

* * *

Fortunately, Bruno made no further attempts to cause trouble during the night. Gin spent the whole time waiting outside Tawny's door, just to be on the safe side. In the morning, he was roused by Ayumu and Ruby. Ruby had changed back into her regular clothes, now fully mended.

"So, it's time," said Gin with a yawn, as he stood up from where he'd been sitting by the door.

"You've been there the whole night," said Ruby worriedly. "Did you sleep at all?"

"The whole night through," said Gin, stretching his back and arms, making his joints pop.

"You can do that?" asked Ruby, looking in surprise at Ayumu.

"It's a skill we've gained," said Ayumu. "Even when asleep, you remain aware of your surroundings, including the approach of potential threats. It's one of the most important skills to have when moving through a wilderness full of Grimm."

"Wow!" gasped Ruby. "That's awesome! I'd love to learn how to do that."

"We'll add it to the list of things to help you with," said Ayumu cheerfully. "Which reminds me that we need to get your Aura training back on track, after we deal with this situation."

"Right," said Ruby.

"Well, let's make sure the Huntsmen are in the tavern before we leave our post here," said Gin, glancing at Tawny's door.

Ayumu made his way to the doors and peeked in to see that the three Huntsmen were assembled in the tavern. "Looks like it," he said back to them.

"Then let's go," said Gin.

Given the early hour, most of the staff was still gone. The innkeeper was recovering from his injuries, and the bartender was off duty. The Huntsmen had apparently decided to raid the tavern's kitchen to make their own morning meals, having no issue with doing so. With some trepidation Ayumu, Gin, and Ruby did the same. They settled in at another table, across the room from the three men of Team BRWN, who glared furtively at them throughout their respective meals, any pretense of goodwill between them gone.

A ringing tone echoed through the room and Bruno pulled a scroll out of the pocket of his duster, finding a message from Whitney. "They're here," he said, getting to his feet and slinging his large morning star over his shoulder to rest at his back.

The walk through town was just as tense as their meal had been, if not more-so, seeing as they were about to go into battle against the Grimm. Ruby felt especially nervous, not liking the idea of fighting alongside people she wouldn't trust further than she could throw a Goliath. To make matters worse, without her weapon, she felt practically naked. She'd managed to clock Bruno good with a kick, but realized that unarmed combat wasn't particularly her forte. Having only just started training with the Aura techniques Ayumu was teaching her, there was no way she was far enough along to use her Aura to create her own weapon yet.

Gin reached over and quietly took her hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Just stay close to us," said Gin.

Smiling at him, Ruby nodded and squeezed back.

By the time they reached the gate, they could already hear the roars, barks, and howls of the approaching Grimm. The sounds were still a ways off, the monsters having not reached the gate yet. But, from the racket they were making, Ruby was able to guess that there were quite a few of them, easily as many as there had been the other day, when they'd first arrived in town.

They reached the gate and Bruno glared up at the two men waiting on the wall above it. "Open up!" he shouted.

The men rushed to obey, working the controls of the gate so that it swung open wide enough to admit them. The six of them headed out the gate, which then swung closed behind them, leaving them out in the open, in the path of an oncoming Grimm attack. In the waxing light of dawn, Ruby could see the trees of the forest swaying further back, as large forms brushed against their trunks, bodies hidden by the canopy.

Turning her attention back to the people around her, Ruby swallowed when she realized that Ayumu and Gin's whole attention appeared to be on the Huntsmen, while the Huntsmen's attention were clearly on the three of them.

"It's too bad," said Bruno in a dark tone. "We could've had fun."

"I don't mind," said Gin. "Your idea of fun seems pretty pathetic."

"Unfortunately, we're not the kind of people who enjoy the idea of exploiting those that are weaker than us, particularly when your purpose is to protect said people," added Ayumu.

"It's not exploitation," growled Bruno. "It's _fair_."

"Fair?" Gin's eyebrow went up.

"That's right," said Rufus contemptuously. "Look at them." He waved his arm at the settlement wall. "They cower behind their worthless defenses while we're out here, standing against the darkness. We put our lives on the line so that those pathetic sheep can have their precious peace."

Nigel lit up a cigar. "We're tired of not getting the respect we deserve," he said. "These peasants only care about plowing their ground and tilling their worthless fields."

"Oh…?" said Ayumu. "You don't find those fields to be near as worthless when you're hungry."

"What?" grunted Bruno.

"Can you grow your own food?" asked Ayumu.

"Of course not," said Bruno.

"Without the people behind that wall, you'd starve," said Gin. "That's what you should be fighting to protect. But all you care about is your own self-indulgence." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "You whine and complain about respect, but, in the end, you're the ones pitching a fit about the jobs you signed up for."

Now Ruby felt indignation welling up in her stomach, prompting her to add. "If you're really going to complain about that," she said harshly, "you shouldn't have become Huntsmen in the first place."

"Cheeky brats," grumbled Bruno. "After we deal with the Grimm, you're next."

Ayumu's smile widened. "Our sentiments exactly," he said. "It's about time the authorities learned what you've been up to."

"You've been harping on quite a bit about what you're owed," added Gin with a smirk of his own. "But I wonder if the people you're supposed to answer to will share those sentiments. I get the feeling that, if they really considered such a thing 'fair compensation,' you wouldn't need to keep such a tight grip on the CCT."

"You brats…" growled Bruno, baring his teeth as his hand closed on the handle of his morning star.

However, further argument would have to wait. Ruby's ears picked up the crack of wood breaking. Whipping her head around, she saw a tree toppling over. Dark shapes moved within the tree line, before bursting forth from the foliage like a malevolent tide. Just like that, the Grimm were upon them.

* * *

 **As a certain great man once said..."And here...we...go."**

 **Forgive me if I waxed a little eloquent about tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. Those are two of my favorite foods, right up there along with pumpkin-...anything really. On that note, I've been experimenting with my own pumpkin-spice steel-cut oatmeal since the fall began. I start with Alton Brown's recipe for steel-cut oatmeal, cut out the buttermilk, then add a healthy dollop of pumpkin puree (from a pumpkin I actually pureed), then add a hefty dose of the spice, and some muscovado sugar (brown sugar's brown sugar). It's delicious...if really filling. If you've got the twenty-plus minutes to wait for the oatmeal to simmer, I highly recommend you give it a try. Before pumpkin season rolled in, I added roasted almond-butter instead, which was really good too...er...**

 **...**

 **And now you know why _Shokugeki no Soma_ is one of my favorite series. Now excuse me while I wipe the drool off my keyboard...**

 **...**

 **Now then, onto other business. In a couple of days, I'm going to start posting my other story, _Crimson Eyes_ , so my posting of chapters for this story will shift from every day to every other day. I hope that doesn't upset anyone. I'm limiting myself to one chapter a day, because I need time to actually write. _Crimson Eyes_ is an already finished work. But, because it has some crossover elements, which might limit the appeal of some people, I decided to wait until I was further along with this story, to the point where I felt comfortable to start posting chapters, and build a following before posting the other one.**

 **In some ways, I kinda shot myself in the foot with that delay, I'll admit. I began that other story back during my first RTX (2016), back when the only indicator of the future of RWBY was the Volume 4 character short. So it's based off a lot of speculations that were flat out jossed by the developments in Volumes 4 and 5. But, I'm still fairly happy with the result, so I'm posting it anyway. It's the inevitable consequence of trying to do an "in universe" fanfiction of an in-progress series that your story will fail to gel with what actually happens later on in the series. I've seen some writers give up over that, while others frantically retool their story to make it more compatible with canon, but I've always decided to take what I have and roll with it.**

 **But enough about that. I haven't got any character notes to make about this chapter. I'll just have to hope you're excited about what's to come.**


	7. Chapter 7

**So, again the story didn't get bumped when I published a new chapter. Going every other day is definitely the best approach then, hopefully you readers won't mind.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7:**

Their confrontation came to a halt as they turned to confront their mutual enemy. Beowolves, Creeps, and Ursai barreled down on them in a large swarm. The beating of massive wings echoed through the air as a pair of mid-sized Nevermores rose up above the level of the trees with harsh, hostile caws, swooping down to partake in the battle, or bypass it entirely to attack the vulnerable settlement behind the wall.

Rufus pulled out his weapon, the handle and prongs lengthening as the prongs separated. A section of the handle extended out to the side, unfolding into a grip, while the butt in dropped down perpendicularly. The prongs lengthened, extending into a much longer form than they had when they served as the blade of his spear. Raising the weapon, Rufus leveled it at the first incoming Nevermore. Crackling, yellow lightning jumped between the prongs in arcs that ran their way from the base to the tip of the weapon.

Pulling the trigger, there was a tremendous crack of discharge, like that of thunder, a projectile accelerated up the barrel formed by the prongs and lanced out, flying right into the Nevermore's open beak and blowing out the backside of its head. The Nevermore's caw trailed off into a wet gurgle and it began to drop. Its companion pulled up, apparently trying to pull out of the railgun's range, but Rufus had already drawn a bead on it, charging the second shot and firing after just a few seconds, bringing down the second just as easily.

"That explains why they didn't have any problems with airborne Grimm," Gin muttered as he tensed in the face of the ground attackers.

The front ranks of the ground-bound Grimm crashed over them, almost like a wave. Ayumu moved forward, easily and calmly, cutting them down with Green Destiny, the blade carving though their bodies with no resistance as Ayumu slipped around and through attacks, almost like a phantom. Gin leapt straight into the fray, brandishing his claws and tearing apart every Grimm he came up against. Though his movements were far more intense and aggressive than Ayumu's, they had that same flowing, graceful quality.

Bruno whipped out his morning star and brought it down in a wide swing, crushing the head of an oncoming Ursa. His morning star slammed into the ground beneath it, the spikes on its head sinking into the earth. Grinning, Bruno pulled the trigger integrated into the morning star's handle. The Ursa's body was obliterated by a geyser of flame that was only the first in a chain that leapt up in a path straight in line with that of Bruno's swing, burning a swath through the incoming Grimm.

Beside him, Nigel pulled out his tonfa, orienting them with the short ends pointing ahead of his fists and squeezing the triggers with his thumbs, unleashing a barrage of bullets that brought down numerous charging Beowolves. Of course, with their numbers, plenty survived to close the distance. However, Nigel slipped smoothly and easily into melee combat, his weapons becoming spinning blurs, adding to their momentum as he lashed out with the angular blades of the long arms, hacking the incoming Grimm to pieces.

Once again, Ruby felt a sense of detachment from the battle taking place in front of her. Without a weapon, there wasn't really anything she could contribute. Her kick, enhanced by the momentum imparted by her Semblance, had been able to floor a drunken Bruno. But, against a full-sized Grimm, she'd be little more than an irritant. She didn't really have much skill in unarmed combat. However, she wasn't overly worried. Once again, Ayumu and Gin didn't stray far from her, easily intercepting the few Grimm that tried to ignore them by going after her instead. Even the sense of threat from the three fighting members of Team BRWN was reduced, seeing as they were fully occupied by fending off the incoming monsters.

Casting her eyes about, Ruby checked to see how bad the situation was. There were dozens of Grimm already in the fray, with more coming every moment. But their position didn't seem to be in danger of being overwhelmed. They appeared to be the major focus of the Grimm's aggression. Here and there, she saw some heading for the wall. But they were few in number and easily brought down by rifle fire from the top of the wall. These were the members of the settlement's militia, charged with the task of perimeter defense in the absence of Huntsmen, when the Grimm attacked in more reasonable numbers.

Despite their efforts, quite a few Grimm had made it to the wall, clawing and scraping at it it. The wall held, but each attack left fresh gouges on top of the ones etched by previous attacks.

Turning her attention back to the battle, Ruby once again looked to the the members of Team BRWN. The handle of Bruno's morning star collapsed slightly, while the head detached, connected to the handle with a long chain. The weapon, now an enormous flail, whirled around in a circle above his head before he swung it with a shout, slamming its spiked form into the chest of a rearing Ursa, throwing the Grimm back, knocking over a pair of Beowolves behind it.

With a grin, Bruno brought it up, whirling it around over his head again, before bringing the head of the flail down so that it struck the earth several times in succession. More geysers of flame erupted in various, singular locations throughout the oncoming Grimm, blowing several into the air, turning them into flaming projectiles that inflicted even more damage as they dropped back down amongst their fellows.

Rufus had returned his weapon to its spear form, the prongs shortening, though electricity still crackled between them as he thrust them into an attacking Creep, causing its body to collapse, spasming, before Rufus turned to the next one approaching.

Nigel danced amongst the Grimm, his tonfa a blur as they whirled around his arms. He wielded both the blades and guns of his weapons with ease, often beheading a Grimm with the swift swing of one, while picking off another with the shot from its mate.

All around them, the Grimm were dropping like flies. Initially, the horde had seemed endless. But, in about half an hour, their numbers were beginning to dwindle as fewer emerged from the tree line. Another Nevermore took to the air and tried to fly over their heads to get at the settlement behind them, but Rufus dropped back, Bruno and Nigel shifting to cover him with the ease of long practice, telling Ruby that they were used to this sort of strategy. He returned his weapon to its railgun form and dropped the Nevermore with another precise shot.

In front of her, Gin and Ayumu continued to fell Grimm easily, not even seeming to break a sweat. As their numbers finally began to thin, Ayumu and Gin exchanged a look, Ruby getting the impression that the contents of an entire conversation could have passed between them, even without a word of exchange. Gin dropped back slightly so that he was close to Ruby.

"We're going to make a break for the forest in just a second," said Gin.

"What about Brandywine?" asked Ruby, her eyes worriedly going to the town wall, and the Huntsmen defending it.

"They'll be all right," said Gin. "I don't have time to explain. Do you trust us?"

Ruby nodded without hesitation. After all that they had done and were continuing to do for her, there was no way she couldn't trust them. While it seemed like their sudden departure would leave Brandywine in the lurch against the remaining Grimm, or worse, against the fury of a team of vengeful Huntsmen, she had to hope that Gin and Ayumu knew what they were doing. She expected no less of them.

"Then we go… _now!_ " said Gin, the "now" coming so suddenly that it made Ruby jump before she started running, following Ayumu and Gin as they charged headlong into the remaining Grimm, heading straight away from the settlement. They cut down the monsters in their path, but ignored the ones off to the side, who continued to charge for the town.

"AFTER THEM!" roared Bruno, his voice like a clap of thunder at Ruby's back. She glanced behind her to see Rufus and Nigel immediately rush in pursuit of them. Bruno fell back, the chain of his flail retracting, the weapon becoming a long-handled morning star once more. He wielded it with one hand, batting Grimm away, while he drew out a scroll with the other.

Then Ruby couldn't afford to watch any longer and she had to move her focus forward again as they reached the tree line and plunged right into the undergrowth.

"Why are we running?" asked Ruby, finding herself surprised that she could keep up with Ayumu and Gin now. It seemed that her strength and stamina were almost completely recovered now.

"We're drawing them away from the settlement," said Ayumu, not even sounding winded as he ran. "They can't afford to let us get away."

"But Brandywine…" said Ruby worriedly.

"You saw Mr. Grosse holding the line," said Ayumu. "These Hunstsmen won't let their meal ticket go so easily. He was pulling out his scroll to call Ms. Schirmer so that she could reinforce him while the other two pursue us. Once they finish dealing with the Grimm, they'll be after us too."

"But why?" asked Ruby. "I thought they'd just go back into town." And maybe vent their frustration on the helpless people of Brandywine instead of their real opponents.

"They could," said Gin. "But if they let us get away, that spells the end for them as Huntsmen."

"If we make it to another settlement and use their CCT to get in contact with the authorities in Vale, then there will be an investigation," said Ayumu. "Even if they abandon Brandywine and leave it to be overrun, there will be an investigation, which will risk their misdeeds being found out. If that happens, they'll be branded as criminals and made into targets for other Huntsmen."

"That's why they've been so careful about controlling the CCT, and even forbidding us to leave," said Gin.

"Oh…" said Ruby.

They reached a clearing, Ayumu and Gin coming to a stop, Ruby stopping as well, panting a little, but feeling that she could keep going if she needed to. Their pursuers were less than a minute behind them. Nigel and Rufus burst out of the foliage, their faces furious as they came to a stop.

"Finally stopped running?" asked Rufus, trying to sound taunting, but unable to hide the tremors of anger…and possibly fear… in his voice. "And here I thought you were cowards, abandoning your posts."

"I was wondering why you were so determined to pursue us," said Ayumu with a chuckle.

"What's wrong?" added Gin. "Afraid we'll tell mommy what bad boys you've been?"

Rufus snarled audibly, while Nigel's eyes narrowed and his fingers tightened around the handles of his tonfa. After a second, Rufus recovered enough to toss his head in a condescending gesture, his hair whipping through the air behind him. "As if," he replied. "You're just some kids. You didn't really think you could get away from us."

"As it stands, we didn't want to," replied Ayumu, lazily flourishing his sword so that it didn't even rise above the level of his waist and instead remained down, at an angle to his body.

Both Nigel and Rufus tensed, their eyes going to the sword. Ayumu had already put it away when they had seen him for the first time and he hadn't drawn it again, until today. Even then, they had been too busy in the thick of battle to really take notice of it, only catching the occasional flash of green amidst the attacking Grimm. As simple as it looked, Ayumu's weapon was a mystery to them, something they couldn't account for, seeing as they had seen no trace of it earlier.

"You're saying you lured us here?" asked Nigel skeptically.

"That's it exactly," said Ayumu.

"Let's get this started," said Gin, his claws sliding out from his fingers again. "We need to deal with you two before your teammates get here."

"You say that as though you could actually 'deal' with us," scoffed Rufus. "We'll have this wrapped up long before Bruno and Whitney finish cleaning up."

"You talk a big game," said Gin with a fierce grin that put Ruby's nerves on edge. "Let's see you back it up."

"With pleasure," said Rufus, leveling his spear.

* * *

"GRAAAH! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON THOSE BRAT'S I'LL MAKE THEM SEE HELL!" Bruno roared, lashing out with his weapon in a display of total violence, channeling his accumulated wrath into each and every blow, venting his frustrations on the remaining Grimm.

Still, the Grimm were hardly intimidated by his rage. If anything, that only drew them to him more strongly. Bruno didn't realize it, but even the Grimm that had been moving to attack the walls turned to focus upon him, and the font of negative emotion that he'd become. They bore down on him, their numbers concentrating on this lone human who defiantly lashed out at them. Though these were the remnants of the horde that had assaulted the wall, they were enough that, even as furious as he was, Bruno might have been overwhelmed by their combined efforts.

Then, with a whirling roar, a pair of disks; one surrounded by a green haze of wind, refined into a blade that cut through even the toughest bone-armor the Grimm possessed; the other surrounded by a nimbus of fire that seared flesh and bone; swooped past Bruno, cutting swaths through the attacking Grimm and dropping over a dozen of them in a single pass. The disks circled back around, returning to the hands of the one who'd thrown them. Whitney advanced, her own wrath like the chill of the advancing winter, now wielding her circular blades in melee, unleashing a refined dance that allowed her to cut down the Grimm around her with ease.

"You called me out here for this?" hissed Whitney as she cut down the last lunging Creep, and oriented to glare at Bruno, who quailed before her fury.

"Th-the brats made a break for it," stammered Bruno, taking a nervous step back. "I sent Rufus and Nigel after them. I'm sure those kids will be taken care of."

"You had better be right," said Whitney, turning towards the forest and beginning to walk. "If they get away and notify the authorities, our license to operate will be revoked and we'll have to go on the run. They might even go as far as to post a bounty on us."

"Please," scoffed Bruno. "As if those kids have what it takes to get away from us."

* * *

Rufus lunged, thrusting out with his spear, the two-pronged blade becoming a gray blur as it lashed out at Ayumu like a striking snake, trailing yellow streamers of Dust-generated lightning.

With a flick of his wrist, Ayumu arced his own blade up casually, the Green Destiny clanging against the shaft of the weapon, knocking the thrust aside. Despite its lightning speed, Ayumu made the movement look casual and easy, folding his left arm behind his back, maintaining a relaxed stance, relying mostly on his wrist to manipulate his weapon.

Growling, Rufus advanced, launching his spear into a series of blurring strikes, rapid thrusts, quick flourishes of the blade to confuse his opponent, and wide, circling slashes that used the length of the spear to magnify the speed at which the tip moved. It was a complex series of attacks, graceful and well-practiced.

Yet, despite his best efforts, Ayumu remained calm and composed, his smile completely unchanged as he parried thrusts, tracked flourishes and feints, and dodged slashes and sweeps. His movements were minimal, often avoiding making contact with the blade by only a paper's width. He dodged by making small steps and bending his spine slightly, allowing the spear to sweep harmlessly by him.

But what disturbed Rufus even more was the fact that, despite all the times Ayumu's sword made contact with Rufus' spear, despite the electrical charge that sent arcs jumping between the blade's prongs and dancing along its edges, up to its tip, Ayumu never took so much as a jolt from contact with the blade.

Abating his attacks, Rufus glared at Ayumu. "How?"

"I noticed that your electrical attacks only emanate from your blade," said Ayumu. "Obviously, you couldn't allow them to affect the handle or you'd wind up electrocuting yourself. Since skilled spear-wielding often requires changing the position of one's grip along the shaft, there's no way you'd simply create a single space as an insulated handle, thus you limited your weapon's electrical charge to the blade alone and use its mecha-shift functions to manipulate the shape of the blade itself according to your needs."

"So?" asked Rufus.

"So, I decided to parry by striking the shaft of your weapon," said Ayumu cheerfully. "It's simple as strategies go."

"Simple nothing," muttered Rufus, amazed. Despite it being as simple as Ayumu made it sound, that didn't make it easy. To counter by striking against the shaft of the spear, rather than the blade, meant that Ayumu had to delay his parry by a fraction of a second, which allowed Rufus' spear to come a full blade-length closer to him than it would if Ayumu simply tried to parry the blade itself. While it was doable, the margin of error shrank substantially. It was a dangerous strategy, one that could only be utilized by someone with absolute confidence in their skill.

With a snarl that bared his teeth, Rufus went on the attack again, thrusting and slashing even more furiously, striking high and low in a barrage of strikes that seemed to come from all directions. His spear began to trail a nimbus of yellow light, the individual arcs of seeming to merge together before the eye of the average observer into a consistent shine.

Now Ayumu became more animated in his defense. No longer relying primarily on his wrist, he put his arm into his movements, his sword accelerating, leaving a trail of pale-green light in its wake as he whipped it through circular motions, both wide and small. At times, he would dodge, going into flips and spins that allowed him to leap over the path of the incoming spear, dropping back down to duck under the return strike as Rufus whipped his own weapon back around in an attempt to catch Ayumu while he was still in the air.

In their own way, Ayumu's movements seemed to defy logic. One second, he could dance up as though he were as light as a feather. The next, he'd drop like a rock. His acrobatic dodges were as graceful as a dancer's.

Rufus growled and shifted his grip, his hands sliding towards the butt of his weapon. As he did, the spear's shaft contracted on itself, compacting until it became a grip that was barely long enough to accommodate both its wielder's hands. At the same time, the prongs extended, lengthening. Now Rufus' spear was a twin-pronged sword, the prongs still crackling with lightning.

Ayumu no longer had the option of parrying by striking the shaft. Instead, he was forced to evade as Rufus pressed him with a rapid series of slashes, wielding the sword with impressive skill, while Ayumu dipped and dodged. A small jump allowed him to lift his feet clear of a low slash aimed at his ankles. Landing again, he immediately bent over double…backwards, allowing the follow-up slash to pass over his face, the wind of its passage stirring his bangs and the crackling field of electricity surrounding the blade making his hair stand on end.

Ruby watched with silent fascination, completely absorbed by the deadly dance between the two combatants. The speed and ferocity of Rufus' assault were incredible, clearly showcasing the skill and ability of a fully-trained and experienced Huntsman. He was so swift that her eyes were straining to follow his moves. She was amazed that Ayumu hadn't taken a single hit yet. However, it seemed that he was so hard-pressed that he had no option but defense.

There was something else that troubled Ruby. There was something familiar about Rufus' fighting style, the way his weapon transitioned from polearm to sword, and, she remembered from watching him fight at the gate, to a firearm. It felt like she'd seen a similar weapon and a similar fighting style before. But the memory remained out of her reach, filling her with a sense of frustration.

"Can't parry now," crowed Rufus, launching a swift swing of his sword that forced Ayumu to skip back.

Even before finishing the swing, Rufus' sword was already changing again, the handle lengthening slightly, while the prongs contracted a little bit more, separating enough to reveal the barrel built into the shaft. A section dropped down near the base of the prongs, while the butt end folded back, revealing a trigger. The crackling hum of electricity dancing along the prongs had already risen to a fever-pitch as Rufus pulled the trigger.

It should have taken longer for the railgun to charge for a full-power shot. But Ruby realized that Rufus had been counting on Ayumu to dodge his sword swings. Because none of Rufus' blows had landed, none of the electricity accumulating in his weapon's blade had been discharged, allowing him to prepare his rifle to fire the instant the weapon had completed its shift.

The distinctive crack of a metal slug being accelerated past the speed of sound struck her ears with a physical force. Ruby's eyes couldn't follow the streak of the projectile as it erupted from the end of the weapon, rushing straight for Ayumu. Besides the incredible acceleration generating a tremendous penetrating force in the bullet itself, the high-velocity passage of the projectile created a shockwave in its wake that could do plenty of damage on its own, even if it failed to hit its target. Rufus' aim was spot-on, and, with the sheer velocity of his shot, there was no way Ayumu could dodge unless he shifted his position before Rufus pulled the trigger…which he hadn't.

Despite that, Ayumu's expression didn't so much as falter. Even if he hadn't dodged, his sword was still in position, held up vertically so that the blade was angled slightly in front of him. To Rufus' view, it was nothing more than a thin line that bisected his view of his adversary. The Green Destiny was especially thin, far thinner than any ordinary sword. That, combined with the way the blade seemed to flex supplely, made it fragile to his eye. There was no way such a pathetic blade could defend against the full force of his railgun.

The bullet struck Ayumu's sword with an eerie, resonant ring. Ruby gasped. Rufus gaped. The bullet split in two, its halves flying off to either side of Ayumu without touching him. More shocking and incredible still, the shockwave following in the bullet's wake was cut as well. Rufus' attack was neatly divided, passing to either side of Ayumu, while leaving him unharmed.

"What?" Rufus grunted. "But…how?"

Ayumu's smile remained unchanged as he beamed at Rufus. "Well, my blade may be very thin. But it's actually also very strong, strong and supple. Furthermore, that thinness enhances its sharpness." He pulled his sword back, holding it at an angle in front of him and allowing his eyes to trace its length, brushing his finger along the flat of the blade. "I have encountered very little that my sword cannot cut through. Because of that thinness and sharpness, power is less important than finesse, ensuring that I can apply my blade's edge to its fullest effect." His fingers reached the tip of the Green Destiny and he abruptly flicked the tip of the sword with his fingernail, generating another eerie ring, one that made Ruby's bones hum in sympathy, almost as though Ayumu was holding a tuning fork, rather than a sword. "My master would always say that sharpness is a state of mind."

"What does that mean?" asked Rufus.

Ayumu returned his gaze to his opponent. "It means mastering my sword so that I cut only what I choose to cut. A sword that cuts indiscriminately is not a true sword, and its wielder is not a warrior, but a mere butcher. I'm afraid that it's probably a little much for you to understand, Mr. Benbow. You've wielded your weapon with too much abandon to fully appreciate the nature of mastery. Thus, though you still call yourself a Huntsman and fight against the Grimm, you are less than a two-bit thug."

Rufus growled, shifting his weapon back into its sword mode, electricity dancing along its two-pronged blade once again.

Ayumu whipped his sword through a few circular passes, then stepped down into a low stance, holding the blade in front of him, while holding his left arm out behind him, the first two fingers of his left hand extended. "I've taken your attacks now, Mr. Benbow. Now I will be the one attacking. Let's see if you can defend as well as you strike."

Muscles tensing, Rufus set himself and prepared for their fight to resume. Though Ayumu had declared his intention to attack, Rufus had no intention of allowing him. Instead he went on the attack again, surging forward with swift, powerful swings of his electrified sword. His previous onslaught had kept Ayumu on the defensive, and Ayumu couldn't risk having his own strikes parried by that blade, which would risk him getting shocked with each contact. Besides, there was no way this boy, only a little more than half his age at best, could hope to keep up with the speed of an experienced Huntsman.

Once again, Ayumu was forced to weave and dodge, without trying to attack or parry, as Rufus resumed his onslaught with the electrified blade of his sword. Ayumu danced through the air, seeming to drift aside from the wind of passing attacks, rather than through his own musculature. It made Ruby think of a leaf being carried on a breeze. What was more, as the fight continued, Ayumu would fall back outside the sword's range. It made Ruby worry to see him continue to retreat.

Except, Rufus could see that Ayumu wasn't retreating because he was in danger of being overwhelmed. He was trying to bait out Rufus' spear, retreating by small increments to keep out of the sword's range, but within striking distance of the spear. However, if Rufus switched, that would reduce the length of the blade portion, which would increase Ayumu's opportunity to parry and attack. Rufus was determined not to fall for such a tactic.

 _If this keeps up, he'll be able to use the railgun again,_ thought Ruby. That wasn't as threatening as it seemed, considering how easily Ayumu had been able to defend against the last shot. But it did mean that the battle was currently at a stalemate, with neither of the combatants able to get the upper hand.

Perhaps the only way to truly win this was to draw out the fight and deplete the supply of lightning-Dust Rufus' weapon was equipped with. No matter how advanced the tech was, it would always suffer from the basic limitation that a weapon's Dust-functions could only last as long as the Dust that generated the effect. Eventually, the lightning-Dust within the weapon would be depleted and, if he wanted to continue, Rufus would have to reload.

Unfortunately, there was no telling how much time they had until the remaining members of BRWN arrived on the scene. If Rufus and Nigel's remaining teammates arrived on the scene, that could turn the tables against Ayumu and Gin. Ruby didn't like those odds one bit. These were experienced Huntsmen after all.

"What's the matter?" asked Rufus, between swings of his sword. "I thought you were going to attack. Having a hard time?"

"Well, it's inconvenient that you won't fall for my trap," admitted Ayumu. "I suppose I'll have to get a bit more aggressive."

 _What does that mean?_ wondered Ruby.

Leaping well above the slash of Rufus' sword, Ayumu jumped back, opening up a much wider distance than before. Rufus moved to pursue, but Ayumu jumped back to a nearby tree and kicked off the trunk, angling his jump upwards and almost seeming to glide up into the air. Ruby gasped in amazement as she saw the Green Destiny become a blur around Ayumu's body as he whirled it with wide sweeps, the swing of his blade creating what seemed to be a whirlwind that pulled the leaves off of nearby branches, swirling them around Ayumu's body in a green maelstrom.

"Switching to performance art now?" asked Rufus skeptically, staring up at the swirling leaves.

Ruby had almost completely lost sight of Ayumu amidst the leaves. At first, she thought he was merely using them to conceal his body. But then she saw him sweep and twist his sword, directing the whirling leaves to swirl around and rush at Rufus along circular paths, converging in on him in tightening circles. Furthermore, she could see pale-green light trailing off the edges of the leaves, like the trails that Ayumu's sword left behind.

She gasped as the realization hit her. _He infused them with his Aura. He's turned all those leaves into projectiles._

Apparently, the same realization hadn't struck Rufus. Too caught up watching for Ayumu, he failed to realize the danger until the leaves struck, slashing into his body from all directions, their edges biting into his Aura like blades. Rufus cried out in pain as he tried to fend off this unexpected attack, swinging his blade wildly. The amount of Aura each individual leaf carried was slight. Against the electrical field running along the blade's twin prongs, it was easily broken, and the leaves crackled, blackened, and turned to ash. That also meant that the leaves weren't actually inflicting that much damage upon impact. More than anything, this attack was simply an annoyance.

However, its unexpected nature left Rufus completely off-guard. Ruby watched as Ayumu's sword appeared in the midst of the leaves swirling in on Rufus. It and Ayumu's motion had matched that of the leaves so perfectly that the green blade of Ayumu's sword had looked like just another part of the maelstrom to Ruby. But now she saw Ayumu and his sword melt out of it as though materializing from nowhere. Rufus only spotted Ayumu with his peripheral vision and raised his sword to block.

Ruby's hand clenched. Had Rufus' weapon been an ordinary one, Ayumu would have likely been able to counter the clumsy block and land a strike. But Rufus' electrified blade would channel a dangerous charge into Ayumu's body if his sword made contact. Ruby wondered if Ayumu would be able to dodge the sword entirely and continue his attack.

As it turned out, she needn't have worried. Ayumu twisted his body and swung the Green Destiny, for the first time putting some real strength behind the blow, aiming unerringly for the sword he had been avoiding so carefully earlier. The pale-green edge of Ayumu's sword met the gray steel, wreathed in yellow lightning, of Rufus' weapon. The two weapons met, and the clang of contact was drowned out by the ring of the Green Destiny, and the unmistakable sound of something being sheared through.

The twin prongs of Rufus' weapon had been sliced clean off, halfway up their length, the severing leading to the tips tumbling off in separate trajectories. It was then that Ruby blinked, almost believing that she had hallucinated it. Unbelievably, the arcs of lightning trailing off the severed ends terminated abruptly, making her realize that Ayumu's sword hadn't just cleaved through steel, but the lightning itself.

"Huh? Bu-….What?" stammered Rufus, stumbling back and staring uncomprehendingly at the sparking stumps where his sword's blade had been cleaved off. "That's not possible!"

"I told you," said Ayumu cheerfully, "sharpness is a state of mind. Properly refined, I can cut through anything, even things that normally can't be cut."

"You can't be serious," said Rufus disbelievingly.

"Well, the proof is in the pudding, as they say," said Ayumu. "Now then…it's time to end this."

Before Rufus could react, Ayumu had closed in. Ayumu rotated his sword so that it was now in a reverse grip, its flat resting against his right forearm. It wasn't for the sake of a technique, but rather, a means to keep the sword out of the way as Ayumu struck out rapidly with his left hand, hitting Rufus directly in the center of the chest. Rufus jolted back, his body spasming and the broken remnants of his weapon dropping from his hand. Ayumu's hand blurred and he struck several other points up and down Rufus torso, Rufus' limbs locking stiffly from the impact, before jumping and spinning, catching Rufus in the temple with a flying roundhouse kick from his right foot, continuing the spin and lashing out to catch him in almost the exact same spot with a back-kick from his left.

The hits sent Rufus sprawling. The red-haired man slammed onto his back, his body unmoving, though his eyes remained staring upward through the forest canopy in shock.

"What did you do?" asked Ruby.

"If you strike in the proper places and apply your Aura just so," said Ayumu, "you can cause a disruption in your opponent's nervous system and stop him from moving." He scratched his chin before grinning sheepishly. "Technically, those last two kicks were unnecessary to bring him down, but I thought he deserved a little extra punishment for behaving so crudely these past few nights."

Ruby giggled, then looked down at Rufus. "What now?"

"Well, he'll be like that for a couple of hours," said Ayumu. "It's not a permanent remedy, but we should be able to get him properly restrained in that time." He paused and frowned. "It'll be tricky to get all four of them back to town."

"All four…" Ruby blinked as she realized she'd almost completely forgotten about Gin. She'd gotten so wrapped up in watching Ayumu fight that Gin's battle had slipped her mind. Worry flooding her, she turned to look for her other friend. Rufus had been strong, but Nigel had seemed especially skilled and composed, even more dangerous than Rufus or Bruno in his own way.

Turning, she gasped as she watched the bladed arm of Nigel's right tonfa bite into Gin's torso, cutting clean through it. Horrified, Ruby anticipated the spray of blood to follow, but was shocked to see that, instead of blood, drifting streamers of mist were left dancing in the wake of Nigel's strike.

Ripples spread outward from where Nigel's weapon had cut. Gin's body seemed to warp and distort, reminding her of a reflection on the surface of a lake suddenly being disturbed by a stone thrown into the water. The rippling distortion seemed to spread, before Ruby realized that Gin had actually moved closer to Nigel. One of Gin's arms reached out, bending and warping, before suddenly appearing straighten as he slashed at Nigel with his claws from an angle almost completely different from where his arm had seemed to be originally. Nigel barely managed to catch sight of the attack, bringing up his left tonfa to block, the steel ringing as Gin's claws struck it, before deflecting off.

Bringing his right tonfa back around, Nigel aligned the barrel with Gin's head and pulled the trigger. The crack of the discharging bullet made Ruby jolt and the shot pierced right through Gin's skull, a circle of silvery mist spreading out from where it struck. Once again, though, instead of actually being damaged, Gin's body, his head in this case, warped and distorted in a rippling movement. At the same time, his rippling, distorted form undulated strangely, keeping Nigel, and Ruby, from realizing that he'd moved until he'd already circled almost completely around behind and raked his claws across Nigel's back, the force behind the blow throwing the man forward, even as the silvery trails left by Gin's claws threw up bronze sparks from where they bit into Nigel's Aura.

Catching himself before he could be thrown right onto his face, Nigel jumped forward, spinning his weapons in his grip so that the long arms of the tonfa pointed forward and the barrels pointed back behind him. Even as he recovered from the hit from behind, Nigel was already firing at Gin. Landing, he spun around, once again spinning his weapons to allow him to keep the guns oriented on Gin and firing a steady barrage of semi-automatic fire.

It took a second for Ruby to realize that the triggers for the guns built into the tonfa were located on the end of handles, Nigel firing by pressing his thumb onto the rounded button. It seemed an odd place to put a trigger until she realized that the button could be pressed, regardless of the weapon's orientation, allowing Nigel to fire his guns at any angle, increasing the speed with which he could adjust his aim without needing to always adjust the position of his arm and body. Therefore, despite the fact that his weapon lacked the advanced mechashift capabilities that Rufus or Bruno's weapons had, his were still an excellent and practical design.

However, none of his shots landed. They appeared to pierce Gin's body, but simply threw up sprays of mist, causing Gin's form to ripple and distort once again, spreading his image through the air. Attempting to catch Gin with a shot, Nigel fired in a wider arc, but only seemed to be making it harder to see where Gin actually was. What was more, he once again missed the fact that Gin had closed in, the distortions completely throwing off his sense of distance until Gin's arm suddenly straightened from amongst the bending and warping mass, like an image swimming abruptly into focus, and slashed at him. Nigel barely managed to catch the incoming slash with the blade of his left tonfa, but missed it when Gin's other arm slashed up from below, raking up his stomach and chest, throwing him back once again.

"How's he doing that?" gasped Ruby. "Is that his Semblance?"

"Yes and no," said Ayumu evasively, chuckling when Ruby pouted at him. "Gin's Semblance is the ability to produce and control mist."

"Mist?" said Ruby, once again looking over as Nigel's slashing tonfa cut lines of mist through where Gin's body should have been, only for it to ripple and warp yet again.

"When we first met him, Gin used his Semblance by spreading his mist across a wide area," explained Ayumu. "With that, he could hide his approach and get a psychological edge of his victims."

"You mean opponents, right?" asked Ruby.

"Nope. Victims," corrected Ayumu. "When we first met him, Gin was little more than a bandit. Despite being at the tender age of eight, he had been terrorizing the wilderness around a few settlements for several months. He would raid travelers and caravans, stealing what he needed for himself. Had our master not shown up and been asked to deal with him, the citizens would have likely ended up calling a professional Huntsman or Huntress to put him down."

Ruby gasped in horror at the thought.

"Gin would spread his mist over an area and use it as cover for his attack," continued Ayumu. "It was a fairly effective tactic. Even when his victims realized he was behind it, the presence of the fog served to heighten their fear and anxiety, which took the edge off their skills.

"But our master defeated him easily. After all, the mist merely hid the visible indicators of his presence and approach. Our master, being blind, wasn't hampered at all. Afterwards, when he took Gin on as a student, he taught Gin to refine his Semblance, to concentrate and compact it, using the water vapor to diffuse the light around him, distorting distance, direction, and shape, while also teaching Gin how to reduce other signs of his presence. Thus, against most opponents, Gin's position, when he's using this technique, is impossible to determine exactly. Furthermore, everything, from his distance, to his movement, to his individual attacks, become distorted, until they are almost impossible to read. Fighting him is like trying to catch a reflection on the surface of a lake. As such, Gin named this technique _Suigetsu_."

Ruby returned her eyes to Gin's fight with Nigel. Gin's body seemed to swirl, stretch and wrap around Nigel, attacking him from almost every direction, Nigel sometimes barely able to react to an attack in time, other times being caught completely off-guard, his Aura being whittled down, little by little. It was fascinating to watch. But it also disturbed her to learn that Gin had had such a past. It was hard to imagine the boy who had treated her with such care, who often blushed shyly around her, as a ruthless bandit, forcefully taking what others had.

"Please don't judge Gin too strongly by the things he did in the past," said Ayumu, picking up on Ruby's line of thought. "Like I said before, our master found us at difficult points in our lives, making our options accepting his offer or embracing our deaths. Gin didn't prey upon others because he enjoyed it, but because it was the only way he knew how to survive."

"Why?" asked Ruby.

"That's a bit of a long story," said Ayumu. "It's probably best to tell it after the battle is over."

From Ruby's perspective, it looked as though the fight was over. Once again, Gin had slipped around behind Nigel without the man actually following his movements. Before Nigel could react, Gin's fingers closed around the shining dome of Nigel's bald head, clenching tight, his claws causing sparks to erupt from Nigel's Aura as it fought to keep them from biting into the skin. Gin had jumped into the air to complete the movement, his body coming into sharp focus and leaving behind a trail of his mist, using his weight to knock Nigel off his feet.

Nigel fell forward, spinning his tonfa so that the blades were pointing down, sinking them into the ground. From where they were, the barrels of his guns were pointing right at either side of Gin's chest. Nigel didn't hesitate to pull the trigger. But Gin kicked off Nigel's back, going into a handstand with the hand he was using to hold Nigel's head, lifting his body out of the bullets' path. Curling up his body, he came back down, driving his knee right between Nigel's shoulders in a sharp blow. The hit caused spasms to run down Nigel's arms, breaking his grip on his weapons and causing him to fall all the way to the ground. Gin quickly brought his full weight down on Nigel's back, pinning him.

Nigel probably had the strength to get back up. With his hands free, like they were, it would have been a fairly easy task, even with Gin's weight on top of him. But before he could begin, Gin used his steel grip on Nigel's head to pull it back, stretching his neck. Nigel's eyes bulged with anger and fear, feeling as though he thought Gin intended to pull his head clean off. The muscles of his neck strained to fight the pull…which was what Gin had clearly been hoping for. Suddenly shifting from pulling to pushing, Gin drove Nigel's head down, slamming his face into the earth, producing an impact that made Ruby wince and grimace.

Now dazed, Nigel was unable to resist as Gin pulled his head back again, then drove it down a second time. Nigel's arms, which he'd been trying to get under him to push himself back up, flapped out uselessly. Still, Gin pulled his head back a third time, then slammed it down again. This time, there was a faint hiss and Ruby saw a shimmering bronze field of light appear around Nigel's body, before holes formed in it, followed by the remaining light dissipating into the air, indicating that Nigel's Aura had been completely broken. Nigel's body went limp.

Standing up, Gin grabbed the handles of Nigel's weapons and pulled them free, before tossing them carelessly to the side. Turning, he regarded Ruby and Ayumu dispassionately. "Done already?" he asked Ayumu.

"All finished," said Ayumu, before noticing that Ruby was trembling as she watched Gin.

Gin also noticed Ruby's discomfort and he averted his eyes, looking slightly ashamed of himself. "Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"I-it's all right," said Ruby nervously. "I mean…it just looked brutal, is all." Now that she thought about it, she realized that Gin had merely picked an expedient means of breaking Nigel's Aura and knocking him out. As soon as he'd gotten a superior position, he'd moved to bring the fight to a decisive end. It looked vicious and brutal. But, in actuality, had been very carefully executed to avoid causing unnecessary injuries. As Gin knelt down to turn Nigel over, Ruby could see that the man's nose wasn't even bleeding. The realization helped ease her nerves somewhat.

"Well, in any case, that's two down," said Ayumu. "Two to go."

Ruby nodded, then tensed as she heard the sounds of foliage parting and being trampled underfoot. _They're coming!_

She turned to look in the direction of the sound, seeing Bruno shove aside a branch as he stepped out of the undergrowth. "Over already?" he asked, his gaze landing on them. "I was hoping you'd save some for…" His voice trailed off as it registered to him that the ones he was addressing were not his teammates. "What?"

"You certainly took your time," said Ayumu, also turning to face Bruno, who was joined by Whitney as she emerged from the undergrowth behind him. "Were you that confident in your teammates' skills?"

Bruno's mouth worked silently as his eyes went to Rufus, then to Nigel, seeing both men unresponsive. "How…?"

"Perhaps your opinion of your skills is overinflated," suggested Gin, getting up. "If you'd rather save yourselves the pain and humiliation these two went through, you'd be wise to surrender."

"As if we'd do that," scoffed Whitney, not seeming to care the slightest bit about the state of her comrades. She hefted her circular blades, holding them out to either side of her. "Clearly, we need to re-evaluate their skills. I suppose it's my fault for indulging them for so long."

"Or at all, for that matter," said Ayumu, "considering what your ideas of 'indulging' seem to consist of."

"I think you'll find that we won't go down near as easily," said Whitney.

"That remains to be seen," answered Ayumu, raising his sword.

* * *

 **Round One is over, and now Round Two is about to begin. I hope everyone enjoyed my first major action sequence of the story, as well as how the characters I developed work on the battlefield. I know Ruby's mostly been just hanging around on the sidelines, but she's gonna get her chance to shine too. And now...weapons.**

 **Corpusant: A High-Voltage RailSpear, Rufus' weapon is outfitted with a substantial amount of lightning-Dust, which it channels through the pronged blade of the weapon. Both the shaft of the spear, and the prongs can be adjusted in length, allowing it to take on both sword and gun modes. As long as the spear or sword does not make contact with another target, it can build a charge continuously, either making the blow that eventually lands all that more powerful, or allowing him to immediately fire his railgun at full power upon conversion. The name, Corpusant, is one of the many names for the term most widely known as St. Elmo's Fire.**

 **Orthrus: Twin Blade-Armed-Gunfas. Orthrus is a relatively simplistic set of weapons, lacking the transformational mechashift capabilities that many Huntsmen weapons are famous for. The blade arms are impressively durable, able to cut even through tough bone-armor, if wielded with sufficient speed and strength. The guns are of a smaller caliber, but can be lethal with the right accuracy. Mounting the trigger on the end of the grip allows it to be utilized by the thumb, enabling Nigel to fire his weapon from any orientation, even while his weapons are still spinning. Orthrus is a two-headed dog from Greek Mythology, which was killed by Hercules during one of his labors.**

 **That's all for now. See you next time.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the later release. Things happened. Tomorrow is going to be the release of the first chapter of _Crimson Eyes_ , if anyone is interested in that. Because of that, this story will be going to an every-other-day release schedule, so look forward to the next chapter on Sunday. And now...**

* * *

 **Chapter 8:**

Bruno attacked first, charging forward with a loud roar, leaping into the air and descending towards Gin. Given that Gin had been crouching next to Nigel, that boded ill for the unconscious man. Grabbing Nigel by the scruff of his neck, Gin jumped back at an angle from the direction of Bruno's swing, pulling Nigel out of the way as Bruno's morning star slammed into the earth where they'd been. Gin threw Nigel aside, tossing him to land near the base of a tree.

"You should be more careful," scolded Gin, glaring at Bruno. "You'd have killed your own teammate if I hadn't saved him."

"If he's not any good to us, then he's better off _dead!_ " shouted Bruno, continuing to go on the attack. He stepped forward, swinging his weapon in a sideways arc, aiming straight for Gin's head. The mace seemed to hit, but Gin's head merely warped and rippled, Bruno's mace throwing up a spray of silvery mist as it passed through. The distortion kept Bruno from noticing that Gin had stepped in until the tips of Gin's clawed fingers bit into the Aura over his chest, accompanied by a blow from the palms of both his hands that blew him back. Bruno managed to land on his feet, sliding to a stop as he raised his head to glare at Gin.

"Well, you're built pretty tough," observed Gin, shaking his hands out.

Bruno growled and charged again. This time, he swung his morning star straight down. Once again, Gin didn't seem to dodge, his image warping and bending around the mace as it passed through him. But then the club slammed into the earth and Bruno pulled the trigger, causing a geyser of flame to erupt from the point of impact throwing up earth and flames in a line matching the direction of his swing.

Gin had wisely sidestepped the attack, rather than falling back from it directly. However, he was still caught in the shockwave of the explosion, which forced him back a little farther, making it difficult for him to keep close. What was more, the pressure wave passing over him blew away the mist around him, causing his body to swim back into focus.

"There you are!" roared Bruno, rounding on him immediately with a wide swing of his weapon. Gin quickly ducked underneath the line of the swing, his movements more hurried than they were before. "Fog and illusions can't fool me!" continued Bruno as he deftly manipulated the heavy weapon to bring it back around with unexpected quickness, turning his wrist to bring it down and around to sweep it upwards in a blow that would have driven one of its many spikes right through Gin's chin.

Gin barely managed to avoid it, leaning back just in time for the weapon's head to sweep up just in front of him. Almost too late, his ears caught the click of a mechanism from within the morning star's handle. Realizing what was coming, Gin leaned back even further, bending over backwards as the head of the morning star extended out on a chain, shooting out so that it would have pulverized his head, had he not bent backwards to such an extent.

The chain rattled as it retracted back into the handle. Bruno was already swinging his weapon back around and up, over his shoulder, to bring it down on Gin's body while he was still in this awkward position. Gin allowed gravity to take over, continuing to bend over backwards to plant his hands on the ground and then kicking off with his feet, going into a handspring that launched him back out of range as Bruno slammed his weapon down into the earth once more. Already guessing what was coming, Gin threw himself to the side as Bruno pulled the trigger, unleashing another blast of flames that erupted out in a line from his swing.

"Gin!" shouted Ruby worriedly, keeping her arms up to shield her face from the rocks and other debris that buffeted her, her cloak flapping out behind her as the explosive shockwaves of Bruno's attacks washed over her. Bruno's raw power apparently rendered Gin's secret technique worthless, and now he was left with only his speed and agility to stand up against the onslaught of the Huntsman's powerful weapon and intense flames.

Even now, as Ruby watched, Bruno's morning star transformed, the head disconnecting from the handle and extending out on its chain, as the handle collapsed in on itself, the weapon transitioning fully to its flail form, which Bruno whirled rapidly over his head before swinging it down at Gin again, the chain extending even further to reach him. Gin jumped away from the swing, watching as the spiked head shattered the ground where he'd been standing. Then he noticed Bruno's widening grin as Bruno's finger pulled the trigger built into the flail's handle.

The ground were Gin's feet touched down erupted in a geyser of flame that seemed to consume him on the spot. Gin launched himself clear, his clothes smoldering.

 _So he can launch the explosions out in a line when he uses it as a morning star,_ observed Ruby, noting the nuances in Bruno's weapon, _and he can make it explode remotely, at a chosen point, when he uses it as a flail. It must have something to do with his Semblance. If it was linked to how he uses his weapon, he couldn't wait until Gin dodges to know where to make the explosion happen._

That was useful to know, but she didn't see how Gin could get much help out of it. Without his mist, it seemed that Gin was having a hard time closing with his opponent. Immediately after escaping that explosion, he rushed in for Bruno again. However, Bruno saw him coming, and immediately switched his weapon back into its morning star form, using the long handle to block Gin's slashing claws before whipping the head around again and forcing Gin to dodge.

Despite the weapon's size, Bruno could shift his grip on the handle to bring it into play in close quarters, whirling the cumbersome-looking weapon around in surprisingly tight arcs. While it wasn't nearly as powerful as the swings he could put the full strength of his arms behind, the weight of the weapon alone was enough to do considerable damage.

"Cute claws for a faunus," commented Bruno with a savage grin as Gin fell back once again. "But they're no match for a real weapon. You won't keep that fog about you either, so you can't beat me the way you did Nigel. Now I'll dispose of you like the worthless trash you are."

"This is getting annoying," muttered Gin. Then he sighed and relaxed his arms. "I wanted to focus on refining my technique for a bit more. But I'm tired of playing nice."

"Playing nice?" Ruby whispered to herself.

Bruno snorted derisively. "Watch your words, you brat. You make it sound as though you're holding back. I'll make you regret that arrogance."

Bruno lunged forward, once again swinging his weapon down at Gin's head. This time, Gin made no effort to dodge, watching with almost dull eyes as the morning star descended towards him.

* * *

Steel rang as Whitney's blades clashed against Ayumu's sword. Her weapons were considerably shorter than the Green Destiny. As such, Whitney was always striving to close the distance and initiate combat at closer quarters. Her circular blades were quick and maneuverable, allowing her to quickly change the direction of her swings. She could slash with the curved edges or thrust with the blades that protruded out out along its circumference.

Ayumu fell back, his sword a pale-green blur as he intercepted her slashes or interposed it to block her thrusts. He had to be careful. More than once during the exchange, Whitney had changed the angle of her slashing blade, trying to ensnare his sword by trapping it within the ring of one of her blades, aiming to immobilize him, while she struck home with her other blade. Her movements were lightning fast, and she wielded her weapons with refinement that spoke of years spent honing her technique with them.

Skipping back, Ayumu danced out of the range of her weapons once more. However, to his surprise, she released her grip on the handle of her left weapon mid-swing, accompanied by a flick of her wrist that set the blade to spinning like a discus. It hissed menacingly as it flew out at Ayumu's head. Ayumu dodged aside from the blade, then was forced to dodge even further as the red gem set into the hand-guard within the ring of the blade itself ignited, wreathing the weapon in hungry flames. As Ayumu dodged the flames, he felt the breeze of Whitney closing in to swing the weapon in her right hand at him from behind.

Spinning about to meet her, Ayumu parried her sideways slash with an upward sweep of his sword, bouncing the line of her slash away from his body. Whitney fell back a pace and Ayumu moved to press the attack, but then felt the heat at his back from the flames of the other blade as it circled back around.

Ayumu dropped down into a crouch, feeling the heat of the passing blade scorch the hairs of his head. Whitney reached out and effortlessly caught the weapon, the flames extinguishing as she resumed her hold of it. Ayumu lashed out with his leg, going for a sweep, but Whitney saw it coming and jumped back.

"I see," said Ayumu as he stood back up. "Those weapons originated in the regions east of Mistral, if I remember correctly. They are called wind-and-fire-wheels. It seems that, with the application of Dust, you've made them into literal wind-and-fire-wheels."

"That would be correct," said Whitney with a coy giggle.

Ayumu tilted his head. "Despite the superficial resemblance, I don't believe those blades are meant to be thrown like chakrams though. In order to do so and recall it to your hand would either mean a remote function of some kind or…perhaps…a Semblance…telekinesis maybe."

"Your latter guess would be correct," said Whitney proudly. "Granted, my telekinesis isn't all that strong, but it's enough to control two blades of this size easily."

Ayumu nodded. It spoke of confidence in her skills that Whitney would reveal so much about her Semblance to him. Telekinesis was neither especially common nor especially rare as Semblances went. However, the level of power could vary from person to person, and each individual would have developed a different degree of control. He remembered hearing that Beacon Academy was home to one of, if not _the_ , most powerful and skilled telekinetics in all of Remnant, a woman who was supposedly able to manipulate up to several tons at a time, yet had the finesse to affect control of matter at a molecular level. While Whitney's power and control were clearly nowhere near that league, she had clearly mastered her Semblance to the degree that she could use it to enhance her chosen fighting-style to its fullest extent.

"Still, I'm surprised you can remain this calm," continued Whitney. "That boy you have as a companion will be no match for Bruno. As much of a brute as he is, he has enough skill to know how to make full use of his strength."

"Of that, we are quite aware," said Ayumu. "We were treated to a display of his skills when we fought the Grimm earlier. There's no need to worry. Gin will be fine."

"What is the basis for such confidence?" Whitney wanted to know.

"Well," said Ayumu, "to be perfectly honest, Gin is probably stronger than me when he puts his all into fighting. When our master took him on, he'd been on his own for quite some time. A mere eight years old, and yet someone who struck fear into hardened fighters, who had eluded and thwarted attempts even by seasoned Huntsmen to capture him, to the point that, by the time we met, he'd already unlocked his own Aura."

"What?" gasped Whitney.

"Yes, it was quite remarkable," said Ayumu, adopting a wistful expression. "Gin is what many people would call a 'genuis.' One of those remarkably talented individuals who take to something, fighting in this case, quite naturally. Of course, that's to be fully expected, given his nature."

"His nature as what?" asked Whitney. "As a faunus?"

"Well…somewhat," said Ayumu. "You see, Gin's faunus-type is the rare sort that grants him all sorts of useful qualities. Amongst other things, he has an instinctive talent for combat and, even before he had unlocked his Aura, he already possessed deadly blades and impenetrable armor."

Whitney blinked. "Armor? What armor?"

"Well, he keeps it hidden most of the time," said Ayumu, "just like his claws."

"I thought that odd," mused Whitney. "His eyes are clearly his faunus trait, yet he also has those claws. Most faunus only possess one animal trait. He must be a rare breed indeed."

"Correct," agreed Ayumu. "In fact, his faunus-type has an incidence of one in ten-million, according to what I've read about it. It is so rare that one might even go as far as to call it _mythical_."

Whitney's eyes widened. "He can't be…"

"Ah, I see you've heard about it too," said Ayumu cheerfully. "He is indeed. So, in summary, that is why I am not worried about Gin's prospects in this battle."

* * *

Gin raised his arm above his head, interposing it between his skull and the descending morning star. Ruby gasped and covered her eyes, figuring that the action was a last-ditch reflex. Even though she couldn't see it, she was sure she'd still hear the sound of Gin's arm snapping, possibly followed by the crunch of his skull as that massive club overpowered his Aura with all the force Bruno had put into that one strike.

Instead…she heard a loud clang as the morning star struck something hard…and was stopped cold. Hesitantly, Ruby opened her eyes, spreading apart her fingers so that she could peek through them. Gin was still there, untouched. His arm was still above his head, the morning star pressed against it, Bruno bearing down with all his strength and weight, yet he was not able to make the weapon budge.

Then Ruby saw it. Scales of a pure silver color were erupting out from under the skin of Gin's forearm, spreading up to his elbow, almost like a rash. They shimmered in the light of the sun, almost glittering, but seeming to spread and diffuse the light, rather than reflect it outright. The bones and his fingers popped, his fingers seeming to elongate slightly the claws looking more like natural extensions of his limb now. The scales on top of his arm were broad scutes that almost looked like overlapping plates of armor, while those on the sides and bottom of it were smaller, shaped like rounded triangles. Glancing at his opposite arm, Ruby could see that it had undergone the same transformation.

"Wha-What the hell are you?" demanded Bruno, stumbling back away from Gin.

"I'm not interested in answering you," said Gin coldly.

The muscles of Gin's upper arm bulged and, with a grunt, he threw back the heavy weapon and actually made Bruno totter back a couple of steps. Before Bruno could recover, Gin was on the attack, dashing in with impressive speed. Desperately, Bruno tried to catch the approaching boy with his mace, but Gin swung his arm out and batted the wild swing aside. Diving right in, he slammed his clawed hands into Bruno's stomach and chest, launching him backwards.

This time, the heavyset man slammed into the ground on his back. Still, he was skilled enough to use his remaining momentum to turn his fall into a roll that brought him back to his feet. Rising up, Bruno immediately lunged forward, clearly anticipating Gin's approach as the boy continued his attack. Once again, Gin deflected the swing of the morning star. However, its path continued until it struck the ground, an explosion blossoming outwards.

Gin's scales appeared to be strong enough to withstand the heat and impact of both the morning star and the flames. But the rest of his body was not so effectively armored. He was forced to jump back as the flames rose and stretched, threatening to engulf him. Once again, the head of Bruno's weapon detached. Swinging it about over his head, Bruno turned the flail's head into a whirling blur before swinging it down at Gin, using the centrifugal force to attack with a speed that belied the weapon's incredible size and weight. However, Gin forcefully batted the weapon aside.

"No!" shouted Ruby, already realizing what was coming.

Even as the head of the flail struck the ground, a geyser of flame erupted upwards from where Gin had been standing. However, Gin had already anticipated it, and had managed to evade it at the last second. But Bruno simply pulled back, swinging the head on its chain back around. This time, instead of targeting Gin directly, Bruno slammed the flail's head into the ground several times in rapid succession.

Gin was forced to dance and dodge the deadly fountains of Dust-fueled fire that emerged at his feet. It was a delicate balance. If he waited too long, the flames would burst up from beneath him and consume him. However, if he dodged too early, Bruno would cause the flames to erupt in the direction he was heading. Given that Bruno didn't seem to be using the nature of his technique to control the point of attack, he could wait until the last second to decide where the fire emerged.

Despite that, Gin appeared untroubled overall. His face was set in a scowl that was almost annoyed. Columns of flame erupted like a display from a series of fountains, or a fireworks show. But Gin always seemed to maneuver out of their way, his movements fluid, almost sinuous. Once again, Ruby found herself rubbing her eyes, not sure, but thinking that she could sometimes see a phantasmal serpentine, scaled body, its winding movements twisting along with Gin's body, its lines blurring with his own.

However, Gin continued to be driven back by the onslaught, falling further and further back from Bruno as the flames continued to erupt out from where he was standing or moving. Bruno's mace was a blur, striking the ground before being swung in a short, rapid arc, bringing it back down to strike the ground again, before repeating the process over. The impacts were so rapid that their individual sounds were blurring together in Ruby's ears.

Then Gin came to a stop. Ruby gasped, wondering if he was losing stamina. After all, he'd already faced down the Grimm horde earlier, and then fought Nigel. Perhaps he was at the limit of his strength.

Bruno's flail struck the ground again, and fire exploded upwards and outwards, the flames rising…just a few inches away from Gin's face. He squinted his eyes at the heat radiating outwards, but showed no other sign that he was bothered.

"What?" wondered Ruby, wondering how Gin had thrown Bruno's aim off.

"So that's your range," observed Gin calmly. "Or rather, your range with that level of power."

"Huh?" Ruby blinked, going back over what had just happened. Bruno's first attack with the flail in this exchange had created a powerful explosion. But, now that she thought about it, the subsequent explosions from his rapid-fire series of attacks had been smaller by a considerable margin. What was more, now that Gin had fallen back a certain distance, it seemed that those attacks had failed to reach him.

Processing it, she came to a conclusion. _He must utilize the momentum and force of the flail's impact somehow,_ she thought. _The more force he puts behind the swing, the more power he can put into the explosion, and the farther out he can send it. He can use shorter swings to launch more rapid attacks. But they have less power, and he can't send them out as far._

That meant several things. Bruno could probably reach Gin if he put more power into his swing. The resulting explosion would be more powerful as well. But, at the same time, to execute a more powerful swing, Bruno would need to make a larger motion, even whirling the flail over his head as he had earlier, to build further momentum. But large movements had large openings. Gin would have time to close in.

But…would he have enough time? However long it took Bruno to build up power, once he hit the ground, he could set the point for the explosion at will. If he read Gin's path of approach, he wouldn't even need that much power, as Gin would be coming back into range for the more rapid attacks as well. As techniques went, this was an impressive way that Bruno could use to control his opponent's distance and movement.

 _How can Gin get around that?_ wondered Ruby.

Then she saw the smirk on Gin's face. So did Bruno. The sight of that smile enraged the Hunstman and he began to swing his flail again, this time swinging the chain in circles at his side. "You think you've got the skills to compete with me, brat?" he snarled. "Just because you figured out a thing or two doesn't mean you can do anything about it."

"Well, we'll see," said Gin, bending his knees. Showing no hesitation, he rushed straight in.

Bruno roared and brought his flail down onto the ground, a powerful blast bursting up right where Gin's foot would have landed, mid-step. However, Gin's body bent, and he danced…or rather…he wound around the edge of the explosion, his curving course continuing in towards his adversary. Bruno roared in rage and resumed his rapid strikes again. Now that Gin was on the approach, there was no need for him to build up momentum anymore.

Explosions of fire fountained upward, but Gin seemed to weave and wind through them, his movements sinuous, flowing like water, never slowing or stopping. He had reached Bruno when the man swung the flail at him directly. Gin swiftly sidestepped the attack and continued to move inward, fire exploding up behind him.

Whipping his flail in a tight arc, Bruno brought it up, around and swung it at Gin from the side. Gin raised his forearm and blocked the spiked head with his scales before rebounding the blow, knocking it down to earth. This time, the explosion appeared behind him, the shockwave it produced making his hair dance.

"Ah," said Gin, pausing and standing up straight as Bruno began to sweat nervously, "it seems I've found your inner radius too."

Bruno's throat bobbed as he swallowed nervously.

"Inner radius…?" wondered Ruby, thinking about what had happened. It seemed odd. After all, while an outward limit was expected, based on the limits of Bruno's ability and the amount of power he could build up, there shouldn't have been a limit to how close to him he could produce those explosions…

…Except…there _was_ …wasn't there? After all, these were explosions of fire-Dust, throwing rocks and debris into the air, producing powerful shockwaves. If Bruno set off one off too close to himself, he would be impacted by the explosion as well. That meant that he could only set the point of the explosion so close to him. It wasn't a limit of his ability, but a limit that Bruno had imposed on himself to keep from being damaged by his own attacks.

That radius appeared to be inscribed by the reach of his flail. If his target was close enough to be struck by the flail directly, he was close to the point at which Bruno couldn't target him with explosions. Bruno hid this by using the ferocity and power of his attacks to drive an opponent back, then overwhelm them with a succession of explosions before they could figure it out.

It was a well-reasoned strategy of fighting, and employing his weapon and Semblance. But, now that its weaknesses had been exposed, he was at a serious disadvantage. Seeing the nervous look in Bruno's eyes, Ruby found herself wondering if any previous opponent of his had ever managed to figure this much out before.

Gin brandished his hands, his fingers curling, bringing his claws to bear. His scales caught the light of the sun overhead, sending rippling light shimmering across their surfaces. "Time to end this," he said.

Bruno growled wordlessly, his fingers tightening around the handle of his weapon until the knuckles turned white. The chain retracted and the handle extended, the weapon returning to its morning star configuration. Hefting the weapon, he brought it upwards, holding it over his head, gripping the shaft firmly with both hands. Gin made no move, holding his hands slightly out to either side, open, but the fingers curled.

For a moment, their duel was consumed by silence. Now Ruby could hear the clash of steel from Ayumu's fight. However, the totality of her attention was locked on Gin's battle, as the tension between the two fighters reached fever-pitch.

They sprang into motion simultaneously, their forms blurring. Bruno swung his morning star straight down. Gin made no apparent effort to avoid it, charging straight in. His scaled forearms were sheathed with Aura, leaving a silvery trail that once again resembled a winding, sinuous, scaled body. The shockwave of the collision between the two of them hit Ruby like a slap to the face, staggering her, nearly making her lose her balance as she was tugged slightly by her flapping cloak.

As Bruno's morning star had descended, Gin raised his left arm, swinging it above his head in a hooking motion that intercepted the descending mace. The silver, clawed hand struck the descending head, claws sinking into the steel surface, spikes crushing into pieces against his palm as Gin's grip tightened explosively. The head of the mace shattered, throwing pieces in every direction. At the same time, Gin swung his right arm around, matching the movement of his left arm from below, a hooking strike that curved upwards.

Despite the force behind the blow his left hand had intercepted, Gin continued forward unabated, his rising and descending hands closing in on Bruno's chest like a set of jaws. His claws sank into Bruno's Aura, the silver color of Gin's clashing against the molten-red of Bruno's. With a flash, Bruno was thrown backwards, the remnants of his Aura scattering as it broke from the impact. He landed on his back again, hard enough to crack the earth beneath him. This time, he remained still. The handle of his weapon fell from his nerveless hand, clattering on the ground a short distance away.

Gin stopped and sighed. Standing up, he relaxed his body. His scales disappeared under his skin once more, and he raised his hand, curling the fingers one by one, popping their joints as he looked at them. Then he looked over at Ruby. "You…you saw that, huh?" he said, averting his eyes blushing, looking slightly ashamed.

"Yeah. It was amazing," said Ruby, smiling brightly at him.

"It was sloppy," said Gin in an irritable tone. "I should have ended it sooner. I wasted way too much time figuring out his technique. If he hadn't let me rattle him when I found the inside limit of his reach, he could have drawn this out longer."

"But you'd still have won, wouldn't you," said Ruby. It wasn't a question.

"Yeah," said Gin. "Truth be told, I should've finished it the second he hesitated there. But I went and let him try to get that final blow in. If he hadn't done that, I wouldn't have been able to build up enough power to just break his weapon like that. I need to perfect my technique more."

"At least you know you need to improve," said Ruby encouragingly.

"Yeah…I do," said Gin, finally smiling at her once more. He took a deep breath and looked around. "Still…we did a number on this place."

Ruby nodded. The ground where Bruno and Gin had been fighting had been blackened by fire and torn apart by explosions. There wasn't a single spot of undisturbed earth to be found around the immediate radius of their fight. Gin himself was looking a little worse for wear, his clothes singed, ashes and dirt forming splotches on his skin. Still, he looked uninjured overall, despite the numerous explosions going off within inches of him.

A clang of metal reminded them both that Gin's fight had not been the only one going on.

"Well, time to see how this ends," said Gin.

"Yeah," agreed Ruby nodding as she fell in step next to him, the two of them heading towards the sound of Ayumu's duel.

* * *

The explosions a short distance away had quieted. Still, Ayumu and Whitney continued their duel unabated as they clashed repeatedly, their blades ringing repeatedly. Whitney proved herself to be nearly as acrobatic as Ayumu, dancing, spinning and flipping over his attacks as often as she parried, matching Ayumu move for move. Between their strikes and their leaps, they looked almost as though they were dancing, rather than fighting.

Ayumu heard a faint whistling noise and saw a flare of green out of the corner of his eyes. Jumping, he saw a wave of green wind trailing from the blade of Whitney's right-handed blade as it passed under him. It extended out, slicing effortlessly through several nearby trees, toppling them. Landing again, Ayumu brought his own sword around in a slash, but Whitney intercepted it with her left-handed blade, swinging it up so that the wavy blades extending from its circumference caught it. Twisting her wrist, Whitney briefly trapped Ayumu's sword by locking it against where the protruding blade of her sword met the ring. Ayumu saw Whitney's smile widen fractionally. Then the fire-Dust crystal built into the blade flared into life and hungry flames leapt out from it, reaching out for Ayumu.

Ayumu pulled back sharply, taking a step back, his sword making a grating sound as he pulled it free from Whitney's attempted blade-lock. Pulling back, his movements generated a wind of their own, pulling at the flames. Turning about, Ayumu swept his sword around him before turning back towards Whitney and sweeping it towards her again, directing the wind he had created, and the flames it was carrying, right back at her.

Whitney brought her right-hand blade back around in a tight circle, the wind-Dust crystal blazing and creating a shield of wind that deflected the flames and scattered them. Now Ayumu pushed forward, his sword cleaving through the wind shield effortlessly. However, Whitney herself had already moved around the line of his strike, his sword descending through the empty space she'd been occupying. Turning and going into a spin as she stepped, Whitney followed up with a rapid pair of strikes, swinging each blade in succession as she turned around. Ayumu parried both and fell back.

Whitney immediately hurled her right-hand blade at him, the spinning ring being wreathed in Dust-generated wind that extended its edge. Ayumu jumped high over it, only to see Whitney's other blade whirling at him, flames ringing it. Swinging out with his sword, Ayumu cut through the flames and struck the blade within, using the impact to alter his course, allowing him to move aside from the blade's flight. Feeling the air stirring behind him, Ayumu realized that the other blade had circled around.

However, instead of flying right at him, the wind blade circled around his body in a tight arc, just outside the reach of his sword. The fire blade began circling around on the opposite side of Ayumu, their flight suddenly accelerating, wind and fire merging until Ayumu was suddenly wrapped within a cyclone of fire. The twisting flames climbed skyward and the leaves of nearby trees began to blacken, then ignite.

"Ayumu!" shouted Ruby as she and Gin arrived on the scene.

A loud ring emerged from within the tornado. The air within suddenly exploded outwards, breaking it up into swirling streamers of fire as Whitney's blades were thrown clear. Ayumu descended down from it, the first two fingers of his left hand resting against the flat of his sword, near the tip.

Even as she caught her returning blades, Whitney whipped her head around to gape in surprise at Gin and Ruby, clearly not expecting to see them there, apparently believing that Bruno had won his fight when the explosions had stopped.

"It seems that you're the only one left," observed Ayumu cheerfully as he touched down in front of Whitney.

The white-haired woman let out an irritated huff. "In the end, I'm the only one who can be trusted to do anything," she muttered under her breath.

"It's strange to me," said Ayumu. "While the other three were off enjoying themselves at the townspeople's expense, you were always locked away in the CCT center. I had rather thought you would have enjoyed some 'compensation' too. Or do you not share the attitudes of your teammates?"

Whitney huffed, giving Ayumu a sardonic smile. "Well, I don't need that silly 'compensation' Bruno and the others were always so eager to enjoy. But I do feel the need for our purpose."

"You call exploiting people a purpose?" demanded Ruby, horrified.

"It's for the sake of a good cause," said Whitney dismissively. "However crass their methods may have been, the boys drove down the morale of the settlement's inhabitants, which brought in the Grimm."

"You deliberately attracted the Grimm to attack people?" asked Ruby, horrified. "What kind of Huntress are you?"

"The kind who cares about the future of our profession!" snapped Whitney, glaring back at Ruby. "Maybe you vagrants don't realize this, but, back in Vale, there's been a movement to defund institutions like Beacon."

"Why?" asked Ruby.

"Because it's politically expedient," said Whitney. "Thanks to the efforts of Huntsmen and Huntresses, the number of settlements that have fallen to the Grimm in the past eighty years has been reduced drastically. But do the citizens appreciate the work we've put into making that possible? No!

"The Academies, like Beacon, are funded by taxes levied on the citizens of Vale and their affiliated settlements. But they don't see us out there, fighting their battles for them. So they look at how long it's been since a settlement has fallen to the Grimm, or how long it's been since there was a breach of Kingdom walls, and they start asking if we're really necessary anymore.

"Naturally, almost every two-bit politician looking to worm his way onto the next open Council seat wants an easy sell to get people to vote for him. Cutting taxes is always popular. And where do you think the first place they look is? So, yes, the latest round of budget proposals for Vale this year includes a cut to Beacon funding because the Council members and the citizens who elected them happily assume that Huntsmen and Huntresses just aren't necessary anymore."

"And what does that have to do with what you're doing?" asked Gin.

"I'm reminding people of how fearsome the Grimm really are," said Whitney. "When this settlement falls, what will reach the ears of the people in Vale is the story of the endless, relentless waves of monsters battering their walls, until the beasts finally wore their way through. This is just the beginning. Once that doubt is planted into people's minds, it'll begin to fester, spreading doubt…doubt and fear…in the people of Vale."

"You're planning on orchestrating a campaign of fear to draw Grimm to the Kingdom itself," observed Ayumu.

"That's right," said Whitney. "Let's see people ask about the necessity of Huntsmen when the monsters are at their gates, let them complain about their taxes then. Once that's taken care of, they'll understand why we exist and why we're needed. This is for the future of our profession, for the sake of Huntsmen and Huntresses risking their lives across the world."

"Wow, she just spilled everything," deadpanned Gin, glancing at Ayumu.

"If I had to guess, she's been wanting to share her rationale with someone," added Ayumu.

Tapping his chin, Gin nodded. "And she'll probably just say that it doesn't matter that she told us, 'because we'll be dead soon anyway,' or something like that."

Gin suddenly felt the air beside him shift. Looking over, he saw swirling petals where Ruby had been standing just a second before. Activating her Semblance, Ruby was now hurtling straight for Whitney at blinding speed, her eyes blazing with fury. She wasn't thinking about her own problems, or even the fact that she didn't have a weapon. In fact, even as she headed for Whitney, the problem of Ruby not having an armament took care of itself.

Whitney had already seen Ruby coming. Ruby might have been fast, but it meant little if her skilled target was able to anticipate her approach. Raising her blades, Whitney turned away from Ayumu to face the incoming Ruby. Both Ayumu and Gin moved to stop Whitney and Ruby respectively. But it was too late. Their clash was inevitable.

Whitney's eyes narrowed, and an amused smile spread across her face as Ruby approached. The foolish girl might have had her Aura unlocked and even obtained a Semblance, but she had no weapon. Now she was just rushing headlong, right at Whitney, with no way of attacking or defending. Just a couple of blows from Whitney's blades would lay her out flat.

Then Ruby moved her arms, like she was swinging something, and Whitney realized that her hands were not empty any longer. Out of reflex, she crossed her blades in front of each other, the impact of something hard striking steel making her arms strain before she was thrown back by the combined force of Ruby's strength and the momentum of her Semblance. Landing, Whitney found her feet skidding across the ground before she came to a stop. Looking up at Ruby, she gasped.

Whitney wasn't the only one. Ayumu and Gin were shocked and amazed as well, staring at Ruby and what she held.

The shaft was a pure, vivid crimson. It joined with a long, curved blade of perfect silver, polished to such a fine degree that it shined in the light of the sun. The colors were too strong, too potent, to belong to anything of the physical world. The scythe clutched in Ruby's hands was nothing less than a manifestation of her very soul.

"She did it?" gasped Gin. "Just like that? But we hadn't even gotten remotely that far…"

"It's impressive," agreed Ayumu, his own eyes wide. _Even without instruction, she already had the basis of what she needed to do down. Did she simply intuit the next steps of the manifestation process on the spur of the moment?_

 _She really is a genius,_ thought Gin in astonishment.

Ayumu's eyes narrowed as he studied the product of Ruby's work. _But it's still incomplete. She hasn't yet grasped materialization. Right now, that's just a scythe-shaped mass of Aura. But that strength and cohesion, to actually strike something with it and not have it unravel…she's only a couple steps short of completion already. The concept of the scythe must be of great personal importance to her._ There was something else about it, something that drew Ayumu's attention to the blade. "That's unusual. Do you have something to do with that color, Gin?" he asked.

Gin frowned. "Nope," he said. "But…Maybe it has something to do with why her eyes are glowing too."

Ayumu turned his attention back to Ruby herself and was surprised to see that her silver eyes were shining with a faint gleam, light leaking from them to fill the air around her. The blade looked as though that light had been condensed and hardened into something physical and tangible.

Ruby was panting slightly, sweat beading her brow, feeling like she'd exerted herself far more than she normally would for the charge and slash she'd just executed. Then she remembered that her original weapon was broken. Her eyes traced the line of the scythe now gripped in her hands and a faint gasp escaped her. _I really did it!_ She felt drained. But that was to be expected. She'd put a large chunk of her Aura into creating the weapon she held in her hands.

"Wha-what is this?" demanded Whitney, glaring in shock at Ruby. "Where on earth did you get that weapon?"

"I…I made it right here and now," said Ruby, her own voice tinged with awe, not quite believing that she managed it.

"Impossible!" gasped Whitney. "You can't just make a weapon on the spot."

"Well…it isn't that easy," commented Ayumu. "I had only just begun to teach Ms. Ruby the underlying foundations of this technique. But she managed to progress to this extent on her own, which is truly remarkable."

Ruby blushed.

"I still don't believe it," snarled Whitney. "Whatever the case, it doesn't make any difference. I'm not about to allow a stupid little brat unravel all my hard work!"

Something in Whitney's tone and words made Ruby jolt, as though an electric current had just run through her body. She took a halting step, her arms trembling. However, before the boys could inquire or she even had time to think about it herself, Whitney had already launched herself at the red-cloaked girl.

Whitney advanced with her dual, ring-shaped blades swinging. As long and cumbersome-looking as it was, the scythe should have been difficult to wield in such close quarters. But Ruby's body responded instantly, her hands and arms moving to spin the shaft of the weapon to catch Whitney's strikes with ease that spoke of endless hours of practice performed until technique had become ingrained in the body itself, to be performed without thought. Ruby's deft spins interposed the shaft of her weapon in the path of Whitney's swings easily, deflecting every attack, despite the impressive speed with which Whitney wielded her weapons.

Catching another slash, Ruby threw her weight behind the block, forcing Whitney back a few steps, falling back a step herself at the same time. This gave her room to bring the scythe's blade back into play as she immediately continued her spin to bring it around and slash at Whitney from the side. Whitney barely caught a glimpse of it in her peripheral vision. Raising her left-handed blade, she swung upwards to knock the path of Ruby's swing over her head before throwing her other blade at Ruby's midsection.

Intercepting the incoming blade with the shaft of her Scythe, Ruby stopped it before it could bite into her Aura. However, the blade's wind-Dust gem activated, creating a whirlwind that blasted Ruby back past where Gin was standing and slamming her back against a tree with enough force to crack the trunk. With a groan, Ruby's limbs sagged and she shook her ringing head to try and clear it.

In the meantime, Whitney activated her left-hand fire-blade and hurtled it at Ruby as well, even as the wind-blade circled back around to come at Ruby again. The two blades revolved around another, the wind feeding extra air into the flames, intensifying and focusing them as the two blades spiraled around each other on their approach towards Ruby.

However, Ruby's eyes were seeing something completely different. Past the advancing comet of flames and wind, she saw a white-clad figure, ice-blue eyes glaring at her with an expression of hatred and disdain. It was all too familiar, the jolting feeling of her weapon against her opponent's, the feeling of clashing with someone who had professed to despise her. In that moment, she was transported somewhere else entirely. Day was gone. It was night. The howls of Grimm filled her ears. Desperation flooded through her as the feeling of her weapon vanished from her hands. In reality, she had lost control, and the construct of her Aura had dissolved. But, in her memories, it was forcefully wrenched from her grip and brutally broken and dismantled before her eyes.

The feeling of something snapping filled her skull, and it all rushed back in a crushing wave. Ruby completely lost her grasp on the present as she screamed.

* * *

 **Well...something definitely happened there. I wonder what. Some interesting revelations in this chapter to be sure. I'm sure some people have some ideas about what Gin just revealed too. I can only hope this doesn't have people heading for the hills just yet. And now...another weapon.**

 **Stromboli: An Incendiary Chain Flail, Stromboli contains a core of fire-Dust that can be triggered by Bruno upon impact with the ground. In its morning star mode, it generates a series of explosions in a line, straight out in the direction of Bruno's swing. In its flail mode, it will trigger a remote explosion, set at will by Bruno. Stromboli is named after the Italian volcano, which lent its name to the Strombolian eruption, a particular kind of explosive volcanic eruption.**

 **Whitney's weapon will be formally introduced in the next chapter, which I will remind everyone is coming out on Sunday. Stay tuned.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

Whitney's blades struck with an impact that rocked the earth. A massive explosion blossomed out, knocking over nearby trees with its shockwave. Leaves and wood burst into flame. She had to brace herself as the explosion buffeted her own body. Even as she did, a smirk found its way onto her face.

Inferno. That was the name of the Dust-type synthesized by combining fire and wind Dust-types. Just as high winds could intensify fires by feeding extra oxygen into the flames, inferno-Dust was essentially a high-intensity type of fire-Dust. It was well known for being volatile and difficult to control. A sloppy wielder could wind up immolating herself, if she wasn't careful. However, Whitney had learned to control it by utilizing fire and wind-Dust separately and merging their effects instead. In this case, it could be used to boost the destructive power of her attacks several-fold. _That brat is probably ashes by now,_ she thought smugly, catching her returning blades, and waiting for the smoke to clear.

When it did, her eyes widened as she saw the tree that Ruby had been slammed into was still standing. In front of her stood Gin, his arms crossed so that they braced one another. Smoke still streamed off from the silver scales from where he'd used them to block her blades, making Whitney do a double-take as she realized that the scales were real and really _were_ there. Slowly, Gin raised his eyes above the level of his arms and glared back at her.

"So you really are one of them," said Whitney, her eyes narrowing.

Gin's eyes merely narrowed and he uncrossed his arms, spreading them out to his sides. A silvery-gray mist began to drift away from them, spreading through the air around him, reaching out for the trees being licked hungrily by the flames created by Whitney's last attack.

A whistling sound pierced deep into her ears, and she felt them pop, as though the altitude had abruptly changed. Suddenly, the air seemed to become strangely thin and difficult to breathe. Whitney gasped, a sense of panic filling her for a second before the air returned.

In that instant, the flames started by her attack all around them were extinguished. At the same time, Gin's mist condensed, then began to precipitate, producing streams of water that descended on the smoldering embers and extinguishing them. The heat turned most of the water back into steam, where it flowed back up into the clouds of mist and precipitated over again, repeating the cycle until the embers had been completely put out.

"I apologize for the interruption," said Ayumu, from where he stood, his sword held straight out to his side, as though he'd just finished swinging it. "I admit I was hesitant to interrupt, as Ms. Ruby's actions completely defied my expectations."

"Ms…" said Whitney, her eyes narrowing slightly. "So she wasn't really your sister after all."

"A polite fiction meant to serve as a measure of protection while we were dealing with your teammates in town," said Ayumu. "But you seem to have already suspected that."

"Indeed," said Whitney. "You seemed to know far too little about her idiosyncrasies to have grown up with her as a sibling."

"That would be correct," admitted Ayumu unabashedly. "In any case, I would like to finish our battle now…if you don't mind."

Whitney took one last look at Ruby, who had not moved from her spot, before sniffing derisively. "Fine." she said. "I'll deal with that brat later. If Bruno's still alive after I've dealt with you two, maybe I'll let him _have_ her."

The rise she'd been expecting to get out of the two boys didn't occur. Instead, Gin appeared not to have heard her. As his mist returned to his body, and his scales retreated beneath his skin, he instead turned to see to Ruby, carefully pulling her out of the impression she'd left in the tree trunk. At the same time, Ayumu merely leveled his sword at Whitney, his serene smile in place, as though she'd said nothing at all.

That smile frustrated Whitney even more than her previous exchange with Ruby had. With an angry growl, she launched into a furious attack, spinning and slashing with her blades, trying to break through Ayumu's guard as he deftly maneuvered his sword to parry her every strike, when he wasn't dodging them entirely.

Then, as he stepped back to get enough room to go on the offensive with his own sword, Whitney swung her right-handed blade out in a backhand-slash that should have fallen a little short of Ayumu. However, as she swung, one end of her ring-shaped blade detached from the handle. The length of the blade suddenly segmented as it whipped out, straightening, while the part that had previously joined with the handle curled in on itself, one of the protruding blades sliding around to form the tip of a vicious-looking hook, while the other protruding blades folded into the main blade, which straightened as Ayumu quickly brought his sword up to deflect the slash with the sharpened back edge of the now-straight blade. From the end of the handle, which had straightened as well, a diamond-shaped dagger tip extended out.

Whitney continued, slashing with her other weapon, which was undergoing an identical transformation. This time, Ayumu caught the slash on the inside edge of the blade, which prompted Whitney to pull down so that his sword was caught in the crook of the hook at the end of the weapon, pulling it down and out of the way as she brought her right-hand blade back around, swinging to try and use the sharp tip of the hooked end to rip his throat out.

Ayumu's neck and back bent as he kept his neck out of the path of her sword. Pulling back, he forcefully pulled his trapped sword free of her other blade, stepping back as Whitney swung her now-free left-hand blade at him, forcing him to dodge back farther. Continuing her swing allowed Whitney to bring her left-hand sword around to her right side, where she linked its hook with the hook of her right-hand blade. Reversing her swing, she now swung the joined weapons out, their extended reach almost catching Ayumu off-guard as he ducked under the slash of the sharp, crescent-shaped, hand-guard, and the diamond-shaped dagger tip extending from the pommel.

Whitney continued her attack, bringing the separated weapons back around like a single-jointed flail, trying to catch Ayumu with her extended reach. When he dodged again, she caught the handle of her right-hand sword and separated the hooked blades once again.

"Tiger-hook swords," observed Ayumu as he worked his own blade furiously to deflect the onslaught of slashes that Whitney attacked him with.

Whitney smirked, hooking Ayumu's blade once again and pulling it down. This time, she stepped in to punch at him with the sharpened hand-guard. He sidestepped the attack, moving his wrist and arm in a circular motion, intending to to turn Whitney's trap into a means of generating leverage, through which to throw her. Instead, she allowed her body to move in cooperation with motion, going into a spinning jump and landing back on her feet, his sword still caught in the crook of her hook. Before Ayumu could try to withdraw, she brought her other blade around and hooked his sword from the other side. Applying her strength from both sides, she completely immobilized his blade.

But that wasn't her only intention. In this position, she could use her strength, in conjunction with the opposing pressure on her opponent's weapon from both directions, to break his blade. She'd broken many an opponent's weapon with this trick. In fact, this was one of the things that the hook swords had originally been designed for. Ayumu's sword, thin and supple as it was, would snap like a twig with little effort on her part, she was sure.

However, Ayumu's expression remained untroubled, even as he looked at his sword, where it was trapped by her own. Whitney pulled sharply, aiming to break his blade in one go. But, at that same moment, Ayumu twisted his wrist. Whitney's hooks had been pulling the sword by applying pressure to the flats of the blade. The twist Ayumu executed meant that the pressure was now being applied to the edges. With an eerie ring…she pulled her hooks apart…only to see them fly off, cleanly severed by the edges of Ayumu's sword.

"What?" gasped Whitney.

Before she could even begin the grasp at the answer, Ayumu stepped in, swinging the Green Destiny around in a powerful slash. Reflexively, Whitney brought her own swords up to block it, only for the clang of metal against metal to be overridden by another resonant ring from Ayumu's sword as it now sheared through the blades of both her raised weapons, just above the hand-guards.

Stunned, Whitney stared dully at the handles of her weapons, and their crescent-shaped hand-guards, which, along from the daggers that extended from the pommel, were all that remained of her swords. "How…?"

"What Ruby attacked you with earlier is a nascent version of my own technique," explained Ayumu cheerfully. "She hasn't fully grasped how to materialize her Aura yet. But, when you do so, you can produce a blade stronger and sharper than you could possibly achieve with a physical substance."

"Where did you learn such a ridiculous skill?" demanded Whitney. "Who taught you that?"

"Well, I was the one teaching Ms. Ruby," said Ayumu mildly. "As for my teacher…Gin and I were taught by Master Yu Yuen."

Whitney's jaw dropped and, for the better part of a minute, she fought to find words as a thrill of horror rushed through her body. "Y-Y-Y-Yu…Yuen…Y-you can't be serious! The Blind Demon of the East is your teacher?"

Ayumu blinked in surprise before chuckling. "I'd forgotten that was one of the appellations he'd been given. It seems his name is known, even out here."

Then his eyes narrowed dangerously, though his smile remained the same as ever, as he moved to position the tip of his sword at Whitney's throat. "Now then…if you would be so kind as to surrender."

Whitney met Ayumu's gaze, defiant at first. But then her eyes drifted down to her destroyed weapons. Her eyes drifted closed. Then, with a sigh, she released her grip on the handles, letting the remnants of her weapons clatter to the ground, before she raised her hands over her head.

"I appreciate your cooperation," said Ayumu, withdrawing his sword before abruptly stepping in and striking her in the center of her forehead with the pommel.

Whitney's eyes rolled up and then closed, her world going black.

* * *

At the gates of Brandywine, the townsfolk had gathered, watching anxiously as explosions, gunshots, and the clang of steel echoed from the woods. They saw jets and geysers of flame shoot upwards. More explosions erupted and wildfires sprang up, before being suddenly extinguished. They had no way of knowing how the battle between the three travelers and Team BRWN was progressing. The only thing they did know was that the survival of their settlement depended on the outcome.

Finally, the sounds of battle came to an abrupt stop. As silence filled the air, the tension only began to rise as the townsfolk wondered who had come out on top of the struggle. Tawny and the innkeeper stood, side by side, their regular duties forgotten as they invested themselves totally in the outcome of this fight, praying with all their might that the good samaritans who had shown up at their gates just the other day would finally bring an end to the weeks of oppression by the team of Huntsmen.

Still, it seemed a bad idea to get their hopes up. Team BRWN not only outnumbered the new arrivals, but were older, experienced, seasoned, professional Huntsmen. A trio of random travelers would have little hope of defeating them in battle.

Bodies tensed as ears caught the sound of leaves rustling as someone pushed through the undergrowth. All eyes focused in the direction of the sound as they saw branches swaying in progression towards the tree line. Everyone held their breath, praying for the best, but dreading the worst.

Then Ayumu emerged, pushing a branch aside and stepping onto the cleared ground between the trees and the wall. "Hello," he said cheerfully, as though he were merely offering a standard greeting. "Everything's taken care of. I wonder if someone might spare some rope and a wagon."

His words were, unfortunately, drowned out by jubilant cheers.

* * *

The wall that protected Brandywine only wound around a portion of the town's perimeter. The town's opposite side, its back as it were, was pressed up against the steep slopes of a mountainside, one of an entire range that ran through this portion of Sanus. The mountainside formed a natural barrier that was all but impassable to terrestrial Grimm, the main reason the founders of the settlement had picked this location in the first place. The mountainside was dominated by forests of trees that clung stubbornly to the rock and dirt, the nearest stand over a hundred meters upslope from the settlement itself.

It was on one of those trees that a slender figure stood, perched upon the branch of a pine that should have been too thin to bear his weight. Despite that, the branch bent beneath his sock-covered foot, but did not break. The wind disturbed the folds of what loose clothes he wore and a pair of ribbon like strands flapped through the air behind his head. But he showed no signs of discomfort.

Despite the fact that the battle that had just taken place was miles-distant from his position, on the other side of the settlement and well into the trees of the forest beyond it, he knew every last detail of what had transpired. His senses had long ago surpassed all human limits.

"Well now," he said to himself, his voice little more than a murmur, "my little fledglings are doing fairly well for themselves. There are a few rough edges that could stand to be ironed out though. They shouldn't have had that much trouble against a bunch of third-rate Huntsmen."

Bringing up his hands, he began to crack his knuckles, an anticipatory grin spreading across his face, the expression positively malicious. "I guess they're due for me to light a fire under their asses again. It'll be a good way to say hello again. Now then…"

His attention turned to the girl. "Well well…they've picked up an interesting hanger-on. Haven't seen one of her kind in a few decades at least. A genuine Silver-Eyed-Warrior...she's as rare a find as Gin's faunus-type, maybe even rarer these days." He sniffed the air. His upper lip curled back in disgust. "Ugh…she's one of those too. Damn! I want nothing to do with her now. The boys'll probably want me to give her a few pointers, but this is gonna be no fun at all."

The figure flickered and vanished from sight, leaving no trace of his presence behind.

* * *

It took a few minutes to calm people back down to the point where Ayumu could communicate his request clearly. Once he had, the inhabitants were all too happy to lend their assistance, a team of men pulling the wagon out along the path that Ayumu led them along, following the road that led away from the gate. A few hundred meters down, they found where Gin had laid out the members of Team BRWN, their forms silent and unresponsive. Ruby rested nearby, still unconscious, leaned carefully up against a tree.

They wasted no time in binding the Huntsmen and Huntress, and loading them on the wagon. Soon they were on their way back to town. Gin carried Ruby on his back, his eyes continuing to drift worriedly to her every couple of minutes. They pulled into town about an hour later. Ayumu escorted the people as they transported the unconscious prisoners to the town jail, while Gin turned to take Ruby back to the inn.

After depositing the still-bound prisoners in their cell, Ayumu returned to the inn in the company of Brandywine's mayor, a wizened, but well-muscled man, who seemed quite jovial, now that the ones responsible for most of his recent headaches had finally been brought down.

"Do you have the means to restrain people with unlocked Auras?" asked Ayumu as he sipped a glass of water Tawny brought him.

The mayor sighed. "Unfortunately not," he said. "You've taken care of their weapons, but those four will be plenty dangerous on their own, especially Whitney Schirmer, seeing as she has a telekinetic Semblance."

Ayumu nodded.

"Fortunately, I already have our techs working to remove the lock Schirmer left on the CCT system." He stroked his short, gray beard, which had grown into a triangle below his chin. "It was a risk, but I set them on it as soon as she set out to help her comrades. We'd been told you were going to deal with them. But it was a hard thing to believe you three would come out on top against those odds. Still, I was told you were up to the task." He turned a smile on the innkeeper and Tawny in turn, who both beamed and nodded graciously.

"So then you expect to have the CCT unlocked soon?" asked Ayumu hopefully.

"Within the hour," said the mayor. "Once that's done, we'll contact Vale and have them send out someone to collect those four. Hopefully they'll be out of our hair, once and for all, by tomorrow afternoon."

"We'll have to keep them unconscious until then," said Ayumu, scratching his own chin. "I'm afraid my methods are rather rough though. I can't keep knocking them out or I'll do permanent damage."

"Don't worry," said the mayor. "I've worked things out with our doctor. He has a sedative that'll keep them under under for at least two days. Once we notify the authorities, they can send someone with the means to restrain Huntsmen."

"I'm glad it all appears to be working out," said Ayumu, dipping his head towards the mayor. "And I'm grateful to you for accepting the word of strangers like ourselves."

The mayor chuckled. "Well, you've given us plenty of reason to trust you three," he said. "Tawny's recommendation doesn't come lightly after all." His statement triggered a giggle from the passing waitress. "But what will you do now?"

"Well, we have our own reasons for needing the CCT," said Ayumu. "I don't believe you've been informed about Ms. Ruby's situation."

"Not as such," said the mayor, shaking his head.

Ayumu proceeded to explain the issue to him, prompting the mayor to gasp, his eyes going wide with sympathy. When Ayumu finished, the mayor was nodding vigorously. "Of course. We'll be happy to allow you free use of the CCT center, once it's been unlocked. That poor girl. I'm sure there must be someone out there who is very worried about her."

"That is what we believe as well," said Ayumu. "At the very least, we can begin the process of confirming her identity, as well as what happened to her the night we found her. It's likely she might end up back on the transport to Vale with the prisoners." His face fell after that remark.

"You don't seem all that happy about it," noted the mayor.

"Well, during her time with us, I was tutoring her in certain techniques," explained Ayumu. "During the fight today, she displayed growth beyond my wildest expectations." He sighed. "Given that, I would have liked to have a chance to spend some more time with her to finish teaching her. But our intention was always to ensure that she was able to return home first. So…if that's the case..."

"Perhaps you should just go with her," suggested the mayor.

"Well…Gin and I have never been inside one of the Kingdoms proper," mused Ayumu. "I have particular reasons for avoiding them. But the question of whether or not we can stay with Ms. Ruby will be her decision, as well as that of those with whom she belongs. We'll just have to see."

All conversation came to an abrupt halt when a shrill scream echoed out from the hallway, prompting everyone to tense. Seated patrons shot to their feet, Ayumu and the mayor among them.

"What in the world-?" asked the mayor.

"That was Ms. Ruby's voice," said Ayumu worriedly, immediately dashing off and down the hall.

* * *

Reaching the door to their room, Ayumu pulled it open with more strength than he'd intended, slamming the door back against the wall of the room as he rushed in. "Ms. Ruby! Are you all right?"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" shrieked Ruby, her scream startling Ayumu and bringing him to a dead stop as he looked at her in confusion.

Gin had put Ruby on the bed as soon as they'd gotten back, and kept a vigil at her side, waiting for her to wake up. However, Ayumu could see that, as soon as she had, she'd tumbled off the bed, pulling the blanket and sheets off with her, tangling them around her body as she scooted and crawled away from Gin in a blind panic, before tucking herself into the furthest corner of the room she could find, her mind gripped by sheer panic as she struggled against her unintentionally self-made restraints, watching Gin, and now Ayumu, with the wide eyes of a cornered animal.

Seeing her fear, Ayumu moved to stand next to Gin, guiding him to back away from Ruby and moving them towards the door. "Ms. Ruby," he said cautiously. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Shut up!" exclaimed Ruby, only pressing herself tighter into the corner, bunching the sheets up around herself protectively. "Don't come near me!"

"Ms. Ruby…do you remember who we are?" asked Ayumu worriedly. It seemed a silly question, but he'd read about something like this. He wasn't sure if it was an actual occurrence, but he'd read about amnesia patients who, upon recovering the memories that they lost, subsequently losing the memories of the time they'd spent affected by amnesia. That might have been from a fictional story, so Ayumu had no idea if it was a legitimate condition or not.

"I remember!" hissed Ruby, her voice slightly hoarse from her previous screams. "I remember you…"

"Then you know you have nothing to be afraid of," said Ayumu carefully.

"SHUT UP!" screeched Ruby, extricating a hand to grab the nearest object, a glass on the table she was curled up next to, and hurling it at them.

Caught by surprise, Gin ducked the thrown object, but Ayumu caught it deftly before it could shatter against the wall.

"I can't trust you!" snapped Ruby, glaring at them. "I can't trust anybody!"

"What's wrong? What makes you say that?" asked Ayumu.

"I remember," said Ruby harshly, her breathing picking up pace, as though she was in the middle of an intense sprint. "I remember… _everything!_ "

* * *

 **A considerably shorter chapter this time, because cliffhanger. Well, hopefully our heroes' win over a team of Huntsmen isn't such an unbelievable feat. After seeing the first episode of Volume 6, I think it's safe to say that it's not completely out of left-field, as we can now see that not all Academy graduates are badasses on the level of Qrow or Winter. Of course, there's always the possibility that, even if they're more skilled after going through four years of training, professionals let themselves get lax and slack off after a while, particularly since being a Huntsman seems to be more of a freelancer type of profession, where assignments can be picked and chosen.**

 **And now Ruby's memories are back. I wonder just what she remembered. I suspect that a lot of people already have an idea of what happened to her. I tried to keep it subtle, but subtlety has never been my strongest suit when it comes to writing.**

 **And now...**

 **Taiyi and Nezha: Dust-Action Wind and Fire Wheels, Taiyi is equipped with wind-Dust, while Nezha is equipped with fire-Dust. The weapons were designed to work with Whitney's telekinetic Semblance, allowing her to wield them like melee weapons, but also throw them like chakram. The blades are capable of opening up and transforming into a pair of tiger-hook swords, which are better equipped for trapping and breaking weapons. In both forms, they are equipped with multiple edges and points to allow the wielder to attack from a variety of positions. In the Chinese novel, _Investiture of the Gods_ , Taiyi and Nezha are immortal beings, Taiyi gifting Nezha with wind and fire wheels to use, although they're actually a mode of transportation, rather than weapons in their own right. Fans of anime and manga might recognize Nezha better by his Japanese name, Nataku, who appears in a few different series, particularly _Hoshin Engi_ and _Saiyuki_.**

 **Next chapter will be out Tuesday.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Glad to see people aren't too upset over the cliffhanger from last chapter. We'll see if the trend continues.**

* * *

 **Chapter 10:**

Ayumu and Gin wanted desperately to calm Ruby down, and reassure her that they meant her no harm, especially after all they'd done to help her. But it was clear that Ruby's rational mind wasn't exactly in charge at the moment. That and the continued pressure of their presence was only agitating her further. At this rate, Ayumu was afraid that she'd start hyperventilating.

"Ms. Ruby…" he said cautiously, "…Gin and I will respect your wishes. We'll leave for now. In the meantime, please try to calm down. If you don't feel comfortable speaking with us yet, that's fine. But…just…please…don't do anything that might cause you to hurt yourself."

Ruby said nothing, only continuing to pant and glare at them as Ayumu pulled Gin, who was reluctant to follow, from the room, and carefully shutting the door, leaving Ruby to herself. As the door clicked shut, the sound of her harsh breathing was muted and…after moment, began to be replaced by sobs.

Looking over, Ayumu saw that Gin was despondent and rested a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I know you want to help her. But the best thing we can do now is give her some space and let her calm down."

Gin nodded hesitantly and allowed Ayumu to guide him down to the hall and back towards the tavern.

Upon reaching the tavern, they were immediately greeted by an anxious Tawny. "What happened?" she wanted to know. "Is Ruby all right?"

"It appears that Ms. Ruby has recovered her memories," said Ayumu with a sigh.

"But…that's a good thing isn't it?" asked Tawny.

"In the long run, it may be," said Ayumu. "But, it appears that the process of recovery itself was traumatic, most likely because whatever caused her to lose them in the first place was itself traumatic on an emotional level."

"That poor girl," whispered Tawny, covering her mouth with her hands. "What could she have been through?"

"Given her sudden mistrust of us, I believe that it was particularly bad…and personal," said Ayumu. "I think she was betrayed by someone, someone she'd trusted almost absolutely."

"No!" gasped Tawny. "Who would do that to a sweet girl like her?"

"That's what we hope to find out," said Ayumu.

"And about your call?" asked the mayor, coming to join them.

Ayumu frowned. "I believe we'll put that on hold for the time being," he said. "Given that she's remembered now, I want to be sure about the particulars of Ms. Ruby's situation before we commit her to the hands of anyone else. If she truly was betrayed by someone, we don't wish to deliver her back into the hands of the one who injured her in the first place."

"Absolutely not," said the mayor in solemn agreement. "We'll postpone that for now, and focus on dealing with the prisoners then."

"Please do," said Ayumu, nodding at him politely. "In the meantime…" He turned to look at Tawny.

"Yes…?" asked Tawny hopefully.

"Come dinnertime, could I impose on you to bring Ms. Ruby a meal?" asked Ayumu. "Also, during that time, could you see if she might open up to you in our stead. As someone she once protected, and someone she doesn't view as particularly threatening, I hope that Ms. Ruby might be more willing to speak to you, even if she isn't willing to talk with us."

"Absolutely," said Tawny eagerly. "Whatever I can do to help."

"Thank you very much," said Ayumu, he and Gin bowing their heads to her. "Then we'll leave her in your hands for the time being."

Turning from her, Ayumu now went to address the innkeeper. "I apologize," he said, "but it appears that the three of us will be imposing on your establishment for a while longer."

The innkeeper sighed, but it wasn't melancholic, merely accepting. "I understand," he said with a smile. "After what you've done for us, there's no way we could turn you out on the streets."

"Still, we don't wish to force you to deal with the same problem from new tenants," said Ayumu. "Gin and I have every intention on making ourselves useful for the duration of our stay."

"What are you planning to do?" asked the innkeeper.

"For a start, we'll start with helping the work crews to make repairs on the wall, as well as providing security," said Ayumu. "Now that Team Brown has been dealt with and morale is on the rise, the pressure from the Grimm should decrease. But there are likely still more on the way, apart from those that had been previously drawn, and we'll want to be sure that the settlement is fully secure before we leave." Then he shrugged. "Aside from that, we'll be helping out with whatever odd jobs people might have for us."

The innkeeper chuckled and clapped Ayumu on the shoulder. "You're good lads. You're definitely nothing like those brutes. I appreciate your desire not to burden us. But you're welcome to our establishment anytime."

"We appreciate your kindness," said the mayor with a nod. "For the time being, relax. You've got enough worries already."

* * *

Ruby's sobs tapered off as she drifted into a fitful sleep. The thought of returning to the bed never occurred to her. Instead, she remained tucked into that corner, trembling as she was assailed anew by the memories her mind had locked away because of the pain they had caused her.

When she came to, Ruby's eyes felt sticky and dry. She blinked blearily, taking stock of herself and her surroundings. Her back and butt were sore from sleeping in her current position and posture, the hard wall and her curled slouch not helping to keep her comfortable. Her face felt like it was burning hot and, briefly, she longed for the feeling of Gin's hand against her forehead, that cool sensation of his skin against her own. But she crushed that feeling down mercilessly. Gin and Ayumu were total strangers to her. How could she even think about trusting them after what had happened to her?

Ruby wasn't sure how long she spent mulling things over. Abruptly, she became aware of the sound of light taps on the door. The knock was light, loud enough to be heard throughout the room, but quiet enough that it probably wouldn't have disturbed her, had she still been asleep.

"Ruby?" asked a soft, plaintive, familiar voice from the other side, a voice Ruby recognized and, strangely, didn't stir a feeling of fear and mistrust in her.

"T-Tawny?" asked Ruby worriedly.

"Can I come in, honey?" asked Tawny softly. "I've brought you some dinner."

Ruby hesitated for a moment. Then her eyes drifted to the door and a feeling of panic surged through her when she saw that it was unlocked. But that panic disappeared when she realized that no one had disturbed her despite that. "Y-yeah," she said.

The door opened with a click, the waitress slowly pushing it open to make room for the tray she was carrying. Tawny looked across the room for Ruby and found her in her spot in the corner. Immediately, her eyes began to tear up. "Oh!"

Setting the tray on the room's sole table, Tawny immediately rushed over to where Ruby was. On reflex, Ruby curled up tighter, and let out a soft whimper as Tawny knelt down in front of her. "It's okay," said Tawny in her smoothest, most reassuring tone. "You're going to be all right, hon."

Ruby sniffed and looked up at her. Tawny smiled and pulled out a handkerchief, using that to gently dab at Ruby's cheeks and the corners of her eyes, wiping away what remnants of Ruby's tears she could. "Can you get up?" she asked.

Ruby nodded and Tawny slowly pulled her up onto her feet, carefully unwrapping the sheets from around her as she did. Ruby winced as her spine popped, protesting after her previous posture. When she was standing upright, she found herself staring up into Tawny's eyes for a moment before Tawny pulled her in to a tight hug. Ruby found the last remnants of her self-restraint giving way and she collapsed against the woman, sobbing as Tawny held her, making soothing noises as she rubbed her hands up and down Ruby's back.

"It's okay," she said softly. "Just let it all out."

Wordlessly, Ruby continued to cry. Tawny guided them back to the bed and sat down on it, pulling Ruby onto her lap and holding her like a toddler. The minutes passed and Ruby's sobs subsided yet again, her breathing softening. For a second, Tawny thought that Ruby had cried herself to sleep again, but then felt Ruby moving against her. She also heard the sound of Ruby's stomach growling. Despite the situation, Tawny couldn't keep herself from giggling.

"Ready for dinner?" she asked.

"Y-yeah," said Ruby, looking up with a sniff.

Once again, Tawny dabbed at her eyes with the handkerchief, before helping Ruby to a seat at the table, and taking off the covers over the dishes to reveal a plate of spaghetti and sauce, the same thing she'd had her first night in the inn, along with a small plate of the Caprese that Ayumu had introduced her to. There was also a glass, along with a pitcher of milk, which Tawny poured for her as Ruby fell ravenously on the food. Finally, there was a thermos and a mug, which were left alone for the time being.

Once Ruby had finished eating, Tawny giggled at the sight of her sauce-splattered face and used the napkin on the tray to wipe it away from her lips. Ruby sighed and sniffed, before looking down in shame.

"What's the matter?" asked Tawny.

"I'm…I'm just like a child," said Ruby. "Y-you're just taking care of me, like I can't do anything on my own."

"Honey, there's nothing wrong with needing care, especially after what you just went through," said Tawny. "I don't know the details, but it obviously hurt bad." She smiled fondly and gently stroked Ruby's cheek. "You're not a child. I could never think of you like that, not after you protected me from that brute."

Ruby sniffed again and a smile found its way back onto her face. "Thank you," she said, her voice barely a whisper. Then she began to sniffle again. "But I feel like a child…just like she said."

"Like who said?" asked Tawny.

"I…I don't want to talk about it," said Ruby. "I can't…not yet."

"I understand," said Tawny. She turned to the thermos and unscrewed the top, a sweet, warm scent rising from the contents that made Ruby's face perk up immediately. "I always like this whenever I'm feeling down. There's nothing better in the world."

"Hot chocolate!" gasped Ruby as Tawny poured the rich liquid into the mug and held it up to her. Ruby took it gratefully, letting the warmth seep out through the sides of the mug and into her palms before taking a sip. It was as sweet and rich as she'd expected. But the flavor was surprisingly complex, the chocolate itself accentuated by a touch of chili powder and a few other spices that gave the drink an added dimension. Its warmth seeped into her, relaxing her.

"Feel better?" asked Tawny.

Ruby nodded slowly. "Yeah," she said. "Thank you."

"Of course," said Tawny, leaning in to kiss Ruby on the forehead. "Anything you need, sweetie."

As Ruby set the mug down, Tawny pulled her into another embrace, this one gentle. Ruby leaned into it with a sigh.

"The boys are worried about you, you know," said Tawny after a few moments of silence. "They've been on pins and needles ever since you threw them out earlier. I'm sure they'd love to see you."

"No!" said Ruby abruptly, an edge of panic in her voice.

"Why not?" asked Tawny.

"I…I can't trust them," said Ruby firmly. "I can't trust anybody."

"You trust me, don't you?" asked Tawny, pulling back far enough that she could look Ruby in the eyes.

Ruby averted her gaze, refusing to meet Tawny's. "Th-that's different. You're not…not…"

"…Dangerous?" suggested Tawny.

"Sorry," said Ruby, prompting a giggle from the waitress.

"I'm not offended, hon," said Tawny, pulling Ruby back into the hug. "I'm a waitress, not a warrior. The last thing I'd want people to think about me is that I'm dangerous. I really did need your help when you knocked Grosse off me.

"Now, what's wrong with the boys? They've been looking after you for a while now. What's the matter?"

"I…I just don't know," said Ruby with a sniff. "I can't trust them anymore. I don't know what they want from me, why they helped me even. I mean…" She trembled. "They even took my clothes off."

"What?" gasped Tawny, going rigid. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"B-because they were treating my injuries," said Ruby, pulling out of Tawny's arms. Her hands went to her blouse, pulling it out and up and allowing Tawny to see the scar etched into her stomach and the one between her breasts, partially hidden by her bra, drawing a horrified gasp from Tawny. "That's what they said, anyway," she said lowering her blouse back down. "I don't know if I can believe them anymore."

"Honey, if it's a choice between observing social proprieties and saving your life, I'd go with the latter without a second's thought," said Tawny, cupping Ruby's cheek.

"B-but Gin made me take them off again," said Ruby. "He said he had to check, but…"

Tawny swallowed. "Did he make you…or did he ask you?" she inquired.

Ruby paused, thinking about it for a moment. "H-he asked," said Ruby. "He said it was important…but he wouldn't do it if I told him not to."

"And Ayumu?" pressed Tawny. "Did either of them touch you in any way that made you feel uncomfortable or keep touching you when you asked them to stop?"

"No," said Ruby softly. "Ayumu especially wouldn't touch me without asking me if it was all right first. Gin would only really touch my forehead if I didn't ask him to do something else."

"Those two have been very careful with you," said Tawny, combing her fingers through Ruby's hair, carefully pulling out tangles. "They never wanted to give you a reason to mistrust them, and they respected your boundaries as much as they could under the circumstances…that's what it sounds like, anyway."

Ruby swallowed, but said nothing.

"You know," said Tawny, "I think Gin is awfully fond of you."

"Wha-what?" stammered Ruby, looking up at Tawny with confused eyes.

"Ever since you chased him and Ayumu out, he's barely said a word," explained Tawny. "They've been waiting downstairs, in the tavern, but Gin keeps looking over towards the rooms. He almost forgot to eat his dinner before Ayumu reminded him."

"Oh…" said Ruby, her cheeks coloring.

"He's worried about you," continued Tawny. "They both are. I can tell that neither of those boys would think about hurting you. They care about you too much to ever do that."

"But _why_ do they?" Ruby wanted to know. "I'm just…just some random girl they found in the forest. Why did they help me? Why did they care for me? Why are they worried about me? I never met them before that day."

"Who can say?" said Tawny. "People don't always care about or like each other when they meet. But when they spend time together, they become attached, form bonds. Those boys probably helped you because you were there, and because they could. But you've become someone much more important to them now."

"I…" Ruby stared downward at her hands. "I…I want to believe it…but…"

"What happened?" asked Tawny. "What's made you so suspicious and untrusting all of a sudden?"

"Because I trusted _them_ ," whispered Ruby.

"The boys?" asked Tawny.

"No! Not them!" said Ruby quickly. "My friends! I trusted them!" Her eyes welled up with tears and she broke down sobbing once more at Tawny held her tightly. "They were my friends…and they tried to kill me!"

* * *

Ayumu and Gin looked up as Tawny entered the tavern. In fact, Gin shot to his feet, nearly knocking over the chair he'd been sitting in.

Tawny's face was pale, as though she'd just heard that a family member had died. Despite that, she smiled at them as she approached their table. "She's ready to talk to you now," she said.

"Thank you very much, Ms. Tawny," said Ayumu. "We can't thank you enough for what you've done." He and Gin bowed to her.

"You two don't have to thank me," said Tawny. She cast a glance back down the hallway behind her. "Just…just help her however you can."

"We promise," said Gin firmly, Ayumu nodding his agreement.

Tawny giggled and gently ruffled Gin's hair, making him flinch, but not pull away. "Go on, you two. Don't keep her waiting."

The boys made their way down the hallway and upstairs to the room they'd been sharing with Ruby. The door was left unlocked. When they entered, they found Ruby sitting on the bed, kicking her legs idly. She looked up as soon as they entered, her eyes following them nervously. Gin took a step in her direction, but stopped when Ayumu placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's wait until she's comfortable with us being closer," said Ayumu, smiling at Ruby.

"Thanks," said Ruby, blinking away tears again and shuffling on her bed.

"So…what have you remembered, Ms. Ruby?" asked Ayumu softly.

Ruby sniffed and looked away, her expression distant. "My name is Ruby Rose. I was born on the island of Patch, off the coast of Vale. My dad is Taiyang Xiao Long. My Mom was Summer Rose."

"Was…?" said Gin softly.

Ruby sighed and nodded. "Yeah. She…she died…a long time ago."

"Go on," said Ayumu.

Ruby took a deep breath. "I have a sister. Her name is Yang…Yang Xiao Long. She's two years older than me. She's my half-sister actually. Her mom was with Dad before my mom was. But her mom left and Summer took over. She loved us so much Yang didn't know Summer wasn't really her mother. After Mom died, Yang looked after me like she was my mom."

"That's good," said Ayumu.

Ruby nodded. "Anyway, a lot of stuff happened. Then…a few months back, I was visiting Vale with Yang. Yang was going to go to Beacon Academy. I still had two years to go at Signal. But I had gone with her while she was taking care of some entry-related stuff. I was visiting this Dust shop when this criminal, Roman Torchwick, and his goons tried to hold it up. I fought them.

"I saved the shop. But Torchwick got away. During the fight, a Huntress showed up and she took me to see Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster at Beacon Academy. After seeing what I did at the Dust shop, Professor Ozpin invited me to Beacon a whole two years early."

Ayumu beamed and gently elbowed Gin, their suspicions confirmed.

Ruby sighed and pressed onward. "Yang was so excited that I was going with her. During the initiation, I met my partner, Weiss Schnee."

"Schnee?" said Ayumu, his face going tense and pale, betraying strong emotion for the first time.

"Easy," muttered Gin, elbowing Ayumu in the side.

"What is it?" asked Ruby, looking up.

"Just a matter from my past," said Ayumu. "It's immaterial at the moment. Go on."

Ruby hesitated, but decided that Ayumu wasn't going to talk about it until she finished her story. She started staring blankly at the wall again. "We formed our team. It was me, Weiss, Yang, and Yang's partner, Blake. Together, we were Team Ruby…and Ozpin made me team leader."

"It sounds like things were off to a good start," said Ayumu.

Ruby nodded, rubbing her eyes. "There was another team that formed during the initiation that we were close to. It was Team Juniper. It was led by Jaune Arc, the first friend I made at Beacon." A tiny bit of color appeared on her cheeks, and Ayumu heard the tiniest hitch in Gin's breath. Ruby didn't notice, pressing on. "On that team was this girl, Nora. She's super energetic about everything and a lot of fun to be around. Then there's Nora's friend, Ren. He's…really quiet. I don't know a lot about him, to be honest. And then…there was Pyrrha Nikos."

"Nikos…" Ayumu mused. "The name sounds familiar. Wasn't she some tournament fighter in Mistral?"

Ruby nodded fervently. "Yeah! She's famous in Mistral…a little in Vale too. She won the Mistral Regional Tournament four times. She's had all sorts of endorsements and sponsorships. She's even on a cereal box. She was the best fighter in our entire year…maybe in the whole school."

"It sounds like you admired her," said Ayumu.

"Yeah…" said Ruby, her excitement burning out almost immediately. "I really did. I thought it would be awesome if I could be as skilled as she was someday. I totally looked up to her…until she…"

"This Pyrrha Nikos was the one who did this to you?" asked Gin, leaning forward.

"Not just her…" said Ruby.

* * *

 _Several days earlier:_

 _Ruby Rose hadn't been having the best few days recently. She was tired and worn down. Beacon's academic courses were far more difficult than she was used to. That was to be expected. They were geared towards people two years older than her, people who'd had two extra years to prepare for the academic demands Beacon's teachers placed on them._

 _She had no intention of making excuses though. Ozpin had invited her to Beacon, and Ruby had accepted. She had known that it would be difficult. She had to work harder than her classmates to understand the material. Sometimes she had to go to her friends, particularly Blake or Weiss, for help. Weiss was often too insistently busy with her own studies, but Blake was always happy to make time to help her…especially after the night at the docks._

 _Finding out that Blake was a faunus, not only a faunus, but also a former member of the White Fang, was a shock. But after they had gotten over the initial rough patch and calmed down, Ruby felt closer to Blake than ever before, even though Blake was actually Yang's partner. Blake was clearly still troubled about the situation with the White Fang and their partnership with Roman Torchwick. But the pressure from the upcoming end-of-semester exams had forced that problem to the back of their minds for the time being._

 _Ruby would never really enjoy studying. She was a person of action, and sitting still for hours on end just didn't suit her. That was one of the reasons she did so well in practical classes, even though her academic performance was middling at best. Still, she'd come to appreciate studying, if only because it offered her some refuge from the other pressures Beacon exerted, pressures she didn't think Ozpin had thought would come to bear on her._

 _As it turned out, not everyone at Beacon was as excited as Yang was to have her there. Yang had said she would be the bee's knees. But Ruby felt more like she was in a bees' nest. She didn't want to bother her teammates about it, but she felt the eyes that followed her throughout the school. She heard angry whispers from people as she passed. When her friends, especially her sister, weren't around, she even found herself bumped and jostled by people who were clearly going out of their way to "accidentally" stumble against her. Things hadn't gone further than that yet, fortunately. Ruby was determined to push through and become the best Huntress she could be, despite the harassment._

 _Ironically, some of her worst and most overt tormentors, the boys of Team CRDL, had actually backed off a couple months in, their decision coinciding with that incident in Forever Fall, involving Jaune. Whatever reason, Ruby was glad that at least they were off her back, even if there were plenty of other students willing to take their place when it came to bullying her._

 _It was then that they were approached by Professor Ozpin about a special training assignment. Apparently, Weiss and Pyrrha both felt that their teams could use more practical experience in the field, though their first actual mission, shadowing a Hunstman, wouldn't be until the next semester. Ozpin had agreed surprisingly easily, having found a pack of Grimm in the wilderness southwest of Vale that needed to be exterminated. Professor Port had gone with them as a faculty supervisor. That was when everything went wrong._

* * *

 _"_ _Well now," said Port cheerfully as they made their camp, his bushy mustache twitching. "We've located the Grimm. There seems to be quite a lot of them too. This is the perfect opportunity for you first-years to show your mettle."_

 _"_ _That's right!" boasted Yang, cocking her fist, her lilac eyes shining with eagerness. "We'll kick some serious butt!"_

 _Ruby had always been envious of her sister. Yang boasted a spectacular figure that she didn't even try to hide, instead showing it off with tight black shorts, and a tight orange top, over which she wore a leather vest. Combined with her lively eyes, infectious smile, and her head of long, wavy, blonde hair, Yang was the kind of girl who could set all the boys around her to drooling, just by entering the room._

 _On her wrists, she wore her weapons, the paired gauntlets, Ember Celica, equipped with fire-Dust shotguns that allowed her to strike with literally explosive power. When not in use, like right now, they were collapsed down into a pair of bracelets on her wrists._

 _Beside Yang, her partner, Blake Belladonna, smiled and rolled her eyes, but said nothing. Blake was a girl of few words, when all was said and done. Her quiet nature was a sharp contrast to her partner's boisterous one. Tall, slender, and pale, she practically exuded a sense of mystique. Though her assets were less substantial than Yang's, Blake was still a study in beauty, with her black vest and shorts, along with a white crop-top that left her toned stomach uncovered and her upper arms bare. Her black hair wasn't nearly as long as Yang's, only going a little ways past her shoulders. On top of her head was a black bow that only her closest friends, those currently seated around her (sans Port, of course), knew hid a pair of black cat-ears that marked her as a faunus._

 _Her weapon, Gambol Shroud, rested on her back. Its basic form was that of a broad, cleaver-like weapon. However, that was merely the sheath for a black katana. The katana itself could fold over to become a sickle, attached to a black ribbon that functioned like a chain when Blake whirled and threw it through the air. It was combined with a pistol that Blake could fire to control the direction of her weapon's swings…when she wasn't just using it as a pistol._

 _"_ _Perhaps we could go about this quietly," groused Ruby's own partner, who labored alongside Ruby to set up their tent._

 _Ruby was certain that somewhere, there was a dictionary. And in that dictionary, next to the definition for the words beauty, elegance…and prissiness…was a picture of her partner, Weiss Schnee. Weiss really was the picture of elegance and class. With her white dress and matching bolero jacket, Weiss' stylish appearance made her seem more like a socialite than a Huntress in training. The weapon she wore at her waist spoke otherwise, of course. Weiss' pale-blue eyes often seemed cold and distant to Ruby's mind. She wore her white hair in an off-center bun and tail off to the left of her head._

 _At her waist was her weapon, the Dust-rapier, Myrtenaster. As a weapon, it was practically a symbol of her privileged position as the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of Remnant's largest and most successful businesses. Situated around the ricasso of the blade was a set of six revolving chambers, each one filled with a particular variety of Dust. Anyone else would have found such a weapon expensive to keep armed and maintained. The fact that Weiss did so with ease spoke a great deal about her easy access to one of the world's most important resources._

 _Of all her teammates, Weiss was the one who most troubled Ruby. From the moment their team had been formed, Ruby had felt the resentment the heiress had borne her. Ruby didn't deny that Weiss was well-educated and well-trained. She probably would have made an effective leader. But Ozpin had made his decision, and Ruby had ultimately decided to do her best to become the best team leader she could be. Despite that, she got the feeling that her best wasn't good enough for Weiss._

 _After that one altercation in the hall, during their first day of class, Ruby had thought that Weiss had accepted her. But, eventually, it became apparent that Weiss wouldn't come around that easily. Whenever Ruby had tried to get Weiss to join her for something fun, something other than schoolwork. Weiss would pull away and insist on studying, often berating Ruby in the same breath that she needed to work harder to get her grades up. While she'd occasionally joined them in whole-team outings, she never really wanted to do anything with Ruby as her partner…except if it was an exercise for class._

 _"_ _Sorry, Ice Queen," said Yang, to Weiss' irritation. "I'll ask the Grimm if they can attack us without roaring or howling."_

 _"_ _Uh…I think she means we don't want to attract their attention yet," tentatively suggested the leader of the other team present, their closest friends at the Academy._

 _Jaune Arc didn't necessarily look like the vision of an aspiring Huntsman. Sure, he was tall and fairly muscular. But those muscles were hidden beneath an outfit that could be called "hodgepodge" at best. His legs were covered by a pair of worn jeans and, over his torso, was a simple short-sleeved hoodie, over which he wore a diamond-shaped breastplate, which made him look like someone who'd just decided to put armor on over his casual clothes. His head was covered with a somewhat shaggy mop of blonde hair, which framed his blue eyes._

 _Jaune's weapon was also rather…underwhelming, from a certain perspective. Resting at his waist, Crocea Mors was a simple sword and shield combination, the shield collapsing down to form the sword's sheath. Ruby had always thought an appreciation for the classics was good, but Jaune considered his weapon a simple hand-me-down._

 _She couldn't quite hide a giggle at Jaune's remark, feeling a slight heat in her cheeks as she did so. In many ways, Ruby considered Jaune her best friend, as well as the first friend she'd made at Beacon. When she'd been in a slump after a sneeze triggered a Dust explosion (which she sometimes thought Weiss still hadn't forgiven her for), Jaune had been the one to come to her aid, holding out a hand to her when everyone else had ignored her plight. She'd repaid him later by giving him a pep-talk that had apparently broken him out of a funk he'd been in while Team CRDL had been bullying him. She liked Jaune a lot, to the point where she realized she might have even had a crush on him._

 _It was true that Jaune was clumsy and uncoordinated, unquestionably the worst in their class when it came to combat skills. But he was funny and goofy. He was also something of a dork, in an endearing fashion. It helped that he was extremely friendly and kind, always willing to lend a helping hand. He was even fairly handsome to Ruby's eyes, hence the small blush she got whenever she saw or spoke to him. Lately, with Weiss giving her the perpetual cold shoulder, Ruby had been going out of her way to spend more time with him, finding that they shared plenty of interests and, even where their interests didn't coincide, they were able to listen to one another. Jaune was always happy to lend an ear when Ruby was going off on a tangent about weapons, while she could listen while Jaune went on for hours at a time about X-Ray and Vav comic series._

 _Weiss humphed irritably. While she enjoyed being vindicated, Ruby knew that Weiss would rather not be backed up by Jaune of all people, given her low opinion of him. It hadn't help that Jaune had been flirting with her quite persistently when they'd first met._

 _"_ _She_ does _have a point," said the quietest member of their group, which Weiss appreciated a good bit more._

 _Lie Ren, whom everyone just called Ren, was the kind of person who made Blake seem like a chatterbox by comparison. His face and magenta eyes, with their stoic expression, always seemed to exude an air of calm. His head was covered by long, black hair, with a streak of magenta running down the front. The rest of his hair, save his bangs, was tied into a ponytail running down to the middle of his back. Over his slender body, Ren wore a green, Mistrallian-style tailcoat and loose, white pants._

 _To the average observer, Ren looked completely unarmed. However, Ruby knew from experience that his weapons, a twin pair of green submachine guns, with curving dagger blades affixed below the barrel, were hidden just up the loose sleeves that covered his arm. A single flick was enough to slide both weapons down into his waiting hands, ready for battle._

 _Ruby liked Ren quite a bit. Despite his quiet nature, which made him seem aloof at times, he was also extremely kind. He was an excellent student, which was helpful, as she sometimes approached him for help with her schoolwork, when Blake wasn't available. Ren was always willing to help, and unlike Weiss, didn't seem to judge her for her difficulties._

 _It probably had something to do with Ren's companion, who was giggling eagerly at the thought of the upcoming battle. Ren's partner couldn't have been more different from him. Nora Valkyrie was a bundle of eccentric energy that could exceed even Ruby's most sugar-fueled hyper moments. Her short, orange hair contrasted nicely with her pale-green eyes, which were always shining with happiness and excitement. Dressed in a white, sleeveless top, a black vest that ended at her waist, and a pink skirt, Nora was always on the move, looking for something new to catch her interest._

 _That energy served her well in battle, allowing her to wield her weapon, a massive warhammer that could transform into a grenade launcher, with ease, batting Grimm, sometimes several at a time, over the horizon. Of all the people Ruby considered friends at Beacon, Nora was probably the one Ruby felt was closest to herself in terms of personality and temperament._

 _"_ _We'll want to make sure of things before we commit," cautioned the final member of their party._

 _Pyrrha Nikos was like someone's vision of a warrior goddess come to life. She was the best fighter in their year by a country mile. With her bronze armor and golden circlet over her head, pulling her long, red hair back into a tail, and keen, vivid-green eyes, she looked perpetually poised and ready for battle. Ruby had seen her fight several times since coming to Beacon and had always found herself in awe of Pyrrha's skill, grace, and strength, able to trump even multiple opponents simultaneously._

 _Despite that, she was almost perversely modest about her skills and achievements, seeming more embarrassed than anything by the accolades lobbed her way by students and faculty alike._

 _Even her choice in weapons reflected Pyrrha's elegance and skill. Like Jaune, the basic form of Pyrrha's weapons were a sword and shield combo. The red and gold xiphos, Milo, was wielded in tandem with her round shield, Akouo. But that was where the overall similarity ended. Milo was capable of transforming into a rifle or javelin, while she could hurl Akouo with incredible skill and accuracy, always ensuring that it returned to her hand after it was thrown. Pyrrha's style was brilliant, freely incorporating all three forms of her main offensive weapon, often transforming on the fly. There was probably no one at Beacon Ruby admired as much as her._

 _"_ _Pyrrha's right," said Weiss decisively, always quick to back up the assertions of the four-time tournament champion. "We need to assess the situation more before we move in."_

 _"_ _So what do you suggest we do?" asked Yang._

 _"_ _We need to scout things out," said Weiss. "We know the location of the main group, but we'll want to make sure there aren't other packs scattered around that could flank us when we begin the attack."_

 _"_ _Good idea," said Ruby decisively, seeing an opportunity to flex her leadership muscles and initiative…even if she was just going along with what Weiss suggested. But a good leader accepted input from her subordinates, right? "Let's assemble a scouting party and check out the perimeter."_

 _Weiss' eyebrow twitched, betraying a simmering anger at Ruby's attempt to take charge. However, she suppressed it firmly. Instead, she closed her eyes and nodded._

 _Seeing an opportunity to work more with her partner, Ruby grinned. "Then Weiss and I will go scout the flanks and rear," her choice of terms earning a snicker from Yang._

 _"_ _Uh…which way is the rear?" Jaune wanted to know._

 _"_ _The direction opposite the main Grimm force," said Pyrrha, standing up. "That will serve as the forward direction for this mission. I'll come too."_

 _Weiss nodded curtly, with no sign of protest. Ruby wanted to sigh. This was a chance to work more closely with her partner, one on one. But, at the same time, if they ran into trouble, there was no denying that Pyrrha was one of the people she'd want at her. "Uh…right…well then…let's get going!" Ruby started heading away from the camp._

 _"_ _Ruby, you dunce!" Weiss shouted, stomping over. "The rear is that way!" She pointed off to an angle, showing that, from where she'd set out, Ruby would be heading more towards the Grimm herd than away from it._

 _"_ _Um…sorry," said Ruby, grinning sheepishly, only earning a glare and an angry growl from Weiss._

 _The three of them headed off into the forest. The trees closed in around them and, soon, the light of their modest campfire had completely disappeared from sight, leaving them to find their way through the trees and undergrowth amid the deepening twilight. It was quiet. The only sounds that reached Ruby's ears were the crunch of leaves beneath the feet of her and her companions, along with the occasional rustle of the wind or the stirring of some nocturnal animal. Weiss and Pyrrha said nothing as they walked alongside her._

 _Ruby gamely resisted the urge to make idle chatter. She knew Weiss would berate her for making unnecessary noise. Instead, she tried to be as quiet as she could wincing at every snapping branch._

 _After a considerable amount of time walking, Ruby realized she'd made a mistake. The overall plan had been to scout things out, but Ruby realized she hadn't thought about how far they needed to scout before returning. She supposed that now was as good a time as any to begin making a circle of their camp to check the general area._

 _However, the decision was made for her when she cleared a break in the trees and came to an abrupt halt, stifling a yelp of surprise as she found herself mere feet from the edge of a cliff. The ground abruptly terminated in a rock face that descended straight down for several meters, before the forest continued on below._

 _"_ _Well, I guess this is a good stopping point," said Ruby, checking over the cliff. "Grimm are gonna have a hard time climbing that."_

 _Then her ears picked up a sound that set her nerves on edge, the grating sound of a steel blade against its sheath as Weiss drew forth Myrtenaster. Ruby turned, a question on her lips, wanting to know what her partner had spotted that had prompted her to draw her weapon. Had a Grimm creeped up on them without her realizing it?_

 _But there was no sign of Grimm as Ruby turned around. Instead, she found Weiss looking intently at her, her eyes as cold and merciless as the icy plains of Solitas. Their eyes met for just a second._

 _"_ _Weiss…?" said Ruby, a hint of worry and fear creeping into her tone._

 _Then Weiss leveled Myrtenaster and lunged, its tip plunging right for Ruby's heart._

* * *

 **Stay with me, guys! Just remember, with most authors, you might wind up waiting a week or more after a cliffhanger like this. With me, I can guarantee the next chapter will be out on Thursday!**

 **Okay, with that out of the way...Show of hands, who did _not_ see this coming? Okay...nowhere near as many as I thought, and I was lowballing that estimate. I suck at foreshadowing, it would seem; not in the "Oh my God! That twist came absolutely out of nowhere and makes no sense!" way, but more in the, "Oh, he just spoiled that twist two or three chapters in advance," way. I've been told, occasionally, that I'm about as subtle as a brick to the face. Oh well...**

 **Just to clarify, in case I didn't make it apparent, this takes place shortly after the events in Volume 1, so between the first and second volumes.**

 **Next chapter up on Thursday.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Of course, thanks to last chapter's cliffhanger, this chapter gets to start off with another fight-scene, hope that makes up for it.**

* * *

 **Chapter 11:**

 _Ruby's eyes widened in confusion, unable to process what was happening. Her friend, her partner, was now rushing right towards her, trying to impale her. Then her reflexes kicked in. The cliff was at her back, so she couldn't retreat. Instead, Ruby threw herself desperately to the side, Weiss' rapier cutting through her cloak after missing her body._

 _"_ _Weiss! What are you doing?" asked Ruby, rolling to her feet, her hand automatically going back to her own weapon…only to pause. This wasn't right. Weiss couldn't have really just attacked her. It must have been some kind of misunderstanding…right?_

 _"_ _What I should have done a long time ago," hissed Weiss, pivoting and bringing her blade to bear once more. "You're an eyesore Ruby Rose."_

 _"_ _What?" gasped Ruby._

 _Weiss lunged at her again. This time, Ruby acted. Her hand reached behind her and pulled forth Crescent Rose, spinning the scythe as it extended to its full, impressive length, using the shaft to parry Weiss' thrust, and knock it to the side. However, Weiss attacked again, launching a rapid series of thrusts that forced Ruby to backpedal, even as she whirled her scythe around to continue defending._

 _"_ _Your presence at Beacon is an insult!" snapped Weiss as she attacked. "You're a child who hasn't earned your place with the rest of us! I studied and trained and worked for years to achieve this honor, and it was just handed to you on a silver platter!"_

 _"_ _That's not true!" Ruby protested._

 _"_ _You're a childish, immature, brat!" persisted Weiss. "You don't deserve to be our leader. It should have been_ me! _"_

 _A flare of anger ignited in Ruby's gut. Is this what this was about? Weiss was upset that Ozpin had made Ruby leader instead of her? Was she really so incensed by that, that she would resort to murder to get her way?_

 _"_ _I'm sick of wasting my time with you!" continued Weiss, the chambers on Myrtenaster revolving. "You just need to disappear!"_

 _With that, she drew back, using the fingers of her right hand to trace the blade of Myrtenaster, using her Aura to ignite and shape the fire-Dust emitting from the chamber. The flames climbed the length of the blade before Weiss slashed it in front of her, sending a wave of flames washing towards Ruby._

 _Ruby countered by bringing up Crescent Rose and spinning the scythe rapidly, dispersing the flames, though the heat still caused sweat to bead on her brow. "You snobby, entitled…" growled Ruby, her feelings intensifying. How dare Weiss do this. It was bad enough that she was betraying and trying to kill Ruby. But she was also doing it during a mission. There were real Grimm wandering these woods. She was putting both RWBY and JNPR at risk with this stupid stunt._

 _The thought of Team JNPR caused Ruby to realize something that she had overlooked in her panic, anger, and the feeling of betrayal that came from Weiss attacking her. Where was Pyrrha? Unfortunately, she got her answer in the worst manner imaginable when she caught a flicker in her peripheral vision. Even as she turned to see, she felt something hard slam into her ribcage from the side, making her gasp in pain. Her turning head allowed her to see the curved disk of Pyrrha's shield, as it rebounded from smashing into her ribs, and returned to Pyrrha's outstretched left arm._

 _"_ _Pyrrha?" said Ruby, the pain inflecting her voice with a soft whimper. "Why?"_

 _Pyrrha's gaze held less visible malice than Weiss'. Instead, her expression was focused and determined, the same expression Pyrrha wore whenever she entered into a fight. Right now, she was all business._

 _"_ _It's better if you_ never _came back," said Pyrrha levelly._

 _"_ _No…" whispered Ruby, unable to believe that the girl she admired so much would do this to her…or her own partner for that matter. She'd known that Weiss was used to getting her way. But she'd thought that the heiress had accepted her as the team leader. But Pyrrha…This was all wrong. Despite her accomplishments, Pyrrha was modest and almost perversely humble, seeming more embarrassed by her fame than anything else. The way she'd devoted herself to helping Jaune improve showed just how accepting she was. Did Pyrrha really think that Ruby didn't deserve to be at Beacon?_

 _"_ _Do you understand yet?" asked Weiss coldly. "We're making sure you_ don't _come back!"_

 _Ruby glared at Weiss, tears forming in her eyes, unable to contain how much this betrayal had hurt her. She had no choice. She couldn't take on Weiss and Pyrrha at the same time. She had to get away, call her friends, tell them what was going on._

 _Weiss lunged at her again, forcing Ruby to dodge. Too late, Ruby noticed the angle of Weiss' thrust and realized that Weiss' attack had been aimed with the intent of making her dodge, right towards the edge of the cliff. Ruby barely managed to rein in her Semblance, and skid to a stop, the tips of her toes hanging off over space as she turned around, bringing Crescent Rose down, sinking the blade into the ground to anchor herself into place and kill her remaining momentum. In the same movement, she lined up the barrel with where Weiss would be when she finished her lunge and pulled the trigger._

 _Weiss turned to face her Myrtenaster's chambers revolving once more. Holding it up in front of her, a curved, white shield materialized between her and Ruby, Ruby's shot bouncing off it. Weiss then reversed her blade as the chambers revolved again. This time, she plunged it straight down into the ground. The ambient temperature dropped and Ruby tensed, watching for the signs of the ice emerging to entrap her. However, to her surprise, it instead appeared in a wave behind Weiss, spreading out and curving, forming a wide, tall, semicircular wall that enclosed the ground around them, its edges reaching all the way to the cliff._

 _Now Ruby realized what Weiss had done. She'd used her ice to cut off any line of retreat Ruby might have. While the wall wasn't insurmountable, if Ruby used her rifle's recoil to aid her jump, doing so would leave her vulnerable to attack from Weiss and Pyrrha. Using her scroll right now was out of the question as well, for the same reason. That left her two options._

 _The first, the cliff behind her, was rather unappealing. The fall itself wasn't insurmountable. After all, she'd dropped down from much higher up, and at a much higher velocity, during the initiation. But it was still a bad idea, as it was high enough that Ruby would want to use her landing strategy. Of course, that meant leaving herself open to Weiss and Pyrrha while she slowed her fall in preparation for a landing. It also put another obstacle between her and safety. No doubt Weiss and Pyrrha would either try to trap her up against the cliff itself, or herd her farther away from the rest of their teams._

 _That left only one other option that Ruby could foresee working. She had to fight back…and make lots of noise. They weren't so far away from camp that the sounds of steel clashing and gunfire would be inaudible to the rest of the group. When they heard the sounds of battle, they would come running, assuming they weren't on their way already. But it meant holding out in sustained combat against Weiss and Pyrrha, simultaneously, for God knows how long. Still, that was her best bet right now._

 _"_ _I'm not going to go quietly and let you kill me!" shouted Ruby as loudly as she could, whirling Crescent Rose through a few passes before letting it rest with the blade behind her, the shaft pointing almost straight back._

 _To her surprise, Weiss smirked. "That's fine," she said. "Make as much noise as you want. Listen…"_

 _She cocked her head and fell silent._

 _Straining her ears, Ruby realized that the forest was no longer silent. In the distance, she could hear the sound of roars and howls, accompanied by shouts and the discharge of weapons. The Grimm were attacking. Their friends were fighting for their lives. "What have you done?"_

 _"_ _It's what_ you _did," said Weiss smugly._

 _Ruby's jaw dropped, and she suddenly felt sick in the stomach. It was her. The Grimm had been attracted by the feelings of fear, anger, and betrayal she'd been emitting. The main group had been drawn and made a beeline for her. But, because they had headed away in the opposite direction, said beeline led right through their camp, meaning that the Grimm had wound up fighting the others instead._

 _A thrill of horror ran through her. Had that been Weiss' plan all along? She had led Ruby away, then attacked her to produce negative feelings, drawn the Grimm across their camp, so that they could serve as a distraction._

 _"_ _Make as much noise as you want," repeated Weiss. "No one's listening. You'll die out here, alone. Pyrrha and I will go back. You'll be gone. I'll finally get what I deserve."_

 _Ruby bared her teeth, white-hot fury racing through her veins as she pulled the trigger. Crescent Rose fired, the recoil, in conjunction with her Semblance, sending her hurtling at Weiss. Weiss' eyes widened in surprise as Ruby closed the distance between them in an instant, Crescent Rose coming around in a swing that imparted all of Ruby's power and momentum. Weiss hastily raised Myrtenaster to defend, not having time to employ her Dust or Semblance. Ruby's slash hammered the rapier, the force of the blow knocking Weiss off her feet and sending her flying back, so that she slammed into her own ice wall._

 _Ruby would have moved to press the attack, but her ears caught the sound of a gunshot behind her. Whirling around, Ruby brought Crescent Rose's shaft up just in time to block Milo, in its javelin form, thrown by Pyrrha, who had used the rifle, the barrel of which was oriented in the butt of the javelin to add speed through the rifle's recoil, the same tactic Ruby used with Crescent Rose._

 _Milo bounced off the scythe, returning quickly to Pyrrha's hand and collapsing down into its sword form as she closed. Ruby desperately parried the flurry of slashes Pyrrha launched at her, trying to fall back far enough to get room to bring her scythe's blade back into play. Using her Semblance, she managed to get some distance, but Pyrrha was already moving to counter, smoothly rotating her sword in her grip, the weapon transforming into its rifle form as she spun it, the barrel lining up and Pyrrha firing in the same instant. Ruby shifted to block the shot with Crescent Rose, but her reaction was too slow, the scythe feeling heavy in her hand as the bullet sailed by and impacted her shoulder, throwing Ruby's balance off._

 _By that time, Weiss had recovered and re-entered the fray. An elaborate glyph, with a stylized snowflake in its center, formed beneath her feet, launching Weiss upwards into the air. A series of smaller glyphs formed around her, which Weiss infused with her ice-Dust, before launching them at Ruby in a hail of projectiles, which she desperately dodged._

 _Dropping down from above, Weiss led with her rapier, Ruby barely managing to dodge being impaled again. She swiftly brought her scythe around to attack, but Weiss parried this time, before going on the offensive once again. Coming from the other side, Pyrrha joined in._

 _Ruby moved faster and fought harder than she'd ever believed she was capable of, as Crescent Rose became a crimson blur around her body, fending off rapier, sword, and shield, all while she tried to counter as best she could. There was no time to think, to feel worried about anger or betrayal. Right now, she had to fight or be killed. Desperation lent wings to her feet and made her body feel incredibly light. Her movements were automatic, the hard practice she had put in during her training with her Uncle Qrow making the techniques into second nature for her._

 _Still, it seemed futile. Weiss was having a hard time, none of her attacks managing to get through to land a blow. Ruby kept the fight close, making it hard for her to employ her glyphs or Dust. Had it just been Weiss, Ruby was certain she stood a good chance of winning. However, Pyrrha's presence made all the difference. Even if it had it_ just _been Pyrrha, Ruby would not have been certain of her victory at all._

 _Pyrrha's movements were flawless. Every one of them was perfectly calculated and executed. She never missed an opening nor failed to capitalize on a weakness. Her weapons were like perfect extensions of her body, allowing her to switch modes to attack at close, middle, or long range as the situation required. Sometimes she switched things up in a manner that caught Ruby completely off-guard, such as transforming Milo into its rifle form to fire it point-blank at Ruby's chin, a shot she barely managed to avoid and threw her off balance when Pyrrha rotated her grip on the weapon, transforming it back into its xiphos sword, and swinging it back around in the same moment to slash across her chest._

 _The landed blows were taking their toll. Ruby could feel her Aura diminishing, the protection that, so far, had kept any of her opponents' blows from drawing blood, was beginning to thin out. Even worse, her own attacks or employing her Semblance reduced those reserves further. At this rate, Pyrrha and Weiss would wear her down through sheer attrition._

 _Deciding that the situation was desperate, Ruby took desperate action. Forgetting about her defense for a second, she turned and focused on delivering a powerful blow to Weiss, which knocked her back. Then she turned to Pyrrha. Swinging her scythe around, she deliberately stepped in close to Pyrrha, so that she was well inside the reach of Crescent Rose's blade. Pyrrha blocked the shaft with her shield, angling it so that it slid up to where the shaft met the blade, keeping Ruby from pulling it in to cut her from behind. At the same time, she slashed Milo across Ruby's stomach. Ruby felt the snap of her Aura breaking, but the sensation was forgotten by the fiery pain that drew a line across her belly, followed by the chilling sensation of her blood spilling down her torso._

 _Still, Ruby bit back the urge to scream in agony, a strained, prolonged grunt the most she let Pyrrha have the satisfaction of hearing. Instead, she pulled back with all her might, pulling the trigger for Crescent Rose at the same time. Pyrrha's shield kept the blade from cutting her, but the force of the pull yanked her off balance and towards Ruby. Ruby brought up her knee, striking with all her strength into Pyrrha's torso, just below her ribcage. Pyrrha gasped, going white with pain, faltering for the first time since the fight had begun._

 _Not wanting to surrender the initiative she'd worked so hard to gain, Ruby pulled the trigger again, this time sidestepping slightly so that her pull sent Pyrrha stumbling past. Pulling the trigger yet again, Ruby put all of her strength to use Crescent Rose to essentially fling Pyrrha away, and face-first into the ice wall. Then Ruby turned all her attention to Weiss._

 _As Weiss recovered, she returned just in time to have to dodge Pyrrha as she was thrown past her. Weiss immediately tried to fill the gap, but Ruby was on her in an instant. Crescent Rose spun like a dervish in Ruby's hands, slashing with the blade, gouging with the spike on the butt end, the rifle firing whenever Ruby lined up a shot or needed the recoil to give her attack extra force. Weiss was a force to be reckoned with, but the rapier was not an effective defensive tool against this kind of onslaught. She was forced to slowly give ground._

 _With a deft twist of her wrist, Ruby hooked Crescent Rose behind Myrtenaster's blade, barely missing slashing the heiress across the chest in the process. The move lined the barrel up with her chest instead. Firing the rifle, Ruby made Weiss jolt and gasp in pain as the shot slammed squarely into her ribs, while the recoil, combined with Ruby's sharp pull, wrenched Myrtenaster from her hand. Not wanting to waist another second, Ruby spun her scythe around her waist to bring the blade back around for another attack. Weiss' eyes went wide as she saw the slash approaching, having no means to defend in time._

 _Then Crescent Rose froze in place, as immovable as if it had been set in cement, the tip halting just a few inches away from Weiss' chest. Ruby grunted and tugged, trying to get the weapon to move, but it refused to obey her. Then she noticed the shimmering black field that surrounded it, and realized what had happened._

 _Given Pyrrha's skill and technique, it was easy to forget that her most powerful asset was her Semblance, a fact that was known only to a few people, including Ruby. Pyrrha's Semblance, Polarity, allowed her to control nearly any metal object in her vicinity. It was one of the things that made Pyrrha all but invincible in the ring. Normally, she was subtle in its usage, gently nudging enemy weapons to cause attacks to miss their targets, or for a defense to not be effective. Ruby now realized Pyrrha had been using it during this fight as well, all those times Crescent Rose had suddenly felt strangely heavy in Ruby's hands, or her movements had encountered some unexpected resistance._

 _But now, Pyrrha had apparently thrown subtlety to the winds. Milo and Akouo lay on the ground on either side of her as Pyrrha reached out towards Ruby's weapon with both hands, which were outlined with the same black field that now covered Ruby's weapons. It was a rare brute-strength application of her Semblance. With a glare and a growl, Pyrrha closed her hands into fists and yanked._

 _Now Crescent Rose moved. Ruby gasped and clung desperately to it, hanging on to the shaft with all her might. She was dragged bodily away from Weiss, her boots leaving furrows in the ground. Then Pyrrha began to manipulate Crescent Rose more violently, jerking it this way and that, wrenching Ruby's arms painfully as she struggled to hold on, desperate not to lose her weapon._

 _However, her grip weakened, the blood loss from the wound to her stomach taking its toll. Finally, Ruby was flung away from Crescent Rose and sent tumbling across the ground. Struggling to her feet, Ruby looked for her scythe, only to see it hovering in front of and above Pyrrha, who continued to glare at her, the malice that had been suppressed before now in plain view._

 _Pyrrha closed her hands once again. This time, she moved them in a twisting motion. Ruby heard the metal of her weapon groan. "No…" she said, realizing what was about to happen. "Pyrrha! Don't-!"_

 _Before she could even finish, the blade of Ruby's scythe snapped in multiple places, along with the shaft. Screws, nuts, bolts, and other components went flying in every direction, as Ruby's prized possession, and most-trusted partner, the weapon she had forged with her own hands and every ounce of her passion, was torn to pieces before her very eyes._

 _"_ _This is what you deserve."_

 _Weiss' voice prompted Ruby to turn towards her. But then Ruby felt a chill in her chest and looked down to see Myrtenaster sliding in, just next to her breast. Ruby jolted, feeling the chill spread through her chest, the pain curiously absent. She stumbled back, sliding off the blade, which Weiss lowered, looking at Ruby with an expression of pure disdain._

 _"_ _Disappear," said Weiss coldly, flicking the fingers of her right hand. Behind Ruby, one of Weiss' snowflake glyphs, this one black, appeared. Ruby was abruptly yanked off her feet and flung out into space, over the side of the cliff. Her vision was already darkening. The last thing she saw was the cliff rising up above her, Weiss and Pyrrha standing at the edge, staring down at her in contempt. Ruby didn't even remember hitting the ground._

* * *

Ruby's voice trailed off into silence as she curled up on the bed, her voice feeling hoarse, and her cheeks wet with tears as the retelling brought back all those emotions that she'd suppressed, along with her memories.

For several minutes, neither Ayumu nor Gin uttered a word. They had no idea what to say. There were no words that could adequately address the grief and pain Ruby was going through. Instead, hearing Ruby's muffled sobs, Gin looked at Ayumu questioningly. Ayumu responded with the slightest of nods. Slowly, carefully, Gin made his way to Ruby, on the watch for any sign that she wanted him to stay away.

When he reached her, he raised his hand and gently rested it on her shoulder. The touch was feather-light. But Ruby reacted as though she'd been hit by a jolt from lightning-Dust, flinching sharply and pulling away to look worriedly at Gin, who merely held out his hand to her.

Tentatively, Ruby took his hand in both of hers, looking at it, almost as though inspecting it. Then, she pulled it up so that she could press his palm against her forehead. Gin smiled and gently pulled Ruby over so that she was resting the back of her head against his chest, his hand on her forehead, while his opposite hand reached down to take one of her own. Ruby clung to it like a lifeline, still sobbing.

Ayumu moved around to the opposite side of the bed and carefully took Ruby's other hand, gently rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. The three of them sat like that for a while, not quite knowing how long had passed. Eventually, Ruby's cries began to soften, and she calmed down.

Gin and Ayumu thought she'd fallen asleep before she spoke again. "Tha-thank you for…for listening," said Ruby.

"Thank you for trusting us enough to tell," said Gin squeezing her hand.

"I honestly have no words," said Ayumu. "'I'm sorry' just doesn't seem appropriate or even remotely sufficient."

"It's not your fault," said Ruby. "Y-you didn't d-do anything…wrong."

"Whatever else," said Gin firmly, "we're here for you."

"Thank you," breathed Ruby, the words coming out of her in a sigh.

Another silence fell over them as Ruby basked in the cool feeling of Gin's hand on her forehead. Then Ayumu spoke. "So…what now?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.

"Well, we know what happened and why you lost your memories," said Ayumu. "Being betrayed like that would certainly be the kind of emotional trauma that would cause your mind to lock away your memories, if only to preserve your sanity. But, now that you've remembered, what do you want to do?"

"I…I don't know," said Ruby. "Even though…even though I remember. I don't know what to do. It…it feels as though the world's been pulled out from under me. I'm not even sure where to begin."

"Well…we have access to the CCT now," said Ayumu. "We can contact Beacon and let them know that you're alive, as well as what your so-called friends did."

"No!" shout Ruby suddenly, sitting up sharply, pulling away from them. When she saw them both looking at her in confusion, she shook her head. "N-not yet, anyway. I…I need to think about this…about what to do."

"That's fine then," said Ayumu. "You'll have time. Gin and I will be spending the next few days helping repair the walls, in order to earn our keep. You should use that time to think about what you want to do."

"But…" Ruby sniffed. She didn't want to just sit her on her butt while her new friends were working, by their own admission, partly to be able to ensure that she would be able to stay here longer.

"It's all right to wait," said Gin. "Just take some time to think. No one here thinks you're a burden."

"Ms. Tawny clearly adores you," added Ayumu cheerily, making Ruby blush.

Gin gently pulled her back down and rested his hand on her forehead once again, making Ruby sigh. As she did, she found herself smiling.

* * *

For two days, Ruby did as Ayumu and Gin suggested, taking time to herself to think. Staying in the room soon lost its appeal, and she found herself wandering down to the common room, where Tawny was always happy to get something for her. After that, she would spend hours wandering the streets of Brandywine, lost in thought.

The change in mood was palpable, now that the authorities from Vale had come to take Team BRWN off their hands. People had a new spring in their step. Everyone seemed happier and more content. With this improvement, Ruby figured they wouldn't be having much of a problem with the Grimm anymore. The settlement's inhabitants waved and offered cheerful greetings, which she returned. But none of them tried to detain her with conversation either. She didn't know what Ayumu, Gin, or Tawny had told people, but everyone appeared to know that she needed some space.

Ruby found herself out in the fields, wandering the road that ran between rows and rows of tomato vines, climbing up trellises. The tomatoes growing on those vines were different from the kind she was used to seeing in Vale's supermarket, now that she could remember such things properly. Compared to the rows of almost perfectly-spherical, deep-red fruits that found their way to Vale's shelves, these seemed downright ugly by comparison. Some were lumpy and misshapen, while others were a went through varying shades and striations of color, which made it impossible for her to tell which ones were ripe.

Still, she didn't linger on the fruit for long, instead turning her thoughts back to her problem. Part of her was in disbelief and denial, wanting to pretend that it hadn't happened, that Weiss and Pyrrha hadn't lured her away from the others, then attempted to kill her. They hadn't succeeded. But they had shattered Crescent Rose, which made Ruby feel as though a part of herself was indeed dead. It hurt so much that Ruby didn't really want to face it, which she supposed was why she had forgotten who she was to begin with.

The question that troubled her even more was that of who else might have been in on this event. Had Weiss and Pyrrha acted by themselves…or were the others in on it? Once again, Ruby felt that surge of paranoia, the feeling that she couldn't trust anyone. Blake had always been helpful when it came to helping her with her studies. But what if the quiet bookworm actually secretly resented those interruptions to her own personal time? Would she have preferred for Ruby to die?

On Pyrrha's team, there was Jaune. Ruby couldn't see Jaune supporting this. He was one of the kindest people she knew. But…then again…she'd thought Pyrrha was kind and modest. She'd never imagined that Pyrrha resented her so much that she would destroy Crescent Rose and aid in Ruby's attempted murder. Still, thinking back to their conversations, all the time they spent together, enjoying each other's company, Ruby couldn't bring herself to suspect Jaune. Maybe it was her own feelings coloring her memories, but she didn't think Jaune would dare even think about hurting her like that.

Then there were Ren and Nora. Nora was dead last on the list of suspects, as far as Ruby was concerned. The energetic, bubbly girl, who, at times, seemed even more childish than Ruby herself did, struck Ruby as incapable of such calculated, deliberate malice. When it came to the targets of her ire, she didn't hide behind a facade and plan on stabbing them in the back, she went at them from the front and tried to break their legs, face-to-face.

Ren was harder, if only because he struck Ruby as being almost completely inscrutable at the best of times. Of all the people on RWBY and JNPR, Ruby had interacted with him the least. However, he had at least seemed hospitable towards her, never expressing a single iota of ill will. Ruby wasn't sure, but she didn't think he'd had anything to do with it either.

Which left the last person, the person she'd put off thinking about, because Ruby wasn't sure she could bear it if she learned that her own sister, Yang had been in on Weiss and Pyrrha's murder attempt. Ruby loved her sister with all her heart. Yang had been there during the darkest time of their lives, when Summer Rose had died. When their father had broken down and all but forgotten them, Yang had been the one who'd picked up the slack and looked after Ruby. Even after Taiyang had finally gotten his act back together, Yang had insisted on looking after Ruby still, not fully trusting him with Ruby's well being.

Looking at it rationally, it seemed impossible that such a loving sister as Yang would even think about trying to kill her. But, then again… _Don't older sisters usually resent having to hang around with their younger sisters?_ She'd seen it with other sibling pairs in Signal. Elder siblings considered their younger counterparts to be a burden or annoyance. What if Yang had secretly resented Ruby for coming in the same year as her? What if she'd come to hate Ruby for always being around and keeping Yang from being able to do her own things?

Then Ruby thought back to that morning on the airship, their maiden flight to Beacon. She'd remembered Yang's excitement and glee, ecstatic beyond words that Ruby had earned a place in Beacon two full years ahead of when she was expected to. Yang had expressed nothing _but_ happiness that Ruby would be coming to Beacon with her. Even when she'd balked at being Ruby's partner, it had been because she'd wanted Ruby to form bonds with other people, and expand her social circle, not because she thought Ruby was a burden. When they'd ended up on a team together, Yang had hugged Ruby with pride when Ruby had been named team leader.

No. Looking in her heart, Ruby knew that Yang would never betray her. If anything, it was Ruby who would have to hold Yang back and stop Yang from trying to murder Weiss in retaliation for what she had done.

But thinking of Yang had brought another person to mind, making Ruby gasp in horror. _Oh no! Dad! What about him?_

After Ruby's mother had died, Taiyang had completely shut down, losing himself in drink and staring off into space. He hadn't become abusive, but he'd been negligent. If Yang hadn't been there, Ruby might have died from neglect herself. But, considering who he'd already lost, how would her father cope if he thought she was dead? Would he fall back into alcoholism again? Would he resort to something even worse? The possibilities terrified her. Ruby swallowed hard, almost overcome by the desire to rush straight to the CCT center and demand a direct call to Patch.

At the very last second, she reined herself in. She had just been brought back around to the original point for this. What did she want to do?

The simplest thing would be to go to the CCT center, call Beacon, and tell Professor Ozpin what had happened. That would solve most, if not all, of her problems. He would bring her back with Beacon and reunite her with her friends. Weiss and Pyrrha would be punished, most likely expelled, even arrested. It was a simple solution, one that could be achieved in a matter of minutes.

Despite that, Ruby found herself hesitating. Weiss and Pyrrha had gone so far as to plan around even using the Grimm as a distraction for their attempt on her life. In a way, it was similar to the way Team BRWN had used the Grimm as a means of maintaining pressure on the settlement. Weiss and Pyrrha had probably covered their tracks fairly well. Would Ruby's testimony alone be enough to convince others of what had really happened?

The other thing that gave her pause was the sense of defeat that settled onto her shoulders, like a heavy weight, whenever her mind went back to that night. She supposed she shouldn't have felt so humiliated, but she did. She had been defeated, almost killed, and had her weapon ripped from her hands and torn apart before her eyes. Weiss and Pyrrha had made her feel helpless and hopeless. Had she been more rational, Ruby might have taken pride in the fact that it seemed only by working together could the two of them overcome her. But defeat stung all the same.

Ruby didn't just want to go back and have things go back to the way they were, sans the ones who had tried to kill her. She wanted Weiss and Pyrrha to go through what she had, that feeling of powerlessness, the horror of realizing your life was completely in the hands of another and that other person had nothing but hatred for you. Ruby wanted _payback_. It was probably the first time she had felt truly vindictive about something.

"Here you are," said Gin softly behind her, his voice making Ruby shriek and jump in the air. When she landed, she whirled around and glared at him.

Gin averted his eyes. "Sorry," he said.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out, Ruby made herself relax. It wasn't Gin's fault she'd been so distracted she'd completely lost track of her surroundings. In her present state, there had probably been no way to approach her that _wouldn't_ startle her. "It's okay," she said.

"It's getting late," explained Gin. "So I came to find you. It's almost time for dinner."

Startled by the revelation, Ruby looked around, finally realizing that the day's light had been dimming and the sun was sinking towards the horizon. She'd been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed. And now that she thought about it, her empty stomach was making its condition known to her.

"Sorry," she said. "I was just…thinking."

Gin nodded. "Do you want to come back?" he asked.

Ruby blinked. "What do you mean?"

"If you want to keep thinking, and being out here helps, I can go back and bring something out to you," he offered.

Ruby stared at him for a second before smiling and blushing. _He really is sweet,_ she thought. "No. It's okay. Let's head back. Thank you for coming to get me."

Gin nodded slowly. "So…have any ideas on what you're going to do yet?"

"I…I still don't know," said Ruby. "I really should just call and let them know what happened. Maybe the teachers and my friends won't believe me. But…if Yang and Dad think that I'm dead…I'm only hurting them by staying silent."

"But what makes you feel like keeping silent may be a more viable option?" asked Gin.

"It's just…" Ruby frowned. "Like I said, I'm not sure they'll believe me. Weiss and Pyrrha are two of the top students in the school. If it hadn't happened to me…if someone else had accused them of what they did…I'm not sure I would believe them."

"There may be more evidence," Gin pointed out. "It's true that it would be hard for them to go examine the scene of the crime, considering where it is. But there are other factors that could be used to support your story."

"Like what?" asked Ruby.

"Well you said these Weiss and Pyrrha girls were the ones who suggested the excursion you were on," said Gin. "On top of that, they both went out to scout with you, but came back without you. The Grimm would have been heading in your direction when they came across your friends' camp. Then there's your scars, which correspond to wounds dealt by bladed weapons, not teeth and claws. All those factors would seem to line up in support for your story." He frowned. "Granted, it's still light on the hard evidence.

"But the longer you hold off, the harder it will be to prove. People's recollection of events will fade, and it'll be harder to confirm details. Scars on a person with unlocked Aura will fade faster than those on a person without. In a couple of months, those scars of yours will be all but invisible. People will question why you took so long to return, despite knowing what happened, and want to know what kept you, when you should have been making those accusations from the beginning. At some point, the only way of proving your version of events would be to coerce the culprits into outing themselves. But most forms of coercion won't fly, as proof goes."

Ruby found herself nodding. Gin's logic was sound.

"But…it sounds like you have other reasons to not return right away," said Gin.

Ruby met his gaze for all of a second before looking down. "I…I can't face them."

"Your friends…or your enemies?" asked Gin.

"None of them!" exclaimed Ruby. "I…I can't even begin to describe how much it hurt…how worthless I felt after losing to them."

"It's humiliating," said Gin in a distant tone. "Everything you've built up is torn down before your eyes. The things you took pride in were reduced into something worthless, and it makes all the years of work you've put in before seem like wasted time."

Ruby jerked, gaping openly at Gin. "How…?"

Gin smiled ruefully. "I'm very familiar with that feeling," he said, staring off into the distance. "In fact, that was Master Yu's first lesson to me…"

"Your first lesson?" wondered Ruby.

* * *

 _He hurt. There were just too many places for him to list all the spots where he had some manner of injury. He was certain that some, if not all of his bones were broken. He felt spent, like there wasn't a single drop of energy remaining. Even the effort it took to keep breathing almost seemed too much. Blood trickled down his face. More ran in small rivulets down his arms, winding between his scales._

 _But, far worse than that was the empty feeling inside him. It wasn't hunger. Hunger was a feeling that he was all too familiar with. This was something else. Over the years he'd spent on his own, he'd cultivated a sense of pride in his strength as a survivor. Not even ten and adults feared the mere sight of him. He raided caravans and settlements at will, taking whatever he needed. Even the Huntsmen, those great warriors that everyone regarded with such reverence, were unable to track him._

 _But now…all of that pride was gone. The man standing over him had broken that pride even more thoroughly than he'd broken Gin's body. He'd toyed with Gin, never once fighting him seriously. Yet he made it clear that any kind of effort was not even needed. Even at his angriest, most desperate, Gin hadn't been able to land a single blow. And, when he'd finally decided that discretion was the better part of valor, and tried to escape, this man had found him effortlessly._

 _"_ _Hurts like a bitch, doesn't it?" asked the man with a cruel chuckle, his lips spread in a gin that seemed almost unnaturally wide on his face. "Turns out that reputation of yours was quite the sham. You're just a brat playing an amped up game of Hide and Seek. All that strength, all that talent, all that experience surviving in these wilds. It didn't amount to a damn thing, did it?"_

 _Gin growled, baring his own teeth, but his expression was no grin._

 _The man merely chuckled again. "Yeah, it hurts. It makes you feel worthless, like you can't even bear the thought of standing up if you might have to endure that kind of pain again in the future. You feel like you just want to die and forget it all. Isn't that how you feel?"_

 _Slowly…painfully…Gin nodded._

 _Somehow, the man's grin widened even further. "Good," he said cheerfully. "I want you to remember this feeling. That's the feeling of_ defeat _. Before long, you and this feeling are gonna be like old friends."_

 _Gin frowned, his eyes narrowing. What was this man talking about?_

 _"_ _Confused, huh," said the man. "I understand. Here's the deal. I'll take you on as my student. In return, not only will you get to survive to fight another day, but I'll make you strong. Maybe someday, you'll be strong enough to knock me down a peg. Won't that be fun?"_

 _Gin's eyes widened and he perked his head forward, despite the fact it sent jolts of pain shooting down his neck._

 _"_ _Ah, interested now, are we?" inquired the man with a laugh. "Good. You've got a lot of talent. The ones with talent are the ones that are the most fun to play with-er-Train!-I mean train."_

 _One of Gin's eyelids began to twitch. Offer of training or not, strong or not, he didn't like this man one bit._

 _"_ _But it ain't gonna be easy," said the man, his smile fading and his tone becoming deadly serious. "Like I said, you and that feeling of defeat are gonna become old friends. You're gonna build yourself up and I'm going to tear you back down. I'll make you start over from square one, again and again… That feeling of defeat is going to sink into your flesh and bones. I'll burn that pride away, and replace it with the drive to persevere, until not even the end of the world itself can stop you." He began to grin again. "So…knowing that, what do you say? You can either take me up on my offer and endure a life of pain in the hopes that you'll someday close the gap between us…or I can end you now, and you won't have to suffer ever again. Those are your choices. So…will you come with me?"_

 _Gin looked up at the man's face. Silence fell, stretching between them. Yet the man showed no signs of impatience. Then…slowly, Gin nodded._

 _"_ _Good!" said the man. "As of now, you're my second apprentice. We're gonna have tons of fun together. You'll see…"_

* * *

 **And so it now becomes clear. This story is actually a variant of a semi-popular sub-genre of RWBY fanfiction, the "Ruby Rose is betrayed by her friends, who resent her for coming to Beacon early," genre. It's considerably less popular than the Number 1 RWBY fanfiction sub-genre of "RWBY, except Jaune is a badass," which, if we're being honest, is a way for fanfic writers to sneak their ultra-cool OC in under the radar, by giving him Jaune's name and basic appearance, ninety-percent of the time. I'm fine with that, as some of them turn out quite good, and even the ones that are maybe not so objectively great still make for entertaining guilty pleasures. But I digress...**

 **In the "Ruby Rose betrayed" fics, Weiss and Pyrrha are usually perpetrators 1 and 2. Weiss is obvious, given her blowup at Ruby, early on in Volume 1. It isn't such a stretch to imagine Weiss shrugging off Port's lecture afterwards, and simply deciding that Weiss knows best, and doing what it takes to get her way. Given that she comes from a family and company known for their shady business practices, it's entirely possible that she's used to seeing the people around her resort to...underhanded...methods to get what they want, and even perceives that as a natural course of action.**

 **As for Pyrrha...well, I once thought about trying to be ambiguous about her reasons for being a part of this, but...that lasted about thirty seconds before I went, "Yeah, no one's gonna fall for that," especially with the groundwork I laid about Ruby's crush on Jaune. After all, if there are two things that are absolutely clear about canon Pyrrha, it's that she's an awesome fighter and...Jaune. As some writers have criticized her for, much of Pyrrha's character centers around her feelings for Jaune, so it's not a huge stretch to see her get a little...possessive...of him. Granted, canon Pyrrha is the girl who encouraged Jaune to be forward and honest about his feelings for Weiss, but that could also be interpreted her as feeling secure that Jaune doesn't have a snowflake's chance in hell with the heiress, whereas, if Ruby started trying to get close to him, that might be more of a legitimate threat to her own chances. Speaking story-wise, it makes for a fun internal-reveal for the characters, but the kind of thing you readers would see coming a mile away, no matter how hard I tried to hide it.**

 **So, as far as these kinds of fics go, this is a fairly standard setup for a Ruby-revenge plot. But I like to think that my execution will give this story its own identity. This is me speaking from a hundred-plus chapters down the road (currently at work on 123), but I think this story will take some unexpected directions.**

 **Next chapter on Saturday.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:**

"What happened to you?" asked Ruby as they made their way back to the inn. "Ayumu told me you'd been a bandit before he and your master found you."

"Pretty much," said Gin. "How much do you know about faunus?"

"Um…not a whole lot," admitted Ruby. "We covered the Revolution during history class. But it's not as though they taught us about faunus themselves. Um…" She paused. "They have good night vision! That's about all I remember."

"Besides the obvious," Gin pointed out, pointing to his own eyes.

"Yeah," said Ruby, blushing in embarrassment. "I mean…my teammate, Blake, is a faunus. But she hid it for months. I know she likes fish. But that's about it. Is that because she's a cat-faunus?"

"Probably," said Gin. "Aside their more obvious traits, a faunus can inherit certain characteristics similar to those of the animal trait they exhibit. If I had to guess, from the sound of things, your friend probably has a very well-developed sense of balance too."

"That's right," said Ruby, nodding eagerly.

Gin smiled at her exuberance and interest. Then he sighed and rolled his eyes upward, folding his arms behind his head as he walked. "The thing is, humans tend to lump us all together into one big group as 'faunus.' But that oversimplifies things to a dangerous degree."

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.

"Aside from your friend, what other kinds of faunus have you encountered or seen?" asked Gin.

"Well, there's Velvet, our upperclassman," said Ruby. "She's a rabbit-faunus. I couldn't see all the animal parts of the White Fang soldiers at the docks, but I think I saw a few different kinds of ears and horns."

"There's a particular thread that ties them all together," said Gin. "Can you guess what it is? Even if it's just the cat and the rabbit…what do they have in common?"

"Um…they have ears?" said Ruby.

Gin snorted, jerking forward as he fought to keep from bursting out laughing. "That's…that's one thing," he said. "But I was aiming for something different. Let me put it differently. Have you ever seen a faunus with traits similar to this?" He held up his right arm to her, scales spreading across the skin of his hand and forearm, almost like a rash.

Ruby frowned. "You mean…like scales?"

Gin nodded. "In other words, a reptile."

"Oh!" said Ruby with a slight jump, now understanding what Gin was getting at. "Blake and Velvet were both mammals-I mean!-they're both mammal-type faunus."

"Exactly," said Gin. "Mammal-faunus are the most prevalent and common. They're the ones that humans tend to encounter the most often. Amongst faunus, they represent the majority. Other faunus types are less common. Ayumu's kind is especially rare."

Ruby stopped so abruptly that Gin tripped when he realized she wasn't next to him anymore, turning to see her standing there, staring at him in utter bafflement. "Ayumu is a faunus?" she said in shock.

Gin blinked then gasped slightly. "Oh! Right! I forgot! Ayumu's main trait isn't very visible, especially since he wears long sleeves." He rubbed the back of his head. "It isn't that he hides it, but he doesn't make it a point to proclaim himself a faunus either. Half the time, he doesn't realize that nearly everyone mistakes him for a human."

"So…he's not hiding it like Blake was?" asked Ruby.

"Not deliberately," said Gin. "Those are just his preferred clothes. His faunus trait happens to be on his arms. Ayumu's an avian-faunus."

"Avian…a bird!" said Ruby, her eyes going wide.

Gin nodded. "You can ask him to show you when we get back. He doesn't mind."

"So…avian faunus are rare," said Ruby, deciding to guide Gin's explanation back to its original track.

Gin nodded slowly. "For the most part, they're also the main exception to faunus having good night vision. Unless an avian-faunus is an owl-faunus, their night vision is no better than a human's."

"Oh…" said Ruby.

"Anyway," said Gin as the started walking again, "in terms of population, after mammal-faunus come reptilian-faunus-"

"Like you?" interrupted Ruby, before cringing at her own rudeness.

"Well…I'm technically a reptilian, but I'm a special case. We'll get to that in a moment." He coughed. "Anyway, after reptilian-faunus come avian-faunus, like Ayumu. There's also fish and amphibian-faunus. Then, there are the arthropods, insect and arachnid-faunus."

"Y-you mean…there are bug-faunus?" said Ruby with a shiver.

"Yeah," said Gin. "Though it's considered to be impolite to call them bug-faunus. They like to at least be differentiated by what kind of arthropod traits they have."

"Oh," said Ruby.

"And it can get just as disturbing as you're probably thinking about," added Gin. "Some are born with bug-eyes. Others have pincers or extra limbs."

Ruby felt her skin crawling at the thought of it.

Gin frowned. "No one is sure why the different categories shake out that way, in terms of numbers, though some believe that it's because faunus are mostly human otherwise, that other mammals are more like humans than the other types, thus their prevalence. It's a bit pointless right now either way.

"The point is that, while many humans may discriminate against faunus as a whole, the truth of the matter is that faunus are perfectly capable of discriminating against each other, based on their type."

"I never even realized," said Ruby.

"Most humans don't," said Gin with a wry snort, streams of mist issuing from his nostrils. "It's another reason faunus weren't happy about being 'given' Menagerie as a reward for their efforts during the Great War. It isn't just that humans tried to confine faunus to their own continent, it's that they didn't give a damn about mashing all those different types of faunus together without regard for the distinctions we draw between ourselves."

"That's awful!" gasped Ruby. "But…isn't that racism just as bad?"

"Maybe," said Gin ambivalently. "But it's hard to shake. Insects and arachnids have it especially bad, partly because they have the lowest population, but because of the more obvious reasons too. Even I shudder when I think of the kind of traits some of them have. There are plenty of arachnophobes amongst most other varieties of faunus, so life for a spider-faunus can be hell."

"But what does it have to do with you?" asked Ruby. "You said you were a special case, right?"

Gin's smile now took on a bitter quality. "My faunus-type is even rarer than insects or arachnids. According to Ayumu and Master Yu, my kind have an incidence of one in ten-million amongst faunus." Once again, scales emerged across his forearms, both of them this time. "I'm what is known as a dragon-faunus. My kind are practically a myth."

For a few moments, Ruby and Gin walked in silence, Gin wondering what was going through her head. Then Ruby blurted out, "Wait! If that's true…if you're a dragon-faunus…does that mean dragons are real?"

Now it was Gin's turn to stop abruptly and trip Ruby up. When Ruby turned to look at him, Gin snorted, then burst out laughing so hard that he began to curl up, holding his stomach. Ruby blushed furiously, wondering why her question was so funny.

"S-seriously," said Gin, wiping a tear away from his eye. "I drop a massive bombshell...and that's the first question that comes to mind?"

Ruby's eyelid twitched, then she planted her fists on her hips and glared at Gin. "It's not that funny," she groused.

"Sorry," said Gin, reining in his mirth. "It's just…all the times someone's learned about that, and not once has anyone ever asked that before." He took a deep breath to calm himself down before continuing. "But…I honestly have no idea if dragons are real. I've certainly never seen one myself."

"Oh…" said Ruby. "But…isn't it really cool? I mean…you have those scales. Bruno's weapon couldn't even scratch them."

To her surprise, Gin blushed furiously at the praise, looking more embarrassed than she'd ever seen him act. He looked away, kicking at the stones of the street they were standing on, the red of his cheeks spreading nearly to encompass his entire face. "Thank you," he said, his voice barely audible.

"Huh?" said Ruby, blinking in confusion. She didn't think that it was all that unusual compliment. She would have loved to have natural armor like Gin's.

"The truth is…a lot of other faunus don't feel that way," said Gin with a sigh. "It isn't just scales though. Dragon-faunus, like me, are born with above-average strength and endurance. Ayumu and Master Yu aren't sure, but they think it may be the reason for my strong…constitution…as well. As far as we know, my kind have a natural inclination for combat as well."

"As far as you know…?" said Ruby, canting her head.

Gin tapped his forehead. "One in ten-million, remember? The number of other historically-recorded dragon-faunus can be counted on one hand. The one thing that is definitely known about them is that they were born fighters…which is putting it nicely. Historical accounts often depict them as outright monsters."

"Monsters?" said Ruby.

Gin looked down, once again kicking at the stones of the street. "We…I…have issues with temper. I used to get angry very easily before Master Yu taught me to rein it in. It helps that Ayumu isn't the sort to push a person's buttons, if he doesn't have a reason to dislike them. He's very easy to get along with."

"I noticed," said Ruby with a giggle.

Gin smiled at her agreement, but the smile soon faded and his eyes drifted away from hers again. "Enough humans call us 'beasts' and 'animals' as it is. But, amongst our fellow faunus, a dragon-faunus is considered especially…animalistic. You could say that we're the embodiment of the worst stereotypes humans have for us."

"What?" said Ruby in utter confusion. "But you're not like that at all," she said.

"You didn't see me when I was little," said Gin. "I had a short fuse. I don't know who my parents are, which isn't that uncommon. I lived in an orphanage on Menagerie with a bunch of other kids, mostly mammal-faunus. The staff were all mammals. At first, no one was sure what type of faunus I was, which wasn't all that surprising. These eyes aren't exclusive to reptiles." He tapped the corner of his slit-pupilled eye for emphasis. "But I had a bad rep. I was always getting into fights with the other kids. It didn't take a lot to set me off. That wasn't much of an indicator in and of itself. Plenty of other faunus, or humans for that matter, are like that too. But, when I was around four, my scales and claws appeared for the first time.

"It didn't help that it happened during one of my dust-ups with another child. I ended up scratching him pretty badly, almost disemboweling him actually. I was just as shocked as the adults were when it happened. Once they realized what I really was, most of them decided that they needed to get rid of me."

"What?" gasped Ruby, horrified.

Gin shrugged. "Well, it's not surprising, considering what the few previous dragon-faunus were known for. One fought during the Revolution, and apparently turned the tide of a couple important battles. But that was overshadowed by the piles of corpses she left in her wake. Going back further, another dragon-faunus was caught and 'tamed' by Mantle's forces during the Great War, and ended up doing some serious damage to one of Vale's armies before he was brought down. By and large, dragon-faunus are considered monsters…even by other faunus."

"That's awful," protested Ruby. "It sounds like the one that fought during the Revolution should have been considered a hero. You're not monsters."

"Well, history is in the eye of the beholder," said Gin. "But, for those few years after I left the orphanage, I was a monster."

"I can't believe they just wanted to kick you out," said Ruby.

"That was the minority opinion," said Gin with a shrug, to Ruby's relief. However, her relief was quickly dispelled by what he said next. "The majority were in favor of just killing me to make sure I didn't hurt anyone else. The only person who stood up for me was the closest person I had to an actual mother among the caretakers. Her name was Rosa.

"When it became clear that she couldn't persuade the other caretakers to keep me, or at least not kill me, Rosa took it on herself to save me. One night, she smuggled me aboard a merchant ship bound for Anima, and hid me amongst the cargo. She wasn't able to go with me, but she told me that I had to survive, no matter what."

"I'm glad," said Ruby, reaching out with her hand on impulse to take Gin's. Gin flinched at the sudden contact, but didn't pull away. He began to retract his scales and claws, but Ruby stopped him. "I want a closer look," she said, pulling up his arm so that she could see them better, even tracing her fingers along the scales and feeling their contours, making Gin blush furiously.

"A-anyway…that was where it began," said Gin. "I took Rosa's words to heart, though not in the way I think she intended me to. I decided to do whatever it took to survive. Of course…I still had that short fuse. I had plenty of reasons to be angry, and no one to teach me how to manage all that anger. So I vented it on anyone and everyone and took whatever I needed." He stared at his feet. "I really was a monster…"

* * *

 _"_ _Mommy! Daddy!"_

 _Gin stifled a grimace as he pawed through the family's cargo. The simple wagon had come from a farm, by the looks of it. That had given Gin hope that he might find vegetables or meat. Unfortunately, most of what the family had been carrying was grain. Gin didn't like grain, not on its own anyway. It was filling, but always tasted so bland. He didn't know how to use it to make bread or any of the other things that had been served at the orphanage._

 _The child's cries continued to annoy him. The boy, only a couple years younger than Gin himself, crouched beside the unmoving bodies of his parents. Gin didn't know if they were dead or alive...and didn't care either way. What mattered was that he was hungry. Breaking open a sack revealed the family's traveling supplies, which included dried meat and fruit, amongst other things. Considering they had packed for a family of three to be on the road for a week or more, it was a treasure trove to a single boy, like Gin, who'd picked them off early into their journey, before they could consume much of it._

 _The boy's cries got louder, getting on Gin's nerves even more. With an angry growl, he turned away from his acquisitions to find the boy within arms' reach. "Shut up!" he snapped, lashing out with one clawed hand, three of his claws cutting through the skin along the boy's neck. The boy had leaned back, barely avoiding having his throat and arteries slashed. He collapsed with a pained whimper, hands going over his mouth._

 _The source of irritation silenced, Gin turned back to going over his plunder...only to stop when he heard new sounds, but not from the boy this time. They were coming from the direction of the nearest settlement, the one the family had set out from. Straining his ears, Gin could hear worried shouts. Someone must have noticed something. Maybe the boy's cries had carried farther than Gin had thought. Either way, people were coming, likely armed people._

 _Gin could fight, had fought before, but didn't fell like risking it if he could avoid it. He would have liked to see if he could find more food amongst the family's cargo, but decided against pressing his luck. Hoisting the satchel containing what he'd already found, Gin turned and dashed into the foliage, putting as much distance between himself and the rescue party as he could._

 _The boy was left alone, still beside the unmoving bodies of his parents._

* * *

"I didn't care who I hurt, or if the people I preyed on lived or died," said Gin.

"What changed?" asked Ruby. "You seem like a completely different person now."

"Well, Master Yu found me," said Gin. "When he beat me down, I got my first taste of what it was like to be one of my victims. You could say he taught me empathy, what it was like to be completely helpless, and to have your life hang in the hands of another. That wasn't really his intention at the time, but that was one of the things I got from it." He sighed. "When I realized what I'd been doing to other people…it made me sick. I…I wanted to change."

"And you did," said Ruby with a smile, still tracing her fingers along the edges of his scales. "From the sound of things, the you from before wouldn't have cared if you found me. You'd probably just run through my pockets to see if I had anything worth taking."

"Probably," said Gin.

"But you saved me," said Ruby. "You looked after me. Even now, you're still taking care of me, even though you don't really have to anymore."

Gin's blush returned and intensified. "W-well…we couldn't just leave you now, considering what you've been through…"

"Thank you," said Ruby, meshing the fingers of hand with his as they resumed their walk.

"Well…anyway…I understand a bit of what you're going through," said Gin, looking up at Ruby, "particularly what it feels like to be beaten like that…which brings us back to our original track. You're reluctant to return because you don't feel like you can face the ones who tried to kill you, unless you're strong enough to turn the tables on them this time. Is that it?"

Slowly, Ruby nodded.

Gin pursed his lips. "Well…That gives me an idea. But I'm not sure it's a good one."

"What is it?" asked Ruby.

"Ayumu and I have already been teaching you how to manifest your Aura," said Gin. "If you wanted to travel with us for a while, we could continue your teaching and help you become stronger, maybe strong enough to face them."

"That…" Ruby paused, thinking it over. "That'd be great!" she said, her eyes sparkling. "I'd love to learn how to do what Ayumu does. That'd be amazing! Are you sure it'll be okay?"

"Well, I am the one who suggested it," said Gin. "But we'll run it by Ayumu once we get back to the inn."

* * *

"I certainly have no complaints," said Ayumu cheerfully as Gin and Ruby told him about their idea. However, then his smile faded and he fixed Ruby with one of the most serious expressions she'd ever seen him wear. "However…are you absolutely certain of this?"

When Ruby and Gin had first arrived at the tavern, the very first thing Ruby had done was ask, as politely as she could, if she could see Ayumu's faunus trait. Ayumu had gladly shown her, pulling back his sleeves to reveal arms decorated with what, at first, looked like standard arm-hair. But, upon closer inspection, Ruby realized that they were small, soft, downy feathers.

 _"Nothing as spectacular or convenient as wings,"_ Ayumu had said wryly.

Now Ruby and Gin had run Gin's suggestion past Ayumu, in order to get his input on it, and figure out where to go from there.

"Huh?" Ruby blinked in confusion. "I think so…Do you think I can't learn it?"

Immediately, Ayumu's smile returned. "No! That's not it at all. If anything, I think you could learn the art of manifesting and materializing your Aura in record time. That isn't what I was referring to." Then that smile vanished again. "I was referring to your family, those no doubt either out of their minds with worry over your fate, or grieving over your 'death.' The time that this training will take is all the more time that they will have to spend believing that you are no longer of this world. Eventually, once the truth comes to light, there are probably those who will judge you harshly for letting them suffer so much. Are you all right with letting them continue to believe that you are gone for so long?"

"I…" Ruby swallowed. This had been the most troubling aspect of this idea to her. But she couldn't exactly announce her survival to just her family and ask them to pretend she was dead. Even the process of going through the channels necessary to contact them would probably expose her, particularly to those who had gone through so much trouble to try and kill her in the first place.

"It would be very selfish of you, Ms. Ruby," said Ayumu. "That being said…Gin and I have both indulged our own selfishness many times throughout our lives, so we will not judge you for that. However, I wonder how you may judge yourself, when the time comes."

Ruby swallowed hard, a sweat breaking out on her forehead. She wasn't overly worried about Yang. Yang was strong. And Yang would probably forgive her easily, even for making her believe that she was dead for a time. But her father… Ruby couldn't help but imagine him once again in that state, surrounded by empty liquor bottles as he wallowed in his grief, barely able to even greet the day. What if he was already like that right now?

As she fretted, Ruby felt her face growing hotter, sweat forming on her brow. She was so absorbed by her conundrum that she didn't notice that Gin had gotten up and moved to stand behind her, until his hand reached around to rest on her forehead, the touch of his cool skin a relief to her.

"Don't get too worked up over it," said Gin softly. "If it takes you a little extra time to decide, then take as much as you need."

"Thank you…" said Ruby with a soft sigh, leaning back, basking in the sensation.

She didn't notice Ayumu beaming at Gin, who began to blush, especially when Tawny approached the table to refill their water glasses, and tittered quietly at the sight.

"Feel better?" asked Gin as he finally removed his hand and sat back down.

"Yes, thank you," replied Ruby with a blush of her own.

Feeling calmer, she once again turned her mind to the conundrum that Ayumu had presented. It was wrong to worry her family and friends, those who were her real friends anyway, and let them think she was dead for too long. She was especially concerned about her father. Yet, at the same time, she didn't want to face Weiss and Pyrrha until she was certain she could do so as an equal, if not their superior. _If only there was someone I could talk to…someone who knows how to keep a secret but-_

Ruby's eyes widened and she stood up with a gasp, before yelping as she banged her legs against the side of the table, causing her water glass to tip and splash, almost spilling entirely. Fortunately, it settled after splashing the table around it, while Ruby groaned and rubbed her legs, Gin moving to check if she was all right.

"Did something occur to you?" asked Ayumu, unruffled by her sudden outburst.

"I think I know who to talk to," said Ruby. Then she frowned. "If I can get in touch with him, that is…"

That evening, after finishing dinner, Ruby immediately went to Brandywine's CCT center and asked them to pass a message to Signal Academy, asking them to arrange a call appointment with one Qrow Branwen.

* * *

"So, how is work on the wall going?" asked Ruby after she returned to the tavern, to find Ayumu and Gin waiting for her, enjoying some tea.

"It's been a wonder and a weight off everyone's minds," said Tawny proudly, answering on their behalf. "They worked as hard as anyone. A few Grimm rushed the wall during the day, but these two dealt with them without even really breaking stride."

"Ah…It's a bit embarrassing to have you flatter us like that," said Ayumu, blushing under Tawny's praise, making the waitress and Ruby giggle, seeing as such a reaction was so rare from him. Gin's blush was something Ruby was more accustomed to seeing. But it amused her all the same. "In any case, they estimate that repairs will be finished in about a week. That should also be the amount of time it takes for any stragglers called in by the previous mood to reach the settlement for us to deal with."

"The mayor is pleased as punch," commented the innkeeper, passing by. "He keeps pressing on what kind of reward you might like."

"Ah, well…seeing as this is our way of paying for our stay, we figure that continued accommodations are sufficient," said Ayumu, while Gin nodded.

"What about you?" asked Tawny, turning to Ruby while the innkeeper moved on.

"Me?" said Ruby, pointing to herself. "But…I haven't really done anything." It was true that she'd been part of the battle with Team BRWN. But she'd mostly been a bystander. Her brief exchanged with Whitney hadn't accomplished anything, aside from jarring her memory. While the boys had been helping with the wall, she'd been wandering around the settlement in a daze, probably getting underfoot without even realizing it.

"That's not true," said Tawny, resting her hands on Ruby's shoulders. "You were the one who protected me that night. _I_ owe you, if no one else. After everything you've been through, you deserve some kind of reward."

"Well…" Ruby hesitated. Ayumu and Gin's request of food and accommodations was ludicrously humble compared to what she felt she needed…or rather…would need in the future. "It's…No. Forget it."

"Tell me," said Tawny plaintively, looking Ruby squarely in the eyes.

Ruby considered turning her down, but realized that Tawny was the sort of person who wouldn't budge until she heard what Ruby needed…or wanted, in this case. _She's a bit like Yang like that._

"I…I need a new scroll," said Ruby. "My last one was broken when I fell."

"Oh! Is that all?" asked Tawny. "Why didn't you say so? That's easy to take care of."

"Huh?" Ruby stared at her in confusion. "But wouldn't that be expensive?" Scrolls weren't exactly cheap. Even the simplest model would probably be worth enough to cover a few days, if not a whole week at the inn on its own.

"Honey, it's not a big deal," said Tawny. "I'll let the mayor know, and he'll write a waiver so that the budget will cover the expense of a new scroll, and you can take that to the CCT center to get it."

"B-but-" Ruby was cut off when a slender, gentle hand rested on top of her head, fingers gently combing through her hair. She turned to see Ayumu smiling at her.

"Sometimes, the best way to repay someone for their kindness is to simply accept their goodwill," he said.

"All right," said Ruby after a moment's hesitation.

"Good," said Tawny. "I'll let the mayor know."

She bustled off, leaving Ruby to settle at the table with her friends. "And what about your call?" asked Ayumu.

"I don't know how long it will take," said Ruby. "Uncle Qrow teaches at Signal. But he goes off on missions a lot, sometimes for months at a time. Dad says that it's a miracle that he still has tenure."

"And you trust him?" asked Gin, raising an eyebrow.

"Absolutely!" said Ruby without hesitation. "Uncle Qrow's the one who taught me how to fight. I was garbage until he took me on."

"I somehow doubt that you were garbage," said Gin wryly, making Ruby blush.

"And you believe that he will be able to help?" pressed Ayumu.

Ruby nodded fervently. "Uncle Qrow doesn't talk a lot about what his missions are about. But it's always shady, top-secret stuff."

"I see," said Gin. "So, if there was anyone who could cover for your absence in a way that would mitigate the suffering of those close to you, it would be him."

Ruby nodded again.

"Well, we'll be here for a week longer, at least," said Ayumu. "Hopefully, that will be enough time for him to answer your call."

* * *

The very next morning, Tawny approached their table and, even before taking their breakfast orders, presented Ruby with the waiver the mayor had penned for her, promising to cover the cost of a new scroll.

"And he doesn't want you to stint on the cost," said Tawny. "This is carte blanche for any model you choose."

"Huh?" said Ruby, looking in shock at the simple slip of paper in her hand.

"We may be a little backwater that mostly grows tomatoes, but our exports are popular with some pretty wealthy people," said Tawny. "The CCT center has some of the best and latest models from Atlas, even if no one in town can really afford or wants to buy them."

"But if you want full CCT access, you'll need to register the scroll and its number under your name," said Ayumu after Tawny had walked out of earshot. "It increases the chances of someone you don't want to finding out about your survival."

Ruby nodded gravely, not sure how she'd handle that. Still, she figured she'd best not waste time. As soon as Ayumu and Gin set out to help with the wall, Ruby headed for the CCT center to pick up her scroll.

* * *

The receptionist was polite as always, cheerful to finally be at work after being forced to languish at home under the forced "vacation" she'd been sent on when Whitney had taken over the CCT. During that time, she hadn't been able to log her hours, which meant she couldn't get paid. Now that her finances were secure, she was more than happy to help Ruby with her selection. When Ruby explained what she was there for, the receptionist was happy to display their selection of scrolls.

"I recommend this one," she said cheerfully, pointing to a slim, sleek model that was only slightly thicker than the one Ruby had had at Beacon. "If you've got your choice of models, this is the best one on the market. Its range is about twenty-three percent greater than the next model down. It has full tablet functionality, and even a built-in holographic projector."

Ruby had to fight to keep herself from drooling. She was unquestionably a techie, even if her overall interests were focused more on blades and bullets than scrolls. Hearing the receptionist list the features made her want to jump up and down and shout "I want it! I want it! I want it!" over and over again. At the same time, she tried to rein herself in. This favor was being done for her out of the generosity of practically everyone in town. Could she really accept a gift, considering that it was way more extravagant than anything she'd set her sights on?

The receptionist smiled warmly at her. "This is the best choice I can offer you," she said. "We all wish the best for you, even if we don't actually know what you're going through."

Ruby's cheeks heated up at the woman's kindness. Ayumu's words echoed in the back of her mind. _"Sometimes, the best way to repay someone for their kindness is to accept their goodwill."_ Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Ruby opened them and smiled gratefully at the receptionist. "Does it come in red?" she asked politely.

* * *

That night, at the tavern, Ruby showed off her new scroll to Ayumu, Gin, and Tawny, the latter expressing admiration and playful faux-jealousy at Ruby's choice.

"It's wonderful," said Tawny with a grin. "I'm tempted to steal it from you."

"Did you register it?" asked Gin as Tawny walked away to serve another table.

Ruby shook her head. "Not yet," she admitted. "I asked the receptionist about it. She said I can get local functionality from it without registering it, even if I can't get full network access." Then she frowned darkly. "I don't want Weiss and Pyrrha finding out that I'm still out there."

"Well…that's a conundrum for another time," said Ayumu. "Hopefully, your other arrangements will pan out and you can get in touch with your uncle before we leave."

"If not, we'll just alter the message to let him know the next settlement we visit and our expected time of arrival," said Gin.

"But what settlement will we be visiting?" asked Ruby, looking between her friends.

"Well…about that…" said Ayumu. "Seeing as we didn't plan on where to go after we left Brandywine, I figured we'd tailor our travel plans to suit our overall purpose."

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.

"Uh…It would be more helpful if I had a map," said Ayumu.

Ruby's eyes widened and she grinned. "I can take care of that," she said eagerly. Taking her new scroll and opening it up into its tablet mode, she set it on the table. "Shelly, open _Maps_ on the projector."

A beam spread up from the tablet's screen, creating a floating screen in midair, which resolved itself into a floating picture of a map of Remnant. Reaching up, Ruby used her fingers to interface with the image, almost as though she were touching a real object, turning the image so that it lay parallel to the table's surface, floating just barely above the scroll itself.

"Shelly?" said Gin, raising an eyebrow.

Ruby giggled and blushed shyly. "That's the A.I. assistant," said Ruby. "It lets the scroll respond to voice commands. It's not very sophisticated, but simple commands like this are easy for it."

"Nifty," said Gin.

Ruby nodded. "Does this help?" she asked, looking at Ayumu.

"Quite a bit," said Ayumu. "Can you bring up the area around Vale, including where we are?"

Ruby nodded, once again reaching out with her fingers to manipulate the image. It responded much like a touchscreen, allowing her to zoom in and fix the focus on Brandywine and Vale, zooming in as much as close as she could, while keeping both locations on the screen. Zooming in allowed the map to display a more detailed image, with names and dots appearing, indicating the locations of the settlements between Brandywine and Vale.

"Very handy," said Ayumu. He examined the image. "May I…?" he asked.

Ruby nodded and Ayumu reached out with a finger, touching an indicator at the edge of the holographic screen, allowing him to trace a line across the map with his finger, creating a route. "Basically, my idea is for us to make our way towards Vale. We'll move from settlement to settlement as we go. On foot, at our best pace, we should be able to reach Vale in about two to three months, factoring in how long we might spend at the settlements we visit."

Then he looked up at Ruby. "During that time, we'll train you to the best of our abilities. I believe you'll be able to become at least proficient in materialization in that time. At the same time, we'll help you hone your fighting skills to better prepare you to face Weiss and Pyrrha."

Ruby blinked, thinking it over. The more she thought about it, the more she liked this plan. It covered all her goals at once. Of course she wanted to return to Vale. But, at the same time, she felt hesitant to return until she was truly ready to face Pyrrha and Weiss. Doing it like this gave her time, but not what she feared might be too much time. It also basically set a deadline for her. That was probably best, or she feared she might waffle over the question of whether or not to make contact forever.

She didn't notice the suspicious glance Gin threw Ayumu's way.

"I like it," she said, looking up at Ayumu.

"Good," said Ayumu cheerfully. "Then that's the plan for now. That would make our next destination…let's see…Weathertop. He pointed at the spot on the map. "We can make it in about a week and a half on foot."

"All right," said Ruby eagerly.

* * *

They spent the next hour plotting out their general course. Ruby was even more excited when she found the setting that allowed the projector to display in three dimensions, now allowing the map to show the topography of the terrain along their route.

Eventually, Ruby found herself yawning and she decided it was time for her to go to bed. She left ahead of Ayumu and Gin, who told her they intended to hash out their plans a little bit more before joining her in the room.

"Two to three months, huh?" asked Gin, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Ayumu. "Why do I get the feeling that you and I won't be her only teachers?"

"I think it's merely inevitable," said Ayumu, his expression sobering. "Let's be honest. Going by how long since we've seen him last, we're actually overdue for Master Yu to meet back up with us again. If anything, I suspect he may be in the area already."

"So you think he's hanging around?" asked Gin.

"I'd bet," said Ayumu.

"Wonder why he hasn't shown his face then?" muttered Gin. "I doubt he'd care if he upset the townspeople by showing up and being…well… _himself_."

"Probably because he realizes the reasons behind our staying," said Ayumu. "He'd be annoyed if we stayed longer to reassure people after he showed up and was…himself…" he flapped his hand in a vague gesture. "Though he'll probably be less reserved if we take too long. That's why we should leave as soon as we're finished helping with the wall."

"And you want him to teach Ruby?" asked Gin, snorting streams of mist from his nostrils.

"Well…I certainly expect him to propose taking her on," said Ayumu with a forced frown of his own. "If she accepts…well…then that's her choice. If not, then we help her as best we can while enduring Master Yu's lessons until he wanders off again. It shouldn't be too long. He's been spending less and less time around us lately."

"I still can't figure if that's a good or a bad thing," mused Gin.

"It probably means that he feels that we're reaching the limits of what he can teach directly," said Ayumu. "He's confident in our ability to manage on our own, so he wants experience to be our teacher now…at least I hope that's the case."

"Yeah, me too," said Gin with a frown. "The only other reason I could think of is that he's getting bored. That would be bad."

"Indeed," agreed Ayumu. "Master Yu is at his most dangerous when he's bored."

* * *

The week pressed on. Now that her course was settled, Ruby was feeling lest conflicted and lost, and more energetic. She began helping Tawny around the tavern, joining her when she shopped for groceries or picked up deliveries from the airship docks. Tawny was plainly surprised that a girl who looked as slight as Ruby did was capable of carrying heavy loads that she couldn't lift herself. Ruby also helped in the common room, carrying tables or taking away dirty dishes to be washed, sometimes helping with the washing, recalling fond memories of helping Yang clean up after family meals. At Ruby's request, Tawny was even willing to show her the ropes, when it came to waiting tables. After a couple of days, Ruby found herself working alongside Tawny in the evenings, much to the appreciation of the townsfolk.

As the proposed day of their departure drew nearer, Ruby began to get a little more nervous. Despite everything going so well, there was one matter that bothered her. Then, the day before they were planning to leave, Ruby's scroll pinged with a signal from the local CCT center, telling her that Qrow Branwen was waiting on the line.

Quickly, Ruby excused herself and rushed down to the CCT center. The receptionist directed her into the elevator, which took her up to the call center, where Ruby sat down at the assigned terminal.

The screensaver, a revolving image of Vale's emblem, remained for a moment. During that time, Ruby found herself fretting nervously. What would she say when she finally saw her uncle again? What would he say when he saw her? What if he was angry with her?

The screen flickered and the screensaver was replaced by the image of her uncle Qrow, the sight of his familiar face making Ruby smile. He looked just as she remembered, his graying, black hair just as messy and spiky as ever, with bangs that draped down over his forehead. His narrow eyes were a dull, red color, while the stubble on his angled chin looked a bit thicker than she remembered. Aside from that, he was dressed as he usually was, wearing the familiar white shirt and the edges of the red cape he wore over his shoulders.

His expression was disinterested, not even really looking at the screen. That was understandable. Ruby had kept her original message anonymous to avoid tipping her hand until she could speak to him directly. Her greatest fear was that he would dismiss the notion of the message being from her as either a prank or, worse, an insult.

"All right, whoever you are," said Qrow, pulling out a silver flask and unscrewing the top. "It was a pain to track down a call center this far out in the boonies, so you'd better get to the point quick. I'm tired and I hate wasting my time."

"Uncle Qrow!" said Ruby, her excitement getting the better of her and finding its way into her voice, unable to keep an exuberant grin from her face as she made contact with a member of her family for the first time in at least a month.

Unfortunately…her timing could have been better. Right before she'd spoken, Qrow had raised the flask to his lips and taken a deep pull of the contents. As soon as he heard Ruby's voice, his disinterested manner vanished. His lips still attached to the mouth of the flask, his eyes shifted to look at her…

…Then his entire body jolted as he practically flung the container away, forgetting about it, grabbing the edge of the desk of his terminal. His eyes bulged, then his cheeks. A second later, the amber liquid that had been in his flask spewed out from between his lips in a broad spray, right at the screen. Then his face vanished in static, which was then replaced by a black screen with an error message indicating that the signal had been lost at the other end.

Ruby's eyelid twitched and her grin took on a nervous, uneven quality. "Heh heh…Whoops."

* * *

 **Hey...guys...Wait! Where's everybody going?**

 **Admittedly, I'm optimistic enough to believe that, if you're still with me so far, then you've probably already read between the lines, concerning the hints I dropped in previous chapters (having Ayumu refer to Gin's faunus-type as "mythical" is another of my "subtle as a brick" moments), and figured it out for yourself, even before Gin outright stated it. I admit that even I knew that making a character a dragon-faunus would pretty much be an automatic Marty-Stu red-flag. To be honest, I'm a bit more surprised I haven't seen more such stories around the fandom. But I guess that even the most inept authors know better...I never claimed to know better...or rather, I _do_ know better, and do it anyway.**

 **It's my hope that I've shown off enough of Gin's particular quirks and limitations that he doesn't automatically come off as some god-mode Marty-Stu to you guys. I hope he's grown enough on all of you that you don't immediately abandon the story.**

 **Now onto future things.**

 **When I was writing this story, one of the things I waffled over was how to work in how things were going on the Beacon-side of things. At first, I had thought of alternating chapters, doing one with Ruby and the boys, then going back to Beacon for the next. However, I opted out of that, mainly because I suck at coordinating disparate events along a coherent timeline. I suppose that wouldn't have been a huge deal, but I ultimately decided upon a simpler approach.**

 **So I decided upon what I call the Tolkien Method. If you've read _The Lord of the Rings_ , then you've seen this at work. In the second and third books, when Tolkien split each book into two smaller "books," he did so in order to to follow the two separate main narrative threads of the story. One book follows the adventures of Aragorn and Company, while the other follows Frodo and Sam. The two storylines are taking place concurrently, but are written out separately. That's the approach I decided to take with this story.**

 **What that means is that we'll follow the current narrative arc of Ruby's journey back to Beacon for several more chapters. After that, we'll dodge back in time, and go over to Beacon and see what's going on there. I hope that works for everyone. If you've been wanting to know about that, then look forward to it. If you haven't been wanting to know...I'm sorry...I guess. It does mean that Ruby's presence will take an extended leave of absence from the story while that's taking place, so I hope that isn't a deal-breaker for anyone.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13:**

"I'm terribly sorry, Ms. Rose," said the receptionist, her face appearing on the screen. "There appears to have been a connection issue on the other end."

"It's okay," said Ruby, already knowing exactly what the problem was.

"I will try to re-establish contact," said the receptionist.

"It's all right," said Ruby, unable to keep a slight giggle from her voice. "I think they'll be calling back any minute now.'

The receptionist paused and then looked down at something outside of Ruby's field of vision. "You're right," she said quickly. "I'll put it through now."

"Thank you," said Ruby.

The screen flickered, the receptionist being replaced with the image of her uncle once more. Qrow was hunched forward, not even bothering to sit down, his eyes glued to the screen. "Ruby! Is that really you?"

Ruby laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of her head. "H-hey there, Uncle Qrow. Yeah…It's me."

Qrow stared at her through the screen for an uncomfortably long moment, before blinking once. "Well…I'll be damned," he said, slumping down into his seat. "It really is you. I can't believe you're alive, kiddo."

"So…everyone thinks I'm dead?" posed Ruby.

"You're darn right everyone does," said Qrow.

"I thought so," said Ruby quietly, looking down.

"All right, Rosebud, you've got some explaining to do," said Qrow, leaning in, the look on his face taking on a dangerous quality, a look she had rarely ever seen on her uncle's face, given his easygoing nature, a look that practically screamed she was in a world of trouble. "Do you have any idea what your sister and dad are going through?"

"Are they okay?" asked Ruby, her heart shuddering at the thought.

"They're…coping," said Qrow, running his fingers through his hair, only messing it up further. "So am I, when it comes to it. Yang and I were worried that Tai would end up suffering a relapse. But he's holding it together…barely."

"And Yang…?" pressed Ruby.

"She's doing better," said Qrow. "'Course, that's 'cause she's got her and your friends at Beacon to help her through it. But she was crying the whole way through your funeral."

"My funeral…" said Ruby, feeling sick to her stomach. "You held…a funeral for me?"

"Yeah…well…that's what you do for someone who's supposed to be dead," said Qrow with a resigned wistfulness, before his expression hardened again, "which brings us back to the question of what the hell is going on here?"

"It's…it's a long story," said Ruby. "A lot happened? What were you told?"

Qrow's eyes narrowed. "According to Yang, you went off with two of your friends to scout the perimeter during that excursion you were on. Your friends said you three were ambushed by a detached force of Grimm. The noise of the battle must have drawn the main group, which caused them to rush right into your camp. Weiss and Pyrrha managed to fight their way back, saying that the Grimm had overrun you and knocked you off a cliff. They had to beat a retreat and call back the bullhead. The whole mission was a wash. That's what they said, anyway."

"Yeah…That's what my friends…" Ruby practically spat the word from her mouth. "…would say happened."

Qrow raised an eyebrow, though his eyes only narrowed further. "I'm starting to think someone wasn't telling the truth. So you weren't ambushed?"

"Oh, I was ambushed all right," said Ruby, an angry growl rising in her throat. "But Weiss and Pyrrha lied about _who_ did the ambushing."

That made her uncle jolt upright, his eyes widening. "Wait! Are you saying…?"

"Weiss and Pyrrha tried to kill me," said Ruby, the familiar, sickening feeling rising in her stomach, making her want to throw up. Finally saying it to someone she knew would be on her side, to a member of her own family, caused a feeling of sorrow mixed with relief well up within her. She'd thought she'd gotten over it enough. But, as she said those words, her eyes spilled over with tears and she sagged down in front of the terminal with a choking sob. "They tried to kill me, Uncle Qrow! Pyrrha tore Crescent Rose apart right in front of me! She cut my stomach open! Weiss almost stabbed me in the heart!"

Qrow's jaw dropped, a look of absolute horror washing across his face. "Oh, Ruby," he said softly. "Why the hell would they do that to you?"

"Weiss said…" Ruby had to pause and regather her composure. Wiping her eyes, she looked up again. "Weiss said…that me coming to Beacon was an insult, that it was unfair to all the people who'd worked so hard to train and go through Combat Schools to earn the right to attend and Professor Ozpin just handed me a spot. She said I shouldn't have been team leader…that it would be better if I disappear."

The only thing Qrow's next expression could be called was "pure wrath." A low growl rose in his throat, one that Ruby swore she could feel across the connection, even though he was in another part of Remnant entirely. "Why that little…And I thought her big sister was an ice queen…"

As intimidating as it was, his anger was actually reassuring for Ruby. She'd been prepared for some degree of reluctance to accept her version of events. That her uncle had accepted what she'd had to say without reservation was a relief, making her feel that a tremendous weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"And you're saying that Little Ms. Golden Girl, Pyrrha Nikos, was in on this too," said Qrow. "Now that's hard to swallow."

"I know," said Ruby. "I don't understand it either. She…she's always so modest. She's said she hates her fame. But then she…"

"Well…the celebrity life can mess people up pretty good," said Qrow with a sigh. "Who knows. Oz isn't gonna be happy to hear about this." He snarled wordlessly, baring his teeth at no one in particular. "Right now I have half a mind to head right back to Beacon and rip those entitled brats' throats right out." He settled and looked back at her again. "What happened after that?"

"I fell," said Ruby. "At the bottom of the cliff, these two boys found me. They treated my injuries and took care of me. I…" She looked down at her hands. "I…forgot who I was for a little while. So I ended up traveling them until we reached Brandywine. There were these Huntsmen…"

"Huntsmen…" Qrow's eyes rolled back thoughtfully, indicating that what Ruby had said had struck a familiar chord with him. "Brandywine…That's right. That's where Team Brown was arrested. You were involved in that?"

"Y-yeah," said Ruby. "They were controlling access to the CCT and oppressing the townspeople to keep the Grimm coming and abusing their power."

"Geez! First Torchwick and the White Fang, now this…" said Qrow with a sigh. "How is it you end up in the middle of the most ridiculous shenanigans, kiddo?"

"Just…lucky, I guess," said Ruby. "My friends fought them and took them down. I was there…but I wasn't much help."

"Somehow I doubt that," said Qrow with a chuckle. "Who are these new friends of yours? I need to know the names of the guys who saved my little Rosebud."

"They're Ayumu and Gin," said Ruby. "Ayumu is about seventeen, I think. Gin's closer to my age."

Qrow raised a skeptical eyebrow. "And these two were a match for a whole team of veteran Huntsmen?"

"Yeah!" said Ruby eagerly. "They're incredible! You won't believe how strong they are!"

"Maybe I'll have to try 'em out myself," mused Qrow. "Sounds like it'll be a hoot."

Ruby giggled.

Qrow took a deep breath. "Right…well…this is gonna take some doing. I'll have to let everyone know you're alive. Then we've gotta take care of those two who tried to kill you. You're in Brandywine…I'll get a bullhead out to you and-"

"No!" shouted Ruby, standing up so abruptly that she knocked back her chair, which fell to the floor with a bang that made her wince. She paused to pick it up before sitting back down. "I mean…you can't tell anyone…not yet."

Qrow's face hardened again. "Explain," he said.

"I…I need to face Weiss and Pyrrha myself," she said. "I…I have a plan…well…we…that is…Ayumu, Gin, and I…we have a plan."

A single eyebrow went up, beckoning her to explain in more detail.

"I want to get stronger," said Ruby. "Gin and Ayumu have said they'll train me while we head to Vale on foot. I want to be able to face them again…and win this time."

Qrow frowned. "Kiddo…what you're saying…Do you have any idea how selfish that is?"

"Yeah, I-"

" _No!_ " snapped Qrow, cutting her off. "I don't think you do." He leaned in close to the screen. "Let me tell you a few things. You have your own gravestone now…right next to Summer's, on the cliff overlooking the sea. When I had to leave, Tai was still visiting it every single day. Every. Single. _Day!_ " He rapped a finger sharply against the terminal desk to emphasize those last three words. "I watched him, 'cause for a little while, I was worried that he'd _throw_ himself _off_ that cliff. And where would that leave your sister and I…not to mention you…if he did that?"

Ruby gulped nervously, going pale. She'd been worried, but Qrow's words hammered home just how much pain this had caused her family.

Now Qrow leaned in close to the screen, almost pressing his nose to it. "So…When you say you don't want me to tell the people who've been suffering and grieving over your death that you're still alive, you'd better give me a better damn reason than wanting to salve your bruised pride."

Ruby swallowed, feeling ashamed of herself. Their plan had sounded all well and good when she was just hashing it out with Ayumu and Gin. But now…her uncle had brought her face to face with the consequences of what had happened…all of it. Gin and Ayumu had warned her. She was proposing prolonging the suffering of her family and friends…all for the sake of her selfish desire to get a little extra payback.

Looking inward, Ruby once again reflected on her reasons for wanting to follow through with the plan she and her new friends had come up with.

Qrow sighed, his rant apparently calming him down. "Look, kiddo, I know you're upset with those two. But…just coming clean about what they did will do plenty of damage on their own. They'll be expelled, of course. But what happened is clearly first-degree attempted murder. That's a life sentence on conviction. Both Weiss and Pyrrha have reputations that are gonna be run through mud once this gets out. That's humiliation aplenty."

"…not good enough."

"Huh? What's that?" Qrow cocked his head missing part of Ruby's soft growl.

"THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" shouted Ruby, slamming her fists on the desk, fresh tears running down her cheeks. "They tried to _kill_ me! They left me broken and bleeding at the bottom of a cliff and tore apart my sweetheart because I broke Little Miss Perfect's streak! They beat me down and made me feel worthless! They made me feel like I wasted my whole life! I spent weeks _unable to remember who I even was_ because of what they did, feeling like my life was full of holes! Just getting them expelled and thrown in jail isn't good enough! I want to make them understand just what they _did_ to me!"

Qrow was taken aback by the vehemence in her tone, having never seen Ruby this furious before. A quiver passed over his face. "Kiddo…" he said in a worried tone. "Please tell me you aren't planning on going all 'eye for an eye' here."

Ruby took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to calm herself down, and purge the adrenaline that had gone rushing through her veins. "I…I'm not," she said. "I don't want to kill them. But…if I come back…if I can't face them directly…it feels like admitting that they're right."

"There's no way in hell that's the case," said Qrow firmly. "Rosebud, it took two of them ganging up on you to bring you down. And one of them was Mistral's own Golden Girl, who's never lost a fight since before her first tournament. I've seen her record. Heck! Her teachers at Sanctum couldn't match her. No one's gonna believe that this proves you don't belong at Beacon."

"Yes they will…" said Ruby. "Weiss and Pyrrha weren't the only ones who thought that way. A lot of the others at Beacon felt I didn't belong there. Weiss and Pyrrha were just the ones who acted on it. They'll…" She sniffed. "They'll just say that I got lucky. They'll say I ruined the reputations of two of the best students, and that I lied to make myself look good, even if the teachers believe me."

Qrow opened his mouth to protest, but then stopped himself. He flopped back into his seat with a groan, once again sweeping his hand through his hair. "Yeah…you're probably right," he admitted. "Fucking teenagers…"

Ruby winced at the expletive that would have gotten her mouth rinsed out with soap, had she blurted it out at home.

Folding his arms, Qrow lowered his head, thinking hard, rocking back and forth in his seat, weighing Ruby's feelings, and those of the rest of their family, along with her intentions, all according to the complex calculus that governed relationships in the Branwen/Xiao Long/Rose clan. Then he looked up at her. "You're dead-set on doing things this way, aren't you?"

"Yes," said Ruby firmly, more conviction than even _she_ realized she felt in her voice.

Qrow frowned, his eyes narrowing once again, scrutinizing her face very carefully, before leaning back with a sigh once more. "All right," he said. "If this is the way you wanna do things, then I'll allow it…but only under certain conditions."

"What are they?" asked Ruby nervously.

"You have to at least let me tell Tai," said Qrow. He held up a hand when Ruby opened her mouth to protest. "No. That's the one thing I'm absolutely _not_ budging on. He deserves to know and he's been through enough hell already. I'm not letting him think you're dead for a minute longer than I absolutely have to, and your harebrained scheme doesn't count for that. I'm willing to keep it from Yang for the time you need, and I think I can convince Tai not to tell her too. She's strong, though she'll be pissed when she learns she was left out of the loop. You're gonna have to accept the consequences of that yourself when the time comes. But I'm telling Tai, one way or another, and you can't stop me."

Seeing that she didn't have any leeway in this, Ruby sighed. "All right."

"Next…if we're gonna do this, we need to do it right," said Qrow. "Luckily, I know enough about covert operations to be able to help you with this. The longer you wait, the harder it's gonna be to prove intent. We're gonna want to have our facts straight when the time comes, so we need to collect the necessary evidence while we can."

"What do I need to do?" asked Ruby.

"Brandywine has a doctor, right?" asked Qrow.

Ruby nodded.

"Good," said Qrow. "It hasn't been too long, so the scars from your injuries should still be visible. Have the doctor give you a full physical, and take pictures of your scars. Those friends of yours might have done a good job healing you, but the opinion of a medical professional is worth a lot more than that in a court of law."

"All right," said Ruby, feeling a bit nervous. It would mean stripping down again. But if she could do it for Gin in his, albeit unofficial, capacity as a healer, she could do it for someone whose actual job it was.

"Next…do you have the pieces of your weapon?" asked Qrow.

"No," said Ruby sadly. "I…I buried her."

Qrow groaned, rubbing his temples. "All right…this is a long shot, but…do you remember where?"

"Well…it's not far from where we were staying while I was recovering," said Ruby. "I could probably find it again, with Gin and Ayumu's help."

"All right," said Qrow with clear reluctance. "This is gonna probably be hard for you, but…I need you to go dig it up."

"What?" gasped Ruby.

"If you can, it's important," said Qrow. "Dig it up and take pictures of its condition. Hopefully it hasn't rusted too much. I doubt it. You picked good materials when you made her. But it'll help your case if you can show that the damage was deliberate."

Ruby paused. "Okay."

"Before you go do that," continued Qrow, "I need you to take your friends and go visit Brandywine's magistrate. He'll be the guy who handled the particulars of Team Brown's arrest and transfer to Vale. I need all three of you to give sworn testimony for the record. I'll get in touch with him, and get that record sealed for when we need it."

"You can _do_ that?" asked Ruby in surprise.

Qrow snorted and smirked. "I've got a few strings I can pull. I know a thing or two about shady dealings. Basically, we're running this like a sting. I'm sure you can wrangle a confession out of one or both of them with the right provocation, but the more evidence we can amass beforehand the better. It's important to get your testimony as fresh as possible, before you begin to forget details."

"I'd never forget what they did to me," hissed Ruby.

"You say that now, Rosebud, but memories get fuzzy, especially bad ones." Qrow sighed. "That's what had you winding up with amnesia in the first place."

"Okay," said Ruby with a sigh.

"Good," said Qrow. "That pretty much covers it. I'll be telling Ozpin about this sooner or later." He held up a hand to forestall her inevitable protest. "Trust me, he knows all about how important it is to play things close to the chest. He passes himself off as a straight arrow to the Council, but he's a guy that knows how to bend the rules, when the situation requires it. He'll be a big help to us."

"How?" Ruby wanted to know.

"Well, for one thing, we'll want eyes on our two culprits," said Qrow, "especially once we get the ball rolling. That means monitoring their activities at Beacon, and there's no one better suited for orchestrating that than Ole' Oz. It'll give us a shot at finding additional evidence while we're at it. Every little bit helps. Plus, it'll help smooth things over once you get back to Beacon."

"All right," said Ruby.

"Next…do you have a scroll?" asked Qrow.

Ruby nodded. "The people here gave me a new one after I broke the one I got at Beacon."

"Generous of 'em," commented Qrow. "Given your 'plans,' I'm guessing you haven't registered it yet."

"Not yet," said Ruby.

"All right…give me your scroll ID, and I'll get it registered off the official grid," said Qrow. "That'll let you have full network access and function as an ID for you without leaving a data trail. It'll also let you access your spending account. Last I checked Tai hasn't closed it down yet, so it's still there for now. Of course, until we let Oz know you're still alive, you won't be getting your stipend from Beacon, but I can deposit some extra funds in your account if you need them."

"Thank you," said Ruby. She plugged her scroll into the terminal, which sent its ID information across to Qrow, who received it by plugging in his scroll on his end. "What else?"

"One last thing," said Qrow. "I wanna meet your two rescuers. I'm grateful for what they did and all, and I'm sure they're on the level…but I want to get their measure myself."

"Um…" said Ruby.

"If you're heading for Vale, I can figure out where you'll be stopping along the way," he said. "I'll meet up with you, probably over in Weathertop."

"O-okay," said Ruby.

"By the way, what do these kids do?" asked Qrow. "I assume they aren't Huntsmen. But a couple of kids wandering the wilderness, and helping random people, is a little far-fetched by my count."

"Well, they said they're martial artists in training," said Ruby.

"Huh…that sounds like the plot of a cheap Kung-Fu movie," commented Qrow. "Now you've got me even more curious."

"Well, I guess you'll get to meet them," said Ruby.

"Guess I will," said Qrow. "I'll see you in Weathertop. And kiddo…"

"Yeah?" said Ruby.

Qrow smiled warmly at her, a smile far more genuine than the usual sly, teasing, or wry smirks he made. It was a sight that warmed her heart and made her feel giddy. "I'm glad you're alive, Ruby. When I heard you'd died, I realized that I didn't say this nearly often enough. I love ya, kiddo."

"I love you too, Uncle Qrow," said Ruby with a happy sigh.

"All right, signing off then," said Qrow. "Be careful, Ruby."

"I will," Ruby promised. The screen flickered, then went blank.

Ruby pushed back from the terminal and took the elevator down. She was surprised to find that Gin and Ayumu were waiting for her in the lobby, not expecting them to be finished until the evening. However, the two of them explained that the repairs were finished earlier than expected, and they'd learned from Tawny where she was. Ruby paused to thank the receptionist for being so accommodating before following the two out, explaining what she had worked out with Qrow.

"That's actually quite reasonable," said Ayumu. "I'm surprised that he's so accommodating."

"Well, there's a reason he's my favorite uncle," said Ruby with a giggle.

"We should probably move fast if we still want to stick to our plan of heading out tomorrow," said Gin. "Hopefully we can take care of your uncle's conditions in the time we have left today. Backtracking to dig up your weapon is gonna stick an extra week, at least, onto our travel time."

"Can we find it?" asked Ruby.

"No problem," said Gin with easy confidence. "We can trace back our trail easily enough."

"That said, let's head to the doctor first," said Ayumu. "Afterwards, we can take his report to submit to the magistrate."

* * *

Once again, the three of them found that their work in taking down Team BRWN had done a great deal to smooth things out for them. The doctor and, later, the magistrate, were happy to accommodate their needs. The magistrate was even willing to suspend reporting their testimony to Vale's courts until Qrow contacted him, though it was clear that he was confused by the request, given that the charge in question was attempted murder.

After that, they returned to the inn for their final night in town, only to find that Tawny and the innkeeper had arranged a farewell party for them to thank them for all their hard work and wish them well on their continued journeys. All three of them were taken aback by the gesture, but Ruby was especially embarrassed, still feeling she hadn't contributed all that much to the downfall of Team BRWN. Still, as Tawny hugged her for the umpteenth time that night, she had to admit it was nice to feel so appreciated.

* * *

They left early the next morning. Because of the early hour, Tawny was the only one to see them off.

She exchanged one last fond hug with Ruby, kissing the crown of Ruby's head before letting her go. "You sure you don't want to stay a little longer, honey?" she asked.

"I think it's best that we go now," said Ruby, giving Tawny a smile. "We don't want to overstay our welcome, like Team Brown did."

"I doubt you could ever do that, sweetie," said Tawny, brushing her fingers across Ruby's cheeks. "Take care of yourself out there. I know the boys will look after you, but…just don't do anything too crazy."

"I can't promise that," said Ruby shyly, making Tawny giggle.

"I guess not," she said with a sigh. "Just…make sure you don't die. I want to see you again someday. And, when you're a successful Huntress in the future, I hope you'll come back to see us."

"I will," Ruby promised. "I want to show this place to my sister and friends. When I'm a Huntress, let me know if you're ever in trouble, and I'll move you to the top of my list."

"Will do, hon," said Tawny. Then she looked up at Gin and Ayumu. "Look after her, you two."

"We will," promised Gin.

Going over to them, Tawny gave each of them a hug and a kiss on the cheek. When she gave Gin his hug and kiss, she leaned a little further so that her lips were next to his ear. "Good luck with her," she whispered, before pulling away as Gin's cheeks flushed a bright red.

With that, the three travelers turned and began to head towards the tree line. Ruby turned back to exchange one last wave with Tawny as she stood by the gate, watching them go until they disappeared into the forest.

* * *

Despite the confidence that Gin had showed, Ruby still had her reservations about how easy it would be to backtrack to find Crescent Rose. However, she learned that his confidence was well-founded when both he and Ayumu set off through the forest, looking as though they knew exactly where they were going.

It only took them five days to reach the spot where they had found Ruby and nursed her back to health. Once there, they quickly found the spot where Ruby had buried Crescent Rose. After several minutes of hesitation, Ruby nodded at Gin, who used his claws to quickly excavate the earth covering the broken remnants of the Scythe.

Ruby shuddered to see the remains of her precious creation once again, but forced herself to swallow her pain. Instead, she meticulously went through organizing the pieces, first laying them out individually and taking photographs and scans with her scroll, then assembling the scythe as best she could and repeating the process to show the extent and nature of the damage.

Once again, her scroll's advanced functions made things a whole lot easier. She was able to scan the pieces of Crescent Rose into it, which allowed her to log the parts, showing which were damaged and which were missing. It would be a huge help when she submitted this information, along with the other evidence, to Vale's courts when the time came to hold Weiss and Pyrrha accountable for what they'd done.

Finally, this hard task was done and Ruby, with Gin's help, buried Crescent Rose one more time, saying her final goodbye to her precious sweetheart. Then the three of them turned their path towards Weathertop. It would be a bit longer trip now, after having to backtrack. Fortunately, they were able to take a fairly direct route without needing to detour much, which would save them some time.

As they went, Ayumu and Gin began to the process to training Ruby in further use of her Aura. In the evenings, when they were settling down for the night, either Gin or Ayumu would take her aside while the other prepared dinner. But it wasn't just materializing her Aura that they trained her in. Only part of the time would be spent helping Ruby perfect her visualization and shape her Aura without needing to concentrate as much. For the rest of it, they would train her in various combat-related skills that would be helpful once she was able to create her own weapon.

* * *

"You want me to come at you?" asked Ruby, looking at the stick she was using in lieu of her weapon for the time being.

"That's right," said Gin calmly. "I'm not going to hit back. I'm just going to avoid and defend to show you the principle. Come at me however you can."

Ruby nodded hesitantly and hefted her stick. She had yet to fully replicate the feat she'd performed during the fight with Team BRWN, the scythe she'd formed when attacking Whitney. She could form her Aura into the shape of a scythe, but it didn't have any of the strength it had when she'd used it against the Huntress, breaking apart from the slightest stress.

 _"_ _It's probably because you were operating on muscle memory when you did it last time,"_ Ayumu had suggested. _"When you entered an actual fighting scenario, your rudimentary shaping skills combined with the combat techniques you'd honed before to naturally form into the best shape to carry them out. Ironically, right now, you're thinking a little too much about it, which is making it harder."_

However, that was an issue to overcome during a separate session. Right now, Ruby was determined to absorb as much as possible from her teachers. Two months seemed like a lot of time, but it was actually a pitifully short period in which to grow stronger by any meaningful degree. Besides, simply creating a new weapon wouldn't be enough to give her a true edge over Weiss and Pyrrha. Ayumu and Gin had far more to teach her than that.

Triggering her Semblance, Ruby's body became a red blur, leaving a trail of red petals dancing in her wake. She used it to angle around Gin, then again to come at him from behind, bringing her stick down towards his head. However, Gin shifted, his body drifting out of the way just in time, not even trying to block her blow.

Ruby stifled a gasp. He hadn't even turned his head to try and follow her with his eyes, instead moving as though he'd known exactly where she was the entire time. She followed through, bringing the stick back around in a sideways swing at his midsection. However, Gin stepped forward, turning as he did so, so that he moved just outside the radius of her swing, while turning to face her, his eyes meeting hers.

There was almost a strange vacancy to his expression, when she saw it again, as though he wasn't actually paying attention. Ruby felt a faint surge of frustration and attacked furiously, using her Semblance as much as possible, trying to overwhelm Gin with her sheer speed. However, it always seemed that he was a step ahead, knowing exactly where she was coming from and what she was doing, avoiding her blows by the slimmest of margins.

Finally, she stumbled to a stop and collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath.

"Not bad," said Gin. "You've got good endurance, and you know the basics about how to apply your Semblance."

"But I couldn't touch you," protested Ruby.

"Care to guess why?" asked Gin, before pausing and thinking about his question. "Or rather…can you think about what I did that made me able to track your movements, even when you were moving at such high speed or coming at me from a dead angle? We'll talk about your own limitations in a moment."

"I'm…I'm not sure," admitted Ruby. "You weren't trying to watch me."

"That's right," said Gin. "I'll be honest, your speed is impressive. Not even my eyes can keep track of you when you do that."

"Then how…?" Ruby paused, thinking it over, realizing that Gin wasn't just going to hand her the answer. "You must use your other senses," she realized. "You could hear me coming!"

"That's part of it," said Gin, sitting down in front of her. "But that's not the whole of it. Master Yu calls it the _Shingan_. You could call it a sixth or seventh sense. But, in actuality, it's a gestalt formed from using all your senses in conjunction with one another." He tapped the corner of his eye. "Eyesight only accommodates a conical field directly in front of you. It's probably the most limited of our senses in terms of coverage. You can compensate somewhat by turning your head to try and track objects and people outside your main field of vision, but that becomes a hassle in a situation where there are a lot of variables. Because of that, you have to learn not to be wholly reliant on it."

"So you and Ayumu can use this _Shingan_ thing?" asked Ruby.

"To an extent," said Gin. "Ayumu's better with it than I am right now. I still haven't really advanced enough to use it all the time, but Ayumu uses the _Shingan_ constantly. When we're using it, we have complete situational awareness of everything within about twenty meters of us."

"Wow!" gasped Ruby.

"That doesn't hold a candle to what Master Yu can do with it though," said Gin. "His _Shingan_ is on a whole other level. He can use it to perceive things that are miles away, even straight through solid obstacles. He can read a person's emotional cues so well that he can practically read your thoughts."

"Scary," squeaked Ruby, nervous at the notion.

"Yeah, it's pretty freaky whenever he does it to us," agreed Gin with a sigh.

Ruby frowned. "So…you were paying attention to everything around you, right?"

Gin nodded.

"But it seemed like you weren't paying attention to anything," she said.

"In a sense, it's both," said Gin. "The _Shingan_ is a synthesis of all your senses building off one another. However, when it comes to consciously processing sensory information, your brain can only typically handle a couple at a time, usually sight and hearing. Ironically, the more you try to pay attention to _all_ your senses, the more you wind up fixating on using one or the other. In order to properly filter and process all that information input, you have to stop trying to process everything consciously, and simply allow your awareness to extend through all your senses at once. In other words, you have to learn to _not_ think about it."

"That sounds…hard," said Ruby.

"It is," admitted Gin. "I haven't got the hang of maintaining that state all the time, like Ayumu has. And neither of us has anything approaching Master Yu's level of _Shingan_. In fact, I think that his blindness actually makes it easier for him to process information on that level because he doesn't worry about filtering that extra sense…and sight is the sense that is the most demanding when it comes to your brain's processing capability."

"I…I won't have to blind myself, will I?" asked Ruby nervously.

"Are Ayumu and I blind?" asked Gin.

"No," said Ruby.

"Then…no," said Gin wryly. "Achieving the _Shingan_ will take a lot of work. It's likely that the time we have until we reach Vale won't be enough. It took me about three years to learn it at the most basic level. Ayumu has been training his _Shingan_ for five years."

"Oh…" said Ruby.

"But we can start," said Gin. "At the very least, we can work on improving your situational awareness, which will make it easier to track two, or even more, enemies at once. That way, even if Weiss and Pyrrha gang up on you again, you can keep them from getting the upper hand simply because of numbers."

"Right," said Ruby.

Gin stood up. "Now…as for the rest of what you can do, let's talk about your current fighting style...stand up."

Ruby groaned and forced herself up. Unfortunately, sitting down after a period of hard exercise like that meant that her legs burned and ached when she stood on them again. They buckled slightly and she stumbled forward. Gin immediately moved to catch her, grabbing her upper arms and keeping her upright, while Ruby found herself leaning against him as he held her.

Time seemed to freeze, and Ruby found her silver eyes locked with Gin's amber ones, the two of them staring at each other, unblinking. Ruby was suddenly very conscious of the feeling of Gin's breath on her face, as well as the coolness of his body seeping through where he was touching her. For a second, all she wanted to do was lean in closer.

Then time started again. Their cheeks heated up and the two of them leapt apart.

"S-sorry," stammered Gin, looking away.

"I-it's not your fault," Ruby replied, just as bashfully. "I…I was just so clumsy there."

It took them another minute to calm themselves down so that they could meet each other's gaze again. "A-anyway…what were you about to talk about?" asked Ruby.

Gin took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Right," he said. "As far as your style goes, I want to show you something." He stepped back several paces. "Close your eyes and count to one, then open them again."

Ruby blinked in confusion. Then she did as she was told. Closing her eyes, she counted out "One." As she did, she felt a rush of air against her face. When she opened them again, Gin's face was now inches away, which didn't surprise her really, as she'd felt his approach through the air.

Then Gin stepped back to the same position as before. "Now do it again," he said.

Not sure what he was getting at, Ruby did as she was told. "One." Ruby opened her eyes and gasped, stumbling backwards. Gin's face was inches away again. But, this time, she hadn't felt him coming near her at all. It was almost as though he had materialized out of thin air.

"That's the issue with your style in a nutshell," said Gin with a smirk as Ruby recovered from her quick scare. "Your Semblance is speed, but that sudden acceleration causes a major disturbance in the air around you. It made it even easier for me to track you, no matter how fast you were whizzing around. It isn't that you merely need to be faster, you need to learn how to move silently."

"Silently?" said Ruby. "You mean like sneaking?"

"Kind of," said Gin. "It isn't just about hiding though. Even if they don't have the _Shingan_ , if an opponent knows how to process at least _some_ information through their other senses, your current style will put you at a disadvantage because your movements are too loud and disruptive. Most competent fighters process information from senses other than sight at least unconsciously, even if it isn't to the extent Ayumu and I do. They can use all those little indicators to help respond to your fighting style, even if you're moving too fast for them to see."

"Oh…" said Ruby.

"The other aspect of silent movement is efficiency," said Gin. He clapped his hands together, the sudden noise making Ruby wince. "That noise means that some of the energy of the impact between my hands bled out into the air around them, which means that energy essentially went to waste. It's the same principle if you slap your feet while you're running or if you wind up pushing a bow-wave of air ahead of you when you use your Semblance. You aren't using your energy as efficiently as you could. In other words, you have to expend extra strength and stamina to overcome your own wind-resistance."

"Okay," said Ruby. Now that she thought about it, she'd always felt the pressure of the air against her face when she accelerated. The more she pushed her Semblance, the more resistance she felt. It had never occurred to her that there might be a different way she could do it that would allow her to employ her speed more efficiently.

"Master Yu introduced this technique to us as the _Silent Step_ ," said Gin. "It isn't so much about eliminating noise as it is eliminating the energy that is wasted by producing noise. There are multiple aspects to it."

"Like what?" asked Ruby.

"The first is learning to accelerate smoothly," said Gin. "Part of what causes you to build up so much wind-resistance is that you go to top speed all at once. If you can accelerate more smoothly, it means it will take longer to reach the same speed, but you avoid exerting yourself as much as you would normally do. The other aspect is learning to essentially flow through the air without disturbing the currents around you."

"How do I do that?" asked Ruby.

"We'll address both issues at the same time through your main practice," said Gin. He walked to a nearby line of trees and used his claws to mark their trunks. "I want you to use your Semblance to slalom around these trees. Right now, you primarily think of straight lines when you use your Semblance. You need to work more on using your movement in curves. In order to accomplish that, you will need to maintain complete control of your acceleration, rather than just flinging yourself in one direction as fast as you can go."

"All right…" said Ruby nervously.

"Remember, it's not about speed," said Gin. "It's about control."

Ruby nodded and set herself. Then she launched herself forward.

* * *

 **In quite a few of the "Ruby Left For Dead" stories I've read, a lot of stuff gets glossed over. It depends on the path the story takes. There's the "Ruby becomes a murderous psychopath, out for revenge," version. Then there's the "Ruby remains a virtuous heroine, who gets justice against her attackers" version. There are a few others, but those are the big ones. This story obviously belongs in the latter category, as the idea of Ruby turning evil just...makes me sad...however justified it may be. In the latter category, the minutia of how the crimes of her attackers comes to light tends to be mostly glossed over. Ruby comes back, tells her side of the story, everyone who matters believes her, her attackers get their comeuppance, the end.**

 **I wanted to portray a bit more nuanced idea of just what it would take for Ruby to convince people that Weiss and Pyrrha did what they did, so she has to do a little more homework before confronting them with their crimes. Of course, despite my mother being a lawyer, my personal knowledge of legal affairs is pretty thin, and that's without adding in the fantasy nature of the setting here. But I did my best, and I hope that the hoops Ruby and Company have to jump through come off as plausible. And, of course, in this version, the idea of Ruby taking the time to train herself up to pay Weiss and Pyrrha back for what they've done has some serious consequences that need to be addressed.**

 **Aside from that, this chapter also introduces one of the central techniques of this story, the _Shingan_. Fellow anime fans probably recognize this best as the ability of Usui, one of the villains from the _Rurouni Kenshin_ series, which is a term for his Daredevil-level hearing. Of course, it also appears in other series, basically describing the concept of a character being able to perceive the world at a higher level than they normally would, if they remained mostly dependent on their sight. The characters who acquire said ability are typically blind, for one reason or another.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14:**

"It doesn't seem right," said Ruby, staring at the scythe-shaped Aura she held in her hands. The shape was right. However, it was completely red, from the shaft to the blade. It also didn't feel as substantial or solid. "It was different when I was using it against Whitney."

Another night, another training session. This time, she was practicing Aura manifestation with Ayumu.

"You're right," said Ayumu. "Perhaps we should try to at least partially recreate the circumstances that allowed you to create it when you fought her."

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.

"In your case, being a scythe user is an important component to your identity," said Ayumu. "It's such an unconventional weapon that I'm guessing competent wielders are fairly rare."

"But it's awesome!" protested Ruby.

"It also was never originally meant to be used in battle," said Ayumu. "The scythe was the original lawn mower, after all. Even when it became associated with the Grim Reaper as a symbol of death, that symbolism itself stemmed from the scythe's status as a symbol of the harvest."

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.

"Besides mowing, the scythe was also used in the harvesting of crops, like grain," explained Ayumu. "That is the activity of reaping. The Grim Reaper is a reaper, that is harvester, of souls. The scythe of the Grim Reaper is not a weapon, but a tool for harvesting. Reaping, grim or otherwise, is not a violent activity, because what is being reaped is _not_ trying to reap you back. Because the scythe originated for that purpose, its form isn't necessarily conducive to combat."

"But didn't farmers used to repurpose their tools as weapons all the time?" asked Ruby. "I thought that was what they did, back when there weren't Hunstmen or Huntresses to call on."

"That is correct," said Ayumu. "However, that often involved modifying those tools in some fashion. In the case of the scythe, the wielder would detach the blade and reattach it so that it would instead project ahead of the end of the shaft, rather than its original position of perpendicular to the end, thus creating the war-scythe. In that form, it was little different from a basic halberd in terms of design and intent."

Ruby nodded. She remembered reading about that. In fact, it was something she'd employed in Crescent Rose's design. When she needed to put raw power behind her swings, the blade could adjust its position and run parallel to the shaft, rather than perpendicular to it. It was something Crescent Rose had been designed to do when she was swinging her hardest and fastest.

"But what's your point?" she wanted to know.

"Well, in order master the use of the scythe, you must have trained and practiced a great deal," said Ayumu. "There is a great deal of nuance in using the standard-form scythe in combat effectively, even more-so when you combine it with that sniper rifle your weapon had. Therefore, your style was the product of ceaseless and dedicated training."

"That's right," said Ruby, her eyes shining.

"In which case, what happened during your fight with Whitney was a case of form following function," said Ayumu. "Even though your hands were empty when you first charged her, you simply applied the technique you'd always been training in, then shaped your Aura into what you needed to employ it. Your technique is what gave rise to the form your Aura took during that fight."

"Oh…" said Ruby.

"So…that said," said Ayumu. "The best way to replicate it would be to have you call upon your technique."

"How do I do that?" asked Ruby.

"Image training," said Ayumu. "Your scythe training must have included practice forms for maneuvering your weapon."

"That's right," said Ruby.

"Then we're going to take advantage of that now," said Ayumu. "It'll be tricky, because what I'm asking of you will feel strange at first. What I want you to do is run through your form."

"Right here?" asked Ruby. "Right now?"

Ayumu nodded.

"But…"

"But you don't have a scythe," said Ayumu. "This is where the image part of your training comes in. Close your eyes."

Ruby did as she was bid.

"Hold up your hands."

Again, Ruby followed his instructions, bringing up her hands to the level her chest.

"Now…imagine closing them around the shaft of your weapon."

Ruby closed her hands, her fingers curling as though Crescent Rose's shaft was running between them.

"Draw upon your memories of your weapon," said Ayumu. "Remember its feel, its weight, its heft. Remember its balance. Remember the texture and temperature of the steel against your skin."

Ruby followed his instructions, reconstructing her beloved scythe in her mind's eye. A sense of nostalgia overcame her and she imagined what it would feel like to hold her beloved sweetheart again, feel its weight through her arms. She could practically hear the click of its mechanical components.

"Now…" prompted Ayumu, "without opening your eyes, take your opening stance."

Ruby did, sliding her legs slightly apart and positioning her arms, imagining angling the scythe behind her for the first slash in the sequence that started out this form.

"Now…begin your form," said Ayumu.

Her eyes still closed, Ruby did as she was bid, her arms beginning to move automatically. Even without Crescent Rose actually there, her arms went through the motions naturally. She'd been practicing them for years, until they had become second nature to her. Even without the physical weapon in her hands, her body knew what to do.

"Now, begin to manifest your Aura," said Ayumu. "Don't try to guide it consciously. Instead, let it flow in conjunction with your movements. Draw it out and give it form. Make the image in your mind… _real_."

Ruby wasn't even really thinking about it as she obeyed, her Aura flowing forth in her hands. She was already so lost in the feeling of holding a scythe again, that she didn't even notice when the imagined feeling of holding a weapon in her hands ceased to be imaginary.

Ayumu's eyes widened as he watched Ruby's progress. Red Aura flowed out from her hands in streams. At first, it seemed to simply go flying out in random directions. But then the streams of Aura began to spiral inward, following the movements of Ruby's hands and arms, inscribing circles and spirals in the air around her. Their curves tightened until they swirled in on each other, weaving together, forming the shaft, which stretched out to meet both of Ruby's hands, then out further. Then, finally, the long, curved blade emerged, sweeping through the air with all its lethal grace.

 _She did it…just like that,_ thought Ayumu, awestruck. Furthermore, this was more like the scythe that she'd used against Whitney. Its form was solid and substantial. He could tell that it was capable of exchanging blows.

And yet…it wasn't quite the same. The blade was the same crimson color as the shaft. There was no sign of silver to be seen. _What does that mean?_

Ruby continued her form, apparently not even aware of what she had done. She was completely lost in the familiar feeling of something she had done hundreds upon thousands of times. Finally, she reached its end and opened her eyes. A gasp escaped her as she stared at her creation. "I did it!"

"That you did," agreed Ayumu.

"But…it still looks different," she said, looking at in confusion.

"It does," agreed Ayumu. "I'm not sure why though."

That wasn't entirely true. He remembered the observation Gin had made back then. Ruby's eyes had been glowing as well. However, Ayumu wasn't sure what difference that made. The only connection that he and Gin had been able to make was that Ruby's eyes were silver, as had been the blade of her scythe back then. _Still…_

In a single, smooth motion, Ayumu drew his own sword, aiming a slash at Ruby. Ruby responded automatically, raising her new scythe to block his attack, his blade ringing against the shaft of her weapon.

"Ayumu!" she protested in surprise, going a little pale.

Ayumu felt a twinge of regret, realizing that his action had probably been reminiscent of how Weiss had suddenly attacked Ruby, seemingly out of nowhere, that fateful night weeks ago.

"I'm sorry," he said, withdrawing his sword. "I wanted to see if your Aura construct was functional. I should have warned you first."

"It's…it's all right," said Ruby, her color returning. "I could tell it was different. You just surprised me."

"Still, it was insensitive of me," said Ayumu, bowing his head to her. "In any case, we seem to have succeeded."

"But this isn't it yet," said Ruby. "It's not like your sword."

"True," agreed Ayumu. "You've managed to completely manifest a scythe. However, the next step is materialization, the creation of actual matter from your Aura. Fortunately, we can get to work on that immediately."

Ruby hesitated. "Actually…can it wait?" she asked.

Ayumu cocked his head, giving her a confused look. "Why?"

"I…I want to work with this a little longer," she said, running her fingers slowly along the shaft of the scythe. "I want to make sure I have this down before I move on."

Ayumu blinked, then found himself smiling ruefully. _So_ I _was the one getting ahead of myself,_ he thought. _She's a better student than I am a teacher._ "Of course," he said. "Take as much time as you need."

"Thank you," said Ruby. Taking a deep breath, she struck another stance and went into another form, her scythe becoming a whirling red blur around her body. Ayumu settled back to watch, finding the spectacle enthralling to behold.

* * *

By nature, Gin and Ayumu were up before the sun rose. It had been part of their routine for years. However, because of her condition, they had not asked that of Ruby yet. However, they were surprised to see her already up that morning, standing in the clearing, once again running through drills with her manifested scythe.

"I wasn't expecting this," said Ayumu.

"You don't have to get up with us," commented Gin.

"But I need to practice more, or I won't get better," said Ruby, smiling at them. "I'm not really any good with the hunting and gathering, so this is really the only thing I can do in the mornings. I'm sorry I'm not much help."

"It's fine," said Ayumu, gently waving his hand in a placating manner. "Besides, what you said is indeed true. More practice is required to improve."

"We'll see you at breakfast then," said Gin. "Keep an eye out for Grimm."

"I will," promised Ruby, before going back to her forms.

Ayumu and Gin went on their way to begin gathering food for the morning meal. "Perhaps we've been treating her a little too delicately," said Ayumu.

"I guess so," said Gin. "But it seems she doesn't need us to push her to improve. All we can really do is help her as best we can."

* * *

After breakfast, they set out once again, making their way through the forests, following narrow, barely visible trails over broken terrain. At the moment, Ruby's scroll was pretty much useless, as they were out of range of any CCT relays, so she couldn't use it to track their location. Despite that, Ayumu and Gin apparently knew which way to go without difficulty.

As they walked, Ayumu and Gin taught her more about the wilderness survival skills they had acquired. They told her about how to find different kinds of edible plants; how to track, and hunt or trap animals for meat; even how to make necessary implements from various materials, such as stone tools or even rope or twine from plant fibers.

Ruby listened intently, fascinated by the breadth of their experience. Compared to what she was learning from these two boys, Beacon's classes seemed woefully inadequate. There were Beacon classes that taught some of the basics of wilderness survival and orienteering. However, those were only available to second-year and above students for the most part. By and large, fully independent Huntsmen and Huntresses, like her uncle, who could operate on their own for weeks, or even months, at a time, were the exception rather than the rule. Most Huntsmen and Huntresses depended on human civilization for support and supply in the field, operating out of settlements and gauging their operational capabilities based on the availability of materials.

This state of minimalist living had forced her to rethink some of the things she had taken for granted since she had begun her training. Out here in the wilderness, there was no place for her to buy ammunition or Dust. That meant she had to rely more on her skill with a blade than her accuracy with her rifle. Reconsidering it made her recoil-based fighting style seem horribly inefficient when it came to conserving resources. The same would be true of her sister or Blake if they were forced to operate for an extended period in the wilderness without access to the things they took for granted, to say nothing of Weiss' exceptionally extravagant Dust-based fighting style.

Ruby silently resolved to do better, figuring that learning how to materialize her weapon the way Ayumu did his was a good step in that direction. She was so lost in thought, considering all this new information, that she almost failed to notice when Gin and Ayumu came to a stop.

"What is it?" she asked immediately raising her guard. "Are there Grimm?"

"Worse," grumbled Gin. "He's back."

"Who-?" Ruby began to ask. However, she never got to finish her question.

The next thing she knew, Gin tackled her and forced her down. Even as he did, Ruby's ears picked up a whistling noise, as something sliced through the air over their heads. Beside them, Ayumu also ducked, as the attack that had missed all three of them continued on to slice through a tree behind him. The tree toppled over with a crash while both Ayumu and Gin straightened up.

Gin's scales immediately erupted out from under his skin, his claws sliding out over the tips of his fingers. Ayumu swiftly drew Green Destiny. The two of them sank into crouches, their posture wary and ready.

Ruby was about to get up too, when something flashed over her head, moving with incredible speed, yet the breeze of its passage barely even stirred her hair. Looking up, she saw a tall, lanky man rush Ayumu in a blur of motion that was almost impossible to follow, lashing out with a kick from one long leg. Ayumu swept his sword around, catching the coming leg on the flat of his blade and bracing it with the first two fingers of his left hand. That seemed a foolishly delicate move for deflecting an attack of that speed and power, but the Green Destiny's blade pinged like a bell and the line of the attacker's kick was directed upwards enough that Ayumu was able to evade by ducking his head beneath it.

To Ruby's shock, the kick produced a shockwave that cut down another tree behind Ayumu. And it really _had_ been cut. The impact hadn't shattered the trunk so that the tree toppled over, but had cleaved cleanly through it like the edge of a blade. Ruby had to wonder if the aggressor had some kind of edged weapon fitted to his legs or feet.

Ayumu immediately went on the attack, leading with a flurry of rapid slashes from the Green Destiny. However, the lanky man dodged them with casual ease, rarely moving his entire body, but bending his spine, sometimes seeming as though it were made of rubber, to lean out of the path of attacks. His movements were so swift that his form often seemed to double or triple as he effortlessly navigated around Ayumu's attacks.

Then Gin joined the fight, lunging in and brandishing his claws. He led with a sideways slash aimed at the man's midsection. However, the man bent over backwards, even bending his knees to lower himself further, so that his spine was parallel to the ground. Yet he didn't fall all the way. The dodge allowed Gin's attack to sail past harmlessly above. The man twisted his hips and lashed out with a kick so lightning fast that Ruby could barely see the blur of his foot as it returned to the ground.

The kick slammed into Gin's stomach with enough force to launch him straight upwards into the air. Ruby gasped in shock and horror, but then saw, with some relief, that Gin had managed to interpose his left hand between his attacker's leg and his stomach, thus keeping the blow from doing much actual damage, even though the force behind it still launched him skywards.

Now Ayumu advanced, swinging his sword downwards, aiming to behead the man. The man's the man's feet, which were covered by black, tabi-style socks, without sandals, clenched, his toes actually pinching the ground so that he was able to pivot around, even with his body in that gravity-defying position, and slide out from under Ayumu's descending slash. In the same movement, he began to rise upright again, one foot releasing its grip on the earth to rise up as well in a rapid roundhouse kick that was aimed straight at Ayumu's head.

Ayumu bent his knees, ducking beneath the line of the kick, kicking his own feet off the ground in the process. Despite that, he didn't actually jump upwards, but merely floated above the ground at the same level as he went into a spinning flip that brought him around to aim a slash of his sword at his opponent's leg.

The man jumped, going into a swift, forward flip that allowed him to bring the leg he'd kicked off with over and around to descend towards Ayumu in an axe-kick. Ayumu brought one foot down just fast enough to kick off the ground again and launch himself out of the way as the descending heel smashed into the ground. An almost deafening crack echoed through the forest, making Ruby wince and cover her ears, her eyes wide as she saw the man's kick split the earth itself open. The ground beneath her lurched like the aftershock of an earthquake.

Then Gin descended down from above, practically a silver blur. He'd planted his feet against a tree branch in the path of the ascent and used it to fling himself back into the fray. The man jumped out of the path of Gin's slashing claws. Touching down, Gin attacked in a flurry of slashes, his body advancing in a curving, serpentine path, his attack only picking up speed with each passing second. As Ruby watched, she once again saw that scaled, sinuous afterimage that his body and arms seemed to leave in their wake.

But the man seemed to dodge Gin's attacks just as easily as he had Ayumu's. He snapped out one leg in a sharp, forward kick, that would have taken Gin in the chin. However, Gin brought one arm up and deflected the kick off to the side. He immediately dove in, trying to catch the man while he still had one leg up off the ground. At the same time, Ayumu returned, closing in on the man from behind, thrusting Green Destiny at his back.

But the man pushed off the ground, seeming to only move his ankle in order to launch himself up just slightly enough that he was able to twist around in the air, his body going horizontal and allow him to somehow slip between Gin and Ayumu's respective attacks. His feet once again blurred at a speed that was impossible for Ruby to follow as he kicked backwards and forwards at the same time, attacking Ayumu and Gin simultaneously. Both boys fell back. Gin once again deflected the kick coming his way with a well-timed block, while Ayumu ducked down and under the one coming at him.

Despite the kick he'd just deflected, Gin charged forward yet again, this time aiming to take the man before he reached the ground. But the man brought his foot down, the toes barely seeming to even tap the earth, before he was off again, now hurtling like a bullet through the air. Ayumu and Gin both gave chase, taking to the air themselves.

Ruby ran to keep up with them, feeling a sense of frustration as she worked to keep them in sight. The three combatants had taken to the trees, pushing off trunks and branches, dancing through the air, not even touching the ground as they pursued and were pursued through the foliage. Sweat drenched Ruby's brow as she found herself forced to trigger her Semblance repeatedly simply to keep pace with them. Speed was her forte, and yet these three were on the verge of leaving her in the dust if she didn't use her ability, all while they were engaged in a complex, three-dimensional battle. She couldn't even follow the progress of their individual attacks anymore.

Eventually, however, they ran out of trees, bursting out into a large clearing, finally coming to the ground once again. Ruby burst out just a second behind them to see the three fighters already halfway across the flat ground, a feeling of frustration and despair threatening to overwhelm her. She was pushing herself to her limits, but was on the verge of losing the three of them.

Then they skidded to a stop. The man's feet dug furrows in the ground as he brought both Ayumu and Gin's attacks to a halt, his right hand coming up to catch Gin's hand, with its slashing claws, by slipping his fingers between Gin's and then grabbing his hand. At the same time, he stopped Ayumu's descending sword with his left hand, the fingers closing around Ayumu's wrist.

For just a fraction of a second, the entire fight came to a sudden halt, everything seeming to freeze, giving Ruby the time she needed to catch up. At that moment, Ruby had a shocking realization. Despite the ferocity of the battle, the man, so far, had been attacking and defending only with his _legs_. During the first phase of the fight, his arms had been kept at his sides, hands resting in the pockets of the loose, white, hakama pants that he wore. But now, he'd pulled his hands out and used them.

In the fraction of a second before things started moving again, Ruby caught a glimpse of Gin and Ayumu's faces and was horrified to find a look of desperation on Gin's. Ayumu's expression was as serene and unflappable as ever. Yet she had the feeling that he too was desperate. It reminded her of how she'd felt when she'd been faced with Weiss and Pyrrha trying to kill her. This man had been holding back against them from the very beginning. But now they'd convinced him to take the fight much more seriously.

Then Ayumu flicked his right hand, tossing the sword so that his left hand could rise up to catch it, before bringing it around to slash at the man's head. Gin lunged forward with his free hand, stabbing his claws towards the man's stomach and its tight, solid muscles.

Ruby saw a vicious grin spread across the man's face as he kicked off the ground with both legs, using his grip on Gin and Ayumu's arms as leverage to lift his lower body up and kick at their faces with his feet. Gin responded by aborting his attack and instead planting his hand against the man's rising foreleg. Ayumu jumped backward, twisting his body and using the man's grip on his right wrist as fulcrum to turn himself out of the path of the rising kick.

Now all three of them were off the ground. Ayumu released his grip on his sword so that it rose up in the air. With his left hand, he curled his fingers inward so that the first knuckles of his index and middle fingers projected out ahead of the rest of his fist and struck sharply just behind the wrist of the hand holding his right arm captive. The man released Ayumu's wrist and pulled his hand back before Ayumu's attack could land. However, that appeared to be in line with Ayumu's aims, as his newly-freed right hand now snatched Green Destiny out of the air and whipped the blade around to slash at the man's neck.

At the same time, Gin also kicked off the ground, pushing himself up on the leg of his opponent's own kick. Then, pulling with both arms, he curled his legs up to swing them between his arms, bringing them around so that he could, for the first time in all the fights Ruby had seen him in, kick both feet at the man's stomach. The man relinquished his grip on Gin's hand and leaned back, dropping under the line of Ayumu's slash and Gin's kick, which passed just above his stomach.

The man arched his back, now bringing his hands around and planting them on the ground, going into a handstand. His fingers sank into the earth and he whipped his lower half upwards, twisting and lashing out with both legs. Gin managed to brace his arms and catch the incoming attack, but was launched through the air. Ayumu also blocked with his right arm. However, the impact knocked his sword out of his hand and sent him tumbling away.

Ruby's ears caught a snap and saw the pale-green sheen of Ayumu's Aura dissipate from around his body as he hit the ground hard, throwing up a spray of dirt and plant matter, plowing a shallow trench before skidding to a stop. The Green Destiny fell point first to the ground and sank halfway up the length of its blade before stopping. Then, a second later, it shattered into fragments that scattered like dust.

"Ayumu!" shouted Ruby, rushing to his side.

With Ayumu out of the battle, the man turned his attention to Gin, who fell back, completely on the defensive as the man advanced on him, his arms and legs a blur of punches and kicks. Gin's own arms were blurs themselves as he fended off the barrage of attacks, but was left with no room to counter as his opponent now overwhelmed him with sheer speed.

Ruby skidded to a stop, her eyes going wide as she saw Gin catch a back-fist across the jaw that snapped his head to the side. His defense faltered and a kick slammed straight into his stomach, doubling him over, even as he was lifted off the ground. Then the man brought the hand he'd just smacked Gin's jaw with and planted his open hand against Gin's chest, allowing him to slam Gin down to the ground, throwing up a wave of dust on impact. Ruby's ears picked up another snap, and she saw Gin's Aura break, just as Ayumu's had. The man raised his other hand in a fist and punched down at Gin's head.

"GIN!" Ruby screamed, fearing for her friend's life. The two of them vanished in an explosion of dirt with an impact that made the earth jump beneath her feet from the rippling shockwave that spread outward.

The echoes of her scream, as well as the rumble of the impact of the man's punch, died off, leaving the clearing silent. Ayumu didn't move from where he lay, evidently stunned, if not outright unconscious.

The cloud of dust concealing Gin and his attacker gradually dissipated on the breeze, allowing Ruby to finally see the outcome of the fight, her heart hammering against her ribs as she dreaded the worst.

Gin was still on his back, firmly pinned against the ground by the hand on his chest, the man leaning over him from above. The man's other hand hand was sunk into the earth nearly halfway up his forearm. Gin had narrowly avoided the punch by pulling his head to the side at the last possible second. At the same time, Gin's left hand was raised, his arm extending straight past the man's head, indicating that he'd tried to thrust out and catch the man's head with his claws at the last second. The man had shifted his head to avoid Gin's blow the same way Gin had avoided his. However, a thin line of red etched into the man's cheek, from which blood was beginning to drip, indicated that he hadn't completely avoided Gin's final counter.

"Well well…I see you don't know when you're beaten," said the man with a dry chuckle.

The fingers of his right hand curled inward, bunching the fabric of Gin's shirt as the man straightened up, now lifting Gin off the ground by his shirt, holding him up. Gin's arms fell to dangle limply by his side as Gin glared dazedly at the man who held him.

His defiance only seemed to amuse the man. "I guess I'll just have to drill in how pathetic you still are," he said.

Ruby rushed him, leaving a trail of red petals in her wake, her scythe manifesting in her hands mid-swing. She aimed low, not wanting to risk the man turning to use Gin as a human shield, going for his legs. However, the man merely held Gin out to the side and raised his leg to counter the slash of Ruby's weapon, kicking out at it.

Ruby's attack stopped cold and she gaped, seeing the tip of her scythe held firmly, pinched between the man's big toe and his next toe, catching it deftly without a scratch. _How is that even possible?_

"Picked up an interesting little hanger-on," noted the man, casually tossing Gin aside. Gin hit the ground next to Ayumu and lay still, while the man turned his attention on Ruby. "All right, little missy, show me what you've got."

Now that he'd actually stopped in place for longer than just a second or two, this was the first time Ruby got a decent look at their attacker. He was indeed tall and lanky, his arms and legs a bit longer than might be considered typical for a man of his height. However they, along with his chest and abdomen, visible through the shirtless vest he wore, were all composed of dense muscle, perfectly sculpted to show their definition, looking as though they'd been carved from steel. His hair was a messy, curly mop that clung to the top of his head like dark-green moss. However, his most interesting feature by far was his eyes, which were covered by a jade-green ribbon of some kind. It was long enough that the trailing ends from where it was tied behind his head reached down to the small of his back, though they usually danced and fluttered out behind him in the wind or from his own movement.

He flicked his leg, actually picking up Ruby by virtue of her grip on her weapon and flinging her about, clearly trying to flick her off. Ruby felt sick as she was reminded that Pyrrha had done the same thing the night she and Weiss had tried to kill her. She'd be damned if she had her weapon wrested from her hands again. Besides, this was not a physical object, but a manifestation of her Aura. If she lost her grip on it, the scythe would vanish, and take the Aura she'd used to manifest it along with it. Ruby wasn't sure she could handle that kind of loss and keep on fighting.

Finally, the man settled for releasing his grip and flinging her away. Ruby was sent flying, but activated her Semblance to send herself straight down towards the ground, before using it again to accelerate back towards the man. This time, she tried to apply what Gin had been teaching her, accelerating smoothly and keeping control of her speed, even as she whirled her weapon in her hands, closing in on the man, her scythe a spinning red blur.

The man made no effort to block or counterattack, merely bobbing, weaving, and bending in place, dancing around her attacks with the same contemptuous ease he'd shown with Ayumu's earlier. If anything, he seemed even more carefree dodging Ruby's slashes, which put her hackles up as she tried to attack even faster.

Seeing as he appeared to be in a comfortable rhythm, Ruby decided the best way to get the drop on him was to change up the rhythm. So, as he dipped out of the way of another spinning slash from her scythe, Ruby triggered her Semblance again, this time shooting forward at full speed. Her previous attack had allowed her to bring her scythe around behind her so that she could unleash a swift and powerful sideways slash as she suddenly advanced.

Her blade cleaved straight through the man's midsection, splitting him in two. However, Ruby felt no resistance, no sign that her scythe had actually encountered flesh, blood, and bone. It was no different than if she had just cut through empty space. Looking again, she realized she could no longer see the divided man. Then her vision darkened and she realized she was in the shadow of something. Looking up, she saw the man descending from above, leg poised to deliver another vicious axe-kick.

Ruby dodged out of the way, intending to spin about and catch the man with a slash as his leg descended. However, the moment his foot touched the ground, Ruby was blown completely off her feet by the resulting shockwave. Managing to turn herself around, she swung her scythe downwards, plunging the tip into the ground, anchoring herself in place and bringing herself to a stop.

Unfortunately, even though she had stopped, her opponent hadn't. Even while she'd still been in midair, the man had jumped out of his landing position and launched himself at her, already within reach of Ruby and swinging one leg around in a flying roundhouse kick aimed at her head. Ruby desperately ducked beneath it, feeling the kick stir the hairs of her head as it passed. Touching back down, the man immediately dropped into a crouch and spun about again, this time bringing his leg around in a low sweep. Ruby jumped, pushing down on the shaft of her planted scythe and using it to vault over the line of his kick, before using her Semblance to launch herself along the shaft, towards the blade, while holding on.

The motion allowed her to wrench the blade clear of the ground and swing it upwards, actually threatening to impale the man through the the chin with her attack. He leaned back casually, her weapon missing grazing his nose by the barest of margins. Ruby once again began to spin her weapon, moving around behind her back so that she could rapidly bring the blade around for another slash. But it was far too late.

The man moved so quickly that he suddenly appeared to be in two places at once. The next thing Ruby knew, he was right in front of her, already inside the radius of her swing. Then she felt his foot connect with a solid kick to the midsection that launched her backwards.

Ruby doubled over, the breath exploding from her lungs. Her scythe flew out of her hands, then unraveled into disparate streams of Aura that dispersed on the wind. Abruptly, she felt the strength leave her body, and she collapsed as she hit the ground.

Her heart shuddered, and Ruby was once again assailed by that feeling of despair, the sense that she had been completely and utterly defeated. This time, there was no solace she could take, unlike her fight with Weiss and Pyrrha. At least there, one could observe that it had been two against one. But, this time, her opponent had clearly been toying with her. He'd avoided her fastest attacks with ease, then counterattacked with speed that surpassed her Semblance like it had been nothing.

"Kids these days are so wild," commented the man, turning to regard Gin and Ayumu, who were beginning to sit up. "Looks like you guys have been busy since the last time I found you."

Ayumu sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Your greetings are as energetic as always, Master."

Ruby blinked and tried to sit up, her stomach aching something fierce. Her Aura had blocked the damage, but the impact had caused plenty of pain anyways. Physically speaking, all she really felt like doing was laying down and passing out. But she forced herself to remain alert. She wasn't surprised to find out that this man was the Master Yu that Gin and Ayumu were always referring to. His behavior and attitude certainly fit their description of the man.

"I have to make sure my precious little fledgelings don't get lazy, resting on their laurels," said Yu, that too-wide grin decorating his face. "At least you weren't a complete mess taking down those Huntsmen."

"So you were there," said Gin.

"I was in the neighborhood," said Yu with a chuckle. "You should have been able to shut down both your opponents a lot faster, Gin. You're still not thinking small enough when you're using _Suigetsu_."

"I figured you'd say something like that," muttered Gin.

"Ayumu, you're still not making full use of your blade," said Yu, turning his face towards Ayumu. "The Green Destiny's edge allows it to do all the work, if you wield it right. You shouldn't need to exert yourself at all if you're aiming to cut through an opponent's weapon…or anything else for that matter."

"Yes…well…" Ayumu grinned sheepishly.

"You're also too soft," said Yu with a sigh. "If that's how you really wanna do it, then fine. It's your head on the chopping block after all. But you need to learn how to cut what you want to and not to cut what you don't. Don't just deliberately allow yourself to be sloppy to avoid damaging an opponent's weapon."

"Strict as always," said Ayumu with a sigh.

"And you…" said Yu, turning back to Gin, "…A last-ditch attack is all well and good, but you need to make it count. That was disappointing, even after I went through the trouble of going through an extra-long windup to give you an opening for it. If I can dodge a shot at my head by bending my neck, then you should go for my neck. Otherwise, target the torso. That'll force me to shift my balance and throw off my attack." Reaching up with his thumb, he wiped away the blood on his cheek to reveal that the cut had already closed.

"You aimed at my head too," muttered Gin petulantly.

"That was deliberate," scolded Yu, folding his arms, the very picture of haughty superiority. "After all, if you couldn't dodge my finisher with that much warning and knowing what I was targeting, you deserved to get your skull caved in."

 _This guy's awful,_ thought Ruby, clearly reminded of what Gin and Ayumu had told her about this man's personality.

However…he was strong. That much was apparent in seeing how utterly he'd trounced Ayumu and Gin. And the two of them hadn't been slacking either. It was clear that Yu Yuen simply stood on a completely different plane altogether in terms of strength. Seeing that strength for herself also made Ruby realize why these two remained such devoted students. Even if he was an awful person, his sheer strength was inspiring. The fact that he'd approached these two to make them his students also indicated that this was strength that had been achieved through hard work and dedication, not some kind of special ability. There was a draw, an appeal, when it came to the idea of making that kind of strength one's own.

"Well then," said Yu. "Since you've already covered a lot of ground today, this is as good a place as any to make camp, right?"

Ayumu and Gin traded glances, looking surprised, before sighing in annoyance. "He did it again, didn't he?" muttered Gin sourly.

"Well, we did indeed cover a lot of ground," said Ayumu. "And of course Master Yu knows our intended destination."

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby, forcing herself to her feet.

"When we went on the move, he drew the battle in the direction we'd been traveling anyway," explained Ayumu. "We're closer to Weathertop now."

"Yep," said Yu. He jerked his head towards Ruby. "Now introduce me to your cute little companion." For some reason, the way he referred to her made Ruby bristle internally.

"Sorry, he's like that," said Gin. "Master Yu, this is Ruby Rose, from Beacon Academy. Ruby, as you might've guessed, this is Yu Yuen, our master."

"Beacon, huh?" mused Yu. "How's that old geezer, Ozpin getting along?"

"You know Professor Ozpin?" asked Ruby.

"We've bumped into each other a few times," said Yu with a chuckle. "He's the only person I've met that I've never been able to get a good read on. Still, he's annoyingly straight-laced. No fun at all."

"You mean he never rises to your bait," commented Ayumu wryly.

Yu only grunted in acknowledgment. Then he returned his attention to Ruby. "Anyway, what's a Beacon student doing all the way out here…and by herself to boot?"

"I…I was betrayed by my friends," said Ruby, looking down.

"Two of them attempted to kill her," said Ayumu.

"Oh," said Yu, raising an eyebrow. "Yet you're on a course back to Vale, and Beacon, I notice. Why would you want to go back to those that betrayed you?"

"Because it was just two of them," said Ruby. "My other friends, and definitely my sister, weren't in on it. I have to make it back to them. I can't let my family think I'm dead."

"Really?" said Yu with a chuckle. "I get the feeling that there's something else you're not saying. It isn't just about reassuring your loved ones. No…You'd have placed a call to them, back when you were in Brandywine if that was the case, called in one of their fancy airships and flown back. Yet you're out here, taking the long way, getting lessons from my boys all along the way. You're prepping for a fight. Just going back isn't good enough. You want to score some payback." He threw back his head and laughed. "I like it! Vengeance is such a lovely motivator."

"I don't want revenge," protested Ruby. A chill ran through her body when she saw Yu's grin. There was almost something vicious in his expression now. He was enjoying her discomfort.

"You're not being honest," he teased. "Someone like you shouldn't lie, especially not to yourself. You want the ones that betrayed you to regret it. More than that, you want to stick it to them personally. If you'd just called and reported them, they'd be swept up into the system, and you'd be left feeling like you hadn't accomplished anything. It's far more satisfying to beat them down, face to face, to stand over them and make them realize that you were personally responsible for their downfall."

Ruby shuddered. Yu had read her like a book.

Yu rested his hands on his hips. "Still…I'm not a big fan of working with your kind. There's no entertainment value in that."

"My kind…?" said Ruby, confused and…insulted…though she didn't yet know why.

Yu snorted. "Well vengeance is always amusing. If anything, the end results might be entertaining. So, what the heck? I'll give you a crash course."

"But…I…" Ruby wasn't sure how to respond. She was completely out of her depth at the moment. She realized, when Gin and Ayumu had told her about their master, that he'd probably show up sooner or later. But she hadn't even given a thought about whether or not she'd ask him to train her. Now, seeing first-hand just what kind of person he was, she was even less certain she wanted anything to do with this man, however strong he might be.

"Now now, don't be shy," said Yu. "My boys have already been giving you pointers. But you won't get all that far under their tutelage."

"That hurts," complained Ayumu.

"But it also doesn't change the fact that the two of you are too soft on her," said Yu, turning his head slightly in their direction. "Especially you, Gin. I know you fancy her…" Gin grunted and tensed, his cheeks reddening. "…but if you want to seriously help her, you have to be prepared to hurt her." He turned his full attention back to Ruby. "You wouldn't have gotten very far with these two babying you."

Ruby frowned. She didn't think that Ayumu and Gin had failed to teach her. She could already manifest a scythe.

"You may think they've taught you some useful things," said Yu. "But they're too hesitant to make you push your limits. Think about it. Haven't you been the one taking the initiative in your own training?"

Ruby's frown deepened. It was true in a sense. Both Gin and Ayumu had stuck to teaching her in the evenings and had been willing to allow her to sleep in during the mornings, while they prepared breakfast and broke camp. It had been her idea to run through drills and practice with her Aura while they did that. She realized that, even though the two of them had been giving her pointers, they had both still been treating her very delicately, even after they left Brandywine. Yet, she didn't want to spit on their kindness either.

Ayumu sighed and shook his head, turning to Gin. "Well, Master Yu does have a point. We have been rather soft on Ms. Ruby." He gave Ruby a sober look. "After what you've been through, we didn't wish to see you in more pain."

"That's too bad," said Yu with a derisive snort. "If you're training someone, you need to be able to accept that you'll cause them pain. More than that, you need to be willing to make them _suffer_." Even though his eyes were hidden, Ruby could feel the pressure of his attention settling on her like a tremendous weight. "Now…what do you think, little missy? Do you want to sit back and let my boys baby you all the way back to Beacon? Or…are you prepared to work yourself to the bone to get strong enough to realize that vengeance you have in mind?"

Ruby frowned and hesitated. Then she wondered why she was even hesitating. She already knew what her answer was.

"I'll do it," she said. "Please teach me."

* * *

 **Everyone, meet Yu Yuen. He's an asshole.**

 **Speaking in terms of character design, he's a palette swapped expy of Yuan, from _Samurai Deeper Kyo_ (because I'm weirdly obsessed with that series, for some reason). That's also the source of the idea of him fighting mainly with kicks, until he can be convinced to fight more seriously, and do crazy stuff, like catching a blade between his toes.**

 **Personality wise, you might say he's a blend of character attributes from a variety of different sources. He's got Saitama's boredom with being unable to find an opponent on his level, mixed with Hisoka's blood knight tendencies (minus the creepy sexual undertones), and a dash of the classic Old Master archetype for good measure. He's _that guy_...you know the one...that guy who's always right, and has to be unbearably smug about it. Hopefully, he'll be a fun character for you folks to hate.**

 **On a separate note, I always finding myself ruminating on what a weird weapon Ruby's scythe is...not that it's also a sniper rifle...but in the sense that a scythe is just a weird weapon to begin with. Sure, it's iconic-looking as hell. But, in real life, even if you were strong and fast enough to twirl it the way Ruby does, it would still be ridiculously hard to actually use it as a weapon. In the actual show, I'm guessing that that awkwardness is why Ruby used Crescent Rose _as_ a scythe so rarely, over the course of Volumes 4 and 5, and spent more time plugging away with it in its rifle-mode. They seem to be making up with that in Volume 6, so far. The train-top battle was definitely a bit better about having Ruby use Crescent Rose as a melee weapon. We'll see if the trend continues.**

 **Also brought up, does anyone else think that Ruby's tendency to use her weapon's recoil as propulsion is a bit...dangerous? I mean, she's essentially firing a _bullet_ in whatever direction is opposite she's propelling herself in. That strikes me as dangerously reckless, especially if she's fighting in a scenario where allies or civilians might be in the vicinity. Someone once suggested that she only propels herself with blank shots that don't actually fire a projectile, but that clearly _isn't_ the case, as she'll transition from using live rounds to using the recoil to accelerate, and sometimes do both at the same time. Otherwise, she'd be switching clips almost constantly to switch between the two types of ammo.**

 **That's the kind of thought that makes me think of writing a really tragic story someday, one where Ruby and her friends go into battle, bring down the monster or the bad guy, save the day; only for Ruby to find that, in the process, she's blown a hole in some poor soul's stomach, because she wasn't looking where her gun was pointing when she was using it. That would be a real Break the Cutie moment right there.**

 **Maybe some other time. In the meantime, catch you all later.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15:**

Ruby collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath. Her arms and legs trembled, barely having enough strength to keep herself from sprawling out on her stomach.

"Geez, burning out already?" asked Yu, leaning over her with that infuriating grin of his. "What a disappointment."

Ruby growled and clenched her hands, digging her fingers through the dirt. Struggling with every passing second, she slowly managed to force herself upright, then managed to get her feet under her. With one last exertion, she managed to stand up.

"You're up, huh?" said Yu dismissively. "Took you long enough. Well, break's over. Time to get back to work." He tilted his head as he regarded her. "But you've drained your Aura. Recharge."

Ruby glared at him, then closed her eyes and began to steady her breathing. Taking deep breaths, she relaxed her mind. She envisioned the oxygen, drawn in with each breath, sinking down into the pit of her stomach and feeding a fire that was burning low. With each breath, she felt the fire burn a little hotter. By the time she'd taken thirty breaths, her limbs had stopped trembling, though the burning of their previous exertion remained.

This had been one of the first things Yu had taught her. Aura was a mysterious force. It was the power of the human soul made incarnate, able to affect the physical world. But Yu had posed an interesting question. What was a soul? How could it be measured? Could a person actually run out of "soul?" It was that logic that lay behind this technique. If the amount of Aura in Ruby's body was finite, she could recharge it by drawing more of her soul into the world, pulling it through what Yu termed the "wellspring," the point where a person's soul entered into the physical world and became Aura.

Because of this, even if she drained her Aura, just by practicing as Yu had taught her, Ruby was able to draw more out, and restore her reserves. It had taken forever, at first. But, each time she did it, it grew a tiny bit easier.

When she opened her eyes again, she was greeted by Yu's grinning visage. "Geez. You're so slow at doing that I could've taken a nap. You'd better make up for it by working extra hard, or I'm gonna dump you."

Ruby said nothing, merely giving him a hardened glare. Yu chuckled and closed the distance between them, moving swiftly and gracefully. It wasn't the impossible-to-follow speed he'd shown the first time he'd beaten her. In fact, it was the same controlled, silent speed that Gin had started teaching her. Ruby could follow his movements. She dodged his kick, moving her hands to grip the handle of the scythe that manifested from her Aura mid-swing, which Yu dodged with his usual contemptuous ease.

Yu laughed and countered with a swift kick, which Ruby blocked, her arms screaming from the impact. "Come on! Come on! You can go faster than that! I'm kicking it up a notch."

Off to the side, Gin and Ayumu looked on in quiet fascination. "How many times has she had to recharge?" asked Gin.

"Five," said Ayumu. "And she's still going strong."

"Not a word of complaint," added Gin with a frown.

"None," agreed Ayumu.

To the casual observer, Ruby and Yu looked as though they were having a regular sparring session. However, those with keener eyes would be able to see that Yu was carefully moderating his speed in every movement. What was more, with each passing moment, the speed of his attacks gradually increased, forcing Ruby to move faster, lest she wind up completely outpaced. The increasing speed was so gradual that Ruby herself wasn't even aware of it. Any difficulty she perceived in keeping up with Yu's movements she would attribute to her own exhaustion.

Finally, Yu stopped her, catching the blade of her scythe with the toes of his foot once again. "All right, we're done," he said. "Put that away and get yourself cleaned up."

Ruby stared at him, then nodded, her scythe dissolving back into Aura and disappearing into her hands. She turned and headed in the direction of the stream near where they'd set up camp. Despite the fact that his eyes remained hidden and bound by the blindfold he wore, Yu's face was oriented after Ruby, as though he was staring at her back. Then he huffed, looking more annoyed than anything else, before turning and heading back towards Ayumu and Gin.

"You called an end to it again," noted Ayumu. "I thought you weren't going to go soft on her."

"I'm not," replied Yu. "But she's one of those."

"Those what?" asked Gin. "You keep calling her that."

"It just shows how blind you brats are," replied Yu. "And I'm the guy who's physically blind."

"What are you talking about?" asked Gin.

Yu huffed and settled down across the fire from them. "Fine. It's annoying that I have to explain this to you. It's almost annoying as having to teach her."

"What do you mean?" asked Ayumu.

"I figured it would be obvious," said Yu. "Haven't you noticed that I haven't needed to motivate her the way I do you boys?"

"By motivation, you mean beat us down repeatedly?" asked Gin.

"That's right," said Yu sharply. "I'm sure you've realized the little missy's talent."

"She's a genius, right?" asked Ayumu. "Which makes it all the more odd that you would stop the training session yourself."

"Because she forces me to," said Yu. "Push her any further than that and her body will start breaking down. She needs to rest and recover, allow her torn muscle fibers to rebuild and strengthen. If I allowed her to keep going, she'd do herself a permanent injury." He flashed a taunting grin at them. "Neither of you boys have ever made me worry about that. You just collapse and give up when you don't want to work anymore. But the little missy, she'll keep pushing herself until someone makes her stop."

"So she's motivated," said Gin.

"Exactly!" exclaimed Yu. "Do know how rare that is, for a genius to be willing to do that on her own? Gin, you're a genius yourself, a one in a million talent. But you, I had to break down over and over again in order to make you channel your frustration into effort to better yourself. The little missy doesn't need any of that. She'll push herself all the way to the breaking point and beyond if I'm not careful. It's annoyingly tedious."

"So…she's a genius who's naturally motivated to persevere," said Ayumu.

"That's right," said Yu. "She's what I call a perfect prodigy, a combination of talent and motivation that, with just a little nudge, is capable of completely monstrous growth. It's annoying as hell."

Gin grunted. "In other words, because you don't have to beat her down to motivate her, you can't satisfy your sadistic tendencies by training her."

"Exactly!" exclaimed Yu, while Gin and Ayumu traded glances.

"So she doesn't need extra motivation," said Gin. "That probably explains how she managed to get into Beacon two years early."

"She learned to manifest her weapon with just a few simple instructions," added Ayumu. "Yet she still insisted on practicing it every day, even before we met up with Master Yu."

"That's right," said Yu. "In any case, I can keep working on her overall skill level, but she's got manifestation down pat. It's time to move her on."

"Materialization?" asked Ayumu.

"Yep," said Yu. "And it's something she can work on even when she's drained and tired. Because of that, I'll let you two softies walk her through it, and you can leave the painful stuff to me." Yu stood up. "I'm gonna go on ahead a little bit. I'll see you all in the morning."

He vanished, as though he'd never been there to begin with.

Ruby staggered back from the stream, her hair and skin still a little wet from the water she'd splashed on her face. With a groan, she collapsed to sit down by Gin. "Where's Yu?" she asked, looking around. She wasn't exactly comfortable with calling him "Master" yet.

"He went on ahead," said Ayumu. "He'll be back tomorrow."

"Oh," said Ruby, not knowing what else to say.

"However, he did say that we can move on to teaching you materialization," said Ayumu.

"Really!?" gasped Ruby, straightening. "But…I'm already exhausted."

"The preparation for materialization doesn't have a physical component beyond what you already do for manifestation," explained Gin. "It's purely mental."

"How does it work?" asked Ruby.

"Simply put, materialization takes things a step further than manifestation," said Ayumu. "You've already given your Aura form. Now, you're going to make it material, actual matter created from the essence of your soul."

"That…sounds hard," said Ruby nervously.

"It is, yet it isn't," said Ayumu. He drew the Green Destiny and held it up, letting the light of the fire play along the length of the blade. "On the whole, it's a very simple action. You project the image of what you want to materialize onto your manifested Aura. All you really need is a very clear image."

"That's it?" asked Ruby dubiously.

"It's often said that, just because something is simple, doesn't mean it's easy," said Gin.

"Creating an image of what you want to materialize is easy," explained Ayumu. "The hard part is maintaining a consistent image."

"What does that mean?" asked Ruby.

"People are naturally prone to error, even within their own headspace," said Gin. "Let's say you imagine the scythe you want to materialize. You can do it easily. However, the next time you imagine it, it may not necessarily be the same weapon."

"Huh?"

"You may imagine the handle a different length from the last time," continued Gin. "Or the blade's shape and curve might be slightly off compared to the last time you imagined it. Just like an artist who tries to draw or paint the exact same image, without being able to use the previous one as a reference, will almost inevitably produce some kind of difference in the final product. If you can't maintain an image of the exact same weapon, every single time, you can't make that image a reality, because you're actually producing a different version every time."

"Oh…" said Ruby. Then she looked to Ayumu. "How did you do it then?"

Ayumu laughed. "Well, it wasn't all that easy," he admitted. "I had something very particular in mind when it came to the shape and design of my blade. It helps to have a visual aid."

"A visual aid?"

Ayumu nodded. "One time, when we were visiting a settlement, I worked to earn money to commission a local artist to produce a detailed drawing of the Green Destiny. I then carefully memorized every single detail."

"He'd spend half the day staring at that picture," said Gin, "studying it from every angle."

"Wow," said Ruby.

Ayumu ran his fingers through his hair. "On the other hand, Ms. Ruby, your choice of weapon is likely to be a good bit more complex in design than mine. I suspect you want your weapon to have many of the same transformational capabilities that your original did."

Ruby nodded.

"I'm not saying that it's impossible," said Ayumu, resting his chin on his hand. "But that does increase the complexity of the image you're trying to create, and the amount of work you have to put into materializing it. It's going to be harder to keep it consistent."

To both Ayumu and Gin's surprise, Ruby smiled. "That's okay," she said. "I have an idea of what to do."

"You do?" asked Gin, blinking.

"Uh huh," said Ruby, pulling out her scroll. "This came with some great apps, and the receptionist at the CCT center, back in Brandywine was nice enough to load it with a particular one. It's a 3D modeling program specifically to help in designing things like weapons."

"I see, you can definitely use that," said Ayumu. "That should mean creating a definite image of what you want to materialize will be a lot less difficult, though you'll still have to memorize all its qualities."

"That's fine," said Ruby. "When I made Crescent Rose, I knew every bolt and gear inside of her."

"I suppose you're quite prepared for this then," said Ayumu, "which brings us to the other component of materialization, the actual material you want to make."

"Well…metal mostly, right?" said Ruby.

"But what kind of metal?" asked Gin with a smirk.

"Um…well…" Ruby frowned, tapping her chin. "I'd like it to be the right gauge of steel…"

"Now you're overthinking it," said Ayumu with a chuckle. "Gin was teasing you a little bit."

"What?" gasped Ruby, throwing a confused look at Gin, who coughed and hid his smile behind a hand.

"In fact, your initial answer was the best answer," said Ayumu.

"Just metal?" said Ruby. "But that doesn't cover anything about its qualities."

"And yet, it covers everything," said Ayumu, raising Green Destiny and flicking his wrist, sending a slight bend rippling up the blade and triggering a faint ringing noise. "This is one of the biggest advantages to materializing your own weapon. The material you create is not limited to the material that naturally exists in the world."

"Really?" asked Ruby, her eyes going wide as the stared at the blade.

Ayumu nodded. "Just as with your original answer, I wanted my sword to be metal. However, what kind of metal could make a blade this thin and supple, yet so strong, I couldn't even begin to guess. I merely decided on metal and the properties I wanted said metal to have. From there, I worked that into my image and combined them together within my mind. Then, through my manifested Aura, I made that image into reality and the Green Destiny was born."

"I see," said Ruby. "In that case, I'll get started right away." Then she frowned. "But my scroll has limited battery life. I suppose I can only use it so much while we're out in the wilderness."

"Aren't there supposed to be portable rechargers you can get?" asked Gin. "We can probably find one or two of those when we get to Weathertop."

"Well, my scroll can probably last that long," said Ruby, "particularly if I'm not using it for anything else."

"You're free to go ahead and get started," said Ayumu. "We'll let you know when it's time for dinner. Once you've got the image that you want, I'll explain the next steps to you."

"Thanks," said Ruby, moving a bit away from the fire and starting up the modeling app. She began to fiddle with the design and display settings before beginning to design her new weapon.

* * *

In the end, it took a surprising effort on the part of Gin and Ayumu to pry Ruby away from her work, and get her to sit down for dinner. After that, she continued to work on her design well into the night. She only shut down her scroll when Gin reminded her that she had additional training the next day, and that Yu would not show her any mercy because she was tired from pulling an all-nighter.

From there, the days took on a more predictable pattern as they made their way through the wilderness towards Weathertop. Yu trained Ruby relentlessly during the mornings and evenings, always pushing her to her absolute limits. To Gin and Ayumu's utter amazement, she undertook every exercise without complaint, always willing to go further and try harder. She would only stop when Yu told her to stop.

There were more...practical...forms of training as well. Traveling through the wilderness as they were, it was practically a given that they would run into Grimm sooner or later. When they did, Yu made it Ruby's job to handle them, forcing Ruby to fight her way through them, while forbidding Ayumu and Gin from helping, unless he thought their numbers too much for her to handle.

Worse, the Grimm had absolutely no respect for her schedule. More than once, Ruby's training with Yu would be interrupted by an Ursa, or a pack of Beowolves, forcing Ruby to deal with them, even when she was already on the edge of exhaustion from her exertions. Afterwards, Yu was just as likely to order her back into training as he was to let her call it a night, the measure he used to make such decisions a mystery to Ruby. Either way, it was torture.

Finally, one day, during their traveling period, they crested a rise to find themselves looking at another settlement. Just like Brandywine, Weathertop was nestled up against the mountains. The course the travelers had been following had led them along the side of the same range that Brandywine had been built into. Overall, Weathertop's design was similar to Brandywine's, with the well-made perimeter wall partially encompassing the settlement, while its metaphorical back was up against the sheer face of the mountainside.

However, that was where the similarities ended. Compared to Brandywine, Weathertop had a much more modern-looking appearance. Houses and buildings were made from cement and concrete. The wall was much more substantial. Instead of being patrolled by militia members with rifles, they were occupied by armored men who looked like this was their primary occupation. They were supplemented by a few Dust-powered auto-turrets, which could lay down a barrage of withering firepower that would have easily broken apart even the horde that had given Brandywine trouble a few weeks ago.

Besides that, Weathertop also lacked the fields that Brandywine had. Instead, they could see dark shafts dug and blasted into the side of the mountain, where they could see all manner of people and equipment churning out piles of rock.

"Are those Dust mines?" asked Ruby.

"Nope," said Yu. "Iron mines. Lucky you."

"Huh?" said Ruby.

"Ah…well…he's talking about me," said Ayumu with a sheepish laugh. "If it had been a Dust mine, it would likely be owned by the SDC. Unfortunately, I have a rather difficult history with them."

"Okay…" said Ruby, not wanting to pry further, despite her curiosity. She did feel a twinge of anger at the mention of the company that Weiss was connected to, from which she derived her sense of entitlement, and the belief that she had been justified in trying to kill Ruby. Still, it was only a tangential connection at the moment, and not one to dwell on. There was no need to worry about the SDC if the company itself wasn't there to begin with.

"Still, we might want to be careful," said Gin. "It could be one of the SDC's affiliates."

"Affiliates?" asked Ruby, giving Gin an inquisitive look.

"Like the name suggests, the SDC specializes in Dust and Dust-related technology," explained Ayumu. "However, in terms of resource acquirement, they focus on the Dust itself. As a consequence, for the iron and steel, as well as materials for other critical components and equipment that they use, whether in their own mines, research, or in the Dust-related products they produce, they have a network of affiliate companies to provide them with those resources."

"Right," said Gin, nodding. "This isn't a Dust mine. But it could be an iron mine that's supplying the iron the SDC uses. That wouldn't be as bad as it would be if it were an actual SDC settlement, but it could cause some complications if we let our guard down."

"Okay…" said Ruby.

"Don't worry too much," said Ayumu. "Once we find out which mining company operates in this settlement, we'll be able to learn whether or not they are Schnee affiliates…" He paused. "Actually…since we're probably in scroll range now, you could do it from here, Ms. Ruby."

Ruby blinked, then pulled out her scroll. "You're right," she said. She frowned as she turned it on. After using the design app to work on her new weapon, its battery was beginning to run low. But a simple search wouldn't risk her running out. "Let's see…Weathertop…The mine is owned by the Dowser Mining Company. It doesn't look like they're an affiliate. How would I tell?"

"Can I see?" asked Gin.

Ruby nodded and handed the scroll to him. Gin carefully looked over the entry she'd looked up. "They're not," he said. "If they were, you'd see one of those Schnee snowflake sigils they like to plaster on every available surface of their own stuff, probably in the corner of the Dowser Company logo. So we're in the clear."

"Good for you kids, I suppose," said Yu. His nose twitched. "Well well…There's someone familiar down there. I'd know that scrawny crow-brat anywhere."

"That's my uncle!" said Ruby eagerly. "He'd said he'd meet us here."

Yu chuckled. "So he's the one who taught you the scythe, eh. I thought there was something familiar about your style. It's a shame. He doesn't like to play with me all that much. He's fun."

"Coming from Master Yu, that's high praise indeed," Ayumu whispered to Ruby.

Yu rested his hands on his hips and sighed. "Well, little lady. You were due for a break anyway. So I'm giving you kids three days to hang out in town and recover. Take any longer than that and I'm gonna split and you'll be responsible for yourselves."

Then he vanished from the spot, not even a stirring breeze to indicate that he'd moved.

"Is he serious?" asked Ruby.

"Probably," said Gin. "Granted, he used to pull that on us and lie about it. He'd promise to leave if we slacked or ditched, then would vanish when we did. After that, he'd wait just long enough for us to get into real trouble, then bail us out and lecture us on our shortcomings."

"Of course, that was before he taught us enough to allow us to fend for ourselves," added Ayumu cheerfully. "He'll come back. But it will be at his convenience. In this case, I believe he'd wait until after we reach Vale.

"And, given the fact that he's probably the one who can really produce appreciable results in the time frame we're looking at, that would be unfortunate. Best if we not test how earnest he is about his threat."

"Okay," said Ruby.

The three of them headed towards the town. It wasn't long before they came across a road that led them the rest of the way in. Unlike the road that extended out from Brandywine's gate, this road was much better-maintained and clearly more used. It had been completely cleared of stones, roots, and other impediments and the ground to either side of it had been cleared of any brush or forest for a substantial swath, giving anyone coming down it a clear line of sight for several meters to either side.

One of the reasons airship technology in Remnant had developed so rapidly was because the existence of Grimm made the creation and maintenance of roads a logistical and literal nightmare. In many Kingdoms and settlements, the job of working to maintain roads and paths between places was reserved for criminals. It was common for the courts to offer time spent working on the roads as a way to shorten the sentences of all but the worst criminals. Of course, given the danger, and the fact that road crews manned by criminals were relatively low-priority when it came to Huntsmen protection, such workers were in short supply, and numerous roads fell into disrepair for long stretches of time, effectively turning each settlement into an island of civilization amidst the wilderness, only reachable by the ships that plied the skies, or those who were willing to take the risk of forging their way on foot.

The fact that Weathertop's road was so well-maintained likely meant that either the government, or possibly the mining company, paid for actual workers and proper protection, or they were sufficiently authoritarian that they were assured a steady stream of convicts for the work crews.

As they approached the gate, Ruby looked up to see that some of the soldiers manning the wall had apparently taken notice, though not action. Instead, after confirming the travelers' presence, the soldiers returned their gaze to minding the rest of the perimeter. Ruby supposed that was good. It meant that these soldiers took their duty seriously. But it could also be bad. It might mean that Grimm attacks were more frequent here. Ruby hoped that wasn't the case.

Reaching the gate, Ruby looked up, taking in the solid, metal doors that were set partially into the wall so that the wall itself formed an arch above the gate. Looking over, she saw a screen and controls for an intercom, presumably to allow them to ask for entrance.

Ayumu approached the intercom and pressed the talk button. The screen flickered to life and the image of an armored guard, looking just like the ones on top of the wall, appeared.

"Greetings," said the guard, his voice calm and flat, but holding no edge of hostility, instead speaking of tight discipline. "Are you requesting entry?"

"We are," said Ayumu.

"Please state your business?"

"We're traveling to Vale," said Ayumu. "We wished to stop here and rest for a few days before proceeding on."

"I see," said the guard. "In that case, be sure to review our laws and regulations while you stay here. If you have any questions, there are officers available at our local station and out on patrol. Please enjoy your stay."

There was a whirring of mechanical gears and, to their surprise, a much smaller gate, built into the larger one so well that its lines were almost invisible, swung open. This gate was still fairly substantial in size, easily big enough for the three of them to walk through, side-by-side, with a generous margin on either side. Most likely, the main gate was for heavy machinery or cargo, while the smaller gate was for pedestrians, or even small vehicles, entering and leaving.

"It seems we aren't likely to have any problems here," said Ayumu.

"What makes you say that?" asked Ruby.

"The way you enter a settlement can tell you a lot about it," explained Gin. "The guard asked our business, but not in an overbearing manner. That means that it's largely a formality and not a genuine attempt to interrogate us, seeing as he accepted our answer without further inquiry. Nor did he ask for any kind of identification."

"That can tell you several things," said Ayumu, picking up where Gin had left off. "The calm and relatively easygoing approach to monitoring entry suggests that public order here is good, and that there is little reason to be suspicious of new arrivals, despite whatever odd circumstances they may arrive under."

"Odd circumstances?" inquired Ruby.

"Well, we did show up on foot, without any weapons, visible or otherwise," said Gin. "That's bound to raise a few eyebrows."

"Oh…"

"You can learn a lot about a settlement by seeing the nature of its security," continued Ayumu as they made their way down the street. "Are they disciplined, but relaxed, or tense and wary…or are they laid back and easygoing?"

Remembering the guards looking down on them from above before returning their attention to the perimeter, Ruby figured she might be able to tell which one it was. "They were disciplined," she said. "But they didn't seem suspicious or worried."

"Very good," said Ayumu. "What do you think that means?"

"Um…" Ruby furrowed her brow. "It means they take their jobs seriously, but that they haven't experienced many attacks."

"That's right," said Ayumu.

"Most likely the income from the mines pays for the guards and ensures that they're well-trained," said Gin. "Settlements are often in a sort of symbiosis with the businesses or industries at their center, or even outright owned by them."

"The lack of substantial inquiry also indicates that there aren't any issues with government here," said Ayumu. "So it doesn't seem oppressive or authoritarian in any fashion. Things are well managed here, but not micromanaged. You can see that in the state of affairs, now that we're inside."

Taking the cue, Ruby looked around the street they were walking along. It was paved, liked the streets of Vale, large enough for cars and other automobiles to drive down with ease. The residents walked on clean sidewalks, while lamps provided plentiful light overhead when night fell. The buildings were all clean lines and right-angles, a bit of a jarring contrast to the more rustic, organic architecture of Brandywine, but still nothing overly oppressive. They were generally taller, but nothing approaching the skyscrapers of downtown Vale.

The people walking along the streets all appeared to be relaxed and mostly cheerful, though a few moved with a bit more urgency, likely going to or from their work. Here and there, she could see uniformed guards, like the ones on the wall, but they were a sparse presence, standing at ease or walking along slowly, their weapons holstered. She could even see the telltale ears, horns, and tails of faunus amongst the crowd, none of them showing any caution or concern about mistreatment.

"Everything looks very nice," she said after a moment. "It doesn't seem like there's anything off." It was a stark contrast from the atmosphere that had greeted them in Brandywine, when they'd entered in the company of corrupt Huntsmen.

Ayumu nodded cheerfully. "Exactly," he said. "It means, whether it's run by the mining company or by its own government, the settlement looks after its people and invests in their wellbeing in both the short and the long term."

"That's good," said Ruby.

"They understand the connection between the mood of their people and Grimm activity," elaborated Gin. "They realize that the best way to ensure they aren't under constant pressure is to keep from doing things that would bring morale down. I'm willing to bet that safety conditions at the mine itself are sterling, with hardly any accidents."

Ruby nodded, fascinated as Ayumu and Gin continued to give her pointers about the nature of the settlement, drawn from observations they made as they traveled along its streets. She wondered if this was the kind of thing that would ever be covered in one of Beacon's classrooms; or if it was knowledge that could only be acquired from experience, or from those with experience. Even though she was on break from her harsh training under Yu, Ruby realized that there was still much she could learn from her new friends and traveling companions. She'd expected to learn a great deal in the time it would take to reach Vale, but she'd never expected to enjoy her lessons this much.

"If Master Yu's observations are correct-" began Ayumu.

"Which they always are," muttered Gin petulantly.

"-then your uncle is already here," Ayumu continued, looking over at Ruby. "That's a good thing, otherwise we'd probably risk running out Master Yu's time limit if we had to wait for him."

"But this settlement is a lot bigger than Brandywine," said Gin. "Where do we find your uncle?"

Ayumu beamed at Gin. "Ah, but you're forgetting that Ms. Ruby has a scroll now. She can probably call him easily."

Ruby nodded. Qrow had put his contact info in the scroll so that she could reach him when she was in range of the relays. However… "We don't need to call him, I know where to find him." She activated her scroll, accessing the network to find a map of the settlement, including all the points of interest. "Let's see…where's the best bar?"

"Bar?" asked Ayumu and Gin in unison, sharing a confused glance.

"There it is," said Ruby. "It's a nice little hole-in-the-wall place, just his thing." She grinned. "This way!" Putting her scroll away, she grabbed their hands and began to pull them along the street. Gin and Ayumu shared bemused glances as they bobbed along in her wake, almost like balloons on a string.

Taking a few turns, Ruby led them into a different section of town. It wasn't really fit to call this particular part of the settlement low-class or low-income, as it was as clean and orderly as every other part. But the streets were narrower, made for pedestrians, rather than vehicles, and its design was residential, rather than commercial.

Ruby led them to a set of stairs that descended into the basement of what appeared to be an apartment complex, leading them through a set of wooden doors and into a place that was completely at odds with the clean, urban aesthetic of the settlement beyond its doors.

The interior was finished completely in wood, all stained with dark hues. It was lit by soft lights set in the center of a series of fans, spinning below a low ceiling, themselves low enough that Ayumu reflexively, though unnecessarily, flinched when he walked beneath them. The ceiling was supported by wooden pillars, carved with a variety of images, some of which Ruby recognized from the stories and fairytales that her father and Yang had told her when she was little. In between them were scattered round, wooden tables, set with wooden chairs, all of the same, dark-stained wood as the tavern itself. Quite a few tables were occupied by people sitting and chatting over drinks and food. Overall, the place had a comfortable, cavelike ambience that felt very cozy to Ruby as she made her way through it, looking over the occupants of the different tables. It was a very subdued, relaxed atmosphere.

From the direction of the bar, Ruby could see a burly man working over a sizzling griddle and fryer, from which an aroma drifted that made her mouth water and her stomach growl. She was tempted to make her way to him and place an order, but decided to prioritize finding her uncle over sating her appetite.

Then she spotted him. Qrow sat at the table furthest from the entrance, set into the corner of the tavern that was hidden by one of those ornate pillars, so that he wasn't readily available from the entrance. He was slouched down in one of the chairs, a bottle of dark liquid, which Ruby presumed to be beer, set on the table in front of him.

"Uncle Qrow!" she shouted, a flurry of petals exploding in her wake as she rushed towards him, her joyous shout causing people to jolt and look up sharply, such loud exclamations clearly not being commonplace in this establishment. However, people, seeing that it was no cause for concern, quickly returned to whatever it was they were doing, a few sporting amused smiles at Ruby's excitement.

For his part, when Qrow saw her coming, he immediately jumped to his feet, moving out from the table with surprising grace, not jostling the bottle on it in the slightest. His eyes were wide and Ruby could actually see the signs of tears threatening to burst forth. He spread his arms wide as she threw herself into them.

It was odd. Normally, whenever he dropped by for a visit, Qrow affected an attitude of mock aloofness over his affection. But, this time, as she hugged him, he hugged her back.

"Hey there, kiddo," he said, reaching up to affectionately ruffle her hair. "Lookin' good for a dead girl."

Ruby said nothing, simply clinging tightly to her uncle and pressing her face into his chest, taking in his familiar scent, slightly woody, with a spicy note, as though the liquors he drank had gradually infused their aromas into his very body. It was a familiar scent, one she associated with home, family, safety, and happiness. Unlike Qrow, Ruby wasn't able to completely contain her tears, spots darkening the white color of Qrow's shirt. Qrow didn't mind in the slightest, appearing just as relieved as Ruby. Ayumu and Gin hung back, feeling slightly out of place, as though any attempt to interrupt the reunion would be treading on forbidden territory.

"I'm so glad to see you," said Ruby, her voice still muffled by Qrow's chest. She hadn't realized that seeing someone from her family again, after her close brush with death, would cause her control to slip so much.

"I'm glad to see you too, Rosebud," said Qrow, now stroking her hair. "I'd tell you never to scare me like that again, but it seems like you've made that your life's calling."

Now Ruby giggled, finally pulling back and letting go, Qrow doing the same. She wiped her eyes with her sleeves and smiled up at him. She realized she still had a long ways to go before she reached Vale. But just seeing Qrow here made her feel a lot closer to home.

"Come on, take a seat," said Qrow, gesturing to the table. "Let's invite your new friends too. I'd like to meet the boys who saved my favorite niece."

"Right," said Ruby, turning and beckoning Ayumu and Gin closer. "This is Ayumu Ao and Gin Ueno," she said.

Qrow settled back into his chair, looking over the boys with careful scrutiny. "Well now," he said, "you ain't Huntsmen, but you sure as heck ain't civilians either. Ruby said you were martial arts students, right?"

"That's correct," said Ayumu as he, Gin, and Ruby settled into chairs across from Qrow.

"Well, I owe you a debt for saving Ruby," said Qrow. "For starters, let's get you three some food." He turned his head towards the bar. "Hey, Mac!" he said in an almost-shout that carried across the quiet expanse of the tavern. "Four of your finest sandwiches, with fries, another beer, and lemonades for the kids!"

The bartender had paused when Qrow called out to him, turning to look at them with an expression so uninflected that it was almost robotic. He acknowledged Qrow's request with a soft grunt, before turning back to his work as though Qrow hadn't said a thing.

"Mac's a man of few syllables," said Qrow with a chuckle, turning back to Ruby and her friends. "But he's a wizard behind the counter. It's a pity you aren't drinking age yet, Rosebud. He makes the best beer in Sanus-Heck!-probably all of Remnant."

"Not trying it," Gin growled to Ayumu, who'd given him a teasing look.

"Probably?" asked Ruby, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I'm still working my way around, but I've yet to find another contender," said Qrow with a smirk. "The beer here is to die for."

Ruby was willing to bet it was. Qrow was normally one for the harder liquors, like that which he usually carried in the flask that seemed to be perpetually on his person. To hear him gush about a place's beer meant that it must have been pretty impressive.

"That said, his lemonade's pretty damn good too," said Qrow. "He makes it with ice cubes of frozen lemonade, so it doesn't get watered down as the ice melts."

"That sounds delicious," commented Ayumu.

Now Qrow looked more carefully at Gin and Ayumu. "You guys are students, right?" At their nods, he smirked. "So that means you have a teacher. Who is it? Maybe it's someone I know."

"Well, Master Yu certainly seemed to know you," said Gin.

Ruby was grateful that Qrow hadn't taken another pull from his bottle, or they probably would have been treated to a repeat of what happened at the CCT in Brandywine…only without the benefit of a screen between them. She wasn't keen on trying Mac's famous beer by having it sprayed in her face.

"Yu Yuen!" sputtered Qrow, grabbing the sides of the table so that he nearly knocked over his bottle. "You kids are students of that psychopath!?"

"I'm afraid so," said Ayumu pleasantly.

Qrow whipped his head around to stare at Ruby incredulously. "Are you sure you're all right, Rosebud?" he asked. "I would've come for you straight away if I'd known these two were _his_ students."

"I'm fine, Uncle Qrow," said Ruby. "Ayumu and Gin are two the kindest people I've ever met." Ayumu beamed and Gin blushed at her praise. "But…yeah, that Yu guy is a jerk."

"He's actually been teaching Ms. Ruby for the past few days," added Ayumu.

"What?" gasped Qrow before turning back to Ruby. "Kiddo…I'm not sure about this at all."

"I wasn't either," said Ruby. "Ayumu and Gin told me he was terrible…and he is. But…he's strong."

Qrow sighed and took a long drink from his bottle. "Well, there's no denying that," he admitted. "He's one of the few guys I straight up try to avoid, if I can manage it."

"He's going to teach me while we're on the way to Vale," said Ruby. "It's hard…like really hard. But…I think it's worth it."

"Well, I have my reservations," said Qrow, throwing suspicious glances at Gin and Ayumu. "I'll admit that you boys don't seem to take after your teacher."

"Considering his personality, we'll take that as a compliment," said Ayumu, making Qrow chuckle.

"Well, I want to make sure," he said. "But if you've come this far and haven't done anything to Ruby, you seem all right." He turned back to Ruby. "Okay, kiddo. I want you to give me a detailed rundown of what happened up until now, as best you can remember."

As Ruby told Qrow about what happened to her, both before and after Weiss and Pyrrha's betrayal, Mac came up to deliver their food, setting out glasses of iced lemonade in front of Ruby and her friends, as well as another bottle of beer in front of Qrow. After that, he set out their food, four heavenly smelling steak sandwiches, along with fries. Soon, Ruby's story was being told between (and sometimes during) mouthfuls of food as she wolfed down her meal hungrily. Ayumu and Gin supplemented her story when needed.

Finally, Ruby wrapped up her story, as she was down to the last few fries on her plate. The sandwiches had been as delicious as they smelled. The lemonade had been especially good, deliciously tart, without being overly sweetened. Ruby wished that this man had opened up shop in Vale. Then she could eat his food every weekend.

Qrow had gone through the second bottle of his beer and was now on his third as Ruby's story ended. "That's quite the tale, Rosebud. You did good out there. I'm proud of ya."

Ruby beamed as her cheeks flushed.

"That said, I still have my reservations about this plan of yours," added Qrow, making Ruby's smile falter. "Still, it does seem you've mapped things out well enough for now. If Yu Yuen can help you improve over the next couple months, then not even Mini-Ice-Queen and Golden Girl should be able to beat you."

Ruby nodded eagerly.

"I got the evidence you submitted back in Brandywine, by the way," added Qrow, before munching down a fry. "It looks good. Now that it's been entered, we've got a base for a case, even if you don't trap one of those girls in a confession."

"Okay," said Ruby. "How are Dad and Yang doing?"

"Tai's doing all right, especially now that he knows you're alive," said Qrow. "It's a good thing I told him. I figured he was on the verge of doing something drastic."

Ruby gulped nervously.

"As for your sister…" Qrow frowned. "Well…she's doing all right at Beacon. The problem is, with you presumed dead by the staff, Weiss has been put in charge of your team."

"What?" gasped Ruby.

"That's the way it goes," said Qrow. "For the time being, she's got the position she's been scheming for. If you'd actually agreed to just come back like we'd discussed, she wouldn't be leading the team now." His eyes narrowed. "Knowing that, are you sure you still want to go through with this? It means leaving Weiss in charge of your team for the next couple months."

Yet again, Ruby found herself debating the merits of her plan. Granted, she doubted that Weiss had some kind of "evil plan" in mind for when she'd taken over Team RWBY. She was probably just relishing in the opportunity to run the team "her way," rather than Ruby's way. But it was unquestionably galling to know that her team, the team her sister was on, was being led by the girl who had tried to murder her.

Finally, Ruby took a deep breath and met Qrow's gaze. "Yes," she said. "I'm sticking with this plan."

"Okay then," said Qrow, taking another sip of his beer. "I'll work behind the scenes, and get things ready as best I can. You just worry about your training and making it to Vale." He smiled at her again. "How long are you staying at Weathertop."

"Yu gave us three days," said Ruby.

"Three days, huh," mused Qrow. "I can work with that. There's a training facility for the town's security force over along the wall. I'll meet you kids there at around ten."

"Why?" asked Ruby.

Qrow's gaze went to Ayumu and Gin. "I want to get their measure," he said. "They've done well so far, but I want to check them out for myself."

"By fighting them?" asked Ruby.

"Yep," said Qrow. "Quickest, easiest way for a guy like me to get a read on guys like them." His eyes narrowed at the boys. "Unless you two are gonna back out on this."

"Nah, if you want to fight, we're game," said Gin with a smirk. "I hope you're okay with getting your butt kicked."

"Well, you don't lack for confidence, that's for sure," said Qrow with a smirk of his own.

"Wait! Are you sure about this?" asked Ruby, looking back and forth at her friends.

"We'll be fine," said Ayumu. "It sounds like fun."

Seeing there was no way of talking them out of this, Ruby let out a soft sigh and sagged against the table. _Boys…_

* * *

 **Part of the fun with writing a story like this is thinking about the mechanics that make Remnant work. It's a chance to put some flesh on the bones of what we've been given by the show itself. What goes into a settlement? How is a settlement run? The omnipresence of the Grimm fact means that they're a factor that would go into the planning and design of any point of civilization, something the show went into during a _World of Remnant_ segment, back in Volume 4.**

 **Side point, I really hope they bring that back. I don't think people would complain, so long as they don't go overboard on the number of episodes.**

 **Also...that bartender seems awfully familiar. I've seen him before, somewhere.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16:**

Following Qrow's instructions, they went to an inn that was relatively affordable. Thanks to having access to her spending account again, Ruby was happy to pay for the two rooms they reserved, one for her, the other for Ayumu and Gin.

"Are you sure?" she asked the boys. "I mean…I'm all right sharing a room." Granted, as the one paying for their accommodations this time around, she had every right to object to spending extra money. But she figured she owed it to them for all that they had done for her.

Ayumu grinned sheepishly. "I apologize for the extra expense. However, we figured that, with your uncle in town, it was probably best that you had your own room for the time being, in case he decides to play chaperone."

"Oh…" said Ruby, blushing slightly, noticing that Gin was too.

Granted, it was probably an unfounded worry. Qrow was a graduate of Beacon after all, where teams of mixed genders still shared a single room for all four of them, as JNPR aptly demonstrated. However, she supposed there was something of a difference between that and sharing a room with two boys she'd met out in the wilderness, two boys who were the students of a man who had a well-earned bad reputation. Perhaps they were right after all.

"In any case, we'll bid you goodnight here," said Ayumu as they stood before the doors of their adjacent rooms.

"Right," said Ruby. "Goodnight. See you both in the morning. Try not to get beaten by Uncle Qrow too badly."

"He's that strong, is he?" asked Ayumu with a laugh.

"He's the best!" replied Ruby, beaming proudly.

"We'll have to be cautious then," said Gin with an amused smirk.

After that, they parted and Ruby let herself into her room. Closing the door behind her, she took it in. It was much more well-appointed than the room she'd shared with the boys at Brandywine. However, the rooms of Brandywine's inn had possessed a homier touch. This room, for all that it boasted some nice furniture, and other fairly luxurious features, had that same, empty, slightly sterile atmosphere that most hotels and inns sported out of necessity. Given the option, Ruby would have liked a room with a bit more character to it.

However, that was a minor concern overall. Things were really looking up for her. She was well on her way back to Vale, with new friends, a teacher who (for all that he was a jerk) was almost assuredly going to help her become stronger, had reconnected with Uncle Qrow, was assured of her father's well being, and was in the process of getting ready to make Weiss and Pyrrha answer for what they did to her. And now, after nights spent out in the forest, with little more than a blanket and her own bundled cloak for a pillow, she had the chance to get a proper rest in a soft bed, with someone else to make it for her in the morning.

Deciding to make the most of this opportunity, Ruby luxuriated in a long shower, before pulling out the last gift that Tawny had given her before leaving Brandywine, a set of flannel pajama bottoms in a simple, dark-red color, and a black tank-top. She missed the pajamas she'd had back at Beacon, but that was practically a world away now. Pulling them on, she relished in the comfort she hadn't gotten a chance to experience while sleeping in the wilderness.

With a loud, happy sigh, Ruby flung herself onto her bed, laying spread-eagled across it for a moment, luxuriating in the feel of the comforter, sheets, and mattress, staring up at the ceiling for a bit before allowing herself to relax. Pulling the covers over herself, she rested her head on the pillow and allowed herself to drift off.

* * *

 _Ruby's hands ached, the shock of countless blows exchanged with Weiss and Pyrrha taking their toll. Despite that, she pressed harder. She had to go faster, strike more decisively, or she would wind up dead at the hands of the very people she'd thought were friends._

 _She could do it! Her stomach burned from the gash there, but she'd succeeded. She'd knocked Pyrrha aside for the moment. Now she could turn her attention to Weiss and take her down…_

 _…_ _But it wasn't to be. Her scythe halted an inch away from the heiress. Pyrrha wrenched it out of her hands Ruby watched helplessly as Crescent Rose was once again torn to pieces._

 _A cold sensation pierced her chest and Ruby felt her breath hitch. Her eyes met Weiss', and the heiress' face twisted and contorted hideously, her cruel look of disdain being overwritten by a savage, sadistic grin at Ruby's pain as she slowly twisted Myrtenaster, making Ruby scream._

 _Then she was falling. Ruby watched as the cliff rose up in her vision. She felt branches and twigs shatter beneath her, each strike delivering its own stinging pain. She hit the ground hard and gasped, her entire body jolting._

 _It was then that she realized this was a dream. When this had happened in real life, she'd passed out from the pain, until she'd been briefly roused by Gin to check her condition. But, this time, she was left awake, watching as Beowolves, snarling and growling, emerged from the undergrowth, fangs bared and tongues lolling. They advanced slowly and deliberately, feeling no need to rush their approach towards clearly helpless prey. Ruby whimpered and tried to move, but her body refused to respond. A pounding sound filled her ears, getting louder and louder._

 _In reality, Ayumu had fought off the Grimm while Gin treated her wounds. But, this time, the boys were nowhere to be seen. Ruby watched as they crouched over her, taking their time, savoring her fear and despair, before the first one abruptly lunged down to close its jaws about her leg. The pounding almost drowned out the sound of her screams. The other Grimm quickly followed suit and Ruby screamed, thrashing and flailing reflexively, for all the good it did, the final Beowolf leaning down to close its jaws on her throat-_

* * *

Ruby's eyes snapped open, and she found herself staring at the ceiling of her hotel room, her body slick with sweat, somehow managing to feel both icy-cold and burning-hot at the same time. Her covers pressed down on her, and Ruby was struck with the sensation of being smothered. She wanted to throw them off, but, for a horrifying second, her body refused to answer, leaving her feeling disconnected, just as she had after hitting the ground in her dream.

Then control abruptly returned and Ruby thrashed reflexively, throwing the covers off the bed completely, sitting up and hunching forward, tears streaming from her eyes as she gasped for breath. Another minute and she would have broken down sobbing. However, she now realized that the pounding in her dream had not disappeared upon waking. It continued, and Ruby realized that someone was knocking on her door.

Getting out of bed, she lurched clumsily towards the door, taking a second to look out through the peephole and sighing in relief as she caught a flash of Gin's silver hair. She opened the door and found him looking at her with clear concern. Unlike Ruby, he and Ayumu hadn't gotten their own sleeping clothes. But she saw that he'd doffed his white shirt, revealing the black tank top he wore underneath, which gave her a clear view of his upper arms and shoulders, which were laced with numerous scars, small and large, recent and faded.

"Are you all right?" he asked. "We heard you screaming."

Ruby's eyes went wide and she gasped in horror and shame, leaning out far enough to look up and down the hall, sure that people must have been opening their own doors to stare at hers.

"It's okay, I think," said Gin, carefully laying a hand on her forearm. "I barely heard you, probably because our beds share a wall with yours."

"I…I…" Ruby sniffled, feeling ashamed. She'd thought she'd overcome her trauma. But now, she realized it had only been biding its time, which made her wonder why she hadn't had nightmares before now.

Carefully, Gin pushed her back into her room, guiding her with the hand on her arm, before closing the door behind them. Now that they had privacy, Ruby broke down, collapsing against Gin, who blushed, even as he supported her and allowed her to rest her face against his shoulder.

"I…I thought I was over this," she whimpered.

"Did you dream of the fight?" asked Gin.

"I…I did," said Ruby. "But, this time, you and Ayumu weren't there to save me." She shuddered. "But why? I've slept fine before now."

"What might have changed?" mused Gin, seeming as confused as she was, but wanting to try and help her find an answer.

"I don't know," admitted Ruby. "I just felt so…alone…" Then it hit her. Before now, she'd always had Ayumu and Gin in proximity to her, at the very least. But now, by taking separate rooms, she was truly sleeping alone for the first time since that horrible night. Perhaps that was why she'd been alone at the end of her dream as well.

"Ruby?" asked Gin, not quite cluing in to her epiphany.

"I…" Ruby sniffed, hesitating to say what she wanted to. It felt shameful. She wasn't some toddler who needed to share a bed because she'd had a nightmare. She was a Huntress in training, who'd survived an attempt on her life, and was now working herself to the bone to become stronger.

"What is it?" pressed Gin, determined to hear what she wanted to say, even if Ruby herself was reluctant to say it.

"I…Could you…?" Ruby swallowed and looked plaintively up at Gin. "Could you stay here?"

Immediately, Gin's face flushed bright-red. "A-a-are you sure?" he stammered nervously.

"Please," said Ruby, gripping her own arms. "I just…I just think I don't want to be alone right now."

Gin met her eyes, seeing her desperation and slowly nodded. "All right," he said softly.

Helping her to stand properly, Gin led Ruby to the bed and she climbed back in. Then he pulled the covers up over her and settled a chair next to the bed. Ruby blinked and stared at him in confusion. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Well, I figured it would be better if I stayed here," said Gin, settling into the chair and resting his hand on her forehead. "You seem to like this, so I thought it was best."

Ruby blinked, then realized what she'd really wanted. But then she also realized why Gin was choosing to do things this way and found herself blushing. Grateful for his restraint, she smiled and gave him a relieved look. "Thank you," she said softly.

"Just go to sleep," said Gin. "I'm not going anywhere."

Ruby nodded against his hand and closed her eyes, drifting off to the feeling of his blissfully cool skin against her own.

* * *

Now that the night had worn on, Qrow had moved from his table to the bar itself, resting on a stool and nursing yet another bottle of Mac's ale. The man was a genius brewer, but Qrow wished he'd be willing to serve his drinks chilled. He could do with a cold draught right now. But the flavor more than made up for it, and Qrow had to admit that chilling it would dull some of that flavor.

As much as he was feeling the buzz of so many drinks, he was still aware enough to notice when someone settled into the stool next to his, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the bar.

"I'll take a dark, Mac," said Yu Yuen with a wide grin.

Showing his mettle, the burly bartender didn't even flinch at the sight of the man and instead pulled out another bottle, setting it on the counter and removing the top, then stepping away to attend to something else, while Yu held the bottle's mouth up to his nose and inhaled deeply, before taking a long pull from it.

"Nice little joint, eh Qrow?" asked Yu with a chuckle as he set his bottle down.

"The best," replied Qrow, fighting to sound nonchalant as he stared determinedly at his own bottle. Right now, the last thing he needed to do was drink more, not when Anima's infamous "Living Disaster" was sitting right next to him.

They sat silently for a while, Yu taking more sips from his bottle. Then he spoke again. "So…the little missy is your niece, huh?"

"That's right," said Qrow tersely.

Yu huffed in amusement. "I thought her style was familiar. To think that you're old enough to be teaching your style to fledglings of your own. How time flies, eh?"

"You're not _that_ old," riposted Qrow.

"Really…?" wondered Yu. "Is that what you think? So you're probably not gonna believe me if I wax poetically about the good old days."

"What good old days?" asked Qrow cautiously, glaring sidelong at the man, for all the good it would do.

"Why, the Great War, of course," replied Yu. "Now there was a party. You really should've been there."

"You weren't in the Great War," snarled Qrow. "Records of you in Mistral only show up thirty years ago at most."

"Uh huh," said Yu with a chuckle. "Notice that those records first recorded when I started raising some hell again? It took that long for Mistral to get their crap in order." He sighed longingly, leaning backwards slightly. "But I really am that old, scrawny-boy. Maybe I haven't been around the block as many times as Ole' Oz. I don't have his 'gift' after all. But I've lived more than my share."

"Yeah, sure," grumbled Qrow, still skeptical. "Of course, you would look at the Great War and think it was all fun and games."

"Well, for me it was," said Yu. "Sometimes, watching was just as fun as participating. They called it the 'Great War' back when it was going on too. But it had a different meaning back then. You really should've been there…all those fresh-faced kids signing up at recruiting stations, their hearts blazing with patriotic fervor, sure that this was the greatest time, where people would show their mettle. Boys would become men, girls women, faunus would demonstrate they weren't subhuman animals by serving with distinction. Everyone believed that this was their chance to do something great, to grab the reins of destiny and steer the world."

"I'll bet they were in for a real shock," grumbled Qrow.

Yu chuckled. "Oh yeah," he said, licking his lips. "I was blind back then too, of course. I've never regretted that. But, just then, I really wish I could've seen the looks on their faces when the reality sank in, and they realized what they were really in for. It was a gorgeous show, feeling their eagerness swallowed by horror or become twisted by aggression and hatred for the enemy. It was a playground, I tell you."

Qrow shuddered. Yu could have just been pulling his leg, but he spoke with such surety that it was hard not to believe that he'd been there.

"So you just played around, doing whatever you wanted?" he growled.

"You bet," said Yu. "It was a blast."

"I bet you could've ended it yourself if you wanted," muttered Qrow.

"Probably," said Yu with an indifferent shrug. "But why would I? It was so much fun. I wouldn't have minded if those days had lasted forever."

"I bet all those who lost friends or loved ones felt differently," said Qrow.

"On the surface, maybe," said Yu with a low laugh. "But that's not how people really feel at the core of their beings. The truth of the matter is that, human or faunus, we all crave conflict. You know this well enough."

Qrow grunted.

Yu's grin widened and he leaned over his drink. "Our lives are saturated by the desire for conflict," he said. "It's embedded in everything we do. Even a simple story is considered worthless if everyone is happy and hunky dory all the way through. Conflict is what drives us forward. It's what our worlds revolve around. People mourn the death of loved ones lost to violence, true. But then that mourning turns to anger, and they seek to turn that anger on the ones responsible for said violence. If they succeed, then the loved ones of the perpetrators return to exact vengeance on the avengers. It's the dance of ages. Even that sweet little rose of yours is carefully sharpening her thorns for the sake of revenge."

"So what?" grumbled Qrow.

Yu turned his head so that his blindfolded eyes, unseeing as they were, rested on Qrow. "So…I can't understand why you and your friends in that little "secret circle" of yours are working so hard. It's inevitable. Sooner or later, the next 'Great War' is gonna start, whether you want it to or not. The best you and yours can manage is to punt it a few years down the road. But you'll never stop it. So why do you try? Accept the inevitable and embrace the madness of existence…and stop trying to kill my buzz."

"Maybe we can't," said Qrow. "But if I can dropkick the start of the next war far enough along that it doesn't happen in my life or, better yet, my niece's, then that's good enough for me. If I do things right, she'll continue pushing it down the road past her own kids' lives and so on and so forth. That's the way we do things." Then his eyes narrowed as he glared at Yu. "Besides, if you want war so badly, start it yourself."

"Not as fun," replied Yu. "I mean, I could probably make it a war of myself against everyone else…but I've gotten tired of numbers. It's during real conflict that those with true strength are forged. Only then could someone come along who could give me some real fun. I mean, I've been raising those boys as best I can, but they just don't get it."

"That means they're a better class of person than you," retorted Qrow, before snorting. "Thanks, by the way. That's the most ringing endorsement of their character I've heard all day."

Yu huffed, his smile fading. "This is why you're no fun," he grumbled, tracing a circle on the bar. "By the way, speaking of your friends and their little 'secret circle'…I find myself wondering if your niece's overflowing talent and dauntless work ethic are the only reasons she was invited to Beacon so early."

Qrow twitched, a reaction so small that most, even the extremely observant, would have missed it. But Yu was not most, and he was beyond 'extremely observant.'

"Ah yes…" he said with a chuckle. "A genuine Silver-Eyed Warrior. I have to admit that I thought they were extinct. I admire your will, Qrow, to let Ozpin have her."

"Oz is better than you think," replied Qrow.

"Oh…So he was just going to ignore her power?" asked Yu with a smirk. "Face it, at the end of the day, your little niece is just another tool being forged for your conflict with that melodramatic hag."

"Shut up," grumbled Qrow.

"Granted, it looks like I'm gonna have first crack at it," added Yu. "After all, she's already tapped into it."

Qrow's head snapped around, looking at Yu with genuine surprise.

"Oh…did she leave some details out?" asked Yu, stroking his chin. "Or maybe she doesn't realize it herself. It was only a partial awakening after all. Ayumu and Gin don't know a single thing about the silver eyes, so they probably don't really realize anything is amiss either."

"What is Ruby to you?" asked Qrow cautiously.

"A way to pass the time," said Yu. "Granted, it's annoying I don't have to break her down the way I did Gin, but this little quest of hers is an entertaining little diversion if I do say so myself."

"I figured that," muttered Qrow.

"What? Not gonna object?" asked Yu.

"Well, she did come to you," said Qrow. "You know your stuff. Besides, you're all about doing what you want, and letting people do what _they_ want. I'm guessing that's how your other students turned out so nice, despite being mentored by an asshole like you." He glared at Yu. "So I'm gonna do what I want, and try my best to make sure you stay as bored as possible."

Yu threw back his head and laughed loudly, the sound of his guffaws reaching Qrow's bones and making his body tense. The mere vocalizations carried a tangible force of their own. "That might be pretty entertaining in its own right," he said, once he finished.

Draining the bottle, Yu stood up and slapped a few lien onto the bar. "Keep the change, Mac," he said as he headed for the door. "Have fun with my bratty students tomorrow," he added as he stepped out.

Qrow watched him go, before huffing and turning back to his own beer. "Thought that bastard would never leave," he said, before looking up at the bartender, who had come to collect Yu's money. "But you're something else, Mac. Even that guy pays for his drinks here."

Mac merely grunted and returned to his work.

* * *

Ruby slowly opened her eyes, finding herself staring up at the ceiling of her room. Compared to her last awakening, she felt incredibly at ease. She sighed softly, snuggling down into her covers, before realizing that the cool sensation of Gin's hand was still on her forehead.

Looking over with just her eyes, not wanting to move her head too much, lest she dislodge Gin's hand, she saw the boy himself, fast asleep, resting his head on his folded left arm, while his right remained outstretched to keep contact with her. Despite the awkward position, he slept soundly, his body barely moving with his breaths.

Smiling, Ruby reached up and carefully lifted Gin's hand off her head, curling the fingers of her left hand around it as she nuzzled her cheek gently against Gin's knuckles. The slight movement was enough to wake the dragon-faunus, who stirred and lifted his head, blinking at her with eyes that didn't look the slightest bit bleary, despite just waking up.

"Good morning," he said.

"Good morning," Ruby echoed back. "Thank you for staying."

Gin nodded and twisted his hand in her grip so that it was now cupping her cheek. Ruby happily continued to nuzzle her cheek against his palm.

"And…" she added hesitantly, "…I'm sorry.

"Why?" asked Gin.

Ruby pulled away from his hand, though she still kept it within hers. "I feel like such a child. You had to stay with me because I had a nightmare."

"Nightmares are expected after what you went through," said Gin. "You had one not long after we found you."

"Yes, but…not after that," said Ruby.

"Because we were with you," said Gin. "The scars those girls left on you weren't just physical. Ayumu and I would never judge you because they caught up to you later, rather than sooner."

Ruby smiled again. "I guess you're right," she said. Turning her head, she looked at the clock, seeing that it was half past eight. "I guess it's time to get up," she said with a groan, letting go of Gin's hand.

"We've got time," said Gin. "I think your uncle would understand if you wanted to sleep in."

"Yeah, but I'm awake now," said Ruby, stretching her arms over her head.

"I guess I should go get dressed too," said Gin standing up. "We'll see you at breakfast."

Ruby nodded, swinging her legs off the side of her bed so that she could stand up. Looking at Gin, as he made his way to the door, she was seized by an impulse. "Gin!"

Gin paused, having already stepped out of her room and about to close the door behind him. He looked up at her. "Yes?"

Activating her Semblance, Ruby closed the distance between them in a flash and a flurry of crimson petals. Suddenly, Gin felt her lips against his cheek, before she withdrew them. "Thank you," she repeated, before closing the door herself.

Gin was left standing in the hall, his face flushed bright red as he stared dumbly at Ruby's door for several minutes.

* * *

Breakfast was an awkward affair, mostly because Gin apparently couldn't bring himself to say a word to Ruby, instead focusing on his meal. Ruby watched him worriedly, wondering if she'd offended him in some way. She was afraid to ask, wondering if she could maybe talk to Ayumu about it later.

After their meal, they made their way to their meeting with Qrow, taking in the sights of Weathertop along the way.

They arrived at the training facility, located at one of the corners of the city where the perimeter wall met the mountainside. It was near the mines, the rumble of heavy machinery being a persistent undertone to any and all conversation taking place. When they arrived, they were admitted by the guards at the door, but also told that Qrow had yet to arrive.

"He's probably hungover," said Ruby.

"I wonder if that's gonna affect his ability to fight," said Gin, one of the few times he had spoken since he and Ruby had first parted before breakfast.

Ruby decided to ignore that fact for the moment in favor of answering his query. "Not really," she said with a shrug. "I mean, he was always either drunk or hungover when he was training me. Sometimes I wonder if he does that because he's not as good when he's sober."

"I've heard of people like that," mused Ayumu.

"Maybe it has to do with his Semblance," suggested Gin.

"I've wondered that sometimes," Ruby admitted.

After a few minutes of waiting inside the training center's lobby, Qrow finally lurched in from outside. "Looks like you kids are on time," he noted wryly as he tottered past the guards. Today, there was a part of his ensemble that had been missing before, a large, straight, single-edged sword that rested over his shoulder.

"And you're late," teased Ruby.

"Fashionably," Qrow retorted with a smirk. His eyes came to rest on Gin and Ayumu. "All right, boys, time to see just how good you are."

"If you're certain," said Ayumu.

"Yeah, let's get to it," said Qrow, leading them down one of the training center's hallways to a sparring ring.

Ruby was struck by a bout of nostalgia. Minus the upper level seats for students observing during combat class, the place was almost a dead ringer for the sparring rings back at Beacon. It was a section of flat, smooth, black stone, polished to a smoothness resembling glass. Even if it was used by Huntsmen and others capable of shattering solid rock with some of their attacks, or even the mere impact of their bodies, the broken surface could easily be reset with the proper application of earth-Dust. Around the edge of the ring were a pair of glowing rings. One denoted the boundary of the fight itself, used if ring-out was one of the victory conditions. The other was the foundation for a barrier of Dust-powered energy that protected spectators from stray rounds and debris. Beyond that was a single line of benches that surrounded the ring.

"Okey dokey," said Qrow, tottering out into the center of the ring, "which of you kids wants to go first?"

Ayumu and Gin traded glances before Gin stepped forward. "I'll take the first go," he said, stretching out his arms, making the joints pop.

"Good to see you're so enthusiastic," said Qrow with a chuckle. "I hope you don't regret that. You seem pretty confident, considering you don't have any weapons."

"I was born with all the weapons I need," said Gin, silver scales emerging from beneath his skin and covering his forearms all the way up to the elbows, while his fingernails lengthened into claws.

It seemed that, despite all his jaded cynicism, there were still things that could take Qrow by surprise, as his widening eyes indicated. "A dragon-faunus," he observed. "I've seen some weird things, but this is new."

If he took offense at Qrow's statement, Gin didn't show it. "I think it's good that life offers you surprises, well into your old age."

"Don't call me old, kid," said Qrow. Reaching up, he grasped the handle of his sword, pulling it off his back with a spin and a twirl that brought it down into his left hand as he assumed a basic guard-stance. The blade extended out, nearly doubling its length. "Ready when you are."

Gin sank into a crouch, spreading out his feet, holding one clawed hand out in front of him, fingers spread, but slightly curled. The other hovered near his chest.

Outside the ring, Ruby connected her scroll to the facility's network, which allowed her to access the ring's controls. A few seconds later, she brought up the protective barrier that would shield her and Ayumu from any of the bout's fallout.

Silence and stillness fell over the arena, the two fighters remaining where they were, eyeing each other carefully, neither willing to commit to the first move if they felt it would give their opponent and advantage. Outside the ring, Ruby decided to take a moment to consult with Ayumu about Gin's strange and distant behavior towards her.

"Is he all right?" she asked after she explained what had happened in the morning.

Ayumu chuckled and beamed at her. "He is," said Ayumu. "He's just overthinking things, I believe."

"Overthinking?" asked Ruby.

"Gin told you he had a temper," said Ayumu, to Ruby's nod. "Partly as a consequence of Master Yu teaching him to control it, and the guilt he feels for how much he allowed it to govern his actions during his time as a marauder, he has become quite…careful…in how he deals with people, people he likes, that is."

"So he likes me?" asked Ruby.

"Very much," said Ayumu. "I doubt he would go so far out of his way to make sure that you are happy and comfortable otherwise, like spending the night at your bedside so that he can maintain the contact you enjoy so much."

Ruby blushed. "But does he like me…like that?" she wondered. She remembered what Tawny had said back in Brandywine about Gin's behavior.

"I believe he does," said Ayumu, "though he has yet to confirm it to me…or even to himself perhaps."

"But why is he so distant all of a sudden?" asked Ruby.

"That's where his overthinking and overcomplicating things comes in," said Ayumu with a sigh. "May I ask if you like him the way he likes you?"

"I…I don't know," admitted Ruby. "I like being around him. He can always calm me down when he touches me like…you know." She put her hand up to her forehead, which prompted a nod from Ayumu.

"Most likely because that was the very first physical contact you experienced from him, and it comforted you during a frightening and uncertain time in your life," said Ayumu. "Which doesn't make it a bad thing, mind you."

Ruby nodded. "But liking him like that…" Her cheeks reddened. "I don't know. Back when I was at Beacon, I had this crush on a boy from another team. This feels a little different."

"How?" asked Ayumu, cocking his head to one side.

Ruby sighed. "I'm not sure. Being around Gin makes me feel happy and comfortable. Being around Jaune made me feel sort of…excited…I guess. But I really like having Gin close."

"Then perhaps you do like him," said Ayumu. "Of course, it's up to you to decide whether or not that's the truth of your feelings. As for Gin…his feelings for you are complicated by how we found you."

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.

"Gin and I found you on the verge of death, treated your injuries, and nursed you back to health," explained Ayumu. "It's only natural that you'd have positive feelings towards the people who helped you out of the darkest period of your life."

"Yeah," said Ruby.

"However, from Gin's perspective, that complicates his feelings towards you. I don't believe he came to like you because of your vulnerability and the effort he put into helping you."

"Is it because he saw me naked when he was treating me?" asked Ruby.

To her surprise, she saw Ayumu flush in embarrassment, a rare occurrence for him. "Well…the fact of the matter is that we didn't care about that." He scratched his head. "Or rather, we made a concerted effort to ignore your appearance while Gin was treating your wounds. In a sense, he tried to view as an object while he was doing that."

"An object?" asked Ruby, not sure how to feel about that.

"In a sense," said Ayumu. "I don't mean to be crass, but you do have an attractive body, Ms. Ruby. Gin and I made a concerted effort to…overlook…that aspect of you while we were dealing with your injuries." He turned back to the ring, where Gin and Qrow were still having their stare-down. The two of them had progressed to moving, but not actually fighting, instead slowly circling one another. "If I could peg what drew Gin to you, it was probably his getting to interact with you after you'd woken up. That was when his attitude towards you changed and warmed considerably. After that, he took a very strong interest in your happiness and wellbeing."

"Oh…" said Ruby, her own cheeks flushing. "But why does Gin view that as a bad thing?"

"From his end of things, he doesn't," said Ayumu. "What I believe he worries about is that, if you were to return his feelings, he is afraid that your feelings might have roots in gratitude for all the help we've given you. Gin is afraid that you maybe feel that you 'owe him one' for all that he's done for you and your feelings arise from that."

"That's…" Ruby blinked as she tried to process it. "…That's just silly. I don't really know for sure how I feel yet, but I do know that I don't 'owe him' my feelings just because you and him saved me from dying."

"That's why I said he's overthinking things," said Ayumu. "This is the first time Gin's let himself get so close to someone since me, particularly a girl, and found that he likes her. He's partly afraid of hurting you, but also afraid of hurting himself. His scales can't protect his heart, after all."

"What do we do then?" asked Ruby.

"I don't really know," admitted Ayumu. "I'm not exactly a font of romantic experience myself. I've had crushes on girls I've met in some of the places we've visited. But the nature of our lifestyle does not allow for me to spend time exploring the nature of romantic relationships."

Ruby giggled at that.

"That said, if you truly want to bridge the gap between the two of you and alleviate this distance, perhaps it falls to you to take action," said Ayumu. "Even if you're not sure of your feelings, perhaps you could try to make an opportunity to find out for yourself, and try to help him overcome his own anxieties at the same time."

"Like what?" Ruby wanted to know. "Like dating him or something?"

"Maybe," said Ayumu with a shrug. "That would be between you and him. However, we do have two more days before we need to leave. So it might be worth a try."

"I'll think about it," said Ruby, the two of them turning back to the match.

Gin and Qrow were still circling, the two of them regarding each other cautiously. This went on for several more minutes, before the action began abruptly.

To Ruby's surprise, Qrow was the one who went on the attack first, leaping forward and bringing his sword down in an overhead slash aimed at Gin's head. Gin raised his left arm, intercepting the blade so that it scraped along his scales, drawing sparks as Gin shifted the path of the swing so that the sword passed just off to his side. He stepped in, thrusting out with the claws in his right arm, aiming straight for Qrow's chest.

Reacting with impressive speed, Qrow pulled back his sword, bringing it up so that Gin's claws instead met the broad flat of Qrow's blade with a screech. Still, Gin stepped forward, slamming his lead foot down with enough force to crack the floor beneath it, the force of the attack flinging Qrow backwards, his feet skidding as he came back down.

Even as Qrow landed, Gin was already closing in on him again, leading with a flurry of slashes from his clawed hands. Qrow whipped his blade around, maneuvering the heavy weapon with speed and deftness that belied its size and bulk, fending off Gin's strikes as he backpedaled towards the ring's inner boundary.

Launching another slash, Gin tried to lunge past Qrow's guard. To his surprise, Qrow made no effort to block or parry, but instead dodged, leaping upwards, his body becoming a blur. He went into a spinning flip overhead before descending down with another slash of his sword. This time, Gin sidestepped the attack entirely, turning to meet Qrow as he landed. A swift twist of his wrist allowed Qrow to bring his sword back around in a sideways slash aimed at Gin's stomach. Gin swept his own arm out in a block, bouncing Qrow's swing off his scales as he closed in. Qrow leaned back away from the swipe of Gin's claws.

From there, the two of them leapt apart before coming back together, their bodies blurring as they exchanged slashes and swipes, Gin's claws and scales matching the edge and weight of Qrow's sword, the two of them easily keeping pace with each other as their speed gradually continued to rise. At one point, Qrow lashed out with a kick that caught Gin in the stomach, launching him back.

Gin landed on his feet, but his back foot came down on one of the sections of the ring that had already been broken earlier. The rubble slid out from underneath him, disrupting his balance as Qrow closed in for another strike. However, rather than try to recover, Gin instead allowed himself to fall, ducking beneath the swing of Qrow's blade, the Huntsman's attempt to exploit the opportunity causing him to overextend when Gin's body wasn't there to meet his strike, before Gin propelled himself up inside Qrow's guard, striking out with both his hands, his right above, slamming into Qrow's sternum, while his left struck lower, hitting Qrow's abdomen.

Now it was Qrow's turn to be sent flying back. Qrow landed on his shoulders, his body bouncing. Using his momentum to his advantage, Qrow rocked his body to spring back to his feet. As he did, he raised his weapon, the sword blade folding down to rest perpendicular to the handle, revealing a pair of barrels. Qrow fired, and a scattering of buckshot flew at Gin in a loose cloud, scattering over a wider area the further it got from Qrow's gun.

Rather than try to block the scattered projectiles, which was an exercise in futility, Gin rushed right through them. Or rather, he seemed to. Qrow's eyes widened in surprise as Gin's body warped and rippled where the shots impacted him. Gin's body rippled as he advanced, making it difficult, if not outright impossible to tell how close or far away he was until he suddenly took to the air, seeming to burst out from his own rippling and warping form in a splash of silvery mist, slashing at Qrow's head in a downwards angled strike.

Qrow leaned back, Gin's slash barely missing grazing his nose. As he did, he brought his blade back up in an upwards slash that would have cut into Gin's stomach from below. However, Gin met the sword's edge with the scaled palm of his hand, catching it, and using the momentum of Qrow's strike to vault away. He landed in a slight crouch, a near perfect mirror of his starting stance.

Gin's eyes narrowed when he noticed that Qrow was no longer holding his sword in his left hand. "You were holding back on me," he noted.

"So are you, kid," added Qrow with a smirk. "It stings that you won't take me seriously."

"Likewise," added Gin with a smirk of his own.

Qrow held his sword out behind him, making a jerking movement with his arm. At the sword's base, a set of gears, visible portions of its inner workings, began to turn. The blade turned perpendicular to the handle, its length segmenting and stretching slightly so that the dull, back edge was on the inside of the curve.

"Uncle Qrow's getting serious!" said Ruby worriedly.

"So is Gin," noted Ayumu.

Gin had moved to a more neutral stance, standing to face Qrow full on, his arms held out slightly to the side, hands open, but fingers curled. He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. Ruby's eyes widened as she saw that familiar, phantasmal, serpentine body winding around him, its coils curling around his arms and flowing in circles around his body. It was like the brief flashes she'd seen in his previous fights, but this time more visible and substantial.

Qrow frowned and froze, returning his sword to its original configuration before resting it on his back again. "All right, I think we're good," he said, standing back. Then he smiled. "You're okay in my books, kid."

Gin relaxed and the spectral image vanished. "If you insist," he said.

Qrow turned and nodded to Ruby. "Match's over," he said.

"All right," said Ruby, tapping the controls on her scroll and bringing down the shield.

Gin made his way back to him, while Qrow extended his hand towards Ayumu and beckoned. "All right, your turn now," he said.

Ayumu beamed, hopped off the bench, and headed into the ring. As he did, he brought his hands together, drawing forth the Green Destiny, as though from an invisible sheath, its sudden appearance making Qrow's eyes widen. "Well now, I've seen people keep their weapons in all kinds of funny places. But I don't think I've seen anyone pull one out of thin air like that."

Ayumu chuckled. "There's a trick to it," he demurred. Raising his sword, he flicked it in Qrow's direction, eliciting a ringing sound from the blade. "Entertain me, and I might even let you in on it."

* * *

 **By the way, ending the chapter like this has less to do with an obsession with cliffhangers, and more to do with my obsession with arbitrary word-counts. I like my chapters somewhere between seven and eight-thousand words. I can sometimes pry myself out of that habit, when it's obvious that I need to keep writing in order to properly round off a scene, or when I decide to kick on to the next chapter sooner, because I've found a good stopping point.**

 **I don't really write the way most writers, the good ones at least, do. I don't outline my chapters or my story arcs. My writing is all very stream-of-consciousness, with me going, "Okay, where do I go from here?" then writing the answer as it comes to me. Quite often, I start writing before I've even got a definitive idea of where the story is ultimately heading. Case in point (points to the story you're currently reading). More often than not, it leads to my stories extending considerably, because certain factors leap into my head, then straight out onto the page. My muse is less like the ancient Greek spirits of inspiration, and more like a xenomorph, gestating inside my head, then exploding out on the page in a burst of literary gore.**

 **With Gin and Ruby, in case it wasn't obvious which way the ship is sailing, I wanted to try something different. In essence, I wanted one of the major focuses of the interaction between them to be tactile in nature, with an emphasis on temperature. In most romances, it's all about "warmth;" warm hugs, warm feelings, warm this or that. So I figured it would be interesting to have Gin be the inverse of that, by making him cool, and having that being presented as something to be appreciated. I know that when I get upset, my body heats up. I get sweaty, and my face feels like it's about to catch fire. So making the basis of the contact between Ruby and Gin being about Gin being able to literally cool Ruby off when she needs to calm down seemed an interesting idea to explore.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17:**

As Ayumu and Qrow faced each other, Ruby settled down next to Gin. "You were holding back?" she asked.

"Yep," said Gin. "So was he. It says a hell of a lot about his skill that I can't tell which of us was holding back more."

Ruby giggled and nodded. It appeared that fighting with Qrow had gotten Gin to loosen up. He wasn't acting so distant now. However, she figured that he would pull back into himself again, given the right impetus. Despite that, she found herself reaching over and resting her hand on top of his own, meshing her fingers between his. Gin flinched…but did not pull away.

"Gin…" she said, a trifle nervously.

"Yes?"

Ruby swallowed, surprised how hard a time she was having trying to follow through with this. "Tonight…would you like to go out with me?"

She felt Gin twitch again, on the verge of pulling his hand away, but she tightened her grip on it and leaned down slightly to keep it where it was. He could have still forced his hand out from under hers, but he didn't.

"Y-you mean, l-like a d-d-d-d-date?" asked Gin, his stammering reaching a level of intensity she hadn't thought he was capable of.

Had she not been feeling so nervous and awkward herself, Ruby would have giggled. "Y-yeah," she said, feeling her own cheeks head up. "I wanted to go out with just you to…talk…I guess."

"About what?" asked Gin, turning his head to look at her.

"I'm not sure…" admitted Ruby. "Us…I guess. We can work that out later, but will you do it?"

"Y-yeah," said Gin. "Of course. If that's what you want."

Ruby smiled and squeezed his hand a little tighter. "Good," she said. She thought he was being a little too hesitant, but she'd take what she could get at this point. In the meantime, they turned their attention back to the match between Ayumu and Qrow.

Going by initial appearances, it looked like a farcical match-up. Ayumu's blade seemed like a twig compared to the tree trunk of Qrow's own massive sword. Despite that, Ruby knew especially not to underestimate the strength of the Green Destiny. More importantly, she had been treated to first-hand demonstrations of the keenness of the sword's edge, how it could slice through solid steel like a hot knife through butter, if Ayumu wielded it right. If Yu's remonstrations were accurate, then she realized that Ayumu actually didn't need to exert himself to cut through an opponent's weapon. As a sword, its full capability relied entirely upon Ayumu's control and finesse.

On the other hand, it seemed like a mismatch from the other end of the spectrum as well. Qrow's enormous sword looked too heavy and unwieldy to enable him to properly defend himself against Ayumu's lighter, more agile blade. But Ruby knew from personal experience, training under Qrow, that he could wield that enormous sword with speed and grace that belied its apparent bulk. This was a situation where she couldn't tell which of the two fighters had the advantage.

Ayumu and Qrow didn't wait nearly as long as Qrow and Gin had to begin their exchange, the two of them becoming blurs as their blades came together with a clang that jolted Ruby down to her bones. They parted, only to come together again, the two of them dancing, their blades flashing arcs of light around them as they slashed, thrusted, blocked, parried, and riposted. Even as their blades moved, the two of them also danced around each other, jockeying for better position. Sometimes their steps brought them around to stand back-to-back, yet they still traded blows, even from that position, striking over their shoulders or around their waists.

Taking a step forward and turning about, Qrow unleashed a powerful sideways slash that launched a crescent-shaped wave of Aura through the space Ayumu had been occupying. Jumping upwards, Ayumu deftly dodged the attack, but, in the process, moved in too close to bring his own sword into play. To Ruby's surprise, that seemed to be his intent all along as he instead thrust forward with the palm of his left hand, aiming right for Qrow's face.

Qrow leaned his head to the side, narrowly avoiding the palm-strike, reversing his grip on his sword, and jabbing at Ayumu's stomach with the pommel as Ayumu touched down. Ayumu mirrored the action, reversing his own grip and meeting the pommel of Qrow's weapon with the pommel of his own. At the same time, Ayumu stepped in still closer, now pressing almost body to body with Qrow and lashing out with a sharp punch from his left hand, aimed at Qrow's collarbone. Qrow's own left came up to block, but it appeared to be a distraction, as Ayumu's leg leapt off the ground to strike at Qrow's midsection. However, Qrow matched the motion by blocking with his own leg.

The two of them jumped apart, striking out with their swords in the process, trying to score a hit before they moved completely out of range. However, their movements served as both attack and defense, and they separated, cancelling one another out so that neither of them achieved the hit they were aiming for. There was no hesitation as Qrow touched down from his jump, trying to rush and strike Ayumu before he could land and regain control of his own movement.

To Ruby's amazement, Ayumu kicked downwards and seemed to step off the air itself, ascending out of the path of Qrow's strike, before suddenly descending to strike Qrow from above, the Huntsman raising his sword to block as Ayumu's blade descended. Then Ayumu once again appeared to step off the air itself, dancing over Qrow's head to come down behind him. Qrow spun about, sword coming around for another slash. However, Ayumu's legs bent, allowing him to sink into a crouch that caused Qrow's sword to sail over his head. Pivoting in the same motion, Ayumu lashed out with his leg in a sweep aimed at Qrow's shins, while following it up with a slash from his sword, aiming to catch Qrow's leg as he lifted it out of the way.

Qrow did lift his closest leg out of the line of Ayumu's kick. At the same time, he deftly manipulated his sword with his wrist, jabbing the blade downwards and anchoring it into the ground in time to catch Ayumu's slash, which rang as it bounced off Qrow's weapon. Qrow grinned and levered the handle down, causing the gun barrels to come to bear on Ayumu's head.

Ayumu's expression didn't waver as he flicked his sword up and around, bringing his fingers up to rest against the flat of the blade as he angled it between him and Qrow's gun. At this range, the buckshot that Qrow's weapon fired didn't have room to spread. However, Ruby was truly amazed when, with a flash of green Aura that spread out from the point of impact against Ayumu's blade like ripples, Qrow's shots rebounded straight back at him and he was blown off his feet with a low yelp of pain.

Going into a backwards flip, Qrow managed to land on his feet. Driving his sword downwards, he planted it into the ground to slow his slide to a stop, his heels coming to rest just inside the edge of the ring. Lifting his eyes, he directed a surprised stare at Ayumu.

However, Ayumu was already closing in to attack once more. Ruby noticed his weight shift oddly as his foot slid on a piece of dislodged rubble. Qrow immediately lunged in, trying to catch Ayumu while he was off-balance. But Ayumu kicked out with his other foot, yet again seeming to step off the air itself as he moved up and to the side at an angle, dodging Qrow's thrust, and coming around to swing his leg at Qrow's head in a roundhouse kick. Lifting his empty hand up, Qrow caught blocked Ayumu's kick with his forearm.

Ayumu then surprised Qrow by rolling his ankle so that he hooked the top of his foot around Qrow's forearm, then pulled, using Qrow's own arm as a fulcrum to swing his body around behind Qrow and thrust at Qrow's head from the other side with his sword. Qrow jolted his head to the side, but still caught a grazing hit from the Green Destiny's edge, the unnaturally-sharp blade nearly parting his Aura and drawing blood, though Qrow managed to just barely avoid that.

Reversing his grip on his own sword, Qrow brought drove it backwards and upwards, twisting his left hand to try and grab Ayumu's ankle. He was too late. Ayumu had already relaxed his ankle, relinquishing his unusual grip on Qrow's arm, and turning his own body out of the way, seeming to drift out of the path of Qrow's thrust with easy grace before cartwheeling smoothly through the air to land a few meters away.

Once again, Ayumu moved to go on the attack. But, this time, Qrow smiled and took two steps back, stepping past the line that denoted the edge of the ring, sounding the buzzer for a ring-out. Ayumu froze in place, and Qrow slid his sword back into its resting position on his back. "You're good, kid," he said.

"Thank you," said Ayumu pleasantly. "You're quite skilled yourself. I could see that you were holding back against me as well."

"The same could be said for you," noted Qrow. "It's gonna take a few hours of maintenance to polish those chips you knocked out of my blade's edge. That sword of yours is hell'a sharp."

"My apologies," said Ayumu.

Qrow shrugged. "Eh, it comes with the job. I'm the one who put you up to this, so I have to accept the consequences." Then he smirked. "Still, I recognize that weird leg-grapple you used at the end there. So you are Yu's student after all."

"You doubted us?" asked Ayumu mildly. He slid the Green Destiny into his left hand, as though slipping it into an invisible sheath.

"Not really," said Qrow. "So, did I entertain you enough to tell me about that neat little trick you pulled?"

"I suppose so," said Ayumu. "It's fine that you know, I guess, seeing as we are teaching Ms. Ruby that little trick as well."

Qrow looked questioningly at Ruby, who nodded as she and Gin joined them in the ring.

Ayumu proceeded to explain the nature of materializing a weapon to Qrow, who listened with rapt attention, fascinated by the idea. When Ayumu finished, Qrow was nodding sagely.

"Yeah, it sounds like the kind of insane skill that joker would come up with," he noted. "But the few times I was stupid enough to take him on, he's never used it once."

"Well, it goes without saying that he can materialize a weapon," said Ayumu cheerfully. "But, of course, his regular strength is so insane that he's never had a need to put that skill to use, so I couldn't tell you what kind of weapon he's created with such a method, if any."

"Sounds about right," said Qrow, folding his arms. "Beginning to end, top to bottom, that guy's a complete monster. I'm amazed you can stand to be his students."

"Well, issues with his personality aside, he's a frightfully effective teacher," said Ayumu, Ruby and Gin nodding their agreement.

"Can't argue with that," said Qrow. "I gotta admit, I'm intrigued about this materialization bit myself. It seems like quite the game-breaker."

"It has its advantages and disadvantages," said Ayumu, drawing his sword once more. "The greatest limitation about materialization is that the object you create through it is static."

"Static?" asked Ruby, staring at his sword.

"The Green Destiny has a set length, width, weight, and balance," said Ayumu. "It has that because of those particulars I told you about before, Ms. Ruby. So I cannot, for example, extend the blade to strike targets at a distance, or increase its mass to strike harder blows, or widen it to create a broader defensive area. Affecting those changes would mean changing the image of the sword within my mind, which would render it inconsistent, which would ultimately undermine my ability to materialize it."

"Oh," said Ruby, leaning in closer.

Ayumu sighed. "That's why I fear that the weapon you intend to materialize will be difficult to do so. By the nature of your training and experience, you'd prefer a weapon that can transform, which would require moving parts, which, in turn, would increase the complexity of the image of that which you wish to materialize. I'm not sure it's possible to materialize such a complex object.

"We'll just have to see," said Ruby determinedly.

"Well, good luck with that," said Qrow. "I admit, it might be worth looking into, but it's a little too much for me right now."

"Wow, you're starting to sound lazy, Uncle Qrow," teased Ruby.

"Well, unlike you, I've got work to do," Qrow teased back. "A guy of my caliber is in high demand. I managed to score some time off to come see you, but that's about it. In fact, I've gotta split in another couple of hours for my next mission."

"Aww…" groaned Ruby, disappointed that she couldn't spend more time with her uncle. While hanging around Ayumu and Gin was nice, she was missing her family quite a bit, yet another manifest flaw in her plan.

"Hey, you'll be fine," said Qrow, smiling fondly as he ruffled her hair. "But, before I go, you and I need to have a little talk…" He directed a meaningful glance at Ayumu and Gin. "By ourselves."

"Okay," said Ruby.

"We'll wait for you at the inn," said Ayumu, Gin nodding his agreement. The two of them took their leave, leaving Ruby and Qrow by themselves.

"Come on, Rosebud," said Qrow, "I'll buy you lunch."

* * *

To Ruby's complete lack of surprise, Qrow chose to take her to Mac's Tavern for beer (for Qrow), lemonade (for Ruby), and sandwiches (for both of them). As they ate, Qrow looked at her gravely, his earlier jovial attitude gone.

"What's wrong?" asked Ruby.

"Ruby, what was the first thing Oz said to you when he met you?" asked Qrow.

"Um…well…" Ruby frowned, thinking back. Now that she was over her amnesia, it should've been relatively easy. Despite that, she found herself feeling as though her conversation with Ozpin, which had led to her admission to Beacon, had been a lifetime ago.

"I…I don't remember," admitted Ruby. "He said something about…my…"

"Silver eyes?" posed Qrow.

Ruby's eyes went wide and she stared at her uncle. "That's it! He said I have silver eyes." She blinked and put her fingers up to the skin below her eyes. "I mean, I like my eye color and all…but why would Professor Ozpin just bring that up out of the blue?"

"Because you're special kiddo," said Qrow simply. "And not in a 'daddy's little angel' sort of way either."

"What do you mean?"

Qrow sighed, then took a swig of his beer. "Remnant's full of stories and legends. Some are made up. But others…others have a grain of truth. One of those legends is so old that it's all but forgotten. Almost no one knows it anymore. But Oz told me about it."

"What is it?" asked Ruby, leaning forward. She'd always loved stories and fairytales, ever since her sister had read them to her at night before bedtime.

Qrow smiled wryly at her. "It's a legend about Silver-Eyed Warriors. In the era before humanity had learned how to harness Dust, it was said that there were those born with silver eyes who were destined to live the life of a warrior. The Creatures of Grimm, the most terrible, horrifying monsters the world had ever known, were afraid of these Silver-Eyed Warriors. It was said that their power allowed them to strike down Grimm with but a glance."

"And…you think I'm one of them?" asked Ruby.

"Not just you, your mom too," said Qrow, taking another long gulp from his beer. "I hadn't meant to tell you about this so soon. Your mom never really learned how to tap into her own powers. If she had, she might not have-" He paused abruptly and shook his head. "Never mind. No use crying over spilt milk. The point is that you do have these powers and it's time you learned about them."

"Why now?" asked Ruby. "If you weren't going to tell me about them originally, why tell me now?"

"Well, 'cause Yu knows about them," said Qrow with a grimace. "He popped in here to share a drink with me last night and made it clear that he knows." His frown deepened. "And the reason he knows is because your powers have begun to awaken."

"What?" gasped Ruby. "When? How-?" Then she gasped again as she remembered back to the fight against Team BRWN. When she had impetuously attacked Whitney Schirmer and manifested a scythe for the first time, the scythe's blade had been… _Silver! That's what was different, why it's been different all these other times._

"Sounds like you figured it out," said Qrow. "Yu's…well…he knows all sorts of things. I'm guessing that he's the sorta guy who could fill an entire library with 'stuff he's not supposed to know but somehow does.' He knows about the Silver Eyes. He knows you have 'em. And I wouldn't be surprised if part of his training for you in the future revolved around teaching you to tap into them."

"Well, that's good, I guess," said Ruby.

"The problem is that, what little I've heard about the Silver-Eyed Warriors seems to say that their power is hard to use," said Qrow. "It's not just about difficulty. Supposedly that power puts a huge strain on your body. For a long time, everyone believed that they'd gone extinct, those who believed they ever existed in the first place, largely because that strain might have shortened their lifespans. If you tap into that power, you've got to be careful about it. Legends going back that far…it gets almost impossible to separate fact from fiction, and most of what we know is just speculation in the first place."

"Right," said Ruby. Then she blinked, her entire body going rigid. Her already light skin paled by a significant margin as she gasped.

"Ruby?" pressed Qrow, worried by his niece's sudden change in demeanor. "What's wrong, Rosebud?"

Ruby blinked furiously, tears welling up in her eyes. Her stomach churned and she was suddenly beset by the feeling that her sandwich, as delicious as it was, was about to come back out the way it went in. It was taking all her self-control not to simply bolt for the restroom.

"Professor Ozpin said I had silver eyes," she said. "D-does that mean…is-is that the reason he…is that why he really invited me to Beacon?" Ruby shuddered hard, almost to the point of convulsing, her body bending over the table, the sudden vibration nearly upsetting her half-empty glass of lemonade. "That's why he admitted me to Beacon, because I had some kind of special power I don't know about? It wasn't about my skills at all?"

She looked up at Qrow again, tears flowing freely. "Weiss and Pyrrha were right! I didn't earn my place at Beacon at all!"

"What the-?" exclaimed Qrow, shocked by the conclusion Ruby had unexpectedly reached. "That's not-!"

He didn't get to finish. Ruby vanished in a burst of red petals, her sudden departure jarring the table, knocking over the glass of lemonade, spilling its contents across the table's surface as the glass rolled off the side to shatter on the floor.

"Ruby!" shouted Qrow, lurching to his feet and setting off after, only pausing to throw his lien onto the bar as he passed it, hoping, in his haste, that it was enough to settle their bill and cover damages.

Despite its abruptness, Mac didn't utter a word or sound of protest at their departure, merely moving to begin the process of cleaning up their mess.

* * *

One of Weathertop's most positive factors was the accommodating nature of its residents. Despite the fact that it was a mining town, whose major interests were overseen by a private company for the sake of profits, the owners of the Dowser Mining Company had come to the conclusion that happy workers were productive workers. As such, they looked after their employees with a great deal of care, paying them well, and being careful not to overwork them.

The company also made it a point to be equal in its accommodations for both humans and faunus, something they had become especially attentive to since the rise in violent activity by the White Fang. Some might have called it bowing to fear, but the owners preferred to think of it as _not_ borrowing trouble. As a pragmatic strategy, it was effective. Weathertop had seen no sign of the White Fang activity that had been plaguing many other settlements, not to mention Vale itself.

Which wasn't to say that the White Fang had no presence within the town. Rather, those operatives of the faunus-rights organization kept a low profile, realizing that fanning the flames of violence was likely to engender more ill will than good from the faunus residents of Weathertop, who were, on the whole, quite happy with their lot, even if that left them complacent to the plight of their fellow faunus in many other parts of the world.

So it was that one of the White Fang's few operatives in the town, who frequented Mac's Tavern, was enjoying a seat at one of the tables when Qrow and Ruby had entered and begun their conversation about Ruby's unique heritage.

As far as the operative was concerned, this assignment was the best he could ask for. It was boring to be sure, but boring was good in his opinion. Happy faunus meant no one in this settlement was really motivated to learn about the White Fang. There were no operations to plan, no incidents of racism to retaliate against. Instead, he was free to simply spend his time whiling away the hours in idle enjoyments. It was a situation made even better by the fact that he technically had _two_ employers and, consequently, two paychecks to spend on whatever caught his fancy.

Never before had the operative been so happy that he happened to be a bat faunus, complete with the leathery ears that stood atop his head, and the extra audio reception they provided. Because of them, even though Qrow and Ruby's conversation had been taking place in relatively low tones, nearly all the way on the other side of the tavern, the operative had heard every last word of it.

Normally, he wouldn't have been interested in some random conversation between some Huntsman and his niece. But his second employer had given him certain key things to keep an eye-and and ear-out for. One of those had been the phrases, "Silver eyes" and "Silver-Eyed-Warriors." It was important that he note who those phrases were applied to. Of course, it hadn't been hard to miss the girl with her eyes, which might have been mistaken for gray under most circumstances, but were most definitely silver, upon closer inspection.

So, as Qrow rushed out after Ruby, the operative leaned back and enjoyed his own drink for a few minutes longer, before tossing some lien onto the table and making his way to the door, trading a nod with the unsuspecting bartender as he did. Once he was out of the bar, the operative wasted no time reaching into his pocket and pulling out his scroll. He had a call to make…and a generous bonus to earn.

* * *

Gin and Ayumu had been lounging in the inn's common room, a simple lobby, unlike the one back in Brandywine, when Ruby burst in through the front doors, flying past them in a streak of red, petals scattering in her wake. They both looked up sharply at her sudden passage, before exchanging a confused glance with one another. Gin began to stand up, his face lined with worry at Ruby's unusual behavior, when Qrow burst in through the doors in Ruby's wake.

Both Ayumu and Gin paused, looking at Ruby's uncle in confusion.

"What on earth happened?" asked Ayumu.

Qrow came to a stop, staring in the direction the doors that led to the hall where Ruby and the boys were staying. "I had a talk with her," said Qrow, "let her in on a little secret."

"From the look of things, that didn't go well," remarked Gin irritably, throwing a sidelong glare at Qrow, though he too was preoccupied in staring after Ruby.

"This seems slightly familiar," mused Ayumu, realizing that Ruby had probably locked herself in her room. "What did you tell her, exactly?"

Qrow looked over the two boys, mulling over whether or not to let them in on the secret that he had shared with Ruby. His initial thoughts were to keep things between him and Ruby for now. Then he remembered that these two were Ruby's fellow students, as well as her friends. It was likely that Yu Yuen didn't care remotely as much about keeping secrets as Qrow did and wouldn't bother to hide his interest in Ruby's unique trait from them. They'd probably find out about it sooner, rather than later.

With a sigh, Qrow flopped down onto the common room couch and gazed tiredly at them. "Well, Ruby comes from a pretty special family…" he began.

* * *

"My Lady, I have received the most interesting piece of news."

"What is it?"

"One of our contacts has overheard a rather unusual conversation. It would appear that he has identified a Silver-Eyed Warrior, albeit a nascent one from the sound of things."

"What? I thought we'd killed the last one some time ago."

"So we assumed. But one can never be certain of such things. Their lineage has a tendency to pop up in the most unexpected places. At least this one appears not to have yet fully manifested her powers."

"I see…this is an opportunity then. Where did the report come from?"

"From the settlement of Weathertop, southwest of Vale. It would seem particularly interesting as one of the participants in the conversation our contact overheard was none other than one Qrow Branwen. And the Silver-Eyed Warrior identified is apparently his niece."

"All the more intriguing. It would appear that your informant has earned his keep."

"Indeed, My Lady."

"Hmm…What to do? Tyrian is preoccupied with finding the Spring Maiden. Cinder is busy with our plans in Vale. That leaves…"

"May I recommend Viola, My Lady? It is true that she would not be as effective at subduing the target as Tyrian, but she is skilled, if more…unstable."

"Yes…that is probably the best course. In that case, I shall have you accompany her as well, Ciar. Tyrian has his issues, but his loyalty to my orders is without question. But Viola could do with some extra supervision. Unlike Tyrian, who can be trusted to follow orders on his own, Viola needs someone to hold her leash."

"It shall be my pleasure to carry this out for you, My Lady. Viola and I shall depart within the hour."

"Very good. Find this Silver-Eyed Warrior and bring her to me…alive. I don't particularly care if she's unspoiled or not."

"As you wish, My Lady."

* * *

"That's quite the story," said Gin, once Qrow had wrapped up his explanation. "It also explains why her weapon was different the first time she manifested it."

"That's right," said Ayumu, nodding his agreement. "You observed as much back then. So it seems you were correct in guessing that it was linked to her eyes."

"The reason her weapon manifested differently ever since is because she hasn't tapped into that power again," added Gin.

"I considered myself fairly well read, but I've never heard of such Silver-Eyed Warriors," commented Ayumu, leaning back in his seat. "Then again, most of my education comes from what I've read in libraries in various settlements, so it's understandable that I haven't heard of such stories."

"More than understandable," said Qrow. "It's from a long time ago. The Grimm are good at disrupting the chain of knowledge of human history further back than a century or so. The purges during the Great War didn't help. Even in academic circles, only the most diehard historians and folklorists have even gotten a whiff of those tales."

"Yet you seem quite familiar with them," noted Ayumu, his eyes narrowing slightly as he regarded Qrow.

"I've got a special source," said Qrow with a teasing smile.

"That said, is it true?" asked Gin, suddenly regarding Qrow very intensely. "Was Ruby admitted into Beacon because of this power of hers, and not the belief that she possessed the ability and skills to excel?"

"Hell no," replied Qrow firmly, his own eyes narrowing as he looked back at Gin. He'd taken note of the younger boy's special interest in Ruby. Given everything he had seen, he suspected that Gin had grown _more_ than a little fond for Qrow's niece. However, Qrow didn't mind that after getting a taste of what kind of person Gin was. "Believe me, that was one of the first things I checked with Oz, after learning she'd been offered admission."

"And you believe this Ozpin person?" asked Ayumu.

"Yep," said Qrow. "I know him well enough to trust him completely. It's true that Oz has an interest in Ruby's lineage, but that isn't what got his attention in the beginning. What's more, Tai and I wouldn't have allowed it if we didn't know that Ruby had what it took to make it in Beacon. I trained Ruby myself, so I know first-hand just how good she is."

"There's no questioning that," said Gin, settling back while Ayumu nodded his agreement. "I have no idea how she stacks up against the average Beacon student, but she's nothing short of incredible."

"Coming from you kids, that's high praise indeed," said Qrow with a chuckle. "Yu said something similar last night."

"He referred to Ms. Ruby as a perfect prodigy," said Ayumu, "a talented genius who does not require the sting of failure as an impetus to improve, but is instead driven to improve and apply herself by her very nature."

"That sums up Ruby all right," said Qrow with a chuckle. "She was a natural with the scythe, but she still thoroughly practiced every single technique and drill I taught her. I went to Beacon, so I know that she could stand with the other first-years in combat ability, even if they were all two years older than her. Her only issues would be academic, but that's dealt with easily enough. Even I thought it was a good idea when I heard what Oz did." He sighed and stared down at his knees. "I never even thought that it would lead to something like this."

They all turned their gazes towards the hall that led to the inn's rooms, which Ruby had fled down several minutes ago.

"She's probably locked herself in her room," said Gin.

"It reminds me of when she regained her memories," added Ayumu.

Qrow frowned. "I guess this was a mistake," he muttered. "Yu knew about the silver eyes, so I figured he'd tell her sooner or later. I decided to get the jump on him, and make sure Ruby had some idea of what she was in for. I never thought she would leap to that kind of conclusion."

"Well, hers was a reasonable assumption," mused Ayumu. "Still, her reaction wouldn't have been as vehement if she hadn't been attacked over the belief that she had not properly earned her place at the Academy."

"I guess you're right," said Qrow. "I probably should have seen this coming. I underestimated how emotionally fragile her state was when I told her."

"To be honest, we would have done so as well," said Ayumu. "Traveling with her, it seemed she had largely learned to cope with her trauma." He scratched his chin. "But there was her nightmare last night…"

"Nightmare?" asked Qrow, raising an eyebrow.

"Night-terror seems more accurate," said Gin. "She was screaming loud enough to be heard through the walls."

"God…" said Qrow softly.

"I checked on her and spent the night with her to keep her calm, but I guess that kind of fear, pain, and doubt are something that doesn't go away all that quickly," continued Gin.

Qrow flinched and narrowed his eyes at Gin. "Wait! You spent the night with her?" There was a slight growl in his voice. However, Gin regarded Qrow levelly, not even reacting to the implied threat.

"Yes," said Ayumu with a chuckle, also unfazed. "Ms. Ruby is partial to the feeling of Gin's hand on her forehead. She finds it calming and soothing."

 _That_ got a reaction out of Gin, who blushed and looked away. Qrow found himself raising an eyebrow at that, even as he feelings of caution were assuaged. Neither of the boys had batted an eyelash at his change in tone. But, then again, he had gotten a first-hand taste of their skill level, which was high enough for him to genuinely wonder if he could actually beat them in a straight fight. On top of that, they had been trained by a man _far_ more intimidating than Qrow could even dream of being, so just changing the tone of his voice wasn't likely to get much of a reaction out of them.

"That being said, perhaps this means that Gin is best suited to helping Ms. Ruby through her current issues," suggested Ayumu.

"Huh? Me?" Gin snapped his head up and around to give Ayumu a surprised look.

"At the very least, you are quite adept at calming Ms. Ruby down," said Ayumu. "That is certainly an asset in a situation like this."

"Uh…W-well…I could try," said Gin, his cheeks flushing even redder.

Ayumu lightly patted Gin on the shoulder. "Well then, go to it," he said cheerfully.

"Okay," said Gin hesitantly, but getting to his feet and heading back towards Ruby's room.

Qrow watched him go with a raised eyebrow. "Are they…?"

"Not yet," said Ayumu. "Right now it's just a very strong crush on Gin's part. Ms. Ruby's feelings on the matter are more ambiguous, by her own admission. But she has certainly not ruled out mutual interest on her own part. And Gin cares far too much about Ms. Ruby to even so much as think of attempting anything untoward, if that's what you were worried about, Mr. Branwen."

"Huh," said Qrow, folding his arms and leaning back. "Well, this is certainly an interesting development."

"One, hopefully, that will prove helpful in getting Ruby through this particular rough patch," said Ayumu.

* * *

Ruby lay on her bed, pressing her face down into the pillow to muffle her sobs, horrified at the idea Qrow's revelation had instilled in her. At first, it had been both exciting and daunting to learn that she'd been born with special powers. But then, the memory of her first meeting with Ozpin had overlapped with the memory of Weiss and Pyrrha trying to kill her, their stinging accusations that she didn't belong to Beacon, that she'd been given a free ride by Ozpin, suddenly digging their hooks much deeper into her psyche than before.

Ruby's heart shuddered, and she was dogged by feelings of betrayal, not just by Weiss and Pyrrha, but by Ozpin as well. If he had really brought her into Beacon because of her unique trait, then he had as good as set her up for this. He'd brought her into an institution for warriors before she was even properly ready, and painted a metaphorical target on her back in the process, all because of those stupid silver eyes she and her mother had.

She was on the verge of crying herself to sleep when she was roused by a soft knocking on her door. "Go away!" she shouted, thinking that her uncle had come after her.

"Ruby."

Her heart lurched and Ruby abruptly pushed herself up, startled by Gin's voice. "G-Gin?"

"Yes," said Gin softly. "Can I come in?"

Ruby's first impulse was to tell him no, to send him away so that she could go back to her misery. However, it was overridden by another impulse. Gin always seemed able to make her feel better, even if it was through something as simple as a touch on the forehead. Despite how much she wanted to wallow in her misery right now, she wanted that comfort more than ever.

Getting up, Ruby went to the door and pulled it open. Gin was standing there, a look of clear worry on his face as he looked at her.

Ruby's cheeks suddenly began to heat up and she abruptly felt very self-conscious about her appearance, despite objectively knowing that Gin had seen her in a lot worse shape than this. She began to fidget. "C-come in," she said nervously.

"Right," said Gin, his own cheeks flushing as he stepped in and closed the door behind him.

They sat down on the bed, side by side. For a moment, neither of them said a word, not knowing what to say. Then Gin, his movements halting and hesitant, reached over and wrapped his arm around Ruby's shoulders, pulling her against him. That was all it took for Ruby to collapse, weeping against him. Raising his other hand, Gin pressed his palm to her forehead, his cool touch calming the angry heat that had been surging through her body. Gradually, her cries tapered off.

"Do you know?" she asked.

"Your uncle told us," said Gin.

"Do you think it's true?" she asked. "Do you think I got into Beacon because of these eyes, not because I belong there?"

"Your uncle certainly doesn't think so," said Gin. "I have no idea how good Beacon students are supposed to be. You're the first I've ever met. But I do know that your skills and your talent are real."

"How do you know?" asked Ruby.

"Ayumu took over a month to get the basics of manifestation down, you know," said Gin. "You got it on the first try. You managed to manifest a weapon just a couple of weeks later, despite the fact we hadn't even gotten around to teaching you that level yet. You could have only manifested that object because it was intimately familiar to you, because you trained with a scythe until wielding one was as natural to you as walking and breathing. Those are things that even a truly monstrous talent isn't capable of. Working hard comes as naturally to you as the things you work hard at." He gave her a wry smirk. "Master Yu hates that, by the way."

Ruby giggled at that.

"So, yeah…I'm inclined to believe you belong in a place like Beacon," said Gin, "going by the level of your skill at least."

"Thank you," she said. "But do you think that's why Ozpin offered to let me come?"

"I couldn't say for sure. I've never met the guy," said Gin with a shrug. "But, even if that wasn't the case, even if your eyes were the main reason he brought you in, the people who truly matter, the ones who know you best and care for you the most genuinely, believe that you belong there. Don't you think their opinions matter a lot more?"

With a sniff, Ruby nodded. Gin began to move his hand, brushing his fingers through her bangs.

They remained like that for several minutes before Gin spoke again. "Feel better?"

"Yes," said Ruby.

"Good," said Gin. "I've never tried to be an emotional support for someone before."

"You did great," said Ruby with a giggle, slowly, and somewhat reluctantly pulling away from him. "I guess I should apologize to Uncle Qrow."

"An apology isn't necessary," said Gin. "All he wants is to know that you're going to be okay. That's all any of us want."

Ruby found herself smiling more widely before she leaned in and pecked Gin on the cheek for the second time that day. "Thank you, so much," she said, before changing the angle of her head so that she could whisper into his ear. "And we are still on for our date tonight."

"O-oh…" stammered Gin, his posture suddenly going rigid. "G-good."

Ruby giggled and got up, taking him by the arm and pulling him towards the door. "Come on," she said. "I've got to say goodbye to Uncle Qrow before he leaves."

"Right," said Gin, a small, relieved smile decorating his face as he allowed himself to be led out of her room.

* * *

Qrow and Ayumu were still waiting in the lobby when Ruby emerged, blushing shyly as she approached her uncle.

"You okay, Rosebud?" asked Qrow, standing up.

Ruby nodded silently and hugged him. "I'm sorry for blowing up at you like that."

"It's okay. That's one hell of a bombshell to drop on ya out of the blue there," said Qrow, fondly ruffling her hair. "I just want ya to know, as someone who's been through Beacon, you definitely earned your place there, even if a certain two brats disagree."

"Thank you, Uncle Qrow," said Ruby, pressing her face into his shirt while Qrow tightened the hold his arms had around her.

After several more minutes, Qrow sighed. "Looks like my time's up," he said sadly. "I'll try to meet up with you again when you guys work your way around to Vale. Work hard, squirt."

"I will," promised Ruby.

Qrow looked up at Ayumu and Gin. "Look after her for me, all right?"

"We will," promised Ayumu with his normal good cheer.

Qrow's gaze slipped over to meet Gin's and he grinned and threw Gin a teasing wink, silently wishing him luck as Gin blinked confusedly in response.

Finally, Qrow let go of Ruby and leaned down to kiss the top of her head before turning and heading to the door, giving her a final wave before he left. Ruby waved back, watching as the door closed behind him.

"Second thoughts?" asked Ayumu, resting a hand lightly on Ruby's shoulder.

"A few," said Ruby. "But Uncle Qrow is like that, even back at home. He's always off on missions of some kind or another, so he isn't around most of the time."

"Well then, that's taken care of," said Ayumu cheerfully. "Now what?"

"Now Gin and I are going out!" said Ruby with equal cheer, latching onto Gin's arm as he blushed furiously. Then Ruby paused. "Actually…let me get cleaned up first. I look like a mess." She rushed back down the hall to her room, leaving a decidedly nervous Gin, and a very amused Ayumu, behind her.

"So…she took what I had to say to heart," observed Ayumu.

"You put her up to this?" asked Gin, snapping his head around to stare at his friend.

"I didn't 'put her up to' anything," said Ayumu. "During your match with Mr. Branwen, we had a frank discussion regarding your feelings for her and her feelings for you. I suggested, since you're such an overthinking worrier, that she try something to get a better assessment of her own feelings."

"You didn't need to do that," muttered Gin, looking away.

"Well, certainly not for your sake," said Ayumu with a chuckle. "But, since Ms. Ruby was the one asking…"

Gin huffed and groaned. "I'm not sure about this," he said.

"Of course you're not," said Ayumu. "That's because you're overthinking it. If you like her and she likes you, then it's fine. The circumstances matter only marginally. Or do you really think so little of her, and so highly of yourself, that you genuinely believe that any feelings she might have for you are born solely of gratitude for saving her life?"

Gin frowned. When Ayumu put it like that, it was pretty presumptuous of him.

Ayumu patted Gin on the shoulder. "Just have a good time with Ms. Ruby tonight. Enjoy yourselves and simply see where things go. That's all this is about."

"All right," said Gin.

"Then I'll probably see you tonight or tomorrow, depending on whether or not Ms. Ruby would like you to stay with her tonight," said Ayumu, heading out of the lobby.

Left to himself, Gin was struck with a realization. He was going on a date with Ruby…and he had no idea what to do on a date.

* * *

 **Writing Qrow vs Gin and Qrow vs Ayumu was a lot of fun. It's tricky, trying to capture the frenetic pace of fight scenes in RWBY, and remembering to make a battle three-dimensional, as well as that so many weapons on RWBY are also guns.**

 **That's one of the things that always bugs me about so many RWBY fanfictions. Part of the allure and excitement of the setting is the boundless possibilities of transforming weapons. There's sniper-scythes, shotgun-gauntlets, katana-pistol-chain-sickles, elementally-empowered-revolver-rapiers, bo-staff-gunchucks...and the list goes on. Yet so many writers, whether creating new characters or giving existing ones different load-outs (usually Jaune), they so frequently go for the melee weapon/sidearm mix. There are a bunch of stories where Jaune decides to upgrade his ranged capability. But does he modify his shield so that it can transform into a railgun, or something similar? No. He goes out and buys a pistol, or an SMG, or something like that. Seriously people, this is the world of Remnant! Go wild!**

 **Granted, there's more than a little of the pot calling the kettle black on my part here. After all, the main-character OC I've made has a sword that's...just a sword. Sure, it's a sword made of Aura that he can pull out of thin air. But it's still just a sword. But I at least have a reasoning behind it.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Remember, don't feed the corporate machine by going out shopping on a day people should be having off. Stay home, eat food, watch movies, read fanfiction.**

* * *

 **Chapter 18:**

It was only after she and Gin had left the inn's lobby that Ruby realized the same thing Gin had earlier. She had no idea what to do on a date. The movies and TV shows she'd seen had always shown a date as some kind of majorly romantic affair. Then again, perhaps she hadn't been watching the right ones. Ruby wasn't a huge fan of romances after all.

Once again, she found a reason to regret her decision to conceal the fact of her survival from her friends, particularly Yang. Ruby was certain that Yang knew a thing or two about dating, and what to do on an average date with a boy she liked, but wasn't sure that she like-liked. Granted, the one thing she knew that all the dates she had seen or read about included was a meal. But she'd just had lunch with Uncle Qrow, so it seemed better to wait, and worry about food later for the time being.

Instead, she and Gin found themselves wandering town, visiting various shops and stores. There was plenty to see in Weathertop, even if it was largely a mining town. They even went up on the wall to get a view of the terrain that they'd just traveled over, and would be traveling over in the future.

The two of them stood, side by side, leaning out over the wall, staring at the rolling hills, covered with verdant forests. A breeze rifled through their hair. Ruby decided that now was a good time to ask Gin about something that she'd been curious about for a while now. "Can you make a weapon like Ayumu's?" she asked, looking over at him.

"The answer is yes and no," said Gin. "Master Yu made me study the requisite skills behind materialization, so I could materialize a weapon if I wanted to. But I don't. I've found that the weapons I was born with are the best-suited for me, after all."

"Oh…" said Ruby.

"Which isn't to say that I don't get a lot of mileage out of manifestation," added Gin.

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.

"Well, it's a little early to teach you about this, as you're still working on materialization, but it's something to keep in mind for the future," said Gin. "Manifestation has two stages, or two levels you might say."

"Levels?"

Gin nodded. "What you've learned so far is shaping your Aura to create objects. That's basic manifestation. Materialization is the process of envisioning and imagining and object so completely that you can completely invest your soul in it and, therefore, give it the qualities of a real object. However, that isn't necessary for level-two manifestation. The next stage of manifestation is learning how to manifest _techniques_."

"But a technique is something you do, right?" said Ruby. "Manifestation _is_ a technique, isn't it?"

"It is," said Gin. "But learning one technique will lead you to others, each one an iteration or advancement of the one that came before it. Manifesting an object can lead to manifesting an attack or technique. That's what I've used it for. _Suigetsu_ is a manifestation that uses my Semblance. As for the other ones, you've seen me fight seriously a few times now. I take it you've seen that my Aura sometimes takes a particular shape."

Thinking of the winding, serpentine, scaled body that she sometimes glimpsed around Gin when he fought, Ruby nodded.

"That's what my offensive manifestation looks like," said Gin. "Mostly, what you've seen is its incomplete form. I was going to use its full form against your uncle during our match, before he called it off."

"Okay," said Ruby, swallowing nervously at the idea of something so potentially destructive being loosed at her uncle. Then she found herself wondering. "Were you going to teach me how to do that?"

"We're working our way up to it, yeah," said Gin. "Or rather, Master Yu is. You need to complete your materialization first."

"Why?" asked Ruby. "You said it wasn't necessary to learn the second level of manifestation."

"It isn't necessary, but it is a distraction, in a sense," said Gin. "Right now, you're creating your weapon through manifestation. It's something you have to maintain, however easy that becomes through continuous practice, trying to manifest an attack or technique while you're doing it would be like trying to look two directions at the same time. It might be possible, but it'll be a whole lot more difficult to execute a manifested technique when you're already manifesting a weapon.

"On the other hand, a materialized weapon is stable. Creating it or dismissing it are conscious actions, and it doesn't require any further focus or attention to maintain. Once you've completed your materialization, you'll be able to use that weapon to develop your own manifested techniques."

Ruby's eyes widened. "Wow! That'll be totally awesome! I can't wait."

Gin smiled wryly. "You'll have to, until you're done at least. We'll go into more detail once you get further along."

Ruby nodded. They fell silent again for a few minutes before Ruby decided to change topics. "Gin?"

"Yes?"

Ruby looked over at him. "I was wondering…why did you…well…what made you like me so much?"

"Oh, that?" asked Gin, his eyes rolling upwards as he rifled through his memory. "It's hard to put my finger on it, but I think my feelings started the first time I saw you smile."

Ruby blinked, feeling confused by his answer. _My smile? Is that it? But that's so…cheesy._

If Gin was aware of her thoughts on the matter, he didn't show it, instead appearing to remain ensconced in his memories. "That first time I saw you smile, it was like your entire face lit up. I don't think I've ever seen anything like that before." He turned his eyes towards her. "But, then again, most of my life I haven't been endeavoring to make people smile."

Despite how silly and cliche it seemed, Ruby found her heart fluttering at the utter sincerity in Gin's voice. He meant every word of what he'd said.

Then he started speaking some more. "The better I got to know you, the more I was attracted. When we found you, you were weak, vulnerable, on the verge of death. But, before long, I could see the core of strength inside of you. You…you always amaze me. Even without your memories, you were so committed to helping others. You were willing to fight for them, even though you didn't have a weapon at the time. You go through Master Yu's training without an ounce of hesitation. You never utter a word of complaint and always give your full effort. You're such an amazing person, it's hard to see how I _couldn't_ start to feel this way about you."

Ruby found her cheeks heating up as Gin went on. It felt awkward to hear someone praise her like this. "Thank you," she said.

Once again, an awkward silence descended upon them, leaving them fishing for ideas for activities and conversation topics. Then Ruby's stomach growled and she decided it was time for dinner. However, once again, she found herself hamstrung by her lack of a coherent plan and wound up pulling out her scroll to find a restaurant that was reasonable.

Fortunately, not too far away from the wall was a small diner that was apparently quite popular with the locals. Ruby and Gin were shown to a table, Ruby deciding to sit on the same side as Gin, so that they could hold hands without needing to reach across the table. Gin apparently thought nothing of the decision, but was happy that Ruby wished to maintain contact.

"So how's your weapon coming along?" he asked, finding a new subject at last.

Ruby's eyes lit up and she pulled out her scroll, opening it up into tablet mode and setting it on the table, she activated the holographic projector, bringing up a three-dimensional image of her new scythe in the making. Right now, it was only partially complete.

"It looks pretty different," he noted. "I figured you'd go for something more like your old one."

"I loved Crescent Rose," said Ruby with a sad smile on her face. "But just trying to copy what I made before doesn't seem right. I want my new weapon to have her own identity, not just be a replica of my old one."

Gin nodded, conceding the point, and silently agreeing with it. Then Ruby used her fingers with the holographic touchscreen to manipulate the image, showing how the scythe's components closed in and collapsed upon themselves to make it more compact.

"But you're going to materialize it, not just carry it," noted Gin. "Why would you need a storage mode for a weapon you can create and dismiss at will?"

"Well…partly because it's what I'm used to," said Ruby. "But the other reason is something I keep seeing Ayumu doing, but he hasn't said anything about."

"Huh?" said Gin, raising an eyebrow at her.

Ruby stared intently at the image. "When Ayumu materializes his sword, he always makes these movements with his hands." She waved her own hands in a vague imitation of Ayumu's actions. "It's as though he's drawing the sword, rather than just making it appear. With everything he's said about visualizing his weapon, I thought the action was something to help with his visualization and figured that I need a familiar action, like how I typically draw my weapon, to help materialize it."

Looking over, she saw that Gin was staring at her with wide eyes and an expression of utter amazement. "Gin…?"

"You're incredible," said Gin. "You just…just saw what Ayumu did, matched it with what you've been taught so far, and put them together to perfectly understand why. You really are a genius."

Ruby squeaked and looked down at the table, her face turning bright red.

"Sorry," said Gin quickly, worried that he'd embarrassed her.

"No!" Ruby replied just as quickly. "I'm just…I've never had someone praise me like this."

"Not even your sister?" asked Gin.

"Well…she did praise me a lot," said Ruby. "But does that count? That's kinda what sisters are supposed to do, right?"

"I don't know," said Gin. "The closest thing I have to a sibling is Ayumu. Granted, we don't go out of our way to insult and belittle each other, but we are honest in our assessment of one another's accomplishments." He shook his head ruefully. "And those two girls thought you didn't deserve your place in Beacon…"

Ruby winced at the mention of Weiss and Pyrrha. But part of her was relieved as well. She supposed it was nice of the boys to avoid bringing up her trauma in too casual a manner. But it was nice to know they weren't tiptoeing around it like Ruby was some kind of china figure that would break under the slightest stress. Talking about it, even in relatively trivial asides, was helping her come to terms with what had happened, and what Weiss and Pyrrha had done to her.

Ruby sighed and leaned her head against Gin's shoulder, feeling him stiffen slightly at the contact, before relaxing again. Gradually, his arm slipped up to wrap around her shoulder. It almost felt like having a cold towel draped over her neck on a hot day. It felt like a misstatement to say that Gin's touch felt cold. That was why Ruby always thought of it as cool. It was a mild sort of coldness, one that soothed her, rather than the kind that chilled her. It made her feel relaxed and comfortable.

For the moment, Ruby was content to remain like this. The waiter came by and delivered their orders, hiding a smile at the young couple's behavior.

Overcome by an impulse, Ruby turned her head to give Gin another kiss on the cheek, the third she would have given him that day. However, as chance would have it, Gin had decided to turn his head at the same time, suggesting that they eat before their food got cold. Before the two of them even realized it, their lips had come together.

Ruby was surprised by the feeling of Gin's lips against her own, amazed to realize that his lips were as cool as any other part of his body. She'd expected such a moment to cause her heart rate to shoot through the roof, but, instead, she found herself relaxing into it, leaning into the kiss, even as Gin froze in place, his mind unable to completely process what was going on. Acting, almost on instinct, Ruby's hand rose up to cup Gin's cheek and pull him in closer to her. She felt his arm gradually tightening its hold on her shoulders as he began to reciprocate.

Finally, they pulled away from each other. Now Ruby was feeling some heat…as her cheeks were burning to the point she was sure they'd catch on fire. "I…I'm sorry," she said, lowering her eyes. "I didn't mean to do that."

"N-neither did I," stammered Gin, also looking down.

They spent the better part of a minute staring down awkwardly before Ruby couldn't keep it up any longer. She began to giggle. Slowly, Gin smiled, and they raised their heads to look at each other again.

"Well…it wasn't what I planned on doing there," said Ruby. "But…"

"It was nice," said Gin.

"Yeah," agreed Ruby. "I wouldn't mind doing that with you again. So…I guess…I like you too."

"O-oh," said Gin, unsure of how he should respond.

The color of his cheeks and the smile on his face told Ruby that he was happy. But he stared somewhat helplessly at the table. Finally, with another giggle, she reached over and pressed her hand against his cheek, turning his face towards hers so that she could kiss him again. Their lips parted with a soft smacking sound and Ruby tilted her head to rest her forehead against his.

"I…I don't know a whole lot about how to do this either," Ruby admitted. "But…let's just do what makes us happy for now."

"Okay," said Gin, swallowing and calming himself down. "In that case, we should eat. It's what I was about to suggest when…that…happened. Our food's gonna get cold."

Ruby giggled and nodded, her forehead still resting on his. "Right," she said.

They turned to their meals and began to enjoy their dinners. However, they were sitting a little closer together than before.

* * *

It was late in the evening by the time they returned to the inn. Ayumu had apparently already gone to bed, rather than wait up for them. So Gin and Ruby found themselves loitering in front of Ruby's door.

"I guess this is goodnight," said Gin. "I had fun. We should do this again at the next town we visit."

Ruby nodded, beaming at him. "You're right. Although, next time, I think we should have more of a plan."

The two of them laughed sheepishly. "You're right," said Gin.

Meeting his eyes, Ruby leaned in again and stole another kiss from his lips. Caught off-guard, Gin's eyes widened, but then he smiled again. He turned to go to the door to the room he was sharing with Ayumu, but stopped when he felt the slight tug of Ruby's fingers pinching his sleeve.

"Gin…" she said, suddenly sounding strangely nervous. "W-would you…stay the night with me again?"

Turning to face her, Gin studied her expression carefully. "Are you worried about more nightmares?" he asked.

"Y-yeah," she said. In truth, while she _had_ been thinking about that, she also just didn't want their time together to end, just like that. Granted, he would be traveling alongside her for the foreseeable future. But much of that time would be eaten up by the trials and tribulations of being Yu Yuen's student. She very much doubted that her new teacher had much of an interest in allowing her to nurture her love life. It was better to take as much advantage of these moments as she could.

"All right," said Gin moving to take her hand. "Just let me get ready, and I'll join you."

Ruby nodded and let him go. Going into her room, she changed into her pajamas, brushing her teeth with the twig that Gin and Ayumu had gotten for her. After that, she sat on the side of her bed and waited until Gin knocked on the door. Opening it, she allowed him into the room.

Gin began to move the chair, planning to sit at her bedside, as he had the night before, but Ruby stopped him with a hand on his arm. "No," she said softly. Climbing into bed, she pulled back the covers and held them up for him. "Sleep with me here."

Gin's face turned bright red. "A-are you sure?" he stammered nervously. "I d-don't think we should be doing this just yet."

Ruby couldn't keep from giggling at the nervous expression on his face. "It's not like that, silly," she said. "I just thought you'd be more comfortable on the bed." She met his gaze squarely, smiling warmly. "I trust you. I know you'd never take advantage of me."

"If you're sure…" said Gin, hesitantly climbing in next to her.

Reaching over, Ruby turned off the lamp, plunging them into darkness. Then she rolled over so that her back was pressed against Gin's front, pulling his arms around her so that he was hugging her from behind, then taking one of his hands, and lifting it to her forehead, resting it there, basking in the contact she so cherished.

"Thank you…for everything," she whispered.

"Thank you for giving me a chance," Gin replied, moving his nose to her hair and breathing in her scent, his hold on her tightening.

Ruby drifted off with a content smile on her face. That night, she had no nightmares whatsoever.

* * *

Their remaining days in Weathertop were largely uneventful. Ruby was a bit disappointed she hadn't gotten to spend more time with her uncle. But she supposed that was part of the price she paid for her decision to take this long, roundabout way of getting justice for the attempt on her life.

While there, Ruby bought a portable charger for her scroll, which would allow her to extend its life out in the wilderness. With this, she could continue to work on her weapon design, even if they spent another few weeks until they reached the next settlement. Pleased with how she spent her time off, Ruby was in high spirits when the time came to leave Weathertop behind and continue their journey.

Yu was waiting for them. As they traveled, Ruby's training resumed. The mornings, she spent going through her drills with her manifested scythe. In the evenings, Yu taught her directly, often sparring with her or putting through draining trials designed to push her limits and help her master the stranger skills he had to teach her. Every now and then, the Grimm would interrupt, and Ruby would have to spend precious energy dealing with them. Every night, Ruby all but collapsed, too tired to even dream.

One thing _had_ improved about her circumstances though. Now that she and Gin were officially a couple, she had no reservations about having him close. When they were walking during the day, they often did so hand in hand. At night, she went to sleep with his arms around her, and his hand on her forehead. Ayumu looked on fondly, apparently too busy being happy for them to even think about teasing them. Yu didn't seem to care one way or the other, not considering their relationship a distraction from Ruby's training…yet, though he remained fairly convinced that Gin couldn't be trusted to assist in her instruction, out of the feeling that he'd go too easy on her. Not that he thought any differently of Ayumu.

While Gin was self-conscious about their relationship, Ruby continued to keep him close, even stealing the occasional kiss from him. She understood that, out in the wilderness, they couldn't exactly plan and go on dates. However, she couldn't help but feel that Gin was still treating her somewhat delicately, apparently afraid that some misstep would drive her away from him. However, given what this journey was about, Ruby felt she didn't have the time or energy to address the issue. For the time being, she was content leaving things as they were.

It was just as well, as she didn't have much energy to spare for romantic matters at the moment. Yu's training was brutal, forcing Ruby to push herself to the limits of her ability and beyond, often leaving her weakened to the point of collapse every night. He was merciless, never hesitating to make the most absurd-sounding demands of her, even though they turned out to be doable if she gave them her fullest effort. Despite that, she realized that he really was dedicated to improving her. It wasn't just the physical aspect of his training she found useful…

* * *

"Agh!" Ruby grunted as Yu's foot slammed into the shaft of her scythe, the impact making her arms scream as she was launched backwards. She managed to land on her feet, swinging the blade down and embedding it in the ground to help burn off her momentum as she skidded to a stop.

"No good," said Yu casually, arms folded across his chest as he waved the leg he'd used to kick her in a taunting gesture. "You weren't in a good position to block that, you should've dodged it. Even if you're going to block it, you need to do better than that."

"There wasn't time," said Ruby. "I couldn't see a way to dodge it."

"In a real fight, there's _never_ time," said Yu. "You can't afford to waste time _thinking_ about your next move. You have to learn to spot the best path and take it without hesitation. The more you try to think things through, the more you'll drag yourself down. It's bad enough for most people, but your Semblance actually makes it worse."

"How?" asked Ruby.

"Your Semblance is speed," said Yu. "But that's just physical speed. Your body speeds up, but your mind doesn't. Right now, when you use it, you have to plan your route beforehand because you don't have time to develop that route in the middle of using your Semblance. Do that and a skilled opponent can clue into your preplanned course and cut you off."

"Oh…" said Ruby.

"As for defense versus evasion, typically it's a better idea to lean towards the latter," said Yu.

"Why?" asked Ruby.

Yu grinned. "Let's use your boyfriend as an example," he said, the reference to Gin making Ruby's cheeks color slightly. "Gin's scales are nigh unbreakable. As hard as I've clocked him, I've never so much as cracked 'em. And, coming from me, that's high praise indeed."

Ruby nodded, remembering the image of Gin's scales easily blocking the blow of the massive morning star that Bruno had wielded.

"That said, if he has that strong of a defense, why do you think he's developed such an evasive technique as _Suigetsu_?"

"Um…" Ruby blinked. As she thought about it, she realized that it did seem odd. If Gin's scales were so strong, then there shouldn't have been a need for him to develop a technique dedicated to evading enemy attacks, even though it was also useful for hiding how close or far he was from an opponent. As long as he could get his forearms into position in time, there should have been no attack he couldn't block.

"The answer is that, even when done correctly, blocking an attack directly can eat a lot of stamina and Aura," explained Yu. "Take that hit you just blocked for example. Even though you kept my kick from hitting your body, you're still feeling it, aren't you?"

Ruby nodded hesitantly. Her arms were shaking, and felt slightly numb from the shock.

"Even though you stopped my attack, you still expended a good bit of strength and Aura to do so," continued Yu. "Furthermore, blocking like that completely broke your rhythm, which gives me an opening to turn the course of the battle. A well-executed defense relies on deflecting, rather than outright absorbing the impact of an attack. But against overwhelming power, even that can only do so much.

"From that perspective, evasion is a much better choice a lot of the time. Not only do you avoid expending energy to absorb or deflect a strike, but a well-executed evasion can put you into a better position and exploit openings your opponent leaves by attacking. Granted, a hasty evasion can break your rhythm just as easily as a block against a strong attack, but you have more of an opportunity to get back into the swing of things, and you usually expend much less energy overall."

Yu held up a single finger in front of him. "You aim to be a Huntress, right? Tell me, what's the number-one most important aspect to ensure your success in the field?"

"Um…" Ruby thought about it for a long moment. "Aura, right?"

"Wrong!" snapped Yu, the sharpness of his tone making Ruby squeak and jump. "The answer is grace…or, to put it another way…efficiency."

"Efficiency?" Ruby tilted her head, not sure why something like that would be so important.

"A Huntress primarily fights the Grimm, right?" queried Yu, Ruby nodding in response. "But think about your typical scenario. The Creatures of Grimm can be seemingly endless in number. Even if Grimm are weak, they often congregate, oftentimes to the point that they can form a seemingly endless horde. If you keep using your full strength against each little Beowolf as though it were an Alpha, you'll burn yourself out eventually, no matter how much Aura you have, often well before the Grimm run out of numbers to throw at you. Therefore, the most important skill an aspiring Huntress like you can cultivate is efficiency, the ability to kill the greatest number of enemies, while expending the least amount of energy possible."

"I see," said Ruby, her eyes widening. She'd never really thought about it that way. But it made sense. In Remnant, it was rare for a settlement with adequate protection to be overrun by just a few powerful Grimm (although she had heard stories about legendarily powerful Grimm that could destroy entire settlements all on their own). More often than not, if a settlement fell to the Grimm, it was because its defenders were eventually swamped by the sheer weight of numbers, the Grimm continuing to relentlessly press the attack in the face of monstrous losses, until the defenders' strength was exhausted, ammunition expended, and their weapons and spirits worn down. That was the true nightmare scenario that many a settlement, and even the Kingdoms themselves were always faced with.

"That's where all this comes together," said Yu. "It isn't just about defending or evading, but also about thinking and not thinking. Like I said before, you don't have time to think your way through a real fight. On top of that, when you're thinking at full throttle, your brain is a calorie-gobbling monster that will suck your energy dry almost as quickly as plain physical exertion. You have to learn how to fight without thinking, reacting as though you haven't even paused for thought, yet acting as though you've thought a hundred moves ahead.

"That isn't possible, is it?" asked Ruby.

"Of course it is," said Yu. "I wouldn't teach you about it if it wasn't already possible." He jabbed his thumb at his chest. "Of course, I use it all the time, but only when I need to get serious, which you obviously haven't seen yet."

The taunting, haughty tone of Yu's voice set Ruby's nerves on edge and she growled, clenching her fingers around the shaft of her scythe. "So you were thinking, while fighting me?"

"Of course I was," said Yu casually, as though it were completely obvious. "I'm still way out of your league, Little Missy. Even with the speed your Semblance gave you, in the time it took you to decide whether or not to block that last attack of mine, I had time to plan out your next ten lessons."

A low growl escaped Ruby's lips as Yu chuckled in that annoying manner of his. Ruby knew that he could be, and probably was, exaggerating. The problem with Yu was that his strength and speed were so monstrous that she couldn't completely put it past him to be capable of something like that.

Still taunting her with that infuriating grin of his, Yu extended a hand and beckoned her with one finger. "All right, Little Missy, lecture's over. Time for you to get back to work."

Narrowing her eyes, Ruby tensed her body, then launched herself back into the fight with a vigor.

* * *

"Ow…" groaned Ruby, flopping down on the log that Gin had set next to the campfire, leaning against him as Gin reached out to turn their night's dinner, a pheasant he'd caught, as it roasted over the flames.

"Feeling sore, Ms. Ruby?" asked Ayumu as he settled across from her, concentrating his Aura in the tips of his fingers, allowing him to wield them like a pair of heat-proof tongs as he turned the sliced, edible mushrooms that were sizzling on the flat rock he'd set on the other side of the fire.

"Yes," groaned Ruby.

His work done for the moment, Gin moved to stand behind her and began to gently massage her back and shoulders, the touch of his cool hands soothing the aching burn of her muscles and gradually inducing them to relax.

"You're doing great," said Gin. "Ayumu and I are gonna have to follow your example and push ourselves harder, or else you're going to pass us in no time flat."

"Very true," agreed Ayumu with a chuckle, sprinkling some salt and herbs over the mushrooms. Then he looked up, across the fire at her. "In the meantime, how is your design coming?"

"Well," said Ruby, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her scroll. "I actually have an idea. I wanted to use what Gin told me about advanced manifestation."

"I thought I told you not to waste time or energy thinking about that, right now," said Gin.

"Yeah, but it gave me an idea of what to do with my weapon," explained Ruby, her smile widening. "And the more I thought about it, the more I liked it." She opened up her scroll and activated the projector, setting up an image of her design to slowly rotate above the campfire. "Here."

Gin and Ayumu watched and listened as Ruby explained her concept, their eyes widening.

"Is…is that even possible?" asked Gin, looking to Ayumu.

"I have no idea," said Ayumu. "It strikes me as an extremely difficult idea. A more standard materialization would be more reliable and likely to succeed. This is even more complex than your basic idea of a transforming weapon. I'm not sure it's feasible."

"Ha!" barked Yu as he walked up to the fire, sitting down on a third log set around the perimeter. "Ambitious, dubious in its possibility, pushing the limits of what even _I_ think is possible...I like it."

"I'm not sure," said Ayumu. "Inventive though it is, I think Ms. Ruby should invest her time and energy in something she's more likely to succeed in materializing." He fixed Ruby with as sober a look as he could manage. "Like it or not, we have a set amount of time until we reach Vale. This kind of thing, even if it is possible, could take more time than we have, in which case, you'd wind up facing your attackers without a viable weapon."

Ruby swallowed.

"Ah, it's fine," said Yu, waving a dismissive hand at Ayumu. "Kids should be ambitious and aim high. Even if she fails, watching her crash and burn is half the fun."

Ruby found herself glaring at Yu. Even if he was encouraging her to go with her idea, he still couldn't resist pushing her buttons while he did it.

Gin, in the meantime, was still staring at the image floating over the fire. Finally, he looked over at Ruby, smiling slightly. "Well, it seems like a pretty high bar to set for yourself," he said, making Ruby tense. "But you've been defying our expectations constantly, from the minute we first met you. So…if it's you, I think that you'd, somehow, find a way to make something that seems as impossible as this possible."

Ayumu's lilting laugh reached them from across the fire. "I suppose I can't disagree with that," he admitted. "Ms. Ruby always does seem to find a way to surpass our preconceived notions." Now smiling, he looked across the fire at her. "Besides, if it's something you feel so strongly about, then perhaps that is the way to go."

"Exactly," said Yu. "Aura itself is the manifestation of your soul. At the end of the day, what you materialize is an image that resonates with your very being. If you can manage that, then you can accomplish just about anything." Reaching down, he grabbed up a handful of dirt and held it up, allowing the small particles to slowly slip through his fingers. "The real world is ruled by physics and chemistry, laws of existence that we merely observe and try to understand. Scientists and others learn to use the interplay between those various laws to their advantage. In the real world, gravity makes objects fall to the earth, like this dirt. But in the world of your soul, the possibilities are potentially endless. And, if you can produce a strong enough image, you can bring the reality of your soul out into the real world. That's the essence of manifestation and materialization. Thinking rationally about something only gets in the way."

Ruby nodded, hanging on Yu's every word. As disgusting a person as he was, it was moments like this that made her appreciate the incredible breadth of his knowledge and skill, that made her realize just how impressive a teacher he was.

"You can do it," said Yu, his tone surprisingly serious. "But it's a harder goal than any I've set for you in our training sessions. You're going to have to push through and surpass your limits in order to make this impossibility possible."

Ruby nodded.

"So…she has a design," said Yu, turning to Ayumu. "Now then, Mr. Model Student, tell her what comes next."

Ayumu nodded and looked over the fire at Ruby. "Next, you have to burn the image of your design into your heart and mind. You need to examine it from every angle, obsess over it, thinking of almost nothing else, until you begin to dream about it at night."

Ruby nodded. Once again, she realized that this was just another example of the nature of the things her friends and teacher did, things that, on the surface, were incredibly simple, yet unbelievable difficult in their execution.

"Imagine its image in your mind," said Ayumu. "But also imagine its weight and balance in your hands. Feel its contours and think about how it would feel to wield it. Think about the composition it has, what qualities those materials give to it. When you're running through your drills in the morning, interpose that image over the manifestation you've created. Done correctly, your manifestation will ultimately be replaced with the materialization of the image you have."

"All right," said Ruby, swallowing.

"Ayumu and I will take care of the essentials for the time being," said Gin. "So focus everything you have on your image and your training."

"Thank you," said Ruby, leaning against him.

"Well then, with that said, it's time for dinner," said Ayumu cheerfully, plucking the mushrooms from their place and setting them on the thin, flat rock that Gin had found and cleaned for use as a platter. In the meantime, Gin pulled the pheasant from the flames and carved it deftly with his claws.

For a dinner made out in the wilderness, with only what they could forage, it was surprisingly sumptuous, and Ruby ate until she was full. She spent the remainder of the evening doing as Ayumu had told her, staring at the holographic projection of her weapon, turning it to examine its every line and design, burning its shape and image into her eyes. She stared at it until her eyes began to hurt. Conscious that, even with the portable charger she'd bought, her scroll still had a limited lifespan, Ruby shut it down after a while and leaned back in Gin's arms, closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep, the shape of her new weapon in her mind as she did so.

* * *

Another day in Weathertop brought with it another evening. Evening brought with it another occasion to visit the tavern for the pleasantly-bored White Fang agent, content with the impressive bonus he'd received for the report he'd made to his other employer. True, he might have been happier being sent to a settlement where there was something else for him to do, but he enjoyed just being able to lounge around, while being paid for it. Mac treated faunus just like humans, and served them faithfully and patiently.

So it was that he was sitting back, enjoying a bottle of Mac's dark ale, along with a steak sandwich and a generous helping of fries, when the tavern door swung open and _the man_ walked in.

From the moment he entered, he had the full attention of everyone in the tavern, not because he had exhibited any dramatic flair or deliberately called attention to himself, but because he was just _that_ kind of person, a person who everyone had to watch, because they were certain a moment's inattention around him could lead to a painful demise. He had a presence that made people shiver, as though the temperature had just dropped by at least ten degrees, just because he entered the room.

He was fairly tall, around six and a half feet. His pale skin was offset by a head of oily, jet-black hair, save for a streak of white that ran over his forehead above his left eye. He had a narrow, sculpted face, with flat cheeks that were just shy of being hollow and gaunt. His eyes were almost terrifying to behold, pools of darkness, with the irises matching the pupils perfectly in color. He wore a perpetual smile that looked almost kindly, yet did absolutely nothing to detract from the intimidating nature of his character.

He wore a long trench coat that was just as black as his hair, his hands hidden by equally black gloves, and black pants covering his legs. His feet were covered by black dress-shoes. His gloved hands were closed around the shaft of a cane, carved from some kind of ebony wood, its head a rounded bulge, as the rest of the cane tapered down towards the tip.

The man brought with him a heavy, oppressive silence, conversations dying the moment he entered the tavern, people afraid to speak, or even utter a single sound in his presence. All that could be heard was the faint creak of the wooden floorboards, as he made his way across the tavern to the table where the White Fang agent was sitting. The agent had gone from his comfortable slouch to sitting straight, at attention, as the man drew close. Pulling out a chair, he seated himself in it, angling his legs to spread to either side, while planting his cane on the floor directly in front of him, both his hands resting on the knob at the top. His demeanor made the chair seem almost like a throne, with the cane serving as the man's scepter.

The agent swallowed, wanting to look at anything but the pools of darkness that were the man's eyes, but finding himself unable to look away.

"Greetings," said the man, turning his head to look about the tavern. "Don't mind me," he called to the other patrons. "I will be on my way shortly." He returned his attention to the agent. "I trust you've been enjoying your bonus."

"Y-yes…" said the agent nervously, "…thank you."

"Good," said the man in a cheerful, approving manner, almost sounding like a kindly uncle. "In that case, please allow me to offer you the opportunity to earn a second one. Since you were attentive enough to learn of the existence of a girl with Silver Eyes, I don't suppose you've taken the time to learn where she's gone…"

* * *

 **Uh oh, bad guys incoming...**

 **Otherwise, not a lot to say about this chapter. All I can do is hope the relationship between Gin and Ruby isn't coming off as too forced.**

 **On a separate note, people have been asking when we'll see how things are going at Beacon. Since the story has already been written well past that point, I can tell you that the story will switch tracks in Chapter 25. Look forward to it.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19:**

Ruby suppressed the urge to groan. The sky was a cheerful blue, with nary a cloud in sight. The air was quiet, without a trace of wind to stir the leaves, leaving everything nice and peaceful. By most accounts, it would have been a perfect day…

…Now only if it wasn't so damned _hot_. The temperature had long ago passed from "sweltering" to "intolerable." The only solace was that it was now past noon, so, hopefully, the temperature would begin to drop as the day drew to a close. Still, it would be plenty of hot. With the temperatures being what they were, Ruby was not looking forward to her training with Yu in the evening, even if it was slightly cooler.

At times like this, Gin's naturally lower body temperature was a godsend. Unfortunately, the most they could do right now was hold hands. But Ruby found herself desperately wishing that he could hug her again, if only so that his coolness could alleviate the heat, threatening to dry her out like a raisin.

Gin himself looked almost completely unbothered by the temperatures, not even a single bead of sweat on his brow as he walked. Ayumu, by contrast, was sweating considerably, dark spots appearing on the fabric of his light-blue clothes. However, their loose, breathable design appeared to help him keep his temperature regulated. Despite how much he was sweating, he betrayed no visible signs of discomfort, walking along with his usual, serene smile.

Ruby's attention now wandered in the direction of their teacher, as she found herself wondering if Yu would show any visible reaction to the heat. However, she was shocked when she realized that he was nowhere in sight. "Where did Yu go?" she asked.

Gin and Ayumu traded looks. "He disappeared around an hour ago," said Gin.

"I thought he'd noticed something and gone off to check it out," said Ayumu. "But he has been gone a while now."

"That's not a good sign," grumbled Gin, glancing around at their surroundings.

"Why?" asked Ruby.

"Well, whenever Master Yu disappears without a word like this…" said Ayumu, also checking their surroundings warily.

"…It means we're about to get thrown in the deep end," said Gin.

"The deep end?" echoed Ruby.

"Basically, there's a threat of some kind approaching and Master Yu has withdrawn to see how we respond to it," said Ayumu.

"So he's basically throwing us in the deep end to see if we'll swim," added Gin. "The problem is, Master Yu's philosophy is that if you can't swim, then he might as well let you drown."

"So…there's an enemy coming?" asked Ruby, trying to clarify the cryptic statements the two boys were making.

"Yep," said Gin.

They came to a sudden halt, the boys lowering their haversacks to the ground, while Ruby lowered her own pack as well. Ayumu drew his sword and Gin's claws extended, his scales erupting like a rash across his forearms.

Swallowing nervously, Ruby sank into a crouch, manifesting her scythe, looking around for any signs of an approaching enemy. Remembering what Ayumu, Gin, and Yu had taught her about using her other senses, she tried to relax her mind and see what her other senses had to tell her.

Then she heard the sounds of rustling undergrowth, the shiver of air against her skin, tugging at the edges of her cloak. More than that, she felt a twisted malice closing around her, falling across her skins like the brushes of thin, light fibers. Then she heard a sound like laughter, but higher-pitched, almost wheezy in its quality.

Turning about, Ruby spotted the figure that cleared the undergrowth just behind them. The thin, lanky figure of a woman went from a run to a scuttling walk on her hands and feet as she approached them with surprising speed, lurching forward to lunge at Ruby, her right arm extending out, a triangular blade sliding out from its resting place over her forearm to extend ahead of her hand, which gripped the weapon's handle, which ran perpendicular to the angle of the blade itself. The woman's long arm allowed her to slash from an impressive range, Ruby barely managing to jump back out of its range in time.

Immediately, she spun her scythe, swinging the blade down at the woman, who spun about on her three other limbs, retracting the blade of the katar she'd just attacked with and spinning to lash out with a similar blade that extended from its hiding place, above her ankle, to extend out from behind her foot. Spinning her scythe, Ruby caught the strike on the shaft and jumped further away.

Before the woman could scuttle after her, she was forced to leap back as Gin landed where she was standing, striking downwards with his clawed hand with enough force to shatter the ground. Then the woman was forced to retreat further as Ayumu followed up, gliding past Gin to go on the attack, the Green Destiny a blur as he struck with several swift slashes. The woman retreated, her limbs seeming merely to flail wildly, but executing what were actually well-timed parries and blocks as she spun and flipped to stop all of Ayumu's attacks with a bizarrely acrobatic style.

Finally, Ayumu let up with his attack and the woman fell back, landing back on all fours and scuttling back away a little further, before coming to a stop, allowing the group to get their first good look at her.

The woman sported dark, olive-colored skin with yellowish undertones. It was easily visible on her arms and legs, thanks to the gray, short-sleeved shirt and khaki cargo shorts she wore. Her shoulders and waist were lined with some kind of black fur. The limbs themselves were long and lean, seeming longer than appropriate for human or faunus proportions, her elbows and knees sticking out as she crouched. The whipcord muscles resided beneath taut, stretched skin. This, combined with the contracted look of her stomach, with her ribs being just barely visible through the skin of her bared midriff, as well as the sunken cheeks on her face, gave her a starved look that only added to the impression of a wild beast looking to devour them all.

Her face was a sight to behold itself. Despite its leanness, Ruby thought the woman's face might have been attractive, were it not for her lips, peeled back in a grotesque, too-wide grin that put Yu's to shame. Her narrow, sickly-yellow eyes observed them through the bangs of her stringy, twisted, tangled hair, which cascaded down from the top of her head like a mass of black seaweed. With every twitch that ran through her body, locks and strands twitched with what almost seemed to be a life of their own, giving off the impression of some disgusting creature clinging to the top of her head.

Now that she was standing, or crouching rather, still, Ruby got a good look at her weapons, the broad, triangular blades of a quartet of retractable katars that extended out over her wrists and ankles when she attacked, then retracted when she planted those limbs back on the ground. As awkward as the configuration seemed, the woman's attacks a few seconds earlier showed that it enabled her to attack from virtually any position.

Even worse than the woman's appearance was her voice, a wheezy, whiny, giggling sound that she seemed to exude perpetually as her head twisted one way, then another atop her neck, eyeing them all, but Ruby in particular, with crazed malice.

"Whoo boy," breathed Gin. "That teacher of ours always seems to attract the nastiest playmates."

"I don't think this is one of Master Yu's associates," said Ayumu. "She seems to be here for another purpose entirely."

"Hee hee hee hee!" giggled the woman, her grin somehow widening, revealing the yellowed gums her teeth were rooted in. "I found you…found the girl with silver eyes…She'll be so pleased!"

Ruby's fingers went up to touch the skin below her eye as she stared at the woman. "You're here for me?" she said, feeling a shiver go down her spine. "Why? What do you want?"

"Take you home with me," said the woman. "Make a nice pet for her. My goddess will be so pleased."

"Goddess?" said Gin, frowning as he stepped sideways to position himself slightly in front of Ruby, Ayumu moving to do the same.

"Who is that?" Ruby wanted to know.

Before the woman could answer in her own, disjointed manner, the brush rustled again and a man dressed in black emerged, brushing leaves, needles, and other forest debris from his shoulders. "Honestly, I wish you wouldn't be so impatient, Viola. You do make it so hard to keep track of you when you rush ahead like that."

Given his state of dress, this man looked like the last sort of person one would expect to find out in the wilderness. His black trench coat appeared more fashionable than functional, and his slacks and dress shoes were just as visibly inappropriate for a trek through the forest. Yet he showed no signs of discomfort at the conditions around them.

Though he was visibly more normal-looking than the woman, handsome even, his presence was even more disturbing than the woman's. Besides his all-black mode of dress, there was something about him that infused every movement, look, word, and gesture with sinister undertones practically designed to put one's nerves on edge. Like Ayumu, the man appeared to have a congenial smile perpetually etched onto his face. Unlike Ayumu, that smile was not at all matched by a sense of warm friendliness, but rather belied a chilly malice that lurked just beneath his flawless skin.

Gripping the neck of his ebony cane with his right hand, the man held his left hand up in front of him as he bowed in an overly-formal gesture. "Please forgive the excesses of my associate. She is a bit…overly enthusiastic."

"That's one way to describe her," said Gin with a wan look at the giggling, spasmodically twitching woman. "Who are you and what the hell do you want?"

"Ah yes, forgive us for our improprieties," said the man, straightening up. "I am Ciar Lucien. Beside me is my lovely, if a little too energetic, companion, Viola Achthoven. We are but the humble servants of one with plans to reshape this world. We are here on Her orders."

"The goddess Ms. Giggles was talking about?" mused Gin.

There was a slight hitch in Viola's perpetual, wheezing laughter, accompanied by a twitch in her right eye, while Ciar raised an amused eyebrow. "That would be her," he said his voice underlined by a slight chuckle. "As for our task, I am afraid our Mistress has requested the presence of the young lady in your company. She has a great interest in those born with the Silver Eyes, you see."

"Given the kind of people you are, you're the last person we would be trusting Ms. Ruby with," said Ayumu cheerfully, though his gaze hardened slightly. "I am afraid we will be keeping her with us."

Ciar's smile widened slightly. "Please don't mistake my intentions," said Ciar. "We are not here to cause harm. I cannot speak for My Lady's intentions for this young lady-Ruby is her name? However, we…or at least I…have no desire to fight." His eyes narrowed, becoming pools of darkness floating within a faint outline of white. "That said, we have our Lady's permission to use more…forceful…methods, should you prove uncooperative. Ultimately, she has little concern for the young lady's condition, so long as she is still alive upon delivery. I have no desire to let Viola loose on you."

"Somehow, I get the impression you are not as reluctant to indulge in violence as you pretend to be," said Ayumu pleasantly. "We have our own plans for the time being, which we will not be deviating from. Even if we could, we have no intention of entrusting Ms. Ruby to the likes of you."

"I see," said Ciar, his smile widening further. "Most disappointing. Viola, dear…please dispense with these troublesome individuals so that we might secure our objective."

The woman wheezed, her grin widening again as her limbs tensed, preparing to propel her forward at them. Ruby tensed, bringing up her scythe, ready to defend herself.

She hardly even felt a stirring of a breeze. Neither did Viola, when Gin suddenly seemed to appear in front of her, one clawed hand raised, which he thrust out in a straight strike. Whipping her long arm up, Viola intercepted the attack, the claws extending from the tips of Gin's curled fingers screeching as they scraped against the metal of the woman's katar, which she now wielded like a shield. The piercing power of Gin's claws was accompanied by the impact of his palm, which knocked the woman back and sent her tumbling through the air to vanish amidst the foliage.

Immediately, Gin was in pursuit, the swaying rustling leaves and branches being the only traces of their passage, though sounds of ringing steel and crunching wood echoed out from the forest behind Ciar, who turned his head to stare at the space where Viola had been crouched just a second earlier.

"Oh my…" he said, before turning his head to look at Ayumu and Ruby once again. "Well, I certainly wasn't expecting you lot to be so proactive. That makes things interesting…and amusing."

Ruby growled and hefted her scythe, ready to go on the attack. She was stopped by Ayumu calling out to her.

"Ms. Ruby," said Ayumu, not taking his eyes off the man in black, "please go after Gin, and assist him as best you can. You're probably in the best position to support him in that kind of fight."

Ruby gave Ayumu a worried look, but then slowly nodded her agreement. "Okay…" she said, moving to follow the sounds of Gin and Viola's battle, giving Ciar a wide berth as she did so.

"So you think a novice like her will be help against Viola?" asked Ciar as Ruby disappeared into the undergrowth.

"She is not as much of a novice as you think," said Ayumu, leveling his sword at Ciar, sinking into a wide, low stance, holding his left hand, with the first two fingers extended, out behind him. "That said, at the very least, she will be much more of a help against that woman than she will be here. You would be a little much for her at this juncture, I'm afraid."

"Interesting," said Ciar, planting the tip of his cane against the forest floor, resting his hands atop the knob. "Your words would seem to imply that she would simply be in the way against me…which likewise implies your belief that you might be my equal."

Ayumu let out a soft, lilting laugh. "Oh! Forgive me. I wouldn't dream of considering myself your equal." His smile widened by the smallest of fractions. "I am your superior in every respect."

"My my…" said Ciar, tapping one finger against the head of his cane. "What an impetuous youth you are. At the very least, it is up to me to school you in proper behavior before your betters." His tapping stopped and his fingers tightened their grip on the cane's knob. "Let's start by testing just how warranted your confidence is. I can count on one hand the number of people who have survived my first strike."

* * *

Ruby weaved between the tree trunks, leaving a trail of red petals in her wake as she raced after Gin and Viola. The angle of the sounds of their fight had shifted upwards, indicating that they had taken their fight into the forest canopy. Looking up, she spotted them quickly.

Viola moved with incredible speed and agility, gasping branches and trunks to swing around them, attacking just as proficiently with the blades on her feet as she did with the ones on her hands, whipping her body around and attacking from a variety of angles, laughing excitedly as she did so. Gin moved with her, his smooth, curving movements allowing him to keep up with her sharp, scuttling ones, seeming to flow like water among the branches. He warded off her thrusts and slashes with his scaled arms or danced around them, trying to close in to attack. However, for someone so visibly insane, Viola was doing a good job of using her reach to attack from outside Gin's range.

Ruby jumped, triggering her Semblance to accelerate upwards. Swinging her weapon, she hooked the blade of her scythe against the trunk of a tree, allowing her to swing around it in a tight axis and launch herself at Viola from behind. Without even looking at her, Viola planted her left hand on a tree branch and kicked out with her feet, the blades mounted there extending down from her heels, working them to parry the slashes of Ruby's scythe as she closed. At the same time, she swept out her right arm, its blade extending and threatening to eviscerate Gin as he closed in. Ducking low, Gin caught the slashing blade with his right forearm, angling it to make Viola's katar grate across his scales, before passing over his head. Even as he did so, he continued to close in, striking at her head with his left hand, his claws leaving silver trails in their wake.

The muscles of Viola's core tensed, her body stiffening. The fingers of her left hand tightened their hold on the tree branch they were clenched around and she lifted her entire body up with the strength of her wrist alone. Pushing off, she clenched her fingers into a fist.

The sound of a gunshot echoed through the woods. Ruby tensed, expecting to feel a bullet flying at her, or for Gin to have one fly at him. However, Viola's body abruptly jerked upwards. Her katars apparently also featured hidden guns, mounted just below the blades. By firing, Viola had used the recoil to launch herself upwards high enough to escape Gin's slash, using her guns in a manner similar to how Ruby used to use Crescent Rose's recoil.

Viola went into a backwards flip, tucking in her legs and arms, before kicking out with her legs, firing the guns hidden beneath the blades mounted on her ankles at Gin and Ruby simultaneously, using their recoil to send her flying further back and continue her flip, while Gin raised his arms to bat away the bullets coming at him. Ruby deflected the ones aimed at her with deft spins of her scythe.

Viola flew into the trunk of a tree, the blades on her ankles extending to sink into the wood, allowing her to land and assume a gravity-defying crouch against the vertical surface, anchored by the katars. She raised her head, her crazed eyes fixing on Gin and Ruby, her wheezing giggle echoing through the woods in the silence left behind by the gunshots.

A brief lull settled over the fight. Gin glanced over at Ruby. "Did Ayumu send you here?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Ruby, tightening her grip on her scythe. "This is my fight too."

"Well, it's yours especially, so I wont protest," said Gin, returning his gaze to Viola. _The fact that he sent her to fight with me means that Ciar guy is a tougher customer than this woman. Not good…_

"What can I do?" asked Ruby.

Gin glanced sidelong at her. "Attack as you see fit," he said. "I'll match my moves to yours."

"Okay," said Ruby.

"Just be careful," added Gin, his body tensing. "This Ms. Giggles is crazy, but she's not an idiot. She hasn't played all her cards yet."

Ruby gulped nervously. "Right."

"Clever clever…" tittered Viola, twisting her head around again.

Another second of silence lingered between them, then three bodies blurred as they launched themselves into battle once more.

* * *

Ayumu's body blurred as he jumped into the air. At the same time, he twisted his body, lifting his legs and torso up to the point that he hung horizontally into the air, kicking out slightly with one foot to go into a roll.

His eyes caught flashes of pale-green, edged with white. They passed, the breeze they kicked up barely even stirring his hair. However, the results that followed the nearly silent attack were dramatic all the same. All around them, the trees and other foliage abruptly split apart, sliced through at various angles by an impossibly sharp blade, falling to the ground in a series of echoing crashes.

Coming back upright, Ayumu descended towards the ground, but immediately kicked off the air itself, launching himself upwards and backwards in an arcing flip that carried him clear of the next attack, which he felt slice through the air beneath him, intending to catch him as he reached the ground. Again, all he was able to see were the flashes of green and white. But his other senses told him the attack he'd evaded was just as lethal as the first one.

There was no time to relax and analyze Ciar's mode of attack however, as Ayumu already felt the next set of attacks closing in, all but invisible blades cleaving soundlessly through the air as they slashed at him from a variety of angles, trying to close off every path of retreat.

Once again, Ayumu pushed off of the air itself, using the motions to seemingly take flight, dancing through the air as he put his body through a variety of flips and spins to evade the silent, invisible blades. Abruptly, he descended downwards so rapidly that his body became a blur, landing just off to Ciar's right. The Green Destiny blurred as Ayumu began to swing it at Ciar's torso, only for him to abort his attack and jump back as more invisible blades cut a clean line through the ground where he'd been standing.

Ayumu's sudden jump had kicked a lot of leaves and other detritus from the forest floor. Even as he evaded the strike, he went into a spin, sweeping his sword through the air and creating a wind that swept that debris up around him, tinting it with the green of his Aura before launching the leaves and other objects at Ciar in a barrage of projectiles.

This time Ayumu had a much clearer view of what happened, as a circular wave of green spun into being between Ciar and the incoming attack, blades of pale-green and white fanning out to form a spinning, razor-edged shield between him and the barrage, cutting the improvised projectiles to pieces or just deflecting them while leaving Ciar unharmed.

Ayumu touched down a short distance away, sinking into a crouch. "My, what an interesting technique," he observed, his expression just as placid and pleasant as it had been before the fight had begun.

"A sentiment I echo," said Ciar, inclining his head in Ayumu's direction. "I wonder…how long has it been since I've encountered an opponent who was able to launch a counterattack against me?" Despite everything that had happened, Ciar hadn't moved a step, nor changed his posture in the slightest since the fight had begun, not even seeming to move as he effortlessly mowed down everything around him.

"Well, I suppose there isn't too much for me to take pride in yet," said Ayumu. "Despite your words, your praise rings a bit hollow. But I shall have no need of accolades after I've beaten you."

"Such confidence," said Ciar, finally turning to face Ayumu head-on again. "Despite what you've just experienced, you still seem to believe yourself capable of defeating me?"

"Of course," said Ayumu cheerfully. "In fact, I'm more certain than ever now."

"Well then, let's just see how far you can go," said Ciar, his hands once again tightening around the head of his cane.

* * *

Less than half a mile away, Yu stood atop a tree, perched on its highest branch. Though it shouldn't have been able to hold his weight, it barely even bent beneath him as he stood, balanced on his big toe. His senses were trained on the battles of his apprentices, following their movements attentively, an amused grin on his face as he observed their progress.

"That's right," he said. "Truth be told, these ones are actually a little bit above you in terms of ability, especially the guy in the coat…just the sort of thing you need to push your limits. You boys have been getting a little sloppy lately. I hope you manage to wake up all the way before wind up dying." His senses focused on Ruby next. "As for you, Little Missy, time to show me how far you've come. If Gin winds up dying through is own stupidity, at the very least it might be handy for making you awaken."

He chuckled quietly, settling back and continuing to observe as the fight progressed.

* * *

Viola whirled through the forest canopy in a whirl of brown and black, as Gin and Ruby chased, circled, and struck at her in blurs of silver and red, blades and claws glancing off flailing katars as Viola used her remarkable, acrobatic style to effectively keep them both at bay, exchanging slashes and thrusts for shots fired from the hidden guns to attack at both close and long range.

As Ruby bounced away from another attack by catching it on the shaft of her scythe, she marveled at Viola's strength. As lean and starved as she looked, her wiry limbs were capable of generating incredible power. But Ruby was able to turn that power to her advantage, lashing out with her scythe and hooking the blade around a branch that passed her beneath her, using her momentum to turn her backwards flight into a tight arc that swung her beneath the branch, around and back up at Viola from below. Disengaging her scythe from the branch, she found she was in an awkward position to attack with her weapon and instead opted to kick upwards with her booted feet, slamming them directly into Viola's midsection, driving the breath from her lungs in an angry whoosh.

Viola was thrown upwards by the impact of the kick, which had been enhanced by the skilled application of Ruby's Semblance to further add to the momentum imparted to her by blocking Viola's previous attack. Ruby's eyes caught a blur of silver as Gin moved to attack Viola from above, diving down to take advantage of her sudden vulnerability.

Viola's grin was replaced by a teeth-baring grimace of frustration as she spun in the air, sweeping an arm around at Gin's body, slashing at him with the extending katar. Gin seemed to make no effort to block her strike, instead pressing forward as Viola's blade slashed around right at his face. It cut through, throwing up a spray of silver mist as Gin's image suddenly rippled and warped, swimming in so that Gin was suddenly much closer to Viola than he had first appeared, driving striking with a spear-hand, his clawed fingers extended straight ahead and aiming right for Viola's heart.

Abruptly, a black shape whipped out from Viola's body and Gin's attack was suddenly deflected away with enough force that it put his entire body into a spin. Despite that, Gin used that spin to his advantage, bringing his other arm around and slashing at Viola's face with his claws, making her screech as the silver blades of his Aura grated against the crackling field of violet that composed her own.

Bringing her other arm around, Viola leveled it at Gin's head, attacking, not with the blade, but with the guns, and cracking off a shot. Gin just barely managed to interpose his forearm in time, stopping Viola's attack at point-blank range. The impact knocked him away in one direction, while the recoil launched Viola in the other.

At the same time, Ruby had used the impact of her kick against Viola to launch herself off again, bouncing among the tree branches in a blur of red, like a ricochetting pinball, before rebounding to attack Viola from the very direction she had launched herself in, swinging her scythe straight at Viola's spine.

Once again, something black and spindly lashed out to intercept Ruby's scythe, striking with impressive force, knocking the attack, and Ruby herself away, forcing Ruby to swing her scythe around and plunge the blade into a thick tree trunk to keep from being launched all the way out of the fight and bring herself to a stop. _What was that?_ she wondered as she resettled herself to continue the fight.

Gin had come to a stop too, the entire fight coming to another momentary halt as the participants took the opportunity to reassess one another's capabilities. As he looked at Viola, his face shivered, a faint grimace passing across it. "I figured you were hiding your cards," he said. "But I have to admit I wasn't expecting that."

"Expecting what?" Ruby called out from the other side of Viola.

Viola began to giggle a little more loudly before and Ruby felt herself swallowing the urge to vomit as what she had at first assumed to be black fur-lining over her shoulders and along the waistband of her shorts, detached from the clothes, unfolding to reveal a quartet of spindly legs covered in wiry, black hair, each limb covered by something akin to a gauntlet of black armor, from which narrow, double-edged blades extended roughly a foot. The legs extended, folding along multiple joints before sinking the blades into tree branches and trunks, enabling Viola to lift her body into the air on those limbs alone.

"A faunus…" breathed Ruby, her eyes widening.

"A spider-faunus," added Gin, his eyes narrowing.

"Hee hee hee!" cackled Viola, bouncing on her four, spindly, arachnid limbs. "The itsy-bitsy spider went up the water spout…"

As she continued to sing the children's song, Ruby shuddered. She remembered what Gin had told her about insect and arachnid faunus and how they were maligned, thanks to their often unpleasant aspects. It was one thing to hear him talk about it and another to see a woman with a quartet of spider legs standing right in front of her. Sure, even without her legs, Viola was an unpleasant person to look at, thanks to her spindly, emaciated appearance. But the four long, jointed, black, hairy legs were their own special kind of unnerving, something that, even on a much more pleasant person, would still look disconcerting, if not downright hideous. Ruby swallowed back unpleasant feelings, wondering what it was like for insect and arachnid faunus who _weren't_ murderous psychopaths.

Gin, on the other hand, felt slightly relieved. _Thank God it's the legs,_ he thought to himself.

In general, faunus exhibited only one trait from whatever animal they exhibited. One might have a dog's ears, another a dog's tail. But, so far as Gin knew, no dog-faunus would ever have both ears and a tail. To date, he, a dragon-faunus, with the scales and claws in addition to his eyes, was the only exception to that rule he knew of. The fact that Viola had spider legs was a relief.

After all, faunus who had the traits of a particular animal might exhibit a quality of that animal if they had the right part of that animal's body. Gin, in particular, remembered hearing about a black mamba-faunus whose trait was a pair of fangs in his mouth that allowed him to deliver a neurotoxic venom with his bite. However, a faunus of the same variety, who had a snake's tail, would not also have fangs and, therefore, venom.

Viola revealing that she had spider legs meant that she wouldn't have a spider's spinneret, with the ability to produce webbing, or fangs and the ability to deliver a venomous bite, both things that would have made the battle much more difficult for them.

Which wasn't to say that things had gotten any easier. In fact, they had only become more difficult. Viola had already demonstrated the speed and precision with which she could wield those legs, moving fast enough to block attacks and return them to their resting places while merely confusing her attackers. With them out now, she would undoubtedly be more agile and, if the bladed gauntlets she wore over the end of each one were any indicator, she had four extra weapons to attack with now.

Moving with only her spider legs, Viola turned herself to face Ruby, her wild-eyes gaze fixating on the red-cloaked Huntress. Ruby shivered and swallowed, flinching from the look in those eyes as much as the scuttling motion of Viola's body. She wasn't an arachnophobe, thank God, but she wasn't a huge fan of spiders in general either…especially big, hairy ones. Apparently, women with long, hairy spider legs also fell under that category.

Perhaps mercifully, she didn't have much more time to reflect on that, as Viola launched herself towards Ruby with a terrifying screech, her extra legs a black blur, reaching out to catch the most unlikely of footholds and seeming to shift her balance randomly, causing Viola's path to jerk in random directions as she closed in on her target.

Gin immediately rushed to take Viola's back, bounding like a squirrel across one branch, before leaping to swing like an ape from the next, releasing his swing to take to the air and descend on Viola from above. However, Viola's head swiveled towards him, flashing him a grin of malicious glee as she tilted her body with her spider legs, allowing her to kick upwards, firing shots from the guns beneath the katars strapped to her ankles before the blades slid out, allowing her to follow up with a double-kick thrust of those blades.

Gin's arms blurred, swatting aside the bullets with ease before coming back to intercept the blades. Grabbing the edges with the scaled palms of his hands, Gin held on and used them as fulcrums to vault over Viola's kick and continue on to her back. But, in the time it had taken him to adjust to Viola's attack and respond to it, her spider legs had repositioned themselves and she suddenly spun in place, rolling over so that he was now facing up towards Gin and slashing at him with her arm-blades.

Forced to block, Gin was knocked back by the impact, then knocked back further as the arm-blades retracted and those guns also fired, the bullets pushing him farther away. Viola suddenly reversed course, lunging towards Gin, pulling her upper two spider legs out from where they had anchored, so that she could slash at him with the narrow blades affixed to the gauntlets at their ends.

What followed was a dizzying exchange. Viola's spider legs were incredibly flexible, able to bend in directions that her humanoid limbs could not, and to a greater degree as well. She and Gin blurred through the trees, Viola's extra limbs allowing her to attack him from the sides, above, and even from behind on occasion, even as she switched between her spider limbs and humanoid ones in a form of locomotion that allowed her to change direction at an instant's notice, ascending and descending rapidly and moving to flank almost instantly, easily able to navigate the forest canopy in a manner that Gin was physically incapable of matching.

Despite that, Gin was able to keep up with her, his arms a pair of silver blurs as he fended off her strikes, often spinning about in a mostly stationary position, blocking her attacks, while waiting for his opportunity to strike.

At one point, Viola thrust forward with a blade-tipped spider leg. The blade seemed to pierce through Gin's eye. However, mist spread outwards in ring-shaped ripples from the point of impact as the rest of Gin's body warped and distorted, rippling across the space between them, Gin himself suddenly bursting out from the mist directly in front of Viola, swinging a clawed hand at her stomach in a vicious slash. Viola's body blurred as she used her other three legs to pull herself back out of the path of Gin's swing, while she swung at him with her arm blades and kicked at him with her leg-blades.

Gin remained persistent, trying to keep close as he deflected her swings and kicks, rushing in with a rapid series of slashes of his own. Viola anchored two of her spider legs in the side of a tree and used them to pull herself out of the line of another attack. Gin flew past, planting his feet on a tree branch positioned behind her. Before he could kick off though, one of Viola's other spider legs curled around to slash the branch off from where it met the trunk, causing Gin's foothold to drop out from under him.

Gin dropped and Viola descended after him, alternating between using her limbs to perpetuate her jerking, scuttling movement, and stabbing and slashing at Gin, who found himself pressed between halting his fall and fending off the sudden attack from above.

Ruby raced in, coming at Viola from behind, swinging her scythe at Viola's back. Viola reacted without even really looking, two of her spider legs bending back to parry Ruby's slashes, even as she continued her guided fall after Gin, attacking him with her remaining limbs. Ruby spun her scythe, knocking the two spindly legs apart and away from her, using her Semblance to accelerate her dive after Viola and raising her blade to deliver a vertical slash straight at the woman's spine…

…When, abruptly, her blade came to a sudden halt, Ruby's own momentum causing it to jerk violently in her grip with a recoil that threatened to wrench her arms from their sockets and causing her cry out in pain and surprise. She was stopped cold, hanging desperately from the shaft of her scythe, which was being held in place by…something.

"What the-?" Ruby looked up and was shocked to see her scythe's blade and shaft tangled in what she could only assume was…webbing. The strands were almost invisible, stretching between the branches.

Viola's legs spun her body about so fast that they were practically a blur, swinging her body over to anchor herself to a tree trunk with the katar blades of her humanoid limbs, while she used her spider limbs to fling out additional strands of violet webbing, much thicker and more substantial looking than the ones that had halted Ruby's scythe swing. Ruby desperately tried to twist out of their way, but was unable to escape as the strands hit and stuck to her cloak. Her struggles only seemed to pull them tighter around her, wrapping her red cloak up against her body.

"No!" shouted Ruby, her eyes going wide as Viola ceased her pursuit of Gin and now ascended nearly as fast as she had been descending before, closing in on Ruby with terrifying speed. Down below, now no longer needing to defend against attacks, Gin managed to arrest his fall and crouched to ascend after Viola, only to find that he had stopped himself just in time to watch helplessly as Viola fell upon an immobilized Ruby.

Red petals exploded out in what appeared to be a desperate attempt by Ruby to use her Semblance to pull out of the webs, possibly to break them. But Viola's speed cut her off. Viola's spider legs became black blurs, releasing lines of violet webbing as she spun her target about, enveloping that distinctive red cloak in a cocoon of glowing, pale-purple threads, before stretching out additional webs to anchor said cocoon to the tree.

"Ruby!" yelled Gin, watching in shock and horror.

Viola giggled savagely. "Got you, my little Silver Eyes," she squealed triumphantly, before turning to face Gin once again, grinning down at him with eyes that were no longer yellow, but violet. "My goddess will be soooo happy!" Then her eyes widened and rolled up as something occurred to her. "Whoops! I forgot to leave her a hole for air…silly me. Well, five minutes to finish before suffocation." She returned her gaze to Gin, grinning viciously. "Try to die quickly, please."

Gin growled under his breath, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he glared at the woman.

* * *

 **And sometimes I end on a cliffhanger, because I really like that cliffhanger.**

 **I have to admit that I am arachnophobic. I despise spiders with a passion (which makes it pretty ironic that Spider-Man is my favorite superhero). I'm especially creeped out by big, hairy ones. Something with that many legs should _not_ have a fur coat, goddammit! I chose to channel that creepiness factor into Viola. There'll be more on her in the next chapter. Truth be told, I'd love to see a character like this in the actual RWBY series. But that's unlikely at this point, as what I've seen and learned about their animation processes and the difficulties of it all, through panels at RTX seem to indicate that creating a character like Viola would be quite...difficult to rig up through their current animation software.**

 **Regarding that bit about spiders and spinnerets, I'm not 100% sure that that's a hundred-percent true. For an arachnophobe like me, researching spiders and reading articles about spiders is not something I want to do, because it usually involves also looking at pictures of spiders. The wikipedia article on the topic mentioned that some kinds of tarantulas might have silk-producing organs on their legs, which it also said might be refuted. I find tarantulas especially creepy, so I opted to end my research there.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20:**

Ayumu danced through the air, twisting and turning, the tiny stirrings of air serving as the only signals of the attack that he could read and respond to in time. His mind was no longer even operating on a conscious level, his body responding automatically to the signals he received from his senses. He was a blur, dancing between the green and white flashes of Ciar's attacks.

Ciar remained as motionless as ever, following Ayumu with his eyes, his perpetually congenial expression on his face. He still hadn't moved an inch since he'd begun, merely turning in place as Ayumu danced around him. However, if one looked more carefully, they would have noticed that Ciar's smile seemed slightly more strained…and that his hands were clenched a little more tightly around the knob of his cane.

"Unfortunately, it seems that dodging is all that you are capable of," noted Ciar. "Are you certain you don't want to surrender. The young lady is a small price for your life, it seems to me."

"I would not call Ms. Ruby a 'small price' for anything," replied Ayumu, touching down after this latest barrage of attacks. "Besides, it seems to me that you appear somewhat troubled by your inability to land a blow."

Ciar's smile widened, tiny crinkles appearing in the skin at the corners of his lips. "Is that what you think?" he mused. "You have not been able to close in once since that first time. It seems to me that you are the one being cornered."

"Not really," said Ayumu. "I know the shape of your attack now. It's no threat to me."

"Let's test it then, hmmm," said Ciar, green and white flashing out around him.

To Ciar's senses, Ayumu's form suddenly became insubstantial, almost like a zephyr himself, Ayumu glided smoothly between this latest wave of attacks, closing the distance effortlessly at the same time. Before Ciar even realized it, Ayumu landed in a crouch, right in front of him. Ciar's eyes widened, betraying true surprise for the very first time since the fight had begun.

Ayumu rose up, the Green Destiny ascending towards Ciar's body in a flash of green, similar in color to the flashes of Ciar's own attacks. However, Ciar's hands changed positions and a clang of steel against steel rang out. The two of them flew apart, landing, their feet skidding across the ground as they slid to a stop. The white blade of Ciar's sword, which had been sheathed in the cane, returned to its resting place as six green lights gleamed from the knob, which had previously been covered by his hands.

"Well, it seems you're finally up to drawing your sword," observed Ayumu cheerfully.

"My my…" said Ciar whimsically. "Just when was it…the last time someone made me draw my sword?"

"I'll gladly make you draw it again," said Ayumu. "Once I'm finished, you won't need to worry about re-sheathing it again."

"Ah, the impertinence of youth," said Ciar with a chuckle. "I'm going to enjoy schooling you in proper behavior. It's a pity that these lessons are spent on someone slated to die." He sank into a crouch, no longer holding his cane planted in the ground in front of him, but gripping it with both hands, ready to draw the hidden blade at a moment's notice.

"Yet you'll still teach me anyway," said Ayumu. "That shows your inadequacy. You enjoy causing suffering a little too much to be a proper warrior."

"Of course I'm not a warrior," replied Ciar. "I'm a much higher class of being. It is the duty of those like me to instruct you in the finer things in life…like how magnificent the agony of the weak is."

"I'm afraid I don't care for your lesson," said Ayumu, raising the Green Destiny in front of him once again. "So I shall teach you how invigorating it can be to stand upon the precipice between life and death…right before I push you over."

Ayumu blurred into motion almost immediately, while Ciar waited. As he did, the green gems that had previously been hidden on the knob of his cane gleamed, and the swift cutting attacks manifested once again. However, Ayumu showed no hesitation, jumping right into Ciar's range.

The green gems were, in fact, wind-Dust. Ciar's primary attack was radial in nature, creating rings of compressed wind blades that radiated out from their point of origin, almost like expanding buzzsaws. They struck so swiftly that they were often all but invisible to the naked eye. By altering the axis of the the ring, Ciar could change the angle of attack and, by overlapping several such rings on different axes, could create a barrage of attacks that, combined with their sheer speed, was almost impossible to escape, enabling him to mow down everything within his reach without moving a muscle.

Yet Ayumu read them flawlessly, sensing the stirring air currents with his body and riding them to escape the lines of Ciar's attacks, all while he closed in at lightning speed. Ayumu touched down directly in front of him and Ciar drew his own blade, the white steel flashing out of the ebony sheath like a streak of light, meeting the green streak of Ayumu's own blade with another ring of steel.

Even as their blades made contact, Ayumu felt the brush of air against his back and immediately jumped up. New bladed rings appeared at two points behind him, expanding rapidly to slash at him from two directions. His dodge managed to evade them and the blades stopped their expansion just shy of cutting into Ciar's own body. Several more such rings appeared in the space around Ciar, surrounding him with razor-edged wind currents.

But Ayumu wasn't so easily corralled. He twisted and weaved, stepping off the very air itself, finding the almost imperceptible gaps between Ciar's attacks, and following the path through them to come to a landing directly behind Ciar…

…Just as the man in black had anticipated. A flash of white reached Ayumu's eyes as he saw the blade of Ciar's sword pierce back through the black of his own trench coat, Ciar having angled his attacks in just such a manner to guide Ayumu to this point, the perfect position to be run through by Ciar's blade.

But Ayumu reacted without hesitation, parrying the thrust effortlessly, before flicking his wrist to bring the Green Destiny back around to slash downwards at Ciar's shoulder. Ciar glanced back, his eyes narrowing, and ducked forward, barely managing to escape Ayumu's attack. Dodging away, Ciar created new bladed rings, trying to force Ayumu back and buy time to set up another attack. But Ayumu, once again, simply seemed to ride the air currents Ciar's attacks created and skipped in close in a fraction of a second.

Now Ciar was forced to rely on his own skill with the sword, desperately parrying Ayumu's slashes and thrusts, falling back rapidly, finding himself on the verge of being overwhelmed. His smile had disappeared and he regarded Ayumu with an expression of the utmost seriousness as Ayumu's blithe smile remained unfazed.

Desperate, Ciar created new rings of wind blades, trying to force Ayumu away from him. However, Ayumu seemed to ignore them, yet dodged them with ease, using his dodges to change the direction he was attacking from, forcing a grimace across Ciar's face as he worked his blade furiously to stop Ayumu's ceaseless onslaught.

* * *

"Heh!" Yu chuckled as he observed the battle. "Looks like Ayumu's found his groove. Still, he should have done this sooner. Then he'd have cut down that fool in the first round."

Yu had seen it all in the instant the fight had begun. He'd realized that Ciar's attacks were radial in nature, working wind-Dust into what appeared to be some kind of Semblance that generated rings of Aura around him, almost like planetary orbits, granting those rings bladed edges capable of cutting through almost anything. Combined with his ability to create rings spinning on multiple axes and their sheer speed and he had an attack capable of slicing the average fighter to ribbons before the poor fool even had an inkling of what was happening.

More interesting was the fact that Ciar could control the point of origin for those rings. One might assume that they originated from head of his cane, but that would have been impossible, as Ciar would have cut himself in two with his own attack. But he could set the center of his rings in different locations, and control the order of their formation to keep from cutting himself. However, the fact remained, he was not untouchable by his own technique. Setting the center of his rings at points other than himself meant he could set attacks that could strike at enemies from unexpected angles, yet he still had to control them carefully to keep from falling victim to them as they expanded.

From the way he was reacting to Ayumu's attack, Ciar was clearly used to taking the initiative with the fight, using his attacks to control his enemy's movements. Even if they were among the few able to read the lines of his attack, he could still use said attack to maneuver them into just the right position to strike the killing blow, just like a master chess player controlling his opponent through the movements of his own pieces.

"But in a fight like this, that's thinking way too much," said Yu to himself. "You map out all those lovely strategies, but your thinking just can't keep pace with the fight itself, once you're forced to draw your blade."

Just as Ayumu had said, Ciar was the kind of person who enjoyed using his abilities to drive his opponents into a corner, both physically and psychologically, so that he could savor their fear. But it seemed that, likewise, he was not the sort who did particularly well when _he_ was the one being cornered.

 _The more pressured you are, the more difficult it is to plan out the best course of action,_ thought Yu with an amused smirk. _Your judgment begins to falter and you start making hasty decisions. And, ultimately, that will lead to a fatal mistake._

Even from the distance he was at, Yu perceived it clearly. Ayumu and Ciar continued to exchange blows, fencing furiously, their blades blurs of white and green, the ring of steel against steel filling the air around them. Ciar created a new bladed ring less than a meter behind Ayumu, using its closer proximity to try and catch Ayumu from behind before he could act. However, by this point, Ayumu had experienced that mode of attack so many times that he'd become sensitive to when they were originating, reacting before the ring could even begin to expand outwards. Instead of taking to the air, he instead executed a skipping step that allowed him to dance around to Ciar's side, even as he slashed out with his sword, forcing Ciar to turn to properly parry it.

However, in the process, Ciar's turn caused him to take a step that brought him closer to his own attack. Even as Ayumu's blade rebounded off his own, Ciar gasped, feeling a chill at the back of his torso as the razor-edge of his own attack bit into his flesh from behind, slicing clean through his Aura with barely any resistance. Ciar canceled the attack, but the damage had been done, his blood already spraying through the air.

His movements faltered and Ayumu slashed with the Green Destiny again. Ciar brought up his own blade. But, this time, the Green Destiny rang like a bell, and Ciar's sword was sheared clean through, the end of the blade spinning off into the woods.

"Looks like this one's the sort to self destruct under pressure," mused Yu.

* * *

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Ciar slammed the remains of his sword back into the sheath portion of the cane. Once again, he created more rings, countless rings, orienting them on slightly different axes so that, altogether, they formed a sphere of countless blades expanding outwards from him in all directions, leaving no gaps that even someone of Ayumu's speed and flexibility could slip through. His rings were normally an extremely conservative use of his wind-Dust, allowing him to create numerous attacks without taxing his supply. But an extensive use like this threatened to drain nearly all of his Dust in one go. But his desire to force Ayumu back was just that desperate.

However, Ayumu stood firm, raising the Green Destiny above his head, then slashing it straight down. The pale-green blade cleaved through the green and white of Ciar's wind blades, cutting open the countless rings and causing them to unravel in all directions, while leaving the space where Ayumu stood completely untouched.

Ciar raised his cane again, but Ayumu's sword was practically a streak of light, his blade ringing once again as he cut the head from the cane, causing it to fall to the ground uselessly, not that the action was really needed, the wind-Dust gems set into its head all having gone dark.

Ayumu's blade immediately reversed course, returning and rising up to rest the tip against Ciar's throat. "Well," he asked pleasantly, "how did you enjoy your experience dancing at the edge of death?"

"I must admit that it is quite thrilling," said Ciar, surprisingly calm for someone in his position, especially considering how much frustration he had been experiencing earlier. "But it is a little too much excitement for my tastes."

"Unfortunate," said Ayumu. "Of course, you are not completely back from the edge yet. I have no intention of allowing you back unless you provide me with the answers I seek."

"I see," said Ciar. "I can imagine what your questions might be." Despite the situation he was in, he seemed to not be under much pressure anymore. "However, I can't help but wonder about your friend and the young lady. Viola is quite vicious and rarely understands how to show restraint. Knowing that, I think you should be quite concerned about their situation."

"And knowing Gin and Ms. Ruby, I am not overly concerned," said Ayumu.

"Oh…?" said Ciar, raising an eyebrow.

Ayumu nodded. "So tell me about your mistress, and what she wants with Ms. Ruby. A larger overview of her general plans will be helpful as well."

"All perfectly logical queries to make," said Ciar with a sigh. "Sadly, I have no intention of divulging them. "You see, by treating me to an experience at the edge, I have discovered something most enlightening. I have discovered that, yes, I do fear death. However, I have discovered that I fear it far less than the thought of betraying my mistress."

As he hadn't raised his hands, Ciar was able to twitch one arm, a green wind-Dust gem sliding down out of his sleeve and into the palm of one gloved hand. The movement should have been hidden from Ayumu, but Ayumu's eyes immediately narrowed.

"I hope you aren't foolish enough to believe you can catch me off-guard with a trick like that," chided Ayumu.

"Heavens no," replied Ciar with just as much cheer. "As I told you, I fear betrayal more than death. I shall now pick that which I fear less."

Ayumu felt another of Ciar's radial attacks appear behind him. He automatically ducked out of the way, reaching out to grab Ciar's jacket and yank him down. But Ciar was already backpedaling and a second ring appeared behind him…at the level of his neck.

It was over in a flash. Ciar's head went spinning off to bounce off the ground, while blood fountained from his neck, before his lifeless body toppled over. Ayumu stood there, staring at it for a long moment. "It appears I underestimated your resolve," he said solemnly, before raising a hand in prayer and bowing his head. "Whatever awaits you, I hope you find it better than the betrayal you so feared."

With a sigh, he lifted his head and turned to look off into the forest, where the sounds of Gin, Ruby, and Viola clashing could still be heard. "Now then…" said Ayumu, setting off after them.

* * *

 _I thought she wouldn't be able to make webs,_ thought Gin as he glared up at a grinning Viola. From what he remembered, spider spinnerets were on their abdomens, not their feet. Viola had spider-legs, ergo, Viola shouldn't have been able to produce webs. Of course, that was unless there was some variety of spider or like arachnid that did produce webs from its legs. Gin wondered if he should have read more about spiders. _Nah._ He wouldn't have gone so far as to call himself an arachnophobe, but even he had to admit that spiders, especially big hairy ones, gave him the heebie-jeebies. Besides, he hadn't been reading up on spiders in general, much less in anticipation of fighting a spider-faunus.

Still, it seemed unlikely that Viola's webs were made through normal means. _Does it have something to do with her weapons?_ Gin wondered, focusing his eyes on the gauntlet-mounted blades that tipped each of Viola's four spider legs. His eyes then wandered towards the cocoon of violet webs that hung, suspended from the trees, behind and above Viola, from which bits of red cloth hung out, here and there. He noted that Viola's threads were glowing slightly and that her eyes had returned to their normal, sickly-yellow color. _Or maybe, it's a Semblance._

That struck him as the most likely explanation. There was no Dust combination he could think of that would produce such an unusual effect as simulated spider webs, though he supposed it was within the realm of possibility. However, a Semblance that could produce something like webs appeared to be something that hovered between the realms of manifestation and materialization. _If that's the case, then the right application of Aura can cut it._

"Tick tock, tick tock," repeated Viola, her head twitching back and forth in jerking motions, in time with her words. "Time's wasting! Hurry and save the girl or hurry and die!"

"You know, you could just go ahead and make the air hole," suggested Gin. "I'll wait."

"No!" snapped Viola. "You'll strike! Won't turn my back."

 _Well, she's smarter than I gave her credit for,_ thought Gin, sinking into a crouch. _There goes the easy way._

"Calm calm…" muttered Viola. "Why is he so calm? The girl is dying. You should panic."

"Panicking won't save anyone," replied Gin. "I have to stay calm and fight to the best of my abilities. That's the best bet I have of ending this in five minutes." He smirked at Viola. "Of course, even if it takes longer than five minutes, it's no big deal."

"What?" gasped Viola. "Thought you cared!"

"I do care," replied Gin. "But that's one thing, and defeating you is another."

Viola shuffled uncertainly, her spider legs twitching and curling. "Tricksy speech," she muttered. "Trying to throw me off."

"Trust me, you're plenty _off_ as it is," retorted Gin.

Viola hissed, then launched herself at Gin, her spider legs black blurs that enabled her to scuttle among the branches with unnatural agility, closing the distance between them in an instantly. She struck first with the blade-tipped gauntlets that enclosed her spider legs. Gin deflected them off his scales. However, even deflected, Viola simply anchored the deflected limbs in nearby trees and branches, creating new footholds to allow her to close in and strike with the katars attached to her humanoid limbs.

She led with a double-kick, straight out from both her legs. The katar blades slid forward into attack position. Gin jumped over their line of attack, raising his arms to strike at Viola's torso as she was about to pass beneath him. However, she used her limbs' new positions to twist her body, allowing her to slash at Gin with her arm blades. Gin brought a scaled forearm up to block, the force behind the blow knocking him away.

Retracting her blades, Viola instead opened up with her guns, firing several shots at Gin. Gin's own arms blurred, the bullets pinging off his scales. He allowed his momentum to carry him to a nearby tree. Kicking off the trunk, he launched himself at Viola again. A tug of her spider legs moved Viola out of the path of Gin's attack though and his claws sailed harmlessly through the space she'd occupied.

 _Her speed isn't so much of a problem as it is the irregularity of her motion,_ thought Gin as two of Viola's arachnid limbs thrust at him, trying to spear him with their blades. _It's hard to read where she'll go next._

Viola's spider legs almost seemed to move independently of the rest of her body, allowing her to move one way, when her body position suggested she'd move another. Their sharp, twitching, almost spasmodic movement seemed to hold no rhythm that he could synch with. Viola's every move seemed random, wild, ungraceful, flailing. But, at the same time, Gin could clearly sense a degree of coordination behind the attack. Unfortunately, it was coordination he couldn't fully interpret.

The two of them continued their deadly dance through the treetops. Even as she skittered along with her spider legs, Viola also spun about in acrobatic twirls that allowed her to launch slashing attacks with the blades attached to her humanoid limbs. With the flexibility of her arachnid legs, she was often able to attack Gin from the front and behind simultaneously.

Gritting his teeth, Gin fended off a bladed gauntlet that threatened to spear him from behind, even as he deflected a slash from the front. As he did, he caught a flicker of violet in Viola's eyes. Allowing his senses to extend outward, Gin was able to notice the thread trailing from the limb that had just attacked him from behind, a thread which was expanding, becoming several threads, woven together, spreading between a pair of trees and forming a web behind him.

He realized Viola's intentions as she tucked in her legs, then kicked straight out with them. She wanted to knock him into the web behind him and entangle him. Once he was caught, she'd be on him just as quickly as she'd been on Ruby earlier. Seeing the murderous gleam in her eyes, Gin very much doubted that Viola was content with simply immobilizing him.

The blades attached to Viola's ankles speared through Gin's abdomen, only for her attack to throw up a spray of mist, rather than blood, Gin's form distorting, rippling around her legs. His arms emerged from the illusion and planted themselves on her thighs, Gin using them to vault upwards over Viola's head, slashing down at her as he did so. His claws rang against the blade that Viola hastily threw up to guard herself. She used her spider legs to spin in place, chasing him with a slashing kick, which Gin deflected at an angle that allowed him to use the power of her strike to go into a roll that carried him over the arc of her kick, even as he sensed her arachnid limbs working furiously, trailing still more webbing, encircling the two of them as they battled.

* * *

"Now that's more like it," mused Yu, turning his attention to Gin's battle. _Gin's still a bit of a slow starter. He hasn't practiced enough with his Shingan to maintain it consistently. But now that he's faced with an opponent who's hard to completely track with his eyes, he'll work to keep his awareness expanded constantly._

"You'd better not waste this experience, brat," muttered Yu to himself. "I'll be disappointed if you wind up dying here. I hate having my time wasted."

* * *

Viola lunged, all eight of her limbs slashing blurs as she tried to use her offensive skills to drive Gin back into the web she'd spun to encircle them from nearly all directions. However, her blades pierced and slashed through Gin's body, which then distorted around them, resolving to reveal that Gin was further away than he'd first seemed.

Gin jumped and kicked and vaulted, swinging under tree branches and leaping off of others, turning his body to twist through the gaps in the web, his movements smooth and flowing, his body almost seeming to dissolve into water as he flowed through the spaces Viola hadn't been able to fill yet. In his wake, the woman screeched in frustration, surging forward without regard for the position of her own traps. However, as Gin expected, her spider legs merely parted the webs like curtains as she moved through them, the strands not sticking to her in the slightest.

 _It figures I wouldn't be able to trap her like that,_ thought Gin wryly, not that he had been banking on such a trick from the start. Relaxing his body, Gin allowed himself to drop, almost straight down, Viola's bladed gauntlets punching through his eyes, which once again rippled to reveal she'd only hit a mist illusion. Surrendering his body to gravity, Gin fell until he landed on a tree limb down below, which bent beneath his weight, before snapping back, allowing him to launch himself back up at the madwoman with impressive speed.

Viola reared back, but not fast enough, Gin's claws scraping against the Aura over her stomach. She pulled back with a screech of pain, falling back into her own webs. They curled about her body and almost seemed to tangle about her. Then her legs reached out and began to gather them up, even as they produced new threads. Viola landed on a horizontal branch, her spider legs working furiously, compacting the web she'd gathered, along with the new threads her legs were producing, rolling it into a large, dense ball in front of her, in a manner reminiscent of how she'd cocooned Ruby just a little bit ago.

The dense orb of webbing began to glow brighter, becoming less material and more like energy. Landing a short distance away, Gin tensed, deciding to wait and see what this new attack could do. He was struck with the suspicion that it was a net trap of some kind, which would explode out to ensnare him if he got too close. However, the more web Viola worked into her orb, the more unstable it appeared to become. Her webbing already appeared to hover halfway between manifested and materialized Aura. But, with this density, it seemed that it was becoming more manifested, more energy than matter.

Then, to his surprise, Viola grasped the orb, almost delicately, with the tips of her four spider legs. Bringing it to her face, she opened her mouth obscenely wide, almost to the point of dislocating her jaw, stuffing the entire thing inside, before closing it, leaving her with bulging cheeks, as though she'd gorged herself with food, but had yet to swallow.

Gin's eyes widened, watching as Viola's throat convulsed, then she lurched forward, her mouth opening once again. What emerged was not webbing, but a laser of pure, violet energy, which screamed as it raced through the air at her target. Gin dodged to the side just in time, as the laser speared through where he had been. Viola twisted her head to follow him, her attack sweeping towards him, cutting through everything in its path.

It cut through wood like a blade, but also carried enough force to shatter the reduce the surrounding wood to splinters and sawdust. Gin jumped over the sweep of Viola's attack, feeling and hearing the trees behind him shatter and collapse. He jumped and ran along the swaying branches of still-falling trees to escape as Viola chased him with her laser. She dipped her head, swiping the line of her attack along the next few branches, cutting them out from beneath Gin's feet.

Seeing his footholds disappear, Gin reached up, sinking his claws into a branch over his head. Even as he used his weight to swing towards the next stable branch, he felt the one he was holding lurch with a cracking sound, the limb not up to bearing his weight. Gin released just as it broke off, managing to leap clear. But he landed awkwardly, unable to continue his flight as Viola's laser attack caught up with him.

Having no other option, Gin threw out his left hand, bracing his arm with his right. He caught Viola's attack on his open palm, her Aura splitting apart as it shattered against his scales. Gin growled and strained, putting all his weight into the effort, feeling as though he was trying to hold back a spray from a firehose. By positioning his fingers and applying his Aura, he was able to spread Viola's attack so that it sprayed around him without touching him.

Finally, the attack began to peter out and the laser diminished, then disappeared, leaving Gin and Viola facing each other directly once again. All around them, the forest echoed with the crashing and groaning of collapsing trees as an entire swath of the canopy caved in on itself.

Viola remained where she was, suspended by her spider legs as she glared at Gin, taking deep, heaving breaths that rocked her whole body.

 _It's no wonder she's winded,_ thought Gin, shaking his right arm to relax it, after straining against such an incredible force. _That kind of attack must have taken a solid chunk of her Aura. She must have a lot, if she can afford to use a trick like that._

"Tick tock," muttered Viola, sounding more harried and rushed than Gin felt. "Time's nearly up."

Gin's eyes narrowed. By this point, almost three minutes had passed. "Guess I need to push harder," he said, sinking into a crouch and spreading his arms out. A phantasmal image of a sinuous, serpentine, scaled body became visible, winding around him, becoming more substantial with each passing second.

Viola's eyes widened as Gin went on the attack, becoming a silver blur as he rushed towards her, his movements undulating as he raced over tree branches to reach her. Still winded from her last attack, Viola lurched up and to the side, only catching a glimpsed of a scaled afterimage rushing beneath her. Gin's claws slammed into the trunk of the tree behind her and shattered it into matchsticks, blasting through without slowing down in the slightest.

Turning her body, Viola wanted to go on the attack, only to see that serpentine Aura wrap around the lower portion of the tree, following Gin's movements as he curved around to come at her again. Desperately, Viola retreated, sweeping her spider legs between her and Gin, leaving trails of webbing behind, trying to catch him as he charged her. However, Gin's claws were a silver blur, tearing through her webbing like it was little more than tissue paper, while Gin himself passed through without problem.

Viola fled, falling back directly, flipping and vaulting through the forest canopy on her humanoid limbs, while her spider limbs worked furiously to compact another super-dense ball of webbing. She grinned triumphantly as she saw Gin's pace increase. He was clearly trying to close with her before she finished her attack. However, he wasn't fast enough.

Stuffing the ball in her mouth, Viola landed upright on another branch, her throat convulsing as she unleashed her screaming laser straight at the incoming boy while Gin was in midair. With no footholds to use to change his direction, Gin had no choice but to throw up a hand again to catch the attack. It blasted into him, killing his momentum and pushing him back. But Gin felt less force behind it. It seemed that Viola had less energy than before. Her desperate use of this attack had drained even more of her Aura.

But then Gin felt something sticky against the fingers of his hand, and realized that the reason that Viola's attack had lessened in strength wasn't because of her reaching her limits, but that she hadn't completely converted all of her Semblance-produced webbing into manifested Aura, instead keeping some of it as webbing and hiding it within the stream of her attack. When Gin had blocked it, the webbing within the laser had latched onto his hand and tangled around it, leaving a line running from Gin's arm to Viola's mouth, the thick rope of webbing clenched between her teeth as she fixed him with a feral grin and giggled eagerly.

Gin looked at her, then at the web stuck to his arm, then back at her. He shrugged, then shifted his weight and pulled back with an almighty yank. Viola's giggles terminated in a pained grunt as she was abruptly pulled off her perch and sent flying towards Gin, who raised his opposite hand, claws readied to deliver a devastating blow.

Then Viola's spider legs went into action once again, two whipping out to her side and snagging onto a passing tree branch. Rather than try to stop her flight, they instead allowed her to alter her course so that she now flew past Gin to the side and around the trunk of the tree behind him. Continuing to skitter along, Viola completely circled the trunk, wrapping the rope of webbing around it. Gin had turned to try and follow her, but was overtaken as she circled back around, now swinging on her web like a rope. Turning to face her, Gin was caught as the webbing now circled around him.

In a last-ditch effort to escape complete entrapment, Gin projected his Aura out from his chest, pressing it back against the Aura that composed Viola's webbing. The webbing was now sticking directly to his Aura, but not to his body yet. Once he released his Aura projection the webbing would no longer be stuck to him. However, the effort had cost him precious seconds and Viola had circled the tree once again, pulling the line tight and the coils of webbing now tightening around Gin's chest and pinning him to the side of the tree. If he released his Aura in this condition, the webbing would simply stick to his clothes and skin instead.

"Hee hee hee! All tied up!" crowed Viola, spitting out the end of the web that had been clenched in her teeth. "Now to-!" She cut herself off abruptly as she whipped her head around to stare at the cocoon, her eyes wide. "No! Time's already up! She's dead." Viola whipped her head back to glare at Gin. "She's dead! Too slow!"

Viola's body began to quiver, her spider legs twitching and waving anxiously as she hugged her arms. "No no no nonononononononono! She wants the silver-eyed girl alive. But the girl's dead. What do I do?"

Gin frowned, watching this display. Now Viola's behavior was almost…childlike.

"She'll forgive you," Viola whispered to herself. "She's a merciful goddess. Tyrian said so. Tyrian's always right."

She began to growl, glaring at Gin again, baring her teeth in an expression of absolute rage. "You must pay! You don't care!"

"I told you before," Gin replied levelly, "it doesn't matter if the fight takes longer than five minutes. I do care about Ruby, but that's one thing, and the time limit another."

"What?" asked Viola, her anger replaced by confusion.

Gin smirked at her. "You're obviously the sort that likes playing with her prey. But you tend to underestimate people if you think they're weaker than you."

"You-" began Viola.

"Not me," said Gin, cutting her off. " _I'm_ not the one you underestimated."

Viola's mouth opened to utter the next syllable of her question, but she wasn't able to make a sound before it was replaced by a pained scream. A single red petal floating past her peripheral vision was the only warning she received. Gin saw a red and black blur streak down past Viola from behind, and Ruby's scythe cleaved through Viola's right two spider legs. Viola screamed, blood spraying from the twitching, severed stumps of her arachnid limbs. Whipping her head around and down, Viola's jaw dropped as she saw Ruby, sans her red cloak, alight on a branch below her, before using her Semblance to streak up to a perch that was level with Viola.

"H-how?" she gasped.

Ruby smiled determinedly and leveled her scythe at Viola in lieu of actually answering her.

Ruby's escape had been realized through two different factors, taking place back when Viola had first ensnared her. The first was that her scythe, made of manifested Aura, could be dismissed at anytime. So she had done so, meaning that her weapon was no longer restrained. She was still bound by the webbing that had attached itself to her cloak. However, Ruby had realized she could escape, by virtue of the fact that Viola's webbing was bound to _just_ her cloak. As Viola had closed in, Ruby had undone the clasps of her cloak, then used her Semblance to launch herself away, timing it so that Viola closed in and began forming the cocoon before Ruby's cloak had collapsed in the absence of its wearer. Ultimately, Viola had wrapped up the cloak itself in her cocoon…and nothing else. In the meantime, Ruby took the opportunity to retreat and follow the battle from the fringes, waiting for the right moment to strike a decisive blow.

Gin had sensed Ruby's escape, tracking her with his senses, even as he continued the fight with Viola, playing along to a certain extent. However, the knowledge that Ruby was not in danger of suffocating inside Viola's cocoon had allowed him to affect the nonchalant attitude that had confused and frustrated their enemy so.

In the meantime, Gin turned his hands so that his palms were resting against the side of the tree, his claws digging into the bark. He took a deep breath, his Aura-enshrouded chest straining against the bonds of Viola's webbing. A winding, serpentine body of silver Aura twined around each of his arms. Gin's body abruptly convulsed, channeling the power of his entire body, despite his bound position, through his hands and into the tree he was tied to.

The trunk shattered and the bonds of webbing loosened enough that Gin was able to slip out from them by cancelling his projected Aura protection, and leaping away before any of the webbing could stick to his body itself. He immediately went on the attack, bounding onto a branch and using it as a springboard to launch himself at the still-distracted Viola. The sound of the tree shattering had gotten her attention, and she was turning to look at him again, but she was too late.

The winding, scaled body depicted by Gin's Aura wound around his right arm and into his hand, which was engulfed by a shroud of Aura that transformed, forming an elongated snout, a leonine mane, a pair of glowing white eyes, and a maw filled with curved fangs, creating what was unmistakably the head of a dragon, which lunged at Viola, jaws wide.

Desperately, Viola threw herself aside, Gin's attack scraping against her already-wounded right side, the dragon's fanged maw closing so that its teeth brushed against her flesh. Viola screamed as lacerations opened up all over her right side, the remnants of her right spider-legs ripped away, while the sheer power shockwave of the attack's passage ripped those lacerations open even wider, sending Viola's blood arcing through the air. She plowed through several branches, breaking them and falling towards the ground.

Both Gin and Ruby dove after her, intent on ensuring that she was at least immobilized. Then they saw Viola working her jaw, as though she was chewing a large piece of gum. Gin quickly reached out and grabbed Ruby's arm with his right hand, while reaching out to latch onto the trunk of a nearby tree with his left, sinking his claws in to arrest their fall. The sudden stop wrenched Ruby's arm painfully, but she understood why when Viola opened her mouth, spitting out a glowing, violet ball, which exploded into a dense net of webbing between her and them. Had Gin not stopped them, they would have flown right into it and been ensnared completely.

Seeing the net flying towards them, Gin strained with both his left and right arms, flinging Ruby upwards, an act she helped along through the application of her Semblance, before pushing off the trunk and channeling a substantial amount of Aura into the claws of his left hand, which he released along with a powerful slashing motion, the blades of his Aura projecting off his claws to slice an opening through the net and parting it around him.

As soon as the webbing flew past Gin, he realized that it had been nothing more than a diversion. Viola was gone, a short trail of blood leading away, before stopping completely.

Gin, followed by Ruby, descended to the ground to inspect the blood trail. "Why'd it stop?" asked Ruby.

"She probably used her own webbing to staunch the bleeding," said Gin. "But she's wounded and debilitated. She hasn't gone far yet. We can catch up to her easily." He raised his head, following the trail of broken foliage and other indicators that allowed him to follow Viola's trail as easily as if she had put up signs saying where she'd gone.

"We're going after her?" asked Ruby, looking worriedly in the direction Gin was looking.

"I don't fancy letting her come back and have another go at you," said Gin, giving Ruby a concerned look. "That trick with your cloak will only work once. She'll be on her guard the next time."

"You think she'll come back?" asked Ruby.

"I'm sure of it," said Gin gravely. "She's clearly as loopy as they come, but she also strikes me as the type to hold a grudge."

Ruby swallowed nervously at the thought of that depraved woman coming after them again.

* * *

 **Ruby's definitely getting better. It seems the fact that you can make your weapon appear and disappear at will is handy, in more ways than one. Gin and Ruby's fight with Viola was fairly hard to conceive, as I had to figure out how a person with multiple sets of limbs would fight, particularly as she can use them to enhance her mobility dramatically.**

 **Ciar Lucien: Ciar is derived from the Irish word, meaning 'black,' as though that wasn't obvious from his design. In appearance, I based Ciar off of Nakiri Azami from _Shokugeki no Soma_ , as I absolutely love his character design. The guy looks so naturally evil that it almost seems a waste to have him be the villain of a cooking series. In combat, I based his fighting style off of Viza, and his trigger, from _World Trigger_. Ciar was originally someone who I'd planned on being way more dangerous than he turned out to be. He was to Cinder what Cinder was to Roman, someone who freaked her, and her subordinates, the hell out. On a certain level, he still does that, simply by virtue of being just that _creepy_ a guy.**

 **Ciar's Semblance produces rings of Aura. On their own, they're relatively unimpressive, packing little more than slight concussive force. But, by combining them with wind-Dust, Ciar can create blades that can radiate out from any point at incredible speed, capable of slicing through nearly anything.**

 **Viola Achthovhen: Viola is latin for 'violet,' while Achthoven is a Dutch name, comprised of the Dutch words for 'eight' and 'garden.' Viola's first name is largely self-explanatory as to why I chose it (color-rule and all that). For her surname, I wanted something to do with the number, 8 (because spiders). As for why Viola only has four spider-legs, I figured that it made more sense, since, together with her human arms and legs, that would give her the full eight limbs. In retrospect, I probably didn't need to do that, since the creators are perfectly happy with canon faunus, like Blake, having four ears; or those with wings, like Yuma having wings on their back, essentially meaning they have an extra set of arms. Viola's design has no specific inspiration, save for the fact that I wanted to evoke vague similarities to a certain other RWBY character readers might recognize, both through her weapons and her behavior. I basically designed her to be as creepy and freaky as I possibly could.**

 **Viola's Semblance is Webbing. Even though she lacks the biological means to produce spider-silk, Viola can transform her Aura into a quasi-physical substance that, as Gin notes, is halfway between manifestation and materialization. It has a certain level of persistence that allows it to continue existing independently of her, once she's set it up. But it won't last for an extended period of time on its own. If Viola compacts it together, its nature shifts more towards manifested energy than matter, which she has taken advantage of. The laser beam she fires is inspired by, of all things, the atomic ray from Shin Godzilla. It's incredibly destructive, but draining to use, although she can actually reserve some of her webbing, and fire it out along with the beam.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21:**

Ruby felt a whisper of air against her back and stirring through her hair, the feeling prompting her to whirl around, scythe at the ready…only for her to relax when she saw Ayumu stepping out from the undergrowth.

"Well, it looks like I missed out on the excitement here," observed Ayumu, taking in Gin and Ruby. "Where's your cloak, Ms. Ruby?"

Ruby wordlessly pointed up, drawing Ayumu's eyes up to the violet cocoon, from which small tufts of red fabric stuck out. "Oh…" He brought his eyes back down to look at Ruby and Gin again. "Your opponent was clearly an unorthodox one."

"Yeah," agreed Gin. "Where's yours?"

"Dead, unfortunately," said Ayumu, his expression sobering.

Ruby gasped and covered her mouth with her free hand, horrified. "Did you-?"

"Kill him? No." Ayumu shook his head sadly. "I let him live, in order to question him about who he served, and why they had come for you. However, he opted to take his own life, rather than give any answers."

"All the more reason to catch up to her then," said Gin, jerking his head in the direction Viola had gone. "Granted, it's gonna be hard getting anything coherent out of her. But it'll be better than nothing."

Ruby swallowed again. It was a bit hard for her to take in, the idea of accepting death so readily. Ayumu clearly hadn't intended for his opponent die. Despite that, he was accepting Ciar's death with disturbing ease, showing little beyond disappointment that a potential source of information had been denied them.

 _I guess I shouldn't be surprised though,_ thought Ruby glumly. Considering the kind of man their master was, it made sense that these two boys had been hardened against the concept of death. Of course, Gin was like that already, having been a murderous bandit in the past, by his own admission. However, it was one thing to hear Gin talk about his past self as though he were another person, and another to see him hardly react to news of someone's death, even if that someone was an enemy.

"Ruby?" Ruby was drawn out of her reverie by Gin's voice and she looked up at him, surprised to see that he looked…afraid.

 _Oh, right!_ Ruby recognized that worried look. Gin was afraid she would begin to push him away. Despite knowing about his past, albeit not in detail, she realized that this was the first time she had been confronted with the extent of what Gin had been through, and how it had affected him. However, one thing Ruby knew well enough was that the Gin before her now was clearly different than the person he had been. So she reached out and took his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Let's go," she said.

"Right," said Gin, relaxing a little and nodding.

They turned to follow Viola's trail, only to find Yu standing in front of them, as though barring their path. "Don't bother," said Yu. "There's no point in catching up to her. She's the sort who doesn't give a damn about the reasons behind something anyway."

"But she still might have some information," suggested Ayumu.

"Nah," said Yu, waving a dismissive hand. "The other guy was definitely better for that. A pity you couldn't keep him alive, Ayumu."

"I underestimated his resolve," Ayumu admitted. "Considering that he seemed the sort who enjoyed being in the superior position so much, and how much difficulty he had, once he was directly under threat, I figured he was the sort to balk in the face of death."

"He didn't know himself," said Yu. "But once he got there, he realized what his priorities were." He shrugged indifferently. "Oh well, can't win 'em all."

"We should still go after the woman," said Gin. "She'll be back."

"Oh, definitely," agreed Yu with a savage grin of his own. "That's why I'm having you let her go. Crazy as she is, she isn't devoid of self-awareness, so she'll learn from this little dustup, and come at you all the harder next time. Consider it an incentive to improve."

"I should've known," grumbled Gin. "You probably know everything about everything about why she's doing what she's doing."

"Not her personally," said Yu. "It's hard to get a read on her. But I do know who she works for."

"And…I suppose you're not going to tell us," said Gin, glaring dourly at Yu.

"Nope," said Yu with sadistic good cheer. "You kids have good taste though. You've made one hell of an enemy today. Now you're going to have to do your homework and get ready for the next move, especially since they've taken an interest in the little missy, here."

"And you're not going to tell us a thing," muttered Gin petulantly.

"Nope," said Yu. "Consider it-"

" _an incentive to improve,_ " deadpanned Ayumu and Gin in weary unison, while Ruby found herself sighing and suppressing her own frustration.

 _Of course he has all the answers,_ she thought irritably, _and of course he isn't going to tell us anything._ At this point, it was getting depressingly easy to predict how Yu would act or react in a given situation. Whatever happened, all he ultimately cared about was his own amusement, and that, generally, meant whatever caused the most trouble for the people around him, particularly his students.

"Well, that was a good workout for the day," said Yu, still grinning cheerfully, as though he'd just been to the fair. "Hopefully you kids picked up a few things from these fights. I'd hate to think you wasted an opportunity."

Ruby traded looks with Gin and Ayumu, all of them feeling more or less frustrated, before they collectively shrugged, unable to figure out any other way to respond to this absurd man.

"I guess we'll set up camp around here then," said Gin, taking in their surroundings. "Seems good enough."

Ruby nodded. Ayumu stretched and sighed tiredly. "Gin, could you help me?" he asked.

"Sure," said Gin.

"Help you with what?" asked Ruby, looking at the two boys in confusion.

"Digging a grave," replied Ayumu sadly. "As unpleasant as he was, I still feel that we owe that Ciar fellow a proper burial."

"I'll come too," said Ruby.

"A-are you sure?" asked Gin, looking at her worriedly.

It took a second for Ruby to clue in to the reason for Gin's concern this time. Ciar was dead, which meant they were going back to a corpse. _Of course, why else would they be talking about burying him?_ she thought morosely. Since she had been training to be a Huntress, Ruby was aware of the risk of death that came along with that profession. Her mother had been a victim of that risk after all. Yet, despite all that, this would be the first time she saw the genuine corpse of a person, a real dead body.

However, she took a deep breath and firmed up her resolve. Like it or not, this man had been here because of her. Even though it was as an enemy, he'd also _died_ because of her. As someone who aspired to be a protector, Ruby knew she needed to be prepared to face the consequences of her actions, for good or for ill.

"Let's go," she said. "I'll help."

* * *

Helping had not been a pleasant experience. Ruby had at first thought that there wasn't much to worry about when they reached Ciar's body, and found it in its mostly-undamaged condition. Despite the fact there was a part missing, Ruby had found it surprisingly easy to face the corpse.

Then Ayumu had picked up Ciar's severed head and set it down on the earth just above his neck.

At that point, Ruby found herself fighting the urge to unload the remnants of her breakfast on the forest floor. Gin had held her, steadying her, his cool hand on her forehead, his touch easing away the feverish heat of her fear and revulsion.

"It's not easy, the first time," said Ayumu. "But the more you confront it, easier it is to see them like this."

"M-more…" choked out Ruby, horrified by the thought of being faced with more corpses.

"If you keep on your projected path, it's practically a given," said Ayumu, already crouching down to mark the ground with a twig he'd picked up. "As a Huntress, you'd undoubtedly be subjected to both the best and the worst of the world. I very much doubt this is the only corpse that awaits in your future, and many will not be as neat as this one."

"R-right," said Ruby, shuddering at the thought. She suddenly felt very cold, so cold that Gin's touch felt warm to her.

Gin rubbed her shoulder with one hand, while he used the other to stroke her bangs, tracing his fingers across her forehead.

Ayumu finished marking out a rough outline a little taller and wider than the man they were about to bury. "If you please, Gin," he said.

Gin nodded and reluctantly let go of Ruby. Crouching at the dirt, Gin unsheathed his claws and scales, before digging into the hard dirt beneath the carpet of fallen leaves, his claws tearing through it easily. In just a few minutes, Gin had excavated a relatively shallow, yet serviceable grave.

"Ms. Ruby…if you would," said Ayumu, gesturing to Ciar's body as Gin stepped away.

Gin opened his mouth to protest, but Ayumu silenced him with a look.

Ruby took another look at the body, and swallowed back the urge to vomit again. She would accomplish nothing merely by pretending the body wasn't there. Ayumu was giving her the opportunity to face it, and come to terms with what had happened here. Mercifully, Ayumu took Ciar's shoulders, while Ruby took his ankles. The two of them lifted together and shuffled over to lower Ciar's body, as gently as they could manage, into the grave. Then Ayumu once again calmly picked up Ciar's head and deposited atop his neck. After that, he and Gin began moving handfuls of dirt to cover up the body. Ruby fidgeted until she decided that the best thing to do right now was help.

Yu hadn't accompanied them, and Ruby was glad that he hadn't. She had no doubt that, if he had, he would have no shortage of barbed remarks about how much time and energy they were wasting. From his perspective, Ciar was probably nothing more than a sack of dead flesh, not worth bothering over. Perhaps not coming along had been his form of consideration for what they were doing.

"Hold out your hands," instructed Gin, after they finished covering the grave. Ruby did as she was told, surprised to see that Gin's scales had already been cleaned, somehow. Taking her hands, she saw his mist swirl up from his arms and wrap around her hands, condensing into water that then dripped off, taking the dirt of her task with it.

"That's useful," she said weakly, smiling at him as Gin gave her an equally shaky smile back. She knew he hadn't been unnerved by the task of burying Ciar's body. He was more concerned about how she was handling it.

"Ahem…" Ayumu's polite cough knocked them both out of their reverie and they realized that they'd been staring at each other, Gin still holding both her hands. Ayumu gave them a slightly amused smile before holding up his own hands. "If you don't mind, I'd like your assistance as well, please."

"Right," said Gin, going to Ayumu and repeating the process he'd done with Ruby.

Despite what they had just done, Ruby found herself giggling.

* * *

Dinner had been a quiet affair. After what they had just been through the fatigue seemed to catch up to them all at once. However, Ruby wasn't as tired as she'd thought she would be. She supposed her experiences training with Yu had caused her to grow accustomed to having her nerves put on edge, getting her used to the feeling of danger.

Ruby was glad that he hadn't insisted on continuing their training, probably because he thought their battle had been training enough for the day. Despite that, Ruby was certain that her training would continue tomorrow as though nothing had happened. She supposed that was the way things were. A man was dead, but the world kept on turning regardless. All she could do was keep moving forward.

At least she'd gotten her cloak back. Viola's webbing apparently dissolved after a set period of time, or if she left the area she'd left it in. They found Ruby's cloak dangling from a low tree branch, and she'd gladly slipped it back on, relieved to feel it around her shoulders once again.

After dinner and brushing her teeth, Ruby settled back in Gin's arms. As she did, she noticed his hold on her was a little tighter than usual, as though he was reassuring himself by confirming that she was really there. "Are you okay?" she whispered, looking at him as she rested her head against his shoulder.

"I'm fine," said Gin, "just…a little shaken…I guess."

"Why?" asked Ruby. "You knew I'd gotten out."

"Yeah," said Gin. "But I didn't realize that until _after_ Viola had finished wrapping your cloak up. For the first few seconds there, I thought she'd really had you. That rattled me a little." His hold tightened a little more, fortunately not enough to be painful. "That was the moment it really sank in that they were here to take you away. It was hard to keep my cool for a little bit. Knowing that you'd escaped was what helped me keep it together." He smiled proudly at her. "That was really well done, by the way. He'll never say a word, but I think you even impressed Master Yu there."

Ruby giggled and blushed at Gin's praise. She didn't care a bit about what Yu said or did, but she knew that Gin wouldn't give her hollow praise, even if they were together. Tilting her head, she kissed his cheek. "Thank you," she said. "I'm here and I'm fine…but I'm also tired. Let's go to sleep."

"Of course," said Gin.

Ruby sighed happily, leaning back into his arms. As she slipped away, she felt Gin's lips, as cool as any other part of his body, brush against her own cheek in return and smiled even more contentedly.

* * *

It was dark outside. Of course, that was hardly remarkable. Any time, day or night, it was _always_ dark, the sky forever shrouded by an oppressive gloom, lit only by glowing crystals of pale purple that jutted out of the landscape like sharp, angular scrub. The gloom above was matched, if not exceeded by the darkness below.

Before her stretched out a long valley, its floor almost perfectly flat, save for those crystals. It was occupied by numerous pools of dark liquid. From this distance they looked like puddles after a rainstorm. Rain puddles weren't as deep though, nor pitch-black in color…nor did they ripple and undulate, before issuing forth a snarling, growling Creatures of Grimm. One by one, they emerged from the pools, barely even pausing before making progress towards the mouth of the valley, heading out to seek out their hated prey.

She watched them impassively, staring out the windows of her mansion, and looking down upon her children, the instrument of her wrath, striding forth to wreak havoc upon the world of man that she so despised. Her current home was an oddity, a speck of civilization amidst a sea of monsters bent on wiping civilization out. She hardly required such niceties, of course. They were more for the sake of those who followed her, partly to satisfy their need for an abode of sorts, and to help foster their image of her as their leader…their _goddess_.

Granted, only two of her number appeared to actually worship her. But the rest were perfectly content to obey. That was fine. Salem didn't need worship. She just needed results.

The gloom in the sky tinted the shattered moon a bloody red color, its light gleaming off the bone-white skin of her face, covered with a spiderweb of red and purple veins. More such veins ran down the skin of her arms in swirling, spiraling patterns. Black sclera framed the red irises that calmly followed the movements of the Grimm down below.

Salem turned, her black dress swirling in conjunction with the movement. As she did, the light of the bloody moon framed her pale hair, almost a perfect match for the color of her skin, tied into a tight bun with six projections out to either side, tied with black ornaments. Her turn brought her around to face the table of black stone, where her servants regularly met with her to discuss the progress on her plan.

Right now, only two of the wooden seats that flanked the table were occupied. Arthur Watts looked more like a distinguished gentleman of the aristocracy, or a respected professor, than someone plotting the downfall of mankind, with his neatly trimmed hair and mustache over his tanned skin. He was presently preoccupied fiddling with the black scroll in front of him.

The other member, Hazel Rainart, sat passively beside Watts, his arms folded, head bowed, eyes closed, as though asleep. Despite that, Salem knew he wasn't asleep, nor was he showing her any disrespect. The muscles that bulged beneath his dark skin had been used in her service countless times, faithfully and unfailingly. The face framed by that neatly trimmed beard and short, brown hair was perpetually calm and in control. He was a man of few words, preferring to remain quiet most of the time and speaking only when he was spoken to, or had something specific to say.

Those two were the only ones present now. The other members of their group were off, carrying out their duties to the fullest extent of their abilities. "What news?" asked Salem.

"Things in Mistral are as we expected," said Watts. "We are still laying the groundwork there. We won't be able to begin until after Beacon falls."

"Of course," said Salem. "What news of Tyrian?"

"Still seeking the Spring Maiden," reported Watts dutifully, setting his scroll down. "She is proving to be an elusive one."

"And Cinder?"

For a brief second, Watt's face contorted as though he'd just bitten down on something distinctly sour. "She continues to carry out our plans in Vale. The White Fang are serving their purpose quite nicely, as is that criminal dog she's managed to leash. She is also ready to begin the infiltration. Our man in Haven has come through on his end of things. Their cover is flawless, though I still have my doubts about Cinder's ability to follow through on her end."

"No need to be so critical, Watts," said Salem in a tone that was gently chiding, yet cold enough to chill the man's bones. "Cinder has served our cause well."

"Forgive me, My Lady," said Watts, bowing his head as Salem made her way to the head of the table. "I cannot but have my doubts after her previous failure."

"I consider it a partial success," said Salem, settling into her own seat. Unlike the others around the table, which were roughly hewn from twisted wood, Salem's was carved from the same crystal that dominated her domain. "It is true that Cinder was not able to obtain the whole of the Fall Maiden's powers. But by taking what she has, she has established the link. Now, even if we do nothing, once the current Fall Maiden expires, the remainder of her power will immediately go to Cinder." She narrowed her eyes, fixating her gaze intently on Watts. "So…there is no reason to be concerned, lest you have heard that something has gone awry."

"Cinder herself reports that there has been greater than expected interference," said Watts, contempt evident in his tone. "It appears that one of Beacon's new first-years is a former member of the White Fang, and has been investigating the activities of her old organization." He hesitated, once again looking like he'd eaten something he'd rather not have. "However, Cinder says things continue to go according to plan."

Salem suppressed the urge to sigh. Cinder's report of the extra interference had merely been attention to detail, particularly as she had also indicated that things were still going smoothly. However, Watts was quick to seize upon the admittance of unexpected circumstances as trying to make excuses for…something. _Honestly, they bicker like children sometimes._

"What of Ciar and Viola?" asked Salem, deciding to change the topic, if only for the sake of her own comfort.

"Still no word," replied Watts.

Salem frowned. "It's not like Ciar to be silent for so long," she said.

"Yet he has never failed us," said Watts. "It's Viola I'm worried about. She has a tendency to run wild."

"Which is why I sent Ciar with her," said Salem. "He is very effective at holding her leash."

"There are any number of reasons why we have lost contact," said Watts. "Not to cast doubt on the effectiveness of my information network, but there is every chance my agent in Weathertop was mistaken about the presence of a Silver-Eyed Warrior, though it is still worth investigation of course. Even if it is true, depending on where she went, it could take Ciar and Viola a considerable amount of time to track her down."

"Agreed," said Salem. "Moving on then, what of the situation with the White Fang? Has Sienna Khan given any response to-?"

Salem was brought to a sudden stop as the doors to the room slammed open and a disheveled…well…more disheveled than usual…Viola came lurching and stumbling in, weeping and crying. Watts shot to his feet and Hazel opened his eyes, looking up at Viola, his expression impassive, but his gaze intense.

Viola was a wreck. The right side of her body had been badly mangled, strips of flesh torn out by something, her two right spider legs gone entirely. The wounds had been sealed by Viola's own webs…

…and Ciar was nowhere in sight.

"What in the world?!" exclaimed Watts.

Viola ignored him, instead throwing herself right onto the table and sliding across it on her stomach, coming to a stop in front of Salem, whimpering and bawling like a child.

"Viola," said Salem in a firm, commanding tone.

Viola's cries subsided and she raised her head, tears still running down her face, to gaze upon her mistress. "So sorry…" she whimpered.

"What happened?" asked Salem. "Where is the Silver-Eyed Warrior?"

"Escaped," said Viola, lowering her gaze. "Strong. She took my legs."

"Where is Ciar?"

"Dead," whimpered Viola. "Dead and gone."

"What?" gasped Watts, while even Hazel looked shocked.

"Ciar is dead," said Salem solemnly. "The Silver-Eyed Warrior did this?"

"No!" replied Viola, her head shooting up. "She has friends…strong friends…a boy with black hair and a sword and…" She swallowed, twitching, then cringing at a painful memory. "…and a dragon."

"A dragon…" said Salem, her eyes narrowing. "A dragon-faunus?"

"Yes! Yes!" said Viola nodding her head frantically.

"Oh dear," said Watts, sounding genuinely concerned for a change.

"A dragon-faunus could only mean…" Hazel rumbled in his resonant baritone.

"Perhaps," said Salem, nodding to him, before returning her attention to Viola. "Was it a silver dragon?"

"Yes!" shouted Viola.

"I see," said Salem. "I thought so. Return to your quarters and rest Viola. Your brother shall be back soon to see you."

"Yes yes!" said Viola eagerly, her fear gone, now that she was no longer faced with the prospect of bearing Salem's disappointment. Getting up, she staggered back across the table, stumbling off the side and out the doors, which closed behind her.

Watts sat back down, while Salem frowned pensively. Dragon-faunus were little more than a curiosity, given their rarity. However, when one had been confirmed to emerge, Salem had made it a priority to monitor it. They were powerful and, if one survived to maturity, it had the potential to become a formidable asset, a dangerously unpredictable wild card, or an implacable foe. The silver dragon-faunus was one of the few that had survived for an extended period of time, and that was primarily thanks to the fact that he had been taken under the wing of…

"The Calamity," said Watts softly. "So the Silver-Eyed Warrior is under his protection."

"His student, more likely," said Salem. "The Calamity does not protect others."

Speaking of wild cards, they didn't come wilder than Yu Yuen. He had no allegiance, no cause, no aspirations beyond slaking his boredom. He feared no one, and would cross anyone, with glee if the one crossed was guaranteed to retaliate.

"The Calamity won't protect the Silver-Eyed Warrior," said Hazel. "But if he took her as his student, she will grow stronger."

"And quickly," added Watts. "Assuming she survives his training, that is."

"We should plan on the assumption that she will," said Hazel. "We should strike before she progresses too far."

"No," said Salem firmly. "Leave it for now. Knowing the Calamity, he will simply use our efforts to further her training. For now, it is enough to confirm the Silver-Eyed Warrior's existence. Once Viola has recovered, we will make a plan to deal with her."

"As you wish, My Lady," said Watts, while Hazel inclined his head slightly in obeisance.

Salem nodded and turned away to survey her domain once more. The loss of Ciar had been a severe blow. He was amongst their most dangerous agents. However, they could, and would, carry on without him.

* * *

As they walked along, Ruby surveyed their surroundings with wide, fascinated eyes. This time they were in the settlement of Withywindle, a place that was sometimes referred to as "Vale's Breadbasket." The agricultural settlement was situated within a large, broad valley, fed by multiple streams, and even a substantial river, along with soft, tillable ground that made for ideal farmland. The sheer walls and the narrow mouth of the valley made the whole area easily defensible, allowing for the settlers to establish several large fields for the purpose of producing much of the grain sold in Vale, and other settlements throughout the Kingdom's territory.

All told, it was a lovely place, with a rustic charm that reminded her fondly of Brandywine. It was even roomier, people having the entire valley to spread out in, rather than a comparatively small area cordoned off by a perimeter wall on one side, and shoved up against sheer mountains on the other. Granted, Brandywine hadn't exactly come off as cramped or crowded, but it was tiny compared to Withywindle…even if their populations were approximately the same.

Once again, Yu had parted ways with them before the gates, leaving them with another three day ultimatum. After that, it had been another two hours of following the road along seemingly endless fields of grain swaying in the wind. The atmosphere was quiet and relaxed. Grimm attacks were infrequent and, aside from the occasional flier, were stymied at the gates, which served as a natural chokepoint.

"It certainly is pleasant," observed Ayumu as they made their way down the road. "I rather like it."

"Me too," agreed Ruby.

This was the second-to-last settlement between them and Vale. It had been a long, hard road. Ruby's muscles still ached from her last round of training with Yu, but pressing on despite that filled her with a sense of accomplishment. She continued to study her weapon's design, absorbing herself in it, trying to memorize every line and contour of its form. However, she had yet to materialize it. Both Gin and Ayumu assured her that it was fine. Some things simply _couldn't_ be learned overnight.

Ruby understood that, so she'd ruthlessly stomped down on the tinge of frustration that bubbled up nowadays. She went through her drills with her manifested scythe, picturing the one she wished to materialize in her mind. Sometimes, she was so obsessed over it that she was beginning to see her scythe within her dreams.

Still, now wasn't the time to worry about that. Now that they'd found a town, Ruby intended to recharge her scroll, and the portable charger for it as well. She'd run them down nearly all the way, using up the power stored in the charger and her scroll's own levels hovering so low that it would die in just another hour or so, even if Ruby didn't use it for anything in the meantime.

Moving past the farmlands, they finally reached the core of the settlement. So far, it had been nothing more than fields upon fields. But here was the main part of the settlement, which supported all the infrastructure it needed. The buildings were huddled together, built on the rockiest portion of the valley floor, in order to free up as much of the arable land as possible. The farmers who owned the different fields all resided here, again to make sure they had the maximum amount of arable land available to them.

At the edge, where the fields met the town proper, long, low, wood houses had been erected. These were the bunkhouses for the field hands that worked those endless waves of grain. Beyond them were the shops, markets, taverns, and other infrastructure that supported the town as a whole. Backed up against the edge of the valley wall were the air docks, with hangars carved right into the bedrock of the valley itself.

They passed the bunkhouses and followed a road into town, passing other smaller homes and open-air shops, looking for an inn. Given that this was a place that had plenty of dealings with other settlements, as well as Vale itself, there was certain to be one.

As they passed a tavern front, savory smells wafted out from within, making Ruby pause as her stomach growled. She wasn't starving by any stretch of the imagination. Gin and Ayumu's ability to find food in the wilderness bordered on magical, and they had plenty every morning and night. However, despite the boys' skills at cooking being quite impressive in their ability to make the, rather plain, ingredients found by living off the land palatable, Ruby did find herself craving some good, civilized cooking on occasion. And, thanks to Qrow returning her access to her spending account, Ruby had the money to spare.

"Let's get something to eat," she said, tugging the boys along behind her. "I'll buy."

Ayumu and Gin traded amused looks. "Certainly beats trading an hour of washing dishes," said Ayumu cheerfully.

They entered the tavern and paused in surprise. It wasn't overcrowded, though only a few of the tables remained unoccupied. However, every single occupied table was occupied by faunus. Tall, furry ears rose up above heads. Bushy tails wagged behind open chair backs. Others' traits were harder to spot. If there was a human to be found in the place, they weren't readily distinguishable from those with more subtle fanus indicators.

For Ruby, it was the first time she'd seen so many faunus all in one place, aside from the fight at the docks with the White Fang. It made her a little nervous, if only because, as the probable only human in the establishment, she felt very much like an outsider.

Most of the faunus here sported substantial muscles and calloused hands. Light clothing revealed skin tanned and toughened by the sun and wind. These must have mostly been field hands then, relaxing and enjoying their meals and drinks after a hard day's work.

Still, there was nothing for it but to take a seat and hope things went well. Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu moved to one of the empty tables and settled around it. A waiter, clad in an apron and black shirt, moved to take their orders. Ayumu and Gin both took water, while Ruby asked for milk. It had been a while since she'd had some. After that, they looked through the menus to determine what they wanted.

While they decided what food they wanted, Ruby noticed that they were getting some odd looks, her and Ayumu in particular. She supposed it wasn't hard for them to realize that she was human. _Oh! Right! Ayumu looks like a human too, because his feathers are covered._

"Huuuh…What's this?" slurred a voice from the direction of the bar, where several other patrons were hunched over drinks. A particularly brawny man, with curly gray hair, and a pair of tusks protruding from the corners of his mouth, stumbled off his stool and made his way to their table with lurching, halting steps. "A couple'a humans come in here and think they can eat in our place? You brats must be from outta town if ya think you can get away this."

"Actually, I'm a faunus as well," said Ayumu cheerfully, raising his right arm and revealing the coating of soft, black, downy feathers that ran along the top of his forearm.

"I am a human," admitted Ruby a bit shyly.

"Well then that's different," said the boar-faunus, his body tilting slightly. "You boys can stay, but the girl needs to scram. We don't take humans here."

"Where we go, she goes," said Gin, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Gin," said Ruby in a warning tone, not wanting her boyfriend to start a fight.

"There's no need for such hostility," said Ayumu in his usual calm, cheerful tone. "Ms. Ruby has been traveling with us for the last several weeks. We have no intention of parting with her now."

The boar-faunus reeled slightly, clearly thrown off by the boys' declaration of solidarity. "Well then, you all can just get lost!" he snarled, balling his meaty hands into fists.

"Tell me," said Ayumu calmly, "are you the proprietor of this establishment?"

"Propry-what?" stammered their antagonist.

"The owner…or at least the manager on duty," supplied Ayumu, the meaning of his words swimming upstream through the alcohol flowing through the man's veins.

"N-no."

"Are you a member of the staff?" asked Ayumu.

"No."

"Then it seems to me that you have no right to dictate who can and cannot be served at this tavern," said Ayumu levelly. "If Ms. Ruby's presence offends you so much, please return to the bar and ignore her. Another few drinks and you probably won't be aware of much of anything, much less her presence."

"Why you…" growled the boar-faunus, clearly not liking Ayumu's nonchalance.

Ruby frowned, tensing nervously. Despite his bulk, which gave Bruno's a run for its money, this man wasn't particularly intimidating. Her training under Yu had sharpened her senses, giving her a keen awareness of the people around her. The man currently badgering them was probably quite strong from lifting heavy loads, and working day in and day out in the fields. But he wasn't trained to use that power in combat, and he didn't even have his Aura unlocked. With things as they were now, she could have beaten him without needing to use her scythe.

But she didn't want to fight, especially not here. The last thing they needed was to start off their time in town with a brawl. She hated the idea of getting on the wrong side of the locals. This town wasn't all-faunus, obviously, but they apparently made up a significant portion of the population. Worse still, there seemed to be some tension between at least some of them and the humans, if they reacted to the presence of a human in an environment like this with so much hostility.

Carefully, she let her eyes discreetly roam around the room, even as she opened up her other senses to try and read the overall mood. They were the center of attention now and Ruby could feel hostility from a few of the others scattered around the pub. However, they were in the minority. The rest seemed to consider her a curiosity, or were more interested in the spectacle of the boar-faunus' efforts to pick a fight with them.

Then she noticed the door to the kitchen swing open, someone striding past one of the engrossed waiters, and snatching the clipboard and notepad the waiter used to take orders. The next second, said clipboard came whirling through the air, almost like a shuriken, to smack into the boar-faunus' right temple with a loud crack.

"Agh!" shouted the man, reeling and toppling over as the clipboard rebounded. The man who'd thrown it reached up and caught it with the ease of long practice. Apparently this was not the first time he'd disciplined an unruly customer in this manner.

"How many times have I told you to stop causing trouble, Glaucio?" growled their rescuer. He was tall and lean, with sunken cheeks and dark bags in the pale skin beneath his eyes, like he rarely got enough sleep. His head was covered with messy black hair, bound beneath a bandana, from which a pair of gray wolf ears protruded. The man was dressed in an almost identical uniform to that of the waitstaff, a black t-shirt tucked into baggy, brown pants, over which was tied a white apron, though his was stained by several brown and red splotches. He fixated his dark-brown eyes on the boar-faunus in an angry glare.

"B-b-b-but…the human…" stammered the boar-faunus, Glaucio, clearly taken aback by the anger in the man's eyes.

"Are you the owner?" growled the man.

"N-no…"

"Do you work here?"

"N-no…"

The man's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Then _who_ gave you the authority to decide who eats here?"

"N-no one…" admitted the quailing boar-faunus, looking distinctly intimidated, despite being so much bulkier than the man currently glaring down at him. "But she's a human-"

"So?!" snapped the man, cutting Glaucio off. "Is there a sign outside saying this is a faunus-only establishment?"

"No…" demurred Glaucio.

"Then that should tell you something," snarled the man, his eyes narrowing. "If I wanted this to be a no-human zone I would have put out a sign _saying_ so."

"Y-yeah, but…this is our place-" began Glaucio.

"Stand up!" snapped the man, his voice ringing with all the authority of a military general.

To the surprise of Ruby and her friends, it wasn't Glaucio who stood, but every single other patron in the establishment. In almost perfect unison, they shot to their feet, standing with rigid postures, like soldiers at attention. It would have been comical, if the intensity of the man's personality wasn't so intimidating. He clearly had the respect of every single person who ate here.

"Make no mistake. This is _my_ place. Do what I tell you, and pay for what you eat," explained the man. "Follow those two rules, and I don't care _who_ you are, you're my customer." He stalked forward and bent over almost double, leaning over the cowering Glaucio. "And the one thing I've told you again and again is to not cause trouble. Now, settle your tab and get out."

"Y-yes," stammered Glaucio, terrified to the point of tears. He scrambled to his feet and stumbled over to the bar to slap some lien on top of it before lurching and almost falling out the door.

The man cast his narrowed eyes over the rest of the patrons, who all tensed, remaining on their feet as he surveyed them. "Enjoy your meals," he said finally, turning back and heading into the kitchen.

Like the calm after a passing storm, the tension bled out of the room and the patrons once again settled down to resume eating and drinking.

"Sorry about that," said their waiter, approaching the table again. "Glaucio gets surly when drunk. He's supposed to have a limit, but I guess the bartender forgot that. The boss is gonna blister his ears for sure, after-hours."

"It's all right," said Ayumu. "We apologize for causing a disturbance."

"Not your fault," said the waiter with a sigh.

"Was that the owner?" asked Ruby, looking at the door to the kitchen.

"Close enough," said the waiter. "He's Farran, the head chef. The owner isn't in much these days, so he left complete authority to the chef."

"It seems he commands quite a bit of respect," observed Ayumu.

"Yeah, well, once you've tasted his cooking you'll see why," said the waiter with a chuckle. He turned his attention to Ruby. "I'm especially sorry for you, Miss. You folks are clearly from out of town and you just walked in off the road. This must've been a terrible first impression."

"It's okay," said Ruby, giving the man a smile. "I'm just glad we didn't misunderstand. I was worried that this was a faunus-only place for a little."

The waiter sighed, his shoulders slumping tiredly. "It isn't. But the way things are, it might as well be. The owner of the only other pub in town is a pretty staunch anti-faunus bigot. So all the faunus come here to eat. Unfortunately, that kinda crowds out the humans, so most of them wind up eating there because it's where there's room, or doing something else to avoid patronizing the establishment of an open racist."

"Oh…" said Ruby.

"But, like Boss Farran says, there's nothing that says this is an anti-human joint," said the waiter, straightening up and grinning. "What can I get ya?"

They gave their orders, and the waiter immediately rushed into the kitchen to deliver them. About fifteen minutes later, he returned, his arms laden with plates that he carried with surprising skill, a skill shared by every other member of the waitstaff. The smells emanating from the dishes were almost overwhelming and the three travelers dived in without hesitation. It seemed the waiter's assertions about the chef's skill were not an exaggeration as the flavor of the food was almost overpowering, the taste of Ruby's stuffed chicken nearly making her weak in the knees.

After they'd finished eating, the waiter returned, setting down three ramekins of custard, covered with caramelized sugar, and decorated with a garnish of fresh berries.

"Um…we didn't order this," said Ruby a tad nervously.

"It's on the house, with the chef's apologies for what happened earlier," explained the waiter amiably. "He's prickly, but he's a nice guy underneath it all. It's the only reason anyone can stand working for him for any length of time."

"Thank you," said Ruby, mentally reminding herself to include a generous tip after the meal.

"So…you three are travelers, right?" inquired the waiter.

"Yeah," said Gin.

"Where you heading?" asked the waiter.

"Vale," replied Ruby.

The waiter's eyes widened. "On foot?"

The three of them nodded in response, prompting an impressed whistle from the waiter. "That takes some serious guts," he said.

"We've been managing quite well so far," said Ayumu.

"How long are you in town for?" the waiter wanted to know.

"Just three days," said Ruby.

"So you'll need a place to stay," mused the waiter. "There's an inn a couple blocks up the road, pretty much the only one in town that'll serve faunus…and the owner knows it. Ma'am, you should reserve the rooms by yourself."

"Why?" asked Ruby.

"Like I said, it's the only inn in town that allows faunus to stay," explained the waiter. "The owner knows that you aren't exactly swimming in options, so if he finds out you have faunus in your party, he'll jack up the prices to two or three-times the rate he'd charge humans."

"That's awful!" gasped Ruby.

"That's the way things are," said the waiter with a shrug. "Most of the people passing through here or visiting on business are humans anyway. All the faunus around here have their own lodgings, so no one has much interest in protesting. In any case, Ma'am, it's still the best lodging for out-of-towners around here. If you go in by yourself, and say that your friends are out shopping or something, he'll assume you're all human and give you the regular rate."

"Thank you," said Ruby, mentally adding to her intended tip.

The waiter smiled. "I hope you folks have a nice stay. Withywindle's a pretty decent place. But watch your step. It's a little too easy to tread on certain people's toes around here."

* * *

 **Once again, I get to indulge in my desire to depict life outside the Kingdoms. In this case, it also shows how the settlements can be a vital part of the Kingdom's overall infrastructure. Vale has its own agricultural district, but that alone probably isn't enough to support the needs of its whole population, much less the settlements that don't have agricultural means of their own, hence places like Withywindle. I've travelled through places like that, albeit not laid out in the same way. With man-eating monsters running the world, securing as much land for growing as possible is priority-one, so the settlement would be laid out to maximize every inch of arable land that it can leverage.**

 **It also gives me a chance to depict a settlement with different social conditions. The residents of Brandywine are pretty much all human, but don't have anything against faunus. The residents of Weathertop show a pretty good level of coexistence. Withywindle is a place that showcases some of the tensions between humans and faunus.**

 **One of my big complaints about the actual show is how little racism is actually displayed on screen, when it comes to humans and faunus. Beyond CRDL's antics in Volume One, there just isn't all that much done to showcase how faunus are oppressed by the humans of Remnant. On the one hand, we have the White Fang, a group of fighters for faunus-rights, who have essentially evolved into a militant organization over how humans have treated them...but we haven't seen all that many examples of that treatment. It doesn't have to be an overt display. For example, that bar Qrow visits in Volume Five has a "No faunus allowed" sign that serves as a nice touch. So, as the series goes on, I'd like to see more background examples and subtle hints of the anti-faunus racism that's supposed to be driving the White Fang's actions.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22:**

After settling their bill for the meal, with a generous tip from Ruby, they made their way to the inn. The walk was uneventful, thankfully. The closer they got to the inn though, the more Ruby noticed the faunus thinning out in terms of numbers. It appeared that this was a section of town favored by humans, and the faunus steered clear of it if they could.

They reached the inn, a pleasant-looking building. Ruby had her friends wait outside, while she went in to see about reserving a room or two. Mentally tabulating how much money she had left in her account, she decided that it was a good idea to go with one room for the three of them, now that they didn't have Qrow hanging around to play chaperone.

The innkeeper was a jolly-seeming man, who was more than happy to inform Ruby about the various amenities that would be at their disposal. She found it hard to think that such a nice-sounding man could be prejudiced against faunus. However, thanks to what had happened to her, she could see that some people had more than one face they showed to others, depending on who they were dealing with. It still stung to remember how much Pyrrha's cheerful and pleasant modesty clashed with the vindictive maliciousness she'd shown when she and Weiss had tried to kill Ruby.

The innkeeper gave her the keys to the room, and Ruby went out to meet the others. She was both somewhat troubled and gratified to see the shock on the innkeeper's face when she walked back in with a pair of faunus (although, like most, he probably thought that Ayumu was a human). However, they had already settled the bill, so he couldn't change the prices on them abruptly, not unless he wanted to get in trouble with the law. Ruby suspected he might resent being cheated out of extra profits, and resolved to be careful about any other dealings she had with the man.

They settled into the room, which was very comfortably appointed, dropping their haversacks. Ruby threw herself onto one of the two beds with a grateful sigh. "Living in the wilderness is fun," she said, "but I like staying in places like this too."

"This town is going to be an interesting place to stay," commented Gin, sitting down next to her on the bed, before allowing himself to fall over backwards to lay next to her.

Ayumu sad on the edge of the other bed. "This town certainly has quite a bit of character, though not all of it good."

"You've both been to a lot of settlements, right?" asked Ruby. "Are more settlements like this, or are more of them like Weathertop?"

"It's hard to say," said Ayumu, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "The conditions in a settlement are reflective of the various pressures that act upon it. In more isolated settlements, communities are smaller and more insular, but that also means that there is less concern about _who_ is a part of those communities as they depend on one another to survive."

"In some settlements, the faunus and humans live separately from each other, sometimes by choice," said Gin. "There's friction, but the idea is that everyone keeps to their side of the line to avoid outright conflict."

"In other places, faunus may be outright segregated," added Ayumu. "And there are faunus communities where it's dangerous for a human to move openly."

"Oh…" said Ruby, her spirits falling at the thought.

"But…if I were to give a basic assessment, I'd say that more settlements have human-faunus relationships akin to Weathertop's," said Ayumu, making Ruby smile in relief.

"That's in part because of the general condition of things," said Gin.

"General condition?" Ruby asked.

Gin shrugged. "Maybe, inside the Kingdoms proper, people can afford to get worked up over whether you've got animal parts or not. But outside the walls, every settlement, even large, prosperous ones like this one, is poised on a knife-edge of disaster."

Ayumu nodded. "If the social situation within a settlement deteriorates, the resulting drop in morale and the increase in negative emotions begins to draw the Grimm. Even though this settlement has impressive natural defenses, if conflict were to break out between human and faunus citizens, enough Grimm could be drawn to overrun even the most effective defense."

"So, in general, it's to everyone's benefit to maintain some form of peace between humans and faunus," said Gin. "How said peace is maintained can vary from place to place though. It can take the form of genuine peaceful coexistence, but it can also be maintained in the form of regulated interaction and partial separation."

"I see," said Ruby. "What about here, then?"

"It's hard to say from just our first impression," said Ayumu. "The faunus in the pub seemed to be primarily field hands, while those tasked with running the other parts of the settlement appear to be human. My guess would be that the faunus population of this town makes up the majority of the manual labor maintaining the fields."

"So they're just used for unskilled labor?" asked Ruby. "That's terrible."

"It depends," said Gin. "Farm labor involves a lot of heavy work, but it isn't necessarily unskilled. Without proper care, the crops will wither and die, and the people who actually run the farms will stand to lose a major profit, if not their very livelihood."

"Which, in turn, also puts the livelihood of the settlement itself at risk," continued Ayumu. "If the farms aren't productive, then their trade with Vale and other settlements will suffer, and their revenue will decrease, which will affect businesses like this inn, which make their money dealing with visitors."

"So, if they make up the majority or the entirety of the field labor for the farms, the faunus in this settlement probably have some pretty serious bargaining power," said Gin. "A mine can afford to sit back and wait if the workers go on strike, at least long enough to import manpower from another source. That's a classic strike-breaking tactic. But crops can die quickly without the proper care, so any conflict with the workers is a much more urgent matter that the owners can't afford to wait to settle."

"So, at this point, that's our best guess for the basis upon which this town's 'peace' is founded," said Ayumu.

"Wow," said Ruby, looking down at the bed. "I've talked with Blake a little about how things are for faunus. But I never knew things could be this complicated."

Ayumu chuckled. "People are complicated…even when they don't need to be."

"What should we do?" asked Ruby.

"What _can_ we do?" asked Gin, sitting up and giving her a stern look, a ting of frustration leaking into his voice, before looking away. "Sorry…I didn't mean to blow up at you."

Ruby was surprised at Gin's sudden counter to her question, but equally surprised at his apology. She'd hardly thought that this sort of thing counted as a "blow up." "It's okay," she said. "What did you mean?"

"Well, to be honest, even if something is wrong with this town, there isn't much we're in a position to do," said Ayumu. "After all, you still need to get to Vale. Master Yu only gave us three days here. It's doubtful that this situation, however it is, can be solved in such a short time-frame."

"Unfortunately, not every problem we come across is gonna be clear-cut, like Brandywine's was," said Gin. "It's not always a matter of beating up the 'bad guys' and saving the day."

"Sometimes, problems don't have a solution that's feasible without completely changing the worldview of everyone involved," added Ayumu sadly. "If it were, the issue of conflict between humans and faunus could be solved practically overnight."

"You're right," said Ruby. "I'm sorry."

Gin ran his fingers over the back of her hand, tracing them against her knuckles. "I think it's wonderful that you want to help these people," he said. "It can be hard to do the right thing, especially when it's not asked for or wanted. But…the best thing you can do is go back to Vale."

"Why?" asked Ruby, meeting his amber eyes.

Gin smiled. "If you really want to change things for the better out here, the best way would be to complete your training as a Huntress."

Ayumu nodded his agreement. "As an official Huntress, you would wield power and authority beyond mere martial strength. You have the potential to become an example to the people of a better way, even if they lack your fighting ability. That's probably the way for you to do the most good for places like this."

Smiling Ruby nodded. "You're right. Thank you."

They fell silent for a moment before Gin yawned and flopped back on the bed again. "So now what?" he asked. "It's a little early for bed. I doubt there's much in the way of entertainment around here."

"I was thinking of taking a walk," said Ruby. "Maybe you could come with me."

Gin sat back up. "Sure," he said. "But let's be careful. Remember what that waiter said about how easy it is to step on toes around here."

* * *

Ruby had to admit that she'd had better ideas. Granted, it was nice to walk, hand-in-hand with Gin without needing to worry about tripping over something, or ducking through particularly thick undergrowth. But this place set her nerves on edge. During their walk, she'd felt some of the looks they'd attracted, a small number of them outright hostile, but others judging or dismissive. Apparently, as a side-effect of the friction between the humans and faunus in the settlement, a mixed couple attracted negative views from _both_ sides of the fence.

Still, Ruby felt no shame at walking alongside Gin, holding his hand every step of the way. She refused to allow the judgment of narrow-minded people control her behavior.

Wanting to see the rolling fields again, which would be especially beautiful, highlighted by the setting sun, Ruby and Gin headed down towards the edge of the settlement's urban center, where the row of bunkhouses stood like an oversized fence between the fields and the rest of the settlement.

Seeing a road that led up towards the valley wall, they took it, hoping that it would give them a better vantage point of the fields. Ruby was pleased to see that their guess had been correct, when the road rose up, narrowing into a dirt trail that climbed partway up the valley wall, before ending in a small overlook with a spectacular view of the fields spreading out before them. There were even large boulders that could be used as seats. Ruby and Gin settled onto one and leaned against each other, watching as the sun descended, its washing in from the valley entrance and making the fields of grain practically shine.

Gin heard Ruby sniff and looked over at her, seeing her wipe away a tear. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Y-yeah," said Ruby, wiping away another tear. "I was just thinking about how strange it is."

"What?"

"Well…in a way…I'm starting to feel _grateful_ for what Weiss and Pyrrha did to me," said Ruby. "They betrayed me, tried to kill me, all for such stupid reasons. But…if they hadn't done that, I wouldn't get to be here now. I wouldn't be seeing this." She looked up at him, her cheeks reddening. "And I wouldn't have met you."

Gin wrapped an arm around Ruby's shoulders and pulled her closer. "When you put it like that, I'm glad for what they did too."

"It's not wrong to feel this way…is it?" asked Ruby.

"Of course not," said Gin. "If anything, it's the right way to feel. Those two tried to kill you. But, if they destroyed your spirit, that would be just as good, if not better, from their perspective, as killing you outright. But you've taken what they did to you, and made it into a catalyst to improve, to become more than who you already are. When we get back to Vale, you can show them that their actions didn't break you down, but made you even stronger."

Ruby nodded, looking into Gin's eyes. Gin returned the look, finding himself lost in the beauty of Ruby's silver orbs. Even without that supposed power people with the trait possessed, Gin could see why someone with silver eyes would be considered valuable. Ruby was unquestionably attractive on the basis of the rest of her looks. But those eyes enhanced that beauty and made it almost irresistible to him.

Their heads drifted towards one another, their lips pressing together in a soft kiss, one that lingered on longer than any of their previous ones had. They pulled apart and Ruby lowered her head onto his shoulder, smiling in quiet contentment.

"I still wish there was something I could do here," she said, her gaze drifting back towards the homes and businesses of the settlement.

Gin chuckled. "You're an amazing girl," he said. "But…you have your own things to do, things you need to do. You should learn to be more selfish sometimes."

Ruby mulled it over for a moment before she nodded slowly, before looking up at him again. "You too," she said.

"Huh?" Gin blinked, taken aback by the unexpected statement.

"You need to learn to be more selfish too," said Ruby. "You're always so…so _careful_ around me. I understand that you're worried about my feelings, but you shouldn't always be."

"What do you mean?" asked Gin.

"You never take the initiative," said Ruby. "And you always try to be gentle with me. Even when we were talking back in the room, and you disagreed strongly with me, for good reasons, you still walked it back because you were afraid of hurting my feelings." She reached up and traced a finger over his cheek. "It's sweet of you. But I'm not made of glass. I've been through a lot, but it's made me stronger, not more fragile."

"I…I…uh…" Gin didn't know how to respond.

"So I want you to worry less about being gentle with me," said Ruby. "I'll admit…I've never been in a relationship with a boy…like this. Back at Signal, I was too busy with training and making Crescent Rose to worry about things like dating. I had a crush on a boy at Beacon. But that didn't go anywhere before…well…all this happened.

"So, I don't know anything more about dating or being a couple than you, really. But I _do_ know that nothing's perfect. Friends fight. Siblings fight. I love Yang so much, but I've fought with her too. That doesn't change the fact we love each other."

She locked gazes with him, using her hand on his cheek to keep him from looking away. "I think we're going to have disagreements too. I think there will be times where we don't see eye-to-eye. And…I don't want to spend our time together being afraid of that." She pressed her forehead against his. "I love you being nice to me. But I'd rather you were… _you_ …with me."

"I…I'll try," said Gin with a sigh, but not moving away. "I'll admit that I'm afraid…afraid of hurting you…of driving you away. I spent a lot of my life without any filter for my moods and actions, because I didn't care what others thought of me, or if I hurt them or not." He averted his eyes again. "I couldn't stand to hurt you the way I've hurt so many other people."

"It's not being hurt that I'm afraid of," said Ruby, making him meet her eyes again. "I'm afraid of being alone. So…I think, even if we do hurt each other, it'll be okay, because we're together."

"All right," said Gin. "Then…I guess I'll start here."

"How?" asked Ruby.

Rather than hearing him answer with words, she felt Gin's hand climb up to the back of her head, pressing her in closer and taking her lips in a much more insistent kiss than before, tangling his fingers in her hair. Ruby didn't care in the slightest, eagerly throwing her arms around his shoulders and pressing into the kiss with a vigor. It was the first time Gin had ever taken the initiative with her, and she didn't want to waste it.

Neither of them had much experience with kissing. However, Ruby felt Gin's lips working against hers, slowly parting and pulling hers apart along with them. Then her eyes widened as something soft and wet reached across his mouth into her own. Gin's tongue brushed against hers and Ruby reflexively moved her own to try and wrap around it. Their kiss deepened as their tongues slowly and gently wrestled against one another.

It was strange. From what Ruby had read about kisses like this, her heart should have been hammering in her chest. Her blood should have been surging through her veins, filling her with excitement, the desire to push forward and explore their boundaries with one another. But, instead, she was filled with contentment. Right now, she wouldn't have minded if this kiss went on endlessly. Gin's tongue was just as cool as the rest of him and his embrace was like having a cold pad, chilled to exactly the right temperature, wrapped around her. It made her feel at peace, like she could have fallen asleep doing this. Even if he was trying to be bolder and take the initiative with her, she knew Gin would not push the boundaries of their relationship until she was ready. She trusted him completely.

They finally parted, Ruby softly panting for breath. With a happy, contented smile, she sagged to lean her face into Gin's chest as his arms wrapped around her and held her. The sun had set by this point and night was beginning to fall. There were no lights on the trail back, until it reached the settlement proper, so they couldn't stay too long. Besides, Ruby was ready for bed.

"We should head back," she said finally.

"Right," said Gin, standing up and taking her hand once again.

They made their way down the trail, Gin using his keen night vision to keep an eye out for any impediments that might trip them up.

They had reached the area illuminated by the settlement's lamps, near the bunkhouses, when Gin paused. Ruby sensed it a little after he did. They weren't alone.

They emerged from the shadows cast by the lamps. They'd donned hooded jackets, but Ruby could see protruding tails and, in the case of one, tall cat ears with tufts on the end, denoting that these people were faunus. They formed up around the couple, cracking knuckles, muscles of arms bared by rolled-up sleeves, bulging as they flexed intimidatingly.

Ruby stepped back, turning around to press her back up against Gin's, holding her hands down by her sides. It was clear these faunus didn't have good intentions. However, Ruby didn't want to fight if she didn't have to. These were probably ordinary workers, who didn't even have their Auras unlocked. Even if she and Gin sat back and did nothing, it was doubtful they could muster enough force to break their Auras in the first place.

"What do you want?" asked Gin, his tone bored and disinterested. "We'd like to get back to the inn before it gets too late."

None of the group said anything, instead moving closer, tightening the circle. Gin sighed and shook his head.

Ruby frowned, uncertain of what to do. She didn't want to hurt these people. But she didn't want to sit back and let them attack either. However, as the man directly in front of her reached into his pocket and drew a long knife, she figured they didn't have any choice. At the very least, manifesting her weapon might prompt them to back off, when they realized these two weren't easy prey.

"HEY!" an angry voice snapped through the night.

In unison, everyone in the group froze, their postures growing rigid, trembling even. From farther down the street, Farran, the chef from the pub, stepped into the light, his bandana tied around his black hair, wolf ears standing upright and alert, glaring at the gang threatening Ruby and Gin.

"What the hell do you idiots think you're doing?" he snarled. "I'm not putting up with this crap. Don't think I don't recognize you just because you've put your hoods up…Livius…Abner…"

The two people he named tensed even more.

"…and the rest of you," continued Farran, his eyes snapping from person to person, fixating on each of them individually, and making it clear that he knew who everyone in the circle was, "clear out. You're all barred from my place for a month as it is. Waste any more of my time and it'll be for six." His eyes narrowed. "I find out you're pulling this crap again and it'll be a _lifetime_ ban. Am I clear?"

The would-be aggressors nodded fervently and backed off, still not uttering a word between them, fading into the night and vanishing even from Gin's sight.

Ruby sighed and relaxed. "Thank you," she said, stepping back from behind Gin to look at their savior.

Farran reached up and untied the bandana from around his head. Immediately, his demeanor changed, his expression going from angry and intense to dull and disinterested, ears drooping. "Eh…it's no big deal," he said.

"That been happening often?" asked Gin.

"More lately than usual," said Farran with an indifferent shrug. "Stupid hotheads…They've been spending too much time listening to White Fang recruiters." They began to walk, making their way into the town's center.

"The White Fang is here?" gasped Ruby. The name immediately called to mind the masked, armed faunus who'd accompanied Roman Torchwick to hijack a massive shipment of Dust at the docks, the robbery that Blake, Ruby, and their new friends, Sun and Penny, had helped to break up.

"A few people," said Farran, hefting the bag he was carrying, which Ruby and Gin could see was full of fruits and vegetables. "They've been trying to get a branch started up here for months now."

"Just trying?" asked Gin.

Farran shrugged again. "They haven't had huge success," he explained. They began to walk into town together. "With the reputation they've had lately, no one wants to openly identify themselves with the Fang. Since not all the field hands are faunus, it'd get ugly for them if they did."

"So it isn't just faunus working the fields?" asked Ruby.

"Nope," said Farran. "The majority of the field hands are faunus. But a good chunk of 'em are humans. The thing is, they realized years ago that they have more bargaining power if they all form a block together as workers, rather than by race. So there's a lot of solidarity between the folks working the fields. The White Fang recruiters made the mistake of trying to drive a wedge in that solidarity. So far, they've only won over a few of the stupidest hotheads."

"Makes sense," muttered Gin. "The members of the White Fang aren't always the sharpest tools in the shed."

There was a vehemence to his tone that caught Ruby's attention. She wondered if that meant Gin had a history with the Fang.

Farran shrugged. "In any case, letting the Fang have their way would be a pain in the ass. So I've been doing my part."

"Is barring people from your pub really that effective?" Ruby wanted to know. She'd tasted the man's food, so she knew that his skills were incredible.

To her surprise, Farran gave her a smile, one that almost looked lazy, but still managed to seem sincere. "One thing my old man taught me is that there are different kinds of power. I started in that kitchen when I was seven years old. It's a dog-eat-dog place, where you have to be useful, or you're out on your ass. I rose up and dominated it because I learned how to cook and I learned on how to use the flavors I create to overpower others."

His smile became a smirk. "Food and flavor have a power all their own. I use that power to make sure the people I feed behave themselves. It's not perfect, but it's the best I've got, and the best way I have to help keep the peace around here. This settlement isn't the most progressive place on the map, but I'll be damned if I let the White Fang burn it all down."

"Good for you," said Gin.

Ruby looked up, not realizing that, throughout the conversation, Farran had been essentially escorting them back to the inn. She gave him a grateful smile, and Farran gave her a nod before trading another nod with Gin. He turned and began to head back in the direction of his pub.

"By the way," he called over his shoulder, "if you're staying for a while, drop by and visit again. Do what I say, and pay for what you eat. Follow those rules and you're my customer."

"We will," Ruby promised, the two of them watching as Farran walked down the road and back towards his pub.

"Interesting guy," said Gin.

"Yeah…but a pretty nice one under all that," said Ruby with a smile.

Gin yawned and took Ruby's hand. "Well, tonight was more eventful than we'd thought it would be. Ready to head to bed?"

"Yeah," said Ruby, forcing down a yawn of her own.

They returned to the room, finding that Ayumu was already there and had gone to sleep. Working quietly, they both cleaned up and got changed for bed. Then Ruby climbed under the covers, smiling as Gin joined her and hugged her from behind again. She drifted off to sleep, his hand covering her forehead.

* * *

The next evening, they decided to take up Farran on his offer to eat at his pub again. However, when they entered, they once again found themselves in the midst of a tense atmosphere. Diners were seated at the tables, like before. However, this time, the bar was devoid of the other people who'd been drinking at it, mainly because that space was being taken up by a pair of people dressed in a manner that Ruby found uncomfortably familiar.

It was a pair of faunus men, dressed in sleeveless white jackets, sleeveless black shirts, and black pants. The larger of the two sported a pair of curling, ram horns that emerged from either side of his head, while the other showcased and emerald-green lizard tail that swished back and forth behind him languidly. However, the thing that immediately drew Ruby's attention was the white masks they wore, which covered the upper half of their faces, with red lenses set over the eyeholes, masks that impersonated that of the Grimm, the masks she knew to be worn by none other than the members of the White Fang.

Standing on the other side of the bar from them was Farran, not wearing his bandana, his expression dull and disinterested, but also seeming to look irritated.

"…just like to use your venue for an informational meeting. We'll be passing out pamphlets to members of the faunus community here," said the large man, leaning over the bar in an assertive manner.

"No thanks," said Farran. "I'd rather not become known for hosting the White Fang here. Find yourselves another place."

"There's _no_ place better suited than this," insisted the lizard-faunus, his tail lashing a little bit more agitatedly. "This place is one of the centers of faunus activity within the settlement. You should be proud to have the honor of hosting one of our gatherings."

"I'm proud of plenty," retorted Farran calmly. "I don't need you extremists coming around, hawking your malarky about how we need to overthrow the humans, or whatever bull it is this time."

An angry, rumbling growl rose up out of the ram-faunus' chest. "It's because of faunus like you," he snarled, "lazy do-nothings who perpetuate the status-quo, that our people remain oppressed. Perhaps we should make an example of you."

"Right now, it's not the humans who are making me feel oppressed," said Farran levelly, continuing to meet the gaze of the two White Fang members without flinching. "You're cutting into my business, so you'd best get lost."

"Don't think you can order us around, pal," hissed the lizard-faunus. "You're nothing more than the chef of a human owner. Don't think we didn't do our homework on you. Despite that, we're still giving you the chance to be a part of something greater, a chance throw off the shackles, and maybe get something of your own."

"I already have plenty of my own," replied Farran. "And I _am_ the owner now. The previous owner signed the deed over to me last week." His eyes narrowed. "So now I have the freedom to say we don't serve your kind here, White Fang."

Both men recoiled at Farran's statement. clearly surprised to have their arguments undercut. A wave of surprise washed over everyone else in the restaurant, including the staff. Ruby understood well enough. It seemed that everyone had still believed that Farran was only the head chef.

"Perhaps we ought to make it clear that our offers shouldn't be refused," growled the ram-faunus, his hands curling into fists. "If you won't serve the cause, then you're a traitor. You're nothing more than a pathetic chef. We'll show you how powerless you are."

Ruby gulped, then stepped forward, prepared to take care of the two White Fang members if it was needed. However, she stopped when she found Ayumu's arm in front of her, barring her way. She flashed him a confused look, only to see him smile at her, before turning his attention back to the confrontation in front of them.

"Powerless, huh?" said Farran, remaining unruffled. Raising a hand, he snapped his fingers imperiously.

Immediately, every person throughout the pub was on their feet, waiting attentively.

"Listen up," said Farran calmly. "I got some good ingredients in yesterday. Everyone who helps show these gentlemen the door will be treated to one of my specialties."

The response was immediate. There was a loud clattering as the pub patrons picked up discarded farm implements, dining utensils, or even brandished the very chairs they were seated on, ready to repurpose them as weapons at a moment's notice.

Farran primed his fingers to snap them again, apparently the signal to begin the attack as he locked eyes with the two White Fang soldiers sitting in front of him. "So…still think a _mere_ chef like me doesn't have any power?" he asked.

The White Fang members turned, surveying the force arrayed against them with shock and surprise. Their bodies tensed as they realized they were dangerously out of their depth. Sure, they were soldiers who'd been trained in guerrilla warfare against the militarily more-powerful Kingdoms. But now they had bad position against enough opponents to swamp them with sheer numbers, even if they had no combat skills to speak of.

"Th-this isn't over," snarled the ram-faunus, throwing a glare back at Farran, who remained unruffled.

"Sure it ain't," replied Farran. "Next time, come back as customers, and maybe I'll hear what you have to say."

 _What?_ thought Ruby, hiding a gasp of shock. She wasn't the only one. Nearly everyone else in the pub betrayed some surprise at that remark. However, she also found herself noticing that the only ones who didn't betray surprise were members of the waitstaff. Ruby found herself wondering what they knew that she and the other patrons didn't.

The two White Fang grunts both made hasty exits. She shivered, feeling the eyes of the ram-faunus linger on her for a second before they were both gone.

The atmosphere of tension dissipated and the patrons all returned to their seats and their meals. Farran nodded to himself and headed back into the kitchen to continue cooking.

The three travelers took one of the few unoccupied tables and settled in, as the same waiter who'd served them the previous evening approached them again.

"Good to see you all again," he said. "What can I get you to drink?"

They gave their orders and he went to fetch them. After he left, Ruby realized that the waiter hadn't given them menus. She said as much when he returned with milk for her, iced tea for Ayumu, and lemonade for Gin.

"Oh…sorry about that," apologized the waiter. "But there's not going to a menu this evening. After what just happened, the chef is following through on his promise."

"A specialty, hmm?" mused Ayumu. "I'm fine with that."

Gin chuckled. "I'd like to see what would make a room full of field hands willing to take on a pair of trained soldiers. It sounds like something worth tasting."

"Well, he just started on it," said the waiter. "It's a pretty involved process, so it'll take a little over an hour, if you're all right with waiting."

"That's fine," said Ruby. "Thank you."

* * *

"Are you sure we should have left?" asked the lizard-faunus as they made their way, discreetly, away from the pub. They didn't want to alert the authorities within the town of their activities after all.

"It's fine, for now," replied the ram-faunus. "That bastard made it plain we need to win him over, if we're going to have any hope of mobilizing the faunus around here in decent numbers. As it is we've only gotten a smattering of recruits." Then he grinned. "But he gave us an in."

"How, by coming back as customers?" asked the lizard-faunus.

"Yep," said the ram. "That's his way of saying he wants us to be more discreet in setting this up. We came on a little too strong. But, next time, he'll listen to what we have to say."

"If you say so," said the lizard dubiously.

"Besides, there's something else I wanted to look into," added the ram. "Did you see that girl we passed on the way out."

"Yeah," said the lizard. "Cute little thing, if you're into humans, I guess."

"That's not it," replied the ram, pulling out his scroll. "There was a report in Vale about a Dust heist gone bad. With it was a list of 'persons of interest' who interfered."

"Oh, right…" said the lizard, remembering the report. "Wasn't Brother Adam's old flame one of those people?"

"Yep," said the ram. "And…unless I'm mistaken, that girl is one of the others. It's worth looking into, and could give us something to report to Brother Adam, even if things here fall through."

"I see," said the lizard nodding to himself as the pair made their way away from the tavern.

* * *

After an hour, Farran's special creations were rolled out on a trolley. They looked like loaves of bread, baked to a perfect golden brown, and looking absolutely delicious. However, Ruby couldn't quite understand what was so appealing about bread. So she was caught off-guard when the rest of the patrons broke into raucous cheers of excitement.

She understood a moment later when the chef, wielding a long knife, cut into one of the loaves revealing that the bread outside was a pastry shell, while the inside was stuffed with rice, mushrooms, a variety of vegetables, and a juicy fillet of a salmon, cooked to pink perfection. The aroma wafted up to her nose, making Ruby's entire body tingle, while she fought to keep her mouth from overflowing with drool.

"Here you go," said the waiter, setting down a plate with a cut section of the dish in front of her. "Chef Farran's special coulibiac."

"It looks delicious," gasped Ruby, barely able to restrain herself upon getting an up-close hit of the aroma wafting from the food. _Blake would absolutely love this! I'll have to bring her here._

"The chef's speciality is actually seafood," explained the waiter. "He used to work in a port town, before moving inland. It's a bit harder to get good, fresh fish in here. But, whenever we do, the chef shows off his skills."

Eagerly, Ruby cut off a piece of her serving, getting some of everything onto the fork and putting it into her mouth. The shock of flavor raced through her body, making her moan in ecstasy. She wasn't the only one. All around her, conversation ceased as the patrons focused entirely upon their meals, devouring the food with a gusto, clearly thinking of nothing else. Even Ayumu and Gin were enthralled by the dish.

 _I get it now,_ thought Ruby. _This is why people would be willing to fight for this guy._

"My, a flavor that holds your senses captive," observed Ayumu cheerfully. "No wonder he wields such influence."

Farran had made plenty, allowing them each to have seconds, which they did, despite how filling the meal was. At the end of the evening, people left the tavern satisfied and happy. Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu made their way back to the inn, sleepy with their full stomachs.

"Well, if his food is like that, then I guess we don't have anything to worry about," said Ruby. "Maybe he can keep the peace around here."

"Maybe," mused Gin. "Of course, he called that one of his specialties. From what the waiter was saying, I don't think he can afford to make those all the time."

"Yes, but the option of making it does give him extra leverage over his patrons," said Ayumu. "Although, it remains to be seen if that will be sufficient to stave off the White Fang's influence."

* * *

Tucked into the corner of the settlement, set alongside the airship landing pads and hangars, were a series of large, wooden buildings. Warehouses. Built and owned by the settlement's administrators, they were leased to the farmers to hold their harvests in preparation for shipment. Given the rotating nature of their crops, it was not unnatural for one or more of the warehouses to sit empty, waiting for potential cargo, even as others were filled to the brim.

One of those empty warehouses had now been repurposed, albeit without the knowledge or approval of its owners. Within it, several faunus gathered, dressed in identical sleeveless jackets and black pants, their faces sporting identical masks, reminiscent of the Creatures of Grimm that inspired such fear amongst the people of Remnant. Once, the White Fang had been a peaceful organization, whose members had not felt the need to wear masks. However, in the dawning of its militant age, the White Fang had turned increasingly to violence. Even if it wasn't for the sake of hiding their faces, its members wore the masks regardless, desiring above all else to tap into the fear that the Grimm inspired, and make it their own.

At the moment, a round dozen faunus were in the warehouse. Theirs was a roughly-assembled operation, set up with the purpose of being able to be broken back down quickly, allowing them to leave in a hurry, should the authorities catch wind of their presence, or even if they needed to relocate, in the event that one of the farmers decided to fill this warehouse.

"What's our status so far?" asked the ram faunus, the highest-ranking member present.

"Still only thirteen recruits," said another faunus, looking at a clipboard. "We didn't get any new takers today."

"Such an unlucky number," remarked the lizard faunus as he ran a polishing cloth along the curved edge of his sword.

It was a relatively simple weapon, just like the others being carried or maintained by the other members. One of the unfortunate realities of being a guerrilla organization like this was the fact that money and materiel were always in short supply. Unlike the weapons used by Huntsmen and Huntresses, with their advanced mechashift capabilities, the members of the White Fang had to make due with more generic weapons. Only the highest-ranking members were trusted with expensive advanced weapons, like those used by Huntsmen.

Another faunus, whose hands and forearms bulged beneath a coating of dark-gray fur and leathery, black skin, smacked the the small folding table that held the few pieces of paperwork the group needed. "What's the matter with these country hicks? Don't they realize how important our cause is?"

"No good," said another, sporting short, yellow fur and a smattering of black spots across the visible portions of his face. "They're apparently content with lives as menial laborers, forever working someone else's land, like serfs for some kind of feudal lord."

"They also claim that they have support from their fellow humans in the same jobs," added another.

"As though that matters," groused still another. "Even if they were perfectly happy with their lot here, they should be more concerned with the plight of faunus everywhere."

"It's difficult to galvanize passion with stories of things taking place in a far-off elsewhere," said the ram-faunus calmly. "However, we have other matters to address tonight. I noticed that this settlement has a trio of unusual visitors."

"Yeah, people have been talking," commented another faunus with a swishing lion tail. "Apparently two of them are a couple. A faunus consorting with a human like that…disgusting."

"Well, personal predilections aside, what's interesting is this…" said the ram, opening up his scroll into its tablet mode, displaying a document and accompanying pictures. They showed a scene from the docks of Vale, pictures of individuals of interest who had interfered with a certain Dust robbery, a joint operation with their new ally in the Kingdom.

Of the individuals of interest, one was a black-haired faunus girl with cat ears, sometimes hidden under a black ribbon, presumed to be none other than Blake Belladonna, their leader, Adam Taurus' lost love, who'd abandoned him in the midst of a mission. Another was a blonde-haired monkey-faunus wielding a transforming staff. Then there was the mysterious girl with curly, orange hair, wielding a set of flying blades. Finally, there was a picture, albeit a distant one, of a girl on a rooftop, a girl with black hair that gradually reddened at the tips, dressed in black, with a red cloak.

"That's her, all right," said the lizard faunus, remembering the girl they'd walked past on their way out of the tavern. "Who is she?"

"We don't know yet," grumbled the ram. "Our ally in Vale calls her 'Red,' probably because of how she dresses. Apparently she broke up an earlier Dust robbery he was carrying out before he joined up with us. He doesn't have any other information on who she is though."

"Sloppy," grumbled one of the other members.

"What can you do?" sighed the lizard with a shrug. "It's about all we should expect from that example of human pond scum."

"In any case," interjected the ram before the conversation could get derailed again, "her armament suggests a Huntress. But, at her age, she's too young to be an official one. So it's assumed she's an Academy or Combat School student."

"Too young to be an Academy student too," noted the lizard, his eyes narrowing as he studied her picture. "But what would a Combat School student, a human one no less, be doing helping Belladonna?"

"And, if she's a student, what's she doing in a settlement out in the boonies?" added another faunus. "It doesn't add up."

"No it doesn't," agreed the ram. "However, the important thing is that she might be a link to Belladonna. I know that, even if we don't get a good result from our efforts here, that knowledge alone will make this endeavor worthwhile to Brother Adam." He tapped his finger against the picture of the girl, which expanded it onto the screen. "What we need to do is take custody of her, and find out what she knows about Belladonna. Then we can hand her over to Brother Adam, and he'll take care of the rest."

* * *

 **World-building is fun. I always enjoy establishing context for the social situations in places like this. I think it's an important part of building the scene.**

 **Farran: Farran's name comes from the Old French, _ferrant_ , meaning "iron grey." Farran is inspired by Kurokiba Ryo from _Shokugeki no Soma_ , because I absolutely love that series. Think Ryo with wolf-ears, and you've got the basic gist of his appearance. I enjoy the idea of a guy who can basically enslave people to do his bidding for whatever he needs, just because the food he makes is just _that_ good.k**

 **And now things are starting to connect back with what's going on, back at home. I wouldn't be surprised if Ruby ended up on the White Fang's radar, just by virtue of being involved with someone as important as Blake.**

 **Despite how big a role the White Fang has played in the series, we don't get more than a vague idea of the overall hierarchy of the organization. We know that Sienna's in charge overall. We also know that there are higher ranking members, like Adam and the Lieutenant. But what the details of the organizational structure are a bit of an unknown.**

 **This makes it tricky to figure out where Blake falls, within the ranks of the White Fang. In the Black Trailer, she was working alongside Adam directly, with Adam later revealed to be the head of the entire Vale Branch of the organization. However, with the release of the Adam Character Short, prior to Volume Six, it's interesting to note that Blake is _not_ shown to be participating in any of the missions Adam is on. However, given how close she is to Adam, it's understandable that she'd be someone well known, at least amongst the members of the Vale Branch. With her sudden desertion, it makes sense that Adam would be looking for her, and taking a personal interest in anyone shown to be connected to her.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23:**

It didn't take long to hatch a plan that they had confidence in. Sure, the girl probably had combat training. But someone as young as her couldn't be a match for the trained soldiers of the White Fang. Supposedly, she had thwarted a robbery by one Roman Torchwick. But he'd been using bouncers from a local club as hired muscle. That didn't say much about her combat skills. She'd shown up during the fight on the docks, but hadn't actually participated, having been downed by a shot from Torchwick's weapon. He'd been forced to withdraw before she could recover. All told, it didn't paint a picture of the most competent fighter in the world.

Her companions were unknowns, of course. All that was known of them was that the younger of the two, who appeared to be of an age with her, was apparently her boyfriend. That factor meant that he was likely to fight in her defense, but there was little they could do to assess the boys' combat abilities. Considering they had entered the settlement on foot, traveling from another nearby settlement, it seemed they might be formidable. So their best bet was to separate the girl from the two.

 _How_ to accomplish that…that was the question.

In the end, it was deemed unfeasible. While the older boy often tended to wander off on his own, or stay behind while the other two went out, the girl and the younger boy seemed to be largely inseparable, though whether it was because he perceived the girl's vulnerability or simply because of their status as a couple the White Fang soldiers couldn't say.

"We'll just have to make the most of it," said the ram after a day spent observing them. "Those two go up to the overlook every evening, and stay there until it gets dark. We'll strike then. Only the boy has the advantage of night vision, so we can launch a diversionary attack on him, and take the girl easily."

"Good idea," declared the lizard. "They won't know what hit them."

* * *

"It seems as though those White Fang fellows we met yesterday are planning to attack us," said Ayumu as Ruby and Gin climbed into the other bed.

"You mean _they_ were the ones following us all day?" asked Ruby, feeling a nervous quiver in her stomach.

"You noticed?" asked Gin. At her nod, he smiled. "They weren't half bad. You're getting good at this."

Ruby blushed at his praise and gave his hand a squeeze. "What do we do?" she asked.

"Well, that depends on them, doesn't it?" mused Ayumu. "Tomorrow is our last day here, but they might not realize that. If their intended attack is still in the planning phase, we might be able to take our leave before they have a chance."

"So we should run away?" asked Ruby.

"The White Fang have been keeping their presence here discreet," said Gin. "Given their reputation for violence lately, the fact that they haven't taken any overt action means that they have a vested interest in keeping their presence here hidden, for the time being, probably because their work here is geared more towards recruitment"

Ayumu nodded. "According to what Mr. Farran has said, they've won over what few extremists there were, but that's such a small fraction of the overall faunus population that the moderates will easily be able to keep them in line, if they try to stir up any trouble. If their efforts are a failure, the White Fang will likely withdraw and focus their efforts elsewhere."

"So, even if we do cut and run, it isn't likely we'll be leaving behind an attack waiting to happen," said Gin.

"If they're especially foolish, they might come after us when we leave," said Ayumu. "In which case, we can draw them out into the wilderness and fight them on our terms."

"On the other hand, fighting the White Fang and exposing them might just cause human opinions in this town to turn," said Gin. "They'd see the White Fang presence as proof that the faunus in the settlement are planning to take violent action against them and possibly act on that supposition."

"So starting a fight with them here is likely to make things worse for the people who live here," finished Ayumu.

"All right," said Ruby. "But what if they're planning to attack _before_ we leave?"

"Then we defend ourselves," said Ayumu. "That's simple enough. We'll just have to be careful about where the attack happens, and try to mitigate collateral damage."

"The question is why they would suddenly take an interest in us," mused Gin.

"Maybe it's because of us," said Ruby, looking at Gin. "I mean…people haven't exactly been reacting positively to the idea of us being a couple."

"Amongst the people who live here, not really," said Gin. "Though the ones giving us the stink-eye appear to be in the minority overall. The ones that do dislike it don't have enough courage to act on it."

Ayumu scratched his head. "I'm not sure. While I'm certain that the White Fang, given its current beliefs, would take an extremely dim view of such a relationship, it seems rather odd that they'd risk jeopardizing their cover over it."

"Well, there are hotheads in any group," mused Gin. "But they seem to be a little too careful about it for that."

Ruby sighed. "I guess we'll just have to see what happens," she said. "We can worry about the why after we deal with it."

"As good a plan as any," said Ayumu. "Let's get some sleep. We might be having a busy day tomorrow."

* * *

The day itself proved to be uneventful. They explored some parts of the settlement that they hadn't seen the previous two days. However, there wasn't all that much left for them to see. Ruby was fascinated all the same. It was a glimpse of what life was like outside the Kingdom walls. Before she'd been nearly murdered, and left in the company of these two, her only experience in life outside the Kingdoms was the island of Patch, her home, a safe haven from the Grimm, so close to Vale that it was often considered a part of the Kingdom proper. Having Signal Academy there probably helped matters in that regard. In some ways, this journey had been more educational than all her years of schooling put together.

Still, the persistent itch on the back of her neck was distracting, the sensation of hidden eyes following their every movement proving a constant irritant. Her skills in spreading her awareness throughout her senses were still nascent. It was good enough to give her an idea of which direction their watchers were watching from, as well as whether they were close or far. However, she didn't doubt that Ayumu and Gin were aware of _exactly_ where their shadows were at all times…at least while they were within a certain radius.

She was tempted to look for them, but both Gin and Ayumu discouraged her, reasoning that letting their observers know they had been noticed might lead them to take rash action. Gin's hand in hers kept her calm, keeping her from whipping her head around and trying to track the source of every single sensation that told her someone was peering around a corner to stare at the back of her head. Sometimes, she caught glimpses of a shadow flitting into a nearby alley or ducking behind the edge of a roof. It took all of her self-control to keep from turning her head to stare after them.

The sky began to darken, and they returned to Farran's pub for dinner. Unfortunately, they weren't given a chance to taste another of his specialties. However, they did enjoy the food that was served. As they did, they talked about their day, particularly the hidden witnesses to it.

"So…they were still planning?" asked Ruby. "They didn't try anything."

"Well, certainly not with so many witnesses around," said Ayumu. "But the day isn't over yet. More importantly, we've established a pattern."

"What pattern?" asked Gin.

"Well, depending on how much they know about our activities, they likely know that you and Ms. Ruby head out to the overlook every evening, and that I stay behind at the inn," said Ayumu, pausing to take another bite of his dish.

"That would be the ideal time to strike," mused Gin, "especially after the sun sets."

"Why-Oh!" said Ruby, her eyes widening. "Because of their night vision."

"Exactly," said Ayumu. "Gin has excellent night vision, of course. But yours is far less acute than a faunus', Ms. Ruby. They'd think you particularly vulnerable prey during that time, especially if they can launch a diversionary strike to distract Gin."

"Do we know it's me they're after?" she asked.

"Well, they seemed most interested in observing you," noted Ayumu. "They appeared to be wary of us, because we represent unknowns to them, which appears to mean they already have some information about you."

"What?" asked Ruby.

"Do you have any past history with the White Fang?" asked Gin.

Ruby frowned, then related the story of what had happened at the docks, when she and her new friend, the strangely eccentric girl named Penny, had caught up to Blake and _her_ new friend, the mischievous thief named Sun Wukong, in the midst of the latter pair disrupting the White Fang's attempt to steal a shipment of Dust, operating in conjunction with none other than Roman Torchwick, the same criminal whose efforts Ruby had thwarted in a local Dust shop weeks earlier, which had earned her her place in Beacon. Distracted by Penny, Ruby had been hit by a shot from Roman's cane, and briefly immobilized. The rest of the battle had concluded before she'd had a chance to join it.

"Interesting," mused Ayumu. "It seems odd that the White Fang would even notice your involvement."

"But this Blake girl was a former member," noted Gin. "Organizations like that tend not to take kindly to members leaving. If they're looking for her, they might have noted you as someone she associates with…even if it was just a footnote."

"Do you think that's really it?" wondered Ruby.

"Well, the best way to find out is deal with them when they attack, and ask them directly," said Gin. He looked at Ruby with a firm, yet steady gaze. "Do you think you can handle a night attack?"

Ruby frowned, thinking back to her training with Yu. He'd started shifting their training sessions later into the evening, after the sun went down. During that time, it was much harder for her to follow his movements with her eyes. As a result, she'd had to begin utilizing her other senses. It went without saying that her ability to keep up with Yu's movements in twilight or darkness was still lacking, though she was improving steadily. She didn't have anything on the level of Gin and Ayumu's _Shingan_ yet.

However, thinking back to how the day had gone, she realized she'd been aware of their trackers, able to figure how close they were and what direction they were in, without even needing to use her eyes. And that was when they were trying to be stealthy. When they dispensed with stealth and attacked openly, Ruby realized that she'd have a much better chance of following their actions.

"I think I can," she said. "Yu would even say that it's good training, probably."

"Undoubtedly," said Ayumu with a chuckle.

"If I sat this out, he'd probably make me regret it the second we set foot outside of town," grumbled Ruby. She looked at Gin with an expression of strained amusement. "I guess tonight's date is gonna be interrupted."

"That depends on how you look at it," replied Gin with an easy smirk. "Despite all the tension in town, we haven't been able to exactly do anything. Here's a chance to get some excitement without causing trouble for the inhabitants. Let's just consider it tonight's activity."

Ruby giggled. "I like the sound of that," she said eagerly. "I guess we're hunting some White Fang tonight."

* * *

That evening, they made their usual trip up to the overlook, hand in hand. Ruby smiled, leaning happily against her boyfriend, despite continuing to be agitated by the presence of the White Fang observers. The fact that they were spying on the couple, in the midst of what should have been their private time together, gave the whole affair an uncomfortable, voyeuristic quality that made Ruby distinctly nervous, far more nervous than the possibility of an impending attack.

To her surprise, despite their hidden audience, Gin was apparently taking her words the first night on the overlook to heart, being extra affectionate with his gestures. However, she understood when he leaned in to talk into her ear, looking to all the world like he was sharing some sweet nothing with her.

"If they're upset by our relationship, the more open we are about it, the more angry they'll be, and the sloppier their attack will be later," he suggested.

Ruby giggled and nodded, returning Gin's affections with eagerness, both because she enjoyed it and she could actually sense the growing agitation of their concealed enemies. They settled onto their seats at the overlook, enjoying the view of the fields amidst the sunset, sharing lingering kisses, their hands wandering a little more adventurously than usual. The anticipation of the coming battle was exciting Ruby in ways that even Gin's cooling touch wasn't able to calm.

In the back of her mind, she wondered, somewhat uncomfortably, if she had an exhibition fetish.

The sun fell past the horizon, the fading rays still dying the sky. However, the valley itself was already mostly dark. She and Gin stood up, acting as though they were preparing to head back. However, they slowly drew closer to the valley wall, moving to put it at their backs, and limit their enemies' paths of attack.

Ruby met Gin's eyes, which glimmered in the gathering dark, and saw him nod his head incrementally. It supported what she was sensing. Their enemies were closing in. Now that the wait was over, and the battle nearly upon them, she felt her excitement calming, not disappearing, but instead flowing through her body, much like her own blood, streaming into her nerves, upping their sensitivity as Ruby became conscious of every errant brush of the air against her skin, the sounds around her, and the constant heat sink that was Gin's body, standing off to her side. She was able to feel the cooling sensation of his presence without even needing to touch him.

More importantly, she heard the faint sounds of feet treading over hard ground, small stones shifting beneath the weight of carefully-placed steps, soles of shoes grinding slightly against hard surfaces, despite their wearers' efforts to keep noise to a minimum. She heard the soft rasping breaths of people trying to keep down the sounds made their own bodies, but failing marginally, probably because of their agitation. She picked up the grating sounds of blades clearing sheaths, the clicks of gun safeties being taken off. The waves of air brushing against her from multiple directions were warmer than usual, the sign of hot bodies on the approach, slightly humid from sweat wicked away from their skin. With her nose, she caught scents she might normally not have noticed, the smell of sweat and breath.

More than anything, she felt their intent. Ruby could feel the anger of the approaching faunus. Gin's assessment of their attitudes was spot on. The approaching White Fang soldiers were letting their anger and malice spill out around them with complete abandon, broadcasting themselves so clearly that it almost felt as though they were illuminated by invisible spotlights. In amazement, Ruby realized she could tell which were closing to enter melee, and which were hanging back and setting themselves for shots with ranged weapons. The sharpening of focus in their intent told her which ones were ready and which were preparing. She realized she'd know the instant they were about to attack, maybe even before _they_ realized they were ready.

The anticipation sharpened her senses to an unprecedented degree, and Ruby realized that this was her first real glimpse into the world as Gin and Ayumu perceived it. If this was what she could do with the little training she'd gotten so far, she couldn't believe what she'd be capable of if she spent years under Yu's tutelage, like the boys had. It allowed her to realize yet another reason why the boys remained Yu's students, despite the horrid kind of person he was. It almost made her regret returning to Beacon…almost.

But thoughts like that could wait for another time. Their enemies were closing in, and the time had come. Ruby bent her knees, setting her stance as much as she possibly could, while trying to keep from giving away that she knew the attack was coming. She kept her arms angled slightly forward, hands open, but fingers curled, ready to manifest her scythe at an instant's notice. She felt Gin's claws slide out from their sheaths and over the tips of his fingers, though his scales remained hidden for the time being. His arms hung loosely at his sides, his posture giving no indication of the fight that was about to begin.

When it began, it did so with a suddenness that nearly caught Ruby off-guard, despite all her anticipation. She felt the intent of one of their attackers sharpen, caught the faint click of a trigger being pulled a fraction of a second before the crack of a shot broke the evening quiet. A line of angry red lanced towards Gin, who tilted his head to the side, letting it fly past with ease. At the same time, two more attackers closed with him, weapons descending.

Gin spun in place, his arms rising, scales spreading across his skin like a rash. The weapons sparked as their edges rebounded off his scales. Stepping inside the arcs of their swings, Gin moved in to thrust his clawed hands into the stomachs of his two attackers, stepping down with sufficient force to crack the earth. The power behind his blows sent the two White Fang soldiers flying back to slam into the valley wall, stone cracking upon impact. Spinning around, Gin whirled to face the shooter, bringing an arm up to deflect another shot in the process.

And that was the last Ruby had the time to spare attention for, as the remainder of the attackers closed on her. Of the twelve or so White Fang that had attacked, nine were converging on her. Four hung back, leveling rifles in her direction, while the remaining five closed in, swinging swords or axes.

Wanting to save the melee combatants for later, Ruby decided to deal with the shooters before they could try to use their weapons to pin her down. She shot between the melee attackers before they could close ranks, leaving exclamations of surprise in her wake. With her expanded senses, Ruby could sense more about her surroundings than she ever dreamed possible. She felt her foot come down on a piece of rock that was lying at an angle. Normally, under these circumstances, she wouldn't have noticed in time, and twisted her ankle. Instead, Ruby shifted her weight automatically, pushing off the angled surface, allowing her to suddenly change the direction of her advance, her timing perfect, so that she changed direction right as her enemies opened fire.

Crackling yellow bolts lanced through the space she'd occupied a second before. Stepping down, Ruby applied her Semblance through her feet in tiny increments, accelerating sharply with each successive step, dancing between the shots as her attackers began to panic, their shooting going wild. Shouted expletives behind her told her that the melee attackers were being forced to block or dodge as well. She felt a faint tremor through the ground, accompanied by a thud as one of them fell, his body crackling from the lightning-Dust round that had hit him.

Then she reached the gunners, her scythe manifesting mid-swing in her hands as she slashed down the first one, cutting his gun in two, before whirling the shaft of her scythe around to club him in the head with the butt end. The faunus dropped and Ruby moved on to the next one, darting between her shots as she cursed with every miss, Ruby swinging her scythe upward to cleave through the rifle's barrel, spinning the weapon back around to drive the butt into the woman's stomach. The woman let out a strangled gasp, then doubled over, slumping to the ground.

The next person in line, Ruby realized she recognized. It was the ram-faunus that had been in Farran's pub the previous day. His rifle was a more elaborate, sleeker model than the ones wielded by his compatriots. As Ruby approached him, the grip on the rifle shifted, the top and bottom sections sliding forward, becoming the edges of a large broadsword that he swung at her in a swift, sideways strike.

Ruby was no longer there. She'd executed a short jump that carried her directly over the ram's head, her cloak brushing against his horns as she flew over him to land on his other side, focusing on the last remaining gunner. This one managed to react more quickly to her attacks than the previous two. He raised his rifle to intercept the swing of her scythe, catching it on the shaft with a clang.

Ruby put her weight into continuing the swing, not trying to cut through the rifle, but instead levering it down, bringing it and her scythe around and allowing her to plant the end of the blade into the earth. From there, she vaulted over the shaft of her own weapon, spinning in place to slam the sole of her combat boot right into the man's face. His white mask shattered and he reeled back to slam into the valley wall before slumping and laying still.

Planting her feet back on the ground, Ruby immediately kicked off again, leaning backwards, using the shaft and blade of her scythe to pole-vault back out of the way as she dodged another swing from the converted sword wielded by the ram, the blade cleaving through the air where she'd landed. Ruby's move pulled her weapon back, the tip of her scythe's blade cutting free of the earth and swinging up towards the ram's chin.

The tip scraped up the center of his mask, splitting it in two so that the pieces fell and shattered on the ground. The man's eyes, now revealed, widened in surprise as he tried to close in and strike. His sword flashed through the air, but Ruby ducked beneath the line of his swing, shooting forward and darting past him. By her estimation, he was the strongest and most skilled of the faunus attacking her. If she allowed him to keep her engaged for too long, the remaining melee attackers would encircle her and try to bring her down through sheer numbers.

Instead, she dove right into the ranks of the sword and axe-wielding soldiers, several of whom reeled back in surprise as Ruby jumped right into their midst, her scythe whirling. In these close quarters, it was difficult to get a large enough swing to build momentum, but she had a secret weapon now, thanks to her training with Yu.

Throughout her training, Ruby had been constantly subjected to the admonishment to "think smaller" when it came to her Semblance. At first, she had simply thought of using it in shorter, sharper bursts, but soon came to realize she could interpret that instruction in another way entirely. Before, she had been channeling it in short bursts directly through her feet, allowing her to rapidly accelerate with each step she took, while using less Aura than she would using her Semblance with her whole body.

Now she channeled her Semblance through her arms, sharply increasing the speed and momentum of her scythe swings, allowing her to gain the extra power she needed in these close quarters. Red petals exploded off the shaft and blade of her weapon, swirling through the air around her, her scythe practically little more than a crimson flash through the air as she whipped it through several blindingly fast attacks in the space of just a few seconds. The four soldiers around her were sent flying away to land, unmoving, on the unforgiving ground.

Her other adversaries now dealt with, Ruby was free to turn her attention back to the ram-faunus, who advanced on her with his sword held high, an angry yell exploding from his lips as he swung it straight down. Ruby sidestepped, once again triggering her Semblance through her feet, executing several steps that allowed her to smoothly wrap around and flank the ram from behind before his sword even bit into the ground. The man wasn't completely inept though, throwing himself forward enough that Ruby's followthrough slash merely grazed him in the back. Even then, the force was enough to send him pitching further forward so that his stomach slammed painfully into the handle of his own weapon forcing a gasp from the ram-faunus' lips.

With an angry growl, he pulled back, yanking his sword free of the ground and swinging it around behind him. But Ruby was long gone. She'd already leapt straight up. The ram-faunus, looking around for his opponent, suddenly noticed that his world seemed darker than usual. His eyes drifted upwards to see Ruby, illuminated by the light of the moon directly above her. She dove towards him like a hawk.

The White Fang leader desperately raised his blade to block. Exactly at that instant, Ruby cancelled her manifestation, then manifested her scythe again on the other side of the blade, the action taking place so swiftly that her opponent didn't even see it, her attack instead looking like it had passed right through his blocking weapon. Ruby's blade bit deep into his Aura, and it broke, dissipating across his body. Ruby continued her swing down to plunge the tip of her scythe's blade into the ground, swinging her body back up and clipping the man on the chin with the tip of her boot, launching him onto his back and knocking him out.

Coming back down on her feet, Ruby pulled her scythe free, her senses spreading out, alert for any sign of additional attackers. But it was quiet. She dismissed her scythe and relaxed. A second later, she was resisting the urge to tremble and squeal in excitement as a wave of exultation flooded through her, flowing in the wake of the adrenaline draining out of her system.

Unlike her sister, Ruby didn't consider herself a fighting junkie. Yang was a girl who made a habit out of going out on the town and starting brawls, something that had gotten her into no end of trouble back in Signal. While Ruby was proud of the skills she'd acquired, she'd be the last person to call herself bloodthirsty. Yet, right now, she could barely contain the sense of triumph that welled up within her.

She'd taken on almost a dozen faunus, in near total darkness, and walked away without a scratch. It was true, none of them were on the level of even a student Huntsman or Huntress. However, this situation was one they had picked to give themselves the best advantage possible, and she'd completely overturned it. She'd been through the middle of a pitched battle without relying on her eyes at all. It was amazing to realize how far she'd come.

She sensed Gin standing nearby. He'd dealt with his attackers, then remained quiet, watching her own battle play out. When she turned to face him, despite the low light, Ruby could tell he was smiling. Unable to contain herself any longer, Ruby threw herself at him. A bit startled, Gin caught her by the waist and played out her momentum by spinning her around as Ruby threw her arms around his shoulders, hugging herself to him tightly, Gin lowering her down to wrap his arms around her waist and return the hug. Ruby seized his lips in their most intense kiss yet.

The touch of his cool lips brought Ruby down from her high and she pulled out of the kiss and pressed her face into Gin's shoulder, trembling as one of his arms moved higher to support her back, gently rubbing it with his hand. The gentle chill of Gin's body drained the heat and energy out of her, relaxing her. Ruby clung to that sensation, letting it drain away her excitement. Otherwise, she doubted she'd have been able to stop at just kissing.

After a minute, Gin's hand moved up and began to stroke through her hair. "You okay?" he asked.

"Y-yeah," said Ruby. "I just…I was…" She pulled away, meeting his eyes, which gleamed like polished coins in the darkness. "I felt so…awake…like I could feel everything around me. It was awesome!" She giggled shyly. "I was just feeling carried away. Thank goodness I have you to calm me down."

Gin's hand pressed against the back of her head, leaning her in so they could press their foreheads together. "You were incredible," he said. "You did great. I never thought anyone could improve as much in as short a time as you have."

"Thank you," whispered Ruby, bringing their lips back together for a lighter, quicker kiss, before pulling away. Now that she was calmed down, she was more concerned about the situation. She and Gin had been making out around a bunch of knocked out enemies after all. "What do we do now?"

"That is the question," said Ayumu, seemingly materializing out of the darkness, causing Ruby to yelp. She hadn't even noticed he was in the vicinity.

"Where did you come from?" she asked.

"I was a little farther upslope," said Ayumu, pointing up the valley wall. "I decided to tag along, just in case. But it seems you didn't require my help at all."

"Thanks," said Ruby, glad that Ayumu had their backs at least.

"So…back to the topic at hand," said Ayumu, looking around at the bodies of unconscious faunus strewn about the overlook, "what should we do with our new friends?"

"Good question," said Gin. "They're just unconscious, so they'll wake up sooner or later. Who knows what'll happen then."

"Shouldn't we…I don't know…turn them in?" said Ruby. Withywindle did have a sherif and a few deputies to police the town. If there was anyone equipped to take charge of a bunch of criminals like these White Fang soldiers, it was them.

"Well…if that's the case, I should make myself scarce," said Ayumu. "Brandywine was a bit of an exception because of its lack of an actual police force, but I don't think I should have anyone from law enforcement taking too close a look at me."

"Huh? Why not?" asked Ruby, canting her head.

"Long story," said Ayumu, grinning sheepishly, though it was barely visible in the low light. "I'll explain later."

"All right…But, setting that aside, shouldn't we turn them in?" repeated Ruby.

"Well, first we need to find out what they were after," said Gin, frowning as he knelt by the ram-faunus that appeared to be the group's leader, rifling through the man's pockets. "Here," he said, pulling out an object and tossing it to Ruby, who caught it, finding that Gin had tossed her the man's scroll.

Opening it up, Ruby began going through the files on it. Her eyes widened when one of the first she found was a file covering the incident on the docks in Vale. Going through it, she saw that the White Fang had compiled a list of the people who'd participated. Blake, Penny, Sun, and her were on it. More importantly, Blake's entry had been given special attention.

"They must know I knew where Blake is," said Ruby, realizing that, despite Blake's presence, the Fang hadn't yet learned she'd become a student at Beacon. "Who's this Brother Adam person?"

"Someone highly placed in the White Fang, I'd guess," said Ayumu, who'd been reading over her shoulder. "Apparently he was once close to this friend of yours."

"I guess I'll have to ask her when I get back to Beacon," said Ruby with a frown, closing the scroll. "That must have been why they were after me. But why is it so important that Blake left?"

"Organizations like that generally don't accept resignations," said Gin. "The only way you retire in a group like that is in a coffin." His voice was colored by simmering anger.

"What's wrong?" asked Ruby, resting a hand on his forearm as he stood up after examining another downed soldier.

"It's nothing too important," said Gin. "The White Fang tried to recruit me once during my time as a bandit."

"You turned them down?" asked Ruby.

"I didn't get the chance to," said Gin. "For a dragon-faunus, their idea of a recruiting offer was a net-snare. They planned to 'tame' me the way Mantle 'tamed' their dragon-faunus back during the Great War. I'm lucky they didn't realize that rope with a chain core wasn't nearly enough to keep me bound."

"Gin…" said Ruby softly, tightening her grip on his forearm.

Gin rested a hand over hers and squeezed back. "It's okay," he said. "I'm long over it."

"Well then," said Ayumu, taking the scroll from Ruby. "That brings us back to the question of what to do with this lot."

"What if Gin and I turn them in?" asked Ruby.

"Maybe…" said Gin. Then his expression darkened. "But I'm worried that'll cause trouble for the faunus residents. The fact that the White Fang was running around behind the scenes here will probably lead at least a few people to accuse the faunus residents of collaborating with them."

"Oh…" said Ruby, mulling it over. Then her eyes widened. "Oh!"

"What is it?" asked Gin.

Ruby grinned. "What if the _faunus_ residents are the ones to turn them in."

"Oh…" said Ayumu realization dawning on him as well. "That might work."

"What?" asked Gin, looking between them.

Ruby grinned and giggled. "I have an idea," she told him.

* * *

After explaining her plan, Ruby and Gin descended from the overlook while Ayumu remained with the unconscious White Fang soldiers to keep an eye on them. Ruby and Gin headed right to Farran's restaurant, finding him and his staff in the process of cleaning up and closing.

"Let me get this straight," said Farran, frowning at them as he leaned on a bar stool, having listened to Ruby and Gin's story, "you've got a dozen White Fang mooks up on the overlook, including the two that were in here yesterday. They attacked you and you knocked them all out."

"That's right," said Ruby.

"And you want me to lead some people over to go tie them up and bring them in," said Farran.

Again, Ruby and Gin nodded.

Farran sighed, scratching his cheek. "You've got a point about the law. The sherif comes down harder on us faunus than he does the humans. If someone dumped a bunch of White Fang on his doorstep, his first thought would be that they were in cahoots with the locals." His eyes narrowed in a glare directed a no one in particular…at least…no one present. "And they _have_ picked up some of our stupider residents."

"But if you and the other faunus turn them in, it'll clear you of suspicion, won't it?" said Ruby.

"Not completely," said Farran. "But it'll do a good job of mitigating it, especially if we spin the story right. I'm assuming you kids want your names kept out of this."

They nodded, Ruby more emphatically than Gin. While she didn't have a…history…with the law like Ayumu did, getting wrapped up with the authorities like this was practically asking to have her name sent back to Vale, along with a notice that she was still alive. While she wasn't sure that it guaranteed that the news would reach the ears of the Beacon students, it was a risk she'd rather not take.

"We'll say they tried to hold one of their rallies and we jumped them an took 'em down," said Farran, partly to himself, testing the story against his own rationale to see if it would hold water. Then he nodded in approval. "Sounds good enough. Heck, those jerks'll probably go along with it; way less humiliating than admitting they tried to jump a couple of kids in the dark of night and got their asses handed to them."

Ruby giggled at that, before straightening up as Farran looked at her specifically. He wasn't wearing his bandana, which seemed to bring out his more temperamental and forceful side, but his gaze was intense all the same. "All right, I'll round up a few people and we'll head out to the overlook to take those fools into custody." He smiled at them for the first time, surprising the pair with the sight of an expression that looked so out of place on the man's face. "Are you sure you kids can't stay longer? I think I owe you another special for this."

"Sorry," said Ruby, glancing down shyly. "Our time's up. We have to get moving again."

Gin nodded in agreement.

Farran huffed in resignation. "Well, if that's the case, it's too bad. But I hope you'll stop by again sometime. We won't forget this anytime soon."

"I'd love to," said Ruby, already making plans. After all, once she was back at Beacon, she intended to eventually bring her sister and friends out to see the places and things she'd seen on her journey. There were so many things she wanted to share with them.

But that was a matter for another time. Right now, they had a bunch of White Fang to take care of.

Farran sighed, staring at the door. "The idiots should've taken me up on my offer."

Ruby leaned in to whisper into Gin's ear, "Was he planning on brainwashing them with his food?"

"Maybe," Gin replied in an equally hushed tone. "It seems unlikely, but…" He frowned, thinking back to how quickly the patrons had moved to help Farran at the promise of his specialty, not to mention its incredible flavor. "…maybe it's not as far-fetched as it seems."

* * *

It took longer than Ruby expected for Farran to round up some trustworthy friends…or people he'd hooked on his cooking…to accompany them to the overlook and take the White Fang soldiers into custody. Ayumu had waited there, making sure that they remained unconscious for the time being. Farran and his allies bound them up in sturdy ropes and loaded them into a wagon for the bumpy ride back down the path and over to the sherif's office.

While they were curious about how things would go over, Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu decided that they needed to get to the inn. They were leaving at around dawn tomorrow and they had a surly teacher who would leave them behind if they didn't meet the deadline he set. This night had already gone on longer than they'd liked and Ruby had one last thing she wanted to talk about before they went to bed.

"So why don't you want to be seen by the law?" she asked Ayumu, seated on the edge of her bed in her pajamas, hugging her pillow to her chest.

Ayumu was silent for a moment and Ruby realized that she was probably prying too deeply. "Sorry," she said. "If you don't want to, you don't have to."

"No…It's all right," said Ayumu, giving her a wan smile that looked distinctly unusual on him, especially compared to his normally serene expression. "In fact, it's probably past time I told you. It ties into my history with the Schnee Dust Company as well."

"Oh!" Ruby leaned forward, her curiosity peaked. Gin settled beside her, looking somewhat disinterested, apparently knowing all about this story already.

"It might interest you to know that, at one time, I was considering joining the White Fang," said Ayumu, prompting a shocked gasp from Ruby. "In fact, had Master Yu not found me, I most likely would have."

"Why?" asked Ruby.

"There are different reasons why a faunus might join such an organization," said Ayumu. "Some join because of the prospect of retaliating against their oppressors. Others because they believe in the cause of fighting for faunus justice. And some people…well…" He sighed. "…some people join such an organization because they see no other option for their survival, because it is the best of a group of bad decisions, where there is no better option available."

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.

Ayumu's smile took on a sad quality. "It might interest you to know that I was born left-handed, like you, Ms. Ruby."

"You're left-handed?" asked Ruby, blinking in surprise. Ayumu used his sword with his right hand, showcasing incredible skill and dexterity with it.

"I _was_ ," replied Ayumu, emphasizing the past-tense. "It's a good thing you haven't seen my try to write anything with my right hand. My handwriting is terrible. Unfortunately, my motor control with my left hand just isn't what it used to be."

Reaching over, Ayumu pulled up the sleeve of his left arm. Ruby gasped, seeing a jagged line of angry, red climbing up the underside his arm, starting just above the palm of his hand, and reaching halfway up his elbow, splitting jaggedly, almost like a lightning bolt engraved on his flesh.

"The SDC are the ones I have to thank for this scar," said Ayumu plainly.

* * *

 **The concept of the _Shingan_ is a bit tricky to articulate, as I'm trying to build a concept of how all the various human senses can mesh together to create a clearer picture of one's surroundings than sight alone. That's what gets to be one of the hardest parts of writing these fight sequences as the story goes on. Still, it's always worthwhile to show Ruby's growth as a fighter.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24:**

Words deserted Ruby entirely as she stared at the scar that branded Ayumu's left arm.

"It's from a fire-Dust discharge," said Ayumu tiredly. "I suffered permanent nerve damage, so my manual dexterity with my left hand is impaired. I had to re-learn almost all the things I'd previously used my left hand for with my right."

"What happened?" asked Ruby, before freezing as her brain caught up to her mouth, putting together the pieces of what Ayumu had told her already. _History with the SDC…Dust accident…_ "You were a Dust miner?"

"I was," said Ayumu.

"But…if that was before you joined Yu, then…"

"I was seven when I started working the mines," said Ayumu, prompting another horrified gasp from Ruby. "At that point, it was the only thing I could do to survive." He looked at her soberly. "Do you know how the SDC runs their quarries and mines?"

Ruby shook her head slowly. It wasn't a detail they'd covered in their classes.

Ayumu pulled down his sleeve, hiding the scar again. "There's a saying that became popular after Jacques Schnee, your former friend's father, took over the company. _'Never borrow from a Schnee. If you end up owing them so much as a single lien, they will find a way to make you spend the rest of your life paying it back.'_ "

"What does that mean?" asked Ruby.

"Working in a Dust mine or quarry is difficult from a logistical perspective," said Ayumu. "They are often in mountainous regions, and it is exceedingly rare for a Dust deposit to be found near enough to an area of land suitable for a normal settlement. Because of that, the SDC sets up settlements in the area adjacent to their mines for the sole purpose of housing the miners and other staff.

"While that is not wrong, and is even prudent, how those settlements are run is the problem. They've become known as company towns, because everything in them is owned by the Schnee Dust Company, including, ultimately, the inhabitants themselves. The SDC advertises that they pay the faunus the same wages that they do the humans. What they don't advertise is all the extra costs one incurs for being a faunus.

"If you're a faunus, you live in company tenements, paying rent to the company for the roof over your head. You have to buy your own equipment, pay for its upkeep and replacement, even if it's broken while mining _their_ Dust. That includes equipment necessary to handle Dust safely. You shop for your food at a company store. If you are sick or injured, you see a company doctor."

Ruby listened with rapt attention, horrified to discover this dimension to her friend's life.

"Considering the wages, it's _theoretically_ possible to live within the means provided," continued Ayumu. "But that is only if you live as frugally and meanly as possible, cutting corners at every opportunity. Food is expensive to import to these places, so the prices reflect that, which means you have to choose only the cheapest goods available, which are often the least substantial in terms of sustenance. The better the equipment, the more it costs. Of course, seeing the doctor carries a hefty copay, even if it's just for a regular checkup. There is no paid vacation, no maternity leave, no worker's compensation or insurance, in the case of injury or illness. Everything must be paid for up-front."

Ayumu's lips tightened, his smile taking on a distinctly sour appearance. "Of course, the Schnees, being the 'generous' employers that they are, allow for purchases to be made on credit. With that, even if you lack the immediate funds for some good or service, you can make the payment on credit, and repay the company later on."

"That sounds…good," said Ruby, already realizing that the other shoe was about to fall.

Ayumu nodded. "Of course, where credit is concerned, there is also interest. The interest rates for SDC lines of credit would be considered extortion from any other institution. But their status as the primary provider of Dust for all four Kingdoms means that the Councils give them plenty of leeway.

"Of course, even if you try your hardest to live within the means provided, it's all but impossible to avoid using credit sooner or later. A tool will break. You'll get injured on the job. Something will happen. Then you'll have to cross that line. Once you do, the payments you make to pay off your debt mean you'll have less actual money to work with. So you wind up using credit more and, gradually, your debt spirals out of control."

"That's awful!" gasped Ruby.

Ayumu nodded. "Of course, since you're paid an hourly wage, it's easy to take more hours, and earn more money to settle both your debt and your regular expenses. Of course, that incurs a greater risk of injury…along with other…less tangible costs."

"Like what?" asked Ruby.

"Like time to spend with your family," he said, his expression becoming heartbreakingly sad, his smile actually vanishing, "time to watch your children grow, time to experience all the little milestones in their lives, the kind that children in the world outside those company towns take for granted." He met Ruby's gaze. "Before I left, I had no idea what a birthday party even was, much less ever thought of having one every year. We never had money for it, and my parents were always working, even on my birthday."

Tears began to slide down Ruby's cheeks at the thought of it. Some of her fondest memories were of those times: sitting down at a table with a big, decorated cake, either for her or for Yang. Their father would come back from Signal early to help set up, sometimes picking the girls up early from school. If he was able, Uncle Qrow would stop by with presents of his own.

Granted, she also remembered what it was like for a parent to miss those moments, during that time when her father had sunken into his depression after losing her mother. But, even then, Ruby had still had Yang. The idea of _never_ getting to experience a birthday party, of never having a chance to celebrate all those precious moments, was heart-wrenching for her.

"As a child, my parents were practically strangers to me," said Ayumu. "I hardly ever saw them, because they worked as long as they could at the mine every day, trying to alternately to pay off, or keep us out of, debt. Of course, a child is a fairly substantial financial burden on his own. There are schools in the company town, of course…company schools. And, of course…they require a tuition."

"Why didn't they leave?" asked Ruby.

"Ah!" Ayumu raised a single finger. "Therein lies the trap, you see. Once you use credit, once you're in debt, you _can't_ leave. Only an employee with _no_ debt to the SDC can quit their job and leave a company town. If you try to leave without settling your debts, the SDC uses its pull with the Councils to have you branded a criminal in _all_ four Kingdoms. If you're found by the law enforcement, you're arrested, imprisoned, then turned over to the SDC to work their mines again…this time as a penal laborer, which we've come to learn is practically the equivalent of a death sentence.

"Of course, the worst was yet to come. One day, I came home from school to find a representative from the mine waiting for me. He explained that there had been an accident with a load of particularly volatile Dust, and my parents…" Ayumu closed his eyes and bowed his head.

"No…" whispered Ruby.

"Yes," said Ayumu softly, his voice nearly a whisper. "They were both dead. That was when I learned the harshest truths about living in a company town and working for the SDC. First, if the debtors die while still in debt to the company, their debt is passed on to their nearest kin…even if said kin is living far away, in an unrelated settlement, living their own lives. The SDC has the authority to go out, pull them up, and deposit them at the mine with the directive to pay off their kin's debt. I came home to learn my parents were dead, but I barely had time to grieve before I learned that I'd inherited their debt to the company. Then I discovered the second truth about the SDC. You're never too young to work."

Ruby choked, fighting back the urge to vomit. Gin wrapped an arm around her and pressed his hand to her forehead, helping her fight back the impulse.

"That was how I found myself working the mines, doing every odd job that the other workers and foremen foisted off on me," continued Ayumu. "I had to become very good with math at a young age, as I tried to keep track of the debt and my own expenses, trying to work my way out of it. I cut corners and lived as meanly as I could. But it was always impossible. Something would happen, I'd need something or incur some extra expense, then I'd have to use credit again, and my debt would swell. It didn't help that, as an avian faunus, my night vision was terrible compared to other faunus, which limited my usefulness. Faunus night vision is a godsend for the foremen, as it means the company gets to save money on lighting.

"Then the accident happened. I hadn't bothered to buy the proper safety equipment for handling fire-Dust. It cost too much, and I was sure it'd put me in debt for another year. Unfortunately, the Dust sparked while I was handling it, and my left hand and arm were severely burned."

Ayumu pulled up his sleeve again, displaying the scar for Ruby. "I had to see the doctor, of course…and had to pay for it. The time I spent recovering was not compensated, but a total loss in terms of the expenses I incurred. When the bandages came off, I'd lost much of the use of my left hand, and I was deeper in debt than ever before. I looked ahead and could only feel despair about my future.

"But despair is often accompanied by desperation. Even the tiniest chance of escape begins to look like your best option. I was willing to risk being caught and returned as a penal laborer, or even lose my life to the Grimm outside the walls of the settlement. In the case of the former, I even considered ending my own life before going to work those mines again."

Ruby shuddered at the thought.

"I began to cast about for any way to escape. There was only one place in the entire world that was completely beyond the reach of the SDC. Even Vacuo, where faunus were largely treated as equals, was forced to bow to pressure from the Schnees when it came to escaped workers. There was only one place I could try to reach."

It dawned on Ruby quickly enough, remembering Dr. Oobleck's history lecture on the Faunus Rights Revolution. "Menagerie."

Ayumu nodded. "Menagerie was the only sanctuary for faunus like me, the only place the long arm of the Schnees could not reach. The mine I lived and worked at was a little north of Mistral, so I figured that, maybe, I had a chance of reaching it. But reaching Menagerie meant crossing through the Grimm-inhabited terrain of Anima. I'd have to be careful of other settlements, or steer clear of them entirely, because one wrong move would land me right back in the SDC's hands.

"Reality was harsh. There was no way a child like me could make that crossing by himself. However, I'd also heard rumors of an organization fighting for faunus rights, a group that helped desperate people like me."

"The White Fang," said Ruby.

Ayumu nodded again. "Of course, there was no way the SDC would allow members or supporters of the White Fang to enter their company towns. Security was oppressive, and any hint of the workers attempting to organize behind any banner, much less the White Fang's, was put down, with _excessive_ force. My only hope was to flee to a neighboring settlement, and pray I could find a representative of the White Fang there, at which point they'd be able to arrange to smuggle me south to Menagerie."

"I'm guessing it didn't go as well as you planned," said Ruby, already picturing the myriad number of things that could go wrong on such an endeavor.

Ayumu nodded yet again. "You're exactly right. I was as careful as I could be, assembling the supplies I thought I'd need, trying to figure out the route I'd take. Of course, I couldn't allow anyone become aware that I was stockpiling food and water, or suddenly taking an interest in maps, so my efforts were hasty and roughshod. I was a child, not quite ten years old, planning on trekking through miles of wilderness, on the thin line of hope I could reach the nearest settlement and find help.

"Once I'd set out, it didn't even take me a full day for my plans to come crashing down in the worst possible way…"

* * *

 _Ayumu choked out sobs in between gasping breaths, his throat burning with each inhalation and exhalation. His cheeks were covered in tears, caked with dirt thrown up by his desperate flight. The muscles in his legs burned with every step he took, hobbling as much as running. His eyes roved wildly for escape that could not be found._

 _How long he'd been running for, how many yards, or perhaps miles, had passed, he couldn't say. He'd discovered what others knew to be an age-old truth. Fear is an excellent motivator for driving people beyond the boundaries of body, mind, and reason. Unfortunately for Ayumu, he'd discovered this truth because his pursuers excelled at inspiring fear._

 _Despite his own limitations, Ayumu had resolved set out during the darkest part of the night. His night vision was poor, compared to other faunus, but he still had the light of the moon and the stars. It was his best chance to get away without being seen. The wall around the settlement was patrolled by wary sentries. But, as always, their attention was focused outward, toward the perpetual threat of the Grimm. They had little attention to spare for a boy who slipped out through a small service gate, well away from the main entrance._

 _As ambitions went, Ayumu's were ludicrously optimistic. He hardly knew anything about navigation. Convinced his efforts to research the topic in more detail would bring him to the attention of the SDC overseers, he'd left only with a vague idea of which way was south. After that, he was essentially trusting himself to luck._

 _Luck hadn't been on his side._

 _He'd walked through the night, trying to put as much distance between him and the settlement as he could. He figured he had a fairly generous window before the people who mattered noticed his absence. His work would hardly be missed in the mines, as lacking as it was, now that his dominant hand had been injured. The company wouldn't begin to miss him until it was time for his next payment, which was at least two full weeks away. Hopefully, by then, he'd be on his way to Menagerie, and out of their reach for good. That had been his plan at least._

 _Ayumu had tripped and stumbled over roots, been scratched across his front by branches he'd inadvertently plowed through, and even walked face-first into a tree at one point. He was practically blind in the darkness. But he pressed on. Finally, as the sky began to lighten, Ayumu had sat down to eat and rest._

 _It was then that he discovered he wasn't alone. They emerged, snarling and growling, from the shadows between the trees, their eyes shining red, tongues lolling, mouths hanging open, baring pointed teeth. It was a pack of Beowolves, led by a canny Alpha, whose visage with its skull-like mask and spiked body, was especially terrifying. It was the first time Ayumu had seen the Creatures of Grimm with his own eyes. When he'd been in school, he'd seen pictures of them, but had never been taught much, save that they infested the wild lands outside the settlement, and preyed upon anyone they found, human or faunus._

 _And now, confronted by a terrible beast that had crawled from a place so deep and dark, that his own nightmares couldn't reach it, Ayumu did the only thing he could. He ran. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, as far as he could._

 _It wasn't nearly enough. The pack kept pace with him easily, dogging his every step. They could have run him down within seconds. Even if he'd tried to escape by climbing a tree, the Beowolves could have clawed at it until it came down. By all rights, this chase should have been over before it even started. But instead, they merely kept pace with him, snapping at his heels, flashing their fangs whenever his eyes darted in their direction, snarling, barking, and howling._

 _They were toying with him, savoring his terror, driving both it and his despair to greater and greater heights, essentially salting the meat before they sank their fangs into the lovely little morsel that was the faunus boy that had stumbled so foolishly away from the protection of the walls. At this point, his flight and his fear were nothing more than a cruel game to them._

 _But all games must come to an end. Ayumu, his sight still inhibited by the low light, tripped over yet another root and went sprawling. That had happened several times already since he'd started running. But this time, he couldn't get up. It wasn't any kind of injury. Ayumu's body had simply reached that limit past all limits, where even his terror and desperation couldn't drive him any farther. He lay, limbs limp, as his death approached. Now that the game was over, the Beowolves no longer had any reason to hesitate. Now was the time to kill._

 _Ayumu rolled over onto his back, not sure if it was the right idea. He didn't want to see his death as it came for him. He didn't want to see the fangs about to sink into his flesh. But he rolled over, probably because he was still trying to breathe, which was harder to do face-down. Because of that, Ayumu saw_ him _._

 _He had no idea where the man had come from. One second, and he was suddenly there, standing at ease between Ayumu and the approaching Beowolves, who paused, confused by this unexpected obstacle. The man's head turned slightly in Ayumu's direction, and Ayumu caught a glimpse of the dawn's light flashing off white teeth. The Beowolves, urged on by their alpha, howled and surged forward, determined to bring down this man along with the child._

 _Ayumu didn't see the man move. One second he'd been standing there, arms hanging at ease, feet planted firmly on the ground. Then it was like watching a video that had skipped a frame, the man's right leg suddenly appearing at a horizontal angle, stretched across his waist so that his foot now hung in the air off his left side. The entire pack of Beowolves, every last one of them, abruptly split in two, as though someone had taken up a gigantic blade and cut through them with a single swing, their top halves rising slightly up in the air. Their howls were abruptly cut off, leaving only faint echoes returning._

 _Their monstrous bodies collapsed to the ground, unmoving, and began to dissolve into ebony clouds of smoke._

 _Ayumu's fear was banished in a second, replaced by stunned awe at what had just taken place before his eyes. The man had kicked…that was the only thing he could have done…Ayumu was certain. Yet that one kick had cut through an entire pack of Grimm like a sword. It was a demonstration of absolute power that silenced every emotion but admiration._

 _The man stood there for a few more seconds, before lowering his leg back to the ground. Then, slowly, he turned to regard Ayumu, though_ how _Ayumu couldn't quite reason, given that the man's eyes were bound by the ribbon tied over them. He was grinning widely, a grin that caused Ayumu's fear and trepidation to return. It was the kind of grin he'd seen on a particularly cruel foreman in the mines, one who enjoyed supplementing the authority of his position with the authority of a baton._

 _"_ _Well well, what do we have here, eh?" asked the man, tilting his head slightly_

 _Managing to struggle up into a sitting position, Ayumu opened his mouth to talk, but clamped it back shut when the man abruptly raised a finger._

 _"_ _Ah! Don't talk. I'm not interested in your stupid sob story," said the man. "Let's see…I smell Dust and…Ooh!…That's a nasty burn. Probably cost you partial use of that hand. Shame that…and you're left-handed to boot. Hmm…Kid your age, working the Dust mines…Parents must be dead…I guess you thought making a run for the nearest settlement was your best option. You must not realize how things work out here."_

 _Ayumu sniffled, tired, hungry, and thirsty. In his haste to flee the Grimm, he'd dropped what supplies he'd brought, and lost what little sense of direction he'd had. He was in a hopeless position, and could only turn to this man for help. But, as he opened his mouth, the man's finger came up again, silencing him for the second time._

 _"_ _Forget it, kid. I'm not a babysitter. I ain't gonna take your hand and walk you to safety. You're on your own. There's nothing of interest to me here, now that I've worked out your story. You'd better hope you have good luck, though I doubt it. Let's face it, your plan has a lot of ambition, but…but…" The man went still. Then his fingers slowly rose to cup his chin._

 _"_ _Ambition…Yeah. He does have ambition. Well now, there's an idea." He began to chuckle, then to laugh loudly. Ayumu cringed back until the man began to calm down. "Yeah, that's a great idea. It's been a while since the last time I tried this. Maybe this kind of ambition is what I need. Yeah...ambition will do just fine."_

 _The man walked closer, crouching down in front of Ayumu. The man reached out and grabbed Ayumu by his hair, yanking his head up so that his eyes were fixed on the ribbon over the man's own. "Listen up, kid. I've got a proposition for you. I've just had a wicked idea. I'll take you as my student, and teach you how to fight. You saw what I just did to those Grimm, right?"_

 _Ayumu nodded weakly in the man's grip. The man's grin widened._

 _"_ _Good. That's_ power _. Would you like to have that kind of power?"_

 _Ayumu nodded again._

 _"_ _Good," continued the man. "Very good. Of course, it ain't gonna come free. Nothing in this world ever does, even if some people say otherwise. It's gonna come at the price of your sweat, blood, and tears. You thought you had a hard life in the mines. You thought you'd been worked as hard as you ever would be. You thought_ wrong _. I'm gonna make that place feel like a summer resort compared to what I'm putting you through. But…you'll become strong."_

 _The man released his grip on Ayumu's hair, letting him sag back down. "That's my offer, kid. You become my student, and I'll teach you how to become stronger than anything. If you don't, well…no hard feelings, but you're on your own. That pack of Beowolves I just took down are hardly the only ones out there. Let's just say that, with you in your current condition, your chances of reaching your destination are…Grimm." The man chuckled at his own morbid joke._

 _"_ _So then…what do you say, kiddo? Are you gonna accept my offer? Yes or no."_

 _Ayumu forced his eyes up to the man's face. He was silent for a long moment. But, finally, his mouth opened and he spoke the word that the man knew he'd say from the very beginning._

 _"_ _Yes."_

 _The man threw back his head and laughed once more. "Great! The name's Yu Yuen. From now on, I'm your master."_

* * *

"And so, I became Master Yu's first student," said Ayumu.

Ruby sniffled. She pulled away from Gin's embrace, then launched herself across at Ayumu, who caught her in his arms as she hugged herself tightly to him, and began to sob into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," said Ruby.

"It's all right," said Ayumu, hugging her back.

Even with the sorrow she was currently feeling, Ruby couldn't help but marvel at how different Ayumu's hug felt from Gin's. She'd grown used to how cool Gin felt. In comparison, Ayumu's embrace felt especially warm. But now was hardly the time to dwell on such details.

Ayumu gently combed his fingers through her hair. "I'm grateful for your concern, Ms. Ruby. But I'm fine now." He gently pushed Ruby back as Gin took her in his arms once again.

"Continuing on," said Ayumu, his expression its usual pleasant one once again, "Master Yu was as good as his word. My life from that moment on became a living hell. He was a harsher taskmaster than the worst foremen and overseers back in the mines. He pushed me to the very edge of death, over and over again, driving me all the way to my limits. He seemed to take a perverse pleasure in every bit of pain I felt.

"But, just as he had _also_ promised, I became strong, stronger than I could have ever dreamed of being, though nowhere near as strong as him, of course. A year or so later, we met Gin, and Yu took him on as a student under…similar…circumstances."

Ruby nodded, remembering Gin's own story of how he'd come to be the eccentric man's student. "I'm sorry about your parents though," she said.

Ayumu sighed and rubbed the back of his head, his smile faltering slightly. "I'm sorry too. The truth is…because of how little time they spent with me…I was never really as impacted emotionally by their deaths as I should have been. I don't doubt that they loved me…or even that they were trying to protect me, in their own way, by shouldering the burden of supporting me by themselves, even though they could have made me work in the mines alongside them.

"The best I can do is honor their memory by living as best I can. I even have a new family, of sorts. I have a brother, in the form of Gin."

Ruby smiled and reached out to take Ayumu's hand. "You have me too," she said. "I…I feel like you're family to me now."

Ayumu chuckled. "Well, I love the idea of having you for a sister, Ms. Ruby."

"Ruby," corrected Ruby gently.

"Huh?" Ayumu blinked and canted his head.

"It's just…Ruby," said Ruby. "If we're family, you don't need to be formal."

Ayumu smiled a bit more widely. "All right...Ruby. But don't you have a family already?"

"Yeah," said Ruby. "But that doesn't mean you can't be a part of it. Yang's my sister already, but I'd never say no to another sibling, especially a brother like you." She paused. "Yang's actually my half-sister, since we have different mothers. But that's never made a difference to her or me. We don't need to share blood to be family."

"Well, I'm good with the three of us being family," said Gin. "But Master Yu obviously _isn't_ part of it."

"Obviously not," agreed Ruby.

"Of course not," said Ayumu. "I still harbor the ambition of someday removing his head, and mounting it on a stake for an Ursa to chew on."

"I'm going to settle for ripping his guts out," Gin muttered.

Ruby was a bit unsettled by the sudden morbidness, but couldn't fault the boys for their vehemence. Yu really was a monster. Then Ayumu smiled at her again.

"Thank you, M-...Ruby," said Ayumu. "I'd be happy to call you my little sister."

"And I know that your parents are proud of you," said Ruby. "They'd be glad that you're living so well."

"Well…I'm not living _that_ well," Ayumu demurred, averting his gaze shamefully. "Truth be told, it's a rather selfish existence, living solely for the sake of getting stronger. There are times where I truly wish I could do something for the place and the people I left behind."

"Like free them?" asked Ruby.

"I'd thought of that," said Ayumu. "If I was strong enough, or even as strong as I am now, it would be relatively simple to take down the guards and security around the settlement, and free the faunus living there so that they could leave."

"But then we'd have to shepherd a few thousand civilians, including children, and the old or infirm, through miles of wilderness across Anima, and get them settled on Menagerie," added Gin.

"Which doesn't exactly have room to spare, as I was eventually to learn," said Ayumu. He sighed. "The more I learn about the world, the more I come to realize that the kind of power I've been seeking is useless for affecting real change. If I had Master Yu's strength, I could walk straight into the SDC headquarters, and strike down their entire board, and Jacques Schnee himself. But that would do little for my people in the long run."

Ruby looked down, thinking things over. Truth be told, it was a much more difficult problem than the one she was faced with as a Huntress. As a Huntress, the only thing she'd ever thought about was protecting people by hunting the Grimm…

Then it hit her. "A Huntsman," she said softly.

"Beg your pardon?" said Ayumu, fixing his gaze on her.

"You could become a Huntsman," said Ruby, looking up to meet his eyes, a smile spreading across her face. "As a Huntsman, you could do so much more than as just a wandering martial artist. You should come to Beacon with me. Both of you should."

"I…uh…what?" Ayumu's mouth worked as he struggled to respond. "I'm not sure I follow...Ruby."

Ruby blushed slightly and looked down again. "Well, I haven't thought about it all that much before, what with everything we've been doing. But now I wonder about what happens after we get to Vale, and I…settle things with Weiss and Pyrrha. After that, I'd go back to Beacon, of course. But what about you two?"

"Well, I suppose we'd resume our wanderings," said Ayumu.

Gin frowned. "But it would mean leaving you behind," he said, looking at Ruby, who smiled and leaned against him.

"Exactly," she said. "That's why you should stay."

"But how exactly does this address the problem with the people in my home settlement?" Ayumu wanted to know.

"Well, one of the reasons the SDC gets away with what they do is because they're the main provider of Dust in Remnant," said Ruby. "And Huntsmen and Huntresses use a lot of Dust."

There was a certain truth to her statement. While, in terms of overall consumption, Huntsmen and Huntresses accounted for a minority of all the Dust utilized across Remnant, which had come to permeate nearly every facet of life made possible by modern technology, Huntsmen and Huntresses were the most visible example of Nature's Wrath in action, and its viability as a weapon against the Grimm.

"But think about the three of us," said Ruby, "what we've been learning. We can fight without Dust, using nothing but our Auras. We can even create our own weapons. What if we became Huntsmen and Huntresses, and showed those skills to the world. What if we started teaching the ones who come after us to do the same thing."

"I…I'd never thought of that," admitted Ayumu. It had never really occurred to him that what he, Gin, and Ruby had learned had the potential to completely shatter the status quo, and transform how people saw their reliance on Dust.

"Me neither," added Gin.

"That's why I want you both to come to Beacon with me," said Ruby. "It shouldn't be hard. Professor Ozpin would probably love to have you. Besides…" Her expression darkened. "…after I'm finished, there are going to be a couple of open slots anyway."

"That's…well…um…" Ayumu wasn't sure about how to respond to this.

"Are we even sure that this is a viable approach?" asked Gin. "Teaching people how to fight purely with their Auras isn't the easiest thing in the world."

"True," agreed Ayumu. "Gin and I have only come this far through years of intensive training that, to be perfectly honest, would be considered torture by most people."

"Yeah, but you can't argue with the results," said Ruby, looking at Ayumu. "You're the same age as the average first-year Academy student. Gin's the same age as me. But the two of you are a match for veteran Huntsmen. Look at how far I've come, and it's only been a couple of months."

"Yes, but you are uniquely talented," said Ayumu. "You have that beyond-exceedingly-rare combination of genius, which allows you to absorb new skills quickly, and the drive to work until you perfect your mastery of those skills. The average student probably couldn't realize the kind of growth you have."

"Much less put up with the kind of training Master Yu put us through," added Gin.

"Yeah, but we don't have to aim that high," said Ruby. "If training started at combat school, even if it's less intensive than Yu's, it might be possible to train students on the level of regular Huntsmen and Huntresses, only without using a speck of Dust."

"Oh!" said Ayumu, his eyes going wide. "When you put it like that, it actually sounds feasible." He scratched his head. "I've been wondering about what we'd do with ourselves after we helped you reach Vale. To be honest, it's getting hard to imagine life without you, Ruby."

"That goes double for me," added Gin, earning a kiss on the cheek from her.

"But your idea is, by far, the best," said Ayumu. "Don't you agree, Gin?"

"I do…to a point," said Gin, his expression sobering, earning a worried look from Ruby. "I have just one potential issue to bring up."

Ayumu flinched. "Oh…right…that."

"What?" asked Ruby, looking back and forth between them.

"Well, how exactly would Master Yu respond to us wanting to go to Beacon?" asked Gin. "He's always ranged across the width and breadth of Remnant, usually dragging us with him by the scruff of the neck. The idea of his students settling in one place for any length of time is probably one he wouldn't be happy with."

"I suppose that depends," said Ayumu. "At this point, the only thing we can do is tell him our intentions, and hope he doesn't reject them. We'll just have to see." He looked at the clock. "Well, we're overdue for bed as it is. I suppose we'll find out in the morning."

Ruby and Gin nodded in agreement and the three of them climbed into bed and dropped off to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, they took their leave before the sky had lightened. Having learned about it in the days prior, they climbed a trail that led up the valley walls up behind the settlement. It was steep and narrow, switching back over and over again. By the time they'd reached the top, they were all panting and sweating from the heavy climb. However, they were rewarded with a view of the sun's light spilling over behind them and illuminating the valley below as it climbed higher into the sky. It was a last magnificent view to see them off.

They reached the top to find Yu waiting for them.

"Well, a little late, but not too bad," said Yu, grinning widely. "It sounds like you brats had a busy evening, last night."

"Somewhat true," said Ayumu, rubbing the back of his head.

"And it sounds like you came to a decision," added Yu, grinning even more widely. "Planning on joining good old B. A, huh? Kicking your teacher to the curb? And here I thought you brats appreciated what I've been doing for you. All my hard work not good enough?"

An immense pressure weighed down upon them, making their bodies tense in the face of Yu's malice. There was nothing in his words, posture, or even tone that suggested anything dangerous. Yet his Aura alone felt like a thousand-ton weight pressing down on their shoulders. Ruby sagged, her knees threatening to buckle.

Ayumu remained upright, but the sweat beading his brow betrayed the strain he was under. Like Ruby, Gin was struggling to stay standing in the face of Yu's Aura. With a grunt, he forced himself up, and glared determinedly at Yu. "I'm staying with Ruby…no matter what," he said.

Yu's grin widened to a degree that would have made Viola proud, almost looking as though the top portion of his head would split off. "Ah, young love," he crowed in amusement, reaching out to ruffle Gin's hair with enough force to make the gesture painful. Gin grunted and tried, but failed, to force Yu's hand off. "You're willing to defy me for the sake of your girl, huh? I'm proud of ya, man. It's too bad that neither of you are heading back to Beacon without my say-so, eh."

Ayumu and Gin traded wary glances. They'd been afraid of just this sort of response.

"So it's a good thing I say so," added Yu, making them look at him in confusion. The pressure of Yu's will vanished.

"What?" asked Ayumu, befuddled.

"You're clear to go to Beacon," said Yu. "Have yourselves a fine time. Just don't slack off."

"Seriously?" asked Gin skeptically.

"Yeah," said Yu. "You kids are finally expanding your horizons. As long as you keep chasing after my back, you'll never surpass me. If you want to _go_ past me, you need to start _looking_ past me first."

Ayumu and Gin shared a confused look. They'd never expected this kind of talk from Yu, of all people.

Then Yu's expression hardened, though he continued to grin. That oppressive sensation of malice returned. "Just remember. No matter where you go, or who else you study under, I am your Master, and you are my apprentices. When the time comes, I'll be the proctor of your final exam. And the only way you'll earn a passing grade is if you're still breathing at the end…and I'm _not_."

A collective shiver went down all three of their spines.

Then Yu's expression brightened again and that oppressive sensation dissipated. "But hey, no rush. That's not until waaaaaay in the future. In the meantime, time to get back to your training."

* * *

Their journey continued. The closer they got to Vale, the more intense Yu's training got. He started increasing the pace they walked at every day, in order to cover ground faster, and leave more time for training afterwards. Ruby went to sleep every night, her limbs feeling like lead. In between her training sessions, and the time they spent traveling, Ruby studied her weapon design, memorizing its every shape and contour, imagining its feel and heft in her hands. As Ayumu and Gin had advised her, she obsessed over it, putting so much of her concentration into it that she began to see it whenever she closed her eyes.

Often at night, she lay in Gin's arms, her scroll open, staring at the projection of her design, rotating it to study it from every angle, until her eyelids grew heavy and she couldn't keep them open anymore. Sometimes Gin had to turn off her scroll, and put it away for her, because she fell asleep staring at it. With each passing hour, the image of her new scythe grew clearer and firmer within her mind, the impression growing stronger. During the morning drills, when she practiced with her manifested weapon, she imagined that it was the one she'd designed, not the one she'd currently created, that she was spinning and twirling with her hands.

She began to incorporate the drawing motion, the movements she'd used back when she'd drawn Crescent Rose. Ruby would reach around her back, imagining vividly the sensation of closing her fingers around her new weapon's handle, channeling her Aura into its form as she brought it out, imagining each and every click and vibration that would run down her fingers, as the pieces would slide into place, and her weapon would unfold into its full, deadly form.

To better focus on the image, Ruby closed her eyes when she did this. Gradually, the image in her mind began to become more and more real to her. She could feel the weight shift as her scythe slid into each of its different modes. Rather than the warmth of her Aura, she imagined that it was the refreshing and reassuring chill of cold steel in her hands, the sensation that had always comforted her back at Beacon.

She wasn't certain how long it went on for. Sometimes Ruby would open her eyes and gasp, thinking she was looking at the weapon in her mind, only for her to blink and find that it was her usual manifested scythe once again. The disappointment she felt when that happened was crushing. But she resolved to press forward all the same. It was difficult, as it began to happen to her every single day.

They must have been at least a week or two out from Withywindle. With the pace Yu had been setting, they were only a short distance from the next, and last, settlement between them and Vale. Ruby began her morning exercise like usual, visualizing drawing her weapon, keeping her eyes closed as she substituted the feeling and image of the materialized weapon in her mind. This time, it felt even more real than ever.

As she went through her drills, she didn't notice the silence that fell over her companions. Normally, Gin and Ayumu went through the process of preparing breakfast and breaking down the camp trading instructions to one another or calling out what they'd done. But, as Ruby continued through the familiar motions, she failed to notice that their voices trailed off, and the sound that accompanied their usual activities died.

Going through the final techniques of her drill, Ruby slowed her weapon to a stop, and finished in her usual position, the shaft of the scythe stretched diagonally across her back, the butt end projecting out above her right shoulder, the blade hanging down past her left hip, angled upwards, ready to be swept up into the next round of spinning slashes.

When only the sound of animals and insects reached her ears, Ruby wondered what was going on. Blinking, she opened her eyes to look for Ayumu and Gin. She was surprised to see them standing in front of her, both of them staring at her in wide-eyed awe.

"What is it?" asked Ruby.

"Ruby…look at your weapon," said Gin.

"Huh?" Ruby brought it back around, expecting it to be the usual construct of manifested Aura. However, instead of pure, red Aura, she found herself holding metal, dark-red steel. Her eyes climbed the length and width of the weapon, examining its every contour and design, as well as its glowing blade. To her shock, it felt so solid and real, no longer a mere Aura construct. Yet, at the same time, it felt unbelievably alive to her senses, feeling like a true extension of herself in a way that even Crescent Rose had never had. Her heart leapt in her chest.

"I did it," she said, her voice barely even a whisper. "I did it." Her words were a little louder this time.

"You did it," agreed Gin.

"Congratulations," added Ayumu, beaming proudly.

Happy tears streamed out of Ruby's eyes as she admired her new weapon. It was the most amazing thing she'd ever seen. And it was hers, not merely made by hands and tools, but forged from the essence of her own soul. It was nothing less than perfect. "I did it!" she shouted.

Unable to control her joy any longer, she threw herself at Gin, nearly clocking him with her weapon in the process. Fortunately, he avoided it. Neither of them cared though, as Gin wrapped Ruby up in a tight hug, spinning her about with enough speed to make her cloak flare out behind her, before setting her down on the ground, their lips coming together in a passionate kiss that surpassed the one they'd shared after the fight in Withywindle.

When they finally let each other go, they were both flushed red. Once again, Ruby found herself glad for Gin's low body temperature, which always seemed to gently drain the heat right out of her body. Contact like that helped keep her from getting carried away in the moment. Despite that, her excitement rekindled as she examined her new weapon in her hands, seeing every curve and contour, noting every design. It was exactly as she imagined it.

She flicked her wrist, the signal for it to transition forms. Its components slid against one another, rotating and realigning smoothly and naturally, despite not having any internal components to speak of. It…No!… _She_ was perfect. And she was hers. Ruby squealed happily, hopping up and down like a small child who'd just received the best Yuletide present ever.

"She's beautiful," said Gin, stepping close again and using his fingers to trace the designs on Ruby's new weapon. "Have you thought of a name for her?"

Ruby's eyes glittered with love as she turned her new scythe in her hand, absorbing herself in wonder at its appearance and the feel of it. Her eyes traced along the length of the faintly glowing blade, her lips pulling back in a grin. "Shining Rose," she declared softly. "That's your name. You'll be a light of hope that'll never go out."

"Perfect," said Gin, resting his hands over Ruby's, prompting her to meet his eyes again.

They were startled out of their reverie by a sharp clap of a pair of hands, prompting them to jump apart.

"Well well well," said Yu, his usual wide grin in place as he approached. "It finally seems that you've cleared your latest major hurdle, Ruby." He stopped a short distance away, tilting his head back and forth slightly. "I gotta say…she ain't a bad piece 'o work."

Ayumu and Gin's eyes went as wide as saucers and they shared a shocked glance, the same thought running through their heads. _Words of praise…from Master Yu?_ Not only that, but he'd addressed Ruby by name for the first time, rather than the demeaning nickname he normally used for her.

The childhood adage was "If you can't say anything nice, then say nothing at all." However, Yu seemed to live by the inverse of that adage. If there were no criticisms he could voice, no nits for him to pick, he would remain silent, rather than offer a word of praise. He'd been that way for as long as Ayumu and Gin had known him. Even his assessments of Ruby's talent and potential had been framed according to how much they annoyed him.

"Thank you, Master Yu," Ruby, who, while not fully aware of the monumental significance of what Yu had just said, decided to return the courtesy of Yu using her name with the courtesy of addressing his current place in her life.

Yu chuckled in the back of his throat. "Well then. Now the real fun can begin. We're on the final leg of your little trip. So it's crunch time." He began to rub his hands together, his grin widening even further. "I hope you're ready, little rose, 'cause I'm gonna work you to the bone."

For the first time, Ruby found herself smiling at the prospect of Yu's training and the harsh commentary that came with it. Her fingers tightened around the shaft of her new weapon and she looked at him with a gaze and smile full of confidence. "Bring it on." _I hope you're ready…Weiss…Pyrrha._

* * *

 **And so, the first major arc of the story comes to an end. Next chapter, we shift back a few months, and over to Beacon, to see how things are going over there, with the two story-threads eventually coming back together. It does mean that Ruby will be taking an extended leave of absence from the narrative, which I hope you all won't mind too much.**

 **With Ayumu's backstory, I also got the opportunity to flesh out how I think the SDC works. In the actual show, we've heard Blake and Weiss talk about the SDC's "shady business practices," or how Jacques has taken the company into "a moral grey area." But we have yet to see how that actually plays out. I'm also aware that portions of Ayumu's story, particularly the part where he talks about how his parents died, sound similar to Ilia, which is entirely coincidental. This was written back before Volume 4 had finished running, and well before the Volume 5 character shorts were released.**

 **So yeah, this is my headcanon for what the SDC's business practices look like. It's an extreme version of how American mines were run, back before the advent of widespread unionization and movements for workers' rights. Of course, the SDC being the premier supplier for the single most important substance on the planet, one that's used in virtually every known form of technology and, on top of that, is absolutely essential for the national defense of every nation, has a _lot_ more leeway with what they can get away with than any silly coal company. Having a near-monopoly on their chief product doesn't help either. So they're free to force their workers to spend money on everything, including equipment, and issue credit with the kind of interest rates that make a payday loan business look positively benevolent by comparison.**

 **On a side-note, I'm actually kinda proud of that saying about Schnees. Ayumu's backstory comes from my original headcanon for Blake's history, back before it was revealed that her parents were still alive, and actually fairly prominent...and what kind of place Menagerie was.**

 **If you've followed me this far, thanks for sticking with this story, and I hope you continue to do so, 'cause we've got a _long_ ways to go. As of now, this story is over 130 chapters long, with over 1,000,000 words.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25:**

It was a heavy atmosphere that had settled over the Headmaster's office at Beacon Academy. Silent and oppressive, it seemed to make the air thick to the point of choking. It was a sensation that filled one with dark emotions with every breath. Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy, never felt comfortable in this kind of atmosphere…which saddened him as he had experienced it so often. It was not the first time he'd received news of a promising life cut unfairly short.

He remained in his seat, keeping his words to himself, his eyes tracing the figures of the seven students assembled before him. _Perhaps I misjudged their readiness,_ he thought sadly, the absence of the eighth person who should have been there weighing heavily on everyone.

It had been difficult to wrangle the full story out of them. Only a few had been able to give a truly coherent account. Nora Valkyrie couldn't get out more than a few words before breaking down, when she didn't do so almost spontaneously. Lie Ren, who was probably the most composed of the group, had to pause his recounting frequently to console her. Not even Blake Belladonna, with all her normally stoic calm, could keep sniffles and muffled sobs at bay.

Pyrrha Nikos seemed shocked by what had happened, alternately dazed and coherent, as though she couldn't quite believe that the experience she had been through was real. She had tried to recount the portion of the story that she and Weiss Schnee were privy too, but spoke haltingly, hesitantly, unable to fully order her thoughts. Beside her, her partner, Jaune Arc, was on the verge of sobbing himself, repeatedly rubbing his eyes.

Weiss Schnee, by contrast, looked angry. It was a quiet, simmering sort of anger, the kind that was typically hard to spot. But Ozpin could see it in the tense lines of her body, the clenching of her jaws, the white knuckles of her fisted hands. There was the faintest tremor that ran through her body at every mention of the lost. Ozpin wondered who she was upset with; herself, for being unable to protect her partner, or her partner for being unable to protect herself.

Then his eyes drifted to the final member of the group. Since coming to the office, Yang Xiao Long hadn't uttered a single word. Her eyes were glazed, staring off into the distance, almost as though she was in a world of her own. Ozpin felt his heart shudder at the absolutely _lost_ look on her face. It was clear that Yang hadn't fully comprehended what had happened, that her beloved younger sister, Ruby Rose, was no longer of this world.

Finally getting the most details he could about the occurrence, Ozpin bowed his head and looked down at the desk for a moment. Looking back up, he adjusted his spectacles. "I see…" he said. "There is very little I can say to assuage your grief. It pains me to learn that Ms. Rose is lost to us. However, I should remind you that the school's counselors are available at all hours. Feel free to avail yourselves of them if you wish to have someone to talk to." He fixed his eyes on the sole complete team in the room. "Team Juniper, you are dismissed for the time being. You are free to go."

"Y-yes, Sir," said Jaune, trying to keep from blubbering inelegantly as he spoke. The four of them began to file towards the elevator. As the doors closed behind them, Ozpin focused his attention on the remaining three people in the room.

"I realize that this loss has hit you all quite hard," he said. "You three shall be excused from the end-of-semester exams, should you feel unable to participate. You can re-take the exams at a later time. I also release you from your student obligations for the next two weeks, longer if necessary. You are free to attend classes or not, as you see fit." From his experience, Ozpin knew that different people dealt with grief differently. Some needed quiet time to spend with their own thoughts and grieve properly. Others needed something to keep themselves occupied so that they didn't lose themselves completely. He always felt it best to let the grieving themselves decide what they needed to do.

"Thank you, Professor," said Weiss, her tone strained, her neck muscles tightening slightly.

"What we have to talk about next isn't easy," said Ozpin. "It is unlikely that there will be any transfers in immediate future. In all likelihood, you will remain a team of three from now on until graduation. That will make some things more difficult for you, but introducing the dynamic of a new person that you did not go through the initiation with would probably be more difficult for you."

"That's right," said Blake softly. "Ruby isn't someone you could just…replace."

"Very true," agreed Ozpin. "I understand that this could make things more difficult for you, come the Vytal Festival. If you wish to withdraw from the tournament, no one would fault you."

"We won't," said Weiss firmly, her expression hardening.

"I appreciate your zeal," said Ozpin. "But I hope that the decision to continue to participate is one that you will carefully consider before making it final."

Weiss' lips parted slightly, probably on the verge of claiming that they didn't need to take their time to decide, before thinking better of it and stopping herself. Instead, she decided to ask something else. "Professor, what about our team name?"

"Your name?" asked Ozpin, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, without Ruby…we can't really be Team Ruby anymore, can we?" asked Weiss. "Shouldn't we be getting a new team name?"

"No."

The word caused everyone to look at Yang in surprise. It was the first thing she'd said since they'd entered the office.

"What?" asked Weiss sharply, her cheeks coloring, the muscles in her neck tensing again.

"We're _not_ changing the name," said Yang. "With or without her, we're still Team Ruby. I'm not going to let that change."

"Yang, be serious about this," said Weiss, a hint of scoff entering her voice. "This isn't about Ruby. It's about where we go from hereon out. We need a proper designation."

"I…" said Blake, speaking up hesitantly, "…I don't want to change our team name either, Weiss."

Clearly unhappy about being outvoted by her teammates, Weiss glared, but fell silent, obviously feeling that further protest on her part would only make things worse. Ozpin decided to help things along a little.

"Truth be told, keeping your name as Team Ruby is the simplest course," he said. "It's somewhat difficult to come up with names to match your initials." He fixed his gaze on Weiss with a small, wry smile. "However, upon consideration, I suppose the designation of Team Wallaby is available." In truth, had he needed to come up with a new team name, he would have gone with "Team Whiteberry." But it was clear that Yang and Blake were not amenable to changing their team's name and decided to pick one that would help Weiss relinquish the idea for the time being.

"Ruby is fine," said Weiss, clearly having to force herself to relax. Ozpin nodded, having known that Weiss would probably not want her team named after the odd, admittedly adorable, animal.

"Very well then. Ms. Schnee, you are officially the new leader of Team Ruby. I hope you will do your previous leader proud."

Weiss took a deep breath, then straightened up. "I promise not to disappoint you, Professor," she said firmly. "I will ensure that Team Ruby lives up to the highest standards of this Academy."

"All that I can ask is that you do the best you can," said Ozpin softly, not wanting Weiss to take too much responsibility onto herself. "Ms. Schnee, Ms. Belladonna, you two are dismissed. I need to speak with Ms. Xiao Long alone for a moment."

Weiss and Blake looked at Yang in confusion, before heading to the elevator. As it closed, Yang focused her attention on Ozpin, also apparently confused by his request.

"Ms. Xiao Long, I understand that this has hit you especially hard," he said. "There is no way that I could ever hope to identify with your grief, and I doubt anything I could say could alleviate it." He sighed, preparing to ask the question that he dreaded. "However…I wish to know how you feel…Do you believe that I was wrong to bring Ruby here, now?"

Yang blinked, opening her mouth, then stopped herself. What she had been about to say, Ozpin wasn't sure. Then she narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, mulling over his question. Finally, she met his steady gaze. "No," she said firmly. "Ruby deserved to be here. I'm not blind and deaf. I know what some of the other students think. But Ruby had every right to be in this Academy. I…I was glad when I learned that you'd invited her." She smiled softly to herself. "This…this was everything Ruby ever wanted to be."

"I see," said Ozpin, lowering his gaze. "Thank you for reassuring me. I apologize for the rather selfish nature of that question."

"It's…it's okay," said Yang softly.

"There is one other thing I wished to ask you," said Ozpin.

"Go ahead," said Yang.

"Given what has just happened, it is only natural that your family will need to be notified," said Ozpin. "I can ensure that Qrow Branwen receives word of what has passed. However…do you wish for me to tell your father…or would you rather give him the news yourself?"

Yang's skin went white, and her eyes wide. For an instant, she was petrified, a look of terror flashing across her face. Ozpin didn't blame her. Qrow had filled him in on Taiyang Xiao Long's depression after the loss of Summer Rose. Having lost not only one love, but two, how would he react to the news that his youngest daughter had passed as well?

"I…I'll tell him," said Yang, after regathering her composure. "He should hear it from me."

"I see," said Ozpin. "You may avail yourself of any of the terminals in the CCT Center below, or I can arrange transportation for you to Patch in order to tell him in person."

"I'll go to Patch," said Yang. "Dad's…I'm worried about what he'll do. I want to be there…to make sure he doesn't…do anything."

"Understandable," said Ozpin, nodding. "Please inform me when you wish to depart. I shall have a bullhead ready to fly you there directly."

"Thank you, Professor. It may be a day or two." Yang blinked, fighting back more tears. "I need time…time to pull myself together. I have to keep it together for Dad. He and Uncle Qrow are all I have now."

"Of course," said Ozpin, nodding. "Then you are dismissed, Ms. Xiao Long."

"Yes, Professor," said Yang, heading towards the elevator as well.

* * *

After taking the elevator down, Weiss and Blake had parted ways at the base of Beacon Tower. Blake had probably headed off the library, seeking solitude and quiet to deal with her feelings at the loss of their leader. Weiss chose to return to the dorm, fighting to keep her composure every step of the way. Only when the door was closed and locked behind her, did Weiss finally allow herself to relax her iron control, letting out a shuddering breath as she sagged down onto her bed and allowed her hands to unclench. She sighed out, struggling with equal parts elation and frustration.

It took all of Weiss' self control to keep her anger and impatience in check. It wasn't easy. After everything, all the humiliation she'd endured, all the careful arrangements she'd made, all the time she'd bided, she was finally rid of the eyesore, the child, the brat...that Ozpin, somehow, in the far recesses of his incomprehensible mind, had deemed suitable to lead their team.

She, Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Family name and their Dust empire, had been forced to play second fiddle to a child two years younger than her. She had been schooled by the finest tutors, trained in the fighting arts by the best instructors, incorporated the most advanced technology on Remnant into the design of her weapon. She'd invested her entire heart and soul into her studies, grooming herself to lead, in preparation for the day that she took the reins of her family's company and finally erased the stain her father had left on their legacy.

Her plans had been clear and precise, just like her technique, with no margin for error. Of the four Huntsmen Academies, Beacon was considered the best by a generous margin. Furthermore, attending Beacon and going to Vale allowed her to distance herself from her father, and cultivate her own connections, free of his influence. She would excel at Beacon, leading one of their teams to success, and win acclaim as a Huntress, before returning in triumph to her father and company with the clout necessary to make real change.

Yet all of those plans had been dashed to pieces within just minutes of arrival, when that damn brat had tripped over her luggage and then, worse, triggered an explosion with some of Weiss' own Dust. From the very moment she'd laid eyes on Ruby Rose, Weiss had known that the child didn't belong. Her impressions only got worse every time their paths crossed, all the way up into the initiation where, to Weiss' utter gall, Ruby had been the first person Weiss met eyes with. Her only other option was that blonde lunkhead, Arc, who'd ended up with Pyrrha, so Weiss had swallowed her frustration and tried to make due.

Ruby had even proven useful, able to handle herself and her weapon well enough that Weiss thought she might not have been a total beginner. They were partners, there was no escaping that. Weiss figured that Ruby might make a useful addition to her team...a minion of sorts. Then, to her appalled shock, Ozpin had named Ruby, not her, to the position of team leader.

Weiss couldn't have imagined a worse choice. Sure, Blake was quiet, and not very assertive. Yang was wild and far too impulsive. But either of them was a better choice than the girl two years too young to be in Beacon to begin with. And that was ignoring the fact that Ozpin had overlooked the obvious choice for leadership embodied in Weiss herself. It was an insult, a slap in the face. Weiss had worked, studied, and trained; and Ozpin just turned and handed leadership over to that…that…brat.

For the next couple of months, Weiss had been tortured by the constant sight of Ruby struggling to keep up in an institution where she clearly didn't belong. She saw Ruby's academic struggles, and how hard she had to work to keep up, and was further convinced that Ruby had no place at Beacon. It didn't help that, instead of applying herself completely to her studies, Ruby instead tried to drag Weiss off on various 'bonding activities,' mostly likely childish endeavors that were a waste of time and undermined her own studies. It was as though, instead of trying to keep up with Weiss' level of achievement, Ruby wanted to make herself look better by dragging Weiss down to her level.

But worst of all were the whispers, the rumors, the scornful looks Weiss and her team received. Yang claimed that Ruby was having it hard, with people talking behind her back, but Weiss knew that had to be a lie. She was the one truly being maligned. People were mocking her just outside her earshot; the great Schnee heiress, subservient to the child two years younger than her. People ate that sort of thing right up, then spat it back out to be eaten by someone else. The accolades she'd anticipated when she'd first applied to Beacon had been replaced by humiliation and mockery.

All of this left Weiss with one option, one hope of being able to turn this foolishness around. She was destined for greater things in life, greater than even being a Huntress. She was destined to inherit the most powerful company in all of Remnant, she was destined to reform it, to erase the things her father had done to malign their family name. She couldn't afford to languish in her current position. She had to rectify Ozpin's mistake and prove herself to the world. She realized there was one thing that had to be done.

Ruby Rose had to go.

Ironically, Weiss had found herself reflecting on Professor Port's observations about her, that she was a girl who was used to getting everything she wanted. He was right. After all…Weiss was a Schnee…and a Schnee _always_ gets what she wants. Weiss wanted-No!- _needed_ the power and prestige afforded to her by being the leader of a successful team. So Ruby Rose needed to get out of her way…or be _removed_ from her way.

It had taken a lot of effort to arrange things, as well as find someone to help her. As much as Weiss believed Ruby was no match for her in a serious, life or death, battle, she wanted to be absolutely certain. The other members of her team were out. Yang was Ruby's older sister, and doted on her incessantly. She apparently bought completely into the ridiculous idea that Ruby deserved to be at Beacon, much less lead their team. Blake had seemed plausible, until they had learned the truth about her. Weiss did not want to trust such a sensitive matter to a faunus, and a former member of the White Fang. Besides, Ruby, in her foolish naiveté, had expressed a strong belief in Blake's innocence, despite learning about her past, something that appeared to have earned Blake's acceptance.

Thus, Weiss had to consider approaching people on other teams. Team CRDL could have been her first choice, given how much they had secretly tormented Ruby, whenever Yang wasn't around. However, their focus had shifted to Jaune for some reason, then, after Jaune saved Cardin in Forever Fall, they had amended their behavior completely. Even if they hadn't, Weiss definitely had second thoughts, finding them lacking, to a man, in the brainpower department.

Her other option was Team JNPR. Of all of them, there was only one member of that team she felt she could sway to her side. Jaune was out. He clearly seemed to enjoy Ruby's company for some reason, never objecting whenever she dragged him off to watch movies or play video games, when he should have been studying or training. Nora was entirely too much like Ruby in disposition, if somehow even _more_ childish, and apparently considered "discretion" a dirty word. Ren had been a possibility, but Weiss couldn't shake the sense that he too had accepted Ruby, for some reason.

That left Pyrrha Nikos, the most brilliant fighter in their year, someone Weiss considered to be her natural ally. After all, both she and Pyrrha had been earmarked for greatness early on. Both of them had displaced from the position they should have received by far more inept, and less deserving, individuals. Granted, she didn't seem to mind much, having become quite enamored of her team's leader…for some reason. Still, Weiss thought it wouldn't be hard to sway her over.

And it hadn't, in the end. Every time Ruby dragged Jaune off for some inane activity, Weiss had noticed the spark of frustration in Pyrrha's eyes. She began to approach Pyrrha and ask her questions. Wasn't it annoying that Ruby would always drag Jaune off when he could be studying or training some more? Didn't she resent the fact that Ruby's childishness was denying her leader the chance to improve? Wouldn't it be better if Ruby were gone? It had taken time. Weiss couldn't win Pyrrha over right away. But every time she saw Pyrrha's frustration with something Ruby did, usually involving Jaune, Weiss didn't miss a chance to stoke that feeling, to nurture it, maturing it into resentment…and malice.

When Weiss was sure Pyrrha was on her side, she proposed the plan. Even with all the work Weiss had put into building up her resentment, Pyrrha had still been unsure about disposing of Ruby. However, her doubts were gradually eased when Weiss put forth her plan. She'd thought of everything, the mission, the Grimm, how they could be used to draw Ruby out, isolate her, then eliminate her, with no one being the wiser.

And it had gone off almost perfectly. Weiss and Pyrrha had managed to arrange the mission. The setting was perfect, even better than they had hoped for, with a cliff to put at Ruby's back to keep her from escaping. The Grimm had responded as they had hoped. But, even then, Ruby proved to be the annoying dunce that she always was, unable to even _die_ properly. It irked Weiss just how much effort she and Pyrrha had had to put into putting Ruby down. She still remembered that moment where Ruby had, unfathomably, been able to gain the upper hand, and had come within inches of beating her. Thank God for Pyrrha's Semblance.

And now Ruby was gone, the team was hers. Weiss would take over and lead her team past this "tragedy," mold them into the finest team Beacon had seen. Then everything would be the way it should have been, better even.

Still, she had to tread carefully. In a perfect world, Blake and Yang would swallow their sorrow, and see what had to be done and commit themselves. But this wasn't a perfect world. The two other girls, Yang in particular, were shaken by the loss of Ruby. Weiss would rather they just got over it. But she understood. They were sentimental. They wouldn't get over Ruby in a night, or even a week, or possibly a month. They'd have to eventually, but Weiss couldn't rush them. She couldn't afford to let her satisfaction with what she'd accomplished show through. She would have to pretend to mourn Ruby's death as well, pretend to have sympathy for Blake and Yang, pretend as though things weren't better with that infantile dunce holding them back.

 _I have to be patient,_ she thought. _Seizing victory is all about finding the right time to strike. I have to wait a little while longer. Then it will be as though Ruby Rose never existed._

* * *

The mood in the room of Team JNPR was a somber one to be sure. With their shared battle during the initiation, they all considered Team RWBY to be their sister team, with whom they spent most of their free time. Of all Team RWBY, they had become especially close to Ruby Rose, particularly Jaune Arc.

Jaune's introduction to Ruby hadn't been the smoothest, his first impression being sick over her sister's shoes. But it had gotten better when he'd helped Ruby after her first meeting with Weiss. From there, they'd become fast friends, even after the initiation had landed them on different teams. Ruby was always eager to do something with him, whether it was watching movies, playing video games, or even talking about their favorite subjects. In a way, it had helped Jaune cope with the homesickness, and the absence of his seven sisters from his life.

Both Ren and Nora had been particularly fond of Ruby as well. Nora was happy to rope Ruby into any pranks or other madness she was planning, while Ren occasionally tutored Ruby to help her keep up with Beacon's academic workload, admiring her perseverance. Pyrrha, on the other hand, didn't have any particular connection with Ruby, but did treat her with the same kind friendliness she used when interacting with nearly everyone else (sans CRDL).

So Ruby's death had been a blow to them. Nora was still weeping silently in Ren's arms as he tried his best calm her. Jaune was seated on his bed, leaning forward and resting his face silently in his hands. _It's so hard to really believe she's gone,_ he thought. Ruby was just so full of life that it was hard to imagine those shining, silver eyes as blank and lifeless, to imagine her bloody and broken at the fangs and claws of the Grimm. Perhaps it was better that they hadn't seen her body.

"Jaune?" asked Pyrrha, sitting down behind him and resting a hand on his shoulder. "Jaune, talk to me. Are you all right?"

"I can't really be all right," said Jaune softly, swallowing his frustration. It wasn't Pyrrha's fault. "It's just hard to accept."

"I know," said Pyrrha. She hesitated slightly. "It's…hard…for me too. I was _there_ , and there wasn't a thing I could do. I've never felt so…powerless." She raised her other hand to Jaune's chest. "But…we need to keep moving forward. We need to put our sorrow behind us, and use it to work towards making things better. I know Ruby wouldn't want us to drown in our sadness over her."

Jaune shuddered. Despite what Pyrrha said, it wasn't so easy to simply put this tragedy behind him. But she was right, he did have to move forward. "I'll…try," he said. "Thanks, Pyrrha."

"It's only natural," said Pyrrha, smiling fondly at him. "We should reach out to the ones who are suffering and give them some aid. It's the kind of thing that Ruby would have liked."

"Yeah," said Jaune, his eyes widening. "You're right. Thanks again Pyrrha." He sniffed and wiped his eyes, getting to his feet.

"Jaune…?" Pyrrha's eyes betrayed confusion, not knowing what to make of his reaction. "What are you doing?"

"I'm doing what you said we should do," said Jaune, smiling down at Pyrrha. He looked down at his hands. "I…It hurt so much to lose Ruby. But…what I…what we're feeling…can't compare to what Yang's going through. She just lost her _sister_. I can't even begin to imagine what that's like for her. She and Ruby were so close. I'm going to go see if she's okay, if there's anything I can do to help her." He beamed at Pyrrha, who looked more confused than ever. "I'll see you guys in a little bit."

Jaune left the room, the door swinging shut behind him. Pyrrha stared at it, her eyes wide, her expression uncomprehending. _I don't understand. It wasn't supposed to be like this._

* * *

Yang wasn't sure what to do with herself. She'd told Ozpin she needed time to pull herself together. But she wasn't exactly sure how to do even that. How could she ever just "move on" after losing the most important person in her life? She couldn't go pretending that the days didn't seem a little bit darker without her sister's radiant presence in it. Back when they'd lost their mother, Summer Rose, Yang had pulled herself together. But the impetus for that had been Ruby. Their father was in no condition to care for Ruby, so Yang had taken on the responsibility.

Now Ruby was gone, and everything seemed so…so… _wrong_. That was the only way she could describe it. Yang couldn't believe the empty gulf that existed in her life, without her precious younger sister to fill it. She wasn't like Blake, able to seek solace in solitude and books. She wasn't like Weiss either, able to lose herself in endless studies. She wasn't sure what she could do to help her process her grief.

Her initial idea was to go out on the town, and hit up a bar or three…or a dozen. Perhaps she'd get into a brawl, and be able to pound out her sorrows on some poor schmuck's face. That was the ideal way for Yang Xiao Long to vent her grief. But she couldn't do that either. It wasn't because she wasn't allowed to leave. Ozpin had given her free rein after all. But she was worried that, if she went out, caused trouble, and got into trouble, it would end up getting back to her dad, which would cause him to find out why…and that was not how she wanted him to find out about Ruby's death.

That was how she found herself now, sitting on a bench near the edge of the cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest. Right now, it was the only thing she could think of, the only thing she could do to begin the process of getting herself together enough to face her father with the truth of what happened.

"Hey…" The gentle, familiar voice prompted Yang to look up, lifting her face out of her hands. She was surprised to see the familiar figure of Jaune Arc standing there, smiling sadly down at her.

"H-hey," Yang said back, sniffing and wiping her eyes. "What do you want?"

Jaune sat down on the bench next to her. "I guess…I wanted to see how you were doing. Pyrrha gave me a bit of a pep-talk to help me out. But the thing it made me realize is that what I was feeling couldn't compare to what you are. I just wanted to see if there was anything I could do to…you know…help."

"Help?" said Yang, a sob rising unbidden to her throat. "There's nothing to help. Ruby's gone. We can't bring her back."

"I know," said Jaune. "I can't help her. No one can. But I can help you."

"How?"

Jaune's smile widened slightly. "However you need," he said. "Someone to talk to, a shoulder to lean on…Heck! I can even be a punching bag, if you need someone or something to pound on. Ruby told me that's how you usually deal with things when you're upset."

Yang sniffed and found herself smiling. Put like that, it sounded like an excellent way to work out her frustrations. "You'd do that for me?" she asked. "The punching bag thing, I mean."

"Yeah," said Jaune, giving her a slightly shaky grin. "I can't promise that I'll give you much of a fight. But if there's one thing I can do well, it's take a beating."

That made Yang giggle. "Well then, let's see if you can live up to your promises."

* * *

It only took them a few minutes to get set up. They reserved a sparring ring, got suited up, and equipped themselves for battle. Then Jaune was facing Yang in the ring, his sword and shield out and ready, while Yang armed her gauntlets.

"I hope you're ready for a pounding," said Yang, smacking her gauntlets together.

"Yep," said Jaune a bit weakly, starting to feel he was out of his depth. He'd known that Yang would have a lot of anger, sorrow, and frustration to work out, but, now that he was facing her, he suddenly found himself wondering if he was strong enough to handle taking that onto himself in the form of her fists.

"Then here I come!" shouted Yang, charging forward without further preamble.

She surged at him, a streak of gold flying across the ring. Jaune barely managed to raise his shield in time before her first punch slammed home, the sound of her gauntleted fist ringing against his shield, echoing throughout the large room. Jaune's arm screamed from the exertion of holding back the blow, even as his feet slid back.

But that was only the opening move, and Yang never did anything by half-measures. She unleashed a flurry of swift punches, unloading onto Jaune's shield like it had personally insulted her or, worse, clipped her hair. The best Jaune could manage was to hunker down behind it and brace himself to keep from being pushed right out of the ring. Had she been fighting more rationally, Yang could have easily bypassed his defense with her excellent footwork, moving around the area of coverage afforded by his shield to reach his undefended body. However, right now, Yang was anything _but_ rational.

She was surprised by how right Jaune had been. Even if it was the hard, unyielding surface of his shield, it was just so gratifying to be able to hit something, anything. So Yang unloaded on Jaune's shield with all her might, putting her all into each and every blow, punctuating it with a blast from Ember Celica. She didn't even realize it, but her eyes had already shifted to red, her hair beginning to glow.

After God knows how many punches, Yang's momentum began to play out. Even with all the raw passion she had to put into her assault, her body just couldn't keep up. As the pace of her blows began to slow down, Jaune suddenly braced his feet and pushed back against her as Yang moved to hit his shield again. The sudden opposition actually caused Yang to fall back slightly, giving Jaune an opening to move forward, leading with a slash of his sword.

Yang reacted automatically, deflecting his slash with a raised gauntlet, before taking to the air. Firing the Ember Celica behind her, she used the recoil to send herself into a spin that allowed her to bring the heel of her foot down at Jaune's head. He deftly raised his shield as her boot slammed into it with a crash, though the force of impact caused his knees to buckle. He managed to force her kick back, Yang pushing off to flip back over and land on her feet. Then, to her surprise, Jaune went on the attack.

From there, Yang's combat instincts took over as she blocked or dodged his strikes and returned them in kind. She was actually impressed that Jaune was able to keep up against her, successfully managing both his weapons to keep her from getting too much of an edge. She'd known that Jaune was getting better under Pyrrha's tutelage, but it was another thing to see just how much better he was now.

Once again, they slammed together, Yang pressing her gauntlets into Jaune's shield, bracing her body against her arms, as Jaune did the same from the other side. The two of them staring at each other. Jaune met Yang's eyes and smiled at her with a surprising degree of confidence.

Yang's heart shuddered, and her own smile vanished. For a second there, it wasn't Jaune standing there, but Ruby. His smile was like hers. The moment she saw it, the wound that still hadn't healed began to hurt once more. Screaming filled the air and Yang took a minute to realize it was her own. Her Aura blazed around her like flames as she raged, slamming her fist into Jaune's shield with a force incomparable to what she'd used before, her Semblance kicking into high gear.

Jaune barely managed to hold up under the onslaught for a few seconds, before a hooking strike knocked his shield arm out to the side. Then his body was wide open and Yang didn't hesitated to pounce, pounding into it with a seemingly unending sequence of punches, right and left, over and over again. Jaune reeled back, knocked to the floor, his shield and sword skidding out of his reach. But even then, Yang wasn't done. She loomed over him, then brought her fist thundering down.

Not once did Jaune cry out or ask her to stop. All he offered was grunts of pain. A few more punches after she'd downed him and Yang's momentum began to play out, her hits losing the explosive strength that had so completely overwhelmed him. Jaune's body ached all over. He was pretty sure Yang had broken his Aura. He was probably bruised and battered. But still, he reached up and wrapped his arms around her, managing to sit up against her weakened punches and pull her into a hug.

Unable to stop, Yang broke down sobbing, throwing her arms around Jaune's neck and pressing her face into his shoulder, crying, screaming, and wailing. Jaune held her tight, raising a hand to gently comb through her long locks of flowing, blonde hair. "It's okay," he said.

"No it isn't," Yang said. "Ruby's gone…Ruby's gone and she isn't coming back."

"I know," said Jaune pressing his hand against the back of her head.

"Then how can you say that?" Yang shouted into the fabric of his hoody.

"I mean…It's okay to be sad," said Jaune. "It's okay to cry. It's okay to miss her. I miss her too, but…I know you miss her more. I know you'll _never_ stop missing her. That's why I'll be whatever you need me to be to help you get through this."

Yang sniffed and started sobbing again, her weight settling against Jaune, who stifled a groan as his battered muscles gave out. As slow as he could, he laid back, lowering them both to the floor, letting Yang lay on top of him as he continued to hold her. Time wore on. Minutes passed. How many, he couldn't say. But Jaune remained where he was, holding Yang as her cries tapered off and her body stilled. He thought she might have fallen asleep. But then she lifted her face up from his shoulder and met his eyes.

Even though her face was stained with tears, her eyes red from weeping, Jaune still found Yang beautiful as she stared at him. Now that she'd calmed down, Yang was horrified to see the state Jaune was in. He had a serious bruise on his right cheek, and his left eye was black. While his chestplate had taken some of the impact, his torso was probably still a mass of bruises as well. He didn't look as though anything was broken. She wouldn't have been able to stand it if she'd seriously injured him when he was just trying to help her. "Jaune, I-"

"It's okay," said Jaune. "I told you I'd be your punching bag if you needed to. I brought this on myself."

His response made Yang giggle and she sagged down against him, allowing him to hold her again. "Thanks," she said, finding the feeling surprisingly comfortable.

"Whatever I can do," promised Jaune. "Just tell me what you need."

"For now…I just want to stay like this," said Yang, relaxing a little. It surprised her how good he was at this. It might have had something to do with him having seven sisters, but he was surprisingly good at comforting someone in low spirits. He'd homed right in on what she needed, and provided it without hesitation. Ruby's loss still hurt something fierce. But Yang didn't feel overwhelmed by it now.

She supposed she'd been right to encourage Ruby to spend time with Jaune. She'd seen her little sister's first big crush a mile away, of course. Yang had been happy to encourage Ruby, subtly, to act on her feelings. Contrary to what some of her friends thought, Yang wasn't some overprotective helicopter sister who would waste anybody she caught looking at Ruby. Sure, if she'd thought Jaune was the sort of slimeball to take advantage of Ruby, she'd have pounded him into next week (before she'd _actually_ pounded him into next week). But Jaune had seemed a nice boy, if a little goofy and dense, as evidenced by his completely blindness to his own partner's attraction to him.

It wasn't as though Yang had wanted to spite Pyrrha. She had just wanted Ruby to be happy. So, if Pyrrha wasn't willing to just up and tell Jaune how she felt, then Yang felt Ruby deserved a chance to be with Jaune too. Granted, Ruby was just as hesitant as Pyrrha was when it came to telling the object of her crush how she felt about him, but someone would figure something out and do something…sooner or later…or so she'd thought.

And then this had happened, and any thought of seeing Ruby go out on her first date, seeing her boyfriend get the "dad talk" from Taiyang, and so on, had disappeared into the ether. It made Yang tear up all over again when she realized that she'd miss all those little moments that would have come with watching Ruby mature into a woman like her mother. Yang's heart shuddered and her fingers clenched against Jaune's shoulders, bunching up the fabric of his hoody. Jaune didn't say a word, but reassuringly rubbed her back as fresh tears spilled out of Yang's eyes.

It took a few more minutes to calm down again. When she did, Yang lifted her head to meet Jaune's eyes once more. "Thank you so much," she said.

"Feel better?" asked Jaune.

"A lot," said Yang. "You really did help me." She looked away slightly and sniffled. "But…could you help me with one more thing?"

"Anything," Jaune promised.

Yang swallowed, feeling sick in the pit of her stomach as she thought about what she had to do. "I…I need to go back to Patch," she said. "I need to go back and tell…" She shuddered, her entire body quivering. "…tell Dad…what happened."

"R-right," said Jaune.

"C-could you…could you come with me?" asked Yang.

"I told you I'd do whatever I could to help," said Jaune, "and an Arc never goes back on his word. Just tell me when you want to leave."

Yang swallowed. "I guess…the sooner the better. I thought I was gonna take a couple of days. But…" She shuddered again. "But I can't put it off, or I'll never find the courage to go. I think we should go today."

"So…let's get cleaned up and get ready," said Jaune. "I'll meet you at the docks."

* * *

An hour later, they were waiting as the bullhead Ozpin promised them arrived at the landing pad. Jaune and Yang climbed aboard and settled in as the aircraft lifted off. Jaune was grateful that Pyrrha had unlocked his Aura. Apparently, among all its other manifest benefits, was the fact that it appeared to ease his motion sickness. While he felt a little woozy and nauseous, he wasn't having to choke back his own vomit with every bump and rattle of the airship.

Even then, what airsickness he did feel was probably due to the marginal state his Aura was currently in. Thanks to the pounding that Yang had delivered, his Aura had been almost completely drained. Even though it was slowly returning, most of it was going into healing his injuries, his bruises beginning to fade.

"Thanks for this," said Yang, smiling at him from across the bullhead's passenger compartment.

"No problem," Jaune replied, before jolting as his scroll abruptly vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, Jaune saw an anxious text from Pyrrha. "Uh oh."

"What's wrong?" asked Yang, prompting a sheepish grin from Jaune as he rubbed his hair nervously.

"Uh…I may have forgotten to tell Pyrrha where I was going," he said. "I didn't exactly expect to be flying off to Patch this afternoon."

Yang giggled as Jaune texted an answer back to Pyrrha. _Geez, more than his aspiring girlfriend, she acts like his mom._

The thought made her wonder about Jaune's family what it was like. However, there wasn't really time right now. The flight to Patch was short, a lot shorter than taking the ferry. Yang was grateful for Ozpin's offer, not wanting to spend the hour-long ferry ride to the island fretting over how to break the news to her dad.

It was only a few minutes later that the bullhead touched down. Yang and Jaune disembarked, Yang leading him up the road to her house, the home she'd shared with her father and Ruby. As she did, she began to tremble, the realization dawning at what she was about to do, what she was about to say.

Then she felt a warm hand close around hers, strong fingers meshing with her own and squeezing reassuringly. Yang looked over and saw Jaune looking at her. He wasn't smiling, but he nodded to her all the same. Yang nodded back and swallowed one last time, letting go of Jaune's hand and heading up to the door of the house.

Knocking, Yang stood back and waited. After a few seconds, she heard the floorboards creak beneath her father's heavy tread, accompanied by the skittering of claws against the wood. Yang felt her stomach lurch again as she realized who else was just about to learn the terrible news she was about to deliver.

The door opened, and there was her father. While Yang supposedly took after her biological mother in the looks department, she also had a lot of her father in her. Taiyang smiled at his daughter. "Yang?" he asked, surprised to see her. "What's going on? You didn't tell me you were visiting." Taiyang's eyes found Jaune and narrowed in confusion. "Who is this?"

A black and white corgi bounded out and loped about Yang's feet, barking excitedly.

"Hi…I'm Jaune," said Jaune lamely, unsure of what else to say. He didn't want to disrupt Yang's efforts at this point.

"D-dad," said Yang, her body quivering as she leaned against him, tears once again forcing their way out of her eyes. "Dad…I have something to tell you."

Taiyang looked down at Yang, his eyes immediately going wide at the sight of his eldest daughter looking so hurt and vulnerable. "Yang? Yang what's wrong."

At their feet, Zwei, the family dog, came to a stop, whining with sagging ears as he began to process that his family was not happy.

"Dad…It's…" Yang shuddered, barely able to even bring herself to say what she had to. "It's Ruby…Ruby's…gone."

* * *

 **And so, the Meanwhile, Back at Beacon arc begins. The fallout of Ruby Rose dying on a mission would definitely be pretty heavy, so a hefty chunk of the early portion of this arc is dealing with how people, primarily Yang and Jaune, our main characters on this end, deal with it. Of course, Taiyang's reaction is especially important.**

 **I may have wound up putting a little too much work in to Weiss' justifications for what she's done. But I did want to articulate the mental hoops canon Weiss might conceivably wind up jumping through in order to come to this particular course of action, but it essentially boils down to her taking Port's admonishment about "being someone used to getting what she wants," and going, "You're right, because I _should_ get what I want."**

 **In this particular sub-genre of RWBY fanfiction, Team CRDL are often additional culprits, and I considered adding them to the list, before deciding against it, mostly to make it manageable. That, and CRDL being the stereotypical jock-bullies is pretty old-hat at this point. Really, they wind up not having much of a role in this story at all.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26:**

It hadn't been easy. Yang and her father had clung to each other, eventually making it back into the house, collapsing onto the couch as the story of what had happened to Ruby spilled from Yang's lips.

Jaune had followed them in, not wanting to intrude, but also figuring it was best to keep an eye on things. He shut the door behind him and allowed a despondent Zwei to climb onto his lap, giving the little dog the comfort and attention he desperately needed in this time. There was no way Zwei could fully comprehend what was happening. All he knew was that his family was sad…and that one of them was missing.

The afternoon faded into evening as Yang and her father cried into each other's arms, pouring out their pain and grief to one another. Jaune found Zwei's food and fed him. Then he went into the kitchen. Looking through the refrigerator, he found that they had the ingredients for a passable meal, and went about the process of making dinner for them. Maybe it was rude of him to use their kitchen without their approval, but he figured that they needed their time to cope and that neither of them would be up to making anything with what they were going through.

Once dinner was ready, Jaune managed to coax them both to the table and convince them to eat. Yang ate readily enough, showing a quiet appreciation for Jaune's kindness. However, Taiyang ate mechanically, as though he wasn't really aware of what was sitting in front of him. Seeing his behavior replaced Yang's own sorrow with worry. This was exactly what she feared would happen when she delivered the news.

Evening passed on to night. Jaune cleaned the dishes, realizing that he and Yang were probably not going to be heading back to Beacon before tomorrow. He sent a text to his team, and one to Ozpin, explaining the situation and notifying the latter of their impending absence.

Yang was eventually able to regain the presence of mind to thank Jaune for helping, and inviting him to stay the night in the guest room. He and Yang went up to get ready for bed. But Jaune couldn't shake the memory of the sight of Taiyang sitting on the couch, staring off into space, dead to the world.

In retrospect, Jaune realized he should have expected this. At the very least, he should have packed a toothbrush, if not his pajamas. Fortunately, there were plenty of spare toothbrushes to be found in the Xiao Long household and Yang had found one for him. After cleaning up as best he could, Jaune had stripped down to his boxers and climbed under the covers of the guest room bed, ready to drop off to sleep. After everything he had been through today, he expected to be out before his head hit the pillow.

What he hadn't expected was for the door to the room to swing open to reveal Yang, dressed in an orange tank top and black shorts, nearly identical to the ones she wore at Beacon. He guessed she must have a spare set of pajamas here.

"Yang, what is it?" asked Jaune, sitting up.

"I…" Yang rubbed her arm, averting her eyes. "I…I can't sleep…not in my room?"

"Why not?" asked Jaune.

"B-because it's…" She sniffled. "…It's Ruby's room too." She shuddered, choking back a sob. "Her bed is right there, next to mine. I…I tried to sleep there, but…but I just roll over and see her bed there and it hits me." Yang's legs buckled, threatening to send her to the floor. "She's never going to sleep in that bed again! I just can't take it! I can't stay there."

Jaune managed to get up and catch Yang as she stumbled towards him.

"C-can I stay here tonight?" she asked.

"Sure you can," said Jaune, his cheeks going red. All the same, he pulled Yang towards him and lifted the covers, allowing her to climb in before he joined her. Hugging her tightly, Jaune gently rubbed his hand up and down Yang's back as she sniffled into his shoulder, crying herself to sleep.

It was a lot more difficult for Jaune to sleep now, despite how tired he was. His body wasn't exactly slow to remind him that he had an extremely attractive, skimpily clad girl clinging tightly to him, her impressive bust pressed up against his side, and her powerful legs curling around his own. Despite that, Jaune swallowed up the visceral feelings his libido was trying to force on him, and concentrated on the context. Yang was grieving and needed contact to help cope. There was no way he could allow himself to take advantage of her.

Despite that, Jaune eventually felt his eyes drifting shut, lulled to sleep by the warmth of the girl in his arms.

* * *

He wasn't sure how late it was. But Jaune cursed the need to answer nature's call in the dead of night. It was tricky, extricating himself from Yang in a way that wouldn't wake her. Even after he pulled away and got out of bed, he found himself staring at her sleeping face, marveling how peaceful she looked. Unable to help himself, Jaune brushed back a few strands of her hair before his body demanded that its needs be met and he made his way to the bathroom.

After finishing his business and washing up, Jaune was contemplating how to sneak back into bed without disturbing Yang when he noticed a light on downstairs. Frowning, Jaune fished his hoody out from where he'd left it before going to bed, and put it on before going down to investigate.

Entering the living room, Jaune swallowed, and felt his stomach drop as he saw Taiyang sitting there on the living room couch, staring at a bottle of whiskey, with a glass sitting in front of it. The glass was empty and, to Jaune's relief, there was no sign of residue showing that it had been used earlier that night. A more careful look at the bottle itself showed that the cover over the cork was still in place, indicating that it hadn't been opened yet, another hopeful sign. The drinking that Taiyang had apparently set out to do hadn't started yet.

Still, the forlorn and lost look on the man's face was unsettling. Taiyang was a well-built man, clearly someone who'd seen many fights in his time. It was unnerving to see someone who looked so strong...yet also looked so fragile at the same time.

"Sir…" said Jaune, approaching him carefully. With everything that he'd been through this night, it was likely that Taiyang was barely even cognizant of Jaune being in his house, if he realized another person had shown up with Yang at all.

"I told myself I'd never do this again," said Taiyang, apparently speaking to himself as much as Jaune. "After I lost Summer…after I nearly lost the girls, I said no more. I poured every drop of liquor I had down the drain…save this…this one bottle. I kept it. I guess it was just my last bit of weakness. I thought, maybe…maybe this time, I'd open it to _celebrate_ something: my girls going to Beacon, their first mission, graduation, marriage, grandchildren…so many things I was thinking about saving this bottle for. But now…"

Taiyang's hands clenched on his lap, his right twitching to begin reaching for the glass, bottle, or both. "But what was it for?" he asked. "One of my daughters, the sole remaining light in my life…is gone. I'm trying to tell myself that I still have one other, I still have Yang. But…but how long until it's her turn?"

Taiyang lurched forward, burying his face in his hands. "How long until it's someone else at the door, telling me Yang is dead? I can't take it!"

Jaune carefully moved around the table and slid the bottle back away, out of Taiyang's reach. "But she isn't gone," said Jaune. "Yang's still here. And she needs you."

"What?" Taiyang looked up at Jaune with confused eyes.

Jaune did his best to put a smile on his own face. "Yang's incredibly strong. She's intelligent, confident, and caring. But I know she still needs you. She's already lost Ruby. She's coming to terms with that. But, on the way here, I know the thing that worried the most, what she was most afraid of, was losing you too. You have to hold on for her."

"And if I lose her?" asked Taiyang.

Jaune's smile faltered. "Then you're free to break down all you want," he said softly. "But until then…you still have Yang."

Taiyang slowly nodded and looked at the bottle one more time. "That goes in the cabinet above the refrigerator. Can you put it away for me?"

"Of course," said Jaune, taking the bottle and glass with him. When he returned, Taiyang was still sitting on the couch, staring forward. But at least some life had returned to his eyes. He looked up when Jaune entered.

"You're Jaune, right?"

"Yes, Sir," said Jaune, nodding slowly.

Taiyang gave him the slightest of smiles. "Ruby wrote a lot about you. You were close to her?"

"She was my best friend," replied Jaune.

Taiyang nodded at that. "Do you miss her?"

"Of course I do," he said. "It hurts to know she's gone. But I also know that the people she'd be most worried about are you and Yang."

"That's why you're with her?" asked Taiyang.

Jaune nodded.

"I see," said Taiyang. "Thank you. I'm glad that Ruby and Yang have a friend like you. Please look after Yang as best you can."

"I promise," said Jaune.

Taiyang's expression softened. "I'd best get to bed. You should too. We have things to do tomorrow."

"Yeah…" said Jaune, thinking about what was to come. "…Yeah, we do."

* * *

Jaune wanted to try and crawl back into bed without disturbing Yang. Unfortunately, she'd already noticed his absence.

"Where were you?" she asked.

"Bathroom," answered Jaune as she sidled up close to him.

"Long trip?" asked Yang with a bit of wry humor that brought a smile to Jaune's face.

"I had to take a detour," he said.

"For what?"

"To talk to your dad."

He felt Yang shudder against him and hugged her.

"Is he…?"

"He just needed to talk," Jaune assured her, deciding that Yang didn't need to know about the bottle, given that Taiyang had been able to resist the urge to use it.

"Thank you," Yang whispered to him tiredly.

"Of course," said Jaune, gently rubbing her back. "I'm here for whatever you need."

They began to fall asleep again. Just before he drifted off, Jaune felt a pair of warm lips brush against his cheek.

* * *

The next few days gave everyone plenty to be occupied with as Yang and her father set about the painful task of making arrangements for Ruby's funeral. Seeing as Ruby's body hadn't been recovered, there wasn't all that much to do but schedule the service and order Ruby's headstone. The arrangements were taken care of in a mere four days. Jaune stayed with them throughout the process, doing his best to help Yang and Taiyang through it. He'd prepare meals for them, grab groceries and other necessities, and take care of just about anything else that came up, while they sat in the living room, talking or crying in each other's arms.

Two nights after they'd arrived, Yang was able to go back to her room, though she still got a cold, empty feeling from looking at Ruby's empty bed.

Qrow arrived the day before, looking despondent…and drunk. But Yang assured Jaune that Qrow was always drunk, and looked no drunker than usual.

The weather on the funeral day was bright and clear, only a few clouds of puffy white dotting the sky. It felt almost perverse that such a fine day would wind up hosting such a solemn occasion. The service was held on the very same cliff where Summer Rose, Ruby's mother, had been laid to rest, figuratively speaking (her body had never been found either).

Jaune was secretly glad that there was no body for the funeral. While it was painful to think of what had happened to Ruby after she had passed, it would have been a hundred times more painful to see her laying there in repose, as though she was merely asleep, and might wake up at any time.

Besides Yang, Taiyang, and Qrow, the rest of Ruby's team and Team JNPR had made the trip from Beacon for the event. In addition to them were distant relatives, friends of the family who lived on the island and in Vale proper. Even Ruby's former classmates from Signal were there. They were dressed in somber black as the minister related words over Ruby's new grave. Afterwards, the majority of them adjourned back to the Xiao Long household for the wake. Only four people remained.

Yang crouched in front of her sister's new grave, running her fingers over Ruby's name, chiseled precisely into the rock, along with her epitaph, _"Plucked before I could wilt."_ Jaune and Taiyang stood behind her, watching with somber expressions. Qrow stood a few meters back, watching the three of them with sorrowful eyes. His flask lay forgotten in his pocket, Qrow unable to bring himself to drink right now, or he might not be able to stop, ever.

Finally, Yang rested her hands on top of the grave. "I'm sorry, Ruby," she said. "I should have been there for you when you needed me. I failed you. But I promise not to give up. I'll keep moving forward, just like you would."

Jaune rested a hand on Yang's shoulder, prompting her to turn to look at him. She smiled sadly and got to her feet.

"Ready?" asked Jaune.

Yang nodded hesitantly and took his hand. They turned to face Taiyang, who regarded them with a calm expression. He favored them with a nod. "Go on ahead," he said.

Yang and Jaune shared a worried look and did as Taiyang bid. They hesitated when they reached Qrow.

"Go on," he said. "I'll keep an eye on Tai."

"Thanks, Uncle Qrow," said Yang wiping her eyes again.

Qrow patted Jaune on the shoulder. "You're a good egg, kid."

"Thanks," said Jaune, still not sure how to interact with Ruby and Yang's lauded, but eccentric uncle.

The two of them headed down the path that led to the Xiao Long household. The others had already gathered, having brought dishes in a potluck, where they could honor the deceased in their own way. Yang circulated around the room, speaking with various people accepting their condolences, and promising to carry on in her sister's memory. Jaune watched her from the fringes, nibbling on some of the food he'd taken on a paper plate.

"Jaune…"

"Huh?" Jaune glanced to the side to see Pyrrha standing with him, carrying a plate of her own. "What's up, Pyrrha?"

"You're coming back to Beacon, right?" asked Pyrrha. "I know we have another week, but still…"

"I know," said Jaune. "I just want to stick with Yang a while longer, and make sure that she's okay."

"Jaune, you can't spend the whole time fussing over her," said Pyrrha, her eyes darting one way or another. "If you hover around her too much, you'll just become a burden."

Jaune sighed, and rubbed the back of his head. "You might be right. I don't want to wear out my welcome, but I promised her dad I'd keep an eye on her." He chuckled. "Besides, Yang isn't one to mince words when she's tired of someone's company. If that happens, I'll probably be taking the express route back to Beacon via her fist. Don't worry about Yang."

 _Yang isn't the one I want to worry about,_ thought Pyrrha bitterly. Still, she worried that, if she pushed too hard, she'd end up upsetting Jaune, rather than coaxing him back to Beacon…and to her. Pyrrha turned away, trying to salvage her morale. _It's okay. He's just helping a friend get through a troubled time. There's no need to make more of it._

Not far away, Weiss stood apart from the crowd, sipping from a mug of coffee, and struggling to hide her eagerness to be away from this farce as soon as possible. _I swear, even dead, that dunce knows how to make my life hell._ Of course she had expected Yang's grief and the funeral, but that didn't mean that it didn't irk her. As much as possible, Weiss wanted to move on as though Ruby didn't exist. It was bad enough her remaining two teammates had overruled her about changing the team name. Even if it hadn't been explicitly named after her, it was still Ruby's name the team was carrying. Had it been up to Weiss, she'd have erased every trace that the troublesome girl had ever existed.

Still, she supposed that all of this just gave her more time to plan and prepare. Once Yang and Blake were over Ruby's death, Weiss could take the reins of the team properly, and shape them into the elite force they were destined to be. Already she was planning intensive group studying sessions and training regimens. No doubt there would be those who would scoff that a team of three could excel, much less take the top at Beacon, but Weiss intended to prove them dead wrong.

Let Yang and Blake think it was her way of honoring Ruby's memory. Weiss was doing this for herself. She'd prove that Ozpin was wrong, that she should have been the one to lead their team from the very beginning. _It's my turn._

* * *

After the wake was over and everything had cleaned up, Yang and Jaune changed into some more comfortable clothes. Jaune was glad for the change, seeing that Yang looked more like herself. Admittedly, she looked good in black. But such a formal outfit didn't suit her at all. Then again, funeral clothes weren't supposed to look becoming. He sat next to her on the couch and Yang leaned against him. Jaune hesitated for a moment, then slowly raised his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"You doing all right?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Yang, sounding tired. "Thanks for everything that you've done. I don't think Dad or I would have made it through this week without you."

"I'm just glad I could help," said Jaune earnestly. "I'm still here for you." Pyrrha's words at the wake came back to him. "You'd tell me if you thought I was being annoying, wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would," said Yang, grinning at him, before resting her head on his shoulder again. "Right now, you're one of the people helping me hold it together. I…I'm not quite ready to go it on my own yet."

Reaching over with his free hand, Jaune took her hand in his own and squeezed it gently. "You'll never have to go it on your own, Yang. It's not just me: Ren, Nora, Pyrrha, Weiss, and Blake…We'll all be here for you, even long after this."

"Thanks," said Yang, turning and planting the lightest of kisses on his cheek, before settling against him again, ignoring Jaune's blush. "But, right now, you're the one I need."

"I'll be here," Jaune promised, squeezing her hand.

Yang shifted slightly. "Tomorrow…" she said, sounding surprisingly hesitant, "…tomorrow, would you like to hit the bar with me. We could raise a couple of glasses in Ruby's memory."

Jaune gulped. He'd never been out drinking before. When he was younger, he'd occasionally stolen a sip of his mother's wine. He'd once tried the same with his father's brandy, but the burning sensation had him sputtering and coughing in such a way that his father had decided that the experience was its own punishment. Jaune hadn't touched liquor of any kind since. After a moment's hesitation, he decided he could at least stick with Yang for as long as she wanted his company. "Sure," he said. _That way I can make sure she doesn't drink too much at least._

That night, Jaune found himself sharing the guest bed with Yang once again. Apparently the funeral had revived that sense of vulnerability that made her unable to sleep in her own room, with her sister's empty bed right across from her own. Jaune accepted her presence readily enough, but couldn't help but worry that he was getting a little too accustomed to sleeping with Yang, wondering if her father and/or uncle knew, and what they might think of this situation. He could only hope that they wouldn't beat him to a pulp.

It took Yang a few more days to fully come to terms with her grief before she returned to Beacon, with Jaune in tow. The day after she got back, Weiss called an "Official Team Meeting" in their room to discuss the future of Team WBY.

"We'll start with this," she said dropping a large binder on the floor in front of them.

"What's this?" asked Blake, looking at Weiss in confusion.

"During the past week, I kept up with classes, and made sure that all of my notes were up to date." said Weiss, clearly proud of her work. "I've come up with this review plan to make sure we're all up to speed in time for the end-of-semester exams."

"I thought Professor Ozpin exempted us from the exams," said Yang, eyeing the binder dubiously, hiding her frustration that, even though Ruby was dead, all Weiss could seem to think about was their grades. _I'm sure it's her own way of coping,_ she thought, thinking back on the two occasions Jaune had needed to practically carry her home after she'd drunk too much at the bar, and her hangovers the following morning. If Jaune hadn't been there, there was no question she'd have made a serious mess of herself. _Yeah…if Jaune hadn't been there…I'll need to think of a way to thank him._

"He offered us the opportunity to take them at a later date," said Weiss imperiously. "But, with proper preparation, we can take them as scheduled, and show to the entire Academy that we won't let this tragedy hold us back." She paused, stiffening slightly. "It's what Ruby would want."

 _Somehow, I doubt that,_ thought Yang wryly, knowing that she probably wouldn't want her team to burry themselves in schoolwork when they could, say, go out and have a time wiping out a pack of Grimm in her memory. Still, Yang supposed that Ruby would want them to keep going and not be held back by her absence.

"Well, I suppose, if we can do it, we should," said Blake. "In all honesty, it will be better if we get the exams over with and not have to worry about them during our break."

"That's right," said Yang, thinking about the break. _It's a chance for me to thank Jaune properly for what he did._

"Excellent," said Weiss, her tone imperious. "Then let us adjourn to the library and begin our first team studying session. I'm sure, with enough hard work, we'll take the top during the exams."

"I think you're aiming a little high, Weiss," said Yang, drawing a "humph" from her, "but let's do it."

They filed out, Yang going first, followed by Blake. Weiss brought up the rear, a small, satisfied smile on her face. _Just like I planned._

* * *

Taiyang smiled and set down Yang's letter with a satisfied sigh. He was glad that his Little Sunny Dragon was moving on from her loss and glad that her friend had talked him into doing the same. He still visited Ruby and Summer's graves every single day, wanting to keep their memory alive as much as possible. Until his leave expired, and his classes at Signal resumed, he figured it was a good way to deal with his own dark feelings, which sometimes threatened to surface in his weaker moments.

Qrow had hung around for an extra day after Jaune and Yang left, apparently having another of his unusual secret missions, which kept him away from weeks or months at a stretch. He'd double and triple-checked to ensure that Taiyang wasn't going to have a relapse before going, worried despite Taiyang's assurances. Despite his annoyance at Qrow's fussiness, Taiyang understood his worries.

The days in the Xiao Long household settled into their usual, quiet routine, with Taiyang and Zwei going through their lives. It didn't feel all that different than it had after Ruby and Yang had left for Beacon really. Now that he looked back on it, Taiyang wished that Ruby had stayed in Signal for another two years, not because he hadn't thought she was ready for Beacon, but because then, he'd have had another two years with her.

Still, at least he had Yang, something he was grateful that Jaune had reminded him of. Yang made sure to call and write frequently, telling him how things were going at Beacon. Apparently, the team's new leader, Ruby's former partner, Weiss Schnee, was quite the stern taskmistress, driving them through multiple study sessions. However, thanks to her insistence, they were able to take the exams as scheduled, and had managed to pass them with a generous margin, though Weiss was apparently disappointed that the team hadn't made it through with straight A's in every subject.

Yang had apparently bonded quite strongly with Jaune, the two of them frequently going out to Vale during the weekends, and having fun together. Sometimes, they visited a club or bar, where Jaune was generally the one responsible for ensuring that Yang drank in moderation. Other times, they went to a movie or visited Jaune's favorite comic shop. They'd also taken to sparring together during their free periods during the week, those periods that Weiss _hadn't_ monopolized with her team study or practice sessions. According to Yang, Jaune was improving rapidly, though he still wound up losing every single time.

Had Taiyang been in a more teasing mood, he might have called those excursions Yang and Jaune took together "dates." However, he decided to keep that to himself, just glad that his remaining daughter was finding her own way to overcome the tragedy.

Of course, there were still several things that remained to be done, which Taiyang had been putting off. It was the normal bureaucratic shuffling that accompanied the transition of a person's status from "living" to "deceased." He'd have to close Ruby's bank accounts, most likely transferring the balance to Yang's. Despite the fact that the funeral had already been held, Ruby's official status was still listed as Missing, Presumed Dead, rather than officially Killed in Action. Call it a lingering weakness, but Taiyang hesitated to address those particular paperwork snarls just yet.

It was another quiet evening, time for him to have dinner by himself, and spend some time reading before bed. Zwei required attention, of course. Taiyang was happy to give the corgi plenty of affection, knowing that he would no longer be able to receive it from his favorite human.

Settling on the couch, Taiyang smiled as Zwei stretched across his lap, then rolled over, demanding a belly rub, something Taiyang was glad to give. A few minutes later, his scroll began to ring. Picking it up, Taiyang was surprised to see that it was none other than Qrow.

"Hey, Qrow," he said, answering, "this is rare. You never call out of the blue like this. What's the occasion?"

"Well, I've got some interesting news for you," said Qrow. "Once I learned this, I knew I had to tell you right away."

"What is it?" asked Taiyang, his eyes narrowing.

"You sitting down?" Qrow asked back. "You're gonna want to sit down for this?"

"Qrow…" growled Taiyang, not having much interest in Qrow's theatrics.

"Okay," said Qrow, realizing that Taiyang was reaching the end of his fuse. "You hear about that kerfuffle over in Brandywine?"

"That?" Taiyang rolled his eyes back thoughtfully, thinking back to the incident that had appeared in the news. A group of corrupt Huntsmen, originally there for a Grimm extermination mission, had supposedly settled in for a longer-term protection mission. But it had been revealed that they had essentially taken the town hostage, stoking negative emotions, and using the pressure caused by the Grimm to give themselves the run of the town.

It was the sort of incident that set civilian-Huntsmen relations back across the board. Settlements were more likely to hesitate to hire Huntsmen in the face of Grimm incursions, worried that those Huntsmen might also be inclined to abuse their power. If the settlement fell as a result, it could do serious damage to the infrastructure supporting Vale. Despite having its own agricultural sections, the Kingdom couldn't support its whole population with its own fields alone. If one of the settlements supplying food or other necessities, like Withywindle, fell, it would mean severe issues with food distribution. Prices would rise, and an economic crisis would result, the resulting negative emotions probably drawing the inevitable to their walls.

Worse, it was the kind of incident that politicians, like those aiming for the next vacancy on the Council, would play upon. Already, numerous politicians had built their platforms on promises to cut taxes on Vale's populace, calling Beacon's budget "bloated" and "excessive" or referring to Huntsmen and Huntresses as "obsolete" or, worse, "dangerous." This was the kind of scandal that would provide perfect fodder for such politicians. Many were pushing for greater implementation of mechanization in Vale's military forces, pointing out that the Knight-class androids developed by Atlas could be produced in much greater quantities for far less expense, didn't require food or training, and were obviously not going to get drunk on their power and become corrupt (outside of scenarios deemed science-fiction by most).

Taiyang had read about the incident in the news. The town had successfully managed to activate the CCT and contact Vale's authorities while Team BRWN was busy with a horde of attacking Grimm. With the help of a couple of passing good samaritans, they were able to subdue Team BRWN so that authorities from Vale were able to take them into custody.

"What about it?" he asked, wondering what Qrow was getting at.

"Well, the thing is, the story there ain't the entire truth," said Qrow his tone surprisingly cautious.

Taiyang had thought as much. The news report had been strangely vague on exactly how the people of Brandywine, even with the help of a couple of extra people, were able to subdue a team of experienced Huntsmen. "I take it you know the truth then," he said.

"More or less," said Qrow. "You see, those two good samaritans mentioned in the news were actually three people. There was an extra person there that the news didn't mention, because the people in Brandywine were encouraged to keep her name out of it."

" _Her_ name?" said Taiyang, his eyebrows rising. "Qrow…"

"You're still sitting down, right?"

"Get to the point," growled Taiyang, his anger starting to stir. He didn't like where this conversation was going. It was threatening to raise the specter of false hope in him.

"Okay! Okay!" said Qrow quickly. "Anyway, I was on my mission when I receive notice that someone wanted to contact me through the CCT. It was a pain, but I decided to take the call at the first place with a CCT center I could find. And you won't believe who was sitting on the other end…"

"Qrow…" growled Taiyang again.

He heard Qrow take a deep breath on the other end of the line. "This isn't a joke or a prank, Tai. I'm being one-hundred-percent serious…

"…It was Ruby. Ruby's _alive_."

* * *

 **Well...we all knew that already. I've referenced other "Ruby gets betrayed and left for dead" stories before, but parts like this, the aftermath of her "death" tend to be glossed over, typically with a short bit about how those close to Ruby, typically Jaune and Yang, are sad and cry. But they don't usually seem to get into the details of what Ruby's death, real or not, would lead to. Taiyang's reaction is especially important, seeing as Ruby's "death" would hit ridiculously close to home for him, made all the worse by her resemblance to Summer. It's definitely a scary idea to think of how Taiyang would react to hearing Ruby had died. Maybe I made it a little too easy for him to get over it, but I didn't want to drag the process out. This story has other places to go.**

 **Things got a little more broad-strokes towards the end of the chapter, so it's a bit of a time skip to synch up with the period of Ruby's amnesia, followed by bringing down Team BRWN, then her getting in touch with Qrow. Next week, things pick up, mainly because this is where we get back to the main canon plot, i.e. the events of Volume 2. I hope people don't think that it's too much of a retread, particularly since Ruby's absence leads to quite a few things shaking out differently.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27:**

Weiss grumbled softly to herself as she showered, rinsing the last of the food, drink, and condiments out of her hair. _That was a mistake,_ she thought, her memory going back to the food fight just a few minutes later.

She couldn't believe how humiliating it was. Bad enough that she, the heiress of the most important company on Remnant, had been involved with such a plebeian occurrence, but to have her team, which she had been grooming to take the top at Beacon, trounced so thoroughly by their sister team was especially demeaning.

Granted, it had been four-on-three. However, Weiss thought that Jaune still barely counted as a member of the opposing team, his sole contribution consisting of throwing a single watermelon, before he was taken out of commission by a flying turkey to the stomach, courtesy of Yang. After several more furious exchanges, Weiss found herself knocked out by an attack from Nora, while Yang had been launched through the roof, though she'd managed to take out Ren before that. Blake had tried to hold the line on her own, but had been overwhelmed when Pyrrha had used her Semblance to bombard them all with pop cans, covering the three of them with a sticky mess.

 _At least we didn't wind up with detention,_ thought Weiss, dreading the idea of such a black mark on her record. Professor Goodwitch had showed up after the battle's conclusion, and had fixed the entire dining hall with a flick of her riding crop. She looked as though she'd been about to deliver a very serious scolding at least, but a few words from Ozpin had apparently convinced her to let it go for the time being.

It annoyed Weiss to no end. Despite the fact that the annoying dunce was finally out of the way, it seemed that her team was always getting sucked into these ridiculous shenanigans. It was as if Ruby was somehow still there, secretly guiding the situation to undermine Weiss' dignity and authority. Once again, she found herself cursing the memory of her former leader and former partner.

Finally, Weiss felt suitably clean, and exited the shower. Doing up her hair and redoing her makeup, she then slipped into her spare outfit and exited to see Yang and Blake, both still covered in their own messes, waiting for her.

"Finally," said Yang. "I thought you were gonna spend all night in there. I'm sick of waiting to get this gunk out of my hair."

Yang had bounced back admirably from the loss of her sister, throwing herself into her training and studies with a gusto that Weiss admired. What was more, she was far more driven than before, not needing much urging to put in some extra time training (even if it was with Jaune). On top of that, her previous recklessness had been tempered, apparently by the realization of her own vulnerability after Ruby's death. It made Weiss want to smirk. _If anything, she should be thanking me for disposing of the brat. She's much better off without Ruby._

"Now it's my turn," said Yang, getting to her feet, before realizing that the Blake who'd been sitting beside her hadn't been real, the shadow suddenly disappearing. "Blake!"

Blake peaked her head out from behind the door of the bathroom, her ribbon already off, a triumphant smirk on her face. "You take forever to do your hair, Yang," she said. "I'm going next." She waggled her cat ears in a teasing manner before darting back behind the door, shutting and locking it.

"Blake! You cheater!" shouted Yang, sounding betrayed. "I thought you had my back!" she added in a melodramatic wail.

"Please," scoffed Weiss. "You'll be done in plenty of time for your next date."

"It's not a date," Yang scoffed back, before smirking. "What's the matter? Jealous?"

"Absolutely not," said Weiss in disgust. "I honestly have no idea what you see in that scruffy, blonde, lunkhead."

"Maybe if you'd actually spent some time around him, you'd figure it out, Ice Queen," Yang retorted, ignoring Weiss' indignant response. "At least he's not some prissy princess with no idea of what constitutes a good time."

"We are here to train to be the future defenders of the people," Weiss protested. "We aren't here to have a 'good time.' That time you waste on that idiot could be better spent."

"Yeah yeah," said Yang waving a dismissive hand. "You've been saying that over and over again, Ice Queen. I could be studying and be a straight-A student like Your Holiness. But I like having a real life with real people. You should try it sometime."

"I have a real life!" Weiss snapped back.

"Oh really," said Yang, smiling slyly. "And what do you do, besides sit in front of your textbooks for hours on end? Aren't there any boys you have your eyes on?"

"As if," said Weiss dismissively. "I have more important things to worry about than boys. Besides, none of the ones currently here could meet my standards."

Her dismissal had the opposite of its intended effect, making Yang smirk triumphantly. "Oh, so you _have_ been looking at boys, huh?"

"Tha-that's not the point," said Weiss, flushing furiously, enraged at being cornered like this.

To her growing agitation Yang burst out laughing. "Wow, you're too easy, Ice Queen. You need to get out and live a little. You'd perform even better without that stick up your ass."

"EXCUSE ME!" shrieked Weiss.

The door to the bathroom opened, and Blake stepped out, dressed in her own spare outfit. "The shower's all yours," she said to Yang.

"'Bout time," said Yang, despite knowing that Blake was the member of their team who took the shortest showers, rarely more than five minutes. "Now you get to spend time with the killjoy."

"Yay for me," said Blake sarcastically.

Weiss merely huffed. "Well, if anyone else is inclined to take our education seriously, _I_ will be in the library." With a sniff and sticking her nose in the air, she marched out of the dorm room.

"Who put the bee up her bonnet?" Yang wondered, watching her exit.

* * *

"Wow, look who's getting all dolled up," teased Nora, bouncing on her bed, watching as Jaune slipped into a clean hoody after washing off the residue of their victorious bout in the dining hall. "Got yourself a big date tonight?"

"Yang and I are just going out to that bar she likes," said Jaune cheerfully. The first few times Nora had teased him about him and Yang's friendship, he'd blushed and sputtered. But he was clearly more confident now. "It's not a date, Nora."

"I just call it like I see it," she said with a sly grin and a merry twinkle in her eye.

"That's enough, Nora," said Ren the words coming out of him automatically.

"Jaune, are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Pyrrha worriedly.

"It's fine Pyrrha," said Jaune. "We've been doing this for a few weeks now."

"It's just, classes are starting up again, tomorrow," said Pyrrha. "You shouldn't be staying out so late."

"That's part of the reason why I'm going," said Jaune with a chuckle. "Someone has to remind Yang that class will be a whole lot harder with a hangover."

"You could just let her find out for herself," Pyrrha growled under her breath.

"What was that?" asked Jaune, not catching what she said.

"Nothing," said Pyrrha quickly, forcing a cheerful smile onto her face.

"We'll be fine," said Jaune. "I promise to be back before eleven, Mom."

Nora giggled behind her, and Ren hid a smile, even though Pyrrha struggled to keep her own face from falling.

After a few more minutes of adjustments until he was satisfied with his looks, Jaune headed out the door. Pyrrha stared after him, trying to hide the despondent look on her face.

Both Ren and Nora noticed Pyrrha's falling spirits. "Are you all right?" asked Nora.

"I'm fine," lied Pyrrha.

Ren and Nora weren't fooled for a second. "You know, if you asked him to go out with you, maybe he wouldn't go out with Yang so often," Nora suggested.

"That's not it," said Pyrrha quickly. "I'm just not sure Yang is good for Jaune."

"She gives him more confidence," said Ren. "Though you've given him plenty of that already."

"Yeah," agreed Nora. "I mean, why not come out and say what you feel?"

Rather than answer, Pyrrha shot to her feet and marched out the door, slamming it shut behind her.

"Geez, she's got it bad," said Nora. "So why doesn't she do anything about it?"

"She probably thinks she already has," said Ren with a sigh.

* * *

"Come on, that's only your second glass," Yang said cheerfully, her cheeks a rosy hue, nudging Jaune with her elbow. "You've been nursing that thing for half an hour already. Knock it back and order the next one."

"First," said Jaune with a wry grin, "we are on a budget, and I'd rather not blow mine in one night. Second, this is good beer and should be savored, not just chugged down. Third, at least one of us should be exercising some restraint. Fourth, I have enough of a hard time keeping up with Prof-Doctor Oobleck's class without a raging headache and the impulse to throw up over my notes, thank you very much."

"Lightweight," teased Yang, nudging him again.

"Who do you think I am, your uncle?" Jaune retorted.

Amusing as the jibe was, it was a testament to Yang's present state of inebriation that she immediately bent over the bar, cackling. "Good one," she said when she'd finished.

"I try," said Jaune.

"Well, at least you're actually drinking properly," she said. "The first time we went out, you tried to get by on soda."

"Hey, I wasn't used to this whole idea of us being able to drink," Jaune protested. "In fact, I'm _still_ not completely used to it."

Technically, the official drinking age was eighteen years old. However, Beacon students were given special permission to drink at seventeen, due to the special nature of the work they were preparing for.

"You'd better get used to it," said Yang with a teasing grin. "You're probably the only person I can take out like this."

Back when she was still alive, Ruby had been too young to drink, her permission to enter Beacon two years early not extending to her being considered legally old enough to drink, at Professor Goodwitch's insistence, not that Yang wanted to dispute that fact, wanting to preserve her beloved sister's innocence a little while longer. Neither Weiss nor Blake were ones for hitting the bar. Yang figured that Blake, with her tumultuous past history, was a little too paranoid to engage in an activity that lowered her inhibitions, and potentially rendered herself vulnerable. Weiss, on the other hand, was just plain too prudish to allow herself to let her hair down and live a little, needing to live up to the image of "Little Miss Perfect."

Jaune could say the same about his team. Pyrrha, despite her professed desire to break free of the restrictive mold her status as the "Goddess of Victory" had cast her as, remained too mindful of her image to ever be caught in a situation where she wasn't in total control of herself. Ren professed to have little tolerance and wasn't overly interested in working to improve it. And Nora…well…absolutely none of them felt safe with the notion of Nora imbibing _anything_ remotely mind-altering, whether it be alcohol or even caffeine.

"Fine," said Jaune, taking a deep swig of his beer, though not polishing off the glass in one go. "But we still have to cut ourselves off early. I don't think you want a hangover on your first day back in class either."

"Yeah," agreed Yang, her expression softening. "You're such a softy. No wonder Ruby was sweet on you."

Jaune was glad he hadn't just taken another mouthful of beer, otherwise it would have wound up sprayed all over the bar. "Wha-what?" he sputtered. "What are you talking about?"

Yang frowned at him, her eyes narrowing. "Geez! Are you really that clueless?"

"Ruby and I were best friends," Jaune protested.

"Yeah, best friends," scoffed Yang. "Best friends who went to movies together, hung out all the time, a best friend who was always trying to have special 'alone time' with you…right?"

"You really mean that Ruby…?" Jaune's voice trailed off as his eyes widened.

"How dense are you?" scoffed Yang. "If you couldn't tell with Ruby, then what about Pyrrha?"

"What about Pyrrha?" asked Jaune earnestly, prompting Yang's jaw to drop.

She threw her head back. "Unbelievable!" she shouted before turning back to him. "It's a good thing Weiss doesn't come with us. She'd say you really _are_ a dunce."

"Ow…low blow," grumbled Jaune, turning back to his beer, his cheeks red. "So you're saying that Ruby…and Pyrrha."

"Yep," said Yang, making the "P" sound pop in her mouth as she spoke. She didn't know why she was blowing the lid off the secret that had been Ruby and Pyrrha's respective feelings for Jaune. She put it up to how much liquor she'd already taken in. "I mean, seriously, if Ruby hadn't been trying so hard with you, I might've made a go for you myself."

That made Jaune's eyes nearly leap out of their sockets. "You?" he asked, staring at her incredulously.

Yang giggled. "Yeah. I mean, you're one of the sweetest boys I've ever met. You're a clumsy doofus-"

"Thanks," grumbled Jaune.

"-but you're always trying to help people. You're a lot like Ruby that way. When she…when she died…" Yang shuddered. "…you really stepped up for me…and for Dad. I can't thank you enough for that."

"I…I was just trying to be a good friend," said Jaune, his voice barely audible. He turned to look at her more carefully, the red in cheeks having nothing to do with the alcohol in his system. "What about you? D-do you really feel that way…a-about me?"

"I…" Yang broke off, realizing what she'd almost said. She whipped her head around to stare at her glass. "I…I mean…I know you were just trying to help. You were being nice and being yourself. I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable with me."

"I…I…uh…" Jaune stammered, not knowing what to say.

Seeing an opportunity, Yang found herself smiling slyly. "Don't tell me you're really falling for me," she said.

"O-of course not!" protested Jaune, not realizing how Yang's face fell. "I mean…you're so amazing and I'm just…me!"

"You shouldn't sell yourself short," she said gently.

Jaune turned to look at her. "I just wanted to help you feel better after losing Ruby, honest," he said. "I…I don't want to…I don't want you to think that I was trying to…to take advantage of your pain. I don't want to take advantage of you at all."

Yang sniffed, tears gathering in her eyes. "Dammit…you…" She sniffed again. "You seriously do…"

"Yeah," said Jaune, shuddering nervously, afraid to meet her eyes.

Silence fell between them once more. Then Yang decided to throw caution and restraint to the winds. Setting down her glass, she lurched at Jaune, planting her hands on his cheeks and forcefully turning him to face her. Before Jaune could open his mouth to protest or ask what she was doing. Yang closed the remainder of the distance between them and pressed her lips against his.

Jaune shuddered, a tingling sensation swamping his entire body as his arms shook, then slowly lifted up, his hands moving to grasp Yang's shoulders and pull her closer. Not even thinking about it, he gently sucked on her lips, the pulling sensation prompting a quiet, satisfied moan from Yang. They pressed into the kiss harder, before remembering that they had to breathe. When they separated, their lips parted with a smacking sound that echoed in the silent bar.

"Wow…" gasped Jaune, his eyes wide.

"Y-yeah…" said Yang, just as shocked by her impulsive action as Jaune was.

"So…does that mean that you…that we…?" Jaune, his mind addled by the kiss, struggled to find the right words to say. "Are we…uh…together?"

Despite her surprise at her own action, Yang found herself smiling. "Well," she said softly, her voice a sultry purr, "what do you think? Do you want us to be a thing?"

Jaune blinked, his eyes angling downward to stare at his own lap for a moment before looking up at her again. "Yeah," he said, his voice surprisingly firm. "Yeah I do."

Yang's smile made her cheeks ache. "Then we're a thing," she said proudly.

"So I guess that makes this a date then," said Jaune.

"Yep," replied Yang, leaning in towards him again.

Jaune was about to reciprocate when he suddenly realized how quiet everything was. They weren't the only people in the bar after all, yet the place was dead silent. Looking around, Jaune suddenly felt like his face was on fire as he saw that every set of eyes in the establishment were trained on them. It took a couple of extra seconds for it to dawn on Yang too. After that, she was blushing as furiously as Jaune was.

Jaune leaned over and spoke quietly in her ear. "Uh…think we should go somewhere else?"

"Yeah, probably," said Yang. "I think we've had enough."

Jaune turned around and moved to settle their tab, only to find the bartender grinning at him.

"For a show like that," the man said, "drinks are on the house."

* * *

When she needed time to herself, Pyrrha always gravitated towards the training center. It was a place where she could engage in the one thing she was truly comfortable doing, fighting. Besides a top-of-the-line physical fitness facility, the training center boasted practice rings, with dozens of settings to simulate a variety of environments and combat situations. Thanks to the latest technology, Dust-powered hard-light training dummies could be created to simulate Grimm, Atlesian androids, or other threats that Huntsmen and Huntresses might be expected to face.

The ring was Pyrrha's sanctuary, the one place where she felt she could truly be herself, where she didn't have to hide behind the mask of Mistral's champion or Beacon's star student. Fighting was the one place where Pyrrha could truly express herself openly.

After her second tournament victory, Pyrrha's parents had hired an agent to manage her behavior in public, as well as arrange the endorsement deals and sponsorships that allowed them to enjoy a lavish lifestyle off of Pyrrha's martial success. Pyrrha hadn't exactly been keen for such things, but her parents had insisted, telling Pyrrha that she could be famous and powerful. Pyrrha wanted neither…but she did want to please her parents, so she went along with it for the time being.

Her agent had trained her well. Pyrrha had been trained to always put up a modest front, to be polite and well-spoken. She needed to exercise tight control at all times, the slightest lapse possibly doing irreparable damage to her reputation and flushing all her hard-earned endorsements down the drain. The celebrity life left little room for developing friendships, much less romance. Pyrrha was fully aware that any relationship she found herself in was likely to become fodder for the media, not to mention she wasn't to keen on the general type of people who sought a relationship with her.

Beacon was supposed to be a fresh start for her, a place where she could shed the trappings and restrictions of the celebrity lifestyle and build normal human relationships. It was one of the reasons she'd chosen to go to Beacon in Vale, rather than Haven in Mistral. Here, fewer people would have heard of her, much less followed her career. Unfortunately, her training still held strong and Pyrrha was always hesitant to express herself, the true feelings that lurked beneath the modest, pleasant facade she'd erected for the sake of her career.

In the end, the battlefield was still the only place where she could truly be herself. So she stepped into the ring and turned it to the highest difficulty setting. Immediately, the holograms flickered to life, a pack of holographic Beowolves rising, growling and snarling, from the floor. Their tongues lolled and their teeth gnashed. They rose up to brandish their claws before surging forward like an unstoppable tide.

Pyrrha threw herself among them without the slightest hesitation, blade and shield working flawlessly as she danced through the pack's midst, Milo cutting through the illusory apparitions like butter. As advanced as the hard-light holograms were, it was still difficult for such machines to simulate the effects of real mass. So, while she felt resistance, it was marginal. At the same time, the holographic claws would barely even rake slivers of her Aura off on contact.

Instead, the training program relied on a sophisticated system of monitoring devices that gauged her movements against those of the holograms, making them break apart whenever the system determined that sufficient damage had been done, or when she struck a vital point, awarding points for each kill, extra points for kills obtained through finesse and accuracy, rather than overwhelming damage. On the other end, rather than actually posing a threat, the claws of the phantom Beowolves landing a blow on her body and damaging her Aura, however marginal said damage actually was, resulted in points being deducted from her score.

Pyrrha danced between the claws and teeth, warding some strikes off with Akouo before sending it bouncing between the heads of half a dozen beasts, shattering their illusory skulls into fragments of light. She leapt over another monster's strike, twisting in midair to neatly behead it even as her shield returned to her left hand. Landing, she rotated her sword in her grasp, the blade collapsing into the stock, even as the handle elongated to become the barrel of a rifle, which Pyrrha fired, one-handed, across the ring, her shots each taking out another of the holographic Grimm as the system materialized them.

The training program produced more Grimm behind her, a trio of Ursai this time. Pyrrha ducked, spinning about and raising her shield arm up at the same time, those hard-light claws from the nearest one's swipe glancing off the curved surface of her shield. At the same time, she rotated her grip on her weapon again, Milo shifting into is javelin form. Rather than thrust with her arm, Pyrrha triggered the rifle barrel, now in the butt of the weapon, causing it to shoot forward in her grip without having to move her arm, imbedding the tip in the Ursa's chest.

Pulling the weapon free in a spray of glittering motes that she supposed simulated blood, Pyrrha slid her shield onto her back, allowing her to manipulate her javelin with both hands, spinning it like a staff, using swift, arcing strikes to slash at the other two Ursa that tried to close with her, using her weapon's extended reach to strike them down before either of them could land any blows.

A chorus of howls drew Pyrrha's attention behind her. While she'd been dealing with the Ursai, the system had created another dozen Beowolves, now bounding at her, trying to take her down before she could shift position to counter them. But Pyrrha was too well-trained. Her shield slid back down onto her left arm even as her javelin collapsed into its sword form. Pyrrha turned and met the simulated Grimm with a perfect sequence of attacks meshed with defense. Her sword and shield worked in unison, deflecting attacks and counterattacking in turn.

The system created a new Ursa behind her. Without even looking, Pyrrha shifted Milo to rifle-mode and fired it over her shoulder, the shot taking the beast through the chin and bringing it down in an instant.

The system compensated by creating more and more Grimm. Their numbers increased. Alphas began to appear amongst the Beowolves while Ursa Majors waded into the fray. Boarbatusks charged her relentlessly. A King Taijitu reared up and struck at her with extending fangs, while its opposite head circled around to try and flank her. Creeps lunged at her with toothy maws open wide.

Through all of it, Pyrrha danced, her weapons blurs of bronze, her hair whipping through the air around her in a stream of fiery red. Sweat glistened on the surface of her skin, her green eyes sparkled. Anyone who'd seen Pyrrha in this moment would have deemed her beautiful, the figure of someone's vision of a warrior goddess realized and brought to life. Truly, this was the image of Mistral's Goddess of Victory. No matter how many, no matter how ferocious the onslaught was, not a single claw or tooth reached her figure. She cut them all down with unparalleled precision or dropped them with perfectly placed shots. The air was filled with so many images of Grimm breaking down into fragments of shattered light that it looked as though she was fighting in the midst of a blizzard.

Finally, the training routine ran its course. Pyrrha cut the legs out from under the last remaining Creep. Its armless torso collapsed to the floor and Pyrrha finished it off with a shot from her rifle, right through the head. As the simulated Grimm broke apart, the buzzer sounded and Pyrrha relaxed, gasping for breath, having exerted her body to its utmost limits for the time being.

Going over, she checked her score and smiled. It was just shy of perfect. She hadn't taken a single blow, but she could have refined her precision a bit more. There were a few hits she'd missed that could have given her extra points. As it was, her score was the highest in the entire school, eclipsing those of even third or fourth-year students. Granted, said students tended to invest little time in the training facilities at Beacon, occupied as they were with missions, but it was still an impressive feat all the same, one worthy of satisfaction.

Yet Pyrrha frowned when she realized she _still_ didn't feel satisfied. There was a hollowness behind this achievement that made her feel like she hadn't really accomplished anything of note. She brought Milo into her hand once more and lifted the blade, before slashing it lightly through the air. _It's not enough,_ she thought. The training wasn't nearly enough to satisfy her. She was angry and frustrated. But the hard-light constructs, simulated Grimm, were practically nothing to her attacks. It felt more like popping soap bubbles than fighting Grimm.

Likewise, the holograms' attacks were lackluster, to say the least. They lacked any real force or sense of threat behind them. Pyrrha didn't feel the shock of impact from every hit she deflected with her shield, the strain of turning a strike away. It made her feel like she was playing make-believe, which she supposed she was.

 _Maybe I should apply for a training session in the Emerald Forest,_ thought Pyrrha. That was one of the many options available to Beacon students. The Emerald Forest was always crawling with Grimm, and students could apply singly, as partner-pairs, or as whole teams to go down and spend time testing their skills by applying them against the real enemy. The feeling of deflecting real blows, of cutting and piercing muscle and sinew…or whatever the Grimm possessed that passed for such things…would be far more visceral and satisfying than breaking apart a few holograms.

Even as the thought occurred to her, Pyrrha realized that that wasn't what she wanted either. What she wanted to fight right now wasn't Grimm. She wanted to fight something else-No!- _someone_ else. Not reactivating the training program, Pyrrha strode out into the ring and took her starting position once more, raising her blade and shield. In front of her, she built her opponent out of pure imagination, closing her eyes to better picture it.

Her opponent rushed her in a display of raw fire and power. She was fast and strong and, despite the initially reckless appearance of her style, possessed a fair bit of finesse as well. Pyrrha brought her shield around to deflect imagined blows, her mind recreating the sensation of impact. Powerful fire-Dust shotguns built into her opponent's gauntlets discharged, forcing Pyrrha to shift her position or be scorched by them. She attacked, but her blade glanced off a swift block before her opponent abruptly spun about to launch a kick at her temple.

Pyrrha ducked the kick, dropping into a low crouch and sweeping a leg out, trying to take her opponent's legs out from under her. Instead, her enemy took to the air, jumping up and descending with a bolt of fire leading the way. Pyrrha dodged the first attack with a backflip, landing just in time to bring her shield up to deflect the next in a series of punches.

Back and forth they danced. Pyrrha was sweating and smiling again. She brought her Semblance into play, using it to nudge attacks off-course, and move defenses just a bit out of position. She gave no openings of her own, and exploited every one her enemy gave her. The battle continued to intensify with each passing second. Finally, having enough, Pyrrha used her Semblance at full strength, something she rarely did.

She imagined having her opponent hang there, suspended from her own weapons, arms spread out wide and helpless. Pyrrha's left hand was up, and guiding the power of her polarity. Slowly, deliberately, Pyrrha closed her left hand into a fist. She imagined the groaning of metal as it warped and bent in on itself, the gauntlets collapsing inwards, crushing the arms that they were supposed to protect. She vividly imagined her target's screams of pain as her muscles were ravaged, her bones broken. She allowed her victim to suffer for a few moments, before raising her blade and slowly inserting it into her victim's chest, sliding it between her ribs.

She imagined looking up into those shaking lilac eyes…or would they be red at this point? She imagined the light fading from them, the body slumping and going limp. Disengaging her Semblance, Pyrrha dropped the imaginary body onto the floor and turned to walk away from it.

Opening her eyes again, Pyrrha discovered that her body was trembling. She realized that she felt much more satisfied with the idea. After dealing with Ruby in the forest, Pyrrha had realized how it felt to truly fight an opponent in a life or death battle, what it meant to be truly victorious. When the light in Ruby's eyes had begun to die, and she slid off the end of Weiss' rapier and over the edge of the cliff, Pyrrha had _truly_ felt victorious.

And to the victor went the spoils…or so she thought. But instead, someone else was taking those spoils, and now, Pyrrha found herself with a new person that she desperately wanted to fight…for real…with real stakes. She wanted…no…she needed that sensation of victory again. This time, she would win, and claim what belonged to her for sure.

Reaching the edge of the ring, Pyrrha felt as though she'd stepped past an invisible boundary and into a completely different world. A chill washed over her body, and she gasped, staring down at the sweat-covered skin of her arms. Her hands trembled and she found she could barely even hold her own weapons anymore as the weight settled over her with what she was truly contemplating. _I can't seriously be thinking about this,_ she thought, horrified. _This isn't right…I can't just kill someone._

 _But you killed Ruby just fine,_ a treacherous voice whispered in the back of her head.

 _That wasn't me! That was Weiss!_ Pyrrha shook her head, trying to reason herself back into calm.

 _That's a lie,_ the traitor voice whispered back. _You know that, if Weiss hadn't struck the finishing blow first, it would have been you. You were more than ready, more than willing. Now you know how easy it is to kill someone. It's the perfect way to make all of your problems, all of the obstacles in your way disappear for good. That little hussy won't be coming back again._

 _It won't work,_ Pyrrha argued with herself. After all, it was one thing to claim that Ruby had died to the Grimm. But Pyrrha had been one of the people with her when she'd been "killed." If she gave in to her darker impulses and indulged them freely, even if she tried to pass off further incidents as "training accidents" or other unfortunate excuses, people would pick up on a pattern sooner or later. They'd look at her more carefully, watch her more thoroughly. She couldn't kill again. It would make her look suspicious, at the very least.

 _At least you aren't fully lying to yourself,_ the treacherous voice rejoined. _At least you're not arguing that "it's wrong," or "that's murder." You've already accepted that, if you can get away with it, you're perfectly happy to do what you need to in order to get what you want. After all, you're Mistral's champion, the highest-ranked member of your year, better than some people two or three years your senior. If you want it, if you decide to take it, that makes you right._

 _No!_ protested Pyrrha silently with a vigorous shake of her head. _I'm not better than anyone! That's why I came to Beacon in the first place, because it was where people wouldn't automatically assume that._

 _That's not true,_ replied the voice. _After all, you were better than Ruby. That's what you decided on, what you acted on. You're better than Yang too. You need to remind her of that, just like you reminded Ruby, how she has no right to take what's yours._

"Shut up!" Pyrrha shouted out loud, falling to her knees, grasping her head, which was beginning to ache fiercely. The treacherous voice in the back of her mind fell silent and Pyrrha shuddered, staring at the ground in horror, wondering if this truly was the kind of person she was now.

* * *

Jaune was glad he'd turned down Yang's suggestion to take her bike into town. While she wasn't a staggering drunk, she was at least a stumbling one, having to lean on him more than a little as they made their way to the docks to catch the next airship back to Beacon. Once they were on board and able to settle in their seats, they relaxed a little, ready to talk some more.

"So…we're really together-together…as Nora would put it," said Jaune, not quite able to wrap his mind around the idea of a gorgeous, popular, powerful girl like Yang wanting to be with him.

"You bet we are," said Yang with an eager grin that was almost predatory. She poked him in the cheek. "No take-backs."

"O-okay," said Jaune. "B-but why were you encouraging Ruby then?"

Yang rolled her eyes. "I didn't like you like that back then," she said. "I mean, if I'd known how much of a sweetheart you are, maybe I would've. But…" She sighed. "I just wanted Ruby to be happy. Hanging out with you made her really happy." She looked speculatively at him. "What about Pyrrha, though?"

"Pyrrha?" asked Jaune, blinking. "I'm…I'm still trying to process that." He looked back at her. "Are you sure-?"

"Sure as the sun rises," drawled Yang, cutting him off. "You seriously didn't have a clue, did you?"

"Nope," said Jaune, looking down, feeling slightly ashamed. "But…if you knew about Pyrrha, then why Ruby?"

"Because Ruby liked you too," said Yang. "I mean, I know you're dense. If Pyrrha just couldn't spit it out, then I thought Ruby deserved a chance too. It was just a matter of who got through that thick skull of yours first."

"But now you?" asked Jaune.

"Now me," agreed Yang. "After what you did for me and Dad, after how you kept us going while we were pulling ourselves together, I realized just how sweet you were. I know you don't want to take advantage of me. You weren't trying to be some white knight, swooping down to rescue the damsel from the depths of her sorrow and earn her feelings in gratitude. You really were just trying to be a good friend. That's one of the things that made me fall for you."

"Wow…" said Jaune.

"So…what about you?" asked Yang. "I made my case for 'us.' What made you say yes?"

"W-well…" Jaune's cheeks flushed. "I always thought you were beautiful." Yang giggled shyly at that. "More importantly, you know it, and you don't try to hide it. I…I've been in awe of you for a long time. And then…you're so strong." He met her eyes. "During those times we hung out, Ruby told me how you looked after her when your mother died." He grinned. "I could see how much you love her, how happy you are that she's at Beacon. I have seven sisters of my own, so I can identify."

"Wow…" said Yang, her eyes going wide. "Your parents sure are…productive."

"Tell me about it," muttered Jaune, remembering how his mother and father still sometimes acted like giddy newlyweds. "To be honest, I was kinda jealous of Ruby. You love her so much…and you do so much to encourage her. I thought it must be hard for someone like you to accept your younger sister as the team leader. But you've never been anything but proud and happy for her, and you've _always_ supported her." He sighed. "I wish my sisters could've been like that."

"Your sisters don't encourage you?" asked Yang, completely nonplussed by the idea.

Jaune gave her a shaky smile. "Don't get me wrong. They love me a lot, but…" He sighed again. "But I'm the baby of the family…even though three of my sisters are actually younger than me. It's hard being the only boy besides Dad in the family. I guess they thought that made me…delicate, or something. I…I've never really had a lot of talent. I wanted to be a Huntsman since I was little, but Dad didn't encourage me to train. When I tried, he'd always start suggesting alternate career paths for me. My sisters did the same. They didn't think I had what it takes. I didn't even-" Jaune's mouth snapped shut with an audible click of teeth as he suddenly realized what he'd been about to blurt out. _I must be drunker than I thought._

"Didn't what?" asked Yang.

"It's well…" Jaune fished around, trying to deflect her away from a line of inquiry that was making the bottom drop out of his stomach. Even as he did so, his cheeks were burning again, this time with shame. Finally, he figured out where to go from there without making Yang suspicious. "…It's just…Even after I told them I was heading to Beacon, they all acted like it was some kind of little kid's impulse. They'd told me not to worry if I ended up having to move back home. They said it like it was some kind of inevitability, like it was the only result they expected."

"God…" whispered Yang. Granted, she could understand the sentiment somewhat. Jaune was clumsy and dead last in their class in terms of combat ratings. However, she'd seen just how determined he was. If nothing else, no matter how many times he was knocked down, he still got right back up and kept trying. That was one of the things she appreciated about him. It was hard for her to envision someone's family not trying to encourage him, or at least prepare him. She reached out and took his hand in her own, squeezing it tightly. "Well, I don't care what they think. You deserve to be here."

Meanwhile, Jaune's stomach was roiling as he struggled with the feeling of guilt. He'd been relieved that he'd managed to steer Yang away from his secret, then realized that he'd just deceived her, lied to her…his girlfriend, his new girlfriend admittedly, but his girlfriend all the same. She was putting so much, had already put so much trust in him, and here he was, glad that he'd managed to keep her in the dark. Yang's words of encouragement made him feel even worse. _I'm such an asshole._

Realizing what this meant, Jaune decided he had no other choice. He had to be honest with her. There was no way they could have any kind of relationship if he didn't come clean about the truth of his enrollment into Beacon. It wasn't an easy thing by any measure. It was all too likely that he was just about to blow her good opinion of him out of the water. It'd probably be a miracle if she didn't just beat him into a pulp and drag him straight to Professor Goodwitch to get him expelled. But she deserved his honesty, if nothing else.

Glancing around the passenger compartment of the airship, he decided that this was not the time though. As late as the hour was, there were still a few other people, mostly fellow students, making the flight back to Beacon. Considering what he had to tell Yang and, depending on how she took it, it was probably best for him to arrange things so that there weren't any potential witnesses around when he told her. He did not want a repeat of that debacle with Cardin after all.

As the airship came in for a landing at Beacon's docks, Jaune took Yang's hand when they stepped off. "This way," he said, guiding her towards a courtyard that he was fairly certain wouldn't be occupied during this time of night. He led her amidst the trees and manicured lawns that made up the courtyard.

"What is it?" asked Yang, wondering why Jaune was suddenly leading her to an isolated position. At first, she thought he was planning some other romantic gesture, but seeing the worried, nervous look on his face, she realized this was something else entirely.

Jaune carefully looked around, trying to find any sign that they were being watched. When he saw that they were alone, he looked at Yang, his expression solemn. "There's something I need to tell you," he said. "I never qualified for Beacon…"

He went on to explain the truth of how he had come to the Academy, how he'd falsified his transcripts and faked his way in. Yang listened, her eyes going wide with shock.

"And…that's how it is," said Jaune, wrapping up her story.

"Wow…" said Yang after a moment. "That's…I don't know what to think, honestly. It's so…so…"

"Stupid…" suggested Jaune. "Insulting to everyone who worked their tails off to get in here."

"I was actually gonna say, kinda badass," said Yang, smirking slightly. "I mean, that takes serious guts to come to a Huntsman Academy without even having unlocked your Aura. I'd almost say it's a sign that you consider suicide a hobby."

"Gee, thanks," grumbled Jaune, relieved that she seemed to be taking it so well.

"Who else knows?" asked Yang.

"Pyrrha," said Jaune. "I kinda blurted it out to her one night, when she was trying to help me with Cardin's bullying. Cardin knows too?"

"Why?" asked Yang, raising a dubious eyebrow.

"'Cause he was hanging around in earshot when I was telling Pyrrha," said Jaune. "You remember that time when I became 'friends' with Cardin."

"Yeah," said Yang, particularly remembering Pyrrha's frustration during that period.

"Well, that's why," said Jaune. "Cardin found out I faked my way in and blackmailed me with it. I guess I earned his respect when I killed that Ursa, 'cause he backed off after that." He frowned at her. "You're taking this…awfully well."

"Yeah, well…" Yang took his hands in hers. "…you sure as hell didn't fake your way through initiation. Ozpin saw the makings of a great Huntsman in you. That's why he made you the leader of your team. Sure, your combat skills…need improvement. But you're making huge strides. You'll be kicking some serious ass before the year is over."

"Thanks," said Jaune, smiling again.

"Well, you are _my_ boyfriend, after all," Yang teased him. "You can't expect to be Yang Xiao Long's boyfriend and not get yourself whipped into shape. I've got a whole slew of new sparring lessons to plan now."

"Uh oh," said Jaune, his face paling.

"And most of all," said Yang softly, slipping closer and moving her arms up to wrap around Jaune's neck and pull herself up against him, "you're still you. You're still the quirky, goofy, sweetheart who came to help me when I was at my lowest, just because you wanted to be a good friend. You were even willing to be my punching bag. You got Dad out of his slump before he could wind up like he did when Mom died. None of those things were lies. All those things were just you."

"Yang…" whispered Jaune, his hands going to her waist.

Yang pushed closer, pressing her figure up against Jaune's body, allowing him to feel every curve and contour of her own. "That's what I fell for," she said. "That's why I'm doing this." She leaned in and pressed her lips against his once more.

The kiss started out slow and gentle, Yang moving her lips against Jaune's, while Jaune did his best to reciprocate. Their arms tightened around one another pulling themselves closer and tighter. Then Jaune felt something wet extend from Yang's mouth to brush against his own lips, gently prodding them before slipping between them. Her tongue continued on into his opening mouth, licking and intwining about his own as Jaune tried to return the favor.

Lifting her leg, Yang rubbed the inside of her thigh against Jaune's waist, prompting him to reach down with his hand and hook it under her thigh, pulling it up a little higher so that Yang could wrap her leg around his back. At the same time, Jaune became more aggressive, pressing back into the kiss, bending Yang back a little as his tongue surged back against her own. Yang's tongue retreated into her mouth, giving Jaune the opening he needed to press the offensive with his, licking it along her teeth before extending it further, the stimulation making Yang moan in pleasure.

Unconsciously, she bucked her hips against Jaune's, the sudden movement causing him to overbalance and fall over backwards, pulling Yang down with him. The two of them wound up sprawled out on the grass, Yang lying on top of Jaune, panting for breath and staring into his eyes.

"Damn!" gasped Jaune, feeling quite breathless himself.

"You're damn right, damn," Yang retorted with a cheeky grin.

"You certainly don't do anything halfway," said Jaune, the hand that had been cradling Yang's leg returning to her waist.

"Nope," said Yang. Then her expression softened. "I hope we're not moving too fast."

"Well, we may want to slow down a little bit," said Jaune. "We still do have class tomorrow."

"You're right," admitted Yang. "Speaking of which, I guess it's time we got back."

"Yeah," agreed Jaune, somewhat reluctantly. Admittedly, part of him would much rather continue on with their make-out session and see where things went from there. However, the more reasonable, rational part of his mind reminded him that they had only just started their relationship and now was not the time to be carried away in a haze of lust. "We do have class tomorrow, after all."

Yang nodded. "Well then," she said. "I guess it's time for that last part of the date where you walk me home like a true gentleman would."

"It would be my pleasure," answered Jaune.

* * *

 **I'm aware that Jaune and Yang hooking up comes off as pretty rushed, mostly due to this section of the story glossing over the timeline and the buildup to their relationship. At this point, it's been a while since Ruby's death and the funeral, with Jaune and Yang having developed an ongoing friendship, one that, rather quickly, developed into something more. Of course, the real fun with this part of the story is writing Yandere Pyrrha, or, as I like to call her...Pyrrha-Yan.**

 **I'll say it right out, Pyrrha's little bit in this chapter isn't meant to indicate that she's slipping into straight-on insanity (outside of the general insanity that would drive you to murder a friend over a boy you both like). She's not hearing voices in her head or developing multiple personalities. She's just debating with herself. I think we've all had moments like this, where we mentally debate things by dividing viewpoints into differing voices and having them argue back and forth. I know I have.**

 **Jaune's confessing to Yang about his transcripts was fairly easy to write. Of course, given how close they are, Jaune would value being honest to Yang, especially now that they are in a relationship. Yang's reaction seems more than a little feasible to me. There are any number of "So-and-So Finds Out About Jaune's Transcripts" stories out there, ranging from any single cast member, aside from Pyrrha (the canon one), to everyone on RWBY and JNPR. Different characters' reactions run the gamut. The ones aiming for an angsty edge to them generally have everyone, or most of them at least, decide Jaune is scum for pulling that scam, and turning on him, at least temporarily. For me, I have a hard time seeing Yang as taking it too badly. She's a reckless risk-taker herself, and our introduction to her, back in the Yellow Trailer, is her showing up at a nightclub to press an underworld contact for information, and getting into a brawl that subsequently wrecks the place. So Jaune coming to Beacon with _no_ prior training, and somehow surviving through the initiation is something she'd probably respect.**

 **And speaking of Jaune's background...that's probably the trickiest thing to write. It's a little strange that, of all the characters in RWBY, it's Jaune whose history has the most holes in it. Granted, he was originally conceived as a supporting character, someone uninitiated in the world of Beacon and Huntsmen, to serve as an audience surrogate to ask questions about the setting and get answers. But, with how much his importance has grown over the course of the series, the various blank spaces in his life are pretty glaring, especially when you consider that Ren and Nora, who are essentially _Jaune's_ supporting characters have now gotten a more clearly-fleshed out personal history, with an entire segment of Volume 4 devoted to their background (although, where Nora originally came from is still a mystery).**

 **What we do know about Jaune boils down to a few things. He forged his transcripts and lied in order to gain admittance into Beacon. We know he didn't have any real training before coming. We know his father and grandfather were Huntsmen. And that's about it...until we get to Volume 3, which we'll get to in a minute. Oh, and he has seven sisters...can't forget that. The main blank of this story, and the one that's the most difficult for me to process, is the fact that he has no training. The question of _why_ he never got training from his father (or someone else) or combat school, is never addressed. Does his family know that he submitted fake transcripts to Beacon? His words to Pyrrha in Volume 3 seem to indicate his parents knew he was going to Beacon. But they would know that he hadn't gotten any training, right? So they would have to realize there's something off about him getting into Beacon. There are a few possible explanations, like them expecting his fake transcripts to get bounced, or perhaps not realizing that he had forged transcripts to put on his application. If they were so confident that he would be coming back, what do they think now that he's made it this far? It's hard to say. It brings up quite a few questions that the actual show has never really had the time or focus to address, ones that I hope to build a satisfactory answer to.**

 **Apologies for the long, rambling note, but these were the main things on my mind while writing this chapter.**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28:**

"Ha! Read 'em and weep," said Jaune triumphantly, grinning from ear to ear. "With my trap card, _Reverse Reversal_ , the effect of your roll was reversed, and the _Giant Nevermore_ turned on your own forces."

"Nooooo!" wailed Yang, reeling back as she watched her forces crumble before the might of Jaune's armies. "How could you! I thought we were friends!"

"Friendship must take a backseat when conquering the world," said Jaune confidently, leaning back in his seat.

"No fair!" protested Yang. "How did you know what I was planning?"

"'Cause I know you, Yang Xiao Long," replied Jaune with a sly grin. "You're a high-stakes, all or nothing kind of a girl. You're the kind of person to play big, and put it all on the line, so I figured that you'd gamble on the outcome sooner or later. I laid a trap in anticipation of just that moment."

"Dang it!" gasped Yang, reeling as though struck. "How are you so good at this anyway?"

"It's amazing the things you pick up when you have seven sisters."

"That's your answer for everything!"

"Doesn't change the fact that it's true."

Yang whipped her head around to stare plaintively at one of the other two people seated at the table. "Nora! You've got to help me! Stop him!"

"Sure thing!" promised Nora eagerly, sporting a grin that rivaled Jaune's before freezing in place. "What do I do, exactly?"

Yang nearly pitched forward onto the table in frustration. She'd forgotten Jaune's warning that Nora had no idea how to play _Remnant the Game_. Seeing that her friend, and present ally, needed guidance, Yang slid around to get an idea of what cards Nora was working with and to help her figure out how to best direct her forces…at Jaune, naturally.

Jaune chuckled as he sat back and listened to Yang lay out the possibilities for Nora's moves. She had the chance to take him down with the cards and pieces she had, but he knew he could stop her. That left only one other player who could really disrupt his winning strategy.

The library wouldn't have been Jaune's first choice of a location to play a game, whose players were prone to getting rowdy and shouting at each other. However, it seemed that they were hardly the only ones playing around. Granted, Jaune had been studying with the rest of his team, until WBY had come in, Yang wanting to play a rousing round of _Remnant the Game_. Seeing as they needed four players, she had immediately roped in Jaune. Then Weiss, partially out of spite at the idea of having to play with Jaune, but mostly dismissing the game as a foolish waste of time, had opted out. Yang had instead grabbed Nora, the orange-haired girl having already zonked out in her attempt to be studious, earning Ren's goodwill, as Nora was no longer asleep on top of the book he was trying to read.

"Honesty, what juvenile behavior," grumbled Weiss, paying more attention to the players than the textbook in front of her. "They could all stand to spend some more time studying."

"Jaune's grades have already improved markedly," commented Ren, not looking up from his own book. "And getting Nora to study is like pulling teeth. There's no harm."

Pyrrha said nothing, simply frowning as she discreetly looked up from her book to glance at the four playing. It was true that Jaune was doing better in classes. In fact, at least part of that had to do with the tremendous boost to his confidence that both Ren and Nora suggested had come from him beginning an official relationship with Yang. Despite her party-girl nature, Yang _did_ study, and, now that she and Jaune were a couple, the two of them had taken to studying together, an activity that had proven to have substantial benefits for both parties, as they were strong and weak in different subjects respectively, allowing them to help one another effectively.

In fact, much of the dynamic between JNPR and WBY had changed, now that Jaune and Yang were "together-together," as Nora put it. The greatest concern that they'd had was that Jaune might wind up gravitating towards Team WBY, and spend less time with his own team. However, instead, the two teams appeared to have developed a stronger bond with one another, Nora and Ren happily supporting Jaune and Yang's relationship.

Of the others, only Pyrrha expressed any disapproval, always worrying that Yang was undermining Jaune's progress by taking up so much of his time. They still had their training sessions on the roof in the evenings, but now Jaune was usually partly tired out from going multiple rounds against Yang in the sparring ring during their free periods. Still, he practiced doggedly. Weiss, of course, still considered Jaune to be completely and utterly beneath her, but appeared to think that made him a perfect fit for Yang, though she still wondered what Yang saw in him.

On the other hand, Blake appeared to be ambivalent towards the whole affair, not minding one way or the other. If anything, she was the odd one out, seemingly detached from the typical proceedings of their day, as exemplified by her behavior right now. As the game's turn switched to her, Blake looked up in confusion, having apparently not been paying attention to the flow of the game at all.

"Hey, what's up?" asked a jovial voice as two new people joined them.

They looked up to see a pair of boys approaching their table. One of them, a young man with blonde hair, even shorter and scruffier than Jaune's, and mischievous grayish blue eyes grinned at them. He was dressed for much warmer climes, wearing a button-down shirt that rested, perpetually unbuttoned, displaying his toned chest and cut abs that could make girls swoon and boys sigh in jealousy. Besides that, he wore a pair of worn blue jeans and plain sneakers. Weiss had once said he looked "more like a hobo than a Huntsman," and the boy didn't dispute that. Besides that, his most notable feature was the yellow-furred, prehensile tail that extended out behind him.

"Hey, Sun," said Yang, grinning at him. It was hard to forget the boy whom they'd met when he was first escaping from a ship as a stowaway. That his flight and evasion had ignited the argument between Blake and Weiss that led to Blake's outing as both a faunus and a former member of the White Fang was another factor that made him hard to forget, albeit not in the best of ways. Still, Sun Wukong was cheerful and friendly, determinedly helping Blake during the incident on the docks, and staying with her beforehand to make sure that she was okay. Yang had quickly realized that, underneath his casual, bad-boy exterior lay the core of a sweetheart romantic.

The other boy of the pair was unknown to them. His skin was a slightly darker shade than Sun's. He was dressed in a bright-red jacket with a white shirt underneath and gray jeans. His light-blue hair was a mass of messy spikes that were swept forward towards the front of his head, hanging slightly over the pair of goggles with yellow lenses that rested on his forehead over his pale blue eyes. His lips pulled back and he flashed them a grin with teeth so white the light gleamed off them.

"I thought libraries were for studying," commented the blue-haired boy, looking at the game board.

"Finally!" shouted Ren in exultation, prompting a giggle from Nora.

"Dude, don't be such a nerd," said Sun, elbowing his friend.

"Intellectual!" protested the other boy, throwing a glare at the monkey-faunus.

"Anyway, this is my partner, Neptune," said Sun, gesturing to the blue-haired boy, who flashed them another sparkling grin. "I kinda wanted to introduce him to you guys the other day, but you seemed kind of busy trashing the dining hall…Which was awesome, by the way!"

"Aww, you're too kind," said Yang with a giggle.

"And here I thought food was for eating," grumbled Neptune, still unable to process how, though he and Sun had been watching the fight from the same location, only Neptune had ended up spattered with condiments.

"Now you're just being a stick in the mud," said Sun with a chuckle, prompting an irritated grunt from Neptune. He grinned down at Blake. "Loved the way you handled those baguettes, by the way."

To their surprise, this prompted the tiniest beginnings of a smile, and a faint blush, from Blake, the first positive emotions they'd seen from her all afternoon. "Thanks," she said in a voice that was barely audible.

"Well, it's nice to meet you all," said Neptune, moving closer to the other table, where Weiss, Pyrrha, and Ren were. "By the way, I didn't get your name, Snow Angel."

Neptune's use of the nickname that Jaune had once used for Weiss, and seemed to irritate her to no end, caused everyone else to tense, preparing for Weiss' anger. Instead, Weiss giggled and blushed. "It's Weiss," she said demurely.

"What did I just see?" asked Jaune in a hushed tone, leaning towards Yang.

"I don't know," said Yang. "Looks like the Ice Queen doesn't think boys are just a waste of time after all." Then Yang blinked, remembering that they were already in the middle of something. "By the way, it's still your turn Blake. What are you gonna do?"

Blake looked back and forth between all the people around her. Her slight happiness at Sun's compliment vanished and she sighed and stood up. "Actually, I think I'll pass." She abruptly pushed away from the table and began walking away at a rapid clip, leaving a stunned silence in her wake.

"What was that all about?" asked Yang.

"Women," said Nora, by way of explanation, drawing confused looks her way.

* * *

Blake sighed and curled up on her bed in Team WBY's dorm room, staring despondently on the wall. With everything that had happened recently, she'd felt uncomfortable about bringing up the fact of her former associates. First their schoolwork had begun piling up, then Ruby had died. But now things were just going on like the incident at the docks had never happened. Her worries were growing every day, but it seemed that she was the only one who cared.

"Care to explain what's wrong?" asked Yang, setting herself down on the bed next to Blake, startling her.

"Wha-nothing?" stammered a startled Blake, sitting upright.

"Are you really going to lie now?" asked Yang, wrapping an arm around Blake's shoulders and hugging the black-haired faunus close to her.

"Of course not," said Blake with a sigh, leaning into the embrace. She was always amazed that Yang had never shown any signs of judging her, despite learning who she was and who she had been.

"So what is it?" asked Yang as Weiss entered the room as well.

"It's…it's just…I"m worried," said Blake.

"About the White Fang?" asked Weiss, quickly cluing in.

"Yes," said Blake, perking up, and jolting out of Yang's grip. "They're still out there, doing God-knows-what with all the Dust they've stollen, and stealing more Dust while they're at it. And, for some reason, they're working with criminal scum like Roman Torchwick."

"Like attracts like," Weiss muttered under her breath.

"And no one is doing anything about it," said Blake.

"I'm sure the police and Professor Ozpin are doing everything they can," Yang assured her.

"But we can't just sit back and do nothing," said Blake, looking between them.

"Blake, let's face it," said Weiss firmly. "We're students. We aren't fully trained. You got lucky at the docks. It's nothing short of a miracle you weren't killed out there. We aren't skilled enough yet to take on these kinds of enemies."

"Maybe we're not, but we have to do something," said Blake firmly. "Our enemies aren't just going to sit back and wait for our graduation."

"So, give more information to the police," said Weiss with an audible sniff. "Or you could at least tell Professor Ozpin what you know."

"What do you mean?" asked Blake.

"You're a former member of the White Fang," Weiss pointed out. "You know how they work. You have an idea of where they might be gathering, what they might be doing. You should be giving all that information to the people who are equipped to do something about it."

"You know she can't do that," said Yang, her eyes narrowing at Weiss.

After all, sharing the full scope of what she knew with the authorities would bring the inevitable questions about _how_ Blake knew what she knew, which would, more likely than not, lead to them uncovering her status as a former White Fang member herself.

"So you'd rather we blunder about, and possibly make things _worse?_ " Weiss wanted to know, glaring at Blake. She'd put up with this nonsense before, thinking that Blake was sincere about her desire to put her time in the White Fang behind her, but this was taking things into the realm of absurdity. "You do realize what you're suggesting is way worse than just rule-breaking. We'd be _law-breaking!_ This is nothing more than vigilantism. We got away with what happened on the docks with your explanation about being in the 'right place at the right time.' But that's going to wear thin, and people will start asking questions regardless. You said you wanted to make a difference as a Huntress, to protect people. But it sounds to me like you're only interested in protecting _yourself_ right now."

"Weiss!" protested Yang, her eyes flashing red.

"No…" said Blake, sagging in defeat. "She's right." She stared down at the bed. "I _am_ just protecting myself, when all's said and done. But still…" She looked up at Weiss with a pleading expression.

Weiss stared back, trying to maintain her resolve. But seeing Blake's earnest desire to do something caused her resolve to weaken and her expression to soften. _You've got to be kidding me!_ she protested silently to herself. _I swear, this is Ruby's fault…somehow._ "Fine," she said with a resigned sigh. "Just this once…" Seeing Blake's face light up, Weiss decided to immediately make sure that she didn't get her hopes up too high. "However…!" she snapped, holding up a finger, "if anything happens, then we need to tell Professor Ozpin, at least, the whole story. We can't have another violent incident, like what happened at the docks. We need to be discrete, and we need to go about this rationally!"

"That's fine," said Blake, deciding to accept Weiss' terms.

"Heck yeah! Let's go bust some White Fang butts!" shouted Yang, shooting to her feet.

"Sounds awesome!"

Everyone froze at the familiar, masculine voice…coming from outside their open window. In complete unison, they whipped their heads around to stare out the window to see Sun there, hanging from the tree just outside by his tail, grinning cheerfully at them.

"How did you get up here?" Weiss demanded, horrified.

"It's easy," said Sun proudly. "I do it all the time."

"You do _what!?_ " exclaimed Weiss, her eyes going wider.

"Climbing trees, I do it all the time," elaborated Sun, in complete innocence, apparently not realizing the phrasing of his previous statement, and the ways it could be taken.

"Sun…" said Blake in a warning tone.

"Hey, I was at the docks too," said Sun. "I wanna put a stop to these jerks, just like you. It's not just me. I brought Neptune too." He gestured to the side of the window, prompting the girls to lean out and look over, seeing Neptune standing nervously on a ledge.

"'Sup," said Neptune with a shaky grin, trying his hardest to maintain a confident look. "Can I come in? Seriously, it's really high up here."

Blake sighed and motioned the others to step back. Neptune shuffled over, and quickly hopped in the room. Sun rocked his body to start swinging by his tail before sailing in with a neat flip, landing on his feet.

"Showoff," grumbled Neptune.

"Well, that gives us five people to work with," said Weiss.

"Ahem…" A cough from the doorway caused everyone's heads to snap around to see Jaune standing there, the rest of Team JNPR behind him.

"Does anyone know the meaning of _privacy_ anymore?" lamented Weiss.

"If you want privacy, you should probably shut the door before you start shouting about the White Fang and vigilante activities," Jaune pointed out helpfully. "We were coming to see if everyone was okay. You're lucky pretty much everyone else is out right now, or the entire floor would know what you're up to."

His statement caused Weiss to blush fiercely, Blake a beat behind her. Yang giggled sheepishly. "Whoops."

"In any case," said Jaune, pushing away from the door, "as much as it pains me to admit it, Snow Angel has a point." Weiss growled furiously at Jaune's nickname for her, though everyone else noted she seemed just fine with Neptune using it earlier. "This is a really bad idea. Blake should be going to Professor Ozpin with what she knows."

Blake paled nervously, but Jaune beckoned his team in, and nodded to Ren to shut the door behind him. "So…how can we help?"

"Wait! I just thought you said I was right," protested Weiss.

"I did," said Jaune. "But it sounds like you all have your hearts set on this, so we want to do what we can to make a bad idea less…bad…" He shrugged.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Sun. "The more the merrier, am I right?"

"You're not right!" Blake blurted out. "This isn't some kind of game. Your lives will be at risk."

"Um…we're Huntresses," said Nora, who paused when Ren coughed into his hand, "…and Huntsmen," she amended quickly, "this is the kinda thing we've been training for."

"The Headmaster did chuck us off a cliff as an entry requirement," added Yang with a giggle, sharing a smile with Jaune. "I think they're up for it."

"Besides," said Weiss with a sigh, "running around picking fights isn't the only way to handle this. If we're going to investigate, we should explore multiple avenues, and see how much information we can get. With this many people, we should be able to cover plenty of ground." She looked at Blake. "So, how were you thinking about doing this?"

"Well…" said Blake, looking down, "…the White Fang have recruitment rallies on a regular basis. If I'm right, they'll probably be having one tonight. It's most likely going to be somewhere in the industrial district. They change the locations regularly, but I know how to read the signs to find out where the latest one is."

"What are you planning on doing?" asked Sun.

"I'm going to infiltrate the rally," said Blake. "At rallies, we sometimes used to share part of our plans to entice new recruits with an idea of what we're actually doing. I figured that would give us a hint on what they're planning next."

"All right," said Sun. "I'll go with you then."

"What?" asked Blake, her eyes going wide.

"I'm a faunus too," said Sun, holding up his tail for emphasis. "The two of us shouldn't have trouble getting in, thanks to that. It's way too dangerous for you to walk in alone."

"He's got a point," said Jaune.

Blake looked reluctant, but sighed and relented, deciding to accept Sun's help. "Fine," she said.

"Great," said Yang with a grin. "I have a friend on the shady side of town that I can press for information."

Seeing the gleam in her eye, Jaune rolled his own eyes. "I'll go with Yang," he said. "Something tells me someone should be with her to keep her from causing a scene."

"Aww, it's so sweet that you're worried about me," teased Yang.

"I'm more worried about your informant," said Jaune, who smirked back. "I have a pretty good idea of how you'd 'press' someone for information."

Yang's expression morphed to a petulant one, and she folded her arms, looking down with a pout. "Killjoy," she muttered under her breath.

"Well, Neptune and I will investigate the SDC records then," said Weiss, glancing sidelong at Neptune with a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Works for me," said Neptune flashing his trademark lady-killer grin at her.

"So weird," muttered Yang, watching Weiss' behavior.

"Um…what about us?" asked Ren, gesturing to himself, Nora, and Pyrrha, the latter of whom was fighting to keep from looking despondent.

"You'll go with Blake," said Jaune.

"What?" asked Pyrrha and Blake in unison.

"They won't be able to infiltrate the meeting with me," protested Blake. "The guards know how to spot someone pretending to be a faunus."

"Exactly," added Pyrrha.

"They aren't supposed to go in with you," said Jaune. "Once you figure out the location, send it to them, and they'll set up outside."

"Why?" Pyrrha wanted to know, unable to keep a slightly plaintive note from her voice.

Jaune looked between Blake and Sun. "After the fight on the docks, there's a chance someone there might recognize you. If that happens, there's going to be serious trouble. That being the case, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora will be there to help you two escape if you get recognized."

"That sounds like a pretty solid strategy," said Sun.

"It's certainly a wise precaution," added Ren.

Both Blake and Pyrrha were reluctant, albeit for different reasons. However, unable to find an argument against Jaune's plan, they both slumped in resignation.

"All right," said Blake.

"Cool! Now we've got a plan," said Yang eagerly. "Let's get to it."

* * *

"There it is," said Weiss, gazing up at Beacon Tower, "the CCT."

Neptune, standing beside her, whistled, impressed. "Well now, this is certainly a sight. The tower at Haven's got nothing on this."

" _Why_ are we here again?" asked Weiss. "I could have done all this over my scroll."

"Hey," said Neptune with a grin, raising his hands, "the tower's cool." Seeing her scowl, he winced. "Besides," he added, "even if you're the heiress, there's probably quite a bit that they'd keep from you even if you asked. What we're looking for is some pretty sensitive information. It's harder to hack a secure network with just my scroll."

Weiss narrowed her eyes at him. "You'd better not get caught," she said. "If they realize that I hacked their systems by proxy, disowning me is the very _least_ Father will do."

"Relax, Snow Angel," said Neptune, "I know a few tricks."

As they approached the tower, they brushed past a girl with curly, orange hair with a cream-colored blouse and a pair of green and black overalls. Weiss glanced at her, noticing that she was familiar. However, she remembered that this particular girl was annoying to deal with, and chose to proceed as though nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, Penny Polendina glanced over her shoulder at the white-haired girl, recognizing her instantly. She felt the impulse to call out to the friend she'd identified as Weiss Schnee. However, reminded of an admonition by a certain general, she decided it was better if they went their separate ways. As she did, Penny wondered what had happened to her friend, Ruby. Penny hadn't seen her at all recently…not that Penny was supposed to talk to her, even if she did see her.

* * *

"It's a good thing I turned you down when you offered to drive us to our latest date," Jaune shouted, doing his best to be heard over the roar of the motorcycle's engine.

"Please!" scoffed Yang, just as loudly. "You're just a wimp."

"Me being a wimp doesn't change the fact that you drive like a maniac," retorted Jaune. "And this is how you drive sober."

Yang grinned, not minding Jaune's barbs. Besides, he had a point. She was driving a tad recklessly, not that she cared to stop. After all, the increased speed and acceleration meant that her boyfriend's arms were locked all the more tightly about her midsection, pulling him flush up against her back.

"Love the outfit, by the way," added Jaune.

Yang grinned at the offhanded compliment. For the purposes of this mission, she and the girls had decided to go with different outfits. In Blake's case, it was to help keep her from being identified. Yang (and Weiss, she suspected) had simply felt like a change of pace.

To that end, Yang was wearing the outfit she had dubbed Hunter. It consisted of a white vest over a low-cut black shirt, over which she wore a gray shrug with a raised collar. At her waist was a black miniskirt, while her legs were covered with black leggings, held up by garter belts. It didn't show nearly as much skin as her typical outfit, but Yang didn't mind. The way it hugged her form accentuated the figure she was so proud of. Besides, Jaune's approval was plenty enough for her.

Yang dodged through the streets, slaloming between moving cars like they were stationary objects, leaning into turns to take them at the fastest speed she could manage. Driving along Vale's streets, Yang guided them through Vale's busy commercial district, taking a route that brought them closer to the docks, sections of the Kingdom capital where the bright lights of the Kingdom's more upperclass district gave way to the places that catered to the Kingdom's working and underclass.

They pulled to a stop in front of a building located below a highway overpass. Looking up, Jaune saw the sign for some kind of club. "What's this place?" he asked, getting off Yang's bike, before stumbling as he fought to regain his balance.

Yang grinned and pulled the helmet off her head, letting her golden hair spill out, with a shake to help it along, and dislodge some of the sweat that gathered there. "It's a club," she said helpfully.

"I can see that," deadpanned Jaune. "I'm starting to wonder if you just used this investigation as an excuse to drag me along on another drinking excursion."

"You have so little faith in me," teased Yang with mock-indignation. Then she grinned. "The guy who runs the place moonlights as an information broker. It's his business-well…his side business anyway-to keep his ear to the ground for info."

"Think he'll know about the White Fang?" asked Jaune.

"I think he'll know about Torchwick," said Yang. "The last time I came here, I saw the scumbag chatting the owner up about something. I didn't recognize him then. But afterwards, I realized he must have been doing something that Junior knows about."

"Junior?" Jaune raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, I didn't pick his name," Yang said, by way of answer.

As they approached the doors, Jaune saw someone, a bouncer, looking sharp in his black suit and red tie, complete with bowler hat, standing in front of the door. His eyes were hidden by dark sunglasses. From the look of things, the club didn't open until later in the evening, and it appeared that the man was there to ward away people trying to get in before that time. Jaune figured the man would tell them to wait. Instead, he took one look at Yang, and his jaw dropped. The next thing Jaune knew, the man had disappeared behind the doors, running like a Beowolf was snapping at his behind.

"Should I be worried?" asked Jaune, glancing sidelong at Yang.

"Relax, I've got this," replied Yang with a smug smile, pushing through the doors and into the club's entryway, the two of them entering just in time to see the second set of doors that led into the club proper closing shut, cutting off the panicked shouting coming from the other side.

"Yang…" said Jaune, his tone wary.

Yang merely grinned, and continued to stride towards the doors. As she did, her right gauntlet activated, sliding down from its bracelet-shaped storage mode to cover her forearm and fist. Not even breaking stride, she hefted her arm and delivered a powerful punch to the doors, supplementing it with a shot from the Dust cartridge loaded into the weapon, blowing the doors wide open. Closing her weapon back down, Yang sauntered through, her hips swaying provocatively. Jaune groaned and rubbed his head, before following in her wake. _I figured this would happen_ , he thought.

"Hey guys! Guess who's back," said Yang with a grin on her face, spreading her arms in greeting. The next second, the air around her was filled with clicking sounds as dozens of guns were aimed at her from every direction, their muzzles inches away from her face. The standoff continued as the music suddenly skipped, then began to loop. Yang directed an annoyed glance at the DJ booth, watching as he moved the needle off the skipping record, allowing silence to fall.

"Somehow…I'm not surprised in the slightest," said Jaune from where he was standing behind her.

The silence was broken as someone pushed their way to the front of the group barring Yang and Jaune's entrance into the club. "Wait wait wait!" shouted a tall, burly man with close-cropped black hair and a neatly-trimmed beard, dressed in a black vest and white shirt. "Blondie," he said, clear recognition in his voice, "you're here…why?"

"Because someone still owes me a drink," said Yang smugly.

The man (Junior, Jaune guessed) waved off the heavily armed bouncers with a resigned look on his face. It was the face of a man who knew he was beaten before the first punch was even thrown. "Whatever, just come with me." He began to lead Yang towards the bar.

Jaune held back a bit, watching them go. Then he groaned softly. "I'm gonna have my work cut out for me," he muttered, before noticing he was being watched. Looking to the side, he saw a pair of quite attractive girls with jet-black hair and piercing, green eyes. One wore a blood-red dress, while the other wore pale green. From the look of them, Jaune guessed they were twins. They were giving him an appraising look.

"Hi," he said, keeping his tone as friendly as possible under the circumstances, "sorry about the intrusion."

The girls shared a look, then nodded to each other. "Whatever," they said in perfect unison, their tone dismissive as they strutted away, noses in the air. It didn't seem they liked what they saw.

Jaune sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I guess I should have expected that." He hurried after Yang and Junior.

* * *

Once they reached the industrial district, it didn't take Blake long to find the signs pointing the way to the latest White Fang rally. The White Fang used a series of claw marks, etched into the sides of buildings in a sort of code that pointed the way to their rallies. Their angle and spacing conveyed subtle information, information that Blake could read like a book.

"This way," she said, guiding Sun down an alley between a pair of warehouses.

Sun followed in her wake, taking a second to admire Blake in her alternate outfit, which Yang had playfully codenamed "Intruder." It consisted of a white, V-neck shirt and tight, black pants that accentuated the lines of Blake's slender legs. However, Sun reminded himself that they were here on work, no matter how awesome Blake looked.

Blake knew they were getting close. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked, looking at Sun. "It's going to be dangerous."

Sun returned her look with an equally, and surprisingly, serious one. "I should be asking you that question," he replied. "Of the two of us, you're probably the one they're most likely to recognize, seeing as you outed yourself as a former member back at the docks. This is a serious risk."

"Because I have to," said Blake, looking away. "The White Fang are my responsibility."

"No they're not," said Sun. "Just because you used to be a part of them doesn't make you responsible for everything that they're doing now." Reaching up, he gripped her shoulder in a firm, yet gentle hand. "What's the matter, Blake?"

Blake sighed and lowered her head, her hand going up to rest atop Sun's. "I just…I don't want anyone else getting hurt. I can't stand to lose another friend."

"You mean your old leader?" asked Sun, remembering hearing about the incident, though he still didn't know the full details behind it.

Blake nodded. "It was just supposed to be a routine training mission, but then it went so wrong." She sighed, tears gathering in her eyes. "Ruby…Ruby was amazing. She accepted me without a second thought, even knowing who I am…who I was. I don't want to lose another friend like that."

She felt soft fur brushing over her cheeks as Sun's tail rose up to gently wipe away her tears. "So you wanted to run off on your own and do something about the White Fang," he said. "But there's something you're forgetting."

"What is it?" asked Blake.

" _We're_ your friends," said Sun. "That means that you're _our_ friend. If something happened to you, how do you think _we_ would feel?"

Blake flinched, her eyes going wide.

"I admit, I don't know a lot about Ruby," said Sun. "I only got to talk with her a little bit. But she seemed like an awesome girl. I can't even imagine how much it hurt to lose her." With his hand, Sun gently cupped Blake's cheek. "But I can imagine how much it would hurt to lose you. If I knew what you were doing, and I didn't do what I could to help you, and something happened…I'd be kicking myself for the rest of my life."

Blake sniffed and leaned into Sun's touch, taking a moment to simply bask in the sense of affection she felt from the boy in front of her. When she'd first met him, she'd assumed he was a flirt, trying to get on her good side. Maybe that was true. But he'd also proven himself loyal, willing to fight by her side, no matter how dangerous things got. "Thank you," she said softly.

"Ready to keep going?" asked Sun.

Blake nodded and continued to lead him in the direction of the meeting.

They reached a warehouse, where they saw quite a few other faunus filing through one of the side entrances. Moving carefully, Blake and Sun inserted themselves at the end of the line. Going through the entrance, they followed the line to where it turned a corner and peaked around, seeing a bat-eared faunus guarding another door, inspecting each new arrival. When he approved them, he handed them a small, white mask that covered their eyes.

"I don't get it," Sun asked Blake in hushed tones, "why the Grimm masks?"

"It's something the leader of the local branch came up with when we started getting more…active," said Blake, a chill settling into her stomach. "Humans kept calling us monsters, so he decided that we'd give them monsters."

"Sounds like a totally nice guy," muttered Sun sarcastically.

Blake frowned and reached up, undoing the bow that hid her ears and moving forward. Sun quickly joined her, the two of them heading towards the entrance.

* * *

Neptune had to admit, seeing Weiss ask for the information from her family's company was interesting, to say the least. On the elevator ride up, he noticed her putting a pleasant smile on her face, then pausing, shaking her head, then trying again, changing up her smile as though she were trying on outfits in a clothing store.

When they reached the call center, she made her request normally enough. Neptune followed her to the terminal that the receptionist directed her to, watching as Weiss put that plastic smile on her face once again to address the operator on the other end of the line.

Naturally, the operator was a little bit dubious on handing over the information Weiss had asked for, as even that contained some sensitive data. However, Weiss, with every evidence of confidence, assured the woman that she would treat the data with the utmost care. The woman announced that both Weiss' father and sister were in, but Weiss turned down the opportunity to speak to either, prompting a raised eyebrow from Neptune.

As Weiss was about to end the call, Neptune reached down and discreetly swapped her scroll for his, making sure to keep the motion outside the view of the screen, so that the operator couldn't see it. Then he nodded to Weiss, who hung up the call.

A faint buzz issued from the terminal's speakers, before the screen activated again, this time showing a blank screen with a single, blinking cursor.

"All right, time to do my thing," said Neptune. "What documents did you ask for, by the way?"

"Information on what Dust was being stolen and which shipments were hit," said Weiss, getting up to allow Neptune to take her place, "as well as damage reports from Dust shops being hit. It contains information on nearly all the Dust being sold throughout all four Kingdoms."

"Right," said Neptune, getting an idea of why Weiss had asked for that. It would allow her to determine if the sudden surge in Dust-thefts was specific to Vale, or if there was an increase in such larceny across the entire world.

"What are you doing?" asked Weiss, looking over Neptune's shoulder as he activated the terminal's keyboard, normally used by the staff for debugging and administrator functions.

"My scroll has a program that's keeping the line open between us and your company," said Neptune. "I've got about two minutes before the people on the other end realize that the line is still active, even though no one's talking on it." He began to type commands onto the screen, sometimes reaching over and activating something on his scroll. "I'm using a slicer program to extract data on the more dangerous end of your company dealings."

"You mean weapons?" asked Weiss. "Why?"

Neptune's hands danced across the keyboard and the interface of his scroll, strings of code, meaningless to Weiss' eyes, scrolled down the screen.

"Well," said Neptune simply, "why do you think the White Fang are stealing Dust?"

"That's obvious," replied Weiss. "Those scum have nothing but contempt for my family's company, and want to do everything in their power to drive it into ruin."

Neptune flinched, for the first time realizing how Weiss thought about certain things. "That's one way of putting it," he admitted. "Let's put it another way. Why would a violent revolutionary organization suddenly want a large surplus of material that goes _'Boom!'_?"

Weiss froze, blinking in surprise. "Oh…Oh!"

"Yeah," said Neptune. "Sure, they could cause the SDC a lot of hardship by continuing to steal Dust. But, for guys like that, that's a half measure. The real reason they're amassing that amount of Dust is because they intend to use it. But a lot of the Dust they've taken is in the form of Dust-rounds. If they want to use those…"

"They'll need weapons…guns," said Weiss, finally getting Neptune's point.

"Among other things," said Neptune, narrowing his eyes in concentration. "Just a second…" He typed in a few more commands and tapped his scroll a few times. Then he abruptly grabbed the scroll and pulled it off the terminal. "Got it! Phew…Just in time."

"You got what you were looking for?" asked Weiss.

"Yep," said Neptune proudly, turning around to show her, opening his scroll up into tablet mode. "And it looks like the White Fang have been pretty busy."

Weiss used a finger to go through the files, her eyes widening. "They stole this!?"

"Stole what?" asked Neptune, turning his scroll to see what Weiss was looking at. "Oh…That's not good."

"Those are brand new," gasped Weiss. "General Ironwood developed those in conjunction with the SDC, and the White Fang highjacked an entire shipment of them."

"Yeah, that's bad news," said Neptune, going through the specs of the Atlesian Paladin. "I was just thinking in terms of guns and missiles. But this is a serious war machine."

Weiss trembled, cold fury racing through her veins. _The White Fang are planning on using this…How dare they sully our family's name like this?_ Then her eyes narrowed. _But this is my chance. Blake's foolishness could be useful yet._ After all, if she…or rather, the team she led…could put a stop to this while they were still students, then she could earn the clout she needed to fully assume control of the SDC even sooner than she planned. As much as she despised her father, she appreciated one of the lessons he had drilled into her from the very beginning: within crisis lies opportunity.

* * *

 **It's rather ironic that Weiss is the one voicing the attitudes I felt towards Blake's behavior over the course of Volume 2, particularly this first segment. It's one of those Jerkass Has a Point moments. It's irritating to think how Blake's insistence of getting herself involved is better than taking things to people like Ozpin, who has any number of professional Huntsmen on call, maybe not ones on the level of Qrow, but probably some pretty competent people. Of course, the main impetus behind that is clearly the worry that Blake would have to give up her secret background with the White Fang, maybe along with a smattering of worry that no one would take her warnings seriously.**

 **I'm happy that I get to put Sun into the story. I like Sun a lot, and he's one of my favorite characters in the series, not in the least because I really like his namesake. Sun Wukong, from _Journey to the West_ , is absolutely one of the most badass characters in all of fiction. We westerners probably know him better by the Japanese rendition of his name, Son Goku, a starring character in _Gensomaden Saiyuki_ , along with an obscure little series called _Dragonball_. I also fully admit to liking the Black Sun ship.**

 **So this is where the events of Volume 2 start to change up, although they don't go completely off-the-rails until later. It's also fun to see how Weiss' character has developed, since her getting what she wanted has enabled some of her worse character qualities, while, in the canon series, spending time with Ruby was what caused her better qualities to come forward. So she's actually quite the conniving one at the moment.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29:**

"I already told you, I don't. _Know!_ " growled Junior, leaning over the bar, though Jaune noted he was being careful to keep it between him and Yang. "Torchwick borrowed a few of my men for some extra muscle, and they never came back. I assume he didn't care for their performance, _which is something I can understand!_ " That last clause had been uttered at a low shout, enough so that several of Junior's henchmen, moving around the club behind them, paused to glare at their boss.

"Weren't they arrested?" asked Jaune, glancing at Yang.

"Yeah," replied Yang. "Ruby took them down, and they wound up in police custody."

"Well, there's something at least," muttered Junior. "If that's all that you were looking for, then it's time you left."

Yang grinned fiercely. "I don't know," she said, bringing her hands together and cracking her knuckles. "I think your memory is a bit foggy. Maybe I can jog it for you."

"Yang…" said Jaune in a warning tone, resting a hand on her forearm. Yang looked at him, seeing a surprisingly sober look on his face, then relented with a sigh.

Jaune shook his head and groaned softly. "Let's try this again," he said, reaching into his pocket. All around him, members of the club tensed, hands straying towards weapons. However, they relaxed again when Jaune pulled out his wallet. Opening it, he pulled out a small stack of lien cards and tossed them onto the bar. "How's this for a start?" he asked.

"Jaune!" protested Yang, her eyes going wide.

Junior eyed the lien and looked up at Jaune. "Who are you anyway?"

"Protection," replied Jaune with a small smile.

"For her?" asked Junior skeptically.

"Nah, for _you guys,_ " said Jaune, his smile becoming a small grin.

Junior looked from Jaune…to Yang…then to the lien on the bar. He chuckled and shook his head. "Well, it's a start." He put his hand down on the lien, and pulled it over to the other side of the bar. "Now tell me what you're looking for."

Yang stared at Jaune in awe, amazed at how he was doing, even if he was parting with his money to do it.

Jaune's eyes narrowed. "Let's start with info about Roman Torchwick, and info about the White Fang…particularly info where those two appear together."

"All right…" said Junior, "that info's three-thousand."

"What?" gasped Yang, rising from her seat. However, she stopped when Jaune placed his hand on her arm again.

"I don't know if it's worth that much," said Jaune. "Yang gets disappointed easily…and something tells me you already know what she does when she isn't happy."

Junior gulped, but otherwise kept his expression neutral.

"Fifteen-hundred," Jaune offered.

"Parting with this kind of info could get me into hot water with some very dangerous people," growled Junior. "Don't assume that holding Blondie's leash gives you that much leverage. Twenty-eight."

Jaune leaned back. "Depending on what we do with the information, we could be getting you _out_ of hot water, not to mention out of Yang's bad graces. Eighteen."

"Twenty-five," countered Junior. "I'm not running a charity."

"You might be if I can't keep Yang in check," replied Jaune. "Nineteen."

"Twenty-four," retorted Junior.

"Make it twenty-two and you've got yourself a deal," said Jaune.

He and Junior stared at each other for several seconds before Junior sighed and relented. "You drive a hard bargain. Not bad, kid. You've got yourself a deal. Your haggling is a little heavy-handed though."

Jaune laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "Work with what you've got," he said.

"Right," said Junior with a sigh. "So…you bought it; standard disclaimer, you didn't hear it from me."

Jaune nodded.

Junior's eyes narrowed. "Rumor is there's a new player in town," he said. "Whoever this person is, they aren't showing their hand openly, but you can feel it."

"A third faction?" asked Jaune, wondering who else, besides Torchwick and the White Fang, could be involved in this mess.

"Not so much a separate faction as a unifying entity," said Junior. "After Torchwick tripped up trying to hold up a Dust-shop with my men, he showed up with White Fang soldiers the next time. Now, I know Torchwick well enough to know that's not typical. The guy doesn't share with anyone, and he loathes faunus. On top of that, these aren't any ordinary White Fang, they're the Taurus Faction."

"Taurus Faction?" Jaune's eyes widened. "The White Fang has different factions?"

Junior chuckled. "Looks like there's still quite a bit you need to learn about the world," he observed. "After Sienna Khan took over the White Fang, their actions became more overt and retaliatory, but their overall stated mission didn't change. The problem is that this caused the group to fragment somewhat. Within the White Fang, divisions formed over just how much violence should be used, who was allowed to be targeted…and the definition of 'equality.' Most say it's good enough for the faunus have completely equal treatment without discrimination, but others think that faunus deserve to be… _more_ equal."

"More equal how?" Yang wanted to know.

Junior's eyes narrowed in a slight glare at her before turning back to Jaune. "More equal, like how humans still considered themselves 'more equal' than the faunus after the Great War."

"Oh…" said Yang lamely.

"The Taurus Faction are the most extreme of the extremists," continued Junior. "They and their leader are beyond wanting to just overthrow humanity. They'd rather subjugate...or flat out exterminate us."

"That's pretty serious," said Jaune. "So how do you know it's them?"

"They're the main faction of the White Fang that wear Grimm masks," answered Junior. "Their leader decided that, if humanity wanted monsters, humanity would _get_ monsters."

"In other words, the last faction of the White Fang a guy like Torchwick would ever deal with," said Jaune.

Junior nodded. "And they're the last guys who would ever consider working with Torchwick, much less acting as his muscle. Normally, they'd kill a guy like that as soon as look at him, yet here they are, pulling off joint operations together.

"Torchwick's pretty crazy, when all's said and done, but if there's one thing I know about him, it's that the guy's ultimately in it for himself. What he cares about is making a profit. He knows that a relationship with the worst of the White Fang won't work out in the long run."

"So that means that Torchwick and the White Fang are working for someone else," surmised Jaune. "And that someone is _making_ them work together."

"Yep," said Junior. "Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of information on who that is. All I know is that there are only two ways that this person can control Torchwick. The first is through money. Pay him enough, and there's nothing Torchwick won't do for you. The second is fear. Torchwick's the kind of guy who'll do a lot to survive. Whoever this person is, they're either incredibly rich…or incredibly powerful…powerful like Blondie's powerful, only way more-so."

"Any idea about their plans beyond stealing a lot of Dust?" asked Jaune.

Junior turned around and pulled a bottle off the shelf. Taking a pair of glasses, he filled them with the amber liquid, setting one in front of Jaune and taking the other for himself. Picking his up, Jaune sipped at it, wincing at the fiery burn of the liquor, and resolving to keep his sips small. Yang looked at them both with jealous eyes as Junior drained his in one go. Seeing Yang's look he sighed in resignation, and poured a glass for her as well.

"Well, if they're stealing so much Dust, my guess is that they intend to use it," said Junior. "And I sure as hell don't like the idea of what they plan on using it for. I haven't heard any specifics, Torchwick and the Fang are too tight-lipped to be that sloppy. However, I do know that traffic out of the Kingdom has been increasing lately."

"Out?" wondered Jaune. "Out where?"

"The southeast," replied Junior. "They've been careful about it, but I have some ears to the ground over there that say there's been quite a few shipments through the gates, or over the walls, a lot of it construction equipment. The only thing out there is that failed expansion of Vale."

"And construction equipment would be pretty good cover for moving loads of Dust," mused Jaune.

"Yeah," agreed Junior. "That's my guess, anyway. It's still weird." He hunched over, pouring himself another glass and downing it just as quickly. "Mountain Glenn is abandoned, but it's still crawling with Grimm, for some reason. It'd be suicide to try and set up an operation out there. But we are talking about a bunch of revolutionary fanatics out to kill all humans, so rationality probably isn't their greatest strength."

He set the glass down and stared down into it. "That's all I've got for you, kid. Hope it's enough."

Jaune and Yang looked at each other, then Jaune turned back to Junior with a smile. "It's more than we were expecting," he said.

Junior snorted and smirked. "Pleasure doing business with you then," he said, extending a hand.

"Likewise," said Jaune, taking the offered hand. "By the way, about the payment…" Seeing Junior's eyes narrow dangerously, Jaune quickly raised his hands. "I'm good for it, I promise. But…I only have so much cash on me. Do you take debit?"

* * *

A few minutes later, Jaune and Yang left the club. The moment the doors swung shut behind them, Yang whirled around and grabbed Jaune by the collar of his hoody, dragging him towards her, and seizing his lips with hers. Jaune's arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her close. They remained like that for the better part of a minute, before finally separating.

"Wow," breathed Jaune.

"That…was so hot," said Yang, grinning. "Where on earth did you learn to do that?"

"Haggle?" asked Jaune.

"I mean get the info," said Yang.

Jaune gave her a deadpan stare. "From the way they reacted to the sight of you, I'm guessing you came in, demanded information, and, when they didn't just hand it over to you, you trashed the place, and everyone in it."

"Yep," said Yang proudly, not even the slightest bit guilty.

Jaune sighed. "I wonder, after you beat them all up…did you actually get the info you were looking for?"

Now Yang blushed and she averted her eyes slightly. "Well…he probably just didn't have it."

"Or he decided not to share it with the girl who trashed his place," said Jaune. "Either way, you didn't get it, and you got on his bad side. That guy strikes me as the type to clam up just to spite you."

"And how did you get on his good side?" Yang wanted to know, resting her fists on her hips.

"Uh…by offering to _buy_ his info," retorted Jaune, "instead of trying to shake him down for it. I mean, I had you there, so I got a better bargain than I probably would have if you weren't…"

Yang giggled. "And how do you know so much about this sort of thing in the first place?" She froze, and her eyes narrowed in a glare. "And I swear to God, if you say something about having seven sisters again, I'll clobber you."

"Detective comics," said Jaune with a completely straight face. "Also, I got a set of fake transcripts that got me into Beacon, so I do know a thing or two about shady dealings." He paled and abruptly slumped. "I can't believe I just said that."

"Well, in any case, we got our info," said Yang, running a finger along Jaune's cheek. "Good work there."

"Thanks," said Jaune, stealing a peck from Yang's lips.

Yang flashed him a sultry look. The two of them would have started again, but their scrolls went off, picking them up, they saw it was a call from Ren.

"Blake and Sun have been compromised!" said Ren quickly. "We need to help them. The White Fang have a-!"

Anything else Ren had to say was swallowed up by the sound of masonry being smashed and something exploding.

* * *

"There are so many," Blake whispered to Sun as they moved amongst the crowd of recruits, who were assembling to stand next to already-initiated members of the Fang, who wore larger masks that covered their foreheads as well as their eyes and noses.

"Yeah," said Sun. "Are things really that bad here?"

"I…I don't know," said Blake. "Beacon is set apart from Vale, so it seems more idyllic by comparison. But even there, things aren't perfect."

"Not well enough that you could go without your bow up there," commented Sun.

Blake scowled, though her expression was partly hidden by her mask. Then it softened as the sadness of this revelation weighed down upon her. "This is just _one_ of their rallies," she said. "I never realized so many faunus harbored so much hate."

"It's not that they harbor so much hate," said Sun. "But they've sometimes gotten a bad lot in life. Maybe they've been mistreated…or maybe they just get dirty looks walking down the street. Either way, they hear about this group that is fighting for faunus rights, and they want to hear more. Then the people here stoke those feelings of resentment up into real hate."

"Then they go on to commit acts of violence," added Blake. "Those acts cause humans to suspect other faunus of being the White Fang, which increases their susceptibility to joining." She felt despair welling up within her. "It's like some kind of never-ending cycle. How can we put a stop to this?"

"By stopping whatever they're planning," said Sun, reaching out and taking her hand. "That's a start. Someone, us probably, has to take a stand against the violence." He smiled sidelong at her. "Just remember that you aren't alone."

"Thank you," said Blake, pressing up just a little bit more against him. Now wasn't a time for romantic moments, but she would take what solace she could. At least she had a loyal friend at her side for this.

The prospective new recruits, and those already recruited, assembled in front of a stage of some sort, the former gathering in something of a loose crowd off to the right, while the latter assembled into neat rows to the left. The stage was simple enough. In its center was some large object, covered by a broad, canvas sheet. For some reason, the sight of it filled Blake with an ominous feeling.

After a few minutes of more recruits filing in, a large, muscular man walked out on the stage. Whatever faunus traits he had must have been hidden by his uniform, or the full-faced mask her wore. He was tall, with bulging muscles along his arms that suggested he was used to wielding particularly heavy weapons.

"Thank you all for coming," he called out over his audience. "To those of you coming here for the very first time, allow me to introduce a very special comrade to you. I assure you that he is the key to obtaining what we have fought for for so long."

Blake gasped as the white-clad figure of Roman Torchwick sauntered along from behind the covered object. She wasn't the only one. Gasps and exclamations of shock raced back through the crowd of prospective recruits to see one of Vale's worst criminals standing on stage.

"Thank you thank you," said Roman, grinning, spreading his arms wide. "Please, hold your applause."

Blake barely even noticed the young woman that stepped out from behind the object in Roman's wake. She was incredibly short, sporting hair that was pink on one side, brown on the other, with eyes that matched the color of their respective sides. Like Roman, she looked as though she was dressed for an evening of clubbing, rather than battle, although that was apparently a norm for many Huntresses. Hooked over her arm was the crook of some kind of lacy umbrella. Of course, given Roman's bombastic personality, it was no surprise that hardly anyone noticed her.

"What's a human doing here?" demanded a faunus from behind Blake and Sun.

"I'm glad you asked, dearie," said Roman, looking completely at ease, despite playing to what must have been the most hostile audience imaginable. "As I'm sure you all know, humans are the _worst_ ; case in point," he gestured to himself cheerfully. "You'd probably be happy to see us all locked away or, better yet, killed. But I'm here to elaborate upon an enemy we _all_ have in common.

"You see, while humans are bad, the real problem you face is the powers that be. You all know who they are, those humans who use their power to oppress you, to maintain the status quo, to keep you as second-class citizens, despite having won your rights so long ago. You know who I'm talking about. The Councils, the Academies, the military, the Huntsmen and Huntresses…they're all part of the system that keeps any meaningful change from being done."

As Roman spoke, Blake could see that the mood of the crowd was shifting. Despite the fact it was a human saying these things, what he was saying struck a chord within his listeners. All of them, at one point or another, even Blake, had felt no small amount of frustration with supposedly 'progressive' politicians who promised change for the faunus, only to do nothing when they reached office. Meanwhile, a faunus sitting on Vale's Council was nothing more than an impossible dream. Plenty of times, the authorities averted their eyes from violence and discrimination directed at faunus, yet cracked down on any faunus they merely suspected of such. If anything, the fact that a human was admitting to these inadequacies in the system only made them more inclined to listen to him.

"All of them are pests that need to be dealt with," continued Roman. "Fortunately, I'm the best exterminator around…no offense to any rodents in the room."

He snapped his fingers, and the canvas dropped. New gasps filled the room at the sight of what it had been covering, Blake's among them, though hers was one of horror.

The enormous, hulking mech stood upon two powerful legs of gray steel, supporting a massive, blocky chassis, itself sporting a pair of arms that ended in what looked to be cannons. Those were far from the only weapons. In fact, the mech seemed to positively bristle with enough firepower to wipe out a small army. The red symbol of the White Fang was painted on its sides.

"As you might have heard, this is Atlas' new defense against all the scary things in the world," said Roman sarcastically, "and, thanks to my new employer, we've managed to…snag a few…before they hit the shelves, as it were.

"Now, those of you who don't want to join our operation in the southeast are welcome to stay here in the city. But, for those of you who are willing to fight for what you truly believe in… _this_ …is the arsenal I can provide you."

Now the assembled recruits were cheering, pumping their fists in the air. The White Fang officer stepped up to the front of the stage and instructed the new recruits to move forward.

"This is bad news," Sun whispered to Blake urgently. "That thing looks all kinds of nasty."

"I agree," said Blake, looking around. "We need to get out of here." This was _far_ beyond her worst fears. If the White Fang had something like that in their arsenal, there was no telling the amount of damage they could do if they unleashed it on Vale. Even though General Ironwood had arrived from Atlas, along with a fleet of his warships, Blake was fairly certain that multiple machines like this could still inflict untold casualties before they were taken down.

In any case, it was clear now that she and her team were in far over their heads. Weiss was right, they weren't prepared for this kind of battle. Even if it meant exposing her secret, Blake realized she had to inform Ozpin about this.

She and Sun looked for a way out, as the crowd of recruits filed around them to sign up at the front. Their hesitation cost them dearly, as it made them stand out, apart from the crowd. Roman, who remained on the stage, with a satisfied smirk at a job well-done, glanced in their direction and noticed them immediately. A second later, his eyes narrowed and his lips pulled back, baring his teeth with an angry growl.

"He sees us," said Sun, who sheepishly grinned at the master criminal, raising a hand in a lame attempt at a wave.

Roman stood up from where he'd been leaning against the Paladin and stalked towards them.

Looking around for anything that might help, now that their situation was about to become even more desperate, Blake spotted a fusebox in the corner behind the stage. "He can't see in the dark."

Drawing her weapon, Blake folded the black katana down into its sickle form, which also armed the pistol built into the weapon's hilt. Taking aim, she fired a single shot. The shot hit the fusebox in a shower of sparks. At once, the lights went out throughout the warehouse, plunging them into total darkness.

"Get them!" shouted Roman, trying to be heard over the confused shouts and screams of the White Fang members.

"Sun! The Window!"

Blake and Sun leapt, using the heads of the White Fang soldiers turning in their direction as stepping stones, using them to jump up higher still to reach one of the large windows set into the wall of the warehouse. Behind them, they heard a faint whining sound, which was growing louder with each passing second. A hiss of pistons filled the air, and, with an ominous clank, something big began to move.

Blake and Sun smashed through the window, landing on the ground on the other side in rolls that carried them clear of the building. A second later, the wall behind them exploded outward, as the Atlesian Paladin that Roman had put on display burst through, thundering after them in hot pursuit.

The two of them took to the roofs of the warehouse district, leaping from one to the other. The Paladin ran alongside, clearly looking for an opportunity to attack.

"Where to?" asked Sun.

"We can't outrun it," Blake called back. "It's too fast."

"The highway?" Sun wanted to know. If they could hitch a ride on a car, then maybe they could leave this machine in their dust.

Blake nodded a slight affirmative.

Then the Paladin suddenly seized up, its left leg not moving. Turning to look over their shoulders, Blake and Sun saw the Paladin's leg enveloped in some kind of black field.

 _Polarity!_ Blake realized, recognizing the effects of Pyrrha's Semblance.

With a loud whoop, Nora leapt off a roof to the mech's right, descending to slam her hammer into its side with a thunderous impact, further enhanced when she triggered her warhammer's explosive charge, toppling the machine into the side of a warehouse, crushing the wall with its bulk. A portion of the roof caved in, covering the Paladin in a loose pile of rubble.

"All right!" cheered Sun as he and Blake paused for a moment to catch their breath.

"That's not going to keep it down for long," said Blake.

On the heels of her words, the Paladin erupted out, sending masonry flying everywhere. Blake and Sun drew their weapons, whirling them around to deflect pieces of incoming debris. Nora wasn't as lucky, being thrown backwards and sent sprawling. She got to her feet with no signs that she'd actually been hurt, but the way she wobbled indicated she'd been knocked for a loop. Unfortunately, the Paladin's pilot, Roman most likely, wasn't about to give her a chance to recover, as it loomed over her, bringing the guns mounted on one of its arms to bear.

Then the machine jolted as a whirling, bronze-colored disk slammed into the side of its cockpit with impressive force, causing the machine to take a stumbling step to the side. In the wake of Pyrrha's shield, Ren dove in, his own weapons drawn, firing a barrage of shots at the machine, the magenta bolts striking sparks off its armor, but doing no visible damage. However, they managed to draw the pilot's attention as it turned to swing at him. Ren pitched into a forward roll, swinging the blades mounted under his gun's barrels down and striking the incoming arm. While the blades did little beyond scratching the paint, the attack allowed Ren to use the arm as a fulcrum to vault over the top of the mech.

As Ren passed over it, Pyrrha and Nora attacked the Paladin from two separate directions to distract it.

"Jaune's working on a plan," he said as he landed on the roof, next to Blake and Sun.

"We should get to the highway," said Sun. "Then it'll have a harder time keeping up."

"No!" said Jaune's voice urgently from Ren's scroll, which he pulled out and held up. "We can't let this machine on the highway. It'll become a massacre!"

Blake and Sun both paled, realizing that a war machine like this would probably plow through cars like they weren't even there.

"Where do we go then?" asked Sun.

"We need to get it farther away from where you were," said Jaune, the sound of Yang's motorcycle threatening to drown out his voice. "If the White Fang try and give it backup, we'll be finished. We need someplace where there won't be any people that can get caught up in this."

"Where to then?" Sun wanted to know, skeptical that there was such a place that they were actually capable of reaching.

"I'm working on it," said Jaune, his voice rising to a shout as Yang revved the engine even more. "Keep circling it as you move along, don't let it target you all at once."

* * *

 _I'm going to be sick,_ thought Jaune, discovering brand new ways to nauseate himself as Yang took a sharp corner, leaning into it, even as he held his scroll up in front of his face, trying to get a read of the terrain and find a place where they could stage their fight against the Paladin. "Looks like-Ulp!-Looks like I've got it," he said, swallowing down the urge to vomit.

"Where to?" asked Yang.

"The highway is a bad idea, but in the right neighborhood," said Jaune. "There's an empty space underneath this section of intersecting overpasses. A lot of the pillars down there are redundant, so it doesn't matter if one or two get smashed, and there's plenty of space to maneuver."

Of course, that went both ways. If they had a lot of room to move, so did the massive war machine. From a tactical perspective, luring it into a tight space was a good way to hinder its movements. However, according to the specs Weiss had sent to him, it would take something seriously sturdy to hold the Paladin for long, and their biggest priority was to bring it down with as little collateral damage as possible. Still, that was probably the best place to take it on.

Jaune sent the location to Ren and Blake's scrolls, then to Weiss as well, hoping that the rest of them could get into position before the Paladin got there. In the meantime, he had to make a plan to take it down.

"All right, hold on," said Yang with a grin, revving her motorcycle's engine even more, sending them shooting down the street so fast that Jaune was amazed their tire tracks weren't burning. "We'll get there in record time."

"So long as we get there," Jaune shouted over her shoulder, putting his scroll away so that he could hold on tightly to her.

The G-forces of Yang's driving were impressive to be sure. Jaune had to hang on for dear life as Yang took them around a turn so quickly that her knee was almost scraping the ground as she leaned into it. Getting to their target location from the club took a mere two minutes…at most.

Yang turned the bike sharply to the side, bringing it to a skidding stop, the tires unleashing a shrill screech across the empty lot. They still had a ways to walk though. Jaune wasn't so careless as to make Yang park her beloved bike where it might get caught up in the battle. After parking it, he and Yang rushed to the sight, finding a large open space. Pillars stretched up, almost seeming to form a concrete forest, all for supporting the highway lanes that arced overhead.

"Looks like a good place," said Yang. "The others are probably almost here." As if in affirmation of her observation, a low rumble that sounded like an explosion echoed in the near distance. "What's the plan, fearless leader?"

"Working on it," said Jaune, pulling out his scroll and opening it up so that he could review the files that Weiss had sent to him. It had all the information Neptune had managed to hack about the Paladin. He wasn't entirely sure about his ability to work up a strategy against something like this, but everyone seemed to believe he could do it…maybe.

"I hope you have something to work with," said Weiss with a huff as she and Neptune arrived on the scene. "Not that I'd fully trust a plan from a dolt like you."

"Geez, Ice Queen," said Yang, her voice a growl, "I don't hear you offering any suggestions."

"We have nine people here," said Weiss, before throwing another contemptuous glance Jaune's way. "Well…more like eight-and-a-half. We should just overwhelm it with our firepower."

"I'm pretty sure this thing has all of us beat when it comes to firepower," said Jaune, reaching out to restrain Yang without even looking up from his scroll. "Looks like your dad and Ironwood didn't skimp on the guns and rockets. But…they did skimp on the armor, especially on the joints."

"What?" asked Weiss, shocked that the top scientists and developers would make such an oversight.

"We're in luck," said Jaune with a grin, closing his scroll and putting it away. "This thing's a prototype. It was made to test its combat capabilities, so the joints and sensors are all exposed so that they're easier to observe and study when it's in action."

"What does that do for us, exactly?" asked Yang. "Why don't I just jump on top of it and tear it open."

"No good," said Jaune. "The cockpit is the hardest part of that thing. You'd need a ton of power just to make a dent in it. But we can take down the joints to immobilize it, and hit the exposed sensors to keep it from targeting us."

"Those are still fairly small targets," said Weiss. "How are we going to hold it still long enough."

"According to Ren, Pyrrha's Semblance is pretty good for tripping it up. She can't hold the whole thing, but she should be able to hold part of it up for a few seconds at least." Jaune slipped his arm into the straps of his sheath, holding it up so that it unfolded out into its shield form, then drew his sword from it. "We'll take it apart, one piece at a time."

Weiss tried hard to ignore the smug expression Yang was wearing. Even as she did, she had to admit to herself that Jaune Arc wasn't completely hopeless. _He could be useful, I suppose. He's still a dolt._

"They're coming," said Yang, setting herself for battle.

Weiss drew her rapier. Beside her, Neptune pulled his own weapon, a sleek, futuristic-looking gray rifle off his back, leveling it in the direction of the incoming explosions.

Ren, Blake, and Pyrrha leapt off the roof of the nearest building, landing and rolling, coming back up on their feet and sprinting towards their allies. The wall behind them exploded outward as the bulk of the Paladin tumbled through it, the machine bouncing off the ground slightly as it skidded to a stop. Nora and Sun leapt out in its wake, bouncing off its chassis as it swiped at them to land with the rest.

The Paladin quickly righted itself and turned to face the group. There was a moment's pause, then it began to stomp towards them.

"We need a smokescreen," said Jaune.

Yang glanced at Weiss. "I'll go high, you go low."

Weiss glared at Yang, but stepped out in front of the group. Yang leapt up into the air, raising her gauntlet. Below her, Weiss executed a sharp pirouette and then plunged the point of her weapon into the ground. With a loud ring, a sheet of ice spread out in a wide circle around her. She leapt back, just as Yang descended down, firing her gauntlet right into the sheet of ice.

The ice exploded upwards and outwards, evaporating into a heavy mist. The Paladin continued to stalk forward as its targets scattered. Thanks to the mist, they could now see the targeting lasers from its sensors, which told them where it was aiming. More than that, it highlighted all those sensors for everyone to see. The pilot, probably Roman, couldn't have done better if he'd drawn little holographic arrows in the air to point to each of them and mark them out as targets.

The mist wouldn't last long. In the meantime, Jaune hid behind a pillar, an action also taken by Neptune, Nora, and Pyrrha. Weiss, Blake, Ren, Sun, and Yang rushed through the mist, circling around the Paladin, which turned in place, trying to track each of them, only to lose one as the other appeared. The mist continued to dissipate, and it caught sight of Yang, firing a pair of shots her way. Yang dodged, but was caught by the shockwave of the explosion and sent sprawling.

In the meantime, Weiss and Blake rushed in from separate directions. Weiss came at the machine straight from the front, driving the tip of her blade right into the sensor that hung below the front of the cockpit. Blake landed on its shoulder and swung the bladed sheath of her weapon, severing another one. They both leapt away, Blake using a shadow to displace herself as the Paladin turned on her and fired, managing to escape out of the way.

In the meantime, Jaune rushed over to Yang's side and helped her up. "You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," said Yang, grinning at him, before catching sight of something behind him. Her eyes widened. "Look out!"

Jaune turned to see that the Paladin had apparently picked him out as its next target, probably because his back was turned. He raised his shield just in time as a shot from one of the mech's arm-mounted cannons slammed into it. His arms and legs screamed in agony from the effort of holding off the tremendous power. But his training taking Yang's barrages of powerful blows held firm, and Jaune remained standing, his feet skidding backwards on the asphalt, coming to a stop inches away from Yang as she braced herself against him to help him stay up.

"Now!" shouted Jaune.

Yang realized he must have coordinated something with Ren and Neptune earlier, because they both emerged from cover. Ren darted towards the Paladin from the front, fixing his aim on one of the exposed sensors and firing at it. The magenta shots of his machine guns, too light to damage the Paladin's armored cockpit, raked the sensor and tore it apart.

The Paladin fired on Ren, but he dodged from side to side as he closed. The loss of three of its sensors now was taking its toll as the shots flew wide enough that Ren was able to escape their shockwaves. At the same time, Neptune leveled his rifle at the machine's flank and fired, the blue bolt of electrified energy lancing out to take out another of the Paladin's sensors.

Behind the machine's shoulders, a pair of rectangular pods opened up and several missiles streaked into the air, homing in on both Ren and Neptune.

"Pyrrha!" shouted Jaune.

Four of the missiles were suddenly highlighted in back, their curving turns abruptly tightening so that they arced back the way they came and bombarded the Paladin's own body, the explosions rocking it on its feet. Its armor might have been all but impervious to the comparatively light weaponry the students it was facing had been able to bring to bear, but it fared less well against its own weaponry. Meanwhile, the reduction in the number of missiles they had to worry about allowed Ren and Neptune to escape the remaining ones.

"Yang, Sun, disarm it!" shouted Jaune.

Yang grinned at the pun and charged forward. Punching downwards and backwards, she fired Ember Celica, using the recoil of the explosive discharge to launch herself into the air in an arc that carried her towards the Paladin's right arm. It moved to target her, but rocked as Nora's grenades exploded against the cockpit. At the same time, Blake closed in with the Gambol Shroud, throwing the sickle and imbedding the tip in the port of one of the machine's few remaining sensors, firing a shot from the pistol on the sickle's rear side to drive it in deeper.

Yang landed on the machine's right shoulder and cocked up and delivered her strongest punch right down at the exposed joint, supplementing it with a shot from Ember Celica. The fiery bolt ripped into the exposed joint. Not able to sever it with a single strike, Yang followed up with another hit from her opposite fist, tearing the limb completely off.

Meanwhile, Sun descended from almost straight above, planting the end of his staff into the joint on the machine's left side. An explosive wave burst out, and, with the sound of rending metal, the limb jolted and hung limp.

The Paladin rose up and shook its body vigorously, dislodging Yang and Sun. Yang landed on her feet, looking up just in time to see the mech lunge at her, swinging one of its oversized feet to punt her straight backwards.

"Yang!" shouted Jaune in horror at seeing his girlfriend sent flying.

Yang was sent sprawling again, skidding to a stop. The Paladin leapt upwards and descended towards her in an effort to stomp her into the ground. Yang's eyes opened and she looked up to see a massive steel foot dropping right on her. She flinched and scrunched her eyes shut, anticipating the hit to come. But it never came.

Her eyes opened again and she saw Jaune standing over her. His entire body was trembling. He'd dropped his sword to brace his shield with both arms, allowing him to just barely hold back the tremendous weight of the machine trying to crush them both. Yang blinked in surprise, seeing a white outline illuminate Jaune's body. The light suddenly intensified as Jaune shouted wordlessly, pushing with all his might. The massive, multi-ton body of the Paladin was actually thrown backwards a short distance, stumbling as it tried to regain its balance, though its limp, dangling arm made that a difficult task.

Jaune groaned and slumped, falling to his knees.

"Jaune!" shouted Yang, getting up and kneeling beside him.

Jaune chuckled wearily, looking pale and tired. "Crotch shot," he said to her before he toppled over sideways.

Had she been less worried, Yang would have giggled at that. Instead, she felt burning rage sweep through her as she rose up and glared at the Paladin. Her eyes shifted from lilac to red and her golden hair began to shine. She'd taken a few heavy hits, the kick that had forced Jaune to save her being the hardest one. However, she hadn't taken enough damage to fully charge her Semblance. Fortunately, Yang's Semblance also drew power from another source, her anger. After what had just happened to Jaune, Yang had plenty of anger to spare.

She charged forward with a roar, like an angry dragon. The Paladin's missile pods opened once again, but Nora dropped towards it with a shout, slamming her hammer down on top of the one behind its right shoulder, triggering her weapon's charge, setting off the missiles inside. The explosions tore the pod apart and Nora rode the shockwave away to land on her feet.

From the other side, Pyrrha's shield whistled as it curved through the air to strike the struts that held the pod secure to the Paladin's body. The pod shifted and the missiles fired off in random directions. They began to curve towards Yang, tracking her. But then Pyrrha herself charged in, leading with a thrust of her javelin to take out the remaining targeting sensor, causing the missiles to lose direction and veer off randomly, scattered explosions lighting up the empty lot.

Meanwhile, Yang took to the air with another shot of her gauntlets, riding their recoil up towards the Paladin's body, lining up her next punch to take it in its undercarriage, right where its legs met, then joined with its body. Seeing this, the Paladin's pilot tried to direct the machine to dodge. However, it merely lurched. On its right, after landing from completing her attack, Pyrrha turned around to extend her hand, lining its right leg with the black aura of her Semblance, holding it in place. A ringing sound from its left leg accompanied that foot being frozen to the ground, a line of ice extending from the foot to where Weiss stood with her rapier fixed into the ground.

It wouldn't have taken long for the Paladin to break free of those restraints. However, they held it in place for the few remaining seconds Yang needed as she slammed her fist home into the machine's "crotch," shattering the joints that joined its legs to each other and the Paladin's body. With the full power of her Semblance behind her attack, her blow carried enough force to shatter the machine's chassis into pieces, blowing the entire thing back in fragments.

From the remains of the Paladin, Roman Torchwick landed on his back before rolling to his feet, groaning and brushing off the sleeves of his white suit. "I just got this thing cleaned," he said, seeming more annoyed than frightened by the destruction of his war machine.

Yang glared at him, her rage at what had happened to Jaune still not spent. Cocking her fist back, she loaded another round into her gauntlet, then punched forward, launching a fiery bolt straight at Roman's smug face.

Roman didn't even flinch as the fireball approached. The reason for his confidence became clear when a short, slip of a girl landed in front of him, a lacy umbrella opening between them and the shot, which exploded across the canopy and washed around the two criminals. The girl holding the umbrella hefted it up to rest it over her shoulder, twirling it back and forth a little as she smiled cheerfully at them.

"Thank you, Neo," said Roman, grinning at the assembled students, who were moving to surround the criminals from all sides. "Well kids, Ice Queen-"

"Hey!" protested Weiss, glaring at him.

"-I'd love to stick around and chat. Unfortunately, we've got things to do. Neo, if you would."

The girl, Neo apparently, bowed politely towards them, holding her umbrella out to one side. Yang, having enough of this mockery, charged forward swinging. Neo held up her umbrella just in time to meet Yang's fist. The moment Yang's punch made contact, Neo and Roman both appeared to shatter like glass, their bodies scattering into fragments that shattered into even smaller ones when they hit the ground before disappearing entirely.

The roar of engines abruptly hit their ears, and the assembled students looked up to see a bullhead rapidly lifting off, Roman and Neo visible before the door of its passenger compartment closed over. The transport quickly switched to flight mode and swiftly turned away, taking them out of range before anyone could think of mounting an attack.

"We did it," said Sun in weary disbelief, slumping to the ground. "Wow. That was pretty cool."

"Jaune!" Both Yang and Pyrrha cried out in unison, rushing to Jaune's side. They knelt on either side of him, checking him for any signs of injury.

With a groan, Jaune opened his eyes. "Ow," he said, blinking slowly. Then his gaze took in the girls kneeling over him. "Pyrrha…Yang…"

"You idiot," snapped Yang. "What were you thinking, doing that? You could have gotten killed. Then what would I have done?"

"I'm not sorry," said Jaune, raising a hand to her cheek to gently cup it. "I wanted to protect you, so I did. That's all there is to it. But…I don't plan on sacrificing myself. I know better than to do that to you."

Yang sniffed and forced out a relieved smile. "You're lucky I like you so much," she said, leaning down over him to press her lips to his.

Jaune absorbed himself in the feeling of Yang's lips against his own, the two of them spending a brief moment in their own little world.

Neither of them noticed Pyrrha, whose eyes narrowed dangerously as she focused her gaze on Yang.

* * *

 **So, yeah, Jaune gets to show off that he can lead in this chapter. He's also apparently good at getting information. Who knew that _paying_ the professional information broker for his product would work? What a concept, right? I mean, it's not as though he'd resent getting his balls, almost literally, put in a vice, and getting shaken down for answers the way a two-bit punk would shake you down for some extra change. Stranger things have happened after all.**

 **And, of course, we also get safety-conscious Jaune, who actually thinks leading the _giant war machine_ onto a crowded highway is a bad idea. That is one of the things that irks me about that particular segment of Volume 2. Blake and Sun have _no reservations_ about taking that chase into a populated area, and no one seems to care that Roman's Paladin is chucking cars, cars presumably full of people, around like it's nothing. How many people were hurt, or, worse, killed because of that? Granted, back then the series was a bit too narrowly-focused to worry about extra details like that. But Ruby and Company all move on like pretty much nothing happened.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30:**

"It would seem that you and your friends have once again had an interesting evening, Ms. Belladonna," said Ozpin, watching Blake over his desk.

Blake fought down the urge to squirm in her seat under Ozpin's gaze. "Yes, Professor," she said. She'd still intended to tell Ozpin everything about herself, including her history. However, she had to admit that she'd had less impetus until she'd been called to his office, the day after she and her friends had taken down Roman's Paladin. The revelation she'd planned on sharing with the Headmaster had been something she might have put off for another few days…then put off for a few more…and so on.

"If you're wondering how I know, as you weren't detained by the police this time, James' people managed to recover the combat data recorder unit used by the Paladin you brought down," explained Ozpin.

"James…?" prompted Blake, tilting her head slightly.

"Ah, yes…my apologies," said Ozpin with a small chuckle. "General James Ironwood is a good and close friend and ally of mine. I have grown accustomed to using his given name, so the habit continues, even amongst those who do not know him as such." His eyes narrowed the tiniest fraction. "You are aware that he is present at Beacon, with a detachment of his forces?"

"That…I was aware of," said Blake, now that she knew who he was talking about. After all, it hadn't been hard to miss the fact that Atlas' students had arrived via a trio of heavily-armed warships, complete with an escorting complement of the Atlesian Military's infamous armed androids, and all the associated equipment needed to deploy them, not to mention plenty of regular soldiers as well. It also didn't take long for word to filter down that the Headmaster of Atlas Academy, and the Supreme Commander of Atlas' armed forces, _and_ a member of Atlas' own Council had accompanied his students to Beacon.

As a person, the mention of General Ironwood conjured mixed feelings in Blake. He supposedly had a reputation for being quite reasonable and progressive in his own way, cracking down on discrimination within the boundaries of Atlas Academy, as well as the ranks of the military. It also seemed that he had the general wellbeing of the people of Remnant on his mind, and not simply the wellbeing of the people of Atlas.

However, he had tied Atlas Academy almost inextricably with his military, essentially turning it into a recruiting ground for his special forces. At the same time, he was also very close to the Schnee Family and the SDC, and he was one of the principle forces behind the political clout that Jacques Schnee wielded, essentially allowing him to get away with his exploitative business practices with nary a sound of protest.

"Once again, you seem to have become embroiled in an incident involving the White Fang," said Ozpin. "The last time this happened, you claimed that you had simply been in the right place at the right time. Am I to assume that this is the case again?"

Blake swallowed, wringing her hands in her lap. "No," she said after a long moment of hesitation. "My friends and I were…infiltrating a White Fang rally. We were trying to gather information for an investigation, when we were discovered, and the enemy used the mech against us."

"I see," said Ozpin, clearly not surprised by the revelation. "And what else?"

"I knew how to find the rally…" said Blake having to stop and pull together what little of her confidence remained to be able to say this to the person who could decide whether or not she remained at Beacon, "…because I am a former member of the White Fang." She proceeded to fill him in on the other aspects of their little investigation, only leaving out the part where Neptune had hacked the SDC's files.

"As I thought then," said Ozpin, nodding sagely.

"You knew?" asked Blake.

"I did not _know_ , per se," said Ozpin. "I believed, I strongly suspected to the point of knowing…but lacked concrete evidence, evidence I might have found, had I chosen to look more carefully into the matter, yet I decided not to."

"You didn't?" asked Blake.

"No, I did not," assured Ozpin. "That was why I phrased my question the way I did during our previous meeting. Back then, you were not prepared to admit your former allegiance, and would have lied directly, had I asked you if you had any previous history with the White Fang. Instead, I asked you if there was anything else you wished to talk about, and you answered that quite truthfully."

Blake lowered her eyes, her bow sagging slightly as the cat ears hidden beneath it drooped. Ozpin had already figured out the truth about her, but rather than confront her over it, she had been given the opportunity to admit it to him discreetly, and he had left her an out, simply because he could see she was not comfortable with saying it. _And maybe so many of our problems could have been avoided if I'd told him._

"And what made you sever ties with them to come to Beacon?" asked Ozpin.

"I…I couldn't stand by what they were doing anymore," said Blake. "After my father stepped down and Sienna Kahn took over, I was…I was happy…excited…After all the brutality we'd faced at the hands of the humans who didn't want to acknowledge our equality, we were finally free to do something about it. We could hit back, repay them for what they had done."

"Ah yes, catharsis can be quite appealing," said Ozpin, nodding sagely. "Sadly, resorting to violence often has the consequence of making things much worse in the long run."

"I'm not sure about that," said Blake. "I couldn't ever fully agree with Father's wish for us to remain nonviolent. If you allow people to just walk over you, you can't accomplish anything."

"It is a mistake to construe violence with empowerment," said Ozpin, "as it is to construe nonviolence with simple passivity.

"The issue with movements like yours, for faunus equality that is, is that, when you resort to violence, then the deciding factor of the conflict becomes power. With their greater power, the forces of the Kingdom would inevitably triumph."

"But they haven't," said Blake firmly.

"Which is an aberration of sorts," said Ozpin. "We will get to why in a moment. Nonviolence, on the other hand, is a means by which those with less power can oppose those with much greater power. It is not the same as doing nothing. To be nonviolent is to face your oppressor and directly refuse to meet force with force."

"What does that do?" asked Blake.

"Would you not say that the basis of racism against the faunus is that people equate you with animals?" inquired Ozpin.

"Yes," said Blake, nodding.

"That's right. They call you animals or savages. But, in a situation where you are utilizing nonviolence, the oppressors, if they wish to enforce their status quo, are required to use their violence against you. In doing so, to the eyes of those who are watching, to the eyes of those who will shape the future, the oppressors become the savages and the animals, and they begin to see this evil for what it truly is…then they begin to enact change."

"It's not that easy," protested Blake.

"No it isn't," said Ozpin. "It is not easy to resist the temptation to meet force with force, or simply retreat when threatened. You must be willing to remain, to endure, to suffer, and you must be willing to restrain yourself. Nonviolence requires enormous commitment and, even then, it can still take many years before the changes you seek are realized.

"The mistake lies in the belief that violence will allow you to achieve your aims more swiftly, or with fewer sacrifices on your side. That may even be true in the short-term, as people acquiesce out of fear. But fear soon turns to anger, and anger breeds retaliation, retaliation that is often directed at those innocent of the violence you and your allies perpetrate by simple virtue of the fact that they are also faunus."

Blake lowered her eyes.

Ozpin sighed and adjusted his spectacles. "I apologize," he said. "We got off on a tangent there. Let us return to the main topic. If you approved, and still approve, of the White Fang's shift to a more confrontational mode, why did you choose to leave?"

"Because they…or at least the ones I was with…were taking it too far," said Blake. "I was…close…to the leader of the Vale branch. At first, it was the same as usual. We attacked shops that discriminated us, stole from the companies that exploited faunus labor, and punished those who oppressed us directly.

"But then Adam began to stop caring about who else was caught up in it. Then he began to believe that all humans were guilty, and that all of them should be punished. Over time…he just got worse and worse and…it became too much." Blake sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I couldn't stand to see what he was doing. But I also couldn't oppose him. So I chose to run instead."

"I see…" said Ozpin, folding his hands and resting his chin on top of them. "I had wondered about your reasons for leaving, then coming directly here. However, I chose not to pry. I phrased my question to keep you from having to lie to answer, and I chose to stand back and allow you to do as you will. I chose to trust you." His eyes narrowed fractionally. "Tell me, Ms. Belladonna, do you believe you abused my trust?"

"I…I think I have," admitted Blake. "I should have told you, especially since I was so worried about what the White Fang was up to. I could have told you and, maybe, there would have been a stronger police or military presence at that rally, you might have captured useful informants…or even Torchwick himself. There wouldn't have been near as much destruction."

"Perhaps…perhaps not," said Ozpin calmly. "The presence of an Atlesian Paladin at the rally would have been a complete unknown. The threat it presented was considerable, and I doubt the police or even our military would have been equipped well enough to face it without considerable casualties. James' forces, maybe; but including them in this operation would not have been our default procedure."

Blake nodded.

"In fact, as an informal operation, it was executed quite well by all measures," said Ozpin. "There was fairly substantial property damage, but nothing too severe. More importantly, there were no civilian casualties, impressive, considering you led the fight into an area near the highways, though you avoided entering them."

"That was Jaune's idea," Blake admitted.

"So I have heard," said Ozpin, his expression hardening, "which is why this meeting is _not_ about your imminent expulsion."

Blake swallowed, her skin going pale.

"Considering the damage a Paladin is capable of, leading it onto the highways would have cause untold casualties," said Ozpin. "At that point, you would have truly abused my trust, and the course of this meeting would have been about your course _out_ of my Academy.

"There is no mistaking that you acted selfishly Ms. Belladonna. Rather than bring this matter to the attention of those better equipped to handle it, you chose to act on your own out of the desire to protect your secret. Had lives been lost as a result of that, I would have given you the most severe punishment I am capable of."

Blake nodded, her arms trembling.

"That said, because this situation ended so well, I have decided to accept your admission, with certain conditions applied," explained Ozpin. "Your history shall remain confidential, of course. The fact that you are trying to atone for your misdeeds during your tenure in the White Fang is admirable, and I have no wish to stand in the way of that. However, there are good and bad ways to go about that."

"I understand," said Blake. "What are these conditions?"

"You are _not_ to investigate the White Fang…not on your own," said Ozpin, "that includes your friends and teammates, assuming you were looking to them as a loophole. I am not barring you from investigating them at all, but any field investigations shall take place at my discretion, and with my approval, which means that you must bring your plans to me before you attempt to carry them out. If I choose not to approve them, you must accept my decision. Is that understood?"

Blake nodded, a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Good," said Ozpin. He checked the clock on his desk. "It took them a bit longer than I expected, we may need to wait a few minutes."

"Them?" asked Blake.

Ozpin smiled cryptically and looked past Blake to the elevator. "In the meantime, I'll talk about something else. I mentioned that the Kingdoms' triumph over the White Fang should have been inevitable, if they made it a contest of power."

Blake nodded uncertainly. "But the White Fang are getting stronger."

"Correct," said Ozpin. "While some of their success can be attributed to guerrilla tactics and skilled leadership, the gulf between their power and that of the Kingdoms should have told more by now. Instead, they are becoming bolder, stronger, and more dangerous." He frowned over his hands at her. "It would appear that the White Fang have obtained…a benefactor of sorts."

"The third party," Blake whispered.

"Correct," said Ozpin with a nod. "The mysterious third player that Ms. Xiao Long and Mr. Arc's informant brought up. It accounts for numerous things: the White Fang having access to weapons and Dust that they might not have acquired otherwise, a human criminal and notorious racist working alongside the most dangerous anti-human faction of the White Fang, their managing to successfully steal Atlesian military prototypes that were supposed to have been top secret. Whoever this benefactor of theirs is, they are powerful in multiple senses of the word."

"Do you have any idea who it is?" asked Blake.

"Some," said Ozpin. "However, that is a matter that is currently between me and certain other individuals. I am not prepared to speak of it with you…yet. You will have to earn a bit more of my trust back before I can entrust you with information this sensitive."

Blake nodded, swallowing down her disappointment. She supposed Ozpin had a point about trust, and how she had strained his.

Then Ozpin's eyebrows went up slightly and he looked past her at the elevator once more. "Ah, it seems the others are arriving."

Blake turned to look at the elevator as well, seeing the lights indicating that it was rising up the tower. A few seconds later, the doors slid open to admit Jaune and…someone else.

"Jaune?" said Blake as he came to stand next to her chair. The unknown person continued, walking past them to stand beside and behind Ozpin.

"Hey, Blake," said Jaune, giving her a slightly nervous grin. Both of them turned their attention to the unfamiliar man standing beside Ozpin, unfamiliar in the sense that neither had met him. However, they both recognized him from his photos, and the gossip about his unexpected arrival at Beacon.

"Please allow me to introduce the General James Ironwood," said Ozpin, nodding to the tall, imposing man beside him. Ironwood certainly looked the part of the general, standing stiffly next to Ozpin, his straight posture and arms folded behind his back betraying a military bearing. He was dressed in a white, military-style uniform, with close-cropped black hair that was beginning to go gray along the sides. While Ozpin spoke, the controversial Headmaster of Atlas Academy regarded them with a steely gaze from his blue eyes.

"Um…hi," said Jaune a little lamely.

"Mr. Arc, the reason you are here is because the General has some questions regarding your participation in last night's incident," explained Ozpin.

"Questions?" said Jaune, stiffening nervously.

"That is correct," said Ironwood, his voice deep and firm. "We recovered the stolen Paladin's combat data recorder, which included feeds from the machine's cameras and its tactical system. From what I understand, you were the one directing the fight against the mech."

"Yes, Sir," said Jaune, his tone still nervous.

Blake could sympathize with him. She didn't want to be on the spot, under the gaze of this rather dangerous man, though, in her case, her mixed feelings regarding him didn't help any.

"From what we recovered, it is apparent that you took down the Paladin by systematically disabling its targeting sensors, then attacking its joints," said Ironwood. "Please explain how you knew what to target."

To Blake's impressed surprise, Jaune didn't twitch at the question, managing to maintain enough self control not to betray anything. This had been one of the sticking points of what the nine of them had discussed last night. Weiss had initially suggested that she be the one to take the credit for the strategy against the Paladin, largely because she had predicted that Ironwood would be involved in the resulting interrogation, and that Jaune would be ill-suited to explaining his answers in a way that would keep the fact that she and Neptune had hacked the SDC's files from being revealed. However, Blake got the impression that Weiss was more interested in taking credit for their victory than avoiding suspicion.

"When Weiss and Yang created their smokescreen, it allowed us to see the machine's targeting lasers," said Jaune. "That allowed us to locate the sensors and, seeing them, I realized they were exposed." He scratched his head. "With the joints…well…it was fairly easy to see they weren't as armored as the rest of the machine so, if we were going to take it on, that's where I thought we should target."

Blake nodded, keeping her smile hidden. Jaune's answer had neatly avoided revealing anything about the hacked files, which were what he'd really used to find the Paladin's weaknesses, though his strategy for the fight had still been impressive.

"I see," said Ironwood, nodding to himself. "You have excellent observational skills and sound judgment, Mr. Arc. I'm impressed at how you managed to lead the battle, and am _especially_ gratified that you coordinated to keep it away from civilians. To have one of our machines be the cause of severe civilian casualties would have been devastating."

Blake and Jaune nodded, Blake once again feeling that stab of guilt that she and Sun would have gone straight for the highways, if not for Jaune's orders. Hacked files or no, they owed him a tremendous debt of gratitude for that alone.

"Thank you, Sir," said Jaune a little stiffly.

"Now then," said Ozpin, "seeing as we have ascertained a better picture of what happened last night, it is now time to plan our next move. Ms. Belladonna, Mr. Arc, did you learn anything that might help us in that respect."

"Yes," said Blake. "During the rally, Torchwick mentioned something about an operation in the southeast."

"That's right," agreed Jaune. "Ju-er-our informant said that there had been a lot of traffic, carrying heavy equipmen,t leaving the Kingdom in that direction."

"I see," said Ozpin, his frown deepening. "That would then suggest that the current center of the enemy's operation is in Mountain Glenn."

"Assuming they haven't moved it, seeing as they must be aware that Ms. Belladonna overheard them at the rally," said Ironwood grimly.

"Doubtful," said Ozpin, seeing Blake wince at the general's remark. "If what Mr. Arc's informant has said is true, then they are invested in an operation that requires a great deal of heavy equipment, something that would be quite difficult for them to move on short notice. Furthermore, if they have chosen Mountain Glenn of all places, there must be something there that they cannot find or obtain anywhere else, which would explain why their operation is there, rather than somewhere less…occupied by Grimm."

"All the more reason to strike quickly," said Ironwood sharply. "I will assemble my forces and go down there and search every inch of that place until we find our targets."

"Patience, James," said Ozpin, turning to his fellow Headmaster. "We first need to better ascertain the situation before we make any obvious moves that our enemy might see coming. Our first moves need to avoid suspicion."

"And what would you suggest, Oz," said Ironwood, his tone becoming heated as he seemed to momentarily forget that they were not alone in the office. "Should we stay the course and wait until something happens?"

"Hardly," replied Ozpin. "But there is an ideal moment I would like to wait for…which is why Mr. Arc and Ms. Belladonna are here."

"What?" yelped Jaune nervously as Ironwood twitched, now remembering that he had an audience.

"Starting next week, you first-years will be embarking upon your first official missions," said Ozpin, turning to Blake and Jaune once again. "Ms. Belladonna, this is the ideal opportunity to pick up your investigation where you left off."

"Professor?" said Blake nervously. "I…I agree with the General. Wouldn't it be better to move sooner?"

"And yet, it would almost certainly be noticed," said Ozpin. "On the other hand, we routinely receive mission requests to clear out Grimm in Mountain Glenn. Though there are no people there, civilians in any case, they continue to congregate. Once they assemble enough numbers, they tend to try the walls at Vale, so it is best to thin them out before they reach that point. It will provide ideal cover for you and your teams to enter the area and begin your search."

"I see…" said Blake. There was a certain point to it. She just hoped that whatever the White Fang had been planning wasn't set into motion before then.

"However, since Team Ruby is short-handed, we will have Team Juniper provide support for you," added Ozpin. "Is that acceptable, Mr. Arc?"

"Yes, Sir," said Jaune, nodding. "I'd feel much better helping look after my friends." He knew that Ren apparently had his heart set on a mission out in one of the villages, shadowing a sheriff. But helping Team WBY took precedence. Ren would understand that, and they could take another mission to that village another time.

"Furthermore, I believe we can further bolster your ranks with a helpful addition," said Ozpin with a smile. "I understand, General, that you have someone quite combat capable among your students, who could be of great assistance in a situation like this."

Ironwood blinked, then flinched, then stared at Ozpin. A second later, he sighed and slumped. "Very well," he said.

"Then it's settled," said Ozpin. "The mission to Mountain Glenn is normally considered a little too dangerous for first-year students, but I shall reserve it for your teams. Ms. Belladonna, could you inform your leader and obtain her approval?"

"Yes, Professor," said Blake.

"Good," said Ozpin. "You have the remainder of the week. Use it to prepare yourselves. However, Ms. Belladonna, I recommend that you not go overboard. Rest too is an important part of preparation, and you should seize the chance while you still have it."

Blake blinked in confusion, wondering what Ozpin meant by that. "If you say so, Professor," she said.

"Very well then," said Ozpin. "Dismissed."

* * *

"I wonder what Professor Ozpin meant by that?" mused Blake.

"I think he was warning you off working too hard," said Jaune as they rode the elevator down from Ozpin's office. "Yang told me you tend to take things too seriously."

"Too seriously?" snapped Blake, turning to glare at Jaune. "This is the White Fang we're talking about. There are lives at stake. How is it possible to take them too seriously?"

"I'm not talking about that," said Jaune. "Of course we need to take the White Fang seriously. But they're not here now. Yeah, we have a mission coming up and we should be prepared for it…particularly so it doesn't turn into a repeat of last time."

Both Blake and Jaune fell silent for a moment. Then Jaune continued. "But, like Professor Ozpin said, rest is a part of preparing too isn't it?"

"But what does that even mean?" wondered Blake.

"Well, getting full nights' sleep while we can," said Jaune. "Knowing you, you'd probably spend all night in the library doing research and trying to come up with more information."

"Of course," said Blake. "There's still so much we can do to prepare. There must be maps of the layout of Mountain Glenn, what kind of environmental factors we can expect, what Grimm we might encounter…"

"And there's where your problem starts," said Jaune. "If you do that, you'll be at it all night…and probably the next night too…and your free periods during the day."

"Of course," said Blake. "We can't afford to waste a minute."

"And when will you sleep?" asked Jaune.

"I…" Blake frowned. "I don't need sleep."

"Yes you do," said Jaune. "If you don't, you're going to wind up tripping over your own feet when the mission actually starts and then get yourself killed."

The elevator door opened and the two of them exited out into the lobby.

"Then I'll just make sure I rest up the night before," said Blake firmly. "But we have all the time before that to get ready…even if I'm the only one who seems to be taking this seriously."

"It won't be that easy," said Jaune. "Just one night's rest won't be enough to make up for several days spent binging. I know…I tried it a couple of times." He decided not to tell her that said occasion had been spent binging on comic books when he'd decided to play catch up with some of his favorite series.

"Even so, there's so much I can still do!" protested Blake.

To her shock, Jaune suddenly turned and grabbed her shoulders, pushing her up against a wall. Normally, she could have thrown him off easily, but the movement was so sudden, and uncharacteristically aggressive of him, that it caught her completely off-guard.

"Dammit Blake!" he snarled. "Do you want to end up like Ruby?"

"Wha-what?" stammered Blake. How was she being like Ruby?

"Ruby died," said Jaune. "She was two years younger than us. She died with God knows how many dreams unfulfilled, just because it happened to her so soon. There must have been so many things she wanted to do, but she can't now, because she's gone."

Seeing tears in Jaune's eyes as he spoke about Ruby brought out tears in Blake's own. "But how does that make me like her?" asked Blake.

"Because that's what's going to happen to you!" snapped Jaune. "You're getting so absorbed in this White Fang mess that you're letting it completely overrun your life. You have snap out of this so that you can do the things that make you happy while you still can. Otherwise, the White Fang is still just controlling you, just in a different way from before."

"Jaune…I…" Blake didn't know what to say. She'd never thought of it like that.

Jaune looked down. "Ruby was more serious than anyone else here, us included, about being a Huntress. We all came here for different reasons. But Ruby came here specifically so that she could learn how to help and protect people. That's what she aspired to, and that's why I always think of her as the kind of person I should aim to be as a Huntsman." He looked back up, meeting Blake's eyes. "Do you, even for one second, believe that Ruby was ever insincere about that?"

"No…of course not," said Blake.

"Even though Ruby didn't spend every second of every minute working on training or studying, even though she liked to play video games, or watch movies with me or Yang, do you still think she was ever insincere or that she didn't take her objectives seriously?" pressed Jaune.

"Absolutely not," said Blake.

"Then you should know that taking time for yourself, resting and relaxing, time to do things that are fun, that you enjoy, doesn't mean you're being insincere about your own goals," said Jaune. "You want to change the world in the future, but you can't do that if you're forever punishing yourself over your past."

"I…" Blake blinked and looked down. "I never thought about it like that. I…I need to think a little."

"Just promise me you won't go overboard," said Jaune firmly.

Blake gave him a tiny smile. "I won't," she said.

Jaune nodded and let her go, then walked off down the hallway without her. Blake remained where she was, leaning back against the wall, staring at the ceiling. _I can see why Yang and Ruby like him so much,_ she thought. _If he wasn't with Yang now, I might have…_

She shook her head vigorously. _No!_ she thought. _Besides, there's someone else who has my interest right now._

* * *

Jaune rounded a corner, then froze with a yelp as he saw Yang standing there, smirking at him. "You know, someone once warned my team to be more careful about what we shout where other people can hear it," she said smugly.

Jaune chuckled and shook his head. "You have a point," he conceded. "I was just getting so frustrated with Blake back there. For a cat-faunus, she sure can be bullheaded at times."

Yang cackled. "You said it," she said.

With a sigh, Jaune turned and leaned back against the wall. "Are you mad that I used Ruby's name like that?" he asked.

Yang closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and smiled warmly at Jaune, moving to lean against the wall next to him. "No," she said simply. "If that's what it took to get through to Blake, then it's for the best. Besides, I know Ruby wouldn't want Blake to run herself ragged either. In a way, it's like she's still helping us, even now."

"Yeah," said Jaune with a wistful smile of his own. He wanted to say how much he missed her, but knew that there was a person who missed her even more leaning against the wall right next to him.

"Still, now that we got through to Blake, we can focus on getting ready for the dance," said Yang.

"Dance?" Jaune snapped his head around to look at her in confusion.

"Yeah," said Yang. "Team Coffee is organizing a big dance and social to help all the students from the different Academies mingle and get to know each other more." She reached up with a finger and teasingly traced it along Jaune's jaw. "And I already know _exactly_ who I want to spend my evening with."

In spite of spending quite a bit of time getting used to Yang's charms, Jaune couldn't help but blush at the sultry tone of her voice. "Y-yeah…"

"You aren't thinking out about skipping out on me, are you?" asked Yang slyly.

"Absolutely not," promised Jaune.

"Good," said Yang with a triumphant smirk. "After all, you get the privilege of taking the hottest girl in Beacon to the dance, you shouldn't waste it."

Jaune leaned over and pecked her on the lips. "I wouldn't even think about it," he promised.

* * *

"Of course we'll accept Professor Ozpin's mission," said Weiss imperiously after Blake informed her and Yang about Ozpin's offer.

"Thank you," said Blake with a grateful smile.

"It's only fair that we get to finish what we started," said Weiss firmly. Inside, she was practically quivering with joy. _A mission of such importance, for mere first-years…the accolades will be tremendous. This is the perfect opportunity to showcase my skills as our leader. At this rate, I might be able to take over the company before I even graduate. Things are finally going my way._

"That's good," said Yang. "So that just leaves the last few days before Monday to get ready. Jaune'll probably have no trouble getting his own team to go along."

Weiss winced at that. It still stung that credit had gone to Jaune for their defeat of the Paladin, even though it was her access to her family company's information (and Neptune's hacking) that had enabled such a victory in the first place. Now he and his team were joining WBY on what should have been their mission. This was Weiss' time to shine. There was no way she was going to let Jaune steal the glory from her again. It reminded her a bit too much of a certain childish, red-clad brat.

"In any case," she said quickly, wanting to turn the topic away from Arc, "we should focus on what to do during our remaining time."

"Ooh, changing the subject, Ice Queen?" asked Yang, not fooled for a second.

"Hey!"

"Maybe you're seeing Jaune in a different light, after he came up with that awesome strategy," said Yang smugly, leaning back on Blake's bunk and resting against the wall. "Too bad. He's mine now."

"That's not it at all!" snapped Weiss.

"Besides, she has her eyes on Neptune, doesn't she?" mused Blake with a teasing smile of her own.

Weiss gaped at Blake as Yang cackled. _Who are you, and what have you done with Blake Belladonna?_

"Waiting for the blueberry to ask you out to Saturday's dance?" asked Yang.

Weiss huffed and straightened up, turning her nose upwards. "As a matter of fact, _I_ will be the one asking _him_. There is no need to be constrained by such outdated social norms. I'm sure the two of us will be the envy of everyone else there."

"You wish," said Yang with a surprisingly competitive smirk. "After all, _I'll_ be there."

"Yes, and you'll be there with the biggest lunkhead in the Academy," said Weiss in her most superior tone. "I can assure you that no one will be jealous of you, Yang Xiao Long."

"I don't need Jaune to make people jealous," said Yang with a widening grin. "Besides, you haven't seen him on some of our better dates. He can clean up really nicely when he wants."

"I'm still surprised you're so interested in this dance," noted Blake, gazing at Weiss with amusement. "I figured you would insist that the time could be better spent studying or training." Granted, those had been _her_ thoughts before Jaune had talked some sense into her.

"Believe it or not, this is not simply some frivolous time-wasting," said Weiss. "If anything, this is a prime opportunity."

"Opportunity?" Blake and Yang exchanged confused looks.

Weiss huffed, not needing to explain it to them. Amongst the other things her father had taught her, one of the lessons she had learned from him had been the importance of networking, building positive relationships with potential associates. Even if he was utter scum, Weiss had to admit her father had incredible, albeit superficial, charm that enabled him to win over a number of people…like he'd won over her mother. The SDC itself was supported by numerous affiliated companies that supplied them with materials and the technology that allowed them to focus on their speciality, the mining of Dust and the furthering of its application. Most of those affiliates had been won over by her father, with his skills at building positive working relationships at even casual events.

Despite the fact it was a lesson from him, Weiss still acknowledged its importance and the importance of building relationships that could be useful to her in the future. This was a chance to mingle casually with people from all across Remnant, when their guards were down, and they _weren't_ all viewing one another as potential opponents in the Vytal Festival Tournament. Granted, nearly everyone there would be students, like she was now. However, there were any number of things that could happen in the future, and there was no telling how the relationships she cultivated, even at this single, seemingly innocuous event might come in handy later on.

 _Your petty world-views are so small,_ she thought as she watched Blake and Yang. _You may plan on becoming Huntresses and you will…maybe even first-rate Huntresses at that. But I have my eyes set on something even higher still._

* * *

"…and that's the plan," finished Jaune as he wrapped up his explanation of the discussion in Beacon Tower with Blake, Ozpin, and Ironwood. He looked apologetically to Ren. "I'm sorry we won't get to go out to that village this time, but this is pretty important."

Ren gave Jaune a small smile. "It's all right," he said, calmly accepting their leader's decision. "There will be other missions and this is about stopping something the White Fang are planning."

"Plus, it's another chance for us to kick some serious butt!" crowed Nora, flexing her muscles with an eager grin.

Surprisingly, it was Pyrrha who seemed to be the reluctant one. "Are you sure you're up for this?" she asked, looking at Jaune. "Last night was extremely dangerous and, if I understand what you learned from the General and Ozpin, then…"

"Yeah, the Paladin was one of an entire shipment that was stolen," said Jaune. "According to General Ironwood, there are probably at least eleven of those things left."

"It took nine of us to bring even one down," Pyrrha pointed out. "Without more support, we're going to be at a serious disadvantage."

"A few things…" said Jaune, holding up a finger. "First, this is a scouting mission, first and foremost. We're moving in under the cover of clearing out the Grimm in the sector, while searching for the White Fang on the sly. We aren't specifically supposed to engage them, but try and find where they are and what they're doing. Ideally, we won't be fighting them at all.

"Second, even if we do, we have the experience of last night's fight behind us. We know exactly what to do, where to hit, and how to bring down any Paladins we do encounter if we absolutely have to fight them.

"Finally, Team Ruby needs our support. If we backed out, they'd be in even more trouble if they ran into a Paladin without us around."

Ren nodded his agreement with Jaune's assessment, while Nora flashed him a cheerful thumbs up. Only Pyrrha remained reluctant and she stifled her disappointment as best she could, showing Jaune a smile that at least _looked_ sincere, as her mind immediately drifted to the notion that it wasn't Team WBY in its entirety that Jaune was worried about, but a single member of said team.

A part of her desperately wanted to urge Jaune to leave Team WBY to its fate, and let the girls suffer the consequences of their own foolishness. It seemed that even Weiss was beginning to let her ambitions run away with her. Pyrrha had agreed with Weiss when the latter had suggested that Ruby Rose needed to go. But now, Pyrrha wanted as little to do with Team WBY as possible. The time had come for Jaune to focus his time and energy where it belonged, on his own team…on her.

* * *

 **Poor Pyrrha-Yan, suffering from a lack of attention.**

 **I got a little bit preachy when having Ozpin talk about nonviolence, particularly in a story from a series that is all about action and awesome fight scenes. But this is a topic I have a pretty big vested interest in. If anyone is interested in the subject, I highly recommend _Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous Idea_ , by Mark Kurlanski. It's a pretty good read with a historical look at nonviolent movements, breaking down the reasoning behind how nonviolence works.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31:**

Steel rang against steel as Yang's gauntleted arm turned aside a thrust from Pyrrha's blade. Pyrrha pressed the attack by stepping forward, transitioning her weapon from its javelin to its sword form and leading with a slash from the side to try an lure her opponent into position for a better attack.

Yang retaliated by blocking Pyrrha's swing and pressing closer still, aiming a punch for Pyrrha's gut. This close, it was all but impossible for Pyrrha to put her shield into position to block. But she was not some one-trick pony that could be overcome so easily. She jumped, going into a flip that carried her over Yang's head. Going into a spin, Pyrrha turned to bring her blade down at Yang's back. Yang turned sharply, sidestepping the incoming slash and stepped towards Pyrrha as she landed.

Instead of trying to punch, Yang fired a shot from Ember Celica across her body in the opposite direction, using the recoil to propel herself in Pyrrha's direction and drive her elbow at Pyrrha's chest. Pyrrha blocked with her shield, deflecting the incoming strike with ease. Yang simply punched with her opposite hand, striking across her body, launching a fiery bolt at Pyrrha. Pyrrha easily swatted the shot aside with her shield. However, Yang's true purpose in that attack had been to use Ember Celica's recoil again, this time sending her into a spin that allowed her to bring her back leg around in a kick that connected with Pyrrha's temple, knocking her off her feet.

Despite being caught by the unexpected attack, Pyrrha recovered instantly, landing on her shoulder and using her momentum to go into a roll that immediately brought her back up to her feet, Milo transforming in her grip as she brought the rifle to bear on Yang and cracked off a shot that forced Yang to pause to deflect it, keeping her from maintaining the pressure on Pyrrha.

Immediately, Pyrrha went back on the attack, leading by hurling her shield at Yang like a discus. Already slightly off-balance by having to block the rifle shot, Yang was barely able to intercept the shield, allowing Pyrrha to close in, shifting Milo back into javelin form. Pyrrha spun the javelin like a baton, using its reach to bring the blade around to slash at Yang from odd angles, while keeping Yang from getting too close at the same time. Yang managed to deflect the first slash, then backpedaled away from the next. Pyrrha's next spin brought the javelin around so that the shaft rested across her shoulders. From there, she triggered the rifle, the barrel of which was now in the javelin's butt end, causing the weapon to leap forward in her hands and stab out at Yang's face almost like a striking snake.

It was a formidable technique, one that Pyrrha had perfected during her tournaments. By using her rifle's recoil, she could execute a thrust without using her body, enabling her to keep her opponent from reading her and predicting the attack. Against Yang, it paid off in spades as she shifted to the side, but still got caught in the neck by the blade's edge as it lanced past her. Yang was fortunate that she had her Aura or her jugular would have been spraying blood across the ring. Pyrrha fired the rifle again and Milo leapt forward. This time, Yang knew it was coming and knocked the blade aside with a gauntlet.

Yang growled and tried to go back on the offensive. However, it was at that exact moment that Akouo, guided subtly by Pyrrha's Semblance, returned, slamming into the back of her head and causing her to lurch forward. Pyrrha smirked and surged at her opponent, switching her weapon back to sword-mode and leading with a series of slashes that Yang was unable to ward off, driving her back several steps, allowing her to deftly catch the descending shield as it dropped down after rebounding off the back of Yang's head.

Yang growled and forced herself to stop backpedaling, enabling Pyrrha to land several more hits. But Pyrrha's attack was brought to an abrupt end when Yang slammed her gauntlets together, triggering her Semblance, which unleashed an explosive shockwave from her whole body, driving Pyrrha back as Yang's lilac eyes transitioned to red. With a roar, Yang surged forward, ready to go on the attack again with the overwhelming power of her Semblance.

However, Yang was abruptly brought up short as she found herself staring straight down the barrel of Pyrrha's rifle, Pyrrha having transitioned Milo's forms without hesitation so that her weapon was waiting when Yang came forward. Now Pyrrha pulled the trigger and fired a shot at point-blank range, right into Yang's forehead. Yang's head snapped back and she stumbled backwards again. Now Pyrrha went back on the offensive yet again. Not waiting for Milo to make its transition, she instead went into a spinning back-kick that allowed her to slam the heel of her boot into Yang's temple as repayment for Yang's previous attack.

Because her momentum wasn't powered by recoil the way Yang's kick had been, Pyrrha's hit only knocked Yang back a couple of steps. Yang growled and glared, firing a shot from Ember Celica at Pyrrha's feet to try and break her stance. Pyrrha jumped over the attack as it exploded against the floor where she had been standing, going into a cartwheeling flip that allowed her to bring Milo around again, this time in its javelin form, and use the momentum of her flip to throw it, firing a shot from its butt end to add acceleration and power as it left her hand. Yang tried to block, but misread, due to Milo's sudden change of speed and the blade of the javelin flew past her gauntlets, which Yang had been scissoring in front of herself to block, and struck her right in the chest.

Once again, Yang's Aura protected her from what might have been a fatal wound. The blow instead knocked her off her feet. Yang intended to replicate Pyrrha's act of going into a roll to immediately come back to her feet. But her gauntlets suddenly felt heavy on her arms, pulling her down flat on her back with enough force to drive the breath from her lungs as Pyrrha used her Semblance to help Yang accelerate downwards a little faster and ensure that she landed in a way that wouldn't allow her to make a quick recovery.

Catching her rebounding javelin, Pyrrha came in for a landing, leading with her weapon's tip, aiming right for Yang's stomach. Yang gasped and rolled aside at the last second, Milo's blade sparking off the floor. Even as she rolled over, Yang fired her gauntlets again, blasting the ground in front of her, almost right where Pyrrha had landed in a kneeling position from her attempted thrust. The explosion drove Pyrrha back even as Yang rode out its recoil to bounce back to her feet.

From there, Yang pumped her arms to launch bolt after bolt at Pyrrha in rapid succession. Pyrrha jumped and flipped and spun, avoiding some shots, deflecting others. At one point, she even swung Milo in its sword form to split an incoming bolt in two to part it around her. Even in the midst of dodging, Pyrrha noticed as Yang's movements started to slacken, the effects of her unleashed Semblance wearing off as she burned away the accumulated power.

Taking advantage, Pyrrha spun out of the way of another bolt from Ember Celica, and used her spin to launch Akuou in a backhanded throw that sent the spinning edge of the shield to slam right into Yang's forehead, pitching her over backwards as the shield bounced straight up into the air. Seizing the opportunity, Pyrrha rushed in for the kill. Milo transitioned to javelin-mode and Pyrrha used a shot from the rifle to so add speed to her lunging thrust, slashing at Yang as she blazed past, further staggering her already hampered opponent. Behind Yang, Pyrrha immediately turned around, shifting her weapon back into sword-form and hacked into Yang's unguarded back with a succession of slashes.

Yang turned around, swinging her arm in a wide, clumsy backhand in a desperate effort to ward Pyrrha off. However, Pyrrha bent back, allowing Yang's attack to sail harmlessly past in front of her face. Pushing off the ground, Pyrrha jumped into a backflip, using it to catch Yang right in the chin with the heel of her boot right as Yang's spin brought her head around into the perfect position to catch the attack.

With a cry of pain and surprise, Yang was knocked off her feet again. This time, there was no hope of recovery, her Aura falling into the red zone. Even then, her expended Semblance had completely consumed her stamina, leaving her with barely any strength to rise. Pyrrha, in the meantime, landed in a crouch, then rose up, extending her left hand to neatly catch Akuou and slide the shield back onto her arm in a single, smooth motion. Automatically, Pyrrha slipped into a ready stance, her shield held ahead of her, Milo raised, ready to thrust at a moment's notice.

Silence descended for a few brief seconds as Yang made no move to get up. It was understandable. Yang knew she'd lost, and, even if she hadn't known, she no longer had the strength to stand. Seeing her lying there, helpless, Pyrrha was tempted to go on the attack once more. It would only take another couple of hits to break Yang's Aura completely, then she could allow Milo's point to slip between Yang's ribs and right into her heart. It was the perfect opportunity. Pyrrha was almost overcome by the urge, every fiber of her being telling her to go forward and put an end to this witch, once and for all. Afterwards, she could just claim that she'd gotten carried away in the heat of the battle. It was an accident. Accidents happened after all.

Another part of her resisted the impulse, reminding her that it wouldn't be so easy. After Ruby, people wouldn't be so quickly trust Pyrrha's words if another person died with her around, to say nothing of the fact that everyone would see her doing it this time. She couldn't let herself get carried away.

But the impulse remained, the desire to plunge her blade into Yang's body. In fact, Pyrrha's muscles began to strain against themselves as she held back the thrust she so desperately wanted to unleash.

Then the buzzer sounded and Pyrrha realized that she couldn't now. Her brief window of opportunity had closed, and she was left feeling uncertain if she was relieved or disappointed by the fact.

"Well done, Ms. Nikos," said Professor Goodwitch, striding into the arena as the lights came back up, illuminating the sparring ring, as well as the seats in the elevated gallery that surrounded it. "You should have no difficulty qualifying for the Vytal Festival Tournament with your level of skill."

"Thank you, Professor," said Pyrrha with all the modesty she could manage, still stewing over he missed opportunity in secret.

"Ms. Xiao Long," said Goodwitch, turning to Yang, who was struggling to her feet, "an aggressive offense is an excellent strategy when employed properly. However, you need to consider when and how to use such attacks. All the power in the world is worthless if you can't make contact with it."

"Yes, Professor," said Yang, rubbing her chin where Pyrrha's heel had connected. Pyrrha's skill made it easy for Yang to see the flaws in her own style. At the end of the day, offense was where Yang shined. However, Pyrrha was fully aware of that capability and constantly acted to disrupt her attacks, and keep her from building any momentum. Even when Yang had unleashed her Semblance and massively increased her striking power, Pyrrha continued to keep her from being able to go on the attack, forcing Yang to expend her Semblance in futility. Then, once Yang's Semblance had played itself out, Pyrrha had finished her off with perfect efficiency.

"That was a well-fought match," said Goodwitch, bringing out her scroll. "Go get changed you two."

Yang got to her feet and staggered after Pyrrha towards the locker rooms. Behind them, they heard Goodwitch asking who wanted to fight the last bout of the day.

In the locker room, they changed out of their fighting clothes and into their school uniforms, as they had a couple more academic classes after this one. Yang checked over her sticky skin, looking forward to a shower after she got out of class. "Good fight, Pyrrha," said Yang cheerfully, as she made her way to her locker.

"If that's what you want to call it," muttered Pyrrha, just loud enough that Yang overheard her.

"Is something wrong?" asked Yang, turning to look at Pyrrha.

"I don't think Jaune should be wasting his time with you," replied Pyrrha, turning to look at Yang with narrowed eyes. "Considering how sloppy you are, you could only teach him bad habits."

"Well, I'm hardly teaching him my way of fighting," Yang replied. If anything, their sparring matches were more about Jaune enduring a rapid series of impacts from Yang's fists against his shield, without allowing his defense to falter. If he could work in an opportunity to make an attack of his own, so much the better. "I'm not a sword and shield person after all, and he's hardly cut out to be a fist-fighter."

"Precisely," said Pyrrha. "His time could be better spent with someone who knows that kind of style better."

"He still trains with you in the evenings," Yang said. "If anything, I'm helping him work harder now by sparring with him during his off-time." Her eyes narrowed back at Pyrrha. "But this isn't really about Jaune's training, is it?"

Pyrrha's expression darkened, but she didn't say a word, which was answer enough in its own way.

"Look, I get that you're upset," said Yang. "I know how you feel about him…practically everyone does."

"If you did, then why did you take him?" snapped Pyrrha.

"Because I like him," said Yang. "I liked him, and I decided to go for it and, you know what, it worked. Are you going to claim that that's wrong because you saw him first or something?"

A growl wormed its way up Pyrrha's throat, but she forced it back down, instead she snapped her head away and returned her gaze to her school uniform as she went through the steps of putting it back on. "Jaune and I have a relationship built on trust," she said. "We don't take advantage of each other."

Now Yang was glaring at Pyrrha. "Are you suggesting that I'm taking advantage of Jaune?" she wanted to know.

"All I know is that right after…" Pyrrha paused, stopping herself from saying something that might be considered incriminating. "…right after Ruby…died…you two suddenly started spending all that time together. Are you sure you weren't coming on to him while he was emotionally vulnerable?"

The next thing Pyrrha knew, Yang's fist slammed into the door of her locker, knocking it shut with an echoing clang, forcing Pyrrha to whirl around to stare at her. Even without Ember Celica, even drained as she was from their sparring match before, Yang's strength was still enough that she left and indent of her knuckles in the solid steel of the rocket locker, designed to withstand the beating of launching a student's equipment to their side by dropping out of the sky like a missile. Yang's eyes were, once again, a furious red as she glared at Pyrrha.

" _His_ grief," Yang snarled. "How dare you say that! What he was going through couldn't compare to what _I_ was going through. I lost my sister-Hell!-I practically lost my _daughter_ the night Ruby died! When our mother died, _I_ was the one who raised her, and she was _everything_ to me! Yeah, Jaune was hurt a lot, but that doesn't even come close to what _I_ was feeling.

"And you know what? Jaune actually understood that! Even though he was in pain himself, he put that on the back-burner and did whatever he could to help me feel better, because he was my friend. But you have the gall to accuse _me_ of taking advantage of _him?_ Do you really have that low of an opinion of him? Do you really think he's that _weak?_ "

Pyrrha backed away from Yang's fury. In the ring, with her weapons in hand, with the metal of her opponent's weapon, Pyrrha could be considered all but invincible. However, in this situation, with Milo and Akuou tucked away in their locker, Pyrrha was at a disadvantage. Yang's style was built around her fists, which was supplemented by Ember Celica. In this situation, she was much more dangerous than Pyrrha was. With her Semblance, Pyrrha could turn all the metal lockers around her into her weapons, but that meant little at this range.

"You said you have a relationship built on trust," continued Yang. "But it sounds to me like you don't trust him very much. If this is what you think of him, maybe Jaune shouldn't be trusting _you_."

"He trusts me plenty," replied Pyrrha, finding herself smirking. "Tell me, Yang, do you know his dark little secret?"

Yang's eyes widened further and Pyrrha felt a small sense of triumph…which was immediately snuffed out by what Yang said next. "What? You mean that thing about him faking his transcripts?" Pyrrha gasped, her smirk vanishing. "Yeah, I know all about them. Jaune told me right after we hooked up. He wanted to be up-front and honest with me. It was a big risk, telling me that, and I admire him for it, because he didn't want to lie to me." Her glare intensified even further and the air in Yang's immediate vicinity began to get uncomfortably warm. "I can't believe you, Pyrrha! Were you going to use that as some kind of trump card? Did you want me to walk out of here and dump Jaune by telling me that dark secret of his? I thought you said he _trusted_ you. Maybe he shouldn't."

Pyrrha jolted at Yang's words, horrified at her own traitor tongue. She'd been so angry and frustrated that she'd spoken without fully thinking out the consequences of what she'd said. She hadn't thought that Jaune would have told Yang about his transcripts.

"What in God's name is the matter with you, Pyrrha?" asked Yang, horror finding its way through the anger in her voice. "I thought you cared about Jaune."

"OF COURSE I CARE ABOUT HIM!" yelled Pyrrha, her eyes brimming with angry tears. "I found him! I knew his secret first. I watched over him, helped him become stronger, nurtured his strength…So why did he go to you? What makes you special?"

"Nothing," said Yang simply, her anger fading, replaced with disappointment. "Well…one thing. I up and told him how I felt. That's it."

"What?" gasped Pyrrha.

"It sounds to me like you were trying to manipulate him into a relationship with you out of some kind of obligation," said Yang. "You think he belongs to you because he owes you or something? Are you really that petty?"

Pyrrha flinched back, Yang's words stinging like barbs latching into her skin.

"You're Jaune's partner, for God's sake," Yang pointed out. "You of all people should know how unbelievably dense he is. You can drop hints his way all the livelong day, and he won't notice a thing. Ruby couldn't get through to him that way either. He and I wound up together because I got up the nerve to straight up _tell_ him how I felt. You had your chance, Pyrrha. Even if Jaune and I break up, I don't think I could let him hook up with you, the way you are now. I don't think it would be healthy for either of you."

Then Yang took a deep breath, calming herself down. "I understand you're upset, so I'm going to take what you said as a bunch of things you said in the heat of the moment, because you're still not over him. I'm going to finish getting dressed, then I'm gonna walk out of here and pretend this conversation _never_ happened, for Jaune's sake. I don't want him knowing the things you said here. In the meantime, I hope you'll try to be a better partner to him than what you've just shown."

True to her word, Yang returned to her locker, and finished putting her uniform back on. Then she made for the door, leaving Pyrrha, still partly undressed, sitting on the bench in front of her locker. Pyrrha watched Yang's departure, tension in every line of her body, every muscle clenched tight. Her eyes narrowed and her lips pulled back to bare her teeth, a look of pure rage washing over her. An ebony aura flickered around the lockers around her, and they began to rattle and rock in place as Pyrrha's entire body began to tremble.

 _I am going to kill her,_ thought Pyrrha with absolute conviction. _I don't know where or when…but Yang Xiao Long has to die._

* * *

Yang returned to the spectator seats to see that the final bout of the day was already well underway, her conversation with Pyrrha having caused her to miss the start. To her surprise, it was Jaune and none other than Cardin Winchester in the ring.

The hulking boy with close-cropped red hair grinned as he swung his ten-flanged mace down at Jaune's raised shield. The weapon impacted with an echoing clang, but Jaune angled the shield's surface slightly to deflect Cardin's attack off to the side, the mace's weight causing its leftover inertia to draw him down slightly. At the same time, Jaune lunged forward with an upwards swing of his sword. Cardin had to lean to the side to avoid the slash, throwing himself clear, and triggering the fire-Dust crystal set between the mace's flanges to send a wave of flames washing up over Jaune.

Jaune turned to match Cardin's movements, swinging his shield in what appeared to be an exaggerated motion, but actually used the shield's broad surface-area in conjunction with his Aura to produce a wave of moving air that blew back the gout of flame Cardin had sent his way. Jaune immediately went back on the attack, jumping upwards and forwards so that he descended towards Cardin with a downwards slash.

Raising his mace, Cardin held the shaft in both hands, bracing it against Jaune's attack. However, the force behind Jaune's blow actually sent Cardin skidding back slightly, their Auras sparking against one another. Cardin retaliated by whirling his mace through a rapid series of swings, showcasing the impressive wrist strength and control that enabled him to wield the heavy weapon with a shocking degree of finesse. Yang knew, from observing previous rounds that Cardin had fought in, that his skill was high enough that he could deflect gunshots with enough distance.

In this case, this allowed Cardin to bombard Jaune with a rapid series of attacks. However, because they primarily relied on his wrist and the mace's intrinsic weight, they were less powerful than Cardin's larger, more easily-read swings. Fortunately, the wide surface of Jaune's shield allowed him to essentially hunker down behind it, turtling and catching Cardin's blows with minimum shifts of his arm. Having trained against the fearsome speed and power against Yang's fists, the rapid swings of Cardin's mace were easy for him to read now.

After deflecting several hits, Jaune bulled forward, slamming through Cardin's attacking mace and driving the face of his shield into Cardin's chestplate, sending the larger boy stumbling backwards, working his arms desperately to maintain his balance. That was a mistake. Jaune immediately followed up with his sword, delivering a rapid series of powerful slashes. Off-balance as he was, Cardin was poorly equipped to defend against them and was knocked back off his feet.

Landing on his back, Cardin sprawled out on the floor. Jaune pressed his advantage, swinging downwards. Cardin barely managed to roll out of the way in time, the edge of Jaune's sword clanging loudly against the floor, the impact against a harder-than-expected surface sending jolts running up his arm and causing him to falter, which gave Cardin the opening he needed to roll to his feet. Coming up in a spin, Cardin swept his mace around at floor level. His roll had carried him too far away to reach Jaune with the mace itself, but, by triggering the Dust crystal, he created a wave of fire that washed out across the floor, threatening to scorch Jaune's legs.

Amazingly, Jaune responded by slipping his arm out of the straps of his shield and, in a surprisingly deft movement, flipping the shield in his grip and sliding his arm back through so that the shield was now essentially upside down, with its tapering end reaching up in the direction of Jaune's head, while the wider end was oriented downwards. Dropping onto one knee, Jaune planted the broad end of the shield against the floor and narrowed his profile as much as possible behind it.

Cardin's flames splashed against the shield, washing around it, scorching Jaune at the edges, but largely leaving him unharmed, only managing to burn off tiny slivers of his Aura. As they passed, Jaune rose up and lunged simultaneously, thrusting his sword straight for Cardin's stomach, just below the chestplate of his armor.

Expecting Jaune to try and jump over the wave of flames, Cardin had turned his attention upwards in anticipation of the interception. Thus, Jaune deciding to go down and weather the fire, instead of avoid it, caught him unprepared, and he took Jaune's thrust straight on, once again knocked off his feet. Cardin once again fell on his back, landing hard, his mace bouncing out of his grip and rolling across the floor. In the meantime, Jaune pulled back out of his lunge, executing a repeat of his earlier move to flip his shield upright again.

"I give," said Cardin, surprisingly grinning, despite losing…and actually admitting it to boot.

The lights fully illuminated the sparring ring again, as Goodwitch ended the match after Cardin's admission of defeat. "Well done, Mr. Arc," she said with a shocking amount of approval in her voice. "You've improved exponentially since you first arrived here. I believe you could go quite far in the tournament as well."

Grinning sheepishly, Jaune collapsed his shield back into its sheath form and sheathed his sword before reaching up to rub the back of his head. "Thanks, Professor." Turning back to Cardin, Jaune extended a hand down to pull his opponent back onto his feet.

"Mr. Winchester," said Professor Goodwitch, turning to regard Cardin now, and making him stiffen nervously under her gaze. "You have clearly matured as well. I'm pleased that you've become more creative in how you apply your weapon's capabilities. With further refinement, you will go far."

"Thanks, Teach," said Cardin casually, actually turning to bump arms with Jaune in a friendly manner before the two of them turned to head to the lockers.

"And that concludes our class for today," said Goodwitch, turning to regard the rest of the students. "Please remember that your first missions will begin on Monday, and make sure that you are adequately prepared. Ms. Schnee, I would like to speak with you for a minute."

Everyone else got to their feet. As Weiss headed down to see what Goodwitch wanted to talk about, everyone else filed into the hall, taking advantage of the brief lull between classes to chat. Exiting, Yang noticed a pair of visiting students from Haven, who'd come for the festival, talking in hushed tones a little ways down. The silver-haired one seemed disgruntled and irritated for some reason, while his partner, a dark-skinned girl with mint-green hair looked slightly nervous.

"When did Jaune and Cardin become _actual_ friends?" Blake wondered, drawing Yang's attention away from the two visiting students.

"Not long after our trip to Forever Fall," said Ren. "Cardin came to Jaune and apologized for bullying him before that. Then he even went and apologized to Velvet for what he and his team did to her." Ren chuckled. "He even let Coco deck him in repayment."

"What?" gasped Blake in shock, turning to look to Yang, who nodded with a smile on her face.

"Cardin joins our sparring sessions sometimes," she said. "He's not too bad, now that he's not trying to act like the big man on campus."

After a couple of minutes of waiting, Jaune and Cardin emerged from the boys' locker room, clad in their school uniforms. They exchanged one last fist-bump before Cardin went to rejoin his team, while Jaune went back to his team, and the two present members of WBY.

"Lookin' good out there, Lady Killer," teased Yang, elbowing Jaune with a grin.

"You've definitely improved a great deal," added Ren approvingly, while Nora grinned exuberantly.

"We're totally gonna crush it at the Tournament," the bubbly carrot-top cheered.

"Well, it's mostly thanks to Yang and Pyrrha," said Jaune sheepishly, rubbing his head again. "I'd be garbage without them."

Yang glanced back, having missed the point at which Pyrrha had left the locker room to join them. At Jaune's expression of gratitude, a lopsided smile appeared on Pyrrha's face, looking slightly strained to Yang's eye. Clearly their conversation earlier was weighing on Pyrrha. Remembering her promise to act as though it hadn't happened, Yang put a wide grin up on her own face, before leaning in to kiss Jaune on the cheek.

"That's not true," she said with all sincerity. "You've always had the potential, you just needed to have someone show you so that you could bring it out yourself."

Nora giggled and Ren hid a smile behind his hand as Jaune's face turned red. Blake also smirked, averting her own eyes slightly. Pyrrha's smile became even more strained than it was before.

Their conversation was redirected when Weiss returned, having just finished talking with Goodwitch. "What'd the Prof want to talk to you about, Weiss?" asked Yang, before a mischievous grin appeared on her face. "Are you in trouuuuuuble?" she asked in a sing-song tone.

"Hardly," said Weiss with a haughty smirk. "It's not as though I'm a well known troublemaker like you Yang."

"What did she say then?" asked Blake.

Weiss planted her fists on her hips, turning her face upwards, smiling triumphantly. "As of right now, we, that is Team Ruby, are officially planning Saturdsy evening's dance."

"What? Why?" asked Blake, both she and Yang being taken by surprise by this sudden announcement.

"I thought Team Coffee was planning the dance," added Yang.

"Team Coffee's mission is lasting longer than planned," replied Weiss simply. "They won't be able to make it back in time, so Professor Goodwitch needed to find someone else for the job."

"And she picked us?" asked Yang, surprised.

"Of course," said Weiss. "It's a show of trust in our ability to be diplomatic. We need to ensure that we do our utmost to put on an event that will make a good impression on our guests from the other Academies. This is a prime opportunity."

"Well, it sounds like fun," said Yang, rubbing her hands together and grinning. "I've got all sorts of cool ideas for what we can do."

"It's a good thing I'm around to discourage your over-the-top tendencies, Yang," said Weiss firmly. "Professor Goodwitch put us, as a team, in charge, which means that _I_ am in charge. It is my duty to ensure that everything is absolutely perfect."

"Whatever you say, Ice Queen," said Yang, prompting an outraged "Hey!" from Weiss.

The two teams progressed down the hallway towards their next class, discussing the upcoming dance with eagerness…save for Pyrrha, who lurked at the back of the group, her eyes fixed on the back of Yang's head.

* * *

Planning the dance proved to be a bit more difficult than they'd anticipated, mainly due to the clashes between the two primary planners. If Weiss had had her way, the event would have practically been a cotillion, featuring over half a dozen dances that practically required formal classes to learn in their entirety. If Yang had had her way, the thing would have practically been a rave, minus the drugs and alcohol.

Fortunately, Blake proved to be an effective mediator, working to balance the opposing aesthetics of her teammates to help them put on an event that was neither too formal, nor too casual. It wasn't easy, but, between the three of them, they managed to plan effectively. Goodwitch had given them a generous budget to work with, allowing them to rent the necessary equipment, enormous speakers and fog machines (for Yang), as well as purchase the decorations, streamers and doilies (for Weiss).

Keen to ensure that Team WBY presented themselves in the best possible manner, Weiss generously dipped into her personal allowance to help them buy their dresses for the evening. It was a fun afternoon spent shopping in Vale as the girls tried out different dresses, seeing which suited them the best, and which would make the best impression on their respective dates.

* * *

Jaune stood nervously in front of the door to WBY's room, waiting for Yang and the others to finish getting ready. He fiddled with his tie, alternately tightening and loosening it, trying to make sure it lay straight down along the button line of the shirt under his suit jacket. He knew he was dressed perfectly. His sisters had schooled him quite thoroughly on how to wear a suit and die, among other things, things he was grateful to have learned, now that he was taking his first girlfriend to their first formal…or semi-formal…event.

The two boys beside him were no less nervous. Sun Wukong looked almost ridiculously under-dressed, having changed out of his white shirt and blue jeans and into a black, short-sleeved, button-down shirt with a yellow tie and gray slacks. He hadn't even abandoned the red bracers he normally wore. He was probably the most underdressed out of them all. Right now, he was fiddling with his own tie nervously.

"Stupid neck-trap," he muttered.

"It helps if you wear the tie around the collar and not right around your neck," said Jaune with a chuckle, moving to help, loosening Sun's tie, then moving it over the ends of his collar, which he'd left folded up for some reason. Sun had claimed that Vacuo, where he hailed from wasn't really a shirt and tie place, and it showed. Cinching the tie tight enough to sit comfortably, Jaune folded Sun's collar down and stepped back. "Much better," he said.

Sun twisted his neck and fiddled with the tie a little more. "Yeah, you're right," he said.

"What about you, Neptune? You good?" asked Jaune, turning to the other boy there with them.

"Uh…yeah…fine," said Neptune, his voice emerging in a strangled squeak. His eyebrow was twitching slightly. Neptune was also dressed in a fairly standard suit. He'd left behind his goggles for the occasion and had tried to style his hair a little. All told, he looked fairly slick, especially compared to his partner.

That said, he seemed the worse off of the three of them, his bearing more of a man going to his execution than someone taking one of the most popular and sought-after girls in Beacon's first year on a public outing.

"What's up with him?" Jaune whispered to Sun.

"I dunno," Sun whispered back. "All I know is that he was talking down how lame this dance was gonna be. Then, the other night, he wanders back in saying that he has to look his best for it."

"Neptune doesn't like dances?" Jaune asked.

"Nope," said Sun. "Mainly 'cause he _can't_ dance. He's found excuses to avoid pretty much every formal event before now."

"I'm guessing his date may have something to do with that," said Jaune, turning his gaze back to WBY's dorm. After all, Weiss Schnee was the kind of girl who did not take "no" for an answer, when it came to what she wanted.

"Does Weiss know?" Jaune wondered.

"No idea," answered Sun.

A few minutes of waiting and shifting later, the door finally swung open to reveal their dates.

Jaune immediately felt the blood rush to his face, and one…other…part of his body upon seeing Yang. Yang wore a white, neck-halter dress with a short skirt that halted well above her knees, displaying a generous portion of her shapely thighs, while her top sported a plunging neckline that left a generous portion of her cleavage visible, as well as her shoulders and arms bare. It was almost surprisingly minimalist, as was her approach to makeup, just the faintest hint of blush on her cheeks. But it suited Yang remarkably well, and left Jaune's mouth completely dry.

Blake, on the other hand, was dressed more elaborately, wearing a dark-purple dress, with a slinky skirt that ran down almost all the way to her ankles, with a long slit up the right side that ran nearly all the way up back to her hip. Like Yang, it was a neck-halter, but it was accented by a black collar around her neck, while her shoulders and décolletage were covered by a translucent, black mesh. As always, her ears were hidden by the black bow that Blake wore habitually.

Weiss, like Yang, was wearing white. In her case, it was a lovely number with a fairly short skirt. The yoke of the dress, which ran up over her shoulders, consisted of a black mesh like Blake's dress. For a girl of Weiss' predilections, it was positively daring.

Glancing at the other two boys, Jaune was unsurprised to see that Sun looked utterly awestruck by Blake's appearance, an expression of almost giddy excitement on his face. Neptune couldn't have looked more different. Upon seeing Weiss, his spine went rigid and he stood up as straight as he possibly could, the tiny, lopsided grin on his face that looked rather forced.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, boys," said Yang, strutting to Jaune, her attractiveness turned up to full throttle by her voice and mannerisms. "You know how hard it is for a girl to get ready."

"I don't think you had to do that much," said Jaune, grinning as Yang took his arm. "You knock my socks off every time I see you."

"Aww…you're making me blush," said Yang, tightening her hold against Jaune's arm, but also turning her body so that his arm was pressing between the line of her breasts. "Maybe, tonight, I can return the favor."

Jaune fought, and lost, the struggle to keep his cheeks from turning red, but he remained smiling all the same.

"I knew you'd look better with a tie," said Blake with a happy smile of her own as she went over to Sun and took his arm. Looking up at him, she noted the glazed look in his eyes. "Are you all right?"

"Oh…fine…Just kinda hard to believe this is really happening," said Sun, turning to look down at her. "What did a scruffy thief like me do to deserve a girl like you going to the dance with him?"

Blake leaned her head against his shoulder. "He was himself," she replied. "That's more than enough for this girl."

In the meantime, Weiss had gone up to Neptune with an uncharacteristically cheerful smile on her face. "Ready to go?"

"Y-y-y-y-yes, Ma'am," said Neptune nervously.

"Then let's get going," said Weiss happily, almost seeming blissfully oblivious to her date's discomfort as she tugged him down the hallway. "After all, it's important to be on time. I am _not_ going to be late."

"You know…suddenly I get why Neptune's so nervous," said Sun, staring after the pair.

"Yeah…that has me a little worried too," added Jaune.

"Weiss can get a little…intense about things," said Yang with a slight giggle. "She was talking about all kinds of plans she had for the guy."

"Uh…does she know that Neptune can't dance?" asked Sun.

Yang and Blake shared a concerned look. "I don't think she does," said Yang.

"That might be a problem," added Blake.

"Well…we'll just hope that everything turns out all right," said Jaune. "Weiss seemed happy just to be able to go with Neptune, so maybe they'll be okay."

Yang sighed. "Yeah, let's not let this bust the mood. We've got good partners and an awesome dance to go to. Let's go have fun."

* * *

The ballroom, where they'd spent their first night at Beacon, had been decked out beautifully in a combined effort by Weiss and Yang (heavily mediated by Blake). Fog rolled across the floor, adding a slightly fantastical element to the whole affair, almost like something out of a fairy tale. The DJs that Yang had hired worked their way through a playlist of songs picked by Yang, and vetted by Weiss, to be popular, engaging, and tasteful. Throughout the room, girls dressed in beautiful dresses mingled with sharply dressed boys, exchanging pleasantries, sipping punch, or nibbling on dainties. With the music picking up, couples swept out onto the floor to twirl about one another in a kaleidoscope of color.

"I gotta say it, you girls did a great job," said Jaune as he and Yang swept around the floor in perfect step with one another.

"Would you expect anything less?" asked Yang cheekily.

"Not a chance," said Jaune, twirling around her body to take her into a dip that had Yang squeal in surprise and pleasure, one of her feet kicking off the floor to compliment the move, before Jaune pulled her back up and they went through another turn of the dance to applause from onlookers.

"Let me guess…seven sisters?" asked Yang, raising an amused eyebrow at Jaune's dancing skills.

"You know it," said Jaune. "They still can't believe I managed to land myself a girlfriend, by the way."

"You told them?" asked Yang, her eyes wide.

"Yep," said Jaune with a chuckle. "They said they wouldn't rat me out, probably because they expected me to flunk the initiation or something and come right back home. It sure is a shock to them that I'm still here and doing well."

Yang felt a bubble of anger rise up in her. "You do realize that, if you flunked the initiation, you'd likely be going home in a body bag…if there was anything left to send home in the first place." The Nevermore or the Deathstalker they'd encountered could have done him in easily in his untrained state, to say nothing of the fact that he'd been launched off the side of a cliff without even having his Aura unlocked, much less having any kind of landing strategy.

"I'm pretty sure they didn't realize the Initiation was going to be so dangerous," Jaune said, trying to mollify her irritation. "It supposedly changes every year, so that new arrivals can't get tips on what to expect from their upperclassmen."

"Sorry," said Yang, leaning into him as his arm tightened its hold on her back. "I guess I'm just sore about it. Did no one in your family actually believe in you?"

"I think not telling the faculty about me is one way of showing that they do," said Jaune. "They believe that I'm going to stick to my plan. Whether or not they believe it'll succeed is another matter." He grinned at her. "But let's not talk about that. The night is young, the music is great, the atmosphere is incredible, and I've got a beautiful girl in my arms just begging for another dance."

"Oh, you charmer you," said Yang with a grin, leaning in to kiss him.

* * *

 **Pyrrha-Yan is definitely not taking Jaune's new relationship well. It's strange, I mean she killed someone, so that means he's hers, right? In any case, now things are starting to go unexpected directions. Because Pyrrha-Yan wound up fighting Yang, instead of CRDL (I don't think anyone would be surprised that Pyrrha would work harder to beat Yang than all four boys of CRDL), she winds up exerting herself more, which means Mercury can't challenge her. He and Emerald don't seem to be too happy about that.**

 **And, of course, Weiss gets to go to the dance with Neptune, mainly because this version of Weiss has gotten _very_ used to getting her way, so she isn't about to let Neptune turn her down that easily...poor guy.**

 **Next chapter...Things heat up...in more ways than one.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Warning, the following chapter does include what, in fanfic parlance, we call a lemon. It is situated at the very end, so, if you decide to skip it, you needn't worry over missing out on anything else in the chapter.**

* * *

 **Chapter 32:**

Weiss' finger tapped lightly against her knee. It was about the only thing she could do to cope at the moment. Inside, she was fuming. Tonight was supposed to have been perfect. She was here with the boy she'd taken a fancy too, even if he'd been a tad bit reluctant, she'd been able to make him see reason. They were supposed to sweep out onto the dance floor together. They would be the ideal pair, seizing the envy and admiration of everyone who saw them. From there, Weiss could use the impression they made to better forge relationships with the visiting students from other Academies.

Instead, here she was, sitting on the sidelines awkwardly with her date, who tried his best to make polite conversation with her. Perhaps Weiss should have appreciated that he was making an effort to keep her engaged, even if they couldn't actually dance _at the dance_. Weiss maintained a polite facade, something she'd learned to put up back home, whenever her father or his sycophants, at the various social functions she was required to attend as the Schnee heiress, got on her nerves. Very early on, she'd learned that losing control of herself would lead to severe, sometimes brutal, punishment. Because of that, Weiss had learned long ago to keep her true feelings tucked behind a mask of politeness.

It was something that had served her well, though her ability to maintain the facade had been strained severely by having Ruby Rose as a partner and a leader. But, at the very least, Ruby had never clued in to what Weiss had _really_ been planning for her.

Looking out at the dance floor, Weiss saw that dunce, Arc, swooping along with Yang in his arms, the two of them dancing together like old hands, who'd attended countless balls before. Jaune even led Yang through a few fancier moves and flourishes that always attracted applause and cheers from some of the onlookers ringing the dance floor, Yang looking positively gleeful. The sight of them made Weiss grind her teeth together. That should have been _her_ out there. It almost made her regret that she'd refused Jaune's advances towards her…almost.

A cheerful laugh drew Weiss' attention to another corner of the dance floor. There was Blake, looking happier than Weiss had ever seen her, dancing with an equally happy Sun Wukong. The scruffy stowaway they'd seen fleeing a docked ship hadn't changed all that much in Weiss' opinion. As far as she was concerned, he was criminal scum. Even if Blake was a former White Fang member, Sun was clearly beneath her. She could be doing so much better. Even now, it was clear that Sun didn't have much more of an idea of how to dance than Neptune, him and Blake going through some basic steps while swaying to the music's rhythm, dancing with more enthusiasm than skill.

But even so, they were dancing. They were enjoying themselves and, at the very least, not making complete fools of themselves. At this point, the best Weiss could hope for was that no one would notice her pathetic situation. How low had she fallen to reach the point where she, Weiss Schnee, was secretly wishing that no one would realize she was at an even that she'd helped to organize?

Then Neptune made another awkward attempt at humor, and Weiss had to pretend to find it amusing. _What have I done to deserve this?_ she wondered.

* * *

"I need to sit down for a few," said Yang as she led Jaune off the dance floor. "You're a dancing fiend, Mister."

"What can I say, my sisters are harsh taskmistresses," said Jaune with a chuckle, leading Yang over to a seat. "I'll get you some punch."

"My hero," said Yang. Truth be told, her throat was getting a little bit dry. A nice drink would sooth it. A few minutes spent cooling her heels, and she'd be able to take Jaune out for another turn on the dance floor. All told, the night was going great, even better than she'd imagined.

She settled onto one of the available seats that lined the edge of the room with a weary sigh and leaned back, lazily tracking Jaune as he made his way towards the punch table. Watching him, Yang saw a figure in red move across her vision, causing her heart to lurch painfully, Yang having to consciously remind herself that Ruby was dead. Deciding to see who'd caught her attention so suddenly, Yang decided to track the red-clad girl, only to find Pyrrha wandering through the crowd on the fringes of the dance floor, an empty look in her eyes. She looked striking in her red, sleeveless dress, with its long skirt, her hair still done up in the circlet she wore as habitually as Ruby wore her cloak.

The memory of their argument in the locker room came back to Yang, and she felt a flash of anger, followed by vindictive satisfaction at the fact that Pyrrha was clearly by herself, and looking very unhappy about it. Then Yang felt the urge to slap herself for being so petty. Whatever else she might be, Pyrrha was a friend. It was true that she'd made some mistakes, and was still making a few, but Yang realized she should know better than to wish for Pyrrha to suffer. If anything, she should at least make an effort to extend an olive branch of some kind…

Yang's eyes went back to Jaune as he filled a glass and made his way back in her direction, artfully cutting through the crowd, not even looking winded despite dancing just as much as she'd been. He wasn't even thirsty, apparently.

 _Well, I could stand to take it easy for a few more songs,_ thought Yang as Jaune reached her.

"Here you go," said Jaune, handing her the glass.

"Thanks," said Yang, taking the glass and taking a sip, using it as an opportunity to figure out how to bring up the topic of Pyrrha. In the end, she just decided to be straightforward about it. "Hey, Jaune."

"Yeah?" he asked, sitting down next to her.

"Have you seen Pyrrha?" she asked.

"No. Is she here?" he asked.

"Right over there," said Yang, discretely pointing in Pyrrha's direction. With the vivid color of her dress, Mistral's Invincible Girl wasn't hard to miss. Jaune found her easily enough. "She looks like she's by herself."

"Yeah," said Jaune, sounding a bit sad about it. "It's weird though. I figured people would be tripping over themselves to ask her out."

 _Poor guy's really got no clue, does he?_ wondered Yang. _Pyrrha never stood a chance of getting through to him._ "Maybe," was all she said. "Seeing as I'm still getting my wind back, you could probably do her a favor and take her out on the floor for a couple of rounds."

Jaune's head snapped and he looked at Yang in shock. Yang giggled at the stunned expression on his face. "A-are you sure?"

Yang laughed. "Easy there, boy," she said. "It's not like I'm inviting you to cheat on me or anything. I'm not going to think that you're two-timing if you take your partner out for a couple of dances, especially not if I'm the one suggesting it. I just think Pyrrha could use some company. That's all."

"Well…if you're okay with it," said Jaune, still sounding a little hesitant.

"I wouldn't be suggesting it if I wasn't," replied Yang. "Go on."

"Right," said Jaune, getting to his feet and making a beeline for Pyrrha.

* * *

Pyrrha Nikos deeply regretted her decision to attend the dance. She supposed it would only seem suspicious if she was the only member sitting out. Looking over, she could see Ren and Nora dancing, the former seeming to hang on for dear life, while the latter simply whirled about the floor. Despite the strained look on Ren's face, there was a certain sparkle in his eyes that suggested he didn't mind nearly as much as he pretended to.

She could see Sun and Blake dancing over in another section, both of them clearly enjoying themselves, seeming reluctant to even let go of one another. Weiss and Neptune were sitting over by the wall, apparently enjoying people watching, though Pyrrha had enough experience with Weiss now to tell she was putting on a polite front. Apparently, she would rather be dancing right now.

A finger gently tapped her shoulder and Pyrrha gasped, spinning about to see Jaune standing there, an easygoing smile on his face. "Hey," he said.

"Jaune?" Pyrrha tilted her head in confusion. "Where's Yang? I thought you came with her."

"I did," said Jaune. "She's taking a break. I guess she hasn't been to too many dances like this. We saw you out here without a partner, so I came to see if you'd like to dance for a little bit."

Pyrrha couldn't quite fight the surge of giddiness that raced through her at Jaune's offer. A happy smile spread across her face and she nodded. "I would love to," she said, gladly taking Jaune's hand and allowing him to lead her out on the floor.

They went through the dance as though they'd attended countless such events together. Pyrrha's spirits soared. They moved in almost perfect unison, as though they were one. This was meant to be. Jaune's arm around her waist, his hand gently pressed against the small of her back, felt perfectly natural. With each step, she allowed herself to slowly drift closer and closer to him. She wanted this moment to never end.

"I'm sorry," said Jaune suddenly, startling Pyrrha out of her blissful reverie.

"W-what?" gasped Pyrrha, not knowing how to respond to his sudden statement. "Why?"

"Yang told me," said Jaune. "I had no idea how you felt. I…I should have been paying more attention, I guess."

"Jaune…it's all right," said Pyrrha, her spirits riding higher. Was Jaune…was he going to confess to her? That had to be it. He was going to tell her that he felt the same way, and that he was leaving Yang for her.

"That's why I have to say I'm sorry," said Jaune, lowering his eyes away from hers and glancing slightly off to the side. "I know how you feel, and I want to accept your feelings, but…"

"Jaune…?" Pyrrha's stomach was seized by the sensation of falling. _No! Don't say it. Please don't say it!_

"…But I can't return them," finished Jaune with a sigh. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" asked Pyrrha, despair filling her. "Why can't you return them? Is it because of Yang?"

"Frankly, yes," said Jaune bluntly. "Yang and I are happy. We really are. I'll be honest, I don't know what things would be like if it had been you instead. But I don't want to torment anyone with 'what ifs.' That isn't fair to Yang or to you."

Pyrrha swallowed, pressure building behind her eyes as tears threatened to spill forth. "That's not true," she said. "Yang…Yang's not for you. She's just going through hard times and you're trying to help her. That doesn't mean that the two of you-"

"She's over those hard times," said Jaune firmly. "It's true, I helped Yang after Ruby died. I did it because of what you told me, because it's what a good friend does. I didn't have any ulterior motives, and we definitely didn't hook up because I helped her. It helped her to notice me, to see me differently. But we've both talked about that, Pyrrha."

He shook his head. "Look, I don't want you to hang onto this, Pyrrha. You're only hurting yourself, and, as your partner, I can't stand by and let you do that. I really hope you can find someone who makes you as happy as Yang makes me. Maybe this is a good place to start."

Jaune pulled her through a twirl, followed by a dip. As he pulled her upright. "Whatever else, you're still my partner and friend, and I treasure you. Don't ever doubt that, Pyrrha."

The song ended with Jaune and Pyrrha stepping away from each other, per the steps of the dance, her hand gently held in his. Jaune gave her one last smile. "Thanks for the dance, Pyrrha," he said, slowly releasing her hand and turning to walk away.

Pyrrha stared after him, taking a few seconds to realize that her hand was still being held out towards him in an almost plaintive gesture. Reluctantly, she pulled it back. _Is he stupid?_ she wondered. _Who else could I possibly find?_

When she had first come to Beacon, Pyrrha had been filled with hope. The vast majority of her celebrity work had been in Mistral. Now, here in Vale, this was a chance for her to start over again, even though her face was still plastered on cereal boxes across all four Kingdoms. When Jaune had showed absolutely no signs of recognizing her, and, even after Weiss explained who she was, had showed no signs of the worshipful or exploitative attitudes others had shown approaching her (including Weiss herself), Pyrrha had allowed herself to hope that he could be the one, her first real friend, and, maybe, something more.

So she had picked him out during the initiation. She'd even managed to use her weapon to snag him, and ensure that he was marked for her. After that, they'd gotten along famously, Pyrrha's hopes rising with every obstacle they surmounted together. She was amazed at how perfect they were together. Even finding out that he'd faked his transcripts to get into Beacon had been a godsend in its own way. Once he came around to the idea, she would be able to mold him into a true Huntsman, all they while they would be bonding, becoming closer, until he wouldn't be able to even think about being apart from her.

But then Ruby had tried to ruin everything. Pyrrha had taken care of that easily enough. However, instead of doing what he was supposed to, and turning to her for comfort, Jaune had instead immediately fixated on being there to comfort Ruby's sister. At first, Pyrrha had been accepting of that. It just showed what a wonderful person Jaune was, after all. But then, instead of him finding comfort in her arms, and the two of them bonding through the "tragedy" of Ruby's death, he and Yang had bonded instead. Now, once again, Pyrrha was left standing on the outside looking in.

Pyrrha's hand clenched into a fist, clenching tighter, her knuckles turning white, tighter still, her muscles trembling, tight enough for her to feel the bite of her nails piercing the skin of her palms. Only then did she loosen her fist. Turning sharply about on her heel, Pyrrha headed out the door of the ballroom. She needed some fresh air, then, maybe, she'd return to JNPR's room. Coming to the dance had been a mistake after all.

* * *

"This way," said Blake softly as she led Sun up the stairs and out through the glass doors to a balcony. Beyond the balcony, Beacon's manicured lawns gave way to more untamed vegetation, which eventually terminated at the cliff that loomed over the Emerald Forest, where the first-years had had their initiation. The two of them were the only people on the balcony, all the other attendees generally enjoying the dance on the level below in some fashion or another.

"What's up?" asked Sun.

"It's just…I wanted to thank you for everything that you've done to help me," said Blake, giving Sun a shy smile. "You were there for me when I was at my lowest, and you helped me without asking anything in return."

"I don't really need anything," said Sun, coming towards her again. "I…I admit, you caught my eye, that's what made me go after you. But…but I never wanted to manipulate you into anything."

"But, even so," said Blake, "I still want to do this…" Reaching up, she pulled at the bow that covered her ears, untying it and pulling it free of her head entirely, leaving her cat ears exposed. "Well…"

Sun couldn't take his eyes off her. Moving up to Blake, he gently wrapped his arms around her waist, not pulling her all the way in, allowing him to take everything in. "You looked beautiful before," he said, his voice almost a whisper, "but now you look _perfect_."

Blake sniffed and smiled. "Thank you," she said, draping her bow over the balcony rail so that she was free to twine her arms around the back of Sun's neck and pull him in to bring their lips together. His arms tightened around her waist, pulling her all the way up against his body as he pressed into the kiss, fervently moving his lips against hers.

Moving his mouth, Sun carefully pried Blake's lips apart, extending his tongue to brush it over her teeth. Almost reflexively, Blake's mouth opened the rest of the way, allowing Sun's tongue to snake in and begin brushing against her own. Soon, Blake was returning the favor, her hands rising up to the back of Sun's head, fingers tangling amid the spikes of his short, blonde hair.

Then Blake felt the velvety touch of Sun's tail against her thigh, the prehensile appendage brushing its way up her leg in a manner that sent tingles racing across her body. Her heart was threatening to leap out of her chest as the energy built. Sun kept one arm wrapped around her waist, but his other began to wander, first moving up her back, his palm tracing its way along her spine up to feel the mesh over her shoulders, before slowly descending back down. If Blake didn't do something soon, it Sun's wandering hand might move somewhere more intimate.

She pulled their lips apart with a soft smack, a strand of saliva briefly linking their mouths. "Sun! Stop!" Blake panted, trying to rein in her own excitement, before she got completely carried away with her feelings.

"Sorry," said Sun. "Too much?"

"A little," said Blake. "It's not your fault. I was getting too…excited too. We need to calm down a little."

"Okay," said Sun, not pressing things any further. His arms loosened their hold and he stepped back a little from Blake, though he still maintained the contact between them. "In that case…we can still hear the music pretty well up here. How about another dance, my lady."

Blake smiled again and stepped forward, entwining one hand with Sun's and draping her other arm over his shoulder. "It would be my pleasure," she said.

Thus, the two of them began to dance once more, their bodies swaying together without a care in the world.

* * *

Pyrrha's heels clicked against the floor as she made her way out, stepping past a few members of Beacon's staff and even General Ironwood, visiting from Atlas. The air was a good bit colder outside the ballroom, without all those people packed inside heating it with their bodies. However, it being midsummer, the night air was still plenty warm, and Pyrrha didn't even shiver at the slight chill of the sweat on her skin being wicked away.

Closing her eyes, Pyrrha took a deep breath, trying to calm the raging storm of emotions surging around in her gut. Within her, her determination to do something about the interloper that was Yang Xiao Long continued to crystalize. When Pyrrha's eyes opened again, they were filled with determination.

That determination was replaced by surprise. A flash of motion out of the corner of her eye drew Pyrrha's attention to the roof of one of the classroom buildings. A woman, with flowing black hair, dressed in a skintight outfit of black, which ran up over her shoulders, leaving her arms bare, before they were covered, from above the elbow down, by a pair of long, black gloves. As she vaulted over a gable, Pyrrha caught a glimpse of a black mask over the woman's eyes.

Frowning, Pyrrha began to follow her. As the woman disappeared over the top of the roof and somewhere along the other side, Pyrrha grunted and ran for the side of the building, trying to round it before she could lose the woman's trail completely.

She was disappointed to see that she had. Frowning deeper, Pyrrha wandered slightly, looking for further signs of the suspicious woman. Her wanderings took her into the open plaza that surrounded Beacon Tower. However, she was unable to see the woman on any of the nearby rooftops. About to give up, Pyrrha looked over towards the tower and noticed something odd, near one of the flowerbeds by the entrance. Running over, Pyrrha saw a soldier, laying unconscious behind the low wall of the flowerbed. He'd apparently been knocked out, and dragged over to hide him from sight. Directing her eyes into the tower lobby, Pyrrha saw a few other prone figures as well.

Pulling out her scroll, Pyrrha input the code to activate her locker and bring it to her coordinates. A few seconds later, the hiss of jets accompanied the locker as it plowed into the ground near her location. With her Semblance, Pyrrha called Milo and Akouo to her arms.

Then she paused…looking at her scroll again. She opened it up to her contact list, prepared to call Jaune and inform him of what she had seen. Her thumb hovered over the button to make the call, but she paused. No doubt Jaune would drop everything and come running to help her, maybe even bringing the rest of the team along with him. Heck, Team WBY might even accompany them. But Pyrrha couldn't bring herself to. She couldn't face Jaune again, so soon after he turned her down.

Her resolve firming, Pyrrha looked up and stepped through the lobby doors. More guards lay scattered about. Unlike the one outside, these ones had obviously put up a fight, though not enough of one. Their weapons were scattered about, and they were left where they'd fallen, their attacker apparently not feeling the need to conceal them the way she had their comrade outside the lobby doors.

Looking up, Pyrrha's gaze moved to the elevator doors. All of them were in the lobby, except one, the counter above the door showing that it was at the call center for the CCT. Pyrrha's eyes narrowed. She doubted someone had infiltrated Beacon Tower, and knocked out security, in order to make a call home. Going over, she pushed the button, and entered the first elevator whose doors opened.

Considering what she'd seen in the lobby, Pyrrha realized that whoever was upstairs undoubtedly knew how to handle themselves in a fight. It looked as though the guards hadn't even stood a chance. Glancing down at her dress skirt, Pyrrha figured that, though it was more restrictive than her usual outfit, it wouldn't inhibit her enough to cause worry. The slit down the right side of the skirt would enable her to move her legs freely, if she had to move quickly.

Readying herself, Pyrrha bent her legs and carefully edged her way out as the elevator doors opened. The call center was dark, lit only be a few small running lights, most likely for the benefit of any late-night staff. The downside was that they cast long shadows everywhere. The woman had been wearing black, so, in this lighting, she could blend in practically anywhere.

Holding her shield out in front of her, while she held her sword at the ready, Pyrrha advanced slowly and carefully into the call center, her eyes sweeping around as she moved, checking the corners to either side of the elevator for someone waiting in ambush. Then she began to edge around the reception desk, looking for any signs of movement.

Moving a few steps forward, Pyrrha finally caught sight of movement. A figure emerged from behind one of the terminals. It was the woman she'd seen earlier, coming out to stand in the open. It both surprised Pyrrha, and put her nerves on edge. This woman, whoever she was, couldn't have expected that someone would have seen and followed her from the dance. Whatever the woman been doing here, Pyrrha knew that her own presence must have constituted a completely unknown variable in her plans.

But the woman's expression didn't show it. Instead, she moved to step out into the open, a slight smirk on her face. Her eyes glittered like lit embers from behind her mask. She hadn't tried to remain in hiding for long, to avoid Pyrrha, and maybe escape without confronting her. Pyrrha had been anticipating an attempted ambush or, maybe, a game of cat and mouse. But the woman had stepped out into the open freely and without any apparent concern. That spoke of tremendous confidence in her skills.

Pyrrha slid her leading foot forward, still keeping her weapons at the ready. "Whoever you are, surrender now," said Pyrrha. "If you come quietly, you'll be treated fairly by the authorities." Even as the words left her lips, Pyrrha knew it was a pointless thing to say. The woman showing herself freely, and the look on her face, told Pyrrha she had no intention of giving in peacefully.

 _Fine,_ thought Pyrrha, the corners of her mouth twitching, threatening to turn up into a smile. _Fight then. I need to burn off some stress anyway._

The woman's smile faded into a more serious expression, sinking into a slight crouch, her hands hanging in the air near her sides. As she did, Pyrrha observed her opponent carefully, noting her overall appearance.

 _She doesn't have any visible weapons,_ Pyrrha noted, though, with the amazing transformations mechashift weapons were capable of lately, she wouldn't put it past the woman to have something that folded up into an extremely compact form when not in use. _Canisters on her belt. She might be a traditional-style Dustweaver, which means the Dust could be in her clothes or even her body itself._ Either way, it was dangerous to assume the woman was actually unarmed.

The woman's hand suddenly blurred towards one of the canisters on her belt. Pyrrha immediately reversed her grip on Milo, shifting the weapon into its rifle mode. The woman swept the canister in an arc in front of her, spraying Dust into the air, which congealed into what looked like shards of glass. Then she stepped forward, sweeping her opposite hand along the line of glass shards and launching them forward in a barrage. At the same instant, Pyrrha' finished her weapon's transition, took aim, and opened fire.

The woman responded by raising the hand she'd used to launch her attack, even as she tossed the empty Dust canister in her other hand away. Pyrrha's bullets glanced of a glowing, fiery barrier, which appeared upon impact, in front of the woman's open palm. At the same time, Pyrrha went into a jump, turning her body horizontal and spinning in the air, allowing her to slide between some of the incoming shards, while her shield caught the ones she couldn't avoid. They shattered explosively, making Pyrrha glad she hadn't taken any hits straight on.

Landing, Pyrrha went back on the attack, reversing her grip on her weapon once again, as it shifted into its javelin form. Seeing that bullets hadn't worked, she instead opted for a more direct attack. Hurling her javelin, Pyrrha triggered the rifle, using the recoil from the butt end to accelerate her weapon as it raced at the woman. This time, the woman jumped out of the way, and Milo glanced off the floor behind her. Her jump included a turn that brought her around in a full circle. As she came back to face towards Pyrrha, there was a flash of fire, and two curved, dao-style swords, that appeared to be formed from some kind of black glass, appeared in her hands.

Pyrrha charged forward. The appearance of the woman's weapons had been unexpected, to say the least. What was truly surprising was that they hadn't unfolded or extended out from some kind of hidden sheath. Instead, the woman seemed to have pulled them out of thin air. In that sense, it almost seemed more like the woman had performed some kind of magic trick. Furthermore, when Pyrrha reached out for them with her Semblance, she found there was no metal in their forms to respond to her power, confusing her even further. _Are they forged from Dust?_ she wondered as she closed in. If that was the case, there was no telling what capabilities those swords possessed. Heck, their appearance as swords might even be a distraction of sorts, keeping Pyrrha from realizing their true nature until it was too late.

However, despite her trepidation, Pyrrha did not falter during her charge. She knew that hesitation in a situation like this could be fatal. She couldn't afford to let her uncertainty regarding the nature of her opponent's weapons get the better of her, otherwise the mystery woman would use the resulting opening to go on the attack. So, instead, Pyrrha charged forward and slung her shield at the woman like a discus.

The woman immediately deflected the shield with a slash of one of her blades. In that instant, Pyrrha used the opening to dodge past her, diving forward out of the path of the woman's counterattack and going into a forward somersault, coming out of her roll by Milo. A sharp pull drew the weapon from where it had pierced the floor. Bringing it up, Pyrrha brought it back into its xiphos form, seeing her opponent had already closed in. Pyrrha matched her, and the two met in a flurry of flashing blades.

They fenced furiously for several seconds, the woman showing impressive expertise with her twin blades, leading Pyrrha to wonder just how broad her overall skills were. Still, if Pyrrha kept the battle close like she was doing now, that would limit the openings the woman would have to use any Dust-based attacks. Likewise, any efforts to pull back and open the range between them would alert Pyrrha that a powerful Dust-based attack was inbound.

The woman appeared aware of this. The two of them danced back and forth, weaving between the lines of terminals, then their fight took them around the perimeter of the room. Then the woman leaned back away from a sideways slash from Pyrrha, going into an abrupt backflip. Pyrrha herself had to pull back to avoid having her chin clipped by the woman's heels, which kicked upward as part of her flip. The swords in the woman's hands didn't keep her from planting said hands on the top of the terminal her flip had carried her over to. She pushed off in a handspring that brought her back upright. As she came up, Pyrrha saw that she'd joined the handles of her weapons together. The two blades together now formed a weapon that was unquestionably a bow as the woman drew back on the string that had appeared out of nowhere, as well as the three arrows that had also appeared without precedent.

Pyrrha jumped back as the arrows pierced the floor where she'd been standing, their heads erupting in fiery explosions upon impact. Landing, Pyrrha immediately reversed course and threw herself back into the fray. The distance was too much though. The woman was already drawing her bow again, new arrows forming out of what seemed to be swirling, black ash.

Pyrrha jumped up to plant her foot on the very same terminal the woman had vaulted off of and used it as a stepping stone to leap even higher. As she did, she hurled her shield at the woman once again…or rather, she seemed to. The woman managed to dodge the throw by shifting her head slightly to the side and proceeded to sight almost leisurely along her arrows, taking aim with ease and assurance.

Then Akuou clanged as it rebounded off a console behind the woman to slam into the back of her head, causing her to abruptly pitch forward. Her fingers released the bowstring, but now the arrow fired harmlessly into the floor. As she struggled to regain her balance, the woman heard the sound of a rifle shot from directly above and threw herself back right as Milo, in javelin form, plunged down through the space her head had been occupying, a soft "chink" sounding as its edge just barely scraped against her mask between her eyes.

Descending in the wake of her weapon, Pyrrha easily caught her shield as it struck another console after bouncing off the woman's head, guided subtly by Pyrrha's Semblance to return to her arm. Landing beside Milo, Pyrrha closed her fingers about the shaft, pulled it up, and sank into a crouch again, keeping the weapon leveled, ready to use at a second's notice.

The woman jumped back, executing several back handsprings with one hand, holding her bow in the other. Landing on her feet, she sank into a crouch as well, bringing her bow around in preparation to line up another shot if she needed to. However, before she could even think about attacking, the woman's mask "chinked" again, then split in two, right in the center, the severed halves of it falling free of the woman's face.

Immediately, the woman gasped, dropping her bow, her hand going up to cover her face, save for her right eye, which glared out at Pyrrha in a fiery rage.

Then the elevator doors opened. Pyrrha and the woman both glanced, albeit only slightly to avoid taking their eyes off one another, towards it. Out stepped the imposing figure of General Ironwood, whose eyes narrowed dangerously as he took in the situation. As soon as his eyes came to rest on the black-clad woman, his left hand blurred up into his jacket and he pulled out a large revolver, which he immediately leveled at the woman.

"Surrender!" shouted Ironwood.

What Pyrrha saw next defied explanation. The woman's right eye suddenly blazed, flames seeming to stretch out from its corner. Holding up the hand she wasn't using to cover her face, the woman held it out, open with the palm facing upwards. An orb of flame sparked into existence, then swelled into the size of a baseball. She thrust her hand out at Ironwood, unleashing the fireball, which rushed straight at him. Ironwood raised his right arm, and the orb slammed into it, exploding, flames and red embers splashing everywhere, seemingly immolating the general.

At the same time, Pyrrha moved to attack. But then the woman moved the hand she was using to cover her face, throwing her open palm out at Pyrrha. Pyrrha only had time for the briefest of glimpses of the woman's unobscured face, before she heard a sinister keening sound coming from behind her. Looking back, she saw the arrow that the woman had fired into the floor, after being hit by Pyrrha's shield, flare. Pyrrha gasped and threw herself to the side as quickly as she could, diving behind the nearest terminal as the arrow exploded in a column of flame that punched through the ceiling.

As soon as the explosion abated, Pyrrha shot up, readying herself for the woman's next attack…only to find that the woman was gone. Looking around, Pyrrha searched futilely for any sign of the woman, but saw no trace of her. Looking over at the smoke where the general was standing, Pyrrha swallowed, wondering if he was all right.

Then Ironwood strode out of the smoke, his clothes looking smudged with ash and soot, but otherwise seeming unharmed. However, the sleeve over his right arm had been reduced to charred tatters, revealing an arm of gray metal beneath it. Pyrrha gasped, not having known that the general possessed cybernetic prosthetics.

"Are you all right?" he asked, seeming unconcerned about his own condition.

"I'm fine," said Pyrrha.

"Well then, would you mind terribly if you answered some questions about what you were doing here, and what just happened?" asked Ironwood, already pulling out his scroll to call more security.

"Of course," said Pyrrha. "I don't really have anywhere to be."

* * *

Jaune and Yang made their way down the hallway towards their respective dorm rooms. Despite the fact that the dance was due to run at least a couple hours longer, Yang complained of sore feet and asked Jaune to accompany her back for the evening. Bidding goodnight to Ren and Nora, Jaune gladly escorted Yang back, though he found himself wondering what had tired her out so much, given how much energy she normally had.

His confusion was cleared up when they reached the doors to their rooms. He was about to say goodnight to Yang as well when she turned in place and grabbed him by the shoulders. Before Jaune could ask what was going on, Yang pushed against him, smacking his back against the wall. The next second, her body was pressed against his, her mouth locking with his own and her tongue forcing its way between his teeth to tangle around his own.

Jaune's arms reflexively wrapped around her, pulling Yang up against him tighter. For a moment, the deserted hallway echoed with the wet sounds of their kissing and their muffled moans as Yang began to slowly grind into Jaune's body, rubbing her front against his, causing them both mind-numbing pleasure.

Finally, the need to breathe won out and the two of them separated. Jaune noted that Yang's eyes, in heat of her sudden passion, were flickering between their normal lilac and the red of her Semblance. "Wow," gasped Jaune. "Not that I'm complaining, but…what was that about?"

"I'm scared," said Yang softly.

"What? Why?" asked Jaune.

"Our mission," said Yang. "I…I'm worried what's going to happen."

"Oh," said Jaune, his eyes widening.

"The last time we went on something like this, I lost Ruby," said Yang, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "I don't want to lose anyone else. I don't want to lose _you_."

"You won't," Jaune promised. "I'm going to be right there with you."

He knew it was a promise he might not be able to keep. The last time they'd been on a mission, it was supposed to have been fairly routine, and yet they'd still lost Ruby. This time, they were going into the heavily Grimm-infested streets of Mountain Glenn, looking for signs of the White Fang organization, including who knew how many stolen Atlesian Paladins, only one of which had taken their combined strength and skills to bring down. In terms of the number of ways and how badly things could go wrong, this mission promised to have the potential to be much worse than their last. No wonder Yang was so worried.

"I know," said Yang, her smile returning. "Even so…I don't want any regrets. If we might die…then I don't want to leave behind anything I wish I might have done. That's why…tonight…I…I want…" She swallowed, her cheeks reddening as she met Jaune's eyes. "I want you."

"You want to uh…um…" Jaune was having a hard time forming the words, afraid he'd misread the situation.

"I want you to make love to me, Jaune," said Yang firmly. Then she broke down giggling. "Geez, are you going to need me to spell it out for you every time."

"Frankly, yes," said Jaune, deciding not to be coy about his density at times. Besides, while he normally believed that, in most circumstances, the absence of "no" could be interpreted as "yes," when it came to issues like consent, it was probably better to err on the side of caution and assume that the absence of "yes" could be interpreted as "no" until he was given firm confirmation to the contrary.

Yang laughed softly and leaned her head in against her chest. After a second, she pulled back away and met his eyes again, both of their bodies beginning to heat up as the excitement built. "I mean it," she said. "I want you to take me."

"If you're sure," said Jaune.

Yang nodded. "I am," she said. "I even took precautions."

"Okay then," said Jaune. "Where? Your room or mine?"

"Yours," replied Yang. "Our bunks are pretty solid, but I don't want to risk doing the deed on a bed that's held up by a stack of books and Blake or Weiss would freak if we used either of their beds for it."

"All right then," said Jaune, silently hoping that Pyrrha wasn't already in the room and waiting. Things between them were awkward enough without her accidentally sitting in on sex between them. "Then…" He pulled out his scroll and unlocked the door. Thankfully, Pyrrha wasn't there.

After they entered, Yang didn't even wait until the door swung closed again to throw her arms around Jaune and mold her mouth against his own, their tongues tangling together in a kiss so intense it was almost desperate. Jaune once again hugged Yang by the waist as she pressed her body against his, driving him back until his legs met the edge of his bed and he was forced to sit down or be knocked down over it.

Only then did Yang let him go. Now she stood over him. Jaune watched with awe as she reached up and slid the straps of her dress over her shoulders, allowing the entire thing to fall down to pool at her feet. Jaune swallowed, his eyes tracing Yang's perfect figure, lit faintly by the light of the moon streaming in the window. Reaching behind her, Yang undid the clasp of her bra, allowing it to fall to the floor, along with her dress.

"Can you do the honors?" she asked in a sultry purr, gesturing to her panties.

Jaune nodded and hooked his fingers over the band of thin fabric and pulled the undergarment down along Yang's legs. She stepped out, allowing him to leave her panties lying with the rest of her clothes.

Sitting back up, Jaune watched as Yang reached out and began to undo the buttons of his jacket, followed by his shirt. She pulled his tie out of its knot, then slid everything off at once, exposing Jaune's torso and his chiseled muscles. The smirk on Yang's face told Jaune that she liked what she saw. After all, his hard work had given him an excellent build. After that, her hands went to his belt and she pulled down his pants and boxers, taking his shoes and socks along with them.

Now they were both naked. Yang descended on Jaune, pressing her mouth to his again, a slower, more languid kiss as she pressed him back down on the bed laying him out and resting on top of him, pressing her naked body against his, the hardening nipples of her breasts pressing against Jaune's chest. Jaune held her close, one hand running up under her hair to stroke the naked skin of her shoulders, while the other drifted down to cup the firm, yet elastic form of her butt, kneading it between his fingers, prompting Yang to moan into his mouth.

After a few minutes, Jaune rolled Yang over, re-situating them so that he was resting on top of her. He kissed her again, before pulling back and moving downwards to trace his lips along her jaw, then down her neck, moving briefly along the line of her collarbone before finally moving up the swell of her bust to latch down on her nipple, licking and sucking, even as his hand rose up to squeeze and fondle the opposite breast.

Yang moaned and squirmed beneath Jaune's ministrations. She felt his length hardening against her legs, her own nether regions moistening in anticipation of its entrance. "Jaune…!" she groaned, hugging his head against her chest, which Jaune interpreted as a signal to pleasure her more intently. The hand currently not occupied with her breast drifted downward, stroking down her stomach and waist before sliding down her thigh, then moving back up along the inside, reaching between her legs.

A gasp escaped Yang's mouth, her back arching, pressing her breasts even harder against Jaune's face and hand as his finger entered her. First one, then two, then three. Yang's body writhed as his digits danced inside of her, her legs kicking feebly out of reflex, rather than any desire to escape, compounding the pleasure of his hand and mouth on her breasts, causing it to build to a sharp crescendo.

Then Yang convulsed, her entire body jolting with the orgasm, a shuddering explosion that caused her to arch her back even more before she relaxed, her body going limp. Slowly, Jaune pulled his fingers out of her and he moved back up so that his face was hovering over Yang's. Down below, she could feel him lining up, ready to enter her.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked softly.

Yang nodded wordlessly and Jaune descended to take her lips again. At the same time, he slowly pushed forward with his hips, pushing his length into her, making Yang's body shiver at the sensation, a reaction he was sharing. Fortunately, there was no pain, as Yang's hymen had broken some time ago, a consequence of her heavy exercise regimen. Still, the sensation was new and unfamiliar, their bodies pausing as they adapted to the feeling of their joining, their lips remaining locked in the meantime.

Then Jaune began to move, slowly pulling out, then pushing back in. Yang lay back and let him take the lead and set the pace, pleasure once again building as he stroked her from within. Looking up at him, Yang saw sweat beading his brow, and began to do her best to help him, pushing her hips to meet his thrusts. Gradually, Jaune's pace began to increase as their mutual pleasure mounted.

Jaune's thrusts became stronger and harder, Yang gasped with pleasure, pulling him back down against her. One hand remained wrapped tightly around her back, while the other reached up and began to knead her breast again. Yang hugged Jaune tightly around his shoulders, wrapping her legs around his waist in an effort to pull him in even more. She could hear the bed creaking and shifting with the force of their movements. Desperate to taste his lips and tongue again, Yang pulled his head down to meet hers, pressing their lips together and tangling their tongs around one another.

Through the space shared by their mouths, Yang heard Jaune groan, his body spasming and shuddering, followed by a warm sensation flowing up from within. That was the last straw for Yang as her restraint snapped and she too orgasmed, clinging tightly to her lover as both of them rode out the intense sensations that roared through them.

Spent, Jaune collapsed on top of Yang, both of them gasping for breath. It took a second, but Jaune saw the blissful smile spread across Yang's face and he leaned down to gently kiss her lips one more time. "How was it?" he asked.

"Wonderful," Yang whispered back.

It was a little hard to move again, as tired as they were, but Jaune managed to shift so he wasn't lying right on top of her, moving so that they lay side by side, Yang resting her head on his shoulder. Jaune pulled the covers up over them, smiling as he watched his lover's eyes drift closed.

"I love you, Jaune," was the last thing Yang whispered before falling asleep.

Smiling Jaune gently kissed her forehead. "I love you too," he said, allowing sleep to claim him as well.

* * *

 **So...full disclosure...that was the first sex scene I've written...ever. Even when I wrote it, I felt it was pretty cliche and vanilla. I know it wasn't particularly necessary or anything, but I've written it, and it's there...so be it. If you're worried, these are _not_ going to be a frequent occurrence, or even what I would term an "occasional" one, if the fact that it took 30+ chapters for one of these to pop up isn't a sufficient indicator of that. Now, onto other things.**

 **The shoulder touch + "Hey," bit was a lot less funny, back when I wrote this chapter, over a year ago. It wasn't even meant to be funny. But then _Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse_ came out, so, amongst my many manifest talents, I also happen to happen to have a degree of prescience for humor. I know something will turn out to be funny in the future (I don't, actually).**

 **So, in this chapter, we have ships galore, although Weiss/Neptune is floundering a bit. Weiss is definitely regretting her decisions a bit. It's almost as though trying to get her way in every situation is actually a bad idea...Who'd'a thunk it?**

 **And, of course, because Ruby is "dead," Pyrrha-Yan's the one who dukes it out with Cinder, and she does considerably better, seeing as she's used to fighting in heels. It's probably for the best she was occupied, lest she come back to see Yang and Jaune doing the dirty. That _really_ wouldn't have ended well.**


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33:**

"Think we should wake 'em up?"

"Assembly isn't for another four hours, let them sleep."

Jaune blinked blearily, his eyes adjusting to the ambient light in the room as they opened, the blurs around him slowly resolving into focus. He yawned and tried to stretch, but there was a weight on his left arm that kept him from moving. Looking over, he smiled when he saw what looked like a mound of blonde hair weighing down his shoulder. Yang was curled up against him, one arm draped over his chest, while he felt a leg wrapped around him as well. The sight of her made Jaune's cheeks turn slightly red as he remembered what they'd done last night.

Then he remembered the voices that had stirred him out of his slumber, suddenly freezing, before slowly turning his head to see the orange hair of his friend and teammate, Nora, as she slowly leaned over the pair, grinning mischievously. "Morning, sleepy head," she said.

"Morning, Nora," said Jaune, before smacking his lips and yawning again. Looking over, he saw Ren perched on his bed, quietly reading. "Hey, Ren."

"Good morning," said Ren, closing his book and nodding to Jaune.

"Looks like _someone_ got lucky last night," commented Nora gleefully.

A slight giggle from his shoulder told Jaune that Yang was awake. "Believe me," she said, lifting her head up, "luck had nothing to do with it."

"We'll take you at your word," said Ren calmly, apparently unfazed by what had taken place in the room.

"You're lucky we didn't come back from the dance earlier," said Nora. "You should really put a sock on the door if you're going to do that."

"Sorry, it was a spur of the moment thing," said Jaune. "We'll try to work things out with you if we want to do this in the future."

"Or find a hotel room," added Yang.

While the sock on the door was a time-honored tradition in schools like this one, it also served as a signal to any passerby of exactly _what_ was going on in that room. While Jaune had no problem with he and Yang being open about their relationship, he didn't need to advertise the fact that they were now sexually involved to the rest of the student body. He and Yang really would have to exercise more discretion next time.

"What about Pyrrha?" asked Jaune, looking around. "Did she come back?"

"I think so…" said Ren uncertainly. "She wasn't here when Nora and I came back, and she wasn't here when we got up in the morning. However, her dress is in the hamper, and her armor is gone, so I assume she came in at one point.

Beside Jaune, Yang frowned, wondering if her being in bed with Jaune, along with all the obvious signs of what had happened between them, had upset Pyrrha. Despite her and Jaune's best efforts, it was clear that Pyrrha wasn't letting go of her feelings for him easily. She could only hope that Pyrrha would get over it sooner or later.

"It's weird though," said Nora, pulling Pyrrha's dress out of her laundry hamper.

"Nora! Don't go through Pyrrha's laundry!" admonished Ren.

"I know, I know," said Nora dismissively, still examining Pyrrha's dress. "It's just…a lot of these smudges look like scorch marks."

"What?" shouted Jaune, sitting upright, forgetting that both he and Yang were still naked under the covers. Yang yelped and had to pull the sheet back up to maintain her modesty.

"That's…worrying," said Ren. "Though, if Pyrrha came back to the room to change out of her dress, it would seem that she's unharmed at least. I'll see if we can get into contact with her."

"Right," said Jaune. Maybe it was better for Ren to handle communicating with Pyrrha right now.

"We're going to breakfast now," said Nora, latching onto Ren's arm as they moved to the door. "You lovebirds should get dressed, if you don't want to miss it."

"Yang, Blake left a change of clothes for you," said Ren, pointing to the neatly folded clothes lying on Nora's bed.

"Thanks," said Yang.

Ren smiled and nodded and followed Nora as she pulled him out, shutting the door behind them.

Now that Nora and Ren were gone and they were alone, Yang was free to emerge from beneath the covers, revealing herself to Jaune in all her glory. Even though he'd seen her last night, backlit by the light of the moon through the window, seeing her in broad daylight was a feast for the eyes.

"Like what you see?" asked Yang, giving him a teasing smirk.

"You're beautiful," said Jaune, "like watching the rising sun."

Yang laughed. "Geez! You're such a cheesy romantic. No wonder you couldn't make Weiss look at you twice."

"It's no better than your puns," Jaune retorted with a grin of his own.

"Ooh! Low blow!" Yang planted her hand on her hip and cocked her head, smirking at Jaune. "Of course, you realize, this means _war_."

Jaune pulled the covers off of himself and stood up to face Yang. After what they'd done last night, there wasn't really any need to feel self-conscious with seeing the other naked, he supposed. Coming to stand in front of Yang, he once again wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close as she reciprocated the embrace.

"Well, if it's war, then I think you've already won," said Jaune as he stared into Yang's eyes.

"You sure?" asked Yang. "Seems to me you had the upper hand last night."

"Shall we call it a truce then?" asked Jaune.

"Fine, it's a treaty," conceded Yang with a giggle. "We're doomed if this is what constitutes pillow-talk for us."

"Eh, I think we'll manage," replied Jaune. He kissed her on the lips and pulled back away. "I guess we should get changed. You're welcome to use our shower."

"Thanks," said Yang, pulling out of his arms and moving to grab her clothes. "Hope you don't mind waiting a while. This hair is a pain to wash, especially after a hard workout." She turned to look over her shoulder again with that smoldering look that seemed to set his insides on fire. "Of course, we could always share, and cut time."

"I'll pass," said Jaune, despite feeling an extremely strong urge to take Yang up on her offer. "I get the feeling we'll wind up taking _longer_ if we share. Besides, we really don't want to miss breakfast. We've got a big day ahead of us."

"Yeah…yeah we do," said Yang with a sigh, heading through the door.

Not wanting anyone, namely Pyrrha, to come in and see him naked, Jaune settled for pulling on his boxers from last night as he waited for Yang's shower to conclude. As he did, he wondered what had happened to Pyrrha last night and what she was doing now.

* * *

"How is the damage?" inquired Ozpin.

Glynda checked her scroll. "About a quarter of the facility is still unusable. It will take us at least a month to get the new terminals installed." As someone credited as, possibly, the greatest telekinetic in all of Remnant, Glynda Goodwitch might have felt some damage to her pride in admitting that the damage to the CCT call center down bellow was too severe to fix with her power alone. However, despite her skill at being able to manipulate objects and substances at the molecular level, allowing her to rejoin broken objects as completely as though they were never broken in the first place, it was a bit different when she was cleaning up tables and dinnerware broken in a food-fight. Objects that were, more or less, simple objects were fairly easy to repair and put together the way they were. Complex electronic devices were another matter entirely, do say nothing of the level of damage this particular fight had caused.

"I see," said Ozpin calmly, settling into his seat.

"That's all you have to say?" asked Ironwood, his voice rising. "Ozpin! She was right here!"

"We are quite aware of that, James!" snapped Glynda. With the missions to organize and now the mess in the call center below, she had more than enough on her plate without having to deal with Ironwood's hysterics.

"Oh, you're aware!" snapped Ironwood. "Good! So, are we actually going to do something, or do we stay the course and continue to pretend nothing is wrong?"

"You get worked up about 'doing something' as though there is something that we can do at this juncture, James," commented Ozpin. "Well…what we haven't already been doing in any case."

"This is an unacceptable breach in security," said Ironwood. "Too much more damage and the entire tower might have fallen. Had that happened, communication with all four Kingdoms and between all four Kingdoms would be cut off without warning. It would have plunged the world into utter chaos."

"But that _didn't_ happen," said Ozpin. "At least partly because I do not believe that was our adversary's intent last night." He paused to take a sip from his coffee mug. "However, that is, most likely, our enemy's goal in the long term. But, right now, it will not benefit them sufficiently to bring down the tower. The majority of the damage was the result of Ms. Nikos' fight with the intruder, something I imagine she was not expecting."

"Do you intend to blame her for it?" asked Ironwood, his eyes narrowing.

"Of course not," said Ozpin firmly. "There is no denying that, in the situation she was in, Ms. Nikos was not wrong to fight. I have no intention of suggesting otherwise. In fact, I believe that this presents an important opportunity for us."

"How so?" asked Ironwood.

Almost as though summoned by his question, the elevator pinged and the doors opened to reveal Pyrrha Nikos, this time wearing her usual combat outfit, as she stepped out of the elevator. "You called for me, Professor?" said Pyrrha, looking questioningly at Ozpin.

"That is correct, Ms. Nikos," said Ozpin. "Thank you for coming so promptly. I imagine you must be tired after such a long night."

"No, it's fine," said Pyrrha. "However I can help."

"Very good," said Ozpin.

Ironwood came to stand before her. "Before we begin, I just want to say that what you did was most commendable, Ms. Nikos. You behaved exactly as a Huntress should. You saw a situation, and you did not hesitate. You acted! That is what we need."

"Thank you…um…Sir?" said Pyrrha, having a bit of a hard time figuring out which title to use for the man who was simultaneously the head of the Atlesian military, Headmaster of Atlas Academy, and a member of the Atlesian Council.

"General, please," said Ironwood, helpfully.

Pyrrha nodded. "Thank you, General," she said.

"Now then…" said Ozpin, calling the meeting back to its primary course. He hadn't missed the flash of irritation in Glynda's eyes at seeing Ironwood encouraging what she essentially viewed as reckless behavior on the part of a student, but certainly didn't have much grounds to actually protest openly. "…Ms. Nikos, please tell us what you can about the assailant last night."

"Of course, Professor," said Pyrrha, feeling much more comfortable talking to Ozpin. "Um…She appeared to rely primarily on Dust. At least, that's what I thought."

"Please elaborate," prompted Ozpin. "I want your honest impressions. Do not be afraid of any censure."

"Well, she used a Dust canister to create an attack with glass," said Pyrrha. "Aside from that, her clothes lit up, which suggests she had Dust woven into them as well. She was also able to use her Aura to block the shots of my rifle. I've seen Ren do something similar, but nowhere near as easily, so her power must be enormous."

"Aside from the glass, that sounds very much like the woman I fought the night we met Ruby," mused Glynda. So deep in contemplation were the three teachers that they missed the flicker of anger that entered Pyrrha's eyes at the deceased girl's name.

"Perhaps," said Ironwood. "However, that doesn't do much to narrow down the list of suspects. Weaving Dust into clothing is a time-honored technique."

"There was something else," said Pyrrha quickly, drawing the teachers' attention back to her. "The woman…she did something…something I can't explain."

"What is it?" asked Ozpin.

"She…she used these twin swords during our fight," said Pyrrha. "She could join them into a bow as well."

"A bit archaic, but not all that unusual," noted Ironwood.

Pyrrha nodded. "Except…except that I couldn't tell where she was carrying them. She wasn't exactly dressed to conceal weapons that size."

Remembering the skintight outfit the woman was wearing, Ironwood nodded his agreement. "True," he said. "But technology is advancing at a rapid pace. There's no telling how compact the inactive mode of her weapons might be."

"Except that…except that…" Pyrrha was having a hard time putting her thoughts into words. "When she drew them…it wasn't like she was actually pulling them out of somewhere. And there weren't any mechanical components of any kind. They weren't made of metal either. I think…I think they were made of some kind of…glass."

Ozpin raised a hand to preemptively silence Glynda's skeptical rejoinder. "Go on…" he prompted.

Pyrrha's eyes narrowed as she tried to recall what happened to the fullest extent. "It was more like…there was this flash…almost like the kind when the woman used the flames she threw at the General. But it didn't seem quite like she was using Dust yet. It was almost as though she pulled her weapons out of thin air…No! It was like she created them on the spot." She looked back up at the three teachers, now listening to her with rapt attention. "I don't really know how to explain it…except that it was something almost like…like magic."

It was as though someone had flipped a switch. The tension in the air surged and Pyrrha saw all three teachers, each of them with years, if not decades of experience under their belts, turn stony and wary. "I know it's hard to believe-"

"Have no fear, Ms. Nikos, we believe you," said Ozpin, giving her a reassuring smile that dispelled the tension in the room so quickly that it was almost a feat worthy of being called magic itself. "Thank you for all the information you've shared. This is an immense help."

"Thank you, Professor," said Pyrrha, bowing her head.

"One last thing," said Ozpin. "It is my understanding that you broke the woman's mask. Did you, perchance, manage to get a good look at her face."

"Not…really…" said Pyrrha. "She covered it quickly with her hand. Then, when she uncovered it, I didn't have much time for a good look before her arrow exploded. Then she was gone."

"Unfortunately, I didn't see her face either," added Ironwood.

"I didn't recognize her," admitted Pyrrha. "I think, if I saw her again, without the mask, I would recognize her. But that's assuming she ever shows up in front of me again."

"I see," said Ozpin. "We'll keep that in mind for the time being. Thank you for your time, Ms. Nikos. Good luck on your mission."

"Yes, Professor," said Pyrrha.

"You are dismissed," said Ozpin. "Go and reassure your teammates. I'm sure they are worried about you."

"Yes," said Pyrrha, fighting to keep the skepticism from her voice. "I'm sure…"

She turned and headed back into the elevator. Once the doors closed behind her, Ironwood turned to face Ozpin once again. "So we are left with nothing," he said. "It could have been anyone."

"True," said Ozpin. "Unfortunately, the list of suspects is rather long. With all the visiting students from the other Academies, not to mention the visitors already flocking to Vale for the Vytal Festival, traffic to and from Beacon has increased a great deal in the past few days."

"There weren't any abnormalities among the records of the visiting students," said Glynda. "If any of them were infiltrators, it would only be with the help of someone highly placed at the Academy they claim to hale from."

"I can vouch for every single one of my students," said Ironwood firmly.

"That may indeed be the case," said Ozpin. "Furthermore, it is dangerous to cast such aspersions on the staff of any of the other Academies, not during this time when unity is most important." He sighed. "Of course, that may be exactly what our enemy is counting on."

"Are you suggesting that one of the other Academies has been compromised?" Ironwood asked.

"I'm saying that we should be open to all possibilities," said Ozpin firmly.

Ironwood nodded. After a pause, he asked, "Do you believe she got what she came for?"

"It's hard to say," said Ozpin. "The window the woman had, from the time she fought her way into the tower to the time that Ms. Nikos caught up to her, was fairly brief, a few minutes at most. That isn't enough time to extensively search our database, even if she did have an excellent program assisting her. More to the point…" Ozpin scratched his chin. "There is no data regarding _that_ on our network. If she's looking for what we assume she's looking for, there is no way she would have learned anything from our systems."

"That's good," said Ironwood.

"That's troubling," said Ozpin. "Given how well-prepared our enemy is, to have managed to enter the tower so quickly, it seems they would know better than to think we would be so foolish or so sloppy as to allow any information regarding Autumn on the network. Knowing that, it would have been an extreme risk, taken with little to no expectation of a reward. Such a risky action flies in the face of everything our enemy has done up to this point."

"So…you think they are being reckless?" asked Glynda.

"I think that finding anything on our network was _not_ their expectation," said Ozpin. "I fear that, rather than take anything, our infiltrator may have, in fact, been there to _leave_ something instead."

"Leave something…" Ironwood's body jolted as the realization struck him. "A virus! You think she intended to infiltrate and subvert our network."

"That is my fear," said Ozpin. "Compared to locating and extracting a particular piece of information from our network, installing a virus would take considerably less time, particularly if she had the program prepared ahead of time. All she would need to do is breach our security protocols and upload the program itself. Then she can retreat and allow it to run its course, whatever that may be."

"We'll need to begin running scans immediately," said Ironwood.

"I believe we should assume that, whatever virus this is, it will not be easily detectable with our current antivirus software," said Ozpin, folding his hands together. "Just as with the human immune system, our system can only identify and counter viruses that have already been identified and catalogued. James, do you have a specialist in the CCT that you can call to do a more comprehensive search?"

"I do," said Ironwood. "I'll call him in immediately. It will take a few days for him to get here though."

Ozpin nodded. "For the time being, we should assume our networks are compromised. Any information that passes through them could potentially be freely accessible to our enemy, and they may have some degree of control over our system itself."

"In the worst case scenario, they could bring down the entire CCT system with the push of a button," growled Ironwood. "They wouldn't even need to destroy the tower then."

"Hopefully, that is not their plan," said Ozpin. "However, restoring the system to bring back communication would be considerably easier than rebuilding the tower from scratch, so I suspect that their long term plans are still the tower's destruction."

"Then what should we do?" asked Ironwood.

"Call in your expert, James," said Ozpin. "Hopefully he'll be able to root out this virus, if there is one. In the meantime, we should hope that the mission Team Ruby and Team Juniper embarks on will bear fruit in terms of giving us more information to disrupt our adversaries' more tangible plans."

"Hopefully," said Ironwood, sounding skeptical. For once, Glynda appeared to agree with him, albeit silently, neither of them fully comfortable with entrusting a pair of first-year teams with such an important task.

"Hope is our most powerful weapon after all," said Ozpin softly.

* * *

"Why didn't you say anything?" asked Nora, sounding more upset that she missed out on the fun than worried that Pyrrha might have been hurt.

"It was over before I had a chance to call for help," Pyrrha replied…which was technically the truth. Once the fight had begun she hadn't gotten the chance to get out her scroll and call for help. That was ignoring the fact that she'd decided not to call anyone _before_ she'd gone after the woman.

"Well, as long as you're okay," said Jaune, relieved. "It sounds like you did pretty good."

"You saw the woman's face," added Ren. "So if we see her again, you'll be able to recognize her."

"Assuming we do," said Pyrrha. "She could be anyone, honestly."

"I wonder if this has anything to do with the mission we're going on today," mused Ren. "Could this woman have connections with Torchwick and the White Fang?"

"The timing is certainly too convenient to be a coincidence," said Jaune with a frown. "If what Professor Goodwitch says is true, this was the woman who was there the night Ruby thwarted that Dust robbery Torchwick tried to pull off."

Once again, Pyrrha had to fight down the flash of anger that rose at the sound of Ruby's name. Even when she was dead, she never seemed to truly go away.

"If that's the case, then…" said Ren.

"Then maybe she's the third party Junior was talking about," said Jaune, getting what Ren was suggesting. "She's certainly powerful, from what Pyrrha says. From what Junior told us, it would take someone seriously powerful to force Roman and the White Fang to work together."

Pyrrha nodded. "I'm not exactly sure how that knowledge benefits us though. It won't help us find her again."

"No, but it is giving us a better idea of how things are," said Jaune. "Maybe if we can disrupt their plans badly enough during the mission, we can draw her back out."

Pyrrha doubted that things would actually work out like that. Instead, her mind focused on something else. This was a mission after all, a mission where they were taking a serious risk, especially for first-year students. This was her chance…her chance to make Yang Xiao Long disappear…just like Ruby had. All sorts of things happened in the confusion of battle.

Still, it was tricky. She had to be careful. If what happened to Ruby also happened to Yang, people would start getting suspicious. But still, she couldn't afford to miss this chance, not only for her sake, but for Jaune's as well. Pyrrha was certain that Yang wasn't right for Jaune. At the end of the day, she would be doing this for him.

Professor Goodwitch's announcement for the assembly played over the intercom, summoning all students to the auditorium to be addressed by Ozpin before they headed out on their missions. Pyrrha followed her teammates out, her mind already running through potential scenarios that would enable her to bring down Yang Xiao Long.

* * *

Weiss had to resist the urge to tap her foot as she and her teammates waited through the assembly. She didn't think they really needed to be here, particularly seeing as their first mission had already been decided upon. She supposed that formalities and ceremonies like this had their place. It was a little interesting to listen to Ozpin's speech, addressed, not only to the students of Beacon, but to the visiting students from the other Academies as well. He spoke of the Great War that had occurred some eighty years ago, as though it were still truly important. It was another reminder of some of the odd trends that they had been subjected to throughout the years, such as being named after colors. Weiss didn't think that it was all that necessary to continue such a tradition in the future.

She listened as Ozpin described some of the potential missions the students would be embarking on, reminding everyone to remember their training and do their very best as they took this important step on the path towards their careers as Huntsmen and Huntresses. It was all very stirring and inspirational…and so very unnecessary. _Why are we even here?_ she thought again, wondering why her team and JNPR couldn't just head out already.

The assembly ended and the students from the other Academies quickly moved towards the screens displaying the various missions on offer. However, Weiss led her team and JNPR back to where they'd left their packs and picked them up.

"Well, you look eager," noted Yang with a wide grin, as she and the others followed Weiss out to the courtyard.

"Of course I am," said Weiss. "This is an important mission that we've been invited upon. It falls to us to do our absolute best to ensure that we do not disappoint the Huntsman we've been assigned to shadow."

"I think it's more important to make sure we find out what the White Fang is up to, and figure out how to stop them," said Blake.

Weiss stopped and turned about on her heel, leaning to place her face only a few inches away from Blake's. "And I think that it's more important that you remember just who is in charge here," she admonished sharply. "If we indulge in the kind of half-cocked antics we've engaged in the last two times we tangled with the White Fang, you can bet that our Huntsman's more likely to send us straight back to Beacon than allow us to compromise the operation. That means that we follow his orders, and that you follow _my_ orders, even if that means pulling back without doing anything."

"R-right," said Blake a bit nervous at the sudden agitation that Weiss was showing.

"Sheesh, take it easy, Ice Queen, we get it," said Yang with an easygoing grin. "We'll be on our best behavior. It's not like we'll have to go off on our own since this mission is to do exactly what we wanted to do. It's not like we're planning to sneak away in the dead of night or something."

"Of course not," agreed Weiss, before her eyes narrowed and she whirled on Yang next. "And speaking of sneaking off…you realize that, even though your dunderhead boyfriend is coming along on this excursion of ours, that does not give you license to try and sneak off to him for any…canoodling, like the kind you did last night."

"Weiss," deadpanned Yang, "you talk as though I'm some kind of sex fiend who can't last twenty-four hours without doing the dirty."

"Do we really have to talk about this?" asked Jaune in a subdued tone, blushing furiously as he and his team followed in WBY's wake.

"We understand we're on a mission," continued Yang. "And we know how to behave ourselves."

"Well, see that you do," said Weiss, leaning back with a huff.

Their attention was drawn by the voice of another student shouting, "Look! Team Coffee's back!"

Everyone's eyes immediately turned to look for the second-year team. Despite only being in their second-year, they were already minor celebrities amongst Beacon's students, being the best team in their year, and considered better than some of the teams in the third or fourth years even. As WBY and JNPR looked on, they were treated to the sight of the four members of the team making their way back from the docks.

In the lead was Coco Adel, the team's leader, dressed surprisingly fashionably for a Huntress, her pale skin accented nicely by the cocoa-colored shirt and black pants she wore. Her short, brown hair was topped with a dark-brown beret and her brown eyes were hidden behind a pair of dark, wire-rimmed aviator sunglasses. She made her way down the walkway with a stride more like a model going down the catwalk than a Huntress returning from an arduous mission that had kept them away from the school much longer than it should have. Her most notable accessory; a black bag that was attached to a strap, lined with bullets like a bandolier, which was slung over her shoulder; swung at her side.

After her came her partner, the mysterious Fox Alistair. Of all the members of Team CFVY, he was the only one that people sometimes went out of their way to avoid. It wasn't hard to understand, considering his appearance. His dark skin had a reddish cast, almost matching the color of his coppery hair. His eyes were pure white in color, with no visible pupil or iris, which led some to speculate that he was actually blind. Though, if Fox actually was, he wasn't saying anything about it. He certainly didn't seem inhibited in any particular fashion.

Adding to the intimidating Aura he exuded was his sleeveless, red shirt, which bared his arms, revealing several scars crisscrossing them all the way up to his shoulders. His face was likewise marred by a vertical scar, just above his lip. On top of his appearance, Fox's manner, as a person of few words, generally isolated him from people who didn't know him well. People who found the other members of Team CFVY easy to approach tended to shy away from Fox.

The third member of the team was the tallest by a wide margin, indeed, the tallest student in Beacon presently. Yatsuhashi Daichi, like Fox, was a man of few words. Though, in his case, that seemed more due to his serene nature than anything else, which gave the impression of a relatively gentle giant, nowhere near as intimidating as his shorter teammate. Yatsuhashi's tanned skin matched well with his close-cropped black hair and brown eyes. He was dressed in a long robe of pale green, with a short sleeve on his right arm. The left side of the robe was entirely sleeveless, Yatsuhashi's left shoulder instead being covered by a large, layered shoulder-guard of Mistralian design that extended nearly all the way down to his elbow. His weapon, a massive sword of gold and orange, rested on his back, its handle angled so that he could easily draw it, should the need arise.

Behind them came the fourth member of their team, Velvet Scarletina. WBY and JNPR knew her best, seeing as they shared Oobleck's history class with her. They still remembered, quite vividly, the time they'd seen her being abused by Cardin and his cronies in the dining hall. Blake, particularly, still felt guilty that none of them had done anything to stop it, especially since she had passed on the chance to reach out and comfort her fellow faunus, though part of the reason why she hadn't had been that she didn't want to jeopardize her cover…which only made her feel guiltier in retrospect.

Velvet was a surprisingly delicate-looking girl, for someone who was such an accomplished fighter. She neither possessed the impressive and intimidating builds of the men on her team, nor did she exude the aura of absolute, unshakable confidence that her leader, Coco did. From their dealings with her, the first-year students knew that Velvet had a sweet, modest demeanor that made her easily approachable.

She was dressed in a tight, brown jacket, that halted above her midriff, which was covered by black, semi-translucent mesh. The sleeves of her jacket were augmented by gold spaulders and vambraces, covering her shoulders and forearms respectively. She was dressed in a matching pair of gold and brown shorts, with the rest of her legs covered by black leggings. Her brown hair cascaded down past her shoulders, while the top of her head was decorated by her most prominent feature, a pair of long, brown, rabbit ears.

"Velvet!" Yang called out as she and Blake rushed towards their classmate, who stopped and turned to greet them with a smile. Weiss and JNPR ran to join them as well, Weiss looking agitated at the delay to the start of their mission.

"What happened?" asked Yang. "Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine," said Velvet. "I had Yatsu to look after me, after all."

"You were gone so long though," said Blake. "We thought that something happened."

Velvet shook her head. "No, nothing happened. There were just so many…" Her gaze grew slightly distant before she shook her head to clear it. "That happens sometimes. A good team is prepared for unexpected circumstances, even if it means the mission runs longer than you originally planned."

"Hey there," said Coco, coming up to join them, her trademark confident smile on her face. "I heard you first-years held down the fort for us, while we were gone. Did the dance go well?"

"It went perfectly," said Weiss, standing up a little bit straighter and throwing her shoulders back slightly. "I can assure you, it was organized perfectly."

"And, _despite_ the Ice Queen's best efforts, it was a lot of fun too," added Yang teasingly, drawing an irritated glare from Weiss.

"Good to hear," said Coco. "I'm not to happy about missing out on it myself. I guess we should badger Professor Goodwitch into letting us set up another one."

"Please don't," pleaded Velvet, turning her begging eyes on Coco. "I'm sure there will be another chance. There are a few more months until the Vytal Festival."

"Yeah yeah…" said Coco with a dismissive wave. "But I'm not gonna be happy if I miss out again." She turned her attention back to WBY and JNPR. "You first-years be careful out there."

Velvet nodded her agreement, her expression becoming sorrowful. "Yes, please do. After what happened the last time…"

The mood darkened all around, while the first-years nodded soberly. "We will," promised Jaune. "We're not going to lose anyone else."

Behind him, Pyrrha's eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze drifting to Yang's back before she once again affected an expression that showed her agreeing with her teammates and friends.

Coco rested her hand on Weiss shoulder. "You need to be especially sure. A good leader looks after her team, understand?"

Weiss nodded. Even as she did, she felt a faint chill run down her spine that contrasted sharply with the warmth on the hand on her shoulder. The memory of the look of horror and betrayal on Ruby's face flashed before her eyes. Her sudden inner turmoil went unnoticed by Coco, who lifted her hand and turned to head back towards the school, beckoning Velvet behind her, the rest of their team falling into step with them.

"Good luck," called Velvet, giving them one last smile and wave as CFVY made their way back to the dorms.

The others turned to head towards the docks again. Weiss lagged slightly behind them to keep her teammates from seeing the pensive expression she was wearing. Coco's words had stirred something within Weiss, something that made her feel extremely uneasy. _A good leader looks after her team…_ But Weiss had become leader specifically by murdering her own teammate. More to the point, as part of her plan to do so, she had deliberately put the rest of her team at risk, all so that she could get what she wanted. _Is this…guilt? Do I feel guilty?_

Weiss hesitated for a step, then shook her head vigorously. _No! I did the right thing! I did what was necessary! Ruby wasn't my teammate…She was an obstacle to my goals._

 _Maybe so…_ a traitorous voice in the back of her mind whispered, _but if you had to put your fellow teammates in danger to get your chance to kill her, can you really say that you're a better leader than she is?_

Weiss' lips pressed into a tight line as she pondered the question. She had known there would be risks in using Ruby's negative emotions to draw the Grimm across her team's camp. She'd had the confidence that her team and JNPR (minus Pyrrha) would be able to handle themselves. She had believed in their abilities. That was what a good leader did…right?

So caught up was she in her brief reverie, that Weiss almost bumped into Nora's backside as the group came to a halt again. This time, when she glanced around, she saw a familiar pair of boys waiting for them.

"Hey, how's it goin'?" asked Sun as he and Neptune smiled at the two teams, though, when Neptune's eyes met Weiss' his smile became significantly strained.

"It's going well," said Blake, giving Sun a smile. "We're going on our mission."

"You're heading out of the Kingdom, right?" asked Sun.

"Mountain Glenn," confirmed Jaune. "We're tracking down the leads we found during our investigation."

"Dang!" said Sun, folding his arms behind his head. "Maybe we should join you. If there are more of those crazy machines out there, I don't feel right about letting just the seven of you go."

"We'll be fine," said Blake, giving Sun a warm smile. "This is a scouting mission anyway. We'll probably avoid fighting the White Fang in favor of finding out what they're up to."

"Yeah, besides," added Yang. "It was one thing when you were helping us off the books. But this is an official mission. It might make problems between Beacon and Haven if we drag you into it."

That had been the official reason that Ozpin had only assigned WBY and JNPR to this mission. Given that Sun and Neptune were students of Haven, involving them in a mission above the level of those first-years were expected to perform would have been seen as overstepping his boundaries, which might cause issues between the two Academies, particularly if something happened to either of the two boys.

"Besides," added Ren, "General Ironwood will apparently be sending one of his students to supplement our numbers."

"How come an Atlas student gets to go if we don't?" Neptune asked reasonably.

"The General was on hand to give his permission," said Pyrrha. "Arranging things with Haven's Headmaster would be much more complicated, and might alert the enemy to our actions."

"Ah well…just be careful out there," said Sun, giving Blake a sincerely worried look. "If you guys get in over your heads, give us a ring and we'll find a way to get out to you."

"That probably won't be likely," said Weiss with a soft huff, stepping back to the front of the group, her sudden advance making Neptune flinch away from her…for some reason. "According to what I've read, Mountain Glenn won't be reachable by scrolls. We'll be on our own for the most part."

"All the more reason to be careful then," said Sun.

"You…telling people to be careful?" teased Blake, giggling.

"You _are_ starting to sound like someone's mom," added Neptune, giving Sun a smirk.

"Geez! You guys are the worst," muttered Sun petulantly, folding his arms and pouting.

"So, what mission did you guys get?" asked Nora eagerly.

"Well, since we can't go out past the walls with you guys, we'd figured we'd take something close by," said Neptune.

"Yeah, hanging out with you all is fun," added Sun, "but things have a tendency of exploding around you, so we figured this would be a good way to see the Kingdom without wrecking part of it."

"We're going to be shadowing a couple of police detectives," said Neptune, grinning.

"We'll even get official _Junior Detective_ badges," added Sun.

"Badges!" exclaimed Jaune with wide eyes.

"Yep," said Sun as he and Neptune folded their arms, complete with smug expressions.

Yang couldn't help but giggle at the naked jealousy on Jaune's face. _Honestly…boys…_ she thought.

"Perhaps we should consider it in the future," suggested Ren with an amused smile as he clapped Jaune on the shoulder. "In the meantime, we'll wish you luck."

"Yeah, good luck with your stuff too," added Sun as he and Neptune turned and headed away.

Watching them go, Jaune felt his mood falling slightly. "Everything all right?" asked Yang. "You aren't that upset about not getting a badge, are you?"

"Hey!" protested Jaune, blushing while Yang giggled. After a second, he calmed back down. "It's not that…it's just…this all has such a final feeling to it. I guess I'm worried."

"Me too," admitted Yang. "But, look at it this way. We'll be on a real mission, fighting real enemies, working alongside a real Huntsman. What could go wrong?"

* * *

A few minutes later, all seven of them couldn't believe Yang had the gall to tempt fate like that.

"Why hello, everyone," said Dr. Oobleck cheerfully with a jaunty pump of his fist, "who's ready to fight for their lives?"

That, in and of itself was shocking enough, as their history teacher was only slightly less-eccentric than Professor Port, who had accompanied them on their first, ill-fated mission. The man was known for drinking copious amounts of coffee, ingesting enough caffeine that it should have given him a heart attack decades ago. However, it instead appeared to grant him a seemingly boundless energy and speed, allowing him to zip around the classroom in a blur that was more than a match for Ruby's Semblance. His lectures were delivered at an almost equally rapid clip, making it hard for some students to keep up with everything he was saying, though no one gave anymore thought to asking him to slow down than they would task Professor Port to try and spend less time telling boring stories about his past exploits.

In the classroom, he was hardly anyone's vision of an experienced Huntsman, dressed like an academic, a sloppy one at that, his white, button-down shirt perpetually partially untucked into his dark-green pants, a slightly too-long yellow tie dangling down from the collar. His dark-green hair was a messy mass of spikes sweeping slightly back over his head. His brown eyes, while keen and attentive, peered out from behind a pair of rounded glasses that looked almost opaque from the front.

Even now, he looked more like a scholar who'd simply thrown on the accouterments of someone's half-baked idea of how an explorer should dress, having donned a khaki safari-shirt over his usual one, and thrown one a similarly-colored greatcoat over that. To top off his garb, his messy hair was now hidden underneath the rounded dome of a pith helmet. In one hand, he clutched a thermos, which suggested that, even on a mission, he could never be far from his beloved coffee.

Yes, seeing Oobleck there was a shock to be sure. But the greater shock was standing right next to him. The girls of WBY gaped unashamedly at Oobleck's companion, presumably the student that General Ironwood had sent to accompany them on this critical mission.

Bright-green eyes twinkled cheerfully beneath a head of curly, orange hair not dissimilar in color from Nora's, with a pink bow tied behind her head. Freckled cheeks framed a wide, happy smile as the girl in green and black overalls over her tan blouse raised a hand in greeting.

"Salutations, friends!" said the girl in a cheerful tone that also, somehow, managed to be disconcertingly flat at the same time, almost as though she was someone with no idea of what a happy person sounded like, and was trying her best to imitate what she assumed was the correct emotion. "I am so glad to join you once again. This mission promises to be truly sensational!"

"Penny!" shouted Weiss, Blake, and Yang simultaneously.

* * *

 **Weiss was hit by "Guilt"...It's not very effective...or is it.**

 **So, some considerable deviations from canon. Thanks to Pyrrha-Yan's observations, the teachers are able to reason that Cinder wasn't in the tower to do some browsing. I think it's fairly apparent that the information on "Autumn" (you know who _she_ is) wouldn't be on the network. As...less-competent as Ozpin and Co are sometimes depicted as being, Volume 3 makes it apparent that Cinder had no idea where her quarry was, until she jump-started the Battle of Beacon, and used that as a way to bait out Ozpin's candidate, which means her virus didn't find it on the CCT network.**

 **Also, Pyrrha-Yan seems to be a little bit more observant than Ruby was, which, given that she gave Cinder more a fight than Ruby did in canon, is understandable. It's interesting what a difference being used to fighting in heels can make. Or, maybe it's because she wasn't preoccupied with covering up her team's...extracurricular activities.**


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34:**

"You know her?" asked Jaune, looking at WBY in confusion, not understanding the reason for their strangely over-the-top reaction to the new girl. She seemed nice enough to Jaune's eyes. She was cute, for one thing, and what little they had seen of her in just these few seconds seemed to indicate that she was amiable and friendly, probably someone who would get along extremely well with Nora.

"Y-yes," said Blake, snapping out of her shocked expression. "We ran into her in Vale a few months back. She helped us out during the fight on the docks."

"Oh!" said Jaune, remembering Ruby saying something along those lines.

"Where have you been?" asked Yang. "Ru-We were worried about you."

"Sorry," said Penny, looking down slightly. "That time…I was out without permission and I was told that I need to stay close to General Ironwood."

The girls traded suspicious glances, wondering why Atlas' Headmaster had a vested interest in keeping one of his students hidden from the rest of the world, even though she was ostensibly part of the exchange with the Academies in preparation for the Vytal Festival.

"Ah, so you know each other already," said Oobleck, his enthusiasm undiminished. "Good to see. That will save me the trouble of introductions. General Ironwood has assured me that Ms. Polendina will be a substantial asset to our mission."

"That's right!" agreed Penny, pumping her arms. "I'm combat ready."

"That's putting it lightly," said Blake with a small smile. She had to admit that, despite Penny's…odd…mannerisms, she was indeed a capable combatant, even if Blake was the only person present who'd actually seen her in action before. _I said she helped at the docks, but it was more like she turned the tide completely on her own. I suppose there are worse people we could team up with._

"Professor Oobleck…?" said Weiss, looking at the history teacher questioningly, wondering why someone like him and why someone like Penny had been assigned to their mission. Not having seen the peppy, orange-haired girl in action, Weiss found herself having substantial doubts about the wisdom of including her on the roster.

However, Oobleck appeared not to have even heard her. He was already pacing back and forth between them and Penny. "You will not be needing those packs, by the way. Seeing as you lot have agreed to accompany a Huntsman on what is, essentially, a reconnaissance mission, we will be on the move through hostile terrain with no fixed base of operations. To that end, I have taken the liberty of packing for our needs. You may leave your luggage here, and the staff will see to it that it is taken back to your dorms. And…"

He abruptly zipped over to Weiss, placing his face mere inches from hers, eyes narrowed in a look that was almost, but not quite, a glare. "…that's _Doctor_. I did not earn my PHD for fun, I'll have you know."

He pulled away, returning to his original position once again. "Now, let's get aboard immediately. According to my schedule we are already three minutes behind…schedule. Now get moving."

With that he was gone, a rapid blur leading to the waiting airship.

"Sensational!" cheered Penny, already rushing off in the eccentric teacher's wake.

"I suddenly have very serious reservations about this," said Weiss, sharing a dubious look with the others.

"Well, he was assigned to us by Professor Ozpin, so I assume Pro-Dr. Oobleck knows what he's doing," said Blake.

"True," said Jaune, looking after the Huntsman. "He's certainly…light on his feet."

"Whatever, let's just get going," said Yang, already taking Jaune by the arm and tugging him towards the airship. The others followed in their wake, Pyrrha's eyes glued to Yang's back the whole way.

As they stepped aboard, the whining of the bullhead's engines began to rise in pitch. The airship hovered upwards before the pilot altered the pitch of the wings and the airship leapt forward, soaring out to the south and east of Vale.

"Are you sure you're up for this, Doctor?" asked Yang, as she and the others watched the scenery passing below from the open bay doors as they clung to the handholds. "Don't get me wrong, but you don't exactly seem like the fighting type."

"Ah, yes," agreed Oobleck. "I admit that my interests are more on the academic side of things, but have no fear. I've certainly seen my fair share of tussles."

"Aren't those shellfish?" asked Jaune.

"Those are mussels," said Ren.

"Don't you mean the things we flex?" asked Jaune.

"Those are…muscles," said Blake, not sure how to inflect it so that the two different words didn't sound exactly the same.

"That's enough idle chitchat," chided Oobleck. "Now, who can tell me what they know about where we're heading?"

"We're heading to Mountain Glenn," said Weiss firmly.

"It was a failed extension of Vale," added Blake, the two of them having done the research on their objective, though Blake had kept Jaune's warning in mind about not overworking herself. "With the population growing, the Council thought this would be a suitable sight for expansion, thanks to it having wild forests and deep caves, and connected it with Vale via an underground transit system."

"Correct," agreed Oobleck. "At first, the expansion seemed to be a success, thanks to aggressive perimeter defenses. However, pressure from the Grimm soon mounted and the defenses were eventually overwhelmed. Finally, the Council made the decision to destroy the tunnels linking with the site to keep the Grimm from following them back into the Kingdom."

The bullhead crested a mountain ridge, revealing a vista of ruined buildings in the process of being overtaken by nature. Some were crumbling, while others had already collapsed into rubble. Streets were cracked, weeds and vines springing up to find purchase on nearly every available surface. Oobleck surveyed the desolate scenery with sad eyes. "In the end, several-hundred people were left behind in the aftermath…unable to escape."

"God…" whispered Jaune, covering his mouth. This time, he was fairly certain that their flight had nothing to do with the sick feeling in his stomach.

"In any case, though no one knows why, the Grimm continue to congregate here," said Weiss. "It's almost as though they're trying to use it as a staging point for attacks against the Kingdom."

"Hmm…" Oobleck hummed with a nod. "We are still unsure of what is drawing the Grimm here. The actual people are all gone, so they should simply wander in and out as they please. Instead, something appears to continue to attract them. Sadly, our best scientists remain completely baffled as to what."

As the airship flew over the ruined buildings, Blake flinched at an unexpected tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw Penny looking at her with a confused expression. "What is it?"

"I was just wondering," said Penny. "Where is Ruby? I expected her to be with you. Is she on another mission?"

"No…" said Blake, her ears slumping beneath her bow. "Ruby's…Ruby's gone."

"Gone…gone where?" asked Penny innocently.

"She died…" said Blake, unable to meet the other girl's eyes. "It was on another mission. Things went bad…she didn't make it."

"Oh…" said Penny. "I'm sorry…I had no idea." She looked horrified by the notion. Blake could sympathize. The girls of RWBY had associated with Penny somewhat reluctantly. However, Ruby had been the one to initially accept the eccentric girl's friendship and had probably been the one closest to her.

"There's nothing to apologize for," said Blake. "These things happen."

"That's what Father told me," Penny said softly. Blake watched her for a moment, wondering what she meant by that.

The Bullhead flew in a high arc over the ruined settlement, giving them a view of the empty buildings and deserted streets. While it wasn't the size of Vale, it was still very large, large enough that everyone on board realized that they had their work cut out for them, if they were to have any luck finding the White Fang operation they were looking for.

"What should we do?" asked Blake, looking down with narrowed eyes.

"I'd think we'd want to take the high ground, and get a look at the terrain," said Jaune, looking down from his vantage point. "But I don't like the look of those buildings."

"Don't worry, Vale's architecture was built to last," said Oobleck. "Most of those buildings still standing should be sufficiently stable to take our weight. Just don't try anything too vigorous with them."

"Nora," said Ren firmly, glancing at his partner.

"Roger!" said Nora, giving him a cheerful salute in response to the silent warning for her to not unleash her hammer while they were in one of those buildings.

"Excellent!" declared Oobleck. "Let's find a place to begin."

"How about right there?" said Jaune, pointing down at the tallest building he could see.

"Hmm…good choice," said Oobleck. "We'll use that as our starting point."

The bullhead swooped low, its wings tilting up into their vertical configuration, as the body of the airship rocked back to kill its momentum before it came to hover above the top of the building. From there, eight students dropped down to the roof, landing in crouches and quickly moving the edge of the roof to peer over. Behind them, Oobleck dropped down, wearing a large, outer-frame backpack. Despite its apparent weight, he moved with surprising speed to join the students, while the bullhead rose back up into the sky and set a course back to Beacon.

"What are we looking for…uh…besides the obvious?" posed Jaune, wondering what signs would lead them to a White Fang operation amidst these ruins.

"We are looking for evidence of a criminal organization operating here," said Oobleck, peering over the edge. "The best way to find some is to track the Grimm."

"The Grimm?" said Yang, surprised.

"Correct," said Oobleck. "The Grimm are drawn en-masse to negative emotions: anger, hatred, fear…"

"Well, the White Fang certainly is good with those," commented Blake sourly.

"If we track the Grimm's movements, it could lead us to our quarry," concluded Oobleck. "But we must be discrete. If they spot us, the Grimm will instead come at us, regardless of our emotional state. Furthermore, even though the White Fang might be expecting students on mission in the area, inciting battle within earshot of them might be a bad idea."

"We'll have to be careful then," said Weiss.

Pyrrha had pulled out Milo and was sweeping the area. Suddenly, she saw a shifting black form amidst the shadows of a nearby building. "There!" she said, sighting down her rifle's sights. "A Beowolf."

"Just one?" asked Ren, leaning forward and narrowing his eyes. It would be odd, given that Beowolves, more often than not, traveled in packs. If any traveled alone, it was usually a powerful Alpha, although they were just as likely to be found leading a pack as they were acting as lone wolves.

"Now we have one," commented Yang, leaning over the edge of the building for a better look.

There was a faint crack. The edge of the building didn't break so much as a portion of it abruptly tilted forward under Yang's weight. Jaune immediately snapped out an arm and grabbed Yang's arm, pulling her back before the sudden shift in her balance could send her plummeting headlong to the street below.

"Phew…thanks," said Yang, throwing Jaune a grateful look.

Jaune smiled and nodded, looking a little pale at the thought of his girlfriend dropping headfirst of the side of a building.

"Yang!" admonished Weiss irritably, "be more careful! You nearly gave us away."

"Thanks for your concern, Ice Queen," muttered Yang, making Weiss glare at her.

"While these buildings are still structurally secure, there are small portions that will likely break under even minor stress," noted Oobleck, already studying the section that had given way under Yang. "Tread carefully."

"That's easier said than done," said Blake, moving…carefully…to peer down the side of their building. "Look, there's the rest of the pack."

Sure enough, several more Beowolves prowled out from between buildings, moving along the street. Some had noses low to the ground, sniffing and investigating for any sign of prey. Others walked along with complete nonchalance.

"So we're going to just follow this pack then?" asked Ren.

"That is the best plan for the moment," said Oobleck, surveying their surroundings. "The buildings are stable, but as Ms. Xiao Long aptly demonstrated for us, there are damaged sections that could give way. So it would be best to descend and follow them at ground level."

"All right," said Jaune.

The two teams went towards the roof entrance. However, they barely had the chance to begin stepping inside when their ears were assaulted by the beating of countless wings. They jumped back as a murder of small, cawing Nevermores boiled out from the entrance, like bats from a cave, swarming around them, beaks pecking and claws scratching.

Weapons immediately came out. Blake fired several shots from her pistol, downing one of the birdlike Grimm with each shot. Ren opened fire with his machine guns, magenta bolts ripping through the swarm, bringing down even more. Then Yang began to unload on them with her gauntlets, each shot ripping through multiple targets at a time. Pyrrha added to the effort with her rifle, nailing her targets with precise shots.

The others quickly did what they could. Jaune brought out his sword and slashed whenever he could, but he didn't feel like he was accomplishing much. It was hard to tell if he was actually hitting anything. He didn't want to go too wild with his companions so close around him, lest he hit them with an ill-timed swing.

Weiss had drawn her rapier. For the time being, she didn't want to waste Dust on such small targets, so she instead lashed out with lightning-fast thrusts, though she soon paused, glaring in distaste at the black bodies speared along the length of her weapon.

"Ooh! Nevermore kabob!" teased Nora gleefully, swinging her hammer around in wide arcs, though she was having even less success than Jaune at hitting anything.

Weiss said nothing, merely glaring at Nora as the Nevermore bodies impaled by her weapon began to dissolve.

A hissing sound filled the air and a several swords whirled around them, cutting through the Nevermores with ease and speed. Before long, the last of them had vanished in a cloud of scattering feathers, their bodies dissolving away like smoke.

"Thank you, Penny," said Blake as she and the others paused, getting over the shock of the unexpected attack.

"You're welcome," said Penny with a little too much cheer and enthusiasm.

"Well…that was exhilarating," said Oobleck from where he stood, in the center of the group, having taken no action whatsoever. "However, I'm afraid that little incident has put paid to our plans to be discrete."

"What?" gasped Weiss, horrified.

"He's right," said Penny. "The Grimm below heard that. They're clustering at the building's base now."

None of them even bothered to ask how Penny knew that, seeing as they no longer had a view of the building's base. However, the question didn't even really need to be asked as snarls, growls, and barks echoed up from below, accompanied by scrabbling and scratching as some of the more impetuous Grimm attempted to climb the ruined skyscraper in an effort to reach the prey at the top.

"Now what do we do?" Yang wanted to know.

"Right! Plan B then," said Oobleck decisively.

"What's Plan B?" asked Jaune, feeling more than a little troubled that things had already gone off the rails.

"We begin exterminating the Grimm," said Oobleck, simply. "We'll carry on as though this were an ordinary mission. Seeing as the White Fang would be expecting that, they won't view us with too much suspicion, so we can use that as cover while we search for clues."

"So in other words…" said Weiss, resignation coloring her voice.

"Show me what you can do," said Oobleck, addressing his words to everyone present.

"All right!" shouted Penny, saluting with a motion that seemed more like a playful wave than a military gesture. "Engaging!"

Instead of heading into the building, she abruptly turned around and sprinted to the side of the building…and leapt clean off.

"Is she crazy?" asked Jaune, staring at her with wide eyes.

"Or she has one heck of a landing strategy," said Yang, already running to the edge of the roof, everyone else on her heels.

Yang's assessment appeared to be correct, as Penny landed right on top of one of the largest Beowolves, the impact of her feet against its back snapping its spine, and driving it into the ground with enough force to crater the asphalt of the street. Dust and dirt was thrown into the air, temporarily obscuring Penny. The Beowolves, now joined by several Ursas and Creeps, turned to look towards her, as though confused by her arrival.

From within the cloud of dust, the shadow of Penny stood up. There was a snapping sound of her backpack opening, a whirring sound as her blades emerged and unfolded, then a grating sound as they fanned out to separate from one another, spreading out to hover to either side of her, almost like wings.

The Grimm surged to attack, but the first ones to do so were cut down to a creature as Penny's blades slashed out around her in a wide ring, cutting down everything within their spreading radius. With a gleeful look on her face, Penny immediately surged to meet the next wave of Grimm, her blades returning to her side before she guided them up and around her body with a sweep of her arm and bringing them down in an arcing slash at the head of a lunging Ursa.

"Well, we'd better not leave her hanging," said Yang, realizing that they'd all been staring in complete shock at Penny's incredible power. Of all of them, only Blake was unsurprised by the peppy girl's combat capability.

"O-of course," said Weiss. "Let's go." With that, she jumped off the roof, Blake following soon after.

"Come on, Ren!" shouted Nora, practically dragging her partner off the side of the roof by the scruff of the neck.

"Ready to test your landing strategy?" asked Yang with a sly grin at Jaune.

Jaune gulped, but nodded. In all honesty, he'd rather take the stairs, but he supposed he needed to show he could be relied on as well. So, with much trepidation, he stepped off the edge of the building.

"Are you crazy?" snarled Pyrrha, glaring at Yang.

"What?" asked Yang with an earnest innocence that had Jaune's partner reeling. "He'll be fine. You need to have more faith in him." Not giving Pyrrha a chance to respond, Yang jumped off as well.

Pyrrha growled under her breath, and dove after Yang.

Weiss waited until she was halfway down the building before flipping her body and creating a glyph at her feet, using it to launch her like an arrow at a large Ursa, so that she could plunge the blade of her rapier through its heart, her remaining momentum knocking the large, burly Grimm over onto its back and sending it skidding through a crowd of Beowolves. Riding its stomach, Weiss whipped her weapon around, using it to slash her way through the Grimm with ease.

Like Penny, Jaune opted to use a Grimm, a particularly soft-looking Creep, to cushion his landing. The creature screeched as Jaune's momentum drove it into the ground, although he didn't seem to have enough weight behind his fall to kill it outright. Before the creature could squirm its way out from under him, Jaune drove his sword through the back of its skull to finish it off. Standing up, Jaune turned to meet a looming Ursa that lunged at him with a mighty swing of one of its heavy paws.

Jaune caught the paw on his shield, using the opening the move had given him to step inside the Grimm's guard and slash into its chest with a yell. Jaune followed up with another, then another, then at least three more before pausing. The Grimm stood there for a second before keeling over backwards with a thud that shook the ground.

A shadow fell over Jaune as another Ursa reared up behind him. Jaune turned to meet it, but Yang landed between them, sinking into a crouch to absorb the shock of impact. From there, she transitioned to an uppercut, firing a round from Ember Celica into the Ursa's chin, knocking its head back before she immediately drove forward to follow up with a powerful blow to the beast's chest, crushing it in and sending the dead monster tumbling over backwards.

Nearby, Pyrrha flung her shield as she fell, slamming it into the top of a Creep's head. Following in the weapon's wake, Pyrrha landed and immediately brought down another Creep with a slash from her sword. Another one charged her, but Pyrrha quickly turned around to meet it, her weapon extending into its javelin form as she drove her blade through its open mouth and out the back of its skull, halting it in place before pulling back. A final Creep attempted to take her from behind, but Pyrrha's returning shield slammed into the side of its head, crushing its skull, the rebound taking it back to Pyrrha's waiting hand.

Not far away, Nora whooped as she brought her hammer around in an underhand swing that caught a Beowolf in the stomach, and launched it away like a cannon ball, smashing it through several of its fellows before the unfortunate creature skidded to a stop.

Nearby, Ren danced with elegant motions, spinning around a lunging Beowolf's slashing claws and beheading it with a slash from the blade beneath the barrel of his gun. He jumped aside as another Beowolf attempted to snap its fangs at him. However, he jumped into a spin that allowed him to bring his other weapon around, driving a blade down through the back of the creature's skull. From there, he pulled the trigger, firing a barrage of shots into the Beowolf immediately behind it, bringing that one down as well.

Blake was a flurry of motion as she threw her sickle past an attacking Ursa. As it reached the end of the ribbon it was attached to, Blake pulled on the ribbon, triggering the pistol built into the sickle's grip, sending it flying back to slash open the Ursa's neck with precision, causing it to topple over. Rather than catch it, Blake instead whipped her sickle around her in a short arc, firing another shot to accelerate it further. The bullet caught a lunging Beowolf at the same time the recoil sent the sickle whirling around Blake in several tight circles, allowing her to slash a number of other attacking Grimm across their chests. One, larger and more durable than the rest, ignored her sickle and bulled through. Blake jumped over it as it tried to tackle her to the ground, going into a flip as she continued to whip her sickle around on its ribbon to cut down more of her attacker's smaller companions. Going into a spin, she swept the bladed sheath she was holding in her left hand down and around to sever the Beowolf's head.

As it fell, there was a brief lull as the students processed that they'd managed to down all the Grimm in their vicinity.

"That wasn't too bad," commented Yang cheerily, prompting nearly everyone, save Nora and Penny, to smack their faces with their hands.

Sure enough, a chorus of growls and roars filled the air around them and Grimm spilled out from nearby alleyways and came running from around corners.

"You just had to say it, didn't you?" grumbled Jaune, giving Yang a sardonic glare as she laughed sheepishly.

The students tensed and the battle was joined.

* * *

Weiss grunted with exertion as she drove her rapier into the chest of a Beowolf, causing the beast to lurch, before tumbling over backwards. Pulling her blade free, Weiss gasped for breath, resting her right hand on her knee. Sweat streamed down her face, and she fought to keep it from getting into her eyes. Individually, none of these Grimm were worth worrying about. Unfortunately, they kept. On. _Coming_. Looking around, Weiss couldn't see anymore in her immediate vicinity, so she looked towards her comrades, trying to see who needed support the most.

A shadow fell over her and Weiss spun about, cursing her carelessness. Her fatigue had caused her to lower her guard, and the Ursa looming over her had come up right in her blind spot. Turning around, Weiss was already bracing for the hit to come, figuring that she was going to be too late to stop the Ursa from attacking. Her legs felt like lead at the moment, which ruled out dodging. At the moment, the best she could manage was to brace herself and let her Aura take the hit.

There was a crack, like the sound of a rifle shot. The Ursa's body jolted forwards slightly. Frowning, Weiss stepped back, and the beast fell forward, its body slamming to the ground where she'd been standing a second earlier. Weiss inspected it see that a portion of the back of the Ursa's head had been blown away by some kind of gunshot. However, everyone else was still behind her, so there was no way the shot could have been from one of them.

Frowning, Weiss looked up in the direction the shot had come from. Then she froze, her heart almost stopping in her chest as she caught a flash of red from around a nearby corner, what looked like a section of red cloth whipping out of sight…like the corner of a red cloak.

 _No!_ Before she could even think about what she was doing, Weiss gave chase. Rushing to around the corner, she found herself standing in a deserted alleyway. Rubble from the ruined buildings to either side of it spilled across the ground. The crumpled remains of a ruined dumpster sat sadly in the far corner. The alley was deserted, with no signs of anyone.

Then Weiss caught a flash of red and gasped. Snapping her head around, she saw a small scattering of what looked like red petals drifting through the air around her. She blinked, scrunching her eyes shut and shaking her head slightly. When she opened them again, the petals were gone, and Weiss wondered if she'd actually seen them at all.

"Weiss!"

Yang's shout made Weiss jump and actually shriek slightly before she spun about to see everyone heading up the street towards her.

"Geez! What's up with you?" asked Yang, looking at Weiss in confusion. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Weiss pursed her lips, her body tensing. "It's nothing," she said firmly. _The stress must be getting to me._

* * *

The group continued to move through the abandoned buildings of Mountain Glenn. Time and time again they attempted to find some Grimm to shadow, to see if the beasts' movements could lead them in the direction of the White Fang's operation. But every attempt ended in failure. The Grimm were just too numerous. They would attempt to shadow one from behind cover, only to have several more come up behind them. The sounds of battle would immediately draw the attention of the ones they were trying to follow, which would draw them into the fray. A hard fought battle later, they would be forced to try and start again, only to have the same thing happen.

To make things worse, the Grimm seemed to be lurking within every building. They soon discovered that the murder of Nevermores that had blown their cover during their first attempt had hardly been the last roosting inside some seemingly empty shop or another. While nowhere near as devastatingly powerful as the one they'd fought during the initiation, the smaller Nevermores made up for a lack of power with numbers and their agility on the wing, harrying the students with their beaks and claws, or peppering them with barrages of needlelike feathers.

The sun climbed higher into the sky, the day getting gradually hotter, which only made conditions worse as they struggled to keep from overheating while they fought. Their movements were gradually getting more and more sluggish, their weapons feeling heavy in their hands. Even Nora was beginning to have a hard time wielding her hammer.

The only ones seemingly unaffected by the continuous struggle were Penny, who seemed to be an endless font of energy, and Oobleck, who always seemed preoccupied with something else whenever the students were caught up in battle. While the students were fighting, he would be bent over examining a tuft of weeds sprouting up from cracks in the asphalt, or inspecting the interior of a building.

Finally, Yang's frustration reached the point where she couldn't keep silent about it anymore. "You know…" she said between pants, "…I was looking forward to the opportunity to see an actual Huntsman in action here."

"But I am in action," replied Oobleck, not even looking at her as he crouched over some loose stones to prod them. "I'm scouring these ruins for any signs of our quarry." Standing up, he fixed Yang with a stern gaze. "Like it or not, not every mission is an exercise in heroism. More often than not, it's just a heightened form of extermination. Besides, right now, you are acting as Huntresses, and this is a job that you all signed up for."

Swallowing back her retort, Yang nodded.

"Good," said Oobleck sharply, folding his arms behind his back. "Let's continue."

* * *

Yang slammed the head of a Creep against the wall, crushing the skull as the force behind her punch caused the rest of the beast to go flying through the crumbling masonry. Pausing for breath, Yang looked around for any signs of more Grimm. There were none in the immediate vicinity. However, she could hear some of the others still fighting not too far away.

"Ms. Xiao Long?" asked Oobleck, laying back on a ledge above her, writing something in some kind of journal, the sudden address causing Yang to squeak and jump.

"Yeah, what?" asked Yang, looking up at him in confusion.

"Why did you choose to become a Huntress?" asked Oobleck.

"Well…" said Yang, her response delayed as she wondered why the teacher was picking now of all times to ask her a question like that. "…I'm a thrill seeker. I like the excitement of fighting. I figured I might as well channel it into something positive." She looked down. "At least…that's how I _felt_."

"Oh…" Oobleck raised a speculative eyebrow. "Has something changed?"

"Yeah," said Yang softly. "Ruby died. I couldn't do anything to help her. When she needed me the most, we were swamped by Grimm. Hell! Weiss and Pyrrha were there with her, and even they couldn't save her. I thought…I thought I understood what being a Huntress meant. But, at that moment, I realized what it was really like to be helpless. All I could do was watch as the bullhead lifted off, and I realized there was nothing I could do for my sister."

She looked up at her teacher, on the verge of tears. "I don't want to feel that way again. More to the point, I don't want anyone else to go through that kind of loss…not if there's something I can do to stop it. I think…I think that's why I want to be a Huntress now."

"I see," said Oobleck. "An interesting response, Ms. Xiao Long."

He left and Yang looked down pensively, wondering if her answer was the right one.

* * *

"Ms. Schnee?"

"Yes?" asked Weiss, jumping slightly at the sound of Oobleck's voice, pulling Myrtenaster free of a Beowolf's chest.

"As a Schnee, you were born into fame and fortune. Why would you take all this extra work over a cushy job in Atlas?"

Weiss frowned. "A cushy job in Atlas is what people expect from me," said Weiss firmly. "All through my life, I've had people insinuate that I'm no good because I've had everything handed to me through no effort of my own. They say that I'll get the company the same way. I decided to become a Huntress in order to achieve something, to have something that no one could say was given to me by someone else. As a Huntress, what matters is skill. If I become one, it's an accomplishment that no one would claim was given to me by someone else."

"Interesting," said Oobleck, moving on.

Weiss frowned as she watched him go, wondering why he was asking such an intrusive question. Then she caught another flash of red out of the corner of her eye. Whipping her head around so fast she strained her neck slightly, Weiss caught another glimpse of a red petal dancing on the wind, before it vanished behind another building. Running to investigate, she found nothing.

* * *

"Ms. Belladonna…why would you choose to become a Huntress?"

Blake fought down the urge to sigh as she finished off the Ursa that had been trying to take her head off with a swipe of its paws. Stepping away from its dissolving corpse, she turned her attention to the Huntsman. "There's too much injustice in the world still," said Blake. "Someone has to do something about it. I decided the best way to do so was as a Huntress."

"I see," said Oobleck. "How?"

"I…I don't know yet," said Blake. "I suppose what we're doing now is a start."

"True," said Oobleck, moving on.

Blake stared after him, wondering exactly how she could make a difference as a Huntress. She had always believed that a Huntress had power, authority, and adulation. But how could she put those things to use in service of her fellow faunus?

* * *

"Mr. Ren, Ms. Valkyrie, why did you choose to enter this profession?" Oobleck wanted to know, looking down at the two partners as they finished dispatching the rest of the Grimm around them.

"Um…it's a long story," said Nora, sounding unusually somber.

"We have experience with what it's like to be helpless before the Grimm," said Ren, his voice filled with firm conviction. "Back then, there was no Huntsman there to help us. I realize that there is just too much going on in the world for Huntsmen or Huntresses to be everywhere at once. But I want to be one so that I can be there for someone, to save them from what I went through."

"What he said," said Nora, smiling again as Ren rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Hmm…well said," said Oobleck, nodding slowly before zipping off somewhere else.

"Well, back to work," said Nora, smiling at Ren, which her returned the two of them moving on to the next batch of Grimm.

* * *

Oobleck found Pyrrha next. "Ms. Nikos…why have you chosen the Huntress' life?"

Pyrrha checked around for any signs of more Grimm before answering. "Well…I've always wanted to make a difference, to protect lives and property."

"So the fame doesn't interest you?" asked Oobleck.

"It didn't," said Pyrrha. "I entered tournaments because I wanted to test my skills against other people. When I started winning…the fame just sort of came. My parents pushed me into those endorsements and sponsorships. I'd be lying if I said the perks of being a celebrity weren't nice. But in the end, I still just wanted to become a Huntress to help people."

"Is that so?" prodded Oobleck. "Why come to Beacon then?"

"Well, my celebrity status in Mistral was getting out of control," said Pyrrha. "I can't even begin to imagine how things would work out if I went there instead. I came to Beacon because I wanted a blank slate of sorts."

"And did you get that?" asked Oobleck.

"Not really," admitted Pyrrha, her expression falling. "There was only one person I was really able to connect with, and he…"

"A past like that is not easy to put behind you, Ms. Nikos," said Oobleck. "Perhaps you are a bit too fixated on this 'blank slate' of yours. You can forge genuine connections if you try. Perhaps the one being deterred the most by your fame…is you."

With that he was gone. Pyrrha stared after him and her hand clenched in anger. _What does he know?_

A howl reached her ears and Pyrrha spun around, bringing her rifle to bear as a Beowolf leaped for her, its jaws wide upon and claws stretched out for her throat. Before Pyrrha could pull the trigger though, there was a flash of red from behind the beast, and the light in its eyes went out. Pyrrha sidestepped it as its body, carried on by its momentum, flew past her, landing and tumbling in two pieces, neatly bisected.

"What?" Pyrrha turned to look in the direction the Grimm had come from, but saw nothing.

* * *

"Mr. Arc!"

"Y-yes sir," said Jaune nervously, practically jumping to stand at attention as Oobleck's bark reached his ears.

"Tell me, why did you decide to become a Huntsman?" asked Oobleck, coming to stand next to him.

Jaune looked at his teacher, then looked away, staring down the street. "At first…it was because it was kind of a family thing. My dad was a Huntsman…and my grandfather…and my great-grandfather. I'd grown up listening to tales of their heroic exploits, and, as a child, my ideal was to live up to them. My family wasn't exactly supportive, seeing as I don't have much in the way of talent, but I've been giving it my best regardless."

"So it's about proving them wrong?" prodded Oobleck.

"Maybe, at one time," admitted Jaune with a sigh. "But now…I want to be like Ruby."

"Ms. Rose?" asked Oobleck, tilting his head in confusion.

"Ruby was amazing," said Jaune with a wistful smile. "She wanted to become a Huntress to protect people. She wanted to be a hero, like the one in the stories her sister used to tell her. She wanted to save people in need, then never ask for anything in return. I think, more than anyone, she embodied what a Huntress or Huntsman is supposed to be." He sighed. "She's gone now…but I want to be the kind of Huntsman she would want me to be. I want to help people, to protect them, to stand against the darkness so that others don't have to live in fear."

"Remarkable," whispered Oobleck under his breath.

"Sorry, what?" asked Jaune, not catching his words.

"Nothing, Mr. Arc," said Oobleck. "I was just surprised, nothing more. I must say, it worries me that your family's expectations seem to be so low, as you continue to surpass mine."

"Th-thank you, Doctor," said Jaune, shocked by the unexpected praise.

"Now then, let's move on and find a location to set up camp for the night," said Oobleck, zipping away, Jaune struggling to follow him as the group reconvened.

* * *

That evening, they made camp in an abandoned skyscraper, picking one that wasn't occupied by a murder of Nevermores. The exhausted students laid out their bedrolls and lit the campfire. Ren and Jaune took charge of the evening meal, producing a surprisingly palatable stew from the ingredients that Oobleck had brought with him.

After that, they settled on a watch schedule. Jaune and Yang took the first watch, which Weiss allowed after she extracted a promise from them that there would be no "canoodling" while they were on mission. Weiss volunteered herself and Pyrrha for the second watch, with Ren and Nora taking the third. Blake and Penny would take the final watch of the night, before everyone woke up in the morning.

Jaune and Yang's watch period went without incident. Despite their promise, Yang leaned back in Jaune's arms as the two of them kept watch. They spoke in hushed tones to stay awake, keeping their eyes in motion, looking for any signs of enemies, be they Grimm or White Fang soldiers. When their period ended, they roused Pyrrha and Weiss, who reluctantly took their turn.

"Is there something you wanted to talk about?" asked Pyrrha, as she and Weiss sat at the building's edge, keeping a lookout.

"Yes," said Weiss. "Pyrrha…I think I'm seeing things."

Weiss felt Pyrrha tense beside her. "What things?" Pyrrha asked.

"I've been seeing…red," said Weiss.

"That does tend to happen when you spend enough time around Yang," Pyrrha jested feebly.

"Pyrrha!" snapped Weiss, shocked at her friend and secret ally's glibness.

"I'm sorry," said Pyrrha, before looking down. After a long moment, she said, "Me too."

"What?" gasped Weiss.

"All day long…I've been getting glimpses," said Pyrrha, pulling up her knees and hugging them to her chest. "Out of the corner of my eye…a bit of red cloth…a rose petal…then it's gone."

"Like it was all a hallucination," added Weiss, her own gaze going distant. "There was a Grimm that was about to get me, but someone killed it. It couldn't have been one of the others, everyone was in the wrong place to have done it. But I turn to look, and I see…"

Pyrrha nodded. "That happened to me too. All of a sudden, a Beowolf that got the jump on me was cut in half. There was no one close, but _I_ didn't do it."

"But that's impossible isn't it?" asked Weiss. "It can't be Ruby. She's dead. We made sure of it."

"But how could the two of us hallucinate the same things?" Pyrrha wanted to know. "And it started on the same day. There's no way it could be happening."

"Unless…" Weiss frowned. "Do you feel guilty…Pyrrha?"

"Guilty? About Ruby?" Pyrrha's voice dropped in register, a low growl rising in her throat as she spoke. "Never! She deserved what she got. We did the right thing. I realize that now." She looked at Weiss in honest confusion. "What makes you ask that?"

"It's just…something Coco said," said Weiss. "A leader is supposed to look after her teammates. But I killed my partner, and I covered it up by calling down the Grimm right on top of our teams. What if one of them had gotten killed?"

"Don't be a fool, Weiss," said Pyrrha, her voice hardening. "We did what was necessary. We killed Ruby because she didn't belong, because she was an insult to all of us. She didn't deserve to be at Beacon, and having her lead your team, having my leader associate with her…that was the real danger. She would have brought us down when we needed to be stronger. We needed to remove her before she became a problem that legitimately threatened everyone."

Weiss took a deep breath, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, her expression was resolute. "You're right," she said firmly. "Ruby got what was coming to her. But then…why are we seeing her?" A horrifying thought struck her. "What if she's still alive?"

"Impossible!" scoffed Pyrrha. "If she survived that, she would have blown the whistle on us a long time ago. Besides, there's no way she could. You ran her through the chest, and we left her at the bottom of a cliff, in a forest infested with Grimm. I destroyed her weapon completely, so she had no means of defending herself. Surviving that is impossible."

"Then…what other explanation is there?" asked Weiss. Then another thought, just as horrifying as her previous one arose. "What if someone knows? What if they're tormenting us by impersonating Ruby?"

"How?" Pyrrha wanted to know. "There was no one else there that could have seen what happened. I know I haven't spoken of it. Have you?"

"No…not to anyone…not until tonight," said Weiss, looking at Pyrrha. "But then…what other explanation is there?"

"We're just seeing things," said Pyrrha. "It's coincidence and nothing more. It's been a rough day, and we're stressed. Once we get a good night's sleep, we won't be bothered by it again."

Pyrrha's tone signaled an end to the conversation. But Weiss couldn't help but feel that the situation wouldn't end there. Somehow, their past deeds were coming back to torment them. She worried she wouldn't be getting much sleep this night.

* * *

Ozpin sipped his mug of coffee, staring out the window of his office, which gave him a clear view of Vale. Turning his eyes, he spied Mount Glenn, the mountain, the base of which, Mountain Glenn had been founded upon. In the dark of night, the shadow of the mountain looked somewhat ominous, as though it were hiding some kind of dark secret. He supposed that was the truth, the truth that had doomed Mountain Glenn in the end. Certainly, Merlot's experiments had helped things along, but Ozpin now truly believed that Mountain Glenn had been doomed from the outset.

Movement from down below drew his vision to the docks. There he saw the white-clad figure of Ironwood standing, staring out over the edge of the cliffs, looking at Vale in the distance. Behind him, Glynda approached, the two of them talking about something. Ozpin understood Ironwood's frustration at being unable to act the way he wanted to. However, he also knew that Ironwood's typically heavy-handed approach to problem-solving would most likely make things worse in the long run. In the meantime, he could only pray that WBY and JNPR's mission was successful.

Then his scroll began to ring.

Picking it up, Ozpin frowned when he realized the caller was Qrow. Qrow Branwen's communications had always been spotty, the last one being a brief, one-line message back after the incident at the docks. That had been enough, but it was rare for Qrow to actually call unless there was something important he wanted to talk about.

"Qrow?" said Ozpin, answering the call. "It's awfully late, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but I figured now was a good time to bring it up," said Qrow, his voice crackling with static over the connection. "Actually, it's probably the right time. I've got a real bombshell to share with you. Are you sitting down…?"

* * *

 **Guess who's back...back again...**

 **It was interesting to do Oobleck's "ask everyone why they wanted to become Huntsmen/Huntresses" bit. But it was fun to fill in the answers for different characters, namely why JNPR want to become Huntsmen and Huntresses, while also giving a chance to show how...events...have shaped and changed the answers the girls of WBY give.**


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35:**

In the strangest turn of affairs yet, it wasn't Penny and Blake that roused the sleepers, nor was it any kind of alarm. Instead, the entire group was awakened by an explosion. The very earth jumped and the building shook, portions of the structure groaning as parts long worn down by the elements were subjected to unexpected stress that threatened to break them entirely. Dust drifted down from the ceiling as everyone sat bolt upright, thoughts of breakfast and their mission forgotten as the unexpected circumstances leapt to the forefront of their minds.

"What's going on?" demanded Weiss, rushing to where Blake and Penny were keeping watch. "Are we under attack? Did the White Fang sneak up on us during the night?"

"Negative," said Penny. "There are no enemy contacts in range."

 _In range of what?_ Blake wondered in confusion, staring at Penny.

"Then what was that?" asked Jaune, struggling to attach his sword to his belt, clumsily stumbling to join them. "It sounded like a bomb went off."

"It seems to be a seismic disturbance of some kind," said Penny. "From the direction and the way the sound was muffled, I suspect it came from underground."

"Why yes! Of course!" exclaimed Oobleck, dropping right down so that he straddled the smoldering embers of last night's fire. "Why didn't I think about it before?"

"Think about what?" asked Yang.

"This area is known for its wild forests and _deep caves!_ " shouted Oobleck. "We aren't just tracking an underground crime network. We're tracking an _underground_ crime network!"

"Uh…what?" said Ren after a minute of trying to process what Oobleck meant.

Oobleck had all but forgotten about them for the moment, pacing back and forth like he had when they had met him at the pad. "In the last days of Mountain Glenn, out of desperation, the people fled below ground into the network of caves beneath the settlement. From there, they tried to continue on and survive…until one day, someone opened a cavern…filled with subterranean Grimm."

Nora gasped in horror, her entire body shaking. Ren gently wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"In an instant, those caverns were transformed…into a giant tomb," said Oobleck, staring forlornly at the street below. "However, a group like the White Fang has no scruples about setting up in such a place. In fact, it would serve their purposes perfectly. An underground base would be hidden from aerial surveys and it would be difficult to find by searching the area above them. The Grimm would naturally drive off all but the most determined searchers."

"So the White Fang are below ground," said Blake. "But what is that we just heard? It sounded like an explosion of some kind."

"Yes!" agreed Oobleck, a note of panic entering his voice. "And we know that the White Fang are in possession of copious amounts of stolen Dust."

"We have to find them…now!" said Jaune.

"Then we need to get down into the caverns," said Oobleck. "It will take some time to find an entrance."

"No time," said Jaune. Then a grin spread on his face, and he looked over to the side. "Nora…"

Nora's mood did a perfect one-eighty as she jumped out of Ren's arms, a grin that could almost be called manic on her face as she saluted with military crispness. "Roger, Fearless Leader!" she said eagerly.

"What are you-?" Weiss' question was cut short when Nora leapt off the side of the building, plummeting downwards, raising her hammer, and bringing it down with a whoop to slam it right into the street, triggering her weapon's explosive charge in the process.

The ground jumped again, and the very building rocked beneath their feet, the sound of snapping girders and crumbling masonry reaching their ears as portions began to give way as a consequence of the shockwave unleashed by Nora's attack. The entire building was on the verge of collapse.

"You idiot-" began Weiss, before being cut off again as the entire building began to sway beneath their feet. Down below, the crater Nora had created in the street sunk down further, more cracks spreading across the asphalt. Then, the ground directly beneath Nora's feet gave way and she plummeted down with another whoop.

In the meantime, the hole grew and spread, its edge reaching the foundation of the building they were standing in. The students and teacher began to feel the floor tilting beneath their feet as the entire structure began to fall towards the hole like a giant domino.

"Uh…maybe we could've planned this out better," admitted Jaune sheepishly.

Weiss glared at him. "You think?" she growled sarcastically. "I'm going to kill you, dunce."

"Never mind, the whole thing's coming down," said Yang. "After Nora!" She jumped out, grabbing Jaune by the hood of his hoodie and pulling him along in her wake. The others followed suit with varying degrees of haste, dropping down into the darkness, hoping they could get out from under the building before it came falling in after them.

* * *

"Ow…" groaned Jaune, rubbing his abused posterior as he sat up and looked around. "Did you have to pull me with you like that, Yang."

Yang laughed. "Sorry, but I figured you might wait too long if I left you to jump on your own."

"You might be right," said Jaune as the others landed nearby. They were accompanied by the clicking and clunking of falling chunks of concrete which were raining down from above, the rain of debris slowly transitioning from drizzle to downpour. "We'd better get out from under that."

"Right," agreed Yang, hauling Jaune to his feet. "Let's move, people!"

They quickly rushed away as the hole Nora made continued to widen. Soon, with a deafening crash, the building they spent the night in toppled over and plunged through the hole behind them, breaking into countless pieces in the process and raising a cloud of dust that completely concealed where they had just landed, shaking the earth beneath their feet.

Eventually, the sound faded and things quieted once more. Oobleck coughed, then straightened his tie beneath his safari shirt. "Yes…well…that was a little reckless to be sure. However, I compliment you on your decisiveness, Mr. Arc."

"Thanks," said Jaune, blushing slightly at the praise. Behind him, Weiss growled under her breath.

"In any case, we should continue our search for the source of the disturbance," said Oobleck. "It may be…difficult."

That was an understatement. The cavern they were in was massive, shrouded in gloom, the light from the hole Nora had knocked in the ceiling being the only source of illumination they had. What it illuminated was daunting…and frightening.

All around them rose buildings, almost like a perfect imitation of what had been above, except these skyscrapers instead scraped the cavern roof. Some looked to have been built into, if not hewed straight out of, the cavern walls themselves. Now that the racket of their entrance had quelled, the entire place was eerily silent, bringing to mind Oobleck's previous description of it as a tomb.

Then, in the distance they heard the sound of explosions. They were accompanied by the fainter sounds of shouts and screams, as well as the chattering of gunfire.

"What's going on?" asked Blake, looking for the source of the noise.

"It must be the White Fang," said Ren. "It sounds like they're fighting something."

"It's only to be expected," said Oobleck. "We weren't the only ones roused by that explosion. No doubt the White Fang are dealing with the inevitable consequence of picking Mountain Glenn, of all places, for their base of operations. The Grimm are probably attacking them."

"Then this is our chance," said Weiss. "We have to find them. Whatever they're doing, it'll be hard to do it while they're fending off the Grimm at the same time."

"Precisely," said Oobleck decisively. "We must find them quickly."

"That's a tall order," said Ren, frowning as he looked around. "The way the echoes are overlapping, they could be coming from anywhere."

"Hold on," said Penny, standing strangely still. Her eyes were twitching in a strange manner and her mouth began to move with small motions, uttering words that only Blake was close enough to hear. "Checking echo overlay, accounting for acoustics, checking reverberation…" Penny snapped up, looking sharply over into the darkness. "It's coming from that way."

"Are you sure?" asked Jaune, giving Penny a dubious look.

"Affirmative," said Penny decisively.

 _Is that her Semblance?_ wondered Blake. It wouldn't be completely out of left field for someone's Semblance to be enhanced hearing. But to be able to decipher the confusing echoes in a series of linked, enclosed spaces like this was very impressive.

They followed Penny as she led the way through the darkness. Oobleck's thermos, to everyone's surprise, transformed, revealing itself to be a sort of club, a shaft extending from its base for him toe grip, while the spout produced a small flame, like the pilot light for a flamethrower. That flame produced enough light for them to see by as they jogged between the empty silent underground buildings.

As they ran, they noticed something. The sounds of battle were tapering off. The distant crump of explosions decreased in frequency, the shouts tapered off. Bursts of gunfire became more sporadic, as though the people responsible for those things were losing their numbers. Occasionally, screams of fear or pain mingled with the general cacophony.

"What's going on?" asked Yang.

"Whatever they're fighting against, it doesn't sound like they're winning," commented Nora.

"Strange," said Oobleck. "I figured that, by now, we'd be hearing the sounds of Grimm. We need to be on our guard."

They emerged from a space between buildings as the final sounds of battle vanished into silence. What they saw brought them skidding to a halt.

"What the heck!" exclaimed Jaune, his eyes wide as he stared at the vista that greeted them.

Whatever the White Fang had been up to, they probably weren't going to be carrying it out now. Whatever their operation had been, it now lay in ruins.

"What happened here?" gasped Yang as she and the others carefully strode forward.

The Atlesian Paladins they'd been so wary of were scattered around like broken toys. Some had been cut to pieces, as though cleaved through with a giant blade. Others truly looked as though they had been attacked by Grimm, their bodies torn and rent, armor plates that had been strong enough to fend off concentrated fire from Huntsman-class weapons torn and twisted like paper. All around, they could see scattered White Fang soldiers, their bodies unmoving, only the occasional groan or cough betraying the fact that they were alive. Their weapons were likewise scattered and broken.

Making their way farther along, the group spied what must have been the cause of that initial powerful explosion that had roused them in the morning. The remains of what looked like a train were sprawled out, nothing more than burnt and twisted remnants scattered around the edge of a massive crater, the center of which was still smoldering.

"A train?" said Weiss skeptically.

"Well, there are…were…tracks," said Ren, looking at the tracks in question, which vanished down the mouth of a tunnel.

"Preposterous, the tunnels between Mountain Glenn and Vale were closed a long time ago," said Oobleck skeptically.

"It looks like someone reopened them," observed Pyrrha. "But why?"

"From the looks of things, some pretty powerful explosives were on that train," said Weiss. "That must be what they were using the stolen Dust for."

"So they were trying to turn the train into a bomb?" asked Jaune. "And then what? Send it into Vale?"

"Perhaps," mused Oobleck. "If they really did reopen these tunnels, the tracks would lead right into Vale's central plaza. Setting off a large explosion there would be the textbook definition of a terrorist attack."

"If that's what they were really after…" said Pyrrha. "Look at the shape of the crater though."

"Hmm?" Oobleck followed Pyrrha's suggestion. Rather than being a single, wide crater, it was instead elongated, as though the bombs had been set off in a chain after one another.

"From the looks of it, the bombs were separated out by the train cars," said Blake. "If they intended to ram this thing right through into the middle of Vale and set it off, I'd think they'd want to pack the explosives as closely together as possible to do as much damage in a single go as they could."

"Possibly," agreed Oobleck. "However, there are many ways the results could be altered by changing the shape, timing, and sequence of the explosions, so there's no telling what their ultimate aim was. We should work on taking the survivors into custody. We'll learn more about their plans then."

"That's a good idea," said Weiss. "We should look around and see what we can use to restrain them…" She looked at Oobleck. "…unless you were prepared for something like this, Profesor."

"Doctor," he reminded her tersely. "And no, while I did bring bindings for a small number of prisoners, in case we could pick off one or two soldiers to interrogate, I didn't bring enough to take a whole force of them into custody."

"I think I can take care of the bindings," said Pyrrha. She reached out with her hands, a black aura stretching out to cover nearby pieces of metal. Pyrrha grunted, applying the full power of her Semblance as she stretched out the metal, smoothing sharpened edges, pulling it into elongated forms while the others set up the soldiers into sitting positions by threes or fours that she would then wrap up with the repurposed debris.

In the meantime, Weiss was searching for any signs that could tell them more about what had happened here. The circumstances were suspicious. The working theory was that the White Fang's activity had finally brought the Grimm down on their heads and they'd been overwhelmed. But, if that was the case, why were all of them still alive. More importantly, if they'd been fully overwhelmed by the Grimm, why weren't there any around now?

She treaded carefully amidst the burning wreckage of the train, examining a downed Paladin that looked as though it had been cleaved completely in two by a single stroke. She was fairly certain that there wasn't any kind of Grimm she knew of that was capable of inflicting damage like this.

Then a sound reached her ears, the sound of someone groaning in pain. Rushing to find the sound's source, Weiss reached what remained of the train's lead car to see a familiar figure sprawled out on the ground.

Roman Torchwick had seen better days for sure. His white clothes were smudged, stained with dust and soot, their ends tattered and burnt. His hair was looking ragged and there were bruises across his face. His weaponized cane was laying a short distance away, out of arm's reach…though it wouldn't have helped him much even if he could reach it, having been sliced cleanly in two. His trademark hat was also not far away, reduced to nothing more than tattered ribbons.

"Torchwick!" gasped Weiss.

Her words drew Roman's attention and he rolled over just enough to look at her, somehow managing to look smug despite his condition. "Well…" He was interrupted by a bout of coughs. "…Hello there, Ice Queen."

"Hey!" protested Weiss indignantly.

Roman rolled over onto his back and tried to force himself up into a sitting position. "Geez! What are you Beacon brats up to? I thought your Headmaster was up to some shady crap, but this sort of thing takes the cake."

"What sort of thing?" Weiss wanted to know. "What happened here?"

Roman coughed again, his coughs giving way to low chuckles before being overcome by coughs again. "Y-you don't know…then…was it really Beacon?"

"What are you talking about?" demanded Weiss, stalking closer to him.

"I mean…I couldn't believe it, when I got wind of what happened," said Roman. "I thought it was too good to be true."

"Got wind of what? What are you saying?" asked Weiss, her anger building as she gripped his collar and shook him roughly. "Answer me!"

"I mean…she's supposed to be dead, right?" asked Roman, his eyes slightly unfocused as he stared at Weiss, almost as though he wasn't seeing her at all.

"What?" gasped Weiss, releasing Roman, a chill flooding through her body. _No! It can't be!_ "You have to be lying," she snarled. "Tell me what happened, what you saw! Who did this?"

Roman coughed again. "Y-you sound scared, Ice Queen," he said with another chuckle, this one slightly wet and gurgling as he struggled not to be overcome by coughs again. "What's the matter? Afraid of evil spirits?"

"You're not making any sense," snarled Weiss, fighting back chills.

"I understand," said Roman pausing to cough again. "I mean…I never believed in ghosts myself…until one came storming through here, cutting up my equipment like it was made of paper."

"Don't be ridiculous," said Weiss. "You don't think you can fool me with nonsense about ghosts, Torchwick."

"Well, what other explanation is there?" asked Roman. "Why else would Red be down here?"

Weiss gasped, her fingers going numb.

"She's back from the grave," said Roman, a slightly manic tone to his voice. "She came back to wreck everything for me again. Even when she's dead, that brat can't stop messing up my plans." He started to laugh, his voice sounding strained and desperate, as though this was the only sound he could think to make under these circumstances.

"Ms. Schnee! Have you found anything?" Oobleck's voice called from the distance.

Weiss looked back the way she had come. The others would be here soon. The last thing she wanted was for them to hear what Roman had to say. There was no way it could be true, but she didn't want him confusing things even further than they already were. Looking back at the still chuckling Roman, Weiss growled under her breath. Clenching her fingers tight around Myrtenaster's handle, she hefted it, and clocked Roman across the forehead with the Dust assembly built around the ricasso, her strike knocking him out.

 _I'll figure this out later,_ thought Weiss. _There's no way Ruby could have done this. She's dead. She can't bother me anymore._

Now, if only she could get her heart to agree with her mind.

* * *

Amongst the group, Penny was also searching for additional survivors. So far, everyone they'd found had been unconscious, but alive. She had yet to find any signs that anyone had died. It seemed that even the massive explosion that had first shaken the cavern and alerted them to the White Fang's presence below-ground hadn't taken any lives. Either they were extremely resilient or someone had taken great care in planning their attack.

Faint sounds reached Penny's ears, so she closed her eyes, briefly shutting down her visual sensors in order to focus her processing power on her audio receptors. With her sensitivity maximized, Penny was able to pick up the faint sound of footfalls, lighter and softer than anything belonging to the people she had come with. It took a minute before her systems were able to triangulate their direction.

Immediately, Penny set off after the source of the sounds, jumping high to vault over one of the ruined buildings and venture across the roof. Her heavy frame caused the cement to crack beneath her feet as she ran to the other edge. Peering over the side, her motion sensors picked up the fleeting movements of someone ducking around the corner. Jumping down, Penny quickly gave chase.

Her quarry proved to be both swift and elusive. But Penny's technology was top-of-the-line, and the person she sought failed to elude her for long. Rounding a corner, Penny came up short, a sharp gasp escaping her, an expression she'd picked up from other humans, even though she had no need to make the actual sound, seeing as she had no lungs.

"You!"

* * *

Yang grunted, and growled, using her strength to bend a chunk of rebar around the torso of a White Fang member. She might not have had Pyrrha's polarity, but her strength could make up the gap in its own way. Once the faunus was restrained, Yang dragged him back towards the rest of the group, who were being assembled together for easy pickup, once the authorities were called in.

She was distracted by the sound of someone approaching from behind her. Turning around, Yang saw Penny emerge from between a pair of buildings. "Find anything?" she asked.

Penny hesitated a fraction of a second, seemingly debating something internally, before turning and beaming at Yang. "No, nothing, I'm afraid."

"I see…" said Yang. "Well, that's fine then. I wonder how we're going to cart all these guys out."

Not far away, Pyrrha watched Yang chatting with Penny, her eyes narrowing. Her fingers clenched around the shaft of her javelin, her grip tightening, her eyes fixing on Yang's back, that spot between her shoulder blades. She was completely off-guard now...

 _No!_ Pyrrha stopped herself. There was no way she could do it and get away with it. Penny was right there. Pyrrha had hoped that, if today had proven like the previous day, she could have used the continuous pressure from the Grimm to break up the group and find a way to isolate Yang, so that she could be dealt with. However, her plans were derailed by what had happened down here. Now it looked as though their mission was already over, and her plans would have to be scrapped once again. Pyrrha realized that she would have to stand back and wait. Her chance would come again.

* * *

After Pyrrha and Yang had finished securing the prisoners, Oobleck sent the members of the team to find a location with enough reception that they could call in their report to Beacon, and secure transport for all those who had been captured. Soon, Bullheads descended upon Mountain Glenn in a flock, armed soldiers on board to help keep any marauding Grimm at bay while the prisoners were taken aboard.

So it was that Team WBY and JNPR found themselves back in Beacon Tower to be debriefed, their mission having only taken a single day and night to complete. Penny had returned to the Atlesian forces, albeit with apparent reluctance. Now the remaining seven students were assembled in front of Ozpin's desk. In a way, the situation was eerily familiar. However, this time, they were not present to deliver a report that one of their own had been lost in action. In fact, it was somewhat gratifying to report that the mission had been a success, albeit due to completely unknown circumstances.

"Truly an interesting conundrum," said Ozpin, getting up from his seat and turning to stare out the window. "It's hard to know if we'll ever learn the full truth about what happened down there. The White Fang soldiers have been passed into the Kingdom's custody, but it will take some time before they can be processed for interrogation."

"What about Torchwick?" asked Yang.

"We are still waiting for him to regain consciousness," said Ozpin, fixing his eyes on Weiss. "Ms. Schnee…"

"Yes!" Weiss shouted, startled out of the strangely pensive mood she'd been in ever since they'd returned to Beacon.

"I just wish to confirm...Torchwick was unconscious when you found him, correct?"

"That's right," said Weiss. "When I found him, he was already out cold."

"I see…" said Ozpin, resting his chin on his fingers, his eyes meeting Weiss' his gaze seeming to bore its way into her own. "Is there anything else you have to report about this admittedly anomalous situation?"

"Nothing, Professor," said Weiss, finding herself sweating slightly under Ozpin's scrutiny, though she couldn't figure out why.

"I see," said Ozpin. He abruptly began to smile at them. "Then you are all dismissed. Though the situation is strange, I believe we can call this a successful mission on your behalf. Whatever the White Fang were planning has been stopped, and Roman Torchwick is now in our custody. Those are truly great gains."

"Th-thank you, sir," said Weiss.

"Your classes will, of course, resume in two weeks, once most of the other teams have returned from their own missions," said Ozpin. "In the meantime, your time is free to do with as you please."

"Thank you, Professor," said Jaune.

"You are dismissed," said Ozpin, nodding to them.

The two teams filed into the elevator. Ozpin watched the indicator showing that the elevator was going down. When it reached the ground floor, he took his own scroll and sent a summons. A few minutes later, the elevator began to move up again. While he waited, Ozpin turned to look out the window once again, his ears telling him when the doors opened.

"So I presume we have you to thank for how things turned out in the caverns of Mountain Glenn," said Ozpin, a small, relieved smile on his face as he turned to greet the new arrivals.

"Yes, Professor," said Ruby Rose, smiling brightly as she and her two companions assembled in front of the desk.

Ozpin noted that Ruby had changed considerably in the months since he'd last laid eyes on her. That assessment had little to do with her new choice of attire. She retained the red cloak she wore almost perpetually. However, her black blouse she'd replaced with a black corset laced over a red top that left her shoulders and arms bare, save for a set of thin straps, two of which went over her shoulders, while the other pair extended out to loop around her arms. She'd also dispensed with the black leggings she typically wore, leaving her legs bare.

But it wasn't this change that drew Ozpin's attention though. Rather, it was the sudden increase in maturity. It infected everything, from Ruby's posture, to the way she spoke and engaged with him. Gone was the shy, nervous little prodigy he'd first met in an interrogation room. Standing before him, looking at him with a level, confident gaze, was a true Huntress, even if her training wasn't quite complete yet. It was clear that her experiences had, for good or for ill, forced her to grow up quickly.

Her companions were likewise interesting, albeit for different reasons. The tall, black-haired, boyish-looking young man, who Ruby had introduced as Ayumu Ao, always seemed perfectly calm and composed, a serene smile decorating his face at nearly all times. On Ruby's other side, the shorter, silver-haired boy with amber, slit-pupilled eyes, named Gin Ueno, surveyed everything with a practiced wariness, a certain tenseness to his body suggesting that he was perpetually on alert for any kind of threat. However, Ozpin did not fail to notice the way Ruby edged closer to Gin, or the manner that their hands brushed against one another, as though reassuring one another of their closeness. Despite the circumstances, it made Ozpin somewhat happy that young Ruby had managed to find someone to share her affections with.

"That was quite the feat," noted Ozpin. "James is livid, of course. He was utterly shocked that anything could destroy his Paladins so quickly and easily, even if they are just prototypes. You even made sure to destroy their data recorders so that he wouldn't be able to find evidence of you."

"Sorry," said Ruby. "I just want to keep the number of people who know I'm alive to a minimum for just a little bit longer."

"Until you've gotten conclusive evidence against Ms. Schnee and Ms. Nikos, I presume," said Ozpin.

"Actually…" said Ruby, fishing out her scroll, "…we got lucky and I managed to get that already."

"You did?" asked Ozpin.

Ruby nodded. It seemed that fate had been on her side for a change. She, Gin, and Ayumu had arrived in Mountain Glenn about two days before WBY and JNPR had flown in for their mission. Ruby had originally planned to cut through Mountain Glenn to covertly enter Vale and reach Beacon. However, they'd noticed the White Fang activity and investigated. They were horrified to discover Roman Torchwick and the White Fang setting up a major operation, and even more horrified to learn what that operation was. Naturally, they had decided to put a stop to it before entering Vale.

Then WBY and JNPR had arrived and Ruby had seen her chance to get the evidence she needed to put the final nail in Pyrrha and Weiss' coffin. During the mission, she'd covertly shadowed the two teams. With Gin and Ayumu's help and input, she'd drawn Weiss and Pyrrha's attention to her by saving them from Grimm, while allowing them to capture fleeting glimpses of her, even as she killed other Grimm in the area, just out of sight, to help take the pressure off of the others.

At that point, Ruby's intent had been merely to shake her targets up psychologically, to get their minds to fixate on her more. However, her efforts had borne unexpected fruit when she'd listened in on Pyrrha and Weiss' conversation during their watch. With that, she now had everything she needed to put the rest of her plan into motion.

Ruby set her scroll on the desk and hit play, a recording of the conversation between the two traitors filling the office. Ozpin listened in stony silence to what amounted to a confession between Weiss and Pyrrha that they had conspired to murder Ruby, and hide it during the chaos of a "mission gone wrong."

The recording ended and Ozpin lowered his head, sighing sadly. "When Qrow first told me about this…I had difficulty believing it. To think that Ms. Nikos and Ms. Schnee were capable of such cruelty and selfishness." He stared at the desk. "I had even considered Ms. Nikos to be ideal for…"

"For what?" prodded Ruby, noticing Ozpin's hesitance.

Ozpin smiled up at her again. "That's…something I'll need to think about before I decide to share it with you. Suffice to say, it's nothing that will affect your plans, now that I am aware of the truth regarding what happened on that mission."

"All right," said Ruby.

"Of course, it would also seem we owe you a debt for stopping Torchwick's plan," said Ozpin. "Do you know the specifics of what his aim was?"

"Yeah," said the silver-haired boy that Ruby had introduced as Gin. "I was the one who scouted the place out. Torchwick and the White Fang planned to take the train through the tunnel. As they did so, they'd detach the cars and detonate the bombs inside them, blowing openings through the ceiling to drop Grimm into the tunnel."

"From there, the Grimm would follow the train as it ran its course, and smashed through the barriers in the center of Vale," said Ayumu.

"So Torchwick intended to lure the Grimm, and cause a breach within the Kingdom's walls," said Ozpin, a shudder rushing through him. "Monstrous."

"It's worse than that," said Ruby. "When we found them, they were still getting things ready. It wasn't just Grimm. They were going to turn those Paladins loose inside the Kingdom as well, and a whole army of armed faunus."

"It would have been chaos on an unprecedented scale," said Ayumu.

Ozpin's lips pressed into a tight line. "And it would have taken place when the majority of Beacon's teams, and our local Huntsmen, were away on missions," he noted, "meaning the resulting response would have been sluggish at best, and barely adequate, if that, to contain the damage of the attack. There would have been loss of life on a massive scale."

Ruby and her friends nodded.

Ozpin frowned at them. "It seems then that your plan was somewhat reckless. Even if he hadn't fully assembled his forces, it's clear that Torchwick was ready to move out at anytime. If you hadn't been careful, he might have sent the train out before you could have stopped him."

"We considered that," said Gin in an unconcerned tone. "That's why, before we did anything else, the very first thing I did was head a few-hundred meters down the tunnel, and tear up the tracks. Even if Torchwick had gotten that train underway, it wouldn't have gotten far."

"Then it seems we have much to be grateful to you for," said Ozpin, his expression relaxing. "Please, take a seat, Ms. Rose, Mr. Ueno, Mr. Ao. I understand that you wish to set your plans in motion, but it will take some time to get things ready to meet your specifications. In the meantime, Ms. Rose, I wish to hear more about what you have been doing since the day of your supposed death." He produced a trio of mugs, and poured coffee for them.

"All right," said Ruby, seating herself in one of the seats arrayed before Ozpin's desk, Gin and Ayumu sitting next to her.

* * *

Pyrrha treaded carefully as she made her way out onto the roof of the dorms. This was where she typically held her evening practice sessions with Jaune. As locations for discussion went, it was about as private as they could hope for. However, Pyrrha, remembering what had happened following Jaune's confession about forging his transcripts, reminded herself that they needed to keep their voices down, and remember that Team CRDL had the room directly below them. She hoped Weiss understood the need as much as she did.

"What is it?" she asked Weiss, who turned away from staring mournfully out in the distance.

It had been somewhat jarring to receive a message from Weiss, right before lights out no less, telling her that they needed to talk. Pyrrha had initially entertained the thought of turning Weiss down. After all, she was frustrated that she'd missed the chance to eliminate Yang. The mission had been deemed a success, but the way it had ended had left uneasy feelings in everyone involved. It didn't help that Pyrrha was sure that Weiss wanted to continue the discussion they'd had on watch the previous night, something that Pyrrha definitely didn't want to do. However, Pyrrha figured that she was better off talking her ally down before Weiss panicked and did something foolish.

"Roman was conscious when I found him," said Weiss, turning to face Pyrrha, at least remembering to keep her voice low.

"That's not what you told Professor Ozpin," said Pyrrha, not feeling all that surprised. Something about Weiss' report on the affair had struck Pyrrha as being untruthful.

"I knocked him out myself," said Weiss, her tone growing harsh. "I couldn't let him talk…not there."

"Talk…talk about what?" asked Pyrrha.

"He saw who brought down his operation," said Weiss, her voice gaining a shrill quality. "He was half out of his mind because he thought he'd seen a ghost."

"A ghost?" asked Pyrrha skeptically. "Weiss! You can't be suggesting-"

"He said he saw Ruby!" snapped Weiss, before covering her mouth at the realization that she'd raised her voice. Both she and Pyrrha froze, ears straining for any sign that their conversation had been overheard by the boys below.

By mutual silent agreement, they moved away from the edge of the roof and closer to the door, resuming their conversation in hushed whispers.

"That can't be right!" Pyrrha whispered frantically. "Ruby's dead. We made sure of it!"

"I know!" hissed Weiss. "Dammit! I know that. But I can't figure out what other explanation there is…unless you really do believe in ghosts."

The deadpan look on Pyrrha's face indicated quite clearly that she didn't. "Then why…how…what was she doing there?" asked Pyrrha. "If Ruby's still alive, she should have blown the whistle on us a long time ago."

"I don't know," growled Weiss. "But we need to do something. We need to figure this out soon. Torchwick won't be out for much longer, if he hasn't woken up already. He'll talk, and people will start looking for Ruby. If they find her…"

Pyrrha nodded, her face pale. The time for skepticism was over. Weiss wouldn't lie about something like this, and, if Roman was lying about Ruby being the one to bring him and the White Fang down, it was an odd lie to tell. At this point, the sensible thing to do was take what Roman had said, and what they had seen, seriously and assume that Ruby was still alive. Furthermore, she had apparently appeared to them, and no one else. At least, no one else had talked about catching fleeting glances of red cloaks or drifting petals. That suggested that she was deliberately informing Pyrrha and Weiss specifically that she was alive. Although why…neither of them could guess.

"But how do we find her?" asked Pyrrha.

Weiss looked down, narrowing her eyes in thought. "If she hasn't told anyone that she's back, if she hasn't already snitched on us, that means that she wants to get revenge. If that's the case…we should give her the opportunity."

"What?" gasped Pyrrha.

"She wants to get us back for almost killing her," explained Weiss. "That means she wants to fight us directly. Otherwise she'd have gone straight to Ozpin, and we'd be on our way to cells right now. That gives us a chance.

"If we give her an opening, and she jumps on us, we can kill her, for good this time, and make sure that none of this makes it out. We just have to arrange things so that we have the advantage."

"But how and where?" asked Pyrrha.

Weiss gnawed on her thumbnail. "That's the hard part," she said. "We can't do it anywhere on Beacon grounds. A fight here would attract attention. Our best bet is to try and lure her into the Emerald Forest. We just need to figure out how to get there without raising any suspicions."

Pyrrha nodded. That would be the tricky part. She and Weiss had been spending a good bit of time together lately, but not enough that it would be easy to justify a joint training session in the Emerald Forest with just the two of them. It would take a little more careful planning to come up with an appropriate excuse. But they needed to hurry, otherwise Ruby might tire of waiting, and instead simply go to the authorities.

"Let's sleep on it for now," said Pyrrha finally. "We'll figure out what to do tomorrow."

"I guess," said Weiss, lowering her head. "That damn dunce! She can't even die properly."

"We'll make sure it's done right this time," said Pyrrha. The two of them headed through the door and disappeared inside.

Along the wall, not far down from where the two of them had been talking, the air began to shimmer. Finally, silver mist streamed off, almost like a curtain being pulled back, revealing Gin, who'd been leaning against the wall quietly, ever since he'd followed Pyrrha and Weiss up to the roof. In his hand was a scroll, one of the models Beacon issued to new students. Ozpin had given it to him earlier that day.

Now that Weiss and Pyrrha were gone, Gin held the scroll up. "You get all that?"

"Every word," said Ayumu in a firm tone, with a good bit more anger than he usually used. "This should be enough nails for their coffin, I think."

Gin nodded. "I'd figure it'd take a little more work to make them lower their guards enough to start talking openly about it with one another, but we've checked all the boxes for sure."

"They've admitted to attempting to kill Ruby," said Ayumu. "They've admitted that it was a joint effort on their parts. They also admit to a lack of remorse, and, if confronted by her, would prefer to attempt her murder again, rather than repent their actions. That should suffice for Mr. Branwen's criteria, Professor Ozpin's as well. With this, Ruby will be able to go ahead."

* * *

Another day passed. More and more teams had gone out on their missions, the only ones remaining being those who had taken missions in Vale itself or one or two that, like WBY and JNPR had completed their missions ahead of schedule.

Everyone took advantage of the unexpected free time in their own way. Blake holed up in the library with her favorite books. Yang and Jaune accompanied Ren and Nora into Vale for amusement. Weiss and Pyrrha took the opportunity to "study" together, their studying actually being the two of them working out plans to draw Ruby out into the Emerald Forest to deal with her.

"We can do it any day now," said Weiss. "The sooner the better. Yang and Jaune are always heading into Vale, Ren and Nora too. Blake will stay in the library. That gives us a chance to discreetly book a training excursion to the Emerald Forest for the two of us."

"Suppose Ruby doesn't take the bait?" asked Pyrrha. At this moment, with the conundrum of Ruby on their minds, she was too worried to waste energy being jealous of Yang.

"It's hard to think that she won't," said Weiss. "She's had plenty of opportunities to confront us, but she hasn't. That must mean she's trying to get us alone, like we did for her."

"If that's the case, she must be confident that she can win," said Pyrrha.

"Overconfident," said Weiss, her voice emerging with a vindictive smile. "She really is a naive brat if she thinks she has any more of a chance against us now than she did last time."

They continued to plan things out, using a map of the Emerald Forest that Weiss had downloaded onto her scroll to figure out the best location to fight Ruby. By the time they finished, it was nearly time for dinner. Everyone else had returned already, so Weiss and Pyrrha went to join them in the dining hall.

Despite their anxiety over what was going on, Weiss and Pyrrha managed to put on happy fronts to keep their friends from cluing in. After dinner, Weiss planned to go and book a training session for her and Pyrrha in the Emerald Forest the next day. Once they were finished with the meal, Weiss excused herself from the others and headed down the hall towards Professor Goodwitch's office in order to make arrangements.

However, Weiss was stopped when her scroll rang. Pulling it out, she was surprised to see a contact that she didn't recognize. Answering it, she put the device up to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hi, Weiss!"

The voice, with all its sadistic good cheer, chilled Weiss to the bone, making the bottom drop out of her stomach. There was no mistaking things now. "Ruby…"

* * *

 **I'll be completely honest, some comments on last chapter brought to light an oversight on my part. I'd completely forgotten that Oobleck was awake and listening to the group while they talked. My only explanation for why he didn't hear Weiss and Pyrrha chatting is because he's parked over by the main group, listening to them more than a couple of people on sentry duty. Another commenter brought up Penny's superior hearing. But, as this chapter shows, she has to consciously dial up her sensitivity. She didn't have any reason to, when she wasn't on watch, so she didn't.**

 **And here is where things _really_ start to go off the rails, regarding the progression of events in comparison to the canon of Volume 2 and on. My big gripe about stories that retread the first three volumes of RWBY is that, often, regardless of whatever "what if" scenario is in play, however much of a badass that story's particular iteration of Jaune is, or whatever other elements have been added or subtracted, more often than not, the main events of the volume still play out as they do in canon. The train still gets sent. The Breach still happens. Cinder's overall plan over the course of Volume 3 still mostly plays out the way it did in canon. For my story, the Breach is where I choose to switch the tracks, so to speak. Just by making it so that the Breach is stopped really switches things around, and changes things up for both the good guys and the bad guys. So strap in, as this is where we start delving into serious AU territory.**

 **So...the scene where the the group is looking for the White Fang, while listening to the dwindling sounds of battle, was actually inspired by a scene from a horror movie. The movie in question is called _Eyes in the Dark_. All told, it's a fairly standard first-person-camera horror flick about a group of kids that go on a trip in the mountains, disappear, and, of course, the authorities are going over their video recordings to find out what made them disappear. It's not anything special, really, at least in terms of storytelling or originality, pretty much another _Blair Witch_ knockoff with a twist, the twist, in this case, being that the titular "Eyes" are glowing red eyes belonging to some kind of monstrous bear/wolf hybrid...things. However, as a RWBY fan, it's fun to watch this movie and imagine it as a sort of apocalyptic log, documenting humanity's first encounters with the Creatures of Grimm. You can watch the whole thing for free, over on Youtube.**

 **The scene in question actually takes place partway through the movie, where there's an abrupt cut-away from the main narrative about the missing kids, going to the video logs of the rescue teams looking for them. The video follows one of the search parties as the search goes on into the night. They get called back to meet up with the main group, only to turn and hear screams, gunshots, and roars, watching from a distance as the lights marking the main rescue group go out, one by one, and fade away into silence. It's my favorite scene from the movie, and I opted to put a scene like it here in the story.**


	36. Chapter 36

**So, a warning of possible delays in posting. It's not anything dramatic. You see, right now I'm currently in Orlando for a friend's wedding. Because of that, my schedule will be a bit...erratic for the next few days. I'm not 100% sure I'll be able to continually maintain the updates on this and my other story during the course of the next few days. I'll try, but I can't guarantee that I'll be able to stay completely on schedule with my updates. However, I'll be back home on Monday, so, if there even is a delay, it won't be a major one.**

* * *

 **Chapter 36:**

"Ruby…" Weiss' throat suddenly felt dry, and she had to work her mouth to produce any saliva. A nauseating feeling welled up in her stomach, and she felt like throwing up. Without even realizing it, the hand that clutched her scroll to her ear began to shake.

Hearing her voice cemented things in reality. Weiss and Pyrrha had already been operating under the pretense that Ruby had somehow survived and made her way back. They'd weighed the evidence, considered the likelihood, and come to the conclusion that it was better to err on the side of caution. However, at the back of their minds, there had always been a silent bit of doubt that neither of them wanted to voice, lest they get their hopes up, the notion that this was all in their heads, and that Ruby was still dead as a doornail, back in the forests of Sanus. They would go out into the Emerald Forest, and, when nothing happened, they'd realize that they were just being overly paranoid and go back to their lives as usual.

But now…hearing Ruby's voice on the other end of the scroll, talking with that same cheerful tone she'd always used, almost as though they were still friends and partners, set things in stone. Ruby was alive, and, Weiss had no doubt, she was close, somewhere on Beacon grounds at the very least. The realization sent a shiver down Weiss' spine. How long had Ruby been back in Vale? How long had she been watching them?

"It's been a while, Weiss," said Ruby, her tone still cheerful. "I don't think we've talked since you _stabbed_ me in the _chest_ and _pushed_ me off a _cliff_." As she spoke, her tone grew harsher and angrier, which, ironically, made it less disconcerting.

Weiss worked her mouth, trying to come up with an answer. She realized that Ruby had thrown her off her game quite nicely, calling preemptively like this. Weiss wasn't sure if Ruby knew what Weiss and Pyrrha had planned for her, but Weiss doubted that she and Pyrrha would get their chance now. If Ruby was calling her, then that meant that Ruby was making her move, which probably wouldn't allow Weiss and Pyrrha to make theirs.

"You seem to be doing pretty well for a dead girl," said Weiss, her own tone bitter, reflecting her feelings about how unfair this situation was. "It would be better if you just disappeared again."

"I can't do that, Weiss," said Ruby. "Or…I'm not going to. I've spent a long time getting ready for this, and now…you're going to get what you deserve."

"Deserve…" Weiss' throat tightened, an old, familiar rage welling up within her. "What I deserve…I got what I deserved that night in the forest. I deserved better than to be following the orders of a damn child. I deserved to have the authority that I studied and trained for. I deserve to be left alone by you. That's what _I_ deserve."

"Wow…You know, I always thought you were spoiled, but I didn't realize how bad it was," said Ruby. "Weiss shouldn't always get what Weiss wants. This is one of those times. I'm back, I'm taking you down, and I'm getting back everything that you tried to take away from me."

"What are you going to do?" snarled Weiss, something occurring to her. "The truth is you can't do anything, can you?" She found herself smirking at the thought. "That's why you've been so evasive, why you haven't just gone straight to Ozpin. You don't have any proof. That's why you want to deal with me and Pyrrha without involving anyone else."

It was a sound theory in Weiss' mind, one that became more plausible the more she thought about it. Ruby might have been a complete dunce, but she wasn't utterly stupid. She had to know that, absent any actual evidence of what had happened that night on the cliff, it would simply become a case of her word against Weiss and Pyrrha's. Certainly, Ruby would have people in her corner. Yang would probably believe her little sister, no matter what, and be on her side without needing prompting. But most of the others, if not all of them, would have considerable reason to doubt, especially when it had taken Ruby so long to come back. The theory cemented itself in Weiss' mind, and her confidence swelled like a balloon.

Unfortunately for her, Ruby had more than a few needles. "Yeah…about that…"

Suddenly, Weiss heard her voice over the scroll. "… _But I killed my partner, and I covered it up by calling down the Grimm right on top of our teams…_ " Abruptly, she found herself fighting back the urge to vomit again.

"You know, you actually made it too easy," said Ruby, coming back on the line. "I'd figured it might take me a few days or even a couple weeks to get this. I had this whole plan in mind for you. I'd haunt you like a ghost, distracting you during your sparring matches and study sessions. It was going to be so much fun. But you cracked and spilled the beans in less than a day. I'm kinda disappointed."

Even as Weiss shuddered, she found herself confused. This wasn't like Ruby at all. Sure, Weiss supposed that being betrayed the way Ruby had been would make anyone more cynical. But this convoluted plan of wearing down her and Pyrrha's psyches through the careful application of psychological pressure was a more sophisticated plan than she could ever see Ruby coming up with.

"So now…you're probably wondering why I haven't just gone to Ozpin and handed this over to him," said Ruby, snapping Weiss out of her confusion. "The truth is that I plan to. But I don't want to do it just yet. I want to pay you and Pyrrha back first. I'm going to give you a taste of the pain you gave me."

"What do you want?" growled Weiss.

"Simple, really," said Ruby. "I've arranged for one of the sparring rings to be available. The teachers don't know it's me. I reserved it under your name, if you don't mind. I'll give you…let's say…fifteen minutes. If you and Pyrrha don't show up by then, I'll send this recording to my team, Juniper, and Ozpin. Then everyone will see you for what you really are."

Weiss swallowed and then frowned. "And if we show up…?"

"Well, then you'll have your chance to stop me, won't you," said Ruby. "Of course, that's assuming the two of you can beat me now."

"You're still a fool," said Weiss. "I don't know what you've been doing these past few months, but there's no way you could have gotten good enough to beat me and Pyrrha." Despite her words, Weiss was sufficiently unsettled that she couldn't maintain proper grammar.

"We'll see," said Ruby. "That is…assuming you show up. Otherwise, you can run away if you want, and I'll be giving you a fifteen-minute head start. It's up to you. But I hope you do show up."

With that, Ruby hung up. For several long seconds, Weiss was left staring at her inactive scroll, a numb feeling spreading through her body as she weighed the situation in her mind. There was no question that Ruby was no match for her and Pyrrha both, yet she was foolish enough to give them both an opportunity to fight her.

However, at the same time, Weiss couldn't forget that Ruby was in complete control of the situation now. She'd picked the sparring ring for a reason, probably because there was a greater chance of them being spotted there. Of course, if she and Pyrrha did win, Weiss had no intention of letting Ruby walk away. She'd make sure that annoying brat was dead for sure. However, getting rid of her body would be a lot more difficult than it would have been if they'd been able to leave her to the Grimm in the Emerald Forest.

More to the point, Weiss realized her time was running out. Ruby had only given her fifteen minutes after all. Weiss was already in her combat clothes, but she'd need the time to get to her locker and get her weapon. Pyrrha would need that time too.

The realization galvanizing her to action, Weiss called Pyrrha.

* * *

Ruby waited patiently in the center of the sparring ring, breathing deeply, allowing her breaths to feed the kindling fire within her. It had been one of the first techniques that Yu had taught her. Aura was power born from the soul itself. Therefore, despite the fact that a person could technically run out of Aura, it was inconceivable that a person could run out of soul. The breathing exercise Yu had taught her allowed her to gradually recharge her Aura by drawing out the essence of her soul. It was functionally limitless, but Aura also had a physical aspect that drew from her own stamina, hence why having one's Aura broken was so debilitating. However, by drawing further from her soul, Ruby could replenish even the physical aspect of her Aura to an extent.

Right now, there wasn't a specific need for her to do that. Ruby had yet to physically exert herself today. Rather, she was using the exercise to calm and reinforce her strength to the maximum extent, honing everything she had developed over the past few months, readying to unleash it against the two girls who had wronged her.

She opened her eyes slowly, her ears picking up a tone from her scroll. Picking it up, she saw that Ayumu was calling her. "The others are in their dorm rooms," he informed her. "Ms. Nikos just left her team in quite the hurry."

"Thanks," said Ruby. "Are you ready?"

"Whenever you are," said Ayumu.

"Okay," said Ruby, hanging up on him.

She waited a few more minutes before her scroll chimed again. This time it was Gin calling her.

"They've gotten their weapons and are almost there," he said. "You have about two minutes."

"All right," said Ruby.

"I'll be close," Gin promised her, "just in case. Be careful, Ruby."

"I will," said Ruby, smiling fondly. Rather than put her scroll away, she instead took the recordings she and Gin had gotten of Weiss and Pyrrha's conversations. She then set them up as an attachment to a message she would send to the five people she most wanted to hear the truth about what Weiss and Pyrrha had done. Once she'd set everything up, Ruby's finger hovered a fraction of a second before she pressed "Send."

* * *

Weiss and Pyrrha arrived at the sparring ring, rushing in as fast as their feet could carry them. They skidded to a stop, both of them blinking furiously, not quite believing their eyes. Even though she'd heard Ruby's voice over the scroll, Weiss still had to admit that the situation had more than a little sense of unreality to it. But now, staring at Ruby, there, in the ring, the reality of the situation struck her like a slap across the face.

"Hi, Weiss…Pyrrha…" said Ruby, beaming happily, almost like she was meeting them for an afternoon in Vale. "…long time, no see."

"Ruby…" growled Pyrrha, her fingers clenching. A second later, her sword and shield slid off her back and into place, ready to be used at a second's notice.

Weiss drew Myrtenaster and leveled it at her former partner.

"Wow…no love lost, huh?" asked Ruby rhetorically, still seeming to enjoy the situation. "It's almost as though you two were the ones who got betrayed and left for dead, at the bottom of a cliff in a forest full of Grimm."

"Why shouldn't we feel betrayed?" Weiss wanted to know. "I've worked much too hard to allow you to ruin everything now. We were free from you, and everything was going well. You should have just stayed gone."

"Well, I'm sorry you feel that way…except…not really," said Ruby. "You like to talk about how I don't deserve to be in Beacon. Well, the way I see it, neither of you deserve to get off scot free, when everything you've gotten you did by stabbing me in the back…metaphorically speaking." She pulled out a Beacon-issue scroll and held it up for them to see.

 _Where did she get that?_ wondered Weiss, feeling another chill go down her spine. Only a member of the staff could have issued another scroll. But, at the same time, if Ruby wanted to keep her revenge private until she'd finished with them, she couldn't have gotten it with the faculty's knowledge, which meant she'd probably stolen it from another student.

"So…here's the deal," said Ruby. "All my recordings of you two are on this scroll. If I win, I send this to everyone: Yang, Blake, Jaune, Ozpin…Everyone. If you two win, well…I guess you'll get to do whatever you want with it."

Weiss and Pyrrha couldn't keep from smiling at Ruby's naiveté. Her greatest mistake had been to give them so much time to prepare for this. Thanks to that, they'd had the time to hash out a quick plan in the locker room, before coming over. Granted, they hadn't expected Ruby to actually be this stupid, but if that worked to their advantage, they'd gladly accept it.

"You really _are_ a dunce," said Weiss.

At that instant, Pyrrha dropped her sword and reached out with her Semblance, a black aura lining the scroll in Ruby's hand. Before the younger girl could react, Pyrrha wrenched it away, making it fly across the distance between them so that it now hovered over her hand. With a victorious smile, Pyrrha closed her hand and used her Semblance to crush the scroll, making it spit and spark, as its frame crumpled in on itself. Finally, Pyrrha flicked her hand and sent the broken mess of circuits flying off to the side, hitting the floor and fragmenting further.

"And now you have nothing," said Weiss smugly.

Ruby stared at them, before staring back down at the hand she'd been holding her scroll with, then back up at them. To Weiss' shock, Ruby beamed cheerfully at her. "Well, I figured you'd do that," she said.

"Wh-what?" sputtered Pyrrha.

Ruby giggled, smiling so hard her eyes closed. "Silly Weiss, silly Pyrrha…" She opened her eyes again and dropped the cheerful facade, her face now glowing with focused anger. "Did you even think for a _second_ that I'd actually give you a chance to get away with what you did? That wasn't even my real scroll."

Seeing them dumbfounded, Ruby smiled again, this time wearing a smirk that mirrored the ones Weiss and Pyrrha had been wearing only a second earlier. "Professor Ozpin already knows _everything_. He had all the evidence of what you two did days ago. He's the one who let me use the sparring ring." She gestured at the ring around them. "And, as for the others…" Ruby's eyes narrowed. "…I sent your little confession to them right before you got here."

Almost as if on cue, the metal floor of the ring began to vibrate faintly, a vibration that accompanied a sound, a sound coming from so far away and from outside the sparring ring's impressive sound-dampening field that they shouldn't have been able to hear it at all. Yet they heard it all the same.

" _Weeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissssssssss!_ "

Fear gripped Weiss' heart with chill fingers as Yang Xiao Long's wrathful roar reached every corner of Beacon's campus.

* * *

Ozpin sipped from his mug, an eyebrow going up as Yang's roar echoed across campus, even shaking the windows of Beacon Tower itself. "My…that was quite dramatic," he observed. "I wonder if Ms. Rose and the boys thought their plan through as carefully as they thought. Glynda will be livid when all this is over."

Setting his mug down, he stood up and took his cane, making his way to the elevator. He wanted to see how much Ruby had changed with his own eyes.

* * *

The door to Team WBY's room disintegrated from the force of Yang's punch. She hadn't even used her weapons, wasn't even wearing them. She and Blake had both been surprised when their scrolls had chimed at the same time, revealing that they'd received a message from an unknown sender. The message had consisted of a pair of audio files of conversations between Weiss and Pyrrha. Listening to the first one, Yang's mental processes had ground to a halt as the implications of what she'd just heard changed her view of the entire past few months.

She hadn't even noticed when Blake, with a trembling finger, had played the second recording. She'd gasped in shock to learn that Ruby was still alive, then again with horror when she heard Weiss and Pyrrha plotting to kill her again, and make sure she was dead this time. However, by this point, Yang was far beyond listening.

Normally, Yang's Semblance was fueled by the damage she took in battle. However, it could also draw from her anger. At this moment, Yang's rage had grown beyond anything she'd ever experienced before. Her body was practically incandescent, her Aura swirling around her like a maelstrom of golden flame. Her hair glowed such a brilliant yellow that it hurt to even look at it. Above all, her eyes blazed a pure, angry red, the color of blood, the color she planned to beat out of Weiss and Pyrrha, and spread across the ground like spilled paint.

If Yang's roar had been loud enough that Weiss and Pyrrha had heard it across campus, behind the sparring arena's sound-dampening field, then it was deafening up close. The entire wing of the dorms shook and vibrated. Windows cracked, then shattered. Wasting no time, Yang strode across the hall and punched the door leading to Team JNPR's room. The wooden barrier fared no better than her own room's door had.

"WHERE IS SHE!?" howled Yang as the splintered remnants of Team JNPR's door crunched beneath her feet. "Where is that _bitch!_ "

Yang's rage actually calmed somewhat, as it was replaced by confusion when her words were greeted with no reaction at all. She'd expected confusion from Jaune, Nora, and Ren. She'd expected them to try and calm her, to ask what she was so upset about. However, her spectacular entrance had garnered no reaction at all. Instead, the three remaining members of JNPR were all completely transfixed by their own scrolls, staring dumbly at the devices.

Nora's hands were clamped over her mouth, clenching so hard that her nails were actually drawing lines of blood across her cheeks, as though she was desperately fighting to hold back a bloodcurdling scream. Tears streamed from her eyes and she was slowly shaking her head back and forth, muffled whimpers escaping from her hands.

Ren's reaction was the most subdued of the three. He stared at his scroll as though he could no longer even comprehend what it was, much less what he'd just heard. He'd gone utterly still, so completely still that he might as well have been a statue, not even the slightest twitch of motion coming from his extremities.

And Jaune…Jaune's face had gone completely white, and he looked sicker than he had on the airship ride that had brought them to Beacon on their first day. In stark contrast to Ren, the hand holding his scroll was shaking like a leaf in the wind. He stared at the device in horror, as though it had morphed into some hideous monstrosity. Worse still were his eyes, a look of complete, empty despair.

None of them seemed to notice that Yang had even entered the room. The looks of betrayal on their faces was like a bucket of cold water to Yang as she realized that they'd received the same message that she had. For a moment, all she could do was stare at them. They looked as though their worlds had been turned completely upside down and inside out.

Finally, Jaune slowly looked up at her, as though finally realizing that she was there. His mouth opened. "Ya-" He closed it again, his cheeks bulging. Jaune shot to his feet and stumbled in the direction of the bathroom. However, he only made it a couple of steps before bending over double and throwing up on the floor.

In the meantime, Nora had transitioned from covering her mouth to planting her hands on the sides of her head as she rocked back and forth on her bed. "Oh God! This can't be real!" she whimpered. "This can't be right! Pyrrha wouldn't do that!"

"I…" Ren opened his mouth, then hesitated. For a second, it looked as though he would throw up as well. Then he mastered the impulse. "It's hard to deny…those were definitely their voices."

"But they couldn't have…could they?" asked Nora, looking to Ren for reassurance. "It's fake. It has to be."

"I…I wish I could say that it wasn't," said Ren, his voice heavy with disbelief nonetheless. "An audio recording is easier to falsify than a video one. But…I can't think of anything that…that would allow me to say that this is a hoax. Besides…"

"Besides what?" asked Yang, finally getting their attention.

"P-Pyrrha got a call," said Jaune, straightening up now that he'd expelled his dinner across the carpet. He was still pale, and the look on his face haunted. But he faced Yang firmly. "Weiss called her, just a few minutes ago. She looked upset about something."

"We tried to ask what was wrong," added Ren.

"But she said it was nothing, and that she just forgot to get something from the library," said Nora.

"Then she left," finished Jaune.

"Then…we just got…this," said Ren, pointing lamely at his scroll.

"Did you get the same thing?" asked Nora, looking worriedly at Yang, as though afraid she was going to explode…which wasn't an unfounded fear under the circumstances.

"Yeah," said Yang, her Semblance winding down as she took in the horrified expressions of the three remaining members of JNPR.

"Wha-what do we do?" asked Jaune.

Yang thought about it for all of a second. Then her eyes narrowed and her rage began to rekindle. "We find Weiss and Pyrrha, and we find out for _sure_ whether or not this is real."

"Actually, I can assure you that it is _very_ real."

Yang jumped, spinning around and falling into a combat stance, her arms up and ready as she faced the source of the unexpected voice coming from the ruined doorway behind her. A young man stood there, a pleasant, serene smile adorning his boyish face, framed by black hair. He was dressed in light-blue, Mistraillian-style clothing, somewhat similar to Ren's, though much plainer and looking more worn. His arms were folded behind his back and his posture was relaxed, as though he were in the midst of an ordinary conversation.

"Who are you?" asked Yang, unable to keep an angry harshness from her voice. "How do you know that this is real?"

"Because my friend and I were the ones who found Ruby," said the boy, not even flinching before Yang's anger, his grayish blue eyes showing no signs of fear. "We found her at the base of that cliff, and treated her injuries. We also accompanied her on her journey back to Vale."

Once again, Yang felt a shock, like being doused by a bucket of ice-water. This time, the fire of her rage was quenched instantly by the realization of what the boy had just said. "Ruby's…alive?"

"She is," said the boy, nodding.

"How…how do you know this is true?" demanded Ren, holding up his scroll.

"Ruby recorded that first conversation herself," answered the boy levelly. "Our friend, Gin, recorded the other one on the roof the other night."

Yang, however, had only one thing on her mind. "Wh-where is she?" asked Yang, her entire body quaking.

"Over at the sparring arena," said the young man. "Professor Ozpin has made arrangements to allow Ruby to confront her attackers personally."

"What?" This time, it wasn't Yang, but Jaune, his voice trembling with fear.

"You're saying that Weiss and Pyrrha nearly killed Ruby last time…" Blake's voice came from behind the young man, prompting him to turn around. "…and now she's facing them…again…alone?"

"She is facing them again," said the young man. "But she isn't facing them alone. Gin is there as well. He's promised to remain on the sidelines. But if Ruby is in real danger, he won't remain idle, I assure you."

Yang wasn't in the mood for further conversation, pushing past the boy and breaking out in a run as she rushed down the hallway.

"Who are you?" Blake asked the boy after watching Yang go.

"Ah…I'm sorry," said the young man, turning back to her. "I am Ayumu Ao."

"And you're all right with allowing Ruby to fight the two people who almost killed her before?" asked Jaune.

"I am," said Ayumu. "Ruby has grown considerably on her journey here. I daresay you'll be quite surprised by her development." His eyes narrowed slightly. "I know her opponents will be."

"Let's go," said Jaune, still looking pale and shaken, not even noticing that his shoes were splattered with vomit. He began to stumble down the way Yang had taken, his pace quickening when Ren gripped his arm to support him. Blake and Nora followed in their wake, the former holding up the latter, who still seemed to be in a stupor over the revelation of Pyrrha's betrayal.

Ayumu watched them go, his pleasant smile still in place. He was about to follow, when he was stopped by a harsh, shocked voice from behind him. "What on Remnant happened here?"

Ayumu turned around to see a stunned Glynda Goodwitch staring at the wrecked doorways of the two dorm rooms, along with the shattered glass that littered the floor from broken lights above. It was fortunate that every other team on this floor of the dorm was out on mission, or there would be an even greater commotion. As it was, Goodwitch's expression shifted and changed, as she was apparently uncertain whether to be angry or worried.

"Ah…apologies for the mess," said Ayumu, clapping his hands together and bowing slightly to her. "Please forgive them. They received some very bad and very good news at the same time."

"What?" asked Goodwitch, staring at Ayumu in confusion. "And who are you?"

"Well…there's a bit of a story behind that," said Ayumu, his smile adopting a sheepish quality as he rubbed the back of his head. "You will get many of your answers, if you head to the sparring arena."

Glynda pulled out her riding crop and leveled it at Ayumu. "I'll get my answers from you…right now."

Ayumu sighed. "If you wish," he said. "But can we at least speak as we walk. I'd hate to miss Ruby's debut."

Glynda's eyes widened and her riding crop dropped from nerveless fingers. "What did you just say?"

* * *

"You lied…" said Weiss, barely able to comprehend it.

Ruby's smile was unquestionably vindictive. She was enjoying their fear. "Yep," she said in an irritatingly cheerful tone. "You two didn't play fair when you tried to kill me. Why should I play fair with you two now?"

Weiss' entire body tensed, and she shared a worried look with Pyrrha.

"Before long, the _entire world_ will know what you did," said Ruby, her voice firm with conviction. "Everything that you worked for, everything that you tried to _murder_ me for, is going to be taken away. You'll have nowhere to run, no one to help you. And, unlike me, you'll completely _deserve_ it. I'll let you run, if you want. It's more of a chance than what you gave me, but I'm nicer than you."

"You little… _bitch!_ " snarled Weiss, her eyes narrowing. "You'll pay for this!"

"Make me," said Ruby.

Weiss and Pyrrha shared a look, both of them debating whether to attack or run. Having heard Yang, they knew that that Ruby's enraged older sister was probably on her way to the arena now. Once she saw them, they both knew there was little to hold her back. Even if they still had an edge over Ruby, it was impossible to kill her quickly enough to get away under these circumstances.

Weiss turned to look at Ruby again, and, at the sight of the triumphant expression on the younger girl's face, Weiss suddenly found the thought of running away the furthest thing from her mind. It wasn't just these past few months of working with a team one person short that had suddenly been wasted. It was the years she'd spent before that; all the studying, the training, pushing herself to the limit; all the time and effort Weiss had invested in her plan to become an accomplished Huntress, seize her inheritance, and restore her family's name to its previous glory; putting everything on the line to defy her father's wish to send her to Atlas Academy instead of Beacon, even going so far as to wind up scarring her face in the process of forcing her way; _all_ of it had been completely undone by the girl in front of her. Worse than the humiliation of being forced to answer to someone two years younger than her, worse than failing to secure a position of authority for herself, _everything_ Weiss had invested in her future was now gone. And the one that had taken it away from her was standing right in front of her...smiling.

"It's painful, isn't it?" asked Ruby. "Everything you've built up has been knocked down, and all the work you've put into it was wasted. All your life, all the work you've put into what you've done up to this point is worthless now. Guess what. That's what _defeat_ feels like.

"Whether you fight or run, whether you win or lose here, whether I'm still standing or actually dead this time, I've already won. I've beaten you, both of you."

In a flash, Weiss' reason completely deserted her. Myrtenaster's shaking stopped, its tip orienting on Ruby with the surety of the needle of a compass pointing north. With a wordless scream of rage, Weiss lunged forward, flashing across the floor as she hurtled herself at Ruby, her rapier leading like the head of an arrow.

A beat behind her, Pyrrha's own expression hardened, her emerald eyes blazing with fury. Then she too charged the girl who'd so cavalierly destroyed everything they'd worked for.

* * *

In her rush to reach the sparring ring, Yang barely even realized the doors were closed. She wound up stumbling, trying not to break her stride, forgetting to even use her hands, instead slamming shoulder-first into them to throw them apart so that she wouldn't lose speed as she rushed into the room. She arrived just as Weiss' shriek of rage reached her ears. Looking up, Yang saw the arena, and saw Weiss and Pyrrha charge Ruby head-on.

"Ruby!" shouted Yang, her eyes wide, almost afraid to accept the reality of what was in front of her.

If she heard Yang's voice, Ruby showed no signs of it, her attention instead focused on her attackers. She made no effort to draw her weapon, remaining still, not even flinching as Weiss and Pyrrha bore down on her. To Yang, time seemed to slow down as Weiss thrust forward with her rapier, while Pyrrha led with a slash of her own sword. Yang's mouth opened to scream something…a warning…however futile it may have been.

But then Ruby moved. Her motion was so smooth and fluid that it almost seemed effortless. She turned aside from Weiss' thrust so that the point of the rapier slid harmlessly past her chest. Then she crouched slightly and ducked, allowing Pyrrha's slash to streak harmlessly over head. Weiss immediately pivoted to attack again, launching a rapid series of thrusts at Ruby while Pyrrha tried to flank her from the other side and hem her in with swift, powerful slashes of her sword.

Ruby's form almost seemed to twist and elongate as she was enveloped by her red cloak, weaving between her opponents' attacks before jumping clear of them, coming to a stop on the other side of the ring.

Yang's arms dropped to dangle by her sides. She could scarcely believe what she saw. She knew her sister was good, but to dodge a concerted attack by Weiss and Pyrrha Nikos of all people, without even drawing her weapon, that was a completely different level of good. _What has she been doing these last few months?_

"That was pretty sloppy of you, Weiss," Ruby taunted from where she stood, rocking back and forth on her feet. "I thought you wanted to kill me."

Weiss bared her teeth, glaring at Ruby. Then her eyes narrowed. Her angry expression melted away, a smug smile taking its place. "And you haven't drawn your weapon," she said. "Don't tell me you came to face us without anything. You didn't replace your precious Crescent Rose after Pyrrha tore it to pieces?"

"What?" snarled Yang, striding forward. It was bad enough to learn that Weiss and Pyrrha had tried to kill Ruby. It was even worse to see them trying to do so again. But now, to learn that they'd destroyed Ruby's precious weapon; the weapon that Ruby had obsessed and spent countless sleepless nights designing, forging, and building, that she'd loved like a member of her own family; that was a cruelty that made Yang resolve to pound them into the ground and not stop until they were a pair of bloody smears.

She was brought up short when a boy Ruby's age stepped in front of her, almost seeming to emerge from thin air, wisps of silvery mist streaming off his form, matching the color of his short hair almost perfectly as he regarded her with serpentine eyes the color of amber. He held his right hand out to to the side in front of Yang, barring her from advancing.

"This is Ruby's fight," he said firmly, regarding Yang with a stern expression.

"Who are you?" asked Yang, taken aback by the boy's sudden appearance.

"Gin," said the boy simply.

Yang looked from Gin to her sister and back again. Finally, she locked eyes with the boy. "Can Ruby win?" she asked.

The corners of Gin's mouth turned up in a small, but sincere, smile. "She can," he said. "She will."

The conviction in his voice reassured Yang slightly, and she found herself calming as she looked up. At the same time, her worry didn't disappear entirely, nor did the yearning to rush down into the ring. Her beloved sister, whom she'd believed dead, was now standing right in front of her, alive and well. But Yang still couldn't shake the fear that she'd found Ruby again, only to watch her die for real this time.

In the ring, Weiss lunged forward again, Pyrrha following along behind her. This time, Pyrrha hurled her shield so that it flew right past Weiss' head, aiming right for Ruby's face. Ruby bent her body slightly to the side, allowing the shield to fly past, its breeze ruffling her hood. Then Weiss came in behind it, her sword seeking Ruby's heart. Once again, Ruby danced aside from the thrust, but Weiss stopped her charge, going instantly into a twirl that was almost balletic as she whipped the blade around in a slash aimed at Ruby's neck. At the same time, Pyrrha's shield struck the arena's barrier, meant to protect the audience from stray attacks, and rebounded, coming back at Ruby from behind, its course subtly manipulated by Pyrrha's Semblance. Meanwhile, Pyrrha herself closed in, her weapon elongating into its javelin form as she thrust it at Ruby's midsection.

Ruby stepped in towards Weiss, the fluidity of the motion once again belying its speed. She caught Weiss' arm at the wrist, swinging one leg at Weiss' ankles, pulling and tripping her at the same time, so that Weiss stumbled past her and into the path of Pyrrha's shield. The shield clanged as it struck Weiss cleanly in the side of her skull, sending her pitching over and into the path of Pyrrha's attack, which Pyrrha was forced to abandon, hastily diverting Milo's thrust to the side to avoid stabbing Weiss as she stumbled into her.

Seeing Weiss get hit with her shield, and having Weiss stumble into her caused Pyrrha to release her Semblance's hold over her shield, which bounced upwards from its hit against Weiss' head, flipping end over end, rather than spinning like a discus. Ruby leapt up to meet it, putting her own body into a spin, which accelerated sharply, scattering red petals around her as she caught the rim of Pyrrha's shield with her boot at just the right angle to send it flying like a frisbee at Weiss and Pyrrha. The red petals from Ruby's Semblance trailed from the shield now, as it accelerated to a speed that Pyrrha had never been able to throw it at. Pyrrha, still trying to adjust to Weiss suddenly being slumped against her, looked up just in time to catch her own shield right on her forehead.

With another echoing clang, Weiss and Pyrrha were blown backwards by the impact, and sent sprawling as Akuou went spinning off in another ungainly flight, this time clanging inelegantly against the floor and skidding to a stop, while Weiss and Pyrrha slammed down a ways back from where they were standing, skidding apart from one another, both of them groaning in pain.

Yang's jaw dropped to hang open in gaping disbelief. She could scarcely believe her eyes. Without a weapon of any kind, Ruby had just _owned_ Weiss and Pyrrha. The fight was far from over, but Ruby was clearly at a completely different level from where she'd been when she'd supposedly died.

Pyrrha and Weiss staggered to their feet, both of them having had their bells rung by heavy blows to the head. Their Aura had taken the brunt of the impact, and absorbed any actual damage, but the pain and disorientation remained. Ruby watched them, her hands clenching tightly.

"Is that it?" she asked, her voice emerging as a growl. "After everything you put me through, after all the work I put into setting this up, is _this_ really the best you can do? You claim I wasn't fit to be in Beacon, that I didn't belong, but _this_ is your idea of what level of skill allows you to belong here? Is it really going to be this easy?"

Pyrrha groaned, and her legs gave out on her for a second. Weiss had to lean against her to remain standing.

"Get up," snarled Ruby. "Get up and take this seriously."

Pyrrha tried, but faltered again. Weiss was managing to stand up on her own, though she was still clearly in some pain.

"GET UP!" screamed Ruby, glaring at them with all the anger she could muster, tears tumbling from her eyes and streaming down her cheeks.

"Why is she goading them like that?" asked Blake, making Yang jump slightly. She'd been so engrossed she hadn't noticed Blake arrive, the rest of Team JNPR following behind her. "She could have beaten them already."

"Ruby wants a chance to show them what they threw away," said Ayumu, coming up behind Blake and the others, Glynda Goodwitch along with him. "She worked very hard over the months and miles of her journey to prepare for this. She would be disappointed if it turned out she hardly needed to have bothered. However, I believe it's also her way to show her gratitude."

"Gratitude?" asked Yang, baffled. "For almost killing her?"

It was Gin who answered. "Because of what they did, Ruby got to see and experience things she would never have gotten the chance to, if she'd stayed at Beacon. She got to learn lessons that no classroom here could ever teach. She gained strength, and reached levels of skill that she never would have had they not left her there. Giving them the chance to fight at their full capacity, to be able to show them all that she has gained while she was away, that's how she expresses her gratitude, even as she seeks justice for the wrong they did her."

Yang blinked, staring at Gin, trying to process what he'd just said. "Who are you?" she found herself asking, wanting to know what this boy's connection to Ruby was.

"He's Ruby's boyfriend," answered Ayumu cheerfully.

"Ayumu!" sputtered Gin, his face turning bright red.

A stunned silence fell over the spectators as they stared at a blushing Gin, who tried desperately to shrug off all the embarrassment that Ayumu's pronouncement had heaped on him.

Down below, Weiss and Pyrrha managed to recover. Ruby waited patiently for them, wiping her tears away and glaring sternly at them. Weiss was still rubbing her head ,where Pyrrha's shield had connected with. Pyrrha was shaking her own head. Finally, the two of them regained their balance and composure, and focused their gazes on Ruby. Pyrrha reached out with her left hand. Her shield leapt off the floor and flew to her arm.

"Are you done playing around?" asked Ruby. "Are you ready to take this seriously?"

Weiss took a deep breath, settling herself before opening her eyes. Beside her, Pyrrha did the same, both of them focusing intently on Ruby. "If that's what you want," said Weiss coldly, "then, fine…I'm done caring about what happens after this. As long as you're dead when this is over, I'll be satisfied."

Pyrrha also focused on Ruby, her eyes narrowing.

"Pyrrha!" called Jaune.

His voice caused Pyrrha's head to snap around. When their eyes met, a look of absolute horror washed over Pyrrha's face. She clearly didn't want Jaune to see this.

"It's true…" said Jaune, his voice barely audible. "She really did…I…"

Yang reached over and took Jaune's hand, squeezing it tightly. Pyrrha's expression was pained as she saw them. But then she closed her eyes and also focused the whole of her attention on Ruby.

"This is the end," declared Weiss, brandishing Myrtenaser, working it through several swift, semicircular passes. "Without a weapon of your own, you can't hope to win."

Both she and Pyrrha charged again. This time, there was much less wild anger in their movements, more focus and control. From her position, Yang could see that Ruby wouldn't be able to evade and counter their attacks so easily this time.

Ruby merely smiled, reaching behind her back, just as she used to when she still had Crescent Rose. When she pulled her hand back out, a dark-red body unfolded and extended to form the shaft. Up towards the head of her weapon, the shaft began to spread and widen, curving outwards as the head of the weapon itself unfolded, one end slightly longer than the other. With a flash, a curving blade of pure crimson extended out with a low hum from the long end of the head, while, with a second flash, more crimson light extended out from the shorter end, curving slightly in the other direction, dividing itself into feather-like shapes, almost giving the impression of a small wing.

Ruby countered Weiss and Pyrrha's attacks with a single, powerful swing of her new scythe, a blade of what seemed to be pure energy flashing as it clashed against their weapons, and threw them back off their feet.

The two girls landed on their backs, recovering quickly enough, rising back to their feet. However, they found themselves unable to to move, transfixed by the sight of Ruby's new scythe.

"Now this is a _real_ fight," declared Ruby, hefting her weapon with a look of confidence.

* * *

 **Ruby makes her triumphant return, and gets payback...in spades. I liked the idea of her playing with Weiss' and Pyrrha's preconceptions, based on how she used to be, and making them think they could turn her naïveté against her, only for her to turn around and show that she was playing with them the whole time. Yeah...Ruby developed a bit of a mean streak. But you can't really blame her.**

 **This is the moment where everything comes together for our two storylines. It's also why I chose to skip over the scene of Ruby bringing down the White Fang op at Mountain Glenn (for now), so that her new sweetheart could make her debut in this fight. More on her new weapon later. By the way, we _will_ get to what happened in Mountain Glenn, so don't worry about missing out on that.**

 **A commenter mentioned wanting an image reference for Ruby's new outfit, and there is one. The image in question comes from none other than fan-artist turned concept-artist for _RWBY Chibi_ , Mojojoj. One of this artist's images caught my eye, and I figured it would be perfect for a new look for Ruby. I'd provide a link, except...this site doesn't do links. Of course, I was a little bit stupid, and made a basic oversight when I failed to realize it was actually an image of Ruby in her Volume 4 outfit, minus the white blouse and black stockings, until several months and a few dozen chapters later on down the line. But I liked the look of it, and retroactively decided that Ruby basically picked up the proto-form of what would be her Volume 4-onwards outfit while on the road with Ayumu and Gin. So...yeah.**

 **There's also an image of Shining Rose out there. Some of you may have even seen it. The tricky bit is that it isn't actually an image of _Shining Rose_. There's a little bit of a story behind this one, which I'll get to in the notes for the next chapter, because that chapter has a more detailed description of Shining Rose in it.**


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37:**

Weiss and Pyrrha once again found themselves dumbstruck as they stared at Ruby's new scythe.

The shaft and head were deep crimson in color. About three quarters of the way up the length of the shaft, it spread outward in smooth, curving lines to each side, up to the head of the weapon, mounted on a circular hinge that allowed it to swing out when opened up, or fold back in on itself when closed. One end of the head was rectangular in shape, slightly curved into a gentle arc about two feet in length. The other side was less than half the length. Glowing lines of a lighter, more vivid red stretched between the two points of the head.

Most remarkable of all was the blade. The same brighter red of the veins of light running between the two points of the weapon's head, the gentle, curving crescent of the scythe's blade extended down from the longer section of the head, its edges actually spreading wider than the head of the weapon itself. From the blunter section, more light had formed into a sweeping, winglike projection that curved slightly in the opposite direction of the blade.

All told, it was a thing of beauty; substantially different, yet hauntingly familiar. Ruby hefted it and spun it around herself, the blade becoming a flashing blur of crimson light, accompanied by a darker red blur of the shaft. After a few more passes, she brought the weapon to a stop, allowing it to stretch down from behind her right shoulder at an angle, passing behind her back to extend downwards from her waist to her left, the blade angled upwards.

"Wha-what...what is that?" demanded Weiss, thunderstruck by the sight of this new weapon. _What is that blade? It looks like hard-light. But a stable Dust-energy field of that size should be impossible. Our best technology hasn't even come close to that level of miniaturization. Where did she get a weapon like that? There's no way a dunce like her could have forged something that sophisticated._

"This is Shining Rose," said Ruby. "After I laid Crescent Rose to rest, I forged her with all my heart to embody my will as a Huntress."

"That's impossible!" exclaimed Weiss. "There's no way you could have forged something that advanced. That level of technology doesn't even exist yet."

Dust-energy fields were new ground relatively speaking. A great deal had been accomplished in the creation of hard-light constructs and energy barriers, to create energy that could produce the effects of matter. The safety barrier around the arena was an example of such technology. However, the level of refinement to produce a stable energy construct the size of an individual weapon, much less a part of one, was still beyond the reach of the current technology available to even the likes of the Schnee Dust Company. If Ruby's weapon truly contained such a miraculous advancement, its mere existence could potentially change the face of Remnant.

"Where did you get that?" demanded Weiss, pointing her blade at Ruby. "Tell me!"

"I don't need to tell you anything," said Ruby simply. "We're here to fight, remember?"

Weiss growled, but returned to her starting stance, leveling Myrtenaster at Ruby. "Fine," she said. "It's not like you'll be any better with that than you were with your last one."

Weiss glanced at Pyrrha, who looked back and nodded at her. Even if the blade was some kind of unknown energy field, it didn't change the fact that the rest of the weapon was clearly composed of metal, and, thus, would be subject to Pyrrha's Semblance. Once the fight actually began, Ruby would have no chance at victory.

In the spectator section above, Yang and the others stared in awe at Ruby's weapon. "Where did she get that?" she asked, looking to Ayumu and Gin.

"We can't tell you that," said Gin simply, "yet."

"Or rather...it is not for us to tell you," added Ayumu, seeing the frustrated look on Yang's face. "If you want to hear the story behind her blade, you should get it from Ruby directly."

"It's beautiful," observed Blake. "It's beautiful...but..."

"But, it will still have the same limitations that her previous weapon did against Pyrrha," said Ren, understanding immediately.

Gin and Ayumu shared a glance, Ayumu's amused, Gin raising an eyebrow. "I wouldn't worry about that," said Ayumu. "I'm sure you'll find that Ruby is full of surprises now."

Down below, Weiss shot forward like an arrow from a bow once again, the tip of her blade leading. She closed the distance between herself and Ruby in a flash, attacking with a lightning-fast thrust. Ruby countered effortlessly by sweeping Shining Rose in front of herself in a spin that allowed her to catch and deflect Weiss' thrust with the shaft. Continuing the spin, Ruby brought the blade around, the bright-red flashing as it slashed down at Weiss from angle. Weiss parried, but the force behind the attack sent her skidding off to the side.

However, Pyrrha was following immediately behind Weiss. Returning her shield to its holster across her back, Pyrrha attacked solely with Milo in its javelin form, wielding it with both hands, alternating between slashes and thrusts with the blade. Ruby met her attack, spinning her weapon in a similar manner, the air between the two girls sparking and flashing as their weapons blurred and clashed against one another.

Skidding to a stop, Weiss reversed her grip on Myrtenaster and stabbed straight down. At the same time, the Dust chambers of her weapon revolved, bringing the cylinder of light-blue in line with the blade. Thrusting the blade into the ground, Weiss triggered her weapon, unleashing a wave of icicles that exploded upwards and outwards from the ground like a thicket of icy spears.

Pyrrha leapt back and away to avoid being caught in Weiss' attack, trying to time her retreat to leave Ruby with no time to shift and counter. However, red petals exploded from the winglike projection of energy opposite the blade, and Shining Rose accelerated so abruptly that it almost seemed to vanish from sight, a red streak crossing Weiss' vision as Ruby cut through the wave of ice spears, the attack's passage shattering the ice in the process, and the following shockwave launching the fragments back at Weiss like shrapnel from a grenade explosion.

Weiss gasped, flicking the first two fingers of her right hand in front of herself. The snowflake sigil of the Schnee family flashed into being in front of her, as Weiss used her glyph to repel the incoming ice away from her body. Her reaction had been a little on the slow side though, and stinging lines of cold etched themselves into her body, though Weiss managed to avoid the bulk of the damage. Flicking her fingers, Weiss turned her glyph from white to black, its effect transitioning from push to pull, and dived through it, using the glyph to increase her acceleration, launching her at Ruby like a missile.

Once again, Ruby deflected Weiss' thrust with a well-timed spin of her scythe, whirling it back around to counterattack. But Pyrrha moved in to take her back, collapsing Milo down into its xiphos form as Akuou slid back into position on her left arm. She brought the blade down in a slash aimed at Ruby's shoulder from behind. Not even looking, Ruby spun her weapon between her hands, bringing it up across her back in time to catch Pyrrha's slash, bouncing her blade back. Releasing her hold on it with her left hand, Ruby pulled down with her right, using her shoulder as a fulcrum to allow her to bring the blade sweeping up to slash at Pyrrha from below. Catching the slash with her shield, Pyrrha fell back a step, even as Weiss closed in from the front once again.

For several brief, albeit furious, seconds, Weiss and Pyrrha pressed Ruby simultaneously from the back and front. However, Ruby's defense was flawless, often transitioning into attacks from her blocks and parries, forcing one or the other of her opponents back to give her the space she needed to counter the other's attacks. Shining Rose was a two-toned blur of crimson around her body, sometimes even seeming to occupy two spaces at once, red petals signifying the activation of Ruby's Semblance exploding out from the back projection intermittently, causing the weapon to accelerate, lending speed and power to Ruby's counterattacks.

Falling back two steps, Pyrrha jumped back out of the reach of Ruby's scythe, slinging her shield at Ruby's head. Ruby turned slightly and leaned aside, allowing Akuou to skim past her temple without touching it. At the same time, she brought up her weapon so that the shield struck the shaft of her scythe, rebounding at an angle that sent it flying at Weiss. Caught off-guard, Weiss fell back, determined not to fall victim to having Pyrrha's shield redirected at her again. Raising Myrtenaster into a vertical position, Weiss caught the rim of the shield with her blade. Meanwhile, Pyrrha guided the direction of the rebound so that Akuou was sent flying right back at Ruby. Weiss called forth a propulsion glyph at her feet, allowing her to launch herself at Ruby in the shield's wake, even as Pyrrha closed in from behind, her sword poised for a thrust.

Sinking into a crouch, Ruby evaded the shield by ducking beneath it, not seeming to notice that Pyrrha was closing in behind her, effortlessly catching her shield without even breaking stride. In fact, she also seemed completely unconcerned by the fact that Weiss was right behind the shield. Holding her scythe up and to the side, Ruby poised it for a single, wide, powerful swing. The onlookers thought she might be allowing Pyrrha to land her blow in exchange for landing a heavier strike against Weiss. But she seemed to be telegraphing her intent too clearly. Weiss would surely see the attack coming and block, while Pyrrha would land her own hit, and do considerable damage to Ruby's Aura.

But, when Ruby moved, it was impossible to follow. One second, she was crouched and poised for a single, powerful strike. There was a flash of bright red as the petals of Ruby's Semblance exploded out from her in a ring, a perfect circle of light, the color of her blade, encompassing her. To those observing, it was as though they'd been watching a video that had just skipped a frame, Ruby having already transitioned to the finished position of her attack, Shining Rose gripped by her right hand near where it began to widen towards the weapon's head, the rest of its shaft stretched across her back.

Weiss and Pyrrha were sent flying back, sparks flying from where Ruby's weapon had bitten into their Auras. Defense hadn't even been possible, as blindingly fast as the attack had been. Pyrrha hadn't even gotten the chance to bring Akuou up to defend, not expecting Ruby to use an attack that would allow her to strike them both, to say nothing of seeing such a wide attack launched so abruptly.

Weiss slammed into the floor with her right shoulder, crying out in pain, and nearly losing her grip on her rapier in the process. Bouncing hard, she landed on her front, playing out the remainder of her momentum on the smooth floor as she slid to a stop. On the other side, Pyrrha also cried out as she slammed bodily into the ring's safety barrier, the energy field crackling as it absorbed the impact, Pyrrha taking a painful jolt from the impact as well, feeling as though she'd slammed into a solid wall that was also slightly electrified. Dropping away from the field, she fell to her knees, stunned for a moment.

Ruby rose out of her crouch, rotating Shining Rose so that she could rest the shaft over her shoulder, standing casually at ease, a look of perfect confidence on her face as she slowly looked back and forth between her opponents. She wasn't even breathing hard yet, though there was a faint sheen of sweat on her forehead.

"That was...incredible!" gasped Blake, barely able to comprehend the kind of speed that Ruby had just used. The only thing she'd seen at that same level of speed had been Adam, when he used his ultimate attack...and Adam could only do so after charging himself and his weapon with his Semblance to boost the speed and power of his sword-draw to the absolute limit. Ruby had matched his speed effortlessly.

"I knew Ruby was incredible," said Yang, "but how did she get this good in just a few months?"

"Well, Master Yu is a frightfully effective teacher," said Ayumu with a soft chuckle. "That said, very few people would be able to improve as much as Ruby did, even under his tutelage."

"Master Yu...?" said Jaune, looking at the boys in confusion.

"We can elaborate on that later," said Ayumu. "There are more important things to focus on at the moment."

Ruby might not have been panting for breath yet, but Weiss and Pyrrha certainly were. It didn't help that their bodies were beginning to feel heavy as the damage they'd taken took its toll. They'd already lost a significant portion of their Auras, an especially large amount to Ruby's last attack. Weiss felt the remnants of the blade's impact against her stomach like a line of fire, the pain lingering, even though her Aura had kept her body from sustaining actual damage.

 _This is impossible,_ Weiss thought. _How did that dunce improve so much so quickly? There must be some kind of trick. She must be cheating...somehow..._

Pyrrha was having similar thoughts, glaring fiercely at the back of Ruby's head. Her fingers clenched so hard around Milo's handle that the sword shook.

Ruby waited patiently for both her enemies to get back to their feet. From a practical standpoint, it was foolhardy, not pressing the attack when both her opponents were debilitated by the hits they'd just taken. But Ruby's posture exuded confidence that she could continue to hold the advantage, even if she gave Weiss and Pyrrha all the time in the world to recover from the last exchange. That confidence, bordering on contemptuous, stoked the fires of anger burning in the guts of Weiss and Pyrrha.

Weiss's ice-blue eyes met Pyrrha's emerald ones and narrowed slightly. Pyrrha's narrowed in return, and she nodded slowly in Weiss' direction. Weiss set herself once again and launched herself at Ruby. At the same time, Pyrrha reversed her grip on her weapon, allowing Milo to transition to its rifle form as she leveled it at the back of Ruby's head, aiming the barrel through one of the semicircular indents on her shield. As Weiss closed in from the front, Pyrrha fired several shots at Ruby from the back.

Not even looking Pyrrha's way, Ruby twirled her weapon between her hands behind her back, the spinning shaft catching each of Pyrrha's bullets. As Weiss closed within reach, Ruby used the spin's momentum to bring Shining Rose around in front of her in a horizontal slash across Weiss chest. However, a snowflake glyph appeared on the floor directly beneath Weiss' feet, launching her up above the line of Ruby's strike, her momentum carrying her over Ruby's head. With a flip and spin, Weiss came down to land daintily, her motions graceful and almost dancelike, next to Pyrrha, who holstered her shield and switched her weapon back into its javelin form, gripping it in both hands and leveling it at Ruby.

Raising her sword, Weiss positioned Myrtenaster vertically in front of her face. At her feet, a new glyph appeared, growing wide enough to encompass both her and Pyrrha. Unlike her previous snowflake glyphs, this one had a clockwork design, a pair of hands revolving around a circle of numerals, spinning faster and faster with each revolution, the glyph glowing yellow, its light surrounding Pyrrha and Weiss in harsh outlines.

"That's..." Yang's eyes widened, recognizing Weiss' new glyph. It was something Weiss had been practicing recently during their team training sessions, apparently one of the potential functions of the Schnee hereditary Semblance that Weiss called time dilation, which allowed her to increase her speed, and/or an ally's speed, for a brief period of time, having practiced using it in conjunction with Yang and Blake in training. _And she's using it in a combo with Pyrrha. Have they been training together on the sly?_

Pyrrha and Weiss shot towards Ruby like bullets. Weiss' free hand flicked out, and white snowflake glyphs flashed into being in the air around Ruby, one after the other, forming a loose hemisphere around her. Ruby settled into a ready-stance, waiting for her enemies to come to her. Weiss and Pyrrha split apart, going in opposite directions right before they would have been in range of Ruby's scythe. The two of them leapt into the glyphs and were launched back inwards at Ruby like projectiles.

Weiss and Pyrrha flashed back and forth between glyphs, bouncing between them almost like pinballs, executing lightning-fast strikes as they passed by Ruby, before zipping back out of range. It was an all-out blitz, designed to outmaneuver and overwhelm Ruby with the speed and number of attacks, striking continuously over and over again.

Yet Ruby seemed unfazed, remaining in place, not even trying to follow the two other girls with her eyes. Her scythe was no less swift than her opponents, almost seeming to blink from one point to another as she effortlessly blocked or parried each strike that came her way. This carried on for several seconds before Ruby suddenly whipped her weapon around, sinking the tip of the blade into the floor, allowing her to vault up over Weiss, who had launched herself on a low trajectory, targeting Ruby's legs. At the same time, Pyrrha came at her from a higher angle, trying to catch Ruby when she jumped above the line of Weiss' attack.

Using her hands, Ruby pivoted on the bar like a gymnast, bringing her body around and angling it almost horizontally so that Pyrrha's thrust barely missed her, while lashing out with a foot and slamming her combat boot right into Pyrrha's face. All of Pyrrha's speed and momentum fed into the impact with a smacking sound, accompanied by a crunch, that made their audience wince.

Though Pyrrha's head was stopped by Ruby's foot, her momentum caused her body to continue forward, swinging downwards so that it was almost as though she was standing upright. Ruby withdrew her foot and swung her body around and down, landing in a crouch that allowed her to duck beneath the line of Weiss' next attack. Rising back up, Ruby leapt forward, jumping past Pyrrha, holding her scythe out behind her, the blade angled outwards so that it hooked around Pyrrha's stomach. Strangely, the blade didn't bite into Pyrrha's Aura, rather, it behaved more like a blunt object. This allowed Ruby to pull Pyrrha's body with the swing of her scythe as she spun about, an arc of red petals flashing through the air around her as Ruby triggered her Semblance to accelerate her spin, allowing her to bring Pyrrha around and use her scythe to throw Pyrrha at Weiss just as the latter rebounded off another glyph after her last attack, the two of them colliding with a painful-sounding crack as Weiss's face slammed right into the back of Pyrrha's head, the impact killing their momentum, and leaving them to drop straight down to the floor. Weiss' glyphs shattered into motes of light that scattered into the air before vanishing.

This time, the force behind the blows, enhanced as it had been by their speed being turned against them, had overwhelmed their Auras. Rising up from the floor, Pyrrha felt warm wetness trickle down from her nose. Reaching up, she rubbed at it with the back of her hand, which came away bloody. Behind her, Weiss slumped dazedly, the skin around her right eye darkening into an ugly blue and purple color.

In the meantime, Ruby had hopped back several paces and was now once again waiting for her enemies to get their act together. She was breathing harder now, but still looked as though she could go plenty longer if necessary.

Up in the stands, the spectators were speechless, save for Ayumu and Gin.

Gin closed his eyes and slowly let out the breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. "That had me worried for a minute," he admitted to Ayumu. "I wasn't sure she could keep up with that level of intensity."

"Well, Master Yu did spend the last phase of her training working primarily on developing her _Shingan_ ," said Ayumu. "It appears Ruby absorbed those lessons as well as she usually does."

Gin's posture relaxed, and a fond smile crossed his face. "What else is new?" he asked rhetorically.

"Well, from the look of things, this fight is nearly over," said Ayumu, looking over Ruby's opponents. "Ms. Nikos is clearly on her last legs, and it looks as though Ms. Schnee no longer has the wherewithal to fight."

Indeed, while Pyrrha was struggling to rise up on her feet, Weiss had collapsed onto her knees, blinking slowly and staring dumbly at the floor, the bruise around her right eye starting to swell up to the point that it would be a struggle to even keep that eye opened. Myrtenaster clattered against the floor as Weiss' fingers lost their hold.

Her movements halting and faltering, Pyrrha planted Milo against the floor, and used the javelin to help push herself up to her feet. She blinked her eyes furiously, trying to focus them, though Ruby's image continued to blur and sharpen before her eyes. Rubbing her face, Pyrrha wiped away more blood trickling out of her nose, as well as sweat from her forehead, which had been dripping down to sting her eyes. Turning her head to the side, Pyrrha spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with her saliva, indicating that the last hit had caused her to bite her lip or her tongue as well.

Ruby waited patiently for her, once again resting Shining Rose over her shoulder, staring right at Pyrrha. There was no smile or taunt in her expression, only a solemn seriousness as she regarded one of the two girls that had tried to murder her months ago.

For Pyrrha's part, her body was still humming with anger. However, that anger was dulled by confusion. All throughout the fight, she'd been trying to use her Semblance on Ruby's weapon, whether to divert an attack or disrupt a defense. However, every time, the power of her polarity seemed to slide off Ruby's weapon like water, finding no purchase on the metal of the weapon's shaft and head.

Pyrrha's eyes narrowed into a glare and her lips pulled back, baring bloody teeth. The movement almost desperate, Pyrrha stretched out with her left hand, groaning with the effort as she bent as much of her remaining Aura into her Semblance, reaching out with all her strength, determined to use her polarity as she had during their last fight, to wrench Ruby's weapon from her grip and tear it apart before her eyes. Even if it was the last thing she did, Pyrrha would at least take Ruby's new weapon, which she'd clearly invested a great deal in, away from her.

However, despite Pyrrha bending every ounce of her remaining Aura to the task, her polarity once again failed to take hold on Ruby's scythe, washing impotently across it, as though the younger girl's weapon wasn't metal at all. Pyrrha's eyes widened, confusion and fear replacing her anger. Her polarity was a powerful tool, one that had enabled her to control the circumstances of battle and secure victory against every opponent she'd gone up against in the past, including Ruby herself. Its nature allowed Pyrrha to even affect non-ferrous metals, like aluminum. It was her trump card, the very thing that had enabled her to reach that untouchable level where people had labeled her the Goddess of Victory.

And yet...Ruby's weapon remained untouched by her power. Pyrrha gasped and slumped against Milo, the exertion leaving her dizzy. Ruby hadn't moved a muscle, merely continuing to watch Pyrrha silently.

Scarcely any of Pyrrha's Aura remained. Even without checking her scroll, Pyrrha knew her Aura level had probably reached the red-zone. Had this been a sanctioned match, she would have been disqualified already. However, Pyrrha had no intention of giving up. Summoning the last of her strength, she glared furiously at Ruby, who met her gaze squarely. Pushing herself up from where she'd been leaning against her weapon, Pyrrha hefted Milo, collapsing it into its sword form, sliding Akuou off her shoulders and down onto her left forearm. In front of her, Ruby lifted Shining Rose from her shoulder and took a ready stance, waiting for her.

Pyrrha started to run. Her steps stumbling and clumsy at first. But, as she picked up speed, muscle memory took over, and Pyrrha closed with Ruby with all the speed and grace she'd had at the beginning of the battle, raising her sword to slash at Ruby. The younger girl remained motionless, waiting to counter until the last possible second.

In a flash, Ruby burst into motion, the blade of her scythe becoming a streak of light, shearing through the blade of Pyrrha's sword with effortless ease, coming back around in the blink of an eye as Pyrrha raised her shield to block, only for Ruby's blade to split the shield in two as well. Pyrrha's mental processes ground to a halt as she saw her weapons, her beloved companions that had seen her through so many battles, were effortlessly destroyed by Ruby's weapon. She didn't even react as Ruby spun her weapon around, bringing the tip of the scythe around in a curving strike from below, aiming directly for Pyrrha's stomach.

Across the ring, Weiss was roused by a scream of horror. She had no idea who it had come from. Blinking blearily, Weiss found that her right eye refused to respond properly, the lids swollen shut by the black eye she'd gotten from the back of Pyrrha's head. Working her remaining eye, Weiss slowly managed to bring her sight back into focus, but what she saw made her wish she'd simply been struck blind.

Pyrrha dangled limply in the air, the glowing blade of Ruby's scythe piercing through her stomach to emerge from her back so that Pyrrha now hung across the shaft, hefted into the air by Ruby. As the echoes of the scream faded, they were replaced by an oppressive silence. Ruby hefted her scythe and tossed Pyrrha's motionless body off the blade, sending it skidding across the ring as her attention came to rest on Weiss.

Slowly, step by deliberate step, Ruby advanced on the heiress, the one who had hatched and meticulously planned out the scheme that had almost resulted in her death, that night in the forest. From the spectators' seats, Weiss could hear movement and shouts. But it seemed that the spectators were being prevented from intervening. However, none of that really registered to Weiss, her focus filled by the sight of Ruby drawing inexorably closer.

Icy fear gripped Weiss' heart, to the point that she was afraid it would stop in her chest. Her body didn't seem to even be responding to her mind, despite her efforts to will it to move. All thoughts of the unfairness of this situation, how everything she'd worked for had been snatched away from her, had fled. In their place was a desperate, almost mindless panic, a singular urge to get away from the vengeful girl in front of her, now advancing, scythe raised like the specter of death itself. However, Weiss' body remained unable to move, save for tiny jerks and tremors.

Ruby slowly brought her scythe around, bringing the blade to rest against the back of Weiss' neck. Strangely, it felt neither hot, nor cold, just the lightest pressure of an edge against her skin. That alone was enough to make Weiss' hair stand on end, and caused goosebumps to emerge across her body. Weiss found herself staring up at Ruby with her one good eye. Ruby stared back coldly, no mercy in her gaze, her demeanor that of an executioner carrying out a death sentence.

"R-R-Ruby.." stammered Weiss, barely able to force the words out of her lips. "P-please..."

Ruby's eyes merely narrowed. "I didn't get the chance to beg," she said. "If I had...tell me, Weiss...would you have listened? Would you have had a change of heart, and let me live?"

Weiss desperately wanted to answer, to say "yes." But the lie died on her lips as she knew it wouldn't move Ruby's heart one bit. Fear swallowed Weiss whole.

"Goodbye, Weiss," said Ruby, before pulling her blade through Weiss' neck.

* * *

When Ruby had impaled Pyrrha on her scythe, Nora had shrieked. Jaune had shouted Pyrrha's name, still not entirely able to come to terms with the atrocity his partner had committed and still concerned for her wellbeing, even as he tried to wrestle with the horrifying truth of her actions. Ren had immediately snapped into action, rushing forward, though he didn't have any weapons on his person at the moment.

Blake had also burst into motion, rushing forward, though remaining unsure of what to actually do. All that she did know was that, whatever else had happened, she couldn't let Ruby become a murderer...even though it seemed she was already too late.

Yang, however, had frozen in shock, the realization of what her sister had done combining with the churning mix of feelings in her gut as far too many lies and truths about this evening had meshed together, rendering her unable to even respond.

Glynda Goodwitch had no such hesitation, striding forward, her riding crop rising to put a stop to things before they got even worse than they already were.

Everyone froze when Ayumu and Gin planted themselves firmly between the spectators and the ring.

"Out of my way!" thundered Glynda, even as Ren came up short, raising his hands as he prepared to fight, even unarmed, ready to force his way through this impediment.

"Patience," said Ayumu calmly, but firmly. "This is not over yet." His smile widened slightly. "Besides, things are not exactly as they seem. I assure you that, regardless of how angry she feels over being betrayed, Ruby has no intention of committing murder."

"If she did that, they truly _would_ have broken her," added Gin with a small smile of his own.

Their words, as well as their calm response to what had just happened, gave Glynda pause, though she couldn't see how things could actually be different from what they looked like.

In the meantime, Ruby had already thrown Pyrrha's body aside, and had made her way to Weiss, holding her blade to the Schnee heiress' neck. From their perspective, the spectators could see Weiss' lips move in a feeble attempt to beg Ruby for mercy. However, Ruby's response was cold and contemptuous. Then, with a single, sharp motion, Ruby sliced clean through Weiss' neck and Weiss slumped over as well.

Once again, Glynda's impulse was to raise her crop and blast the two boys blocking her aside, so that she could descend to the ring and take Ruby into custody for what she'd just done. However, she found herself forestalled by Ayumu, who stopped her, not with words, but by simply raising his hand. Remembering his warning, Glynda narrowed her eyes and examined the situation more closely.

Slicing through Weiss' neck like she had, Ruby should have beheaded the heiress cleanly. When Weiss had fallen over, her head should have gone tumbling across the floor, while blood spilled from the stump where her neck had been. But, strangely, Weiss remained in one, albeit unmoving, piece. Glynda's eyes then drifted to Pyrrha's motionless form. Having been impaled by a wide blade through the stomach, Pyrrha should have been left lying in a pool of her own spreading blood. However, the floor was unmarked, save for a single, smeared streak of red that led to Pyrrha's bloodied, probably broken, nose. There was no sign of the massive bleeding that should have accompanied having a blade the width of Ruby's scythe being driven through her midriff.

Glynda turned her gaze back to Ayumu and Gin, her expression firm, but no longer carrying the wrath it previously had. "Let me through," she said.

The boys nodded and stepped aside. Blake and the remaining members of JNPR rushed down into the ring, Glynda following them at a walk. Blake rushed straight to Weiss, while Jaune, Ren, and Nora rushed to Pyrrha's side. Crouching down, Blake examined Weiss with careful eyes, reaching out to press two fingers to her neck. Blake's body went numb with relief when she felt the presence of a faint pulse. Moving her hand up, Blake held it in front of Weiss' nose and mouth and felt her fear completely dissipate when she felt the gentle stirring of Weiss' breath against her palm.

Looking over towards Pyrrha, Blake relaxed completely when she saw Jaune and Nora almost collapse with relief as Ren announced that she was alive.

The soft sounds of metal clicking and sliding drew Blake's attention back to Ruby as she collapsed and holstered her weapon. Looking at Ruby, Blake found herself swallowed by a confusing morass of emotions that threatened to sweep her away as she was confronted once again by the realization that Ruby was alive. She should have been relieved, possibly angry that Ruby had gone months without bothering to tell them. She should have been horrified and enraged by the revelation that Weiss and Pyrrha had tried to murder her. However, the end result of all those disparate feelings clashing together was that Blake was left feeling numb.

"Ruby..." she said, unable to think of anything else to say or do in this situation.

Ruby looked at her and her eyes flickered with uncertainty and fear, making Blake realize that Ruby knew full well the mixed feelings tonights events were producing. Still, she managed a small, nervous smile as she met Blake's gaze. "H-hey, Blake."

"Ruby."

Ruby froze in place, her eyes going wide, her face pale. She began to tremble slightly as she slowly turned around to see her sister standing there, staring at her with equally wide eyes. "Y-Yang..." Ruby had no idea what else to say. It was easier back when she'd been rationalizing it with Ayumu and Gin, or Qrow. But now she was faced with the realization that there was nothing she could say to truly justify the pain and suffering she'd put her sister through. "Yang, I...I...I can't..." Ruby looked down, clenching her eyes shut, unable to meet Yang's gaze, certain that she would bear the brunt of Yang's anger any second now. She'd figured that this moment was coming a long time ago, and had specifically asked Gin and Ayumu not to interfere, not to protect her from the consequences of her choice.

Her trembling increased as she heard Yang's boots click on the sparring ring floor, coming closer and closer...until they came to a stop right in front of her. Not looking, Ruby could still feel her sister's presence. Yang's warmth was like standing next to a lit fireplace, a warmth that Ruby had felt keenly, having grown used to Gin's considerably lower body temperature.

She expected shouting, screaming...she expected a punch to send her sliding across the floor. Ruby had prepared herself to face the whole force of her sister's anger. However, she was caught off-guard when Yang's arms wrapped around her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Yang?"

"I don't care," said Yang, her voice harsh as her arms squeezed Ruby to the point that her bones began to creak. "Yeah, I'm angry. Yeah, I have a ton of questions. Yeah, I have some things to say to you. But...right now...I don't give a damn. You're alive!" She sniffled softly.

Ruby felt tears well up in her own eyes. Her arms rose up to return the embrace, not caring that Yang was hugging her with all her might. Ruby hugged her back just as hard, pressing her face tightly into Yang's shoulder. "Yang! Yang!" Unable to contain her feelings any longer, Ruby broke down crying, Yang joining her, the two sisters sobbing as they collapsed against each other, their confused, powerful feelings spilling out as they held onto each other.

Despite her own confused emotions, Blake couldn't keep a smile from her face at the sight of the sisters being reunited. Not far away, Jaune, Ren, and Nora watched the reunion as well. Nora was crying too, hiding a jubilant smile behind her hands. Ren's expression was more subdued, albeit happy to see Ruby back home. Jaune also smiled, though he found himself glancing at Pyrrha's unmoving body, which made the smile vanish like a summer mirage. Confusion and horror at what Pyrrha had been a part of, what she'd done, twisted in his gut. _Why...?_

Still, those questions could be asked later. Right now, it was a special moment for Yang and Ruby, a moment that no one, not even Goodwitch, wanted to intrude upon. Yang and Ruby's sobs slowly quieted, but they continued to cling desperately to one another, as though afraid to let go.

Finally, the moment came to an end with the click of shoes on the arena's polished floor as Ozpin made his entrance. "Ms. Rose," he said softly, his tone apologetic, "I understand you need time to reconnect with your sister. However, there are still matters to be addressed, now that you have met your goal."

Reluctantly, Ruby let go of Yang and stood up, pulling on Yang's arms to help her stand up as well. Ruby turned to face Ozpin and nodded. "Yes," she said. "Thank you for all your help, Professor."

Ozpin smiled and adjusted his spectacles. "It was worthwhile to see how much you've grown Ms. Rose." He turned to Goodwitch. "Glynda, please take Ms. Schnee and Ms. Nikos into custody. We will make arrangements for their trial shortly. In the meantime, please ensure that they are fully secured."

"Yes," said Glynda, her tone slightly reluctant as she turned to the two unconscious girls. Blake stepped away from Weiss, while Jaune, Ren, and Nora did the same with Pyrrha, albeit reluctantly.

"I understand you have questions about what has just taken place, as well as the things you have seen and heard," said Ozpin. "I am sure that we will be able to arrange for Ms. Rose to brief you later. In the meantime, please return to your rooms."

"Ruby," said Yang in a plaintive tone, watching her sister.

Ruby smiled over her shoulder at Yang. "Don't worry, Sis. I'm not going to disappear again. I promise."

"You'd better not," said Yang with a sniff, wiping her eyes. "Otherwise I'm going to hunt you down myself."

As Ruby nodded, Ozpin turned his attention back to the two boys that had accompanied her to Beacon. "Mr. Ao, Mr. Ueno...if you would join us."

"Of course, Professor," said Ayumu pleasantly.

* * *

"What else do you need, Professor?" asked Ruby, once they had adjourned to Ozpin's office. For the time being, Ozpin had asked that Ayumu and Gin wait in the lobby, until they were called for.

"Thanks to your uncle, we have a full compilation of the assembled evidence," said Ozpin. "Because of that, we can prove that Ms. Schnee and Ms. Nikos attacked and injured you. The recordings you've obtained have also shown that it was with intent to kill, as well as providing evidence of premeditation. Taken altogether, it is a damning testimony and renders conviction more or less certain. They will most likely be given life sentences."

"Good," huffed Ruby. Truth be told, now that she'd gotten to confront her attackers, and now that she'd returned the favor by beating them down, she felt more tired than anything else.

"The trial might take some time," said Ozpin. "Fortunately, we have the means to hold Ms. Nikos and Ms. Schnee here at Beacon until said times. Because of the laws regarding the imprisonment of Huntsmen and Huntresses, they won't be officially transferred to Vale Penitentiary until they've been convicted."

"Why?" asked Ruby, slightly confused.

"Because keeping someone with an unlocked Aura, and a Semblance, imprisoned requires measures that are quite expensive," said Ozpin. "Ms. Nikos, in particular, would be rather difficult to keep confined without the proper precautions."

Ruby nodded. With her Semblance, Pyrrha could easily use her polarity to warp the bars or doors of a regular prison cell, and force her way out with ease. Likewise, regular handcuffs would be unable to keep her restrained for long.

"That said, Ms. Schnee and Ms. Nikos are quite fortunate they chose to face you, rather than run," said Ozpin. "They would have been tried en-absentia and their actions would have been considered an automatic guilty plea. They would then be subjected to bounties, to be taken in, dead or alive...and most the authorities generally prefer the quarry of such bounties to be brought in dead, again due to the expense of confining someone with an unlocked Aura."

Ruby nodded slowly, taking all that information in.

"Of course, it goes without saying that we are equipped to ensure that Ms. Schnee and Ms. Nikos are fully restrained." Ozpin sighed. "It saddens me that we need to do so, however."

"Me too," said Ruby.

"However, that is a matter for later," said Ozpin. "Now that you've gotten what you wished for, it is time to move on to other matters, starting with your return to Beacon...I assume you do intend to return to your class and team."

"I do," said Ruby, "if they'll have me."

"Is there any reason to believe that they won't want you back?" asked Ozpin.

"Well...I did keep quiet and let them believe I was dead for months, just so I could have the chance to get payback against Weiss and Pyrrha," said Ruby shyly. "Yang was happy to see me, but...once she gets over that..." Ruby cringed in anticipation of the scolding she was sure to receive.

"If you accept the consequences of your actions, then I do not think you have anything to worry about," said Ozpin. "Even if your sister is angry with you, it is only because she loves you so dearly."

Ruby nodded. "That's why I'm not going to run," she said. "Also, if I did, it would be like admitting that Weiss and Pyrrha were right about me after all."

"That is not the way I see it, but no matter," said Ozpin. "Seeing as you are returning, there are certain affairs to address. While it is clear that you have trained diligently, and improved markedly during your time away, the fact that cannot be ignored is that you have missed the better part of a semester of studies."

Ruby gulped and blanched.

Ozpin continued. "I doubt that you will need to make up any ground in your combat studies. If anything, you have probably excelled well beyond the level of your year-mates, if your performance in the ring this evening was any indicator. Academics are another matter altogether."

 _I was afraid of that,_ Ruby groaned internally.

Ozpin chuckled at Ruby's clear discomfort. "However, I believe that will be rectified easily enough, thanks to your own actions appropriately. By destroying Roman Torchwick's plan, and helping to fulfill your team's mission well ahead of schedule, you've opened up a period that we can use for intensive supplementary lessons to help bring you back up to speed on the things that you missed, while you were away. We will also have to schedule makeup exams for the ones that you missed at the end of last Semester."

Ruby groaned and slumped in her seat.

Ozpin chuckled again. "Unfortunately, this is another consequence of your decision to take your time returning to us." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Do you still believe that it was worth your while?"

Ruby sat back up and met Ozpin's gaze, then slowly nodded. "Yes," she said. "I guess the fight with Weiss and Pyrrha on its own wouldn't have been enough. But the things I learned while I was out there, and the strength I gained, made it worth every minute."

Smiling Ozpin nodded. "Then it is also worth your while to accept the consequences. I have full confidence in your ability to get through this particular obstacle. Compared to what you endured on the road to Vale, at the hands of your teacher, I imagine this will be quite simple in comparison."

"Yes," said Ruby, nodding.

Ozpin smiled and sipped from his coffee mug. "Now then, we can move on to your request, the admission of Gin Ueno and Ayumu Ao into Beacon."

"That's right," said Ruby.

"Before we get to the particulars of that, I will need to speak with them more," said Ozpin. "Their situation and background is considerably different from yours, and they will most likely require intensive lessons of their own if they are to join this year's student body."

"All right," said Ruby, glad that it sounded like their admission itself wasn't in question.

Ozpin activated the scroll system built into the surface of his desk, connecting with the receptionist in the lobby of Beacon Tower. "Could you inform Mr. Ueno and Mr. Ao that I wish to see them in my office?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, Professor," the receptionist replied. "They aren't here anymore."

"What?" gasped Ruby, shooting to her feet.

"They left?" asked Ozpin, his eyes narrowing.

"Well...General Ironwood arrived and...he took them into custody."

Ozpin's eyes narrowed further. "And you did not inform me of this, why?"

"I'm sorry, sir," said the receptionist, her tone frantic. "The General told me it was a matter of the highest security and I wasn't to discuss it with anyone without permission. But since you asked..."

"He does not have the authority to issue punishments to you, particularly for informing me of developments within my Academy," said Ozpin firmly. He ended the connection and looked up at Ruby. "I'm sorry, Ms. Rose. I did not expect this development at all."

"Um..." said Ruby, not sure how to respond.

* * *

 **I hope that fight was fulfilling. Ruby certainly has come a loooong way since the beginning of this story. Hopefully, reading this fight was as fun for you as writing it was for me.**

 **That aside, it looks like there are some unexpected consequences of Ruby choosing to spend so long away from school. But that's academics for you. Yu certainly isn't the kind of guy to worry about schooling his kids in the Three Rs (that's Reading, Riting, and Rithmetic).**

 **Now, for the story behind Shining Rose. There is a definitive image of Shining Rose, except it's not really Shining Rose. While perusing fanart for RWBY, I came across an image of Adult-Ruby, by the artist anonamos701, which said artist created on commission by another person for a fic he/she was writing, which I was never actually able to find (the story, that is). In any case, I absolutely fell in love with the design of Future-Crescent-Rose, and chose to incorporate it into my story. I hope that doesn't count as plagiarism. In any case, that was the inspiration for Shining Rose's appearance, although the function is considerably different. If you go to the artist's deviantart account, you should be able to find the image in question with relatively little trouble.**


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38:**

"As much as we appreciate your hospitality, General," said Ayumu in his normal, pleasant tone, "we are late for our appointment with Professor Ozpin."

"Your appointment is with _me_ now," said Ironwood, staring sternly at the two boys who sat at the featureless, metal table. Ironwood stood at the table's opposite end. Flanking him on either side were six of the latest generation Atlesian Knights, three to either side of him, their Dust rifles trained unerringly on the boys.

Ayumu tilted his head, then raised a single finger up to scratch it. "If you say so, General," he said.

Ironwood suppressed the urge to growl at the boy's nonchalant response to this situation. In fact, both boys were manifestly unimpressed by the visible threat of the weapons trained on them, or the imposing man standing in front of them.

"Well then...what is it you wish to speak of?" asked Ayumu. "As much as I enjoy your efforts to be intimidating, I'm afraid they're a bit wasted on us."

"Don't hold it against yourself," added Gin with a small smirk. "We're just used to worse."

This time, Ironwood did growl. "It seems to me that you two are unaware of your situation," he said.

"Well...let me see if my assessment is accurate," said Ayumu. "We are currently on board your airship, in one of its interrogation rooms, with six of your androids trained on us, not to mention yourself, a most formidable warrior in your own right, last I heard. You also have something of a reputation for the lengths to which you will go to deal with what you perceive as a threat to your Kingdom."

"And your assessment is off," said Ironwood. "I will go to great lengths to protect the _world_ , not just Atlas."

"That's a pretty grandiose assumption," mused Gin. "Are you sure you're not overreaching?"

"That's not for you to question," growled Ironwood.

"If you say so," said Gin with an indifferent shrug.

"Which begs the question of why you have brought us here," said Ayumu. "If you went through the effort of taking us into custody, it is because you either view us as potential assets, or...as being among the threats you are protecting the world _against_." He met Ironwood's agitated expression with one of unflinching serenity. "Given the treatment we've received, I assume you perceive us to be the latter."

"That has yet to be determined conclusively," said Ironwood, pulling a scroll out of his pocket and opening it up into its tablet mode. "Your presence at the scene of the crime the other day is quite worrisome." He tossed the tablet onto the table before the two boys, allowing them to see the screen, which displayed fuzzy, corrupted pictures of their faces in the midst of intense motion.

"Ah...these must be from when we destroyed the White Fang's base in Mountain Glenn," observed Ayumu.

"Huh, Ozpin told us you weren't able to recover anything from their data recorders," noted Gin just as casually.

"It took time," said Ironwood, "and a lot of work. Most of the data was unsalvageable. But these were among what little we recovered. Thanks to that, we have definitive proof of your participation in the destruction of Atlesian Military property."

Both boys blinked in surprise at that. "Well...I suppose having stolen them doesn't legally make them the White Fang's property," said Gin with a chuckle. "Considering the circumstances, as excuses go, it's pretty shaky. But I guess shaky excuses are enough for the likes of us."

Once again, Ironwood found himself fighting down a growl at the unruffled behavior of the two boys.

"I apologize for us not being suitably intimidated," said Ayumu as pleasantly as ever. "Please be assured, it's no failing on your part. We are just used to someone much better at it."

"Of that...I am well aware," said Ironwood, his eyes narrowing. He reached out and took up the scroll again. "Imagine my surprise, when a supposedly dead Beacon student reappeared in the company of two boys, boys with extensive criminal histories." He showed them the scroll again, this time showing crystal-clear images of their faces. One picture was of Ayumu being confronted by what looked like a small group of police officers. The other was a picture of Gin standing over bloody and battered bodies, blood trickling off his fingers.

"Furthermore, both of these boys have continually avoided arrest," added Ironwood, "largely because they have been taken in as the students of one of the, if not _the_ most dangerous criminal in all of Remnant." Ironwood brought up another picture, this one of Yu Yuen, actually posing shamelessly for the camera, and flashing the photographer a V-sign, with a smug grin on his face.

Ayumu and Gin stared at the scroll with deadpan expressions.

Ironwood closed his scroll and pocketed it once more. "You..." He pointed sharply at Ayumu. "...are officially wanted across all four Kingdoms for defaulting your debt to the Schnee Dust Company. And you..." He switched the direction of his point to Gin. "...are a notorious marauder wanted for multiple crimes of theft, assault, manslaughter, and murder."

Gin and Ayumu shared a look before shrugging in unison. "Can't argue with that," said Gin.

"It would seem that the Atlesian Military's intelligence network is quite effective in its work," observed Ayumu. "Though, I imagine that your rumored ties to the Schnee Dust Company helped, in my case."

This time, Ironwood was unable to completely suppress his growl at the boys' seeming indifference to his efforts to intimidate them.

"The point is that you are both in a situation where I am perfectly justified in taking you into custody," said Ironwood, beginning to pace back and forth. As his movements took him in front of the trio of androids on one side of the room, their rifles immediately lowered, so that he wasn't in the line of fire, only to snap back up to train on the boys the instant he turned around and walked away, the trio on the other side of the room behaving in the same manner. "Furthermore, it would be a simple matter to hand you over to the authorities, so that you can be dealt with. However...I am willing to consider leniency, provided you cooperate."

Once again, neither of the boys showed much reaction at all, merely trading glances before Gin leaned back and folded his arms across his chest. "What cooperation did you have in mind?" he asked.

Ironwood smiled and stopped at the center of the other side of the table. "What I require is information on your teacher," he said.

"Oh...is that all?" asked Ayumu.

"Though your criminal histories are extensive, his is far worse by an order of magnitude, therefore..." Ironwood trailed off as his mind caught up to the nature of Ayumu's nonchalant response, which was nonchalant for different reasons this time. "What?"

"Well...that's understandable," said Gin. "Master Yu is an asshole of the highest order."

"If there's one thing he excels at, amongst all the things he excels at, it's making enemies," added Ayumu simply.

"So you'll cooperate," said Ironwood, relaxing slightly.

"Well...I'm not sure about that," demurred Ayumu.

In an instant, the tension returned to Ironwood's posture. "You're willing to put your lives and futures at risk for this man."

"That has nothing to do with it," said Gin with a yawn, stretching his arms over his head and making the joints pop. "Truth be told, one of the reasons we train so hard under him is because, someday, we want to kill him ourselves."

"That said, we don't have exclusive claim to that desire," added Ayumu. "If there was anyone else with the motive or the means to kill Master Yu, we certainly won't begrudge them doing so."

"The problem is that, while you undoubtedly don't lack the former, you definitely lack the latter," said Gin. "The information we could share with you wouldn't help."

"Sadly, most of it would not give you any advantage against him," said Ayumu. "If anything, it would only provide you with false confidence that is likely to get your men killed, and your materiel destroyed, should you try to act on it."

"And a lot of the things we could tell you about what he can do would probably seem like gross exaggerations," added Gin. "I know I wouldn't have believed them, if I hadn't experienced them for myself."

"So...we apologize for our reluctance to share," said Ayumu. "It is not out of loyalty for our master, for we have none, and he does not value loyalty in the slightest. Rather, we do it because we do not wish for you to put the lives of your people in danger by overestimating any kind of advantage you might gain from our information, assuming it will provide any advantage at all."

Ironwood snarled wordlessly. "That is not your judgment to make," he ground out. "I _order_ you to tell me everything you know! If you do not, I will have you both in chains, and on the next airship to Mistral in less than an hour!"

Once again, Ayumu and Gin didn't so much as flinch before the General's fury or his threat. They turned to regard one another. Gin silently raised an eyebrow. Ayumu canted his head slightly. Gin sighed in resignation and shrugged helplessly before turning back to Ironwood. "If you're really that determined, let's give you a sample, and see how well you can process it."

"What do you-?" Ironwood began to ask before snapping his mouth shut and reeling back. In that instant, his combat instincts and experience, cultivated across years spent fighting for the military, and as a Huntsman, screamed _danger_. Certain that Gin was about to attack, he backed all the way up to the door, his hand blurring into his jacket and closing around the handle of his revolver, ready to add to the shots the Knights would fire.

Except that the androids didn't move at all. Ironwood froze in place, looking back and forth between the two trios of Knights, noticing that they did not react to the threat at all. Looking back at Gin, he saw that the boy hadn't moved a muscle since meeting Ironwood's eyes.

"What...?"

"What you felt goes by many names," said Ayumu. "You might call it bloodlust or killing intent. Our master refers to it as _sakki_. Gin projected his bloodlust at you, which caused you to feel the threat of attack, because, almost always, _sakki_ precedes or accompanies an actual attack."

"What of it?" said Ironwood, trying to ignore the sweat beading his brow as he slowly lowered his hand and rose out of his crouch. "Are you trying to intimidate me?"

"Hardly," said Gin. "This is less about how you reacted and more about how they didn't react." He inclined his head towards one row of the Knights.

Ironwood looked at the androids, frowning.

"Androids are wondrous pieces of technology," said Ayumu. "I imagine you favor them a great deal. They do not require training. Nor do they require food or rest. They simply require a power supply and, when not in use, they can be switched off. They do not require the basic living needs regular soldiers would, so they can be stored more compactly, in greater numbers, and at less expense. Furthermore, not being subject to emotions, they can be relied upon to follow their programming. They will obey any order issued by one who holds their control, and are incapable of questioning or defying it."

"However," said Gin, "all of that comes with limitations," he said. "I'm sure we could go on and on about how they don't have the ability to react organically to circumstances outside their parameters. But the real point here is that there's a glaring difference between their perception and that of a living person."

"For all their resemblance to the human form, androids are ultimately objects," said Ayumu. "In place of will and instinct, they have programming. Furthermore, the manner in which they perceive the world is likewise limited. They are only capable of perceiving physical stimuli. Unlike you, they cannot perceive intent, nor can they react to it."

"While my _sakki_ had you feeling like you were under the threat of imminent attack, your androids didn't react to it at all," said Gin. "That's a glaring flaw and just one example of how inadequate they'd be against Master Yu, no matter how many of them you fielded against him."

"And what does this show?" asked Ironwood. "Had you actually moved to follow through on your 'intent' they would have stopped you."

"It was to show you that your understanding is too limited to make use of the information we could give you," said Ayumu. "Master Yu's true strength is such that we have yet to see or experience his true capacity. What we know of his capability is what he has merely _allowed_ us to perceive to the limit of _our_ capacity to follow it."

"In other words, he trains us by slowing down to our pace...or just above it really," said Gin. "But his real speed and strength are far beyond that."

"We could tell you about some of his special techniques," said Ayumu. "But he doesn't need them. Indeed, many of them are ones he created on the spot to toy with us...or help us learn something."

"We could list the tells that allow us to predict his movements to an extent," said Gin, "except that he shows those deliberately, in order to teach us how to read an opponent, so it would be of no use against him in a real battle."

"His senses are likewise on another plane," added Ayumu. "For example, from the moment we met you, we realized that nearly the entire right side of your body consists of cybernetic prosthetics."

Ironwood winced.

"You hide it with your clothes," continued Ayumu. "But there is a slight imbalance that indicates that your right side is heavier than your left and the movements of your arm and leg show minuscule inconsistencies with the movements of organic limbs."

"We also know that you have an additional twelve Knights waiting outside this room," added Gin, closing his eyes.

Ironwood blanched, sweating harder than before.

"This isn't an attempt to intimidate," said Ayumu. "It's merely to show you. Whatever we can do, our Master can do to an incomprehensibly _greater_ degree. He can perceive events miles distant and/or through solid impediments. Indeed, if he is anywhere in the vicinity of Vale, then it is likely that he is privy to every single word that's been spoken in this room."

"The way you are now...the way your military is..." said Gin. "Right now, the only thing you'd accomplish by attempting to use any information we gave you would be to get your people slaughtered."

"We have no obligation to our Master, but we do feel an obligation to prevent the senseless loss of life," said Ayumu softly, his tone consoling. "Please understand."

"Oh...I understand all right," said Ironwood, walking back to the table. "I understand that the two of you have wasted enough of my time playing your games." Raising his right hand, he brought his fist slamming down on the table, which screeched and deformed beneath the force of his cybernetically augmented blow, the entire thing jumping off the floor from the impact. "You will cooperate... _NOW!_ "

"We refuse," said Gin, neither he nor Ayumu flinching before the display of Ironwood's temper.

"So be it," growled Ironwood. "Then enjoy your trip to Mistral."

He turned and headed to the door, which slid open to reveal Ozpin standing there, his right hand resting atop the handle of his cane, his left holding a mug of coffee, which he sipped slowly from as he regarded Ironwood with a level gaze.

"O-Oz..." stammered Ironwood, falling back from the unexpected appearance of Beacon's Headmaster aboard his ship. "What are you doing here?"

"I have merely come to collect Mr. Ueno and Mr. Ao," said Ozpin, his calm matching that of the two boys at the other end of the room. "I am certain that it was merely an error on your part, and not a deliberate overstepping of your authority and jurisdiction, when you forcefully detained two guests of my school, and questioned them _without_ my awareness, consent, or approval."

"Oz, this is not the time for games..." said Ironwood, the metal fingers of his hand clenching and creaking. "These two are criminals."

"These two are students," countered Ozpin. " _My_ students...whom I approved for enrollment at Beacon, just twenty minutes ago."

Behind Ironwood, Ayumu blinked, then raised an eyebrow. Gin merely lowered his head with a quiet chuckle and a small smile.

"Wha-what...What are you doing?" said Ironwood, anger fighting its way past the confusion in his voice. "Are you out of your mind? These two are wanted criminals."

"Indeed so," said Ozpin. "However, under the auspices of my authority as Headmaster of Beacon, as recognized by the treaty of Vytal, I have granted them an unofficial pardon, under the condition of their continued enrollment at Beacon."

"But that only allows for certain levels of crime..." said Ironwood. "...which Ao falls under..." he admitted reluctantly. "...but Ueno is wanted under multiple severe crimes, including murder and manslaughter. Not even _you_ have the authority to pardon those."

Ozpin's eyes narrowed. "Taking his circumstances into consideration, I have recognized his previous offenses as being classified as survival crimes. Because of that, I have the authority to issue an unofficial pardon for those as well."

"You'd go so far to protect them?" growled Ironwood.

"Well...I would go so far as to bring in capable future Huntsmen and, hopefully, enable them to do far more good than simply punishing them for their past misdeeds would accomplish," said Ozpin. "Nor would I punish them for their association with a man who has clearly controlled them through violence and intimidation."

"I wouldn't go so far as to say control," muttered Gin.

Ayumu gently elbowed him in the ribs. "Hush."

If he heard their brief exchange, Ironwood didn't bother to acknowledge it, the whole of his attention locked on Ozpin.

"Also, rather than protecting them, I am protecting _you_ ," added Ozpin, making Ironwood flinch back in surprise.

"What are you talking about?" he asked with clear disbelief.

"I would think that would be obvious," said Ozpin. "I imagine that, despite your best efforts, they have not shown any signs that they are intimidated, or even pressured by their circumstances. I assure you that it is not bravado on their parts. They are fully in control of this situation, and could take their leave of you whenever it suited them. Right now, they are merely cooperating for the sake of being polite."

Ayumu's sheepish chuckle prompted Ironwood to look back over his shoulder at the boy, seeing Ayumu grinning almost shyly and rubbing the back of his head. "Well, we are your guests, Professor," he said. "As such, we did not wish to strain your hospitality by causing an incident, if we could avoid it."

"For which, I am most grateful," said Ozpin, favoring Ayumu with a nod. He returned his attention to Ironwood. "I imagine you are skeptical, James. However, these boys have proven themselves more than equal to trained and experienced Huntsmen, and even _Qrow_ has expressed uncertainty in his ability to best them one-on-one, much less if they acted in concert."

Ironwood tried to remain firm, but his expression faltered with that revelation.

"However, it is pointless as to whether you believe me or not," said Ozpin. "These boys are now officially students of Beacon Academy, and they are coming with me."

"The initiation!" blurted out Ironwood, grasping at the last straw he could think of. "They have not passed your initiation, so they cannot be officially enrolled."

"That is technically true," conceded Ozpin. "However, interpreting the rules listed under Beacon's charter, regarding late-term admissions, I have chosen to accept their destruction of Roman Torchwick and the White Fang's planned terrorist attack as an acceptable substitute for the usual initiation. Given the results, I doubt you could debate that they more than adequately demonstrated their capability to excel...yet another example of how unlikely it is that you could effectively confine them."

Ironwood glared at Ozpin, white-hot fury flaring in his gaze. However, Ozpin brushed aside Ironwood's anger, and instead looked past him to Ayumu and Gin. "Mr. Ao, Mr. Ueno..."

"If the General pleases," said Ayumu, nodding in the direction of the androids, whose rifles were still trained on the pair.

"James..." said Ozpin, an air of command in his tone.

With a wordless growl, Ironwood pulled out his scroll and tapped the screen with his thumb, signaling the Knights to stand down. They stepped back to the walls of the room and lowered their weapons. Ayumu and Gin both stood up and walked around the table, moving past Ironwood, while being careful not to touch him.

"I hope you realize that I will be reporting this to the Council," said Ironwood, still glaring at Ozpin.

"If you must," said Ozpin with a sigh, lowering his head.

"They won't overlook this," promised Ironwood. "You have no idea the damage you'll do to yourself and Beacon if you go through with this."

"There is risk, I'll admit," said Ozpin. "However, I believe that is worth undertaking. You would understand if you could be more openminded, James."

He turned and walked down the hallway, Ayumu and Gin following behind him.

"I apologize if we have unduly inconvenienced you, Professor," said Ayumu.

"I believe you to be worth the effort all the same," said Ozpin. "Come now, we must discuss the terms of your enrollment...as well as reassure Ms. Rose."

* * *

"Ayumu, Gin!" shouted Ruby, as the two boys stepped off the Beacon transport that had ferried them down from the looming bulk of Ironwood's warship. She rushed forward and threw her arms around Gin's shoulders in a tight hug, which he returned.

"As I promised, Ms. Rose, they are safe and sound," said Ozpin.

"I was more worried they'd bring that ship crashing down from the sky," said Ruby with a nervous giggle.

"That would have been a little much, just for the sake of escaping," said Ayumu with a chuckle.

"It would've been a lot of work for us too," said Gin. "We're good, but not that good."

Ruby giggled.

"Well then, I believe it is time we moved on to other affairs," said Ozpin. "We will need to discuss the circumstances of your enrollment. I know the hour is getting late, but if you would follow me..."

Ayumu, Gin, and Ruby followed in Ozpin's wake as he led them back to Beacon Tower and his office.

* * *

In the end, it was another hour before they were finished going over all the particulars of Ayumu and Gin's enrollment into Beacon. There had been papers to fill out, and Ozpin had to schedule assessment lessons to learn the boys' respective academic levels. All told, it had been a tedious affair, one that Ruby hadn't actually needed to be present for. But she'd stayed with Ayumu and Gin all the same, partly because she wanted to be there to support them...but also because she wanted to put off what she knew was awaiting her afterwards...and that she would need the boys' support to get through it.

Now Ruby stood before the closed door of Team RWBY's...or WBY's...or RBY's, she didn't know anymore...dorm room, her dorm room, the room she hadn't set foot inside of for months, since two people that she'd considered friends and comrades had tried to murder her. On the other side of this door was her team, as well as Team JNPR (or JNR, she supposed). They would be waiting for her, waiting to hear her explanation as to why she had opted to spend the past few months letting them believe that she was dead. There were so many things to be said, to be heard, so many questions to be asked and answered.

Ruby's hand hovered inches away from the doorknob, trembling with nerves as she thought about what awaited her.

"Are you sure you want us here for this?" asked Ayumu, resting a friendly hand on her shoulder.

"Yes," said Ruby, glancing over her shoulder at Gin.

Seeing the plaintive look in her eyes, Gin smiled and stepped behind her, reaching around to rest his hand on her forehead, the cooling touch of his skin on her own calming her as it always did. Ruby basked in that sensation for a minute, taking deep breaths, feeling her heart calm. Finally, she pulled free and reached out, closing her hand around the knob. Ruby turned it, only for it to click and refuse to budge.

"Oops..." said Ruby with a nervous giggle. "I forgot that I don't have the code anymore."

Dorm room doors were locked by a code carried on students' scrolls. However, because her previous scroll had been destroyed, and her new one hadn't had her room's code installed, Ruby was essentially locked out.

Ayumu blinked and looked at the door in confusion. "I believe your sister smashed this to splinters earlier, the one across from this too. But now..."

"Yeah, Professor Goodwitch is awesome at fixing stuff," said Ruby with a giggle. "I guess I'd better knock."

She raised her hand only for the door's latch to click, and the door itself to swing open rapidly to reveal a wide-eyed Yang standing there.

"Y-Yang," said Ruby nervously.

"In... _now_ ," said Yang in the strictest tone Ruby could ever remember hearing her use.

Ruby swallowed and followed Yang into the room, Ayumu and Gin following her. Looking around, Ruby took in the sight of her old room, which looked both familiar and different.

The biggest difference was that there were now three beds instead of four. Ruby's bunk, which had been suspended by ropes from the ceiling, with its own canopy, had been removed, leaving only Weiss' bed below it. On the opposite side of the room, Blake and Yang still had their own bunks, raised up on stacks of books that, to the average glance, looked dangerously precarious, but had actually proven as solid and steady as a rock.

There were other differences, some of which Ruby could see were taking advantage of the extra space opened up by the absence of one member of the team. Others were clearly in response to the truths that had come to light this night. The painting that Weiss had brought with her had been taken down, ripped and smashed. Furthermore, Ruby could see a pile of clothes pulled out of the closet and tossed onto the floor, all of them clearly Weiss'. It seemed that Yang and Blake were preparing to evict the very _memory_ of the heiress.

"Sit," said Yang, pointing to a single, open spot in the floor, right in the aisle between the rows formed by the beds. Ruby swallowed and settled down on her knees, sitting with her back straight as Yang planted herself firmly on Blake's bed, next to her partner, and stared sternly down at her, while Jaune, Ren, and Nora took seats on Weiss' former bunk behind her. Gin and Ayumu, to Ruby's relief, knelt down with her, arranging themselves to either side of her, and slightly behind.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," said Yang, her expression just shy of what Ruby would call a glare.

"Yeah...yeah I do," admitted Ruby.

"Do you have any idea what I went through?" demanded Yang, the volume of her voice rising, "what we went through, what Dad went through?"

"I...uh..." said Ruby, trying to work out what her response would be.

"We thought you were _DEAD!_ " said Yang, almost screaming out the last word, lurching forward so that her face hovered barely a foot in front of Ruby's own. "We had your funeral! We got you your own gravestone, right next to Mom's."

"I know," whimpered Ruby.

"You know?" said Yang, surprised, reeling back. "How?"

"Uncle Qrow told me," said Ruby.

"Wait! Uncle Qrow knew you were alive?" asked Yang in disbelief.

"I...I called him when I remembered," said Ruby.

"Remembered?" asked Blake, wondering what Ruby was talking about, but her voice was drowned out by Yang's indignant shout.

"So you told Uncle Qrow, but not me?" she demanded. "Uncle Qrow gets to know, but you were perfectly okay with letting me and Dad think you were dead?"

"Um...Uncle Qrow told Dad after he found out," said Ruby, barely able to raise her voice above a whisper.

"What?" gasped Yang, a sob finding its way into her voice. "Wait! You're telling me that Qrow knew...that Dad knew...that everyone in our family knew... _except_ me?"

"Y-yeah," said Ruby reluctantly.

"How could you?" asked Yang, hurt suffusing every ounce of her tone as her eyes teared up. "You'd let me suffer like that...?"

"I...I couldn't..." said Ruby, sniffling, tears of their own beginning to well up.

"Couldn't what?" demanded Yang harshly.

"I couldn't come back...!" Ruby shouted, snapping her head up to meet Yang's gaze, "...not after what they did! I couldn't face them without doing something about myself! I wasn't about to come back and be a victim again!"

"A victim?" asked Yang.

"You only have the summary of what they did to me," growled Ruby, baring her teeth, glaring straight ahead, albeit not at Yang herself. "That whole 'mission' we went on was a setup. Weiss and Pyrrha led me away so that they could isolate me from the rest of you. They took me where they did specifically so that, when I realized what they were doing, my feelings would draw the Grimm right to the camp, and they would act as a distraction. Weiss used her ice to make it impossible for me to get away. She and Pyrrha ganged up on me, and completely overwhelmed and overpowered me. Pyrrha ripped my sweetheart from my grip, and tore her apart right in front of my eyes!"

Yang gasped, remembering hearing the statements from the recordings Ruby had sent them, and from what Weiss herself had said during their fight with Ruby, Yang had pieced together a rough idea of what had happened. But now Ruby was spelling out plainly what she'd been through...and it was horrifying.

"Pyrrha cut open my stomach," said Ruby, her hand going to where the fading line of her scar rested across her abdomen. "Weiss stabbed me in the chest. They knocked me off that cliff and left me for dead, saying it was what I deserved...just because I was invited into Beacon two years early, because I was made team leader and Weiss wasn't. She and Pyrrha decided that was good enough reason to _kill_ me!"

Because their attention was riveted on the conversation between Ruby and Yang, no one else noticed Jaune's expression shift, confusion washing over him as he stared at the back of Ruby's head, looking as though he didn't believe what she was saying, but not for the reasons anyone would have thought.

Ruby continued. "I...I forgot who I was," she said. "When Ayumu and Gin found me, they treated my injuries and nursed me back to health. But I couldn't remember who I was. I could barely even remember my own name, much less where I came from and what happened to me. I spent over two weeks of my life without remembering anything or anyone. Weiss and Pyrrha...they took that time from me!"

"So...this was to get back at them?" asked Yang in confusion.

"Y-yes," said Ruby, "sort of..."

"Sort of...?" said Yang skeptically.

Ruby looked down, having trouble to find the words to describe her intent.

A hand rested gently on her shoulder. "If I may," said Ayumu softly, to which Ruby nodded. Ayumu looked up at Yang. "What Ruby wanted was to reclaim her sense of agency, her own empowerment, after your two former friends stripped that away from her."

"What do you mean?" asked Yang, her gaze hardening as she looked at Ayumu.

"Though it isn't quite the same, the principle is similar to that of rape," said Ayumu, prompting a gasp from everyone in the room, except for Ruby and Gin. "When it comes down to it, rape is less about the actual sex, and more about the perpetrator exercising power over the victim in the most intimate manner possible. While Ms. Schnee and Ms. Nikos' actions were not as an intimate a violation as actual rape, the overall principle is the same in that they deliberately stripped Ruby of her own power and agency, then ruthlessly exercised their own upon her. It wasn't sufficient to merely kill her. They wanted her to know they had betrayed her, how much they despised her, and they wanted to completely break her as a person before delivering the finishing blow.

"Because of that, Ruby's decision was about reclaiming her power and agency. Rather than simply return and report what had happened, she traveled with us, and trained to become strong enough to face her attackers and defeat them. It was less about returning the favor, and more about taking _back_ what they had taken _away_ from her. To do that, she had to invest both time and effort. The latter was quite easy, but the former could not be invested without a sacrifice."

"So that makes it okay?" asked Yang.

"Not in the slightest," admitted Ayumu cheerily. "What we are trying to say is that you are not wholly wrong to be upset that you were kept out of the loop concerning Ruby's revival, but she is not wholly wrong to have wanted to take the opportunity to empower herself, and grow from what happened to her, in direct defiance of what her enemies wanted."

Ayumu's eyes narrowed slightly as he met Yang's gaze. "Tell me...had you heard what had happened, what would you have done?"

"That's easy," said Yang firmly, folding her arms in front of her chest. "I would've pounded that rich bitch and that overprivileged celebrity into bloody pulps, then dragged them straight to Ozpin."

"As you would have had the right to," conceded Ayumu. "But, in doing so, you would have denied Ruby her chance to avenge herself. She would have returned to Beacon as a victim, as someone who had been taken advantage of and stripped of her own empowerment.

"While they are the only ones who directly acted upon it, is it not true that the sentiment that Ms. Schnee and Ms. Nikos harbored was fairly widespread amongst the student body?"

"Well...that's...true," admitted Blake, looking away, while Yang nodded reluctantly.

"Returning without having regained her sense of agency, Ruby would have returned to Beacon as merely a victim. Having done nothing to restore her own strength and confidence, she would have to face down those people who would probably continue to doubt her."

"It's not like beating Weiss and Pyrrha is going to change their attitudes," Blake pointed out. "If people are willing to believe something like that in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, they'll ignore more evidence of the same."

"You're right," said Ruby, taking up her defense again. "But, this way, I can face them. I can stand up to them and their stupidity. If I'd just told everyone what happened, they'd condemn Weiss and Pyrrha, not because what they did was wrong, but because they didn't succeed. Hell, they'll probably still have that attitude. But, if I came back feeling like a victim, I wouldn't be able to stand up to them myself, and I'd probably spend my time hiding behind you and Yang." She sniffed. "I feel like I would've lost the confidence to become a Huntress. The only way I could get that back was by becoming strong enough to turn the tables on those two and win."

"Oh...Ruby..." said Yang, realizing that, while her own pain had been substantial and had dragged out longer, it didn't compare to what Ruby had gone through, the sheer terror of having two people she trusted turn on her and ruthlessly...cruelly...attempt to kill her in a manner that stripped Ruby of all sense of her own empowerment. At first, she'd thought Ayumu's comparison to rape as being overly-sensational, but now she had an idea of the sense of loss Ruby must have felt.

"Yang! I'm sorry," said Ruby. "I was selfish. I didn't want to hurt you, but I did because I didn't want to feel helpless...please!" She sniffed, then sobbed, lowering her head. "Forgive me!"

She heard Yang get up off the side of the bed and stand up. A second later, a hand reached down and gently grabbed her chin, tilting Ruby's head up. Ruby found herself looking into Yang's lilac eyes. With her other hand, Yang took Ruby's arm and pulled her to her feet so that they were standing up. Then Yang pulled Ruby into a hug.

"It's not about forgiving you or not," said Yang, pressing her face into the top of Ruby's head, inhaling her scent. "It hurt...thinking that you were dead. But I give up. I don't care about that anymore."

"Yang..."

"I have you back," continued Yang, bringing a hand to the back of Ruby's head and brushing it through her hair. "That's all that matters in the end."

Ruby sniffed and broke down crying in Yang's arms, clinging to her like a rock in the midst of a storm. Yang returned the favor, tears spilling from her own eyes as she began to gently rock her little sister back and forth.

"Aww..." cooed Nora, before she was shushed by Ren.

After holding Ruby for several minutes, Yang lifted her face from Ruby's hair and looked past her at the two boys, still seated on the floor. "Thank you, both of you, for all that you did for her."

"It was our pleasure," said Ayumu cheerfully.

"I guess we have a lot to talk about," said Yang, pulling back so that she could look Ruby in the eyes.

"Yeah...yeah we do," admitted Ruby sniffing tiredly and leaning against her sister.

"But it's getting too late," Blake pointed out. "We should call it a night. We can talk tomorrow."

"Sure," said Ruby. At least Ozpin had been kind enough to give her a day to reconnect with her sister and friends, before she was swept up into a series of remedial classes and tests to try and cram the better part of a semester's worth of information into her head, before regular classes resumed.

"I think we all could use a night to recover," added Ren, sharing a glance with Jaune, whose face remained tight and drawn. Jaune nodded slowly.

"Let's get to bed," said Yang, before looking down at Ruby. "Uh...I hope you don't mind, but your pajamas aren't here anymore."

"That's okay," said Ruby with a giggle. "I picked up another set on the road."

* * *

"Well, these certainly are comfortable beds," noted Ayumu, gently bouncing up and down on his own.

"When you sleep on the hard ground for as long as we have, any bed seems super-soft," commented Gin with a wry smile. "This is the longest period of our lives we'll spend with actual beds since becoming Master Yu's students."

"Quite true," agreed Ayumu.

For the time being, Ozpin had given Ayumu and Gin their own room in the dorms, until he'd settled the minutia concerning their enrollment. It was a temporary arrangement, most likely. That was fine by the boys. They both considered the idea of the two of them occupying a room meant for four people to be a bit wasteful. That...and a room twice the size that it needed to be felt unnervingly empty, when all was said and done.

"It feels odd," said Ayumu softly. "We haven't occupied a separate room from Ruby since Weathertop."

"It can't be helped," said Gin. "She'll want to stay with her sister and team. Somehow, I doubt that Ruby's sister would immediately approve of us sleeping together."

"Only because she hasn't seen how cute the two of you are together," said Ayumu with a chuckle, causing Gin's cheeks to heat up. "She'll come around soon enough, I'm sure."

"If you say so," said Gin. "I don't want to make a spectacle of it."

"Well, given Ruby's request regarding our placement, I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunities to ensure that Ms. Xiao Long is comfortable with your relationship," said Ayumu.

Gin sighed. "Whatever, let's just go to bed."

Ayumu nodded and turned out the lights, the two boys undressing most of their clothes in the dark and slipping under the covers of their respective beds. They were asleep almost immediately, having long trained themselves to take their rest where they could find it. Despite that, even asleep, their guards did not fall and they maintained a constant subconscious awareness of their surroundings.

Because of that, Gin was awoken by a familiar presence outside their door before the person even began to knock. Getting up, Gin strode over and opened it to find Ruby, still wearing her pajamas, on the other side.

"C-can I sleep here?" asked Ruby.

"I thought you'd be more comfortable staying with your sister and friend," said Gin, tilting his head in confusion. But he stepped aside to let her into the room, and closed the door behind her regardless.

Ruby scratched her head. "It is nice," she admitted. "But comfortable..."

"What's wrong?" asked Gin.

"It's just...I can't sleep in Weiss' bed," said Ruby, "even though it's empty. It still has her scent. Just the thought of it makes me nauseous."

"I'm certain your sister would be willing to let you share her bed," pointed out Ayumu, having also awakened and sat up on his own bed.

"She was," said Ruby hesitantly. "B-but that's the problem."

"What is?" asked Gin.

"Yang's too hot," said Ruby. Despite the near total darkness, Ruby didn't need faunus night vision to know that Gin was raising an eyebrow and smirking at her. "I mean...literally! You know what I'm talking about!" Ruby puffed out her cheeks petulantly, making the boys laugh.

Ruby sighed. "Sleeping next to Yang is like sleeping next to a furnace. I thought I was going to wither up like a prune. Not only that, but she was hugging me so tight I thought she was going to squeeze my insides out like I was a tube of toothpaste."

"Well, considering the circumstances, can you blame her?" asked Gin.

"I know..." said Ruby with a sigh. "But...I just can't sleep like that. Can I please...just...stay here tonight?"

Gin sighed and lowered his head, shaking it slowly. "Well, I can't say no to you," he said.

"You'll have to learn how at some point," said Ruby, with a soft giggle. "But I'm glad you can't tonight."

"Well, let's get to bed then," said Gin. "We have to rest up while we can. After tomorrow, the next few days are going to be busy."

Ruby nodded fervently and climbed into bed next to Gin, spooning herself up against him and sighing in relief as his arms wrapped around her, his touch slowly cooling her off. One hand came up to gently rest against her forehead, and Ruby felt the last of her consciousness begin to melt away.

She knew that Yang would probably be worried when she woke up in the morning and Ruby wasn't there. But, right now, Ruby felt that the comfort she felt now was more than worth it.

* * *

 **I always tend to view Ironwood in an antagonistic light, a feeling that's gotten stronger since the latest volume of the show hasn't done him any favors, even though he has yet to appear on screen again. I've always felt put off by his obsession over control. Most of the things he does throughout the series, even when they're ostensibly good things (like praising Ruby for taking action against Cinder in Volume 2, or sending Yang her prosthetic arm in Volume 4), it always puts my hackles up. I just don't like the guy, not in the sense that I think he's a bad character, but that he's a character who's been designed to be unlikeable, albeit in a different way and to a lesser degree than Cinder. Because of that, even if he isn't a straight-up villain, he tends to be an antagonist in many of my stories.**

 **We also get to see that, despite Yang's response in the previous chapter, she is not happy that she was lied to about Ruby's death. Of course, being the loving, caring older sister that she is, Yang can't really sustain that kind of anger against Ruby for long. However, that does not mean it's gone away. I'm sure that many of you will be able to guess at least one of the obvious consequences of her needing a target to direct her ire at.**


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39:**

"AHHH!"

Blake jolted upright, smacking her forehead against the bottom of the bed over hers and crying out in pain, collapsing back down against her pillow, pressing a hand to her throbbing forehead. Opening her eyes and blinking to clear away the tears of pain, Blake glared up at Yang's bunk, wondering what had prompted the scream that had awakened her.

"Where is she?" asked Yang frantically as the sheets began to rustle around. Finally, Yang's head peered over the edge of the bunk, looking down towards Blake before turning to take in the rest of the room. "Where's Ruby? She's gone!"

Blake jolted, her heart leaping in her chest for a second before she forced herself to calm down. "I don't know," she said, still rubbing her forehead. "I thought she was with you."

Yang's eyes flickered red for a fraction of a second, betraying her agitation in a way that made Blake shy away from her slightly. "Well, I wouldn't be freaking out if she still was. But she's gone!"

"Calm down," urged Blake. "I'm sure nothing's wrong. She must have gone somewhere."

Not to say she couldn't understand Yang's panic. After all, it was only just yesterday that they'd found out that Ruby was still alive, after spending months believing that she was dead. Worse, they'd learned that their own teammate, the girl who'd taken the reins of their team, had been the one to lead the attempt to kill Ruby. After a series of revelations like that, it was no surprise Yang would freak out after waking up to find that her sister was no longer in her arms. Yang had probably wondered if she'd hallucinated the whole affair, and had woken up to realize that Ruby was still dead and gone.

However, talking to Blake helped Yang to realize that, no, Ruby's return had not been a particularly vivid dream, but had actually happened. It calmed her down, just as the realization that, if that was true, then the rest of it was as well. Weiss' bed was empty, the painting she'd brought to decorate their dorm still shredded, her clothes still torn and scattered across the floor, to be gathered up and thrown out at a later date. Ruby had returned, and Weiss was in the process of getting what was coming to her.

But that didn't change the fact that Ruby was nowhere to be seen. As worried as Yang was, she almost missed the sound of someone knocking on their door. It was Blake who answered it, pulling at her yukata to make sure it was fully closed and modest after a night in bed.

The door opened to reveal Ayumu, already fully dressed and wide awake, beaming as though the prospect of it being morning didn't bother him in the slightest. "Good morning," he said pleasantly.

"What do you want?" asked Blake, before wincing at her own terseness, realizing that the combination of the painful awakening and the worry of what had happened to Ruby were making her fuse shorter than normal. She'd wound up accidentally venting on one of the boys who had saved Ruby's life.

If he was bothered by her response, Ayumu didn't show it, seeming completely unruffled. "I figured you might be worried, once you realized Ruby was not in your room anymore. I wanted to reassure you both that she is fine, and that she came over to our room last night."

"What?" asked Yang sharply, jumping off the bed and stalking over to Ayumu. "What is she doing in _your_ room?"

"Sleeping," said Ayumu with plain good humor, making Yang growl. "You can see for yourself, if you like. Just try not to disturb her."

Yang blinked, deflated somewhat by Ayumu's lack of reaction to her anger. She and Blake followed Ayumu, as he led them down the hall to the room he was temporarily sharing with Gin and showed them in.

They found Ruby, sound asleep, curled up next to Gin, looking completely relaxed as one of his arms wrapped around her stomach, while the other had slid under her shoulder so that he could press the palm of his hand against her forehead.

Seeing Ruby so relaxed and reposed made Blake smile happily, glad to see she was so comfortable. Then she swallowed, her mouth going dry as the air in the room began to grow gradually warmer. Glancing over to her side, Blake saw her partner glaring down at the couple, the gold radiance of her Aura beginning to outline her body.

The sound of sheets rustling drew Blake's attention back down to the bed. She saw Gin squirm slightly, then open his eyes, not even showing the slightest signs of sleepiness as he looked up at them. His cheeks turned bright red. However, as his eyes met Yang's, his expression hardened, and Blake saw his arms tighten their hold on Ruby a tiny bit.

Blake blinked, confused by Gin's reaction. His cheeks were still a vivid red color. However, just as with Ayumu earlier, it seemed that the prospect of Yang's anger and enmity didn't bother him one bit. _If anything, he looks more worried about being teased than being attacked,_ Blake noted silently.

Yang brought her hands up and began to pop her knuckles. Gin's eyes narrowed dangerously.

A sleepy murmur cut through the tension like a knife, as Ruby mumbled softly in her sleep, shifting and rolling in Gin's arms, turning herself around so that she could press her face against his collarbone. Gin pulled his gaze away from Yang and back down to Ruby, smiling at her behavior. Tilting his head down slightly, he gently pressed his lips against the crown of her head, while one hand brushed through her hair, his other gently rubbing her back as Ruby wrapped herself around him.

Blake fought back the urge to coo at the couple, approving of the obvious tenderness, which Gin clearly regarded Ruby with, as well as the affectionate manner with which Ruby clung to him.

It seemed that not even Yang's anger could sustain itself before that display. At the least, more than she wanted to upbraid Gin for sleeping with her sister, she _didn't_ want to disturb Ruby's rest, seeing how comfortable she obviously was. The two girls felt Ayumu's hands on their shoulders and he gently ushered them outside.

"As you can see, Ruby is just fine," said Ayumu after he shut the door behind him, leaving them in the hall. "Given what happened last night, I hope you don't mind letting her sleep a little while longer."

"When did _that_ happen?" asked Blake.

"Ah, well, it was a few weeks into our journey," said Ayumu. "Gin had warmed up to Ruby almost from the minute he first spoke with her, but was too shy and self-conscious to really act on his feelings. But she took him out on a date while we were in Weathertop to confirm her own feelings. They've been sleeping together ever since." Seeing Yang's eyes flashing red, Ayumu raised a hand to forestall her wrath. "I mean that literally, not euphemistically, by the way."

That at least calmed Yang down a little, and she relaxed her posture, the heat of her Aura receding.

"So she couldn't sleep apart from him for one night?" Blake wondered.

"It's less that and more that Ms. Xiao Long is, and I quote, 'too hot,'" said Ayumu, making Yang cough, and Blake giggle. "She meant that literally and not euphemistically, by the way. She also said you were holding her a little too tightly."

Yang blushed and looked down.

Ayumu rubbed the back of his head. "But Ruby's gotten accustomed to Gin. His body temperature is lower than most people's, so she finds contact with him relaxing and reassuring. I hope you understand."

"I think we do," said Blake, resting a hand on Yang's shoulder and gently pulling her back in the direction of their room. "Just make sure Ruby comes back to our room, when she wakes up."

"I will," promised Ayumu, noting that Yang's eyes remained on the door to his and Gin's temporary quarters even as Blake guided her down the hallway. _Oh dear...I hope she doesn't do anything too reckless._

* * *

Ozpin sighed and rubbed his temples. His position as Beacon's Headmaster, to say nothing of the...other...duties he'd been entrusted with, had left him with plenty of things that he was required to do that did not sit well with him. There were plenty of matters he was tasked with that left him with a headache or bitter taste in his mouth. This particular task resulted in both.

"To be a Huntsman or Huntress is to be a protector of the people," he said in a low tone. "To aspire to that title is to seek a position that is as much about trust as it is about power and authority. By enrolling in Beacon, you should have solidified your commitment to serve the people and the world. Knowing that...what have you to say for yourselves?"

Ozpin slowly raised his head and stared right at the two girls now standing in front of his desk. Weiss Schnee and Pyrrha Nikos had certainly seen better days. Their bodies were battered, their clothes and armor still on from the previous night; smudged, battered, torn, and dirty. Their hair was tangled and matted by sweat, the two of them having not even had the chance to take a shower in the time since their fight with Ruby, having spent most of it unconscious.

Other injuries were even more glaring. Weiss' right eye was covered by a white eyepatch, held in place by bandages. The doctor had said that the eye had taken no damage itself, but the impact of her face against the back of Pyrrha's head had left Weiss with a degree of swelling that would take a considerable amount of time for her Aura to alleviate. Likewise, Pyrrha's nose was also covered in bandages, having been broken by Ruby's boot to her face. The doctor had needed to reset and bandage it, so that it would heal properly, once Pyrrha's Aura recovered.

There was one other mark from last night that each of them sported. Pyrrha's stomach, behind her top, was neatly bisected by a vertical line of bright-red, marking the place where she'd been impaled on the blade of light emitting from Ruby's weapon. An identically-colored line ringed Weiss' neck, where Ruby's blade had cut through her as well. The doctor had been baffled, but not worried, by the phenomenon, noting that there was no sign of cellular damage. Instead, it appeared that Ruby had left an impression of her Aura upon her two opponents, one that would fade once their own Auras returned.

The two traitors stared back at Ozpin. Weiss' expression was sullen, with clearly suppressed anger. In contrast, Pyrrha's expression was blank...almost despairing.

"Well..." prodded Ozpin.

"We don't deserve to be treated like this," said Weiss, her lips curling back in a sneer. "We were cleaning up the mess caused by your mistake."

"Finally being frank, I see," said Ozpin, meeting Weiss' gaze squarely. "And what 'mistake' is it that I've made?"

"That brat doesn't belong here!" hissed Weiss. "On top of that, she has no right to be a leader. I studied and trained for years in preparation of the day that I would come here. _I_ deserve the position that you took from me, and handed to that little idiot on a silver platter."

"You are quite presumptuous, talking with such certainty about what you 'deserve,'" said Ozpin, his tone cold. "I had heard that you wished to restore your family's name from the stain your father's actions have left on it. However, your actions would seem to indicate that you take after him in the worst way."

Weiss winced visibly, reacting almost as though he'd struck her across the face.

"You are not the sole arbiter over what you _deserve_ , Ms. Schnee," said Ozpin. "I do not make any of my decisions lightly, and I do not simply 'give' things away in the manner that you seem to believe. I made my judgment regarding the leadership of your team after careful consideration , and observing your performance during the initiation. Perhaps...making Ms. Rose the leader of your team was just as much about teaching _you_ something as it was deciding that she had earned the position."

Weiss winced again.

"Unfortunately, thanks to the actions of your father, the Schnee family has grown quite accustomed to getting what they want, as your sister once confided to me," said Ozpin, making Weiss wince even more sharply. "I have yet to inform her about your situation, by the way. I do not look forward to telling her what you have done."

Weiss' skin, already pale, whitened further.

"I made Ms. Rose the leader of your team because she earned it, yes. But there was another lesson there, one that was for _your_ benefit. It was to teach you that you cannot always seek to have your way in everything, if you truly hope to restore honor to your family's name. Rather than being so rigid and defiant, you needed to learn that there are times when you have to give way, bend, flex, and make the most of a situation that is not completely advantageous to you."

"That's what I did," said Weiss stubbornly.

"No!" snapped Ozpin, the presence of genuine anger in his voice making Weiss snap her mouth shut. "You did _not_ adjust. You did _not_ learn to give and make the most of your situation. You remained stubbornly rigid, and insisted that the rest of the world; me, Ms. Rose, our assessment of her; were in the wrong; and acted to force things into line with the way you thought they should be. _That_ is what you did. In that moment, you abandoned your commitment to the duty of a Huntress, and acted solely for the sake of your own pride."

Weiss hissed and glared at him. Ozpin met her glare firmly and without faltering. "But it doesn't matter anymore," he said with a sigh, lowering his head. "Because of your decisions, and no one else's, you've completely shattered your chances of meeting any of the goals you set for yourself. You will not become a Huntress. I imagine you will not inherit your family's company either. Instead, your name will become synonymous with treachery and disgrace, a cautionary tale for the generations to come. That is the fate you have earned...the fate you _deserve_ ," said Ozpin, throwing one of Weiss' own assertions back into her face. Despite her desire to maintain her cold demeanor, Weiss could not completely suppress a whimper and stepped away from him.

Seeing that she had nothing else to add, Ozpin turned his attention to Pyrrha. "Ms. Nikos...I had especially high hopes for you. I...I cannot find the words to express how much you disappoint me. What have you to say for yourself?"

Pyrrha looked up at him dully for a moment...then lowered her gaze without saying a word.

Ozpin sighed again. "Very well," he said. "You two shall be escorted to Beacon's detention cells, and shall be held there while your charges are being filed. Then you will be admitted into Vale's justice system, and tried accordingly for your crimes. While incarcerated on Beacon grounds, you will have the same rights as any other prisoner within the justice system, including visitation and communication rights. Exercise them wisely." His gaze intensified, and he glared at them both. "It is in your best interests to cooperate fully. I must remind you that the laws regarding crimes committed by Huntsmen and Huntresses, including those in training, are especially stringent. Any attempt to resist or escape shall result in an automatic guilty plea, and you shall waive your right to a trial."

Both girls paled at his pronouncement, the fight going completely out of them.

"Needless to say, you are both officially expelled from Beacon Academy," said Ozpin, his words seeming to drain the life out of the two prisoners more than anything else he'd said thus far. "Glynda, if you would."

"Yes," said Glynda coming up behind the two prisoners. "Come along, both of you."

Glynda ushered the two despondent girls into the elevator. Ozpin watched them until the doors closed, before lowering his gaze to the desk and sighing yet again, wondering how two such promising students could have gone so badly astray.

* * *

Ruby found that her decision to sleep with Gin the previous night had resulted in an awkward morning. It was one thing to sneak down the hall to the boys' room in the dark of night, but another to walk back in the morning light, and enter her team's room, knowing full well that Yang and Blake knew where she'd spent the night. Thank God the dorms were relatively deserted, most teams still being out on missions right now. Right now, she wasn't sure that she would have preferred to have the boys wit her. Gin's presence was always a comfort to her. But the continual exposure of their relationship to her teammates was also a source of embarrassment as well. However, that issue was entirely hypothetical, as Gin and Ayumu had been asked to report to Glynda, as soon as they were both up and about, so that she could go about the process of preparing them for their enrollment.

Ruby entered the room, and flushed bright-red almost immediately at the knowing smirk on Blake's face. Then she saw Yang, and her blush faded. Yang's expression was mixed between anger and hurt, similar to how she'd looked when she'd been dressing down Ruby last night.

"I'm sorry," Ruby blurted out to her older sister. "I didn't mean to make you worry, I just..."

"You just couldn't get through the night without your boyfriend," teased Blake, making Ruby blush furiously again.

Yang sighed and relaxed, giving Ruby a wan smile. "I just can't stay mad at you, Sis," she said.

Ruby relaxed, though she detected an undercurrent of...something...in Yang's voice that left her feeling slightly nervous.

"Aww, don't worry about it," said Yang, sounding more cheerful now. "You just gave me a little scare this morning, that's all. The important thing now is to decide what we want to do with the rest of our day. You're free, right?"

"Yeah," said Ruby, "for today. Starting tomorrow, I have a ton of makeup work to do for all the classes that I missed."

"Don't worry," said Blake. "We'll help you as much as we can."

"Thanks," said Ruby. "Gin and Ayumu are going to need help too. They haven't taken a single class here, and it's been years since either of them has actually been to school." _If Gin even went at all,_ Ruby silently amended, remembering how early in his life Gin had been forced to abandon his place at the Menagerie orphanage, where he'd been raised.

Anger flashed across Yang's face for a fraction of a second at the mention of Gin's name, but it disappeared so quickly that only Blake really noticed it. She silently hoped that Yang wouldn't do anything rash.

"Well...I guess we can start with breakfast," Blake ventured quickly. "We can decide what else to do there. We do have a lot to tell you about after all."

Yang flinched, and her cheeks colored, as though something had just occurred to her. "Yeah, you're right," she said. "I guess I have some other news to give you, Ruby."

"Okay..." said Ruby, wondering what Yang needed to tell her.

"Before that, let's see if Juniper wants to come with us," said Blake, realizing what Yang needed to tell Ruby.

They crossed the hall and knocked on JNPR's door. After a minute of waiting, the door opened to reveal Ren. "Good morning," he said pleasantly.

"How's everyone doing?" added Nora, bouncing off her bed to land behind Ren, beaming at the three girls outside their room.

"We're doing fine," said Ruby. "We were wondering if you'd like to come to breakfast with us."

"Sure," said Nora with a widening grin.

Blake glanced into the room, realizing that something, or someone rather, was missing. "Where's Jaune?"

"Oh, Jaune?" Nora and Ren both suddenly sobered, their expressions darkening. "Jaune had to take care of something."

"What?" asked Ruby.

"Jaune said he needed to talk to Pyrrha about something," said Ren, making the three girls of RBY gasp in shock.

"About what?" demanded Yang harshly.

"I'm...I'm not sure," said Ren. "He said he needed to confirm something. Apparently there was something you said last night, Ruby, that didn't quite sit right with him, and he needed to ask Pyrrha about it."

"He doesn't believe her?" asked Yang, her hackles rising, wondering if her boyfriend honestly didn't believe Ruby in spite of all the evidence of what Weiss and Pyrrha had done.

"He doesn't dispute what happened," said Ren. "There's something else he has difficulty believing."

"I wonder what..." said Yang, pondering over what Ruby had said last night that Jaune would have trouble believing. She remembered what Ruby had said about Pyrrha and Weiss' reasons for attacking her, and then her mind flashed back to Jaune's confession to her the night they'd officially become a couple. _Oh my God!_

Yang's body stiffened and she looked down. "I...I have to go," she said, turning to rush down the hall. "Don't wait up for me!" she called over her shoulder.

"What the-?" sputtered Ruby, looking after her sister in confusion.

Blake sighed and rested a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Let's just go get breakfast," she said. "We don't want to waste your last day before the teachers start working you to the bone."

"Right," said Ruby, though she couldn't shake the worried feeling that filled her as she looked in the direction her sister had run off in.

* * *

Pyrrha definitely looked better after a shower, Jaune found himself noting as he stared through the sheet of safety glass between him and his partner, a single speaker running between both sides allowing the two to communicate, despite the barrier. Granted, the improvement of her looking clean once again was mitigated by the orange jumpsuit she wore, a classic prison uniform if there ever was one, along with the white bandaging over her nose, which marred the look of her face considerably. It was also disconcerting to see Pyrrha with her hair down, when she wasn't wearing her pajamas, seeing as she obviously wouldn't be permitted to wear her usual circlet under the circumstances. She did, however, have one accessory, one that she hadn't had before. It was a narrow, black band around the base of her neck, with a small, blinking light set into the center of it.

The walls of the small room were a plain white that contrasted harshly with the color of Pyrrha's new outfit. The sheet of glass between them divided the entire room in two, with a table built into the lower half, along with chairs on either side. It was stark and sterile, almost reminding Jaune more of a hospital than a detention facility. He'd been surprised to learn that Beacon even _had_ a detention facility, much less one that looked like it had leapt from the screen of a police drama. He supposed that this was just a symbol of how seriously Ozpin and Beacon took the notion of policing Huntsmen and Huntresses, and holding them accountable for their actions.

"Jaune..." said Pyrrha, sounding like she had a cold as she spoke, understandable, given the state of her nose. She seemed confused, apparently not expecting to have her visitation rights being exercised so soon.

"Pyrrha," Jaune replied coldly, looking her straight in the eye. Pyrrha could only meet his gaze for a few seconds before she had to look away. "Do you know why I'm here?"

"N-not really..." said Pyrrha.

"I think you do," said Jaune. "I think you know what I'm about to ask, and I hope you have enough respect left for me as your former-partner to answer me honestly."

Pyrrha gulped, continuing to refuse to make eye-contact with him again.

"So tell me..." said Jaune, "...why'd you do it?"

Pyrrha whipped her eyes up and stared plaintively at him. "Because I couldn't accept it!" she said frantically. "Weiss was right. After all I'd trained and all I'd achieved, there's no way I could accept Ozpin just _letting_ Ruby into our school so easily. It completely undermines the Academy's prestige, and it belittles the achievements of everyone else here!"

"That's your answer?" said Jaune, standing up. "Do you really expect me to believe that _bullshit_?"

Pyrrha flinched as though he was about to hit her, which Jaune had to admit he would have seriously considered, if not for the barrier between them.

Jaune leaned towards her. "Why did you do it, Pyrrha?"

"Because Ruby shouldn't have been here," reiterated Pyrrha, a noticeable quaver in her voice.

"Quit lying to me!" snarled Jaune.

"I'm not-!" protested Pyrrha.

"YES YOU ARE!" roared Jaune, slamming his fist against the glass, making Pyrrha jolt and scoot her chair away, her eyes widening, her body quivering, her manner more like that of a cornered animal than a person.

Jaune growled and sank back down into his seat, though he continued to glare at the girl across from him. "Do you want to know how I know you're lying, Pyrrha? Do you want to know why you can't fool me the way you may have fooled everyone else?"

Pyrrha swallowed and didn't respond, now refusing to even look in his direction. Jaune heard a faint whimper and that was all.

"I know because there's an obvious question, if that was the real reason you tried to murder Ruby," explained Jaune. "If you believed Ruby didn't deserve to be here, if you believed that that was an insult worth killing her over...then why am _I_ still alive?"

Pyrrha flinched sharply, her eyes darting in his direction before her gaze jumped away again.

"Ruby got into Beacon two years early," said Jaune. "If she doesn't deserve to be here, if her presence is such an insult, then what about _me_?

"You _knew_ I faked my transcripts, that I lied my way into Beacon without so much as a lick of combat training. Hell! I didn't even _know_ what Aura was until you unlocked mine. Ruby was a hundred times better than me on her worst day, and on my best, and you're somehow suggesting that _I_ had more right to be here than she did. I was worthless until you started to train me. But when I told you the truth, when I told you about my transcripts, you said I did belong to Beacon, you said I _deserved_ to be here."

"You were getting better..." Pyrrha said quickly. "You improved so much-"

"And even then, Ruby was still miles better and you know it!" snapped Jaune sharply. "So what's the real reason you decided she needed to die?"

"Ruby didn't deserve-" began Pyrrha shakily.

"You're still saying that?" asked Jaune, aghast.

"RUBY DIDN'T DESERVE _YOU!_ " Pyrrha screamed, her composure breaking completely as she whipped her head around to fixate on him with a wild-eyed gaze. "She was trying to take you away from me! I had to stop her!"

If Pyrrha had any hope that her words would reassure Jaune or be cause of reconciliation between them, they were ruthlessly dashed when she saw the look of utter horror on Jaune's face.

"P-Pyrrha..." stammered Jaune. Now he was the one backing away from her. "You're saying that you tried to k-kill Ruby because she..." He stood up so quickly he knocked over his chair, and turned to lean against the wall by the door. "I'm gonna puke," he said, certainly sounding woozy.

"Jaune! Please!" pleaded Pyrrha frantically, leaning forward and pressing her hands against the glass. "Ruby didn't deserve you! She didn't know you like I did! She didn't appreciate who you really are! She was always dragging you off for silly things and dragging you down! I had to stop her, before she _ruined_ you! Believe me!"

Jaune slowly looked over his shoulder at her, the look of his eyes making him seem as though he'd gone through several nights without a wink of sleep. "You make me sick," he said plainly, making Pyrrha gasp. "You're _sick_ , Pyrrha. I can't believe that you'd see Ruby as your rival, and decide that _that_ was the answer."

"J-Jaune," whimpered Pyrrha. "Please! I was the one who accepted you, even after I learned your secret. I was the one who helped you to get better! Ruby never did anything for you."

"She was my friend," said Jaune, turning to face Pyrrha fully, the look on his face almost mournful as he stared at her. "She was my best friend at Beacon, even if she didn't know the truth about me. She was sweet and kind and represented everything I ever wanted to stand for as a Huntsman." He stalked forward, anger returning to his face. "And you decided to kill her because you were _jealous!_ "

"Because she was _distracting_ you!" protested Pyrrha pleadingly, pounding her palms against the glass for emphasis. "She was keeping you from seeing how _I_ felt, who you belonged with-"

"Dammit, Pyrrha!" snapped Jaune, striding right up to the glass and almost pressing his face against it. "I was just as clueless about how she felt as I was about you! Ruby obviously knew how you felt, but she clearly would've been the better choice because she didn't jump to _murder_ as an appropriate response to a rival."

Pyrrha reeled back. "But I was the one who-" she began.

"So what?" snarled Jaune. "You think that obligates me to love you, that you and I should be together because I _owe_ you? Is that it?"

Pyrrha didn't answer, but the way she averted her gaze as she drew back was answer enough.

"God!" barked Jaune in frustration, turning away and rubbing his head fiercely with both hands. "I can't believe this!"

"I wouldn't have had to do anything if you weren't so blind!" protested Pyrrha.

Jaune whirled about and slammed his fist against the glass, causing Pyrrha to jump all the way back to the wall. "So it's _my_ fault! That's what you're saying?"

A slight whimper was his only response.

"You know what, you're right about some things," said Jaune beginning to pace. "I am an idiot. I am clueless. I'm a dumb fool who couldn't see what was in front of my face. I'm such a moron that I apparently can't realize how a girl feels unless she spells it out for me. All that is true."

Turning to face her, Jaune pointed accusingly right at Pyrrha. "But none of that...NONE of that...matters. You lost _any_ pretense of the high ground the moment you decided that any of that gave you the right to try and _kill_ Ruby." He went back to pacing. "It all makes sense now! That was what you were trying for, when you tried to comfort me after we got back! You were trying to comfort me, and hope that I'd turn to you to help deal with my loss and we'd get together."

"That's how it worked for you and Yang," said Pyrrha petulantly.

"No it isn't!" growled Jaune. "And you know why? Because I wasn't _trying_ to hook up with Yang when I comforted her. I was trying to do whatever I could to make her feel better because I cared how much she was hurting. I didn't mean for Yang to start liking me, but at least she had the spine to actually tell me how she felt, not try to manipulate me into a relationship."

Jaune suddenly froze, his eyes going wide. "Oh God!" His pallor lightened to an unhealthy degree, and his throat worked as though he was fighting down the urge to vomit again. "Oh my God...Yang!"

"Jaune..." said Pyrrha, trembling as he began to connect the dots. "Jaune, it's not like that..."

"And how do I know that?" asked Jaune, staring at her as though there was a particularly horrifying Grimm standing in her place. "How can I believe you now? You were willing to kill Ruby because she had a crush on me that I was just as clueless about as I was yours. But Yang and I were in an _actual_ relationship, a relationship that became possible because of what _you_ did! Don't tell me you thought Yang 'didn't deserve me' too."

Seeing Pyrrha's crestfallen gaze fall away from his, Jaune felt his stomach rebel with new vigor. "Oh my God," he whispered. "You did...You were going to try and kill Yang too, weren't you?"

"J-Jaune-" began Pyrrha.

"When? How?" demanded Jaune. "Was it going to happen on the mission to Mountain Glenn? Was Yang going to have an 'accident' like Ruby did?"

"Jaune...I-" Pyrrha tried to protest.

"What was going to happen after that?" asked Jaune. "How far were you prepared to go to manipulate me into a relationship with you? Would you really stop at Yang? Would you start killing any girl you suspected of having an interest in me? How far were you going to push this?"

"I..." said Pyrrha, unable to find the words to explain herself.

"No," said Jaune, silencing her. "Don't say another word. I'm done with you, Pyrrha. I thought Weiss was bad, but you're even _worse_ , a hundred times more petty and selfish...and disturbed. You really _are_ sick. You need help, _real_ help." He turned towards the door. "But I can't do it. I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive you."

"JAUNE!" screamed Pyrrha, slamming her fist against the glass and making it rattle.

Jaune turned and quailed when he saw Pyrrha glaring at him furiously, her eyes wide and her teeth bared. She looked like a rabid animal about to lunge for his throat.

"You're mine!" shouted Pyrrha, pounding on the glass again. "I found you! I chose you! I saved you! I was the one who realized your potential! Don't you get it? YOU BELONG TO ME!"

Seeing Pyrrha like this, Jaune was horrified, but also saddened. It was the latter that reflected on his face as he stared over his shoulder at her. "No," he said after a moment's pause, "I don't. I never will."

"JAUNE!" screamed Pyrrha again, pressing against the glass, as though she was trying to push through it.

"I'm going to walk out through this door," said Jaune, "and I'm never coming back. I don't want to speak with-to even see you-again, Pyrrha. I can't stand to look at your face anymore." He turned to face the door, and began to open it.

"I'LL TELL!" yelled Pyrrha at the top of her lungs. "I kept your secret! I'm the one who made it possible for you to stay! If you leave me, I'll tell,,,I'll tell _everyone_ what you really are! You'll never be able to set foot in Beacon ever again!"

Despite her threat, Jaune refused to look at her. "Go ahead," he said. "Do your worst. But I'm done."

With that, he pushed open the door.

"Jaune!" called Pyrrha plaintively.

Jaune ignored her, slowly opening the door wider.

" _Jaune!_ " Pyrrha called again, her voice more panicked and frantic now.

Still, he ignored her, stepping out the door and leaving the room, letting go of it.

"JAUNE!" she screamed with all her might.

The door swung closed...and Pyrrha was alone.

* * *

Once Weiss realized she had communication privileges, she knew she had to exercise them. Given her situation, there was only one person she could turn to. She just wished the realization didn't leave feeling like she'd just swallowed something bitter.

The guard had shown her into a small, cramped room, featuring the same stark-white walls the rest of the facility was built with. Set into the wall on the far side of the room was a simple terminal, not unlike the one she'd used up in the CCT center the day she'd placed her call to Atlas for their investigation. That felt like a lifetime ago now.

The guard closed the door behind her, and Weiss maneuvered as best she could around the confines of the room. She wasn't sure if it was deliberate; that the room's sole chair was almost as wide as the room itself, to make it as difficult as possible to get to a position where she could sit down; or if the person who'd designed this room, and the detention center in general, had just been an idiot.

It didn't help that Weiss' battered and bruised body was protesting her every move, her head feeling especially sore after taking a hit from Pyrrha's shield, and the back of Pyrrha's head. The black eye, hidden beneath its bandages, also throbbed irritatingly. Finally, there was a faint sensation of heat, almost like that of a sunburn, confined to a narrow ring around her neck. Weiss was under no illusions as to what had caused that. On top of everything else, her orange jumpsuit was made of rough fabric that chafed against her skin every time she moved. And, finally, there was the cold feeling of her new accessory, the metal collar lying flush against the skin at the base of her neck, unfortunately resting too low for the cold sensation to sooth the heat of the mark Ruby had left on her.

Finally managing to work her way around to the chair and sit down, Weiss huffed and flicked her long hair out of her eyes. Naturally, her hair ornaments and ties had been among the things confiscated, leaving her white hair to flow in a pristine wave down her back. At least she'd been allowed a shower, so she at least felt marginally clean.

The screen flickered, and a waiting signal appeared, the revolving image of the snowflake sigil that marked her family's company. Weiss had been required to tell who she was calling before she would be permitted to enter the booth. The detention center staff had also made the connection through the CCT, thus ensuring that Weiss couldn't discreetly call someone else.

Finally, the screen flickered again, and the image of a brown-haired receptionist appeared.

"Hello. You've reached the office of Mr. Schnee, please give your name and appointment-Ms. Schnee!" The receptionist had barely even looked at the screen on her end, already giving her rote greeting while working on some other task. It was only partway through that she now realized who she was speaking to. "What on earth happened to you?"

"Put me through to Father," growled Weiss, in no mood to explain things to her father's subordinates. "NOW!"

"Y-ye-yes, Ma'am! Right away!" The receptionist hit a control off-screen, and the waiting screen flickered back on for a minute, before the screen flickered again, revealing the image of her father.

Jacques Schnee was the image of perfection, a man who meticulously controlled every aspect of his appearance. From his perfectly-combed white hair, to his neatly-trimmed mustache, to the crisp, white suit he wore, he was the perfect image of a successful man of business. Just the sight of him made Weiss' mouth a little drier.

Going to Beacon had been Weiss' idea, something she'd done against her father's will. He would have rather she not bothered with the idea of being a Huntress at all. If she was going to insist on it, he would have preferred she'd gone to Atlas Academy, rather than Beacon, all the way in distant Vale. He'd even gone so far as to arrange the 'test' that had left Weiss with the scar over her eye.

Weiss utterly despised the man on the screen before her. Ever since he had married into their family, and taken the reins of the SDC, it was true that the company's profits had soared. However, his ruthless approach to business, and the exploitative manner with which he used their labor forces, particularly the faunus, had made the Company plenty of enemies as well, not the least of whom were the White Fang. Their reputation had become tainted. Weiss had gone to incredible lengths to break free from his control...and now she was crawling back to him, and begging for help.

"Well well, Weiss," said Jacques calmly, folding his hands in front of him as he stared at her image on the screen, "I've been expecting to hear from you sooner or later."

"So you know already," Weiss guessed.

"Ozpin notified me earlier today of your expulsion, and your incarceration, yes," said Jacques. "So I figured it was only a matter of time before I heard from you directly. I must say, you disappoint me, Weiss."

"Why?" Weiss genuinely wanted to know. "There was an obstacle, and I acted to eliminate her. It's what a Schnee is supposed to do."

"No!" snapped Jacques, his voice cracking like a whip, making Weiss flinch away as though he was actually in the room from her, and not on another continent altogether. "No, you did _not_ do what a Schnee does. A Schnee goes about such tasks _competently_. A Schnee makes sure the job is done _properly_. A Schnee, above all else, does _not_ get his hands dirty, much less leave a trail of evidence leading right back to him."

"Father..." said Weiss, not sure how to respond, feeling cold and numb.

"I would have applauded your initiative, when it came to taking over the leadership of your team," said Jacques. "It's pathetic to have a mere child chosen over you, so it's only natural that you would want to do something about it. However, you just had to _bungle_ the execution, didn't you?

"You even had the ideal catspaw in the form of Pyrrha Nikos. From what I've heard, her skills alone would have been adequate to the task, and, had she failed, she would have made a fine scapegoat as well. But you just _had_ to indulge your childish pettiness, didn't you? You had to make sure that brat knew _exactly_ who was responsible for her fate. And then you didn't even have the basic competence to make _absolutely_ certain the job was done."

Weiss slumped back in her seat, unable to fully respond. Never before had it occurred to her that she would be upbraided by her father like this.

"Well, now that we've cleared that up, I suppose it's time to get down to what you want," said Jacques.

"Yes, Father. You can help me!" said Weiss, her excitement returning as she remembered why she had made this call in the first place. "You have the ears of the Council members, even here in Vale. You could-!"

"No," said Jacques firmly, cutting her off.

"Wha-wha-what?" gasped Weiss. "But you can't just leave me like this! I'm the Schnee heiress! What will people say, if I'm convicted of a crime of this magnitude?"

"Certainly that you are not the heir of this company any longer," said Jacques. "I'm afraid you've left me with no choice but to designate Whitley as the official heir now. I wish I could say that it disappoints me, but I believe Whitley will be better suited to the job than you ever could be."

"No..." whispered Weiss.

"Needless to say, having one of my daughters convicted of such a heinous crime would indeed be a blow to our family name," added Jacques. "However, at this point, stepping in to help you would undoubtedly be perceived as obstructing justice by the masses, which would be an even more severe blow to our reputation. Alas, I will simply have to stand aside and allow justice to be done."

"Father..." said Weiss, her tone pleading.

"For the sake of the company, and your brother, I advise you to _not_ try calling me again," said Jacques disinterestedly, already turning his mind to other matters and not even looking at her anymore. "I will have instructed my receptionist that any further calls from you are to be blocked. Goodbye, Weiss."

"Father-!" began Weiss, but Jacques cut the line and the screen shut off, leaving Weiss sitting alone in the booth, staring at the blank terminal.

 _He's a monster,_ thought Weiss. _He cut me loose without a second thought...like I was..._ nothing _to him._

Her father hadn't hesitated. His own daughter, his flesh and blood. The second she had become an inconvenience to him, a threat to the image of his company, he dropped her like a hot rock. Weiss had always known that Jacques' priority was business and his profits. But it was one thing to see that in the abstract, and completely another to be subjected to it. She was nothing more than a cluster of factors affecting his bottom line. Family meant nothing to the man.

Weiss slumped in her seat, fighting back tears of despair. Her best of hope of getting out of this had been snuffed out. She was left wondering what to do now.

* * *

 **Lots of things going on this chapter. Pyrrha-Yan has been officially outed as a Yandere. I've been waiting for the chance to pull this particular internal-reveal for a while. It's plain as day to us, in the audience, largely thanks to the fact that we already knew about canon Pyrrha's fixation on Jaune. But I've been excited about showing just how Jaune would come to that conclusion, and realize that someone's not being honest about something, when it came to the reasons for Pyrrha and Weiss attacking Ruby. With that, it wasn't hard to pry the truth out of Pyrrha, once she'd had her go-to excuse countered.**

 **With Weiss and her father, it's tricky to say where things would go, compared to his canon. Jaques is hugely obsessed with his company's image, after all. In Volume 4, he's all too happy to lock Weiss away completely. Of course, him using his power and influence to come to Weiss' rescue, regardless of whether he disinherits her or not, would be a major blow to his company's image, something I imagine that Jaques is pragmatic enough to realize.**

 **And the fallout of Ruby's return has only just begun. Hold on, because this is gonna be a bumpy ride.**


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40:**

Beacon's detention center, thankfully, rarely saw much use. It wasn't often that they were charged with holding a student, even temporarily. Because of that, Yang was surprised to find that they had such a complete setup. The center consisted of a small portion of the basement section of Beacon's campus. It wasn't very large, due to the expectation that it wouldn't see much use, with a very small staff repurposed from Beacon's normal security. However, its overall setup wasn't that different from the police stations down in Vale, including a lobby section, which was where Yang was waiting for Jaune to finish his conversation with Pyrrha.

The security officer manning the reception desk had probably seen more work today alone than he had in the past year in this position. Granted, said work was the management of two prisoners and, now, two visitors. But that was hardly a surprise. He hadn't appeared all that troubled when Yang indicated that she was just there to wait for Jaune to finish. He'd directed her to one of the lobby chairs to wait, while he turned back to whatever it was he'd been doing.

While she waited, Yang briefly contemplated whether or not she would exercise her right to visit the imprisoned. She entertained the notion of sitting across from Weiss or Pyrrha, and putting it to them directly just what in the hell they thought they had been doing. But Yang was fairly certain that doing so would be a bad idea. Contrary to what some might have assumed about her, she was plenty self-aware, when it came to her temper.

It was bad enough that Weiss and Pyrrha had tried to murder Ruby. Worse still, Weiss had then used that atrocity to take control of the team herself. She'd spent months running her team, a team that included the sister of her victim. Everything Weiss had done since that mission, all the authority she assumed and exerted, had been based on lies and betrayal. She'd asked-Nay!-insisted that Yang and Blake place their trust in her, when she'd gotten her position by stabbing Yang's own sister in the back. The truth was, Yang was fairly certain that, if she did visit Weiss, she wouldn't last long before smashing her way through the safety-glass and beating that entitled brat to a bloody pulp. Pyrrha probably wouldn't fare much better, considering the inkling Yang now had of the real reason behind Pyrrha's actions.

Yang was waiting only a few minutes before one of the doors in the lobby opened and Jaune emerged, looking pale and tired. "Jaune..." said Yang worriedly, getting to her feet.

Jaune looked at her and tried to smile, but Yang saw the movement of his throat and stepped back. Jaune clearly noticed what he was about to do, because he mumbled a soft "excuse me," to her and made straight for the small restroom, through a door on the other side of the room.

Yang settled back into her seat to wait a little longer. It took several minutes for Jaune to finish in the restroom. When he emerged, he looked better, though a little haggard. "Thanks for waiting," he said, offering his hand to help Yang up out of her seat.

Yang took it and looked at Jaune's eyes, seeing the horrified, haunted look in them. "What happened in there?" she asked.

"We talked," said Jaune softly, the two of them heading out through the doors and down the hallway to the stairs that would take them back up to the ground floor of the school. "I wanted to know why she really did it."

"You think she lied about being insulted by Ruby's age," said Yang, piecing things together, "because if she really attacked Ruby for the reasons she said she did..."

"Then she should have gone after _me_ ," said Jaune. "I should have been lying, dead in a forest somewhere, long before _anything_ ever happened to Ruby. But Pyrrha had no problem with the idea that I'd lied about my transcripts. She was happy to help me become better, to become a Huntsman worthy of Beacon."

"So she didn't help Weiss because she agreed with Weiss' reasons," said Yang, her mind fixing on the only other conceivable reason Pyrrha would do something like this. "That means she...she was..."

"She was jealous of Ruby!" exclaimed Jaune. "She saw Ruby competing for my attention and my affections, which I didn't even notice, and decided the best way to 'win' was to _kill_ her." Jaune turned and leaned against the wall, resting his forehead against the cool surface, trying to come to terms with what he'd just learned.

Yang was also rattled, despite having suspected this to be the truth not long after she'd learned that Jaune had gone to ask Pyrrha something. It all fit together. Not only that, it also explained Pyrrha's attitude and behavior before now, their conversation in the locker room after their sparring session, the agitated way that Pyrrha had refused to accept Yang and Jaune's relationship. She had killed Ruby with the intention of removing an obstacle to her relationship with Jaune, only to have Jaune wind up bonding with and entering into a relationship with Yang instead. But that also implied... "Jaune, was Pyrrha going to...?"

"She was," said Jaune, turning to look at Yang, his gaze even more haunted. "She was planning to kill you too. I don't know how long she has, but she'd been waiting, looking for her opportunity. I think she had originally planned to do something on our mission to Mountain Glenn. We're lucky that Ruby wrecked Torchwick's operation for us."

Yang nodded, suddenly feeling very weak. It had all been there, right in front of her, those little traces of hostility that Pyrrha let slip whenever she looked Yang's way, or saw Yang and Jaune together, acting as a couple. There had been the swift, stifled burst of murderous intent when Pyrrha had beaten her during their sparring session, almost as though she wanted to continue, even after Yang's Aura was broken. Worse still, Yang realized that, in a life or death battle against Mistral's champion, she might not have emerged the victor. Pyrrha's skill was such that she could pretty much have her way in any fight. It really was a good thing that Ruby had interrupted their mission and brought a premature end to it. The thought of how close to death she'd come made Yang shudder.

Jaune had sighed and looked down in the meantime. "And the scary thing is...I wonder if all this would have happened if I'd just had the awareness to see what was in front of my face."

"What?" gasped Yang, her eyes snapping up to look at Jaune. "What are you saying? How is any of this your fault?"

"If I'd realized how Pyrrha felt, if I'd seen her feelings for what they were..." said Jaune pensively, "...I could have given her some response. Maybe then she wouldn't have felt the need to...to..."

Yang surged forward, forcefully grabbing the fabric of Jaune's hoody on either side of his breastplate, putting her weight into the motion to slam him back in the wall. Jaune's eyes went wide in shock and surprise and he opened his mouth to ask what she was doing, but Yang cut him off before he could make a single sound, slamming her lips into his, forcing her tongue into his mouth and kissing him with all the passion she could summon. She found herself regretting her action a little, tasting a little of the acrid remnants of Jaune's vomit on his breath, despite his best efforts to rinse his mouth out in the bathroom. But she pressed on regardless.

A minute or so later, Yang pulled away, leaving Jaune gasping for breath, even as she used her weight and strength to keep him pinned up against the wall. Yang was panting a little herself from the intensity of the kiss, not having gotten much of a chance to breathe.

"Don't..." She had to pause to take another breath. "Don't _ever_ blame yourself for what Pyrrha did. It doesn't matter how spineless she was or how blind you are. _None_ of that gave her any right to try and murder my sister."

"That's what I told her," said Jaune, smiling at Yang, which prompted her to relax her hold on him and at least let him push away from the wall. "I just had trouble with the idea that maybe there was something I could have done."

"Maybe," said Yang with a sigh. "But that doesn't make it your fault in the slightest. The only one really in the wrong here is Pyrrha...and Weiss, of course. You...you're just a clueless goof. But that's one of the things I love about you."

Jaune smiled and wrapped his arms around her, Yang returning the gesture. There was no need for any further intimate expression between them. They just needed each other's touch as they swayed slightly back and forth. Several minutes passed before they parted again.

"So...feeling like breakfast?" asked Yang in a cheeky tone.

"Actually..." said Jaune, a touch of reluctance entering his tone, "...I need to talk to Professor Ozpin. There's something I need to clear up."

Yang's eyes widened. "You mean...?"

"Yeah," said Jaune with a tired sigh. "I'm sick of hiding behind a lie."

* * *

Ruby somewhat regretted going into the dining hall, even in the company of Blake, Nora, and Ren. It was lucky most of the students were already away on their missions. As it was, nearly everyone in the sparsely occupied room who glanced her team's way, and saw her, did an almost immediate double-take to confirm what they were seeing. Those who did nudged their neighbors and, soon, Ruby was the center of attention for everyone.

"It's all right," said Blake, taking Ruby's hand and gently squeezing it. "They were going to have to see you sooner or later."

"It's not every day a dead girl walks into the cafeteria after all," chirped Nora, taking the whole affair entirely too cheerfully for Ruby's tastes.

Still, they managed to get their food without interference, and picked an empty table, well away from the other students to sit down at. They ate in uncomfortable silence. It was clear that the others wanted to talk to Ruby about her time away, but the atmosphere and the pressure of the constant attention on them made the idea of any kind of conversation awkward.

"If it's this bad now, I worry about what will happen when the other teams come back from their missions," commented Ren, taking a sip from his morning tea.

"Professor Ozpin said that they'll make an official announcement once everyone's back," said Ruby. "Not that that'll actually make things any better."

"But it needs to be done," said Blake, rubbing Ruby's back in as reassuring a manner as she could manage, "and not just because you're still alive."

Ruby nodded silently. The announcement would not only need to be about the fact that she was still alive, but also to notify the student body about Weiss and Pyrrha's imprisonment. She could only guess at how most people would react to that revelation. Weiss was the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company after all, and Pyrrha was the top student in their year, her performance considered better than some students in the upper years to boot, someone whom many people predicted to go on to win the Vytal Festival Tournament for Beacon. Ruby could only wonder if the students would truly condemn Pyrrha and Weiss for their actions, or if they would condemn Ruby for bringing their crimes to light. If there was one thing she'd learned from this whole ordeal, it was that people could get dangerously violent over the most petty of issues.

"Hey, guys! How's it goin'?"

Ruby and the others looked up to see a grinning Sun Wukong and a smiling Neptune Vasilias approaching their table. However, they both came to an abrupt stop, Sun almost dropping his tray at the sight of Ruby. "Hey! Aren't you supposed to be...?"

"Yeah," said Ruby weakly. "Reports of my demise...greatly exaggerated...all that jazz."

"Whoa!" said Sun, managing to recover his composure and taking a seat next to Blake. Ruby couldn't help but smile at the fact that Blake didn't seem to mind his presence one bit. Neptune took a seat on the other side of the table. Sitting down, Sun picked up and began to peel a banana. "There was some crazy commotion last night. I'm guessing you had something to do with it."

"Yep," said Ruby.

"I thought I heard Yang screaming," said Neptune, a nervous quaver in his voice. "She sounded pissed."

"That's putting it lightly," said Blake with a wry smile. "Ruby, this is Neptune, Sun's partner, by the way."

"Nice to meet you," chirped Ruby.

"Likewise," said Neptune.

"I figured she'd be happy to learn you're still alive," Sun noted.

"Oh, she was," said Ruby.

"She was upset to learn how and why Ruby almost _died_ ," said Ren quietly, "and _who_ was behind it."

That caused both boys to flinch and stare worriedly at Ruby. "You mean someone tried to kill you?" asked Sun.

"Uh huh," said Ruby, nodding slowly.

"Wait! If I remember how the story went, you went off with Pyrrha and Weiss and..." Neptune's pupils contracted to pinpoints in his eyes, and his tanned skin was suddenly very pale. "That means..."

"Yeah," said Nora in a surprisingly sober tone, "Pyrrha and Weiss tried to kill Ruby."

Neptune opened his mouth, but could only manage to force out a strangled squeak.

"Um...Neptune...you okay?" asked Ruby.

"Neptune's freaking out because he was dating Weiss," said Sun with a surprising degree of nonchalance.

"What?" gasped Ruby, switching her gaze back to Neptune.

"I just went to the dance with her," protested Neptune. "And, in my defense, she didn't give me much of a chance to say no, not to mention that I definitely wouldn't have done it if I'd known she was a murderous psychopath."

"I wouldn't go that far..." said Blake.

"You didn't see her when I tried to turn her down," retorted Neptune, his gaze growing distant.

"Well, to be fair, you turned her down for stupid reasons," said Sun, not even looking up from his food.

"Y-yeah, well...that doesn't change the fact that that girl's hell'a scary when she doesn't want to take 'no' for an answer," countered Neptune. "I've been trying to avoid her as much as possible ever since."

"Well, I don't think you'll have much difficulty with that from now on," said Ren.

"Yeah...I guess," said Neptune.

Sun blinked. "So...what's the deal?" he asked. "I mean...why would those two try to kill you?" He looked at Ruby.

Ruby sighed and exchanged glances with her other friends. She supposed that everybody at Beacon would wind up learning the story sooner or later, including the transfer students. She began to retell what had happened that night.

* * *

"So...Mr. Arc, what brings you to my office?" asked Ozpin, resting his chin across the knuckles of his folded hands, staring across the desk at Jaune, who squirmed in his seat. Yang waited a short distance behind him, her posture also betraying tension.

"Professor, I have to come clean about something," said Jaune. He'd expected to have trouble figuring out how to say what he needed to say. But once he started talking, the words came tumbling out of his mouth as he explained the truth about his transcripts.

"Oh," said Ozpin, almost seeming...disappointed...by the revelation. "Is that all?"

"Wha-what do you mean?" asked Jaune, jolting in surprise at the blithe manner with which Ozpin had dismissed his confession. Then it hit him. "Wait! You knew?"

"Indeed I did," said Ozpin with an amused smile. "I knew the truth about your transcripts before I even sent out your acceptance letter."

"Huh?" Jaune slumped down in his seat, staring, aghast at Beacon's Headmaster. Behind him, Yang looked on with much the same expression. "But...wha-why?"

Ozpin's eyes narrowed slightly and he leaned forward by the tiniest of increments. "Tell me, Mr. Arc, what made you decide to come and confess your actions to me?"

"W-well...I talked to Pyrrha earlier..." said Jaune.

"I see," said Ozpin. "So she knew about your transcripts."

"Yeah, it kinda came out between us, one night," said Jaune.

"And, by the fact that Ms. Xiao Long is here, I assume she is fully aware of your circumstances as well," noted Ozpin.

"Yeah," said Jaune. "Anyway, I was talking to Pyrrha, and things got...well...ugly...I guess."

"She threatened to use the truth about your transcripts as leverage against you," guessed Ozpin.

"Yeah, pretty much," said Jaune.

"I see," said Ozpin. "So, you decided to preempt her by coming up here and informing me directly, not aware that _I_ was aware."

"Yep, pretty much," said Jaune. "So...I guess I should be getting my things."

"Jaune!" shouted Yang.

"And why would you do that, Mr. Arc?" asked Ozpin, his amusement returning.

"Um...well...uh..."

"I believe I just made it perfectly clear that I was fully aware of your forgery, even before you so much as set foot on Beacon grounds," said Ozpin. "Believe me, if I intended to expel you over it, I would have done so a long time ago."

"W-why?" asked Jaune.

Ozpin chuckled. "There are two questions with that one word," he said. "The first is why did I accept your admittance into Beacon, despite knowing your transcripts were falsified? The second is why you would be permitted to remain even after that knowledge has come to light?"

"Uh...right," said Jaune.

"Allow me to answer the second question first," said Ozpin. "You see, there is a certain...precision...to the terms utilized in Beacon's admission policies that most people, students or otherwise, tend to overlook. There are two distinct terms regarding entry into my Academy." He held up one finger. "The first...is 'acceptance.'

"A person is 'accepted' into Beacon upon review of their application for admittance, which includes their transcripts, and I choose to accept their application. They are accepted for the purposes of attending the initiation. A person who is 'accepted' as a student _must_ complete the initiation."

A second finger joined the first. "The second term is 'enrollment.' Even after they have been 'accepted' into Beacon, a new student is not 'enrolled' yet. Only a student who has successfully completed the initiation will be enrolled at Beacon.

"Acceptance into Beacon is based upon a number of qualities that I review, in order to determine the best prospectives. However, enrollment, by contrast, has only one single requirement, successfully completing the initiation. Once you have done that, you are enrolled at Beacon, and _nothing_ before that matters."

"Really?" said Jaune, blinking in disbelief.

"Well, for purposes of your day-to-day, no," said Ozpin. "It goes without saying that forgeries, and falsely representing yourself, are crimes that you could be fined, or even wind up serving a prison term for, if you were tried for them."

Jaune gulped nervously.

"However, thanks to the unique position the Academies hold in the world's current political structure, I have been granted certain authorities," said Ozpin. "One of those is the authority to issue a conditional, unofficial pardon for previous criminal activities following a student's enrollment. People from many walks of life seek to become Huntsmen and Huntresses, some of them coming from criminal backgrounds. There are many complex factors that can drive a person to commit crimes. Sometimes, one or more of those people seek to become Huntsmen or Huntresses as a means of bettering themselves, or even atoning for their previous actions. I'm sure that Ms. Belladonna's situation comes to mind..."

Jaune and Yang both nodded.

"I have no wish to deny one the chance to live a better life, and the chance to strive to do good for others, if such a wish is genuine, because of past mistakes," said Ozpin. "That, and such people often have experience and insight that those from more privileged walks of life lack, things that can be put to use for the betterment of the world.

"There are limitations, of course. This authority does not extend beyond enrollment. I cannot and _will_ not pardon crimes you commit while a student, as Ms. Nikos and Ms. Schnee have learned today. There is also a limit to the kinds of criminal acts I can pardon. I, usually, cannot pardon one who is guilty of murder or manslaughter, or other such acts, unless the context allows me to do so.

"What you need to remember, is that your pardon remains unofficial and conditional. The condition is your continued enrollment at Beacon. Should you find yourself expelled or failing out of my school, Mr. Arc, the authorities will be free to prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law."

Jaune gulped again, while Yang rested a worried hand on his shoulder.

"That said, should you make it to graduation, your unofficial pardon shall _become_ official," continued Ozpin. "You will be completely forgiven your previous acts, your criminal record expunged, and shall be free to strive to fulfill your duties as a Huntsman to the best of your abilities."

Jaune relaxed and smiled as Yang squeezed his shoulder. "So...why did you accept me, even though you knew my transcripts were faked?"

"It is never explicitly written in our admission policy that your transcripts need to be legitimate," said Ozpin. "In fact, transcripts are not necessary at all for admission. An individual can forgo transcripts by instead participating in a skill assessment to determine if their skill level is sufficient for them to succeed here. That is how Ms. Belladonna earned her acceptance. However, I can understand why you chose not to go that route."

Jaune nodded shakily.

Ozpin sighed softly. "To be honest, I was curious why you would go to such lengths to enter my school, despite your obvious lack of training and preparation. The Arc Family is not completely unknown to me, your father being a previous graduate of Beacon after all."

Jaune wondered if he was becoming a bobblehead with all the nodding he was doing.

Ozpin pressed on. "I decided to look into your family situation and determine why you might wish to risk so much on such a dangerous profession. A word to the wise, by the way, if you wish to be more effective in deception, you should probably choose a pseudonym next time."

"I'll...keep that in mind," said Jaune weakly.

"I was disappointed to find that your family had stifled you so," continued Ozpin. "Granted, I admit that allowing you to participate in the initiation without any training was a substantial risk, especially to your life and health. But I believed that, in the end, you would have what it took to succeed."

"Thank you, Professor," said Jaune.

Ozpin spread his hands out over the desk. "And so, there you have it, Mr. Arc. You have been officially enrolled in Beacon, and have done nothing to make me consider expulsion, so you are permitted to remain, regardless of whether or not others learn the truth about your transcripts."

Jaune sighed, slumping down in relief. Then something struck him and he shot bolt upright. "Wait a minute! Cardin learned about my transcripts too. He used them to blackmail me! But, if what you said is true, then..."

"Then he actually had _no_ leverage at all," said Ozpin with a chuckle. "Even if he had come to one of us to report the truth, nothing would have been done, because, even if you were accepted under dubious circumstances, you completed the initiation, which means you were enrolled legitimately."

"So then..." Jaune slumped again in the chair. "...I went through all that for nothing."

"More or less," said Ozpin with clear amusement. "Although, if it is any consolation, consider it an appropriate compensation to your commitment to your dishonesty. Had you decided to 'come clean' sooner, this would have been cleared up much sooner, and you might not have gone through so much trouble."

Jaune groaned weakly, but even Yang was having trouble keeping her amusement in check, though she gently massaged his shoulders from behind his chair. After a minute, Jaune recovered and sat up straight again, looking at Ozpin with a more serious expression.

"Is there something else, Mr. Arc?" asked Ozpin.

"Y-yeah, I guess," said Jaune. "It goes back to people not knowing the difference between acceptance and enrollment. Pyrrha knew about my transcripts, and kept my secret. I guess she decided that gave her some kind of right to my feelings."

"Your feelings?" Ozpin raised a curious eyebrow.

Jaune looked down. "Pyrrha...Pyrrha didn't help Weiss try to kill Ruby for the reasons she said she did."

"I see..." said Ozpin. "Am I to guess then that she viewed Ms. Rose as a rival for your affections, and decided to take...drastic...actions to establish her claim?"

Jaune nodded slowly.

"You don't seem too surprised," said Yang darkly.

"Sadly, I'm not all that surprised," said Ozpin. "There were certainly inconsistencies with Ms. Nikos' behavior, including her tendency to keep silent even when Ms. Schnee chose to be quite vocal about her reasons for their actions." He lowered his head, closing his eyes. "It is also not the first time someone would have committed a heinous act in the name of love." For the briefest of seconds, there was...something...in his eyes, something haunting. But then it was gone, like a mirage.

"Why?" asked Jaune, almost more to himself, than to Ozpin. "Why would she do something like that? She had to know it would be wrong."

"It is hard to say," said Ozpin. "The lifestyle of a celebrity, like the kind Ms. Nikos was before she came to Beacon, is not necessarily conducive to healthy development of the mind and spirit. At this point, we can only speculate how her perception became warped to the point that she thought such terrible actions would suit her purposes, rather than competing for your affection in an appropriate manner, or even simply declaring her feelings openly. We may never know."

Jaune sighed and nodded tiredly.

"And now that you have brought it up, perhaps the idea that she knew the secret of your transcripts gave Ms. Nikos the erroneous belief that she was a privileged keeper of your confidence, and that said knowledge gave her a better claim to your affections than Ms. Rose may also mean that _I_ was in error for not making your circumstances clear," added Ozpin, making both Jaune and Yang look at him in surprise.

"Well...I'm not sure," said Jaune, admitting there was a certain amount of truth to that statement.

"It wasn't like you had any way of knowing that Pyrrha would be thinking of doing something like _that_ ," said Yang. "And we don't know that her thinking she was keeping Jaune's secret was the thing that pushed her over the edge." _Although I do think it was a factor,_ Yang found herself thinking, remembering her conversation in the locker room with Pyrrha, after their sparring match, when Pyrrha had tried to use that knowledge as leverage to undermine Yang's relationship with Jaune.

"Very true," conceded Ozpin. "At the time, I thought it best not to bring the issue up unless it was brought to me, like you just did. We may never know the exact confluence of factors that brought this about. Ultimately, even the very wise cannot see all ends."

Yang and Jaune both nodded.

Ozpin sighed softly. "Let us not dwell on this overly much. In the end, Ms. Nikos' actions are her own, and whatever justifications she may have had for them amount to little more than excuses, and do not exonerate her, nor place any of the responsibility for what she has done on your shoulders."

"And if she decides to tell?" asked Jaune.

Ozpin shrugged. "Then there is nothing we can really do to stop her. Even a prisoner has certain rights, and she has the right to share her story with the press, should any agree to interview her. There may be a backlash in the public opinion towards you, and Beacon in general, should your circumstances become known, particularly given Ms. Nikos' previous status. However, that will have no effect on your enrollment."

"All right," said Jaune, getting up from the seat with a relieved smile, though his overall mood was still pensive. "Thank you for your time, Professor."

"You're quite welcome," said Ozpin, giving Jaune a comforting smile. "By the way, I would like both of your teams to report to my office this evening, after dinner. We will need to finalize certain matters regarding Ms. Rose's return to Beacon."

Jaune and Yang both nodded. It wasn't until they were in the elevator and on their way down that the question occurred to them. Ruby's return obviously meant she'd be returning to her old team, most likely being reinstated as the leader in the process. But, if that was the case, then why did Ozpin want both of their teams present?

* * *

"Unreal," said Neptune, leaning back in shock, the rest of his breakfast forgotten as Ruby finished the story of what had happened the night Pyrrha and Weiss had tried to kill her, as well as the aftermath.

"So you decided to take the long way back to Beacon, and train up to fight Weiss and Pyrrha again once you got here?" asked Sun.

"Y-yeah," said Ruby. "I know. It was selfish and stupid and-"

"Actually, I was gonna say it's kinda badass," said Sun, giving Ruby a small grin. "That's the kinda premise they make action movies about."

Ruby blushed shyly at his praise, while Blake hid a small grin of her own, though she did reach over rest her hand atop Sun's own in a small gesture of thanks.

"So where are the two guys that saved you?" asked Neptune, looking around. "You said they came back with you, right?"

"Yeah," said Ruby. "Professor Goodwitch is showing Ayumu and Gin around the school, so that they know where to go tomorrow, when we start with classes." On top of that, the boys were also being fitted for their uniforms, and being provided with the textbooks and school supplies they would need.

"Oh, I guess they'd need to take a bunch of classes to be on the level with other students," mused Neptune.

"I'm curious about your master," said Sun. "He didn't come with you guys?"

Ruby shook her head. "Master Yu left us somewhere outside of Mountain Glenn. I'm pretty sure he's somewhere in the general area, though he might've lost interest, now that I've finished with Weiss and Pyrrha."

"Sounds like a pretty careless master to me," said Neptune.

"Well...you're not wrong..." conceded Ruby, thinking back to the last time she'd actually seen Yu.

* * *

 _"_ _All right, here we are," said Yu._

 _"_ _Uh...where are we?" asked Ruby, looking around. Since leaving the last settlement, they were now on the final stretch between them and Vale. Their journey had brought them to the base of yet another mountain range. Yu had brought them up along mountain paths that left Ruby's legs aching from the strain of the climb. Their climb had ended at the entrance to a cave._

 _"_ _This is the site of my last lesson for you, before you get back to Vale," said Yu, with a grin that made Ruby distinctly nervous. After spending so much time with him, she'd started to pick up on a few of his mannerisms. This was the grin he showed when he had something particularly_ nasty _planned._

 _The cave itself filled Ruby with a sense of foreboding. It should have been like any other, but there was something about it that struck Ruby as dark and dangerous. A soft breeze wafted out, chilling her slightly, and almost making her regret her new choice in clothing._

 _Desperate to beat the summer heat, Ruby had caved and used her time in the last settlement to buy herself a new outfit, picking one without sleeves, and removing her leggings. The fact that seeing her show so much skin kept making Gin blush was a definite plus in her book too. Although, now, she almost wished she had her old blouse and leggings on._

 _"_ _Where does this cave lead?" asked Ruby, staring into the darkness._

 _"_ _The other side opens out just outside of Vale," said Yu. "It's the site of an old extension of the Kingdom called Mountain Glenn. From there, it's a pretty straight shot to Vale itself, and you should be able to get the rest of the way on your own. The important part is what's in this tunnel."_

 _Ruby swallowed. "Grimm," she said, "and lots of them."_

 _Yu chuckled darkly. "Got that right," he said. He turned his head towards Ruby. "Okay, now...take off all your clothes."_

 _"_ _EXCUSE ME!" shrieked Ruby, reflexively covering her chest, even though she hadn't taken anything off yet._

 _"_ _What?" asked Yu, as though he hadn't said anything ridiculous, tilting his head. "Oh...right..." He whipped his head around towards Gin and Ayumu. Gin's face had gone completely red, and even Ayumu's cheeks sported a pinkish tinge. "Cover your eyes and turn around boys." Yu chortled, then snorted dismissively. "Perverts."_

 _Ayumu and Gin quickly did as they were told, while Yu turned back to Ruby, who did not look the slightest bit reassured. "What about you?" she protested._

 _"_ _Uh..." Yu pointed a finger at the ribbon covering his eyes. "Blind...remember?"_

 _"_ _Yeah, but you can still 'see' me, can't you?" protested Ruby, her eyes narrowing._

 _That drew a snorting laugh from Yu. "Missy, that doesn't matter whether you have clothes on or not. With the_ Shingan _, I can see through every single layer that you're wearing, day or night."_

 _Ruby's blush only intensified and she hugged herself tighter._

 _"_ _If it's any consolation," Ayumu called, turning his head in their direction, though his eyes remained closed, "I don't think Master Yu is even capable of being sexually aroused."_

 _"_ _He might be right," conceded Yu, scratching his chin. "At least, I can't remember the last time I was...strange...I usually have a pretty good memory."_

 _Ruby's blush faded and she relaxed slightly, though she kept her arms across her chest, and she frowned darkly at her teacher, who was now urging her to strip naked._

 _"_ _In any case, hurry up and get those clothes off," said Yu with a dismissive wave, before pausing. "Oh! You can keep your underwear on, I guess...if you really need to. The point is to get as much skin exposed as you can."_

 _Ruby frowned. "You want me to be able to feel my surroundings," she guessed, lowering her arms._

 _"_ _Got it in one," said Yu, grinning and clapping his hands together. "Welcome to my ultra-intensive, accelerated-pace_ Shingan _training, practically tailor-made to either open your_ Shingan _wide enough for it to be truly useful...or leave you a rotting corpse...your choice."_

 _Ruby frowned, then looked down into the darkness of the cave. "You're going to send me through there and have me come out the other side."_

 _"_ _Exactly!" said Yu. "Leave your clothes with the boys, and they'll meet you at the other end...assuming, you know, that you don't get ripped to shreds by the Grimm in the interim." He stepped past Ruby and pointed down the cave. "It's about a day's walk through there to the other side. Getting past all the Grimm will probably double that time...if you're lucky. Down that way lies total darkness. That pretty little scythe of yours can probably light it up a little bit for you, but I wouldn't count on that. You didn't make that thing to be a flashlight, did you?"_

 _"_ _No," said Ruby. Truth be told, her scythe probably wouldn't illuminate anything beyond the blade itself. If anything, that would make things worse, making the darkness seem even deeper, and serving to make herself stand out for the Grimm that were waiting within._

 _"_ _So you'll have your work cut out for you," said Yu. "Not only will you be fighting Grimm, but it won't be a straight path either. The cave winds and twists, and the ground is broken and uneven. One wrong step and a twisted ankle will be the least of your worries."_

 _Ruby swallowed, her mouth beginning to feel dry._

 _"_ _The only way you're going to be able to get through is if you learn to_ feel _your surroundings," said Yu. "It isn't just the movement of the air against your skin, but the angle of sounds and echoes, even the taste and smell of the air itself. As for the Grimm, you'll have to be able to read their movements without being able to properly see them. That should actually come pretty easily to you. Grimm are just mindless masses of murderous intent after all, most of the time."_

 _"_ _And you think I can do this?" asked Ruby, her eyes narrowing._

 _"_ _Well, by my assessment, you have the requisite capacity," said Yu. "But whether or not you can tap into that is up to you and you alone. Not even the boys are going to be able to bail you out in there, particularly since they'll have to hustle to take the long way around to meet you in time. In any case, get through that, and you'll have the essentials of the_ Shingan _down pat, and I can guarantee that the brats that left you for dead won't be able to get the drop on you again, neither will anyone else for that matter. You'll be fit and ready to return to Beacon and take your revenge."_

 _Ruby hesitated, then slowly nodded. "All right," she said._

 _"_ _Good," said Yu. "Now get those clothes off. Chop chop! We ain't got all day."_

 _With a resigned sigh, Ruby undid the clasps on her cloak, followed by the straps around her shoulders and arms, then the laces that held her dress to her stomach and chest. Reluctantly, she let the whole thing slide down to the ground, leaving her almost completely naked, save for her bra and panties._

 _"_ _Don't forget your boots," said Yu. "It might not be comfortable, but you need to train your feet as well."_

 _Ruby groaned, and bent down to unlace and remove her boots, followed by her socks. Standing back up, she crossed her arms across her chest. It might not have made any difference to Yu's senses, but it at least made her feel better._

 _"_ _All right, you're all set to go," said Yu cheerfully. "Say your goodbyes to the boys and get moving."_

 _Then he vanished. Ruby saw no signs of movement. One second he was there, the next he simply...wasn't. She shivered and turned to look down the cave, rubbing her arms as the air coming out of it now seemed colder and more bitter, making goosebumps appear on her skin._

 _The crunch of gravel beneath someone's tread told her that one of the boys was moving towards her. As the air at her back cooled, but not in the bitter manner that the breeze from the cave did, Ruby relaxed, realizing that it was Gin behind her. Keeping his eyes to himself, he'd walked backwards until they were standing with their backs pressed against each other. Ruby keenly felt his touch and his presence, his cool body temperature seeming to drain away the heat of her anxiety. Reaching back, Gin's hands found her own, their fingers meshing together._

 _"_ _Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked softly._

 _"_ _Not really," admitted Ruby. "But I will. I need to get stronger...so I will."_

 _"_ _Be careful," said Gin softly, squeezing her hands. "Ayumu and I will be waiting on the other side."_

 _Ruby nodded and pulled her hands out of his, stepping away so that she could turn to look at him. Gin remained pointedly facing away from her, which she appreciated. Wrapping her arms around his stomach, she hugged him gently from behind, leaning forward to kiss his cheek, before letting go._

 _"_ _I'll see you soon," she promised. Once again, she turned to face the cave, and the malicious darkness that resided in, then strode forward._

* * *

"Wait!" interrupted Sun. "This guy seriously made you walk through a cave full of Grimm, in the buff, and just _left_ you like that."

"Yep," said Ruby flatly.

"And you made it through okay?" asked Blake, shocked.

"Pretty much," said Ruby, much more easily. "At first, it was terrifying. But I think that drew more Grimm than my scythe did. So, after a little while, I took a moment to calm myself. After that, I managed okay."

Perhaps she was understating the trial of the whole affair a little. In the absolute darkness of the cave, there was no immediate way for her to tell how much time had passed, how far she had gone, and how far she had to go. Gradually, as her senses had begun to reach out and mesh together, supporting one another, she realized that the ambient temperature of the wind flowing through the cave was telling her that she was getting closer to the exit. When she opened her awareness, she'd found that everything, from the flow of the air, to the smell of her environment, to the texture of the stone beneath her feet, had something to tell her about where she was, and where she was going. There were times she became so engrossed in analyzing those sensations that she forgot about the Grimm altogether...until they attacked again. But, as Yu had said, they stood out keenly to her senses, their movements and intent starkly clear to her. She made it through the cave without taking a single hit.

"I can't believe he'd do that to you!" exclaimed Blake, clearly worried about what Ruby had gone through.

"Well, once I started to get the hang of it, I understood why he did it," said Ruby. "Master Yu's teaching is like that a lot of the time. Of course, that doesn't change the fact that he's a complete bastard, who'd be happy to let me die, if I ended up not able to do it."

"I guess," said Ren worriedly. "So you made it through the cave all right?"

Ruby nodded. "The boys were waiting for me on the other side. I was too tired, hungry, and dehydrated to get dressed, so they gave me a blanket, then just kept me comfortable 'til I was rested."

"It sounds like they took good care of you," said Blake.

"Yeah," said Ruby softly, looking down. "They've been doing that since they first met me."

"I'm glad they did," said Nora, grinning at Ruby.

"A sentiment I think we can all agree with," said Ren with a smile of his own, while heads nodded around the table.

"Hey, everyone!" called Yang as she and Jaune approached them with their own trays of food. "What'd we miss?"

"Ruby was just telling us about some of the things she did while she was gone," Blake said, scooting to the side to give Yang room to sit next to her sister.

"Wow, sounds like you've got some crazy stories to share," said Yang.

"A few," said Ruby. "Though, it sounds like I wasn't the only one. I heard you guys got mixed up with a White Fang rally."

"Funny story," said Yang with a giggle.

Soon enough, they were swapping stories, Ruby sharing some of the more memorable moments of her journey to Vale, while the others filled her in on their investigation into the White Fang's doings and Roman Torchwick's involvement with them. For the time being, there was one story Ruby kept herself, the encounter with Ciar and Viola in the wilderness. Even after all this time, she still wasn't sure what to make of it. She also decided to keep the information about the Silver Eyes to herself as well, if only for the time being. Despite a few attempts by Yu to goad her into using them, she'd yet to tap into that power since that time fighting Team BRWN.

Unfortunately, Sun and Neptune had to excuse themselves, as they returned to their mission down in the city, working with the local police. Ruby had been sad to see them go, and felt a little jealous when they showed her their junior detective badges. She resolved to get her team a mission working with the police, someday.

* * *

As the day went on, their group moved from the dining hall, and out into the courtyard, which Ruby appreciated. As their meal had continued, she'd noticed that she'd been attracting more and more stares, people looking at her almost as though she were some kind of exotic animal. The emotions she'd sensed directed her way were...mixed. There was little outright hostility from anyone, possibly because any such emotion was temporarily displaced by wide-eyed disbelief that the girl who was supposed to be dead was walking the halls of Beacon once more. She figured it wouldn't be too long before Yang clued in and she might take exception to people's interest.

Out in the courtyard, people's attention was more diffused, making it less likely that they would catch sight of her, or fixate on her amongst her friends, unless they were specifically looking for her. Fortunately for Ruby, someone was specifically looking for her, and not for any negative reason.

"Ruby!"

Ruby turned in the direction of the familiar, slightly-accented voice, and broke into a smile at the the sight of the brown-haired girl running her way, two brown, rabbit ears standing tall as she bounded closer. "Velvet!"

As soon as she came within reach, Velvet swept Ruby up in a tight hug. "I didn't believe it, when I heard the rumors you were alive. Welcome back!"

"Thanks," said Ruby, hugging her back just as enthusiastically. "It's good to be back."

Truth be told, Ruby hadn't ever really considered Velvet a close friend. Their primary connection was that they had shared Oobleck's history class before. Ruby still felt guilty about the day they'd seen the boys of CRDL abusing Velvet in the dining hall, yanking on her ears, and had done nothing, definitely not Ruby's proudest moment. The most they'd been willing to do was click their tongues and tut from a distance, but not take actual action. _Maybe,_ she thought quietly, _the White Fang wouldn't feel so justified if people like me would just_ do _something, when we see something that wrong, instead of just watching._

Perhaps because of that guilt, Ruby had approached Velvet and stricken up a tentative friendship with the shy girl, whose personality proved to be as sweet as sugar. There wasn't all that much to base it on. Outside of history class, they had vastly different schedules, particularly since, as a second-year, Velvet and her team were away on missions more frequently.

Pulling away, Ruby couldn't help but smile at the happy tears in Velvet's eye. Her sister and friends aside, here was person who was unquestionably, genuinely happy to have her back.

"What in the world happened?" asked Velvet. "Where have you been all this time? Why did everyone think you were dead?"

 _Yeah...pretty much everyone is gonna get to that question sooner or later,_ thought Ruby wryly. She had the feeling she was going to be telling her story a dozen more times easily, before the week was out. She found herself wondering if, by the time it came around, Ozpin's official announcement would even be necessary anymore.

"It's a long story," said Ruby feeling preemptively tired at the prospect of having to explain things _again_.

Velvet was many things, including perceptive. Her ears twitched, bending slightly and her expression softened. "Oh! I'm sorry," she said, stepping back and wiping her eyes. "I guess it must have been serious. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"N-no, it's not that...not really," said Ruby, before sighing and sagging down onto the grass. "It really _is_ a kinda long story and...well...a lot happened. Professor Ozpin's going to make an official announcement about it once everyone is back from their missions."

"I see," said Velvet, smiling. "Well then, I guess I can wait until then to learn."

"No! You don't have to," said Ruby, patting the grass. "Sit down and I'll explain..."

* * *

 **Ultimately, I decided not to ever render the scene of Neptune's attempt to turn down Weiss' invitation to the dance, and her reaction, mostly because it's one of those situations where it's best left to your imagination.**

 **I don't recall if it's ever been officially confirmed, but long-accepted fanon has postulated that Ozpin did indeed know that Jaune had faked his transcripts. The common consensus is that Ozpin merely turns a blind eye to this fact. But I like to think that he's a little bit more clever than that, and probably does have certain...loopholes...written into Beacon's admissions policies that would provide him with the means to keep on prospects with potential, even if they wouldn't have ever been accepted under normal circumstances. And yes, I also feel that the idea that Cardin didn't really have the dirt on Jaune that he, and Jaune, thought he did is pretty funny, in retrospect, one of those "way harder than it needed to be" scenarios.**

 **I sometimes feel the need to add some commentary to the whole thing with Velvet and CRDL in Volume 1. Everyone likes to harp on about how RWBY and JNPR just watch, and do absolutely nothing, despite acknowledging that what CRDL is doing is wrong. Many AUs that start from Volume 1 have someone do something about it. However, bystander syndrome is a real thing, so however...not right...it might be for our heroes to stand there and just look on while someone is racially persecuted right in front of them, that kind of inactivity does not come without precedent.**


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41:**

Velvet's reaction to Ruby's story was predictable, albeit gratifying. She was suitably horrified to learn what Weiss and Pyrrha had done to Ruby, and even happier that Ruby had made it out alive. She was relieved to learn that the two perpetrators were now in custody as well.

"Ruby...that's...that's amazing," said Velvet. "I can't imagine how much courage it would take to travel all the way from where you were to Vale, on foot no less."

"Well, it didn't take that much," admitted Ruby. "I had two very good guards with me, and, after training with Master Yu, I didn't really need their protection." She sighed. "If anything, he's scarier than the actual monsters."

"This man sounds...dangerous," said Velvet.

"That's the understatement of the year," deadpanned Ruby.

Velvet pulled out her scroll to check the time. "Oh! I'm going to be late!" she said, shooting to her feet.

"You have class?" asked Yang, blinking in surprise. Second-years had a different schedule from first-years, but the period when first-years went on their first missions was generally a sort of break period for second-year and higher students, though some took seminar classes or extra missions in the meantime.

"No," said Velvet with a shy giggle. "I was so surprised to see Ruby, I almost forgot that I was meeting Cardin this afternoon."

"Wait! Cardin?" Ruby blinked in confusion. "Why are you meeting Cardin?"

To Ruby's shock, Velvet's cheeks flushed a bright-red color. "Well...um...we...we're..."

"They're dating," said Blake in a delightfully deadpan tone, that somehow managed to be teasing as well, making Velvet blush even harder.

"What?" Ruby's mental processes ground to a halt. "Wait! Are we talking about the same person here? Cardin...big guy...short, red hair...swings around an exploding mace...that Cardin?"

"That's the one," said Nora cheerfully, to Velvet's greater embarrassment.

"The one who was pulling your ears and calling you a freak?"

"He...he apologized for that," said Velvet. She smiled shyly. "He even let Coco deck him."

"Wha-why-how...?" Ruby just couldn't process this turn of affairs at all. _Have I somehow stepped through a portal into an alternate Remnant where nothing makes sense anymore?_

"Cardin and his team have turned over a new leaf," said Yang cheerfully, slapping Jaune on the back. "Our knight in shining armor managed to talk them around."

"Aww...I didn't do that much," said Jaune sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head and blushing.

"Anyway, I have to go," said Velvet, zipping away at a speed that would have done justice to Ruby's Semblance, before she could be teased any further.

"I really missed a lot, didn't I?" said Ruby, her gaze blank as she stared out into the distance, trying to process such a monumental shift in the paradigm of her existence. She remembered that CRDL, once amongst the most forward of her tormentors (at least, when her sister and friends weren't around), had curtailed their harassment after that one trip to Forever Fall. Had they really changed so much while she was away?

She was pulled forcefully from her thoughts when Yang wrapped an arm around her neck, pulling Ruby in so that her face was almost smothered in her older sister's bust. At the same time, Yang raised her other hand and began to mercilessly grind her knuckles down into the top of Ruby's head. "That's what you get when you spend months letting everyone think you're dead," said Yang with vindictive good cheer as Ruby struggled to escape her grip.

Realizing that her sister was still sore about that, Ruby sighed and closed her eyes, resigning herself to the playful punishment. She had to admit, she did deserve this on some level, if only for leaving Yang out of the loop for months.

Besides, it didn't feel that bad. Ruby didn't mind having her sister's arm around her for a while longer, not realizing how much she'd missed it on the road.

* * *

Cinder Fall was in a sour mood, something that her two subordinates were all too aware of as they followed her down one of Beacon's hallways, heading towards their rooms in the guest dormitories.

Cinder was unquestionably an attractive woman, her pale skin contrasting nicely with the slightly curling locks of black hair that spilled down from her head to the level of her shoulders. Her orange eyes seemed to shine with their own fiery light, producing a gaze that seemed to pierce a person to their very soul. Even dressed as she was right now, quite plainly, in a sleeveless, leather jacket, gray pants, and serviceable boots, with her chest hidden behind the sarashi wrapping favored in regions of Mistral, Cinder remained a beautiful woman...beautiful...but terrifying when she was angry.

Behind her, Cinder's followers were all too familiar with the fear of their mistress's anger.

"I'm sorry, Cinder, there's been no word from Torchwick...or Taurus," said the girl, Emerald Sustrai.

She was an attractive girl herself, dark skin and mint-green hair, nicely complemented by her red eyes. She was dressed in a rather revealing outfit, consisting of a white top, with a shallow-cut crop-top underneath that that showed an ample portion of her cleavage, while leaving her midriff pleasingly bare. Lower down, her hips and legs were hidden behind white pants and brown chaps that ran down to her calves. Normally, Emerald exuded happiness at the idea of being in Cinder's presence. However, right now, her leader's anger had her cringing, as though expecting a strike at any moment.

Cinder growled, though the sound was more like a purr. It might have been considered pleasant, sultry even, but there was no disguising the malice carried by that simple sound. Her orange eyes flickered and began to glow, as though lit from behind. "Roman...I'm not surprised by. But Taurus...?"

"He's probably not happy," ventured the boy following Cinder alongside Emerald. He was a handsome specimen of a young man, pale skin, gray hair, and complimenting gray eyes. He was dressed rather simply in a gray and black, short-sleeved jacket, and black pants. His forearms were covered by black vambraces and rebraces. His feet were covered by a set of black boots with a gray cartridge mechanism built into them at the ankles. "The entire operation was a bust, and all his people there were apprehended."

If his words were meant to console Cinder, they failed miserably. Instead, she whirled around, the glow in her eyes more vivid and fierce than ever. "Oh! _He's_ not happy!" she snarled. "Months of planning, dozens of Dust thefts, stealing the highest-grade Atlesian military equipment, all of it undone in less than a day and _Adam Taurus_ isn't happy about it?"

Both Emerald and Mercury took nervous steps back. Cinder normally wasn't the sort to vent her rage blindly, but right now was not the time to give her a target to fixate on.

At their silence, Cinder hissed, the sound almost like steam escaping a kettle, before turning back on her heel and proceeding down the hallway once more, her subordinates hurrying to keep up. "Have we heard anything about what happened?"

"Nothing, Ma'am," said Emerald worriedly. "All we know is that they got everyone there. The entire operation was brought down in one go."

"That means it was fast," said Mercury. "If Roman had gotten even a hint of something coming, he would have sent the train out the first chance he got. Even carrying out the plan prematurely would have been better than letting everything go to waste like this."

"You're right," mused Cinder, nibbling thoughtfully on her thumb. That meant that whoever had attacked their base of operations in Mountain Glenn had managed to do so quickly and decisively, before Roman had the chance to issue the order to send the train out. But she couldn't figure out who...or how.

The Atlesian Military was out. General James Ironwood was the kind of man who generally considered "subtlety" to be a dirty word. Had he been helming an effort to stop their plans for the Breach, he would have undoubtedly sent in a warship, if not more than one, along with all the troops he could spare, all in a splendidly ostentatious display of force that Roman would have been able to see coming from a hundred miles away.

The other consideration was that group of Huntsmen and Huntresses that Roman had reported to be poking around his and the White Fang's operations lately. Apparently, one of them was a former member, which had put them on Roman's scent early on. They had interfered with one of Roman's attempted heists at the docks, and had managed to bring down the Paladin he'd brought to a White Fang rally in the industrial district. However, that seemed unlikely as, even if they were quite skilled for their age and level of training, such a group couldn't have possibly managed to strike so swiftly and decisively as to bring down Roman's entire operation before he had a chance to send the train out.

"There's something else we heard," said Emerald, desperate to find any shred of news that might be able to take Cinder's mind off her frustration.

"Oh, what's that?" asked Cinder.

"Apparently that little red brat that Roman was complaining about is back," said Mercury. "It's weird. She was supposed to have died on a mission a while back. But now she's back like nothing happened."

"Well, it's a bit more complicated than that."

The trio froze, their bodies going as still as statues at the unexpected voice that had suddenly come from behind them. Spinning in place, they dropped almost simultaneously into combat stances as they regarded the tall, slender man leaning against the wall, grinning cruelly.

"Yu Yuen..." said Cinder, her body tensing even more. "The Calamity."

Yu tossed his head back and barked out a fierce laugh. "Ha! I love that title. Is that what Little Miss Melodrama's taken to calling me now? She's a riot."

Cinder glowered and hissed.

"Aw, don't be so pissy, Little Sparkler," said Yu, turning to face her fully. "You should be _happy_ to see me, seeing as I've come to tell you who was the responsible for that little mess, over in Mountain Glenn."

"You know?" asked Cinder, somewhat rhetorically. Of course this man knew. It was said that, even though he was supposedly blind, Yu Yuen could see through walls or across the breadth of the continent.

"Well, they were _my_ students after all," said Yu with a shrug.

"You...!" snarled Cinder, her eyes glowing more vividly. "...Are you declaring your intent to oppose us?"

"Now why would I do that?" asked Yu, cocking his head to one side. "I don't tell my apprentices how to use the skills I teach them. What they do is their decision entirely." His grin widened. "Of course, if you want to take issue with me for their actions, I won't mind. Unfortunately, a little half-Maiden like you won't amount to much."

Cinder gasped, the light in her eyes intensifying. Up came her hand, an orb of flame igniting to hover above it.

Yu pursed his lips, and blew a quick puff, snuffing out Cinder's fireball like a candle flame, causing her to freeze in shock. "Come on now, start chucking that stuff around here and you'll cause quite a commotion. I thought you wanted to keep your head down for the time being. Was I wrong?"

Cinder's eyes, still glowing, narrowed. After a moment, the glow receded and she lowered her hand. "How do you know?" she asked.

"Ah, I can smell the Maiden's power on you...along with the corruption," said Yu. "You usually don't see it divvied up like that. That must've done a number on the original holder." Then Yu's lips curled back in a sneer. "Ah! So that's what you're doing here. You only got a chunk of the Maiden's power, didn't you? Now you're here, looking for the rest."

Cinder tensed again, her hand rising.

"What did I just tell you?" asked Yu, more exasperated than anything else. "A little half-Maiden like you won't be able to even scratch me."

"What do you want?" Cinder asked.

"Well...I could tell you where your quarry is," mused Yu. "Little Amber was left in quite the state. But I don't think you should get what you want that easily."

Cinder growled.

"What I want is for you to keep doing what you're doing," said Yu with a dismissive flap of his hand. "A good adversary is the perfect way to light a fire under my students' asses. It'll be perfect training for them."

"You're just going to use us as your training tools?" asked Mercury skeptically.

"Pretty much," said Yu, inclining his head towards the boy. "Oh! Hey, you're Marcus' boy, aren't you. How's he doing?"

"Dead," said Mercury coldly.

"Ah, so his little boy's been Baptized, eh. Congrats, kid."

"What? Baptized?" Emerald blinked and looked at Mercury in confusion. His expression was suddenly stony and unreadable. She and Cinder had watched Mercury's fight with his father from a distance. But she had never learned the circumstances under which it had occurred. Mercury never been interested in talking about it, though the occasional mention of his father being a drunkard seemed to suggest that it was a case of parental abuse, with Mercury killing his father to protect himself.

"The Baptism is a tradition from old assassin schools," said Yu with a chuckle. "You could say that, for fighters and assassins in training, it's a final exam. There's no written portion, all practical. And your practical is to _kill_ the guy that trained you."

Emerald glanced sidelong at Mercury, who remained silent.

"Ah, well, no biggie," said Yu, once again dismissing the topic. "Anyway, back to what we were talking about; yeah, I'm gonna have you be my training aids. Though I probably don't have to do all that much to convince you to do that. Little Ruby Rose is going to be a determined thorn in your side, and she has my other two students neatly wrapped around her fingers. You'll probably wind up fighting them, whether you want to or not."

"So that girl is the one responsible for what happened in Mountain Glenn," snarled Cinder.

"All three of them are," said Yu. "I'm looking forward to a good show, by the way. So try not to bore me." He turned and began to walk away.

Cinder growled. "I will make you regret mocking me like this."

Yu paused turned back towards them. For a second, the tension in the air became almost unbearable, Mercury and Emerald struggling to breathe. Then Yu threw back his head and laughed. "There's a good one!" he crowed. "Let me guess, you think you'll become the new Fall Maiden or whatever, and punish me for my impudence. Is that it?"

Cinder faltered, looking uncertain.

Yu's grin almost seemed to split his face in half. "That's amusing," he said. "You're welcome to try, of course, but I wouldn't recommend it. The best you'll be able to manage is pushing my students to their limits. You might even manage to kill one or two of them, but that's as far as you go, even if you gain the Fall Maiden's power."

"You know nothing about power," growled Cinder.

That made Yu snicker, almost doubling over. "Honey, I know _everything_ about power. I've tested every kind of power under the sun. I know the Maidens' power plenty well. After all, I'm the one who _made_ little Amber the current Fall Maiden."

A chill settled over the group, and the light died completely in Cinder's eyes as she took a cautious step back.

"Ah...what's this?" asked Yu, tilting his head, his expression smug. "Where's all that affronted arrogance you had earlier? Is that such a big surprise? You want to know why you'll never hold a candle to me, Cinder Fall...it's because you're weak. Whatever strengths you obtain, whatever powers you steal; Maidens, Relics, whatever...Deep down, you'll always be the same weak, pitiful child, a little girl desperately wishing for a magic wand that she can wave and make all the bad things go away, a fool too pitiful to consider what it means to apply herself, to truly strive for mastery. You cling to your moaning mistress like a tick, hoping that you'll manage to leech away some of her supposed greatness, if you batten on enough."

Cinder's entire body trembled with pure, unadulterated rage. Yet she didn't dare to attack. Yu held her fast merely with the power of his sheer will, the power of his malevolence clamping around her like a vice.

Then the weight of Yu's will evaporated, and he turned around, departing down the hall with a jaunty wave. "Ah, well, just go do your thing, Little Sparkler. Make sure my students don't get lazy, resting on their laurels. That's all you're good for at the end of the day, just another piece on the game board. Unfortunately for you and your mistress, I'm the sort of guy who loves flipping the whole thing over, just for the heck of it."

Then he vanished.

Cinder gasped, as though remembering to breathe for the first time, sinking to her knees. Mercury and Emerald shared nervous looks. They weren't much better off, their bodies trembling and soaked with cold sweat.

Finally, it was Mercury who dared to speak. "Well...what do we do now?"

* * *

Ruby spent the majority of the day chatting with her sister and friends, as they wandered to various places around campus. They hadn't done all that much. Rather than return to the dining hall, where Ruby could be subjected to stares once more, they'd prepared a picnic lunch in the dorm's common area, then returned to the courtyard to eat.

Afterwards, they spent the afternoon in RBY's dorm room, playing games. Ruby, hopelessly out of practice after months spent not so much as playing a single round of a single game, lost to her sister and Nora repeatedly. She managed to win against Jaune a few times, while Ren and Blake were largely content to watch. She supposed, as ways to spend her last day of freedom, before she was swept up into a maelstrom of remedial coursework and exams went, it wasn't too bad.

Finally, dinner came around. Ruby felt a bit reluctant to go to the dining hall, knowing that dinner would be one of the times it was most crowded, as many of the teams that had gone off on more local missions would be back for the evening meal. She was fairly certain she would be the main exhibit throughout the meal, under constant scrutiny from nearly everyone. She was also fairly certain that a confrontation was due at some point. Up to now, the only ones who had approached her had been friends. But she guessed that it was only a matter of time before someone less inclined to be friendly came up and demanded to know what had happened to her, or wanted to know why Weiss and Pyrrha had suddenly dropped off the face of the earth.

Fortunately, Jaune appeared to have anticipated this, and had gone out, returning with several pizzas from the dining hall, enabling them to eat in the comfort of their own dorm room. It was a bit cramped and messy, with paper plates and napkins soon littering the floor, but, for Ruby, it was a preferable to spending the evening being stared at like an animal at the zoo. That she knew Weiss would have screeched, had she been able to see the room's current state, was a definite plus in Ruby's book.

Finally, the time came around for them to report to Ozpin's office. Unlike the others, Ruby knew fairly well what this meeting was going to be about, and was looking forward to it. They decided to clean up the remnants of their dinner after they got back, content with washing their faces before making their way out to Beacon Tower and taking the elevator up to Ozpin's office.

The doors slid open and Ruby beamed at the sight of the two people she'd missed all day. "Ayumu, Gin!"

The two boys had been standing in front of Ozpin's desk, talking with him about something. At her voice, they turned. Ayumu's expression was as serenely pleasant as usual, only a slight crinkling at the corners of the eyes betraying that he was genuinely happy to see her there. In their time spent on the road, Ruby had found herself growing adept at reading the subtle nuances of Ayumu's seemingly omnipresent expression.

Gin smiled as well, requiring much less interpretation, seeing as he didn't smile (aside from the occasional smirk) unless he was genuinely happy. As it was, he caught Ruby as she flung herself at him, and accepted her kiss, a light peck on the lips, though he blushed furiously to be caught in such a display of affection by so many people.

"Hey, how was your day?" asked Gin, leaning and resting his forehead against hers, the cool sensation of contact with him making Ruby feel at ease, as always. It also served to narrow his focus so that he didn't have to pay attention to the group of snickering and cooing (and scowling, in one case) people behind Ruby.

"Great!" replied Ruby. "Yours?"

Gin smiled and let her go, stepping away. "Well, it was interesting to be sure."

"Yes," agreed Ayumu, turning back to Ozpin. "As we were saying, your school is quite the maze, Professor. I believe I've had an easier time navigating in the actual wilderness."

Ozpin merely smiled, an expression that, on a less-respected man's face, might be called smug. he made no reply for a second, merely taking a sip from his coffee mug. "I'll be sure to address your complaints to Glynda at the first possible opportunity," he said with the certainty of a man who knew that such an opportunity would not come around anytime soon. "In any case, now that you are all here, we shall begin. This shouldn't take long."

"Uh...what did you need us for, Professor?" asked Jaune, a trifle nervous.

"Nothing too dramatic," said Ozpin. "This is merely discussing personnel arrangements really. Now that she has returned to Beacon, Ms. Rose will, naturally, be returning to her team."

"You're darn right she is," said Yang sporting the widest grin she was physically capable of.

"Unfortunately," said Ozpin, "due to recent...circumstances, both your teams are short one person."

The fresh reminder of Weiss and Pyrrha's absence, which, naturally, was also a reminder of why they were absent, brought a sour note to the proceedings. However, Ozpin pushed through without faltering.

"That being said, Ms. Rose has proposed a potential solution to maintaining your teams at full strength," he said.

 _Uh oh,_ thought Blake, already cluing into where this was going. She undoubtedly wasn't the only one. Not even Jaune, dense as he was, could miss where this was going. She glanced nervously to the side and saw that Yang's expression turn slightly bitter. Clearly Yang knew where this was going too...and she wasn't entirely happy about it.

"These two young men, who accompanied Ms. Rose on the way to Vale, have been accepted and enrolled in Beacon," explained Ozpin, gesturing to Ayumu and Gin. "Ms. Rose has requested that they be allowed to join your teams. Mr. Ueno would join Team Ruby, while Mr. Ao would join Team Juniper. Normally, I feel that introducing new teammates, even to understrength teams, at such a late stage in the year would only serve to be detrimental. However, these two may prove to be the exception, so I am willing to make an allowance, assuming that both teams agree to this arrangement."

Blake, personally, had no real objection to the arrangement. Certainly, she could understand a degree of trepidation with having Ruby's boyfriend on the same team as Ruby herself, particularly given that they were already sleeping together (in the literal sense, not the euphemistic one). She was surprised that Ozpin had been willing to entertain the notion, rather than reversing the arrangement, and having Ayumu join their team, while Gin joined JNR.

However, what she'd seen of Ruby and Gin's relationship was that it was also fairly low-key and restrained. While they would share a bed, they were clearly not yet interested in more amorous activities. In their physical contact, Gin always kept his hands from wandering too adventurously, although that could have been a concession to their having an audience. By and large, their relationship appeared fairly innocent. Of course, even if it turned out not to be so innocent, they'd be living in a dorm with a pair of chaperones, one of whom was Ruby's sister. All in all, Blake didn't see many problems with the arrangement...

...Except for one glaring one, one _literally_ glaring problem that was _literally_ glaring at Gin, even as Blake weighed the arrangement in her own mind.

For someone who typically wore her emotions quite openly, if not outright on her sleeve, Yang Xiao Long was doing an at least halfway decent job of hiding her anger. Her brow was only slightly furrowed, and she was clearly trying to keep her mouth in as neutral a position as possible, rather than allow it to curl down into an outright frown. But Blake could see the tension in every line of her body, the twitching in her fingers that betrayed her desire to curl them into fists, and, most troubling of all, the occasional flicker of red in her eyes.

 _She's more than just a little upset,_ Blake thought, wincing at her own unspoken understatement. While that was a problem, the greater problem that Blake wrestled with was that she couldn't quite understand _why_ the idea of Ruby's new boyfriend being on their team made Yang look like she was about to explode.

Blake's eyes drifted towards Gin and Ruby, weighing their responses. With how attentive to her surroundings she'd become over the course of her training, Blake had little doubt that Ruby could sense Yang's anger, however restrained it might have been. Gin, quite obviously, had indeed noticed, his eyes flickering to the side, though not ever turning his body or his head in Yang's direction as she was standing behind him at the moment.

"Well," said Jaune, scratching his head, "I don't have any reason to object. Ren, Nora, you guys okay with this?"

"Hmmm..." Nora was suddenly in front of Ayumu, her eyes narrowed, a surprisingly intense expression on her face as she examined Ayumu from head to toe. Ayumu, displaying a rare chink in his normally unflappable exterior, leaned back away from her slightly, his smile twitching almost nervously.

After what seemed like several minutes of careful examination, Nora finally leaned back out of Ayumu's space and rested her hands on her hips. "I like him. Let's keep him."

"Nora," sighed Ren, rubbing his head while Jaune laughed. "Well, I have no problem with it."

"I'm glad to hear that," said Ayumu, cheerfully, turning to face his new teammates.

"Very well then," said Ozpin. "Mr. Arc, do you consent to Mr. Ao being your new partner?"

"I guess so," said Jaune, rubbing his head. He'd had very few dealings with Ayumu so far. He certainly seemed like a pleasant person, with a modest, unassertive personality. In some ways, he was similar to Pyrrha, a comparison Jaune didn't necessarily like after learning what she had done. However, at this point, he saw no real reason to object and hoped that he could get to know his new partner as well as he'd _thought_ he'd known his old one.

"Excellent," said Ozpin. His attention drifted to the members of Ruby's team. "Team Ruby, do you accept this arrangement."

"I have no problem with it," said Blake quickly, glancing sidelong at Yang.

Yang let out a long, slow breath, visibly calming herself down. Opening her eyes again, she looked at Ruby, then at Gin. Ruby was smiling cheerfully at her with an expression that was almost a match for Ayumu's. Gin's expression was completely inscrutable, neither returning Yang's evident hostility nor being cowed by it. Striking such an impressive balance, despite, probably rightfully, feeling persecuted by Yang's hostile attitude raised Blake's estimation of Gin considerably.

"Fine," said Yang, with clear reluctance.

"Very well," said Ozpin, apparently unaffected by the drama playing out before him. "And I doubt I have to ask if you have any objection to Mr. Ueno becoming your partner, Ms. Rose."

"Nope, it's fine," said Ruby, sounding remarkably calm. That threw Blake for a loop, as she'd expected Ruby to be squealing and jumping with joy at this new arrangement. Instead, she reached over and quietly took Gin's hand, the boy blushing at the contact.

"Very well then," said Ozpin. "Team Ruby shall retain it's usual name."

"That makes sense," said Blake, thinking, somewhat wryly, that the Team's new designation of RUBY was even spelled correctly now.

"As for Team Juniper, you shall officially be rechristened as Team January," said Ozpin, turning to Jaune and his team. "Are you all right with that?"

"Just fine," said Jaune, finding the change in name somewhat relieving, as referring to his team as JNPR continuously brought back memories of the P in their team's name. Given what had happened, a new start with a new team name felt somewhat appropriate.

"In that case, congratulations are in order," said Ozpin. "Mr. Ueno, Mr. Ao, welcome to Beacon Academy. It is my hope that you will do well here."

"Thank you, Professor," said Ayumu as he and Gin bowed slightly. "We shall endeavor to do our best."

"Well then, it is best that you returned to your rooms for the night," said Ozpin. "The two of you and Ms. Rose have a long day tomorrow...and many more to come."

Once again, Ruby shifted uncomfortably at the thought of all the makeup work that awaited her, but settled as she resigned herself to this other consequence of her extensive period spent abroad.

* * *

The two teams made their way back to the dormitories. Their plan was to turn in early. Even though only Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu had those makeup classes to look forward to, their teammates didn't want to disturb their rest, and were opting to turn in early as well. However, Ruby quietly asked them to assemble in their dorm before going to bed, wanting to show them something.

The teams first took the time to change into their nightclothes before meeting in the room, watching Ruby as she sat on her bed, or Weiss' former bed, rather, her legs kicking back and forth.

"What's up?" asked Yang, looking at her sister in confusion and wondering what she wanted to talk about this time.

"I have something to show you," said Ruby, glancing at Ayumu, who nodded, then to Gin, who nodded as well.

They tensed, wondering what new revelation Ruby had for them. Ruby stood up and reached behind the small of her back. Pulling it back out, she elicited gasps from everyone in the room as her weapon appeared in her hand, its form congealing into existence even as she pulled it out from her back. To everyone watching, it was as though she had pulled it out of thin air.

"How...?" gasped Blake, her eyes wide. "Where did you get that from?"

"You weren't keeping it in your locker?" asked Yang before blinking. Ruby was in her pajamas, and she hadn't had her weapon before, with no logical place to conceal it. "What...?"

Ruby extended her scythe, opening it up. With a hum, and a faint hiss, the curving blade of bright-red energy and the curling, stylized wing extended from the head. With eight people crowding into a four-person room, she didn't have space to swing it around, so she simply held it as much out of the way as she could. "I created it...right here and now."

"That's...that's impossible...isn't it?" asked Blake with wide eyes.

"No..." Everyone turned to look at the source of the quiet voice that had spoken, everyone surprised to see that it was Jaune. "No, it's not."

"The woman," said Ren, quickly cluing into what Jaune was saying.

"What woman?" asked Ruby, looking at Jaune past her scythe.

"The night of the dance, Pyrrha followed some woman into Beacon Tower," explained Jaune. "They fought in the CCT Center. According to Pyrrha, the woman had these two swords that she could form into a bow, that she seemed to create on the spot too."

"Huh?" Ruby glanced at Ayumu.

"As far as I'm aware, only Master Yu had obtained such a skill," mused Ayumu. "And I thought we were the only ones he taught it to. However, I don't suppose we can rule out someone having come up with it independently."

"I guess that's another thing we'll have to investigate," said Blake in a dark tone. Then her expression lightened. "But still, it's amazing that you've learned to do that."

"Wait!" said Jaune, his eyes going to Ayumu. "So that means you guys can do it too?"

Ayumu beamed and brought his hands together, then drew them apart, his slender sword, primarily the color of corroded copper, appeared, as though he were drawing it from an invisible sheath. The movement was so swift that, for a second, it looked as though he'd drawn the blade out of his sleeve.

"Whoa!" gasped Nora, grinning from ear to ear. "We have a teammate who can do magic! That's so cool!"

"Your sword is rather different from Ruby's scythe though," noted Ren, glancing between the two weapons, "besides the obvious, of course."

"Ah, yes," said Ayumu cheerfully. "That is because Ruby is far more inventive than I am."

Ruby's cheeks turned red.

"You see..." explained Ayumu, "...there are two steps to the creation of such a weapon. The first step is what we call manifestation, the shaping of your Aura into a tangible form." Holding the sword with his right hand, he held out his left hand, a second blade appearing, this one a plain construct made from shining Aura. "This allows you to become familiar with shaping your Aura into the form of a weapon. It is useable, but it has to be maintained constantly. If you allow your control to be broken, the construct will dissolve, taking the Aura you invested into it with it."

His manifested sword's shape dissolved into an amorphous mass and retreated back into his hand and he brought his actual weapon around, flicking it to make the blade flex slightly and produce an eerie ringing noise. "The second step is materialization, transforming your weapon into an object composed of an actual physical substance. This sword is metal. It has the properties of an actual, physical object. I don't need to maintain it either."

"Wait! You can make your Aura into an actual substance, transform it into real metal?" asked Blake, understandably skeptical, despite Ayumu holding said creation right before her eyes.

Ayumu smiled and reversed his grip on the sword, then, holding it carefully by the blade, held it out so that Blake could take hold of the handle, which she did, inspecting it carefully. "It feels...real..." she conceded.

"When you think about it, many of the things that can be accomplished by Aura defy conventional logic," said Ayumu. "You are capable of invoking forces that should not physically be possible. Materialization is taking that a step further."

"The manifestation thing makes me think of Weiss' glyphs," noted Yang with a slight frown.

"Perhaps that is a form of manifestation, one that is automatically produced by her Semblance," said Ayumu.

"So...anyway, what's so special about Ruby's?" asked Jaune, glancing at the hard-light blade of Ruby's scythe.

"It's a little tricky to explain," said Ayumu. "You see, while the shaft and head of the scythe are materialized, the blade itself is manifested."

"Why?" asked Yang.

"Because...I wanted to make a weapon to embody my ideals," said Ruby.

"You see, the weakness of a materialized weapon is that its form is set in stone," said Ayumu, taking his sword back from Blake. "I cannot change my sword's length, width, or mass. Likewise, I cannot control its edge. I made my blade to be so sharp as to cut nearly anything. Whether or not I cut something is entirely up to my skill as a swordsman."

"That seems fine," said Ren.

Ayumu nodded. "Ruby however, chose a different route." He held his fingers up to the blade of Ruby's scythe and pulled them upwards so that the edge cut right through them, eliciting a gasp from their audience, followed by another when, when Ayumu held up his hand, and the fingers that should have been sliced clean off remained firmly attached, save for a line of red that quickly faded away.

"So Ruby's scythe can't cut...people?" guessed Nora, tilting her head as she regarded it.

"Um...not quite," said Ruby, extinguishing her blade. The scythe collapsed in on itself, into a form resembling a rifle of sorts, not all that dissimilar to how Crescent Rose had looked when it was in its rifle mode. She then moved to stow it at the small of her back, just as she had stored her original weapon, although this one vanished as she did so, leaving her back completely empty.

"You see, manifestation is the pathway to learning materialization," said Ayumu. "However, it also serves as a means of applying techniques. Gin makes substantial use of this kind of manifestation."

"You could also call them special attacks or something similar," added Gin.

"What Ruby did was take this knowledge and apply it to the form of her weapon," explained Ayumu. "The blade is sharp or not according to the _technique_ she uses, which is governed by her intent."

"Her intent?" asked Blake, looking at Ruby.

"I can cut through objects and Grimm just fine as a default," said Ruby. "But I can't actually cut a person unless I want to...unless I'm willing to hurt or kill them."

Ren blinked, staring at Ruby. "I'm surprised you'd leave yourself with the option to."

Ruby sighed and looked down at her hands. "I...I don't want to kill if I don't have to," she said. "But that's exactly the problem, the fact that, someday, I may have to. We've already dealt with some horrible people, like Torchwick, or..." She cut herself off, thinking of Viola and Ciar. "So...I realized that, someday, for the sake of protecting someone else, I may have to kill. But I don't ever want to do it by accident, or because I'm sloppy...or even because I'm angry. So my blade won't actually cut a person's flesh if I don't want to kill them."

"However, it will definitely create the sensation of cutting while it's carried out," added Ayumu cheerfully, "as Ms. Nikos and Ms. Schnee learned."

Their minds went back to the memory of Pyrrha's body impaled on Ruby's blade and Ruby cutting through Weiss' neck as though beheading her. Yang felt a warm feeling rise in her chest as she weighed Ruby's actions against her words. _Even though she was angry and hated them, even though she had every right to want them dead for what they did to her, Ruby_ never _meant to kill Weiss and Pyrrha._ It made Yang happy to realize how strong her sister's heart was.

"That's totally awesome!" declared Nora. "I want to do that! Imagine if I could pull my hammer out of thin air!"

Even though he was smiling, the strain in Ren's tone could be heard quite clearly. "I have enough nightmares about what you can do with your hammer as it is," he said. "You don't need one that you can make on the spot, whenever you want to."

That made everyone giggle. However, it also reminded them of the potential hinted at by Ruby's ability, something Ren gave voice to as he turned to regard Ruby directly. "There are two things that immediately stand out to me," he said. "The first is that you can use this ability without any kind of dependence on Dust. Weiss assumed that the technology of your scythe was more advanced than any she'd ever seen."

"She was mistaken," said Ayumu, patting Ruby's shoulder. "It is not technology, but technique."

Ren nodded. "But the thing that strikes me as most important is that, with this, you'll never actually ever be truly unarmed. So long as you have the requisite Aura, you'll never be without your weapon. You could go anywhere, into any situation, and still be capable of fighting with your full strength."

Ruby nodded. "Pretty much," she said. "To be honest, those are the main reasons I wanted to show you this and explain it tonight."

"What do you mean?" asked Yang.

"Well, I wanted to ask if you all could keep what Ayumu and I can do with our weapons a secret," said Ruby.

Jaune clued in. "You want us to pretend that they're regular weapons," he said.

Ruby nodded. "Ayumu and I plan to act as though our weapons are ordinary enough. I'll carry mine with me most of the time, when I'm expected to be carrying a weapon, and I at least intend to use my locker and pretend to hold it there."

"Why?" asked Yang, blinking in surprise. "That's a lot of work to go through. Why would you want to pretend that your weapon is so...ordinary...if you could call it that? It would be awesome to show people what you can really do."

"Well...we have a plan," said Ruby. "It's not a secret we plan to keep forever, but we want to try and keep it up through most of the Vytal Festival."

"Why?" asked Jaune.

"That's a bit of a long story," admitted Ruby, who threw a glance Ayumu's way. Ayumu smiled and shrugged. "Ayumu was born in an SDC company town."

Blake gasped sharply, her hands going to her mouth as the color drained from her face. "Really?" she asked, throwing a horrified look at Ayumu.

"I was," said Ayumu. "I managed to escape, mostly due to running into Master Yu shortly afterwards. Technically, I am still wanted in all four Kingdoms for defaulting on my debt to the SDC. I'm protected by my enrollment at Beacon, fortunately. However, I had wanted to do something for the people in my hometown, something that could maybe allow them to ultimately throw off the chains of the Schnees' oppression."

"And you plan to do that by showing off what you can do with your weapons at the Vytal Festival," said Jaune, his eyes widening, "during the tournament! You'll show the entire world what a Huntsman or Huntress can accomplish without needing Dust."

Ruby nodded. "If it's in terms of actual Dust usage, it probably wouldn't make a huge dent in consumption, even if every single Huntsman and Huntress on Remnant gave up on using Dust. But it could change the way even ordinary people think about it, how much they depend on Dust..."

"It could loosen the Schnees' stranglehold on the authorities across the Kingdoms," mused Ren. "It could lead to a lowering dependence on Dust, and reduce their pull with the Councils, which might allow some of their worst policies to be undone, if we can convince people to stand against them."

"It wouldn't happen overnight," said Blake. "But...even a gradual change like that could have huge effects."

Ruby nodded. "That's what I want to do with this," she said. "That's why I want to keep it a secret until the tournament."

Yang found herself grinning. "Wow! That's my little sister," she said, grabbing Ruby and hugging her tightly. "When did you become so smart?"

"I've always been smart," said Ruby with complete confidence.

"I guess we'll put that to the test tomorrow," said Blake wryly.

"Yeah," said Ruby, a paling a little. "Well...I've shown you what I wanted to. I guess that means it's bedtime."

The others agreed. Team JNAR made to go back to their room. As they did though, Jaune gently reached out and touched Ruby's shoulder, carefully directing her with a motion of his head to follow him.

* * *

 **I imagine that team assignments have worked out the way most of you anticipated. In Ayumu's case, my one regret for his choice of name is that it makes it a bit complicated to insert him into JNR. It was a bit of a reach to go with "Team January." The birth-stone of the month of January is the garnet, which is usually associated with the color red (although they do come in other colors), so I suppose that's as good a color association as any. That rule seems to be looser than the ones governing character names.**

 **With Mercury's dad, I had always thought this a plausible explanation for what happened between them. The common belief is that Mercury's father was abusive, and Mercury killed him in self-defense, or something similar. However, I've always suspected that Marcus' death was probably intentional on his part, that he wanted Mercury to kill him, not out of some kind of suicidal self-loathing, but as a way to make Mercury himself more effective as an assassin. Granted, to help facilitate that, it's likely that he actually _was_ abusive, so it's probably a combination of both. Mercury's speech about it in Volume 6 certainly supports that theory.**


	42. Chapter 42

**Phew...It's done...it's finally done. At 140 chapters, over 1,060,000 words, this story is finished...for now. Yeah, you heard me. What that basically means, I reached a point where I could definitively call and end to _this_ story, but the overall story isn't finished yet. Well...you'll see when we get there. In the meantime, just stay tuned.**

* * *

 **Chapter 42:**

Ruby and Jaune emerged on the roof of the dorms. The night air was still warm. Even so, Ruby rubbed her arms, wondering why Jaune called her out here. Her cheeks reddened a little as she realized that her former crush had basically called her out here alone.

"Hey," said Jaune, turning to face her. "I wanted to talk to you about a couple things."

"What?" asked Ruby, tilting her head.

"First, I wanted to apologize," he said.

"For what?" asked Ruby, genuinely confused.

"I...I was completely clueless about how you felt," said Jaune. "I honestly had no idea, even though you were clear enough."

"N-no...It's okay," said Ruby, her heartbeat picking up, her cheeks beginning to feel hot. Had Jaune called her up here to confess? It made her shudder to think that, now, she'd have to turn him down, as she had a boyfriend who made her perfectly happy.

"It's just..." Jaune turned, looking out over the edge of the roof. "...I feel I should apologize, because that's the _real_ reason Pyrrha helped Weiss try to kill you."

"What!?" exclaimed Ruby, with wide eyes.

"Keep it down," said Jaune. "Team Cardinal's room is directly below us. I found that out the hard way."

"R-right," said Ruby, now unsure of how to feel about this revelation. "S-so, Pyrrha..."

Jaune sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah," he said. "She saw you as a rival and, somehow, came to the conclusion that killing you was the best way to win me."

"Oh..." Ruby wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that. "I...I mean...I knew she liked you." She looked down at the roof. "At first, I figured that it wasn't worth trying. I mean, you had Pyrrha as a partner and she's so beautiful and amazing. Why would you ever even think about me?"

"Hey," said Jaune, putting his fingers under her chin and tilting her face up so that she could look him in the eyes, "don't ever put yourself down like that. You're just as amazing as Pyrrha, if not more-so."

"Thanks," said Ruby with a sniff. "But after a while, it still seemed like the two of you weren't getting together, so Yang encouraged me to try. I figured that, since I was already friends with you, the best way to go about it was to become even _better_ friends with you."

"Hence the hanging out," said Jaune with a chuckle.

"Yep," said Ruby with a giggle. "But, I guess I wasn't very good at getting my feelings across. I was too shy to try anything too...daring...I guess."

"In your defense, I'm pretty dense," said Jaune. "Yang pretty much had to lay it on me for me to realize how she felt."

"Huh?" Ruby froze in place, blinking owlishly. "Did you say Yang...you and Yang...?"

"Uh huh," said Jaune.

"Together?"

"That's right."

For a second, it looked as though Ruby's brain had completely ground to a halt. Jaune quickly held up his hands. "In Yang's defense, I'll point out that we thought you were dead, so we didn't think your feelings would be hurt."

"Uh...they're not," said Ruby, staring up at Jaune. "This is just...wow...I don't know what to say."

"Um...I don't know what to say either, actually," admitted Jaune. "I'm sorry-"

"It's fine," blurted out Ruby, before smiling again. "As it was, I was a little worried I'd have to turn you down. I have a boyfriend of my own now."

"Right," said Jaune, blinking. "How is he?"

"He's...nice," said Ruby, trying to figure out some better descriptors. "He's sweet and kind and caring...a little too caring sometimes. When I'm with him, I always feel so...at peace."

"Sounds like a nice guy," said Jaune, thinking back to their previous interactions with him. "It doesn't seem like Yang feels the same way though."

Ruby sighed. "I know," she said. "I could tell Yang's top was almost ready to blow when Ozpin let everyone know what I'd asked."

"You seem...surprisingly okay with knowing that your sister doesn't like your boyfriend," said Jaune.

"I don't think it's that Yang actually dislikes him," said Ruby, looking down with a pensive frown. "It's...something else. She's just projecting her frustrations on Gin a little."

"That doesn't sound fair," said Jaune.

"It isn't, but what is?" asked Ruby rhetorically. "Gin and I have talked, and Gin thinks he can take all her frustration well enough."

"Take her frustration...?" asked Jaune.

"Uh huh," said Ruby. "Well, you know Yang. Sometimes the best way to help her is to give her a chance to blow off some steam, usually by pounding something or someone."

"Yep," said Jaune, thinking back to how he'd helped comfort Yang, shortly after Ruby's supposed death. "So...you're going to let Yang vent her frustrations on Gin."

Ruby nodded, though she looked uncertain. "He says he can handle it. I hope so, but..."

"You're worried," noted Jaune.

"Yeah," said Ruby. "I'm hoping it'll work."

"Well, if you need me to, I'll talk to her," said Jaune.

"Thanks," said Ruby, smiling up at him. "But we'll see how we can manage first."

They stood for a few moments of awkward silence. Finally, Jaune decided to bring things back around to the original reason he'd called Ruby up here. "So, anyway...about Pyrrha."

"What about her?" asked Ruby. "Why she did doesn't change what she did." She narrowed her eyes up at Jaune. "Unless you feel like it's your fault somehow, which it isn't."

"I know," said Jaune with a sigh. "I guess...I just wanted to say, if I'd known how you felt...I'd have said 'yes' in a heartbeat."

Ruby couldn't quite stop herself from blushing. "Thank you, Jaune. It means the world to me to hear you say that. Could you do me a favor?"

"Anything," promised Jaune.

"Take care of Yang," said Ruby. "She's really good at taking care of others, but, sometimes, she needs someone to take care of her."

"I will," promised Jaune. In essence, that was what he'd done when he'd helped Yang and her father through their grief over Ruby's presumed demise. Seeing the confident, strong, unshakable rock of a girl that was Yang Xiao Long crumble in grief had made him fully aware that even someone as strong as her had her vulnerable moments, and, even before he'd fallen for her, he'd promised that he'd be there for her to lean on (or pound on, if the situation demanded) if she needed it.

"Thank you," said Ruby. She reached up and hugged Jaune, a gesture he returned. It was a bit awkward, hugging the boy she'd once nursed a serious crush on, but it felt nice. At the very least, she was hugging a friend, a good friend, who'd been there for Yang during her darkest hour, when Ruby couldn't.

They let go and stepped apart. "So...bedtime?" asked Jaune.

"Yep," said Ruby, not looking forward to it. "I've got a long day tomorrow...a long several days actually."

"You'll get through it," Jaune said.

"You're darn right I will," declared Ruby proudly. "If I can get through Master Yu's training, I can do this."

* * *

Returning to her room, Ruby was surprised to see Gin laying out a blanket and pillows on the floor. "You said sleeping on a bed that smelled like Weiss made you nauseous," he pointed out in response to Ruby's questioning look. "I figured we'd sleep down here tonight."

It seemed a decent concession to her. Ruby had grown accustomed to sleeping on the hard ground, or nestled against the trunk of a tree, during their journey through the wilderness back to Vale. The floor of her dorm room was unquestionably more comfortable than that.

"I'll get the bedding washed tomorrow," Blake promised. "It won't smell like Weiss for much longer."

"We can get a fourth bed after that," grumbled Yang.

Ruby and Gin shared a glance with each other, before both of them looked at Blake, who nodded, quietly indicating that she would keep Yang under control. Ruby realized that, given Yang's obvious discomfort with the situation, rubbing their relationship in her face by sleeping together, be it on the bed or on the floor, was probably not the best idea. But neither of them had any intentions of further intimacy, and Yang would have to get used to it sooner or later.

Yang climbed up into her bunk and pulled up the covers, rolling over to face the wall in what was obviously a demonstration of her irritation. That relieved Ruby somewhat. She was afraid Yang would spend the night glaring down at them. _I guess, deep down, she trusts us,_ thought Ruby as she climbed under the covers with Gin.

Blake turned off the lights and got into her own bed.

"Ready for tomorrow?" asked Ruby, whispering as quietly as she could, wondering how things would work for Gin.

"No," said Gin honestly enough, his voice just as quiet. "I've never even been to school before. I have no idea what to expect."

Ruby couldn't help but giggle at that. "It won't be too bad," she promised. "I don't think you'll have too hard a time."

"Well, it's good to know you have faith in me," said Gin wryly.

Ruby darted in and kissed his lips. "Of course I do," she said. Then she rolled over, sighing contentedly as one of Gin's arms wrapped around her stomach, while his other hand reached up to rest on her forehead.

* * *

Ruby's predictions proved to be somewhat incorrect. In fact, it didn't take more than ten minutes into their very first class of the first day for them to hit a serious snag.

At first, things had seemed to be starting out quite nicely. Ruby had woken up in Gin's arms, rested and comfortable, Gin already awake and content to hold her until they actually needed to rise. They had taken their turns in the bathroom; showering, grooming, and getting dressed. Ruby actually found herself using the teeth-cleaning twig that Gin and Ayumu made for her, rather than the toothbrush her sister and friends had kindly gotten her from the school commissary, mostly through sheer force of habit. She then dressed in a brand new Beacon uniform that had been delivered straight to her room during her day with her friends.

Ruby grinned, seeing Gin step out of the bathroom in his own uniform. It looked good on him…save for the fact that Gin had no idea how to tie a tie. For that matter, Ruby didn't either, having never actually needed to wear a tie. In the end, it was Blake who'd saved them, having been awakened by their activities, as much as they'd tried to keep quiet. She'd been happy to help Gin get his tie tied, before going back to bed.

They'd hit the dining hall for an early breakfast, Ayumu emerging from Team JNAR's room at almost exactly the same time they did. Ruby figured he'd probably been aware that they'd woken up from across the hall. He was good like that.

Given that no regular classes were in session while many of Beacon's teams were away on missions, the dining hall was relatively empty, occupied mostly by a scant few habitual early risers, who couldn't be dissuaded from their habits by days off. Once again, Ruby found herself on the receiving end of a couple of stares, but no one made any move or inquiry as to her presence, to her relief. She and the boys ate in companionable silence, before making their way to their first class.

Said class was Professor Port's Grimm Studies class. The portly, cheerful professor had welcomed Ruby back and welcomed Ayumu and Gin to the school in his normal, bombastic manner.

"Ho ho!" he guffawed as the three of them took their seats in the front row of the otherwise-empty classroom, "We shall begin our first class by taking a preliminary assessment of your knowledge of our most notorious enemies." With that, he passed out the test sheets, while they all took out pencils.

It was probably the least boring class Ruby had ever taken under Professor Port, mainly because he typically spent the class lecturing, which was to say expositing about the Grimm in the form of loooooooooooooooong, winding anecdotes from his youth as an active Huntsman...or his father's youth...or his grandfather's youth-etcetera. Weiss had once told Ruby that Port was secreting important hints and information within his elaborate retellings, but Ruby couldn't be bothered to find it. Trying to listen to Port was one of the world's most effective tranquilizers. Fortunately, the readings of the assigned textbooks always contained the requisite information and relayed said information much more succinctly. Ruby sometimes wondered whether Port's storytelling sessions were his idea of a brilliant teaching scheme, a way of indulging himself and making the most of a captive audience, or simply a means of rendering sterile textbooks infinitely more engaging and readable by comparison.

Compared to listening to Port drone on, a class period spent writing down answers on a test sheet was _far_ more engaging, and Ruby practically flew through the test, amazed by how many of the answers she knew, despite much of it being material she didn't recall covering during the first semester. She chalked it up to Master Yu's training.

Not that Yu had taught any of them anything about the Grimm, not directly. But Yu loved the Grimm as only a master of the martial arts with a trio of apprentices could. They were largely limitless, came in a seemingly endless variety of shapes and forms, each of which required different strategies or approaches to defeat efficiently. As far as Yu was concerned, the Grimm were perfect training fodder. Ruby remembered several occasions where he'd punted her into the middle of a pack of unfamiliar Grimm and told her to make it out on her own.

So it was with a great deal of enthusiasm that Ruby filled out the answers on her test form, only failing to answer a few very specific questions alluding to answers that only a textbook might have contained (or Port, if anyone could be bothered to listen to him long enough to glean them). With pride, she pushed back her chair and stood up to hand her test to Port.

"Well done, Ms. Rose," said Port, accepting her answer sheet. "Since you've finished early, I may even be able to give you an assessment before the end of our scheduled period."

"Right," chirped Ruby, turning to go back to her seat, looking forward to see how her friends were doing, only to stop when she saw their state.

Gin was staring at his paper in complete concentration, his eyes narrowed, looking as though he wouldn't notice anything else going on around him. Stranger still, his pencil was gripped in a tight fist as he moved his arm, rather than his wrist, almost _drawing_ letters onto the page, rather than writing them. His movements paused frequently as he halted to think of what to 'write' next.

Stranger still was Ayumu's state. Given the way he spoke, Ruby had expected him to fly through the test with the same ease that he seemed to accomplish everything. However, his right hand's movements were halting and twitching, sometimes jolting. More shocking was the look on his face. Ayumu was _scowling_. Ruby had seen him frown before, on rare occasions. However, she had never before seen the furrowed brow and twitching eyelids, or the hard look of anger in his eyes. Ayumu was frustrated, an emotion Ruby hadn't thought he was capable of. Ayumu looked as though he wanted nothing more than to rip that test into shreds.

 _He's writing with his right hand,_ Ruby realized, a thought striking her. _He injured his left hand after he went to work in the mines. Has he ever actually practiced writing with his right before now?_

Her eyes drifted to Gin. _Has he ever actually written before at all?_ She couldn't imagine it. From what he had told her, Gin had been forced to flee the orphanage and Menagerie before he would have gotten even the most basic of schooling. Seeing him working on responses to the questions, Ruby realized she was surprised he was even literate. Had Yu Yuen covered reading, writing, and arithmetic at all?

Still, there wasn't anything she could do at the moment. The best she could do was sit by them and wait. However, at the pace they were going, it looked as though they weren't going to finish by the end of the period. She did not like what this bode for their future, here at Beacon.

"Ms. Rose, I've finished your assessment," said Port, coming over to hand her test back. "You've done very well. I am most impressed at the number of questions you were able to answer from your experiences alone. That shows that you do not have much to make up here at all, just a few readings and-My word!" Port's exclamation cut off his own rambling as he caught a glimpse of Ayumu and Gin's work. "Oh dear. I wasn't expecting this. Do either of you boys have any experience writing?"

"My apologies," said Ayumu, a forced smile on his face as he looked up. "I haven't picked up a pencil in a long time."

"I've never used a pencil at all, before this," said Gin, before pausing, "except for drawing...when I was little...maybe..."

"Hmm..." Port picked up Ayumu's page. After a few minutes of staring. "It would also seem that you are out of practice in using standard grammar," he said, having apparently needed to make quite the effort to decipher Ayumu's handwriting.

"Then mine's undoubtedly worse," said Gin.

"I see..." said Port. "It would have been helpful to know of this issue in advance."

"I'm sorry," said Ayumu. "I didn't occur to me."

"Or me," said Gin ashamedly.

Ruby paled, wondering if her friends' academic careers were about to come to an end before they even started.

"Hmm...I see," said Port, rubbing his chin. "Well then, we'll just have to make accommodations then."

"What? Really?" asked Ruby, her eyes going wide and hope rising within her. "You can do that?"

"Of course," said Port with a deep chuckle. "These lads are not the first to enter our institution with such...difficulties. At the end of the day, this is a school for warriors after all and that's what shall count the most. Simple matters like this can be easily handled." He looked at the clock. "We are a bit short on time, so I will ask you boys to meet me after your final session of the day, and we shall conduct an oral exam." He returned to his desk and fished out a piece of paper, writing some kind of instructions on it. "Show this to your professor in each successive session and they will make similar accommodations for you, so that you don't have to go through this every time."

"Thank you very much, Professor," said Ayumu, his voice heavy with relief as he accepted the paper, though his flushed cheeks betrayed his embarrassment, again a very unusual emotion for him to exhibit.

"Think nothing of it, my boy," said Port. "Your next week or so will be quite busy after all. However, we shall be scheduling supplementary lessons in writing later, so that you will not require such accommodations in the future."

"Of course," said Ayumu, bowing his head.

"Now then, I believe that's enough for today," said Port. "You three may proceed to your next class."

"Thank you, Professor," said Ruby as the three of them gathered their tools and departed.

Entering the hall, Ruby looked at the two boys, surprised to see that neither of them would meet her eyes. "Ayumu...Gin...are you okay?"

Ayumu sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm fine," he said wearily. "I just...I feel remiss. I should have anticipated this. I thought myself fairly well-read at the very least, but it never occurred to me to work on my writing, particularly since my left hand...well..."

Ruby nodded. "You've read a lot?"

"When Master Yu first took me in, we traveled between settlements. Whenever we stopped in one, he generally gave me a few days to rest. I spent much of that time in the settlement's library, reading whatever caught my fancy." Ayumu smiled wistfully. "I really liked doing that."

"Ayumu's the one who taught me to read," said Gin quietly, still refusing to look at Ruby, his cheeks burning.

"Gin...?" said Ruby worriedly. "Gin. Please look at me."

Slowly, Gin raised his eyes. Ruby gently cupped his cheeks to keep his eyes on hers. "Gin, it's okay," she said softly. "There's nothing wrong about you not knowing how to write yet. That's just the kind of life you've lived up until now. Master Yu keeps beating us down with skills we haven't learned yet, right?"

"Right," said Gin.

"Writing is just another skill you haven't learned yet," said Ruby. "Just think of it like that."

Gin's lips slowly curled up in a smile. "You're pretty good at this," he said.

"Thanks," said Ruby cheerfully. "I try." She leaned in to kiss Gin quickly, before pulling back. "Now come on, we don't want to be late for our next class."

* * *

Once the teachers were aware of Gin and Ayumu's difficulties, the next few classes went by much more smoothly. While Ruby filled out the assessments as best she could, the teachers would quietly hold oral exams with the boys singly, to learn what they knew of the subject matter.

Ruby quickly found that the ease with which she would catch up in Grimm Studies did not persist into other classes. History, with Doctor Oobleck, showed her that she had a lot of reading to do, if she wanted to catch up with the rest of her year, as she turned in an assessment with almost all blank answers. She nearly cried when she saw Oobleck's assigned reading for her that night. Ayumu and Gin's knowledge of history was spotty at best, relating primarily to areas of personal interest. However, what areas of interest they did have they knew with an impressive degree of detail. In the end though, their assigned readings were just as heavy as Ruby's were, Oobleck trying to bring them up to speed with the more intensive and comprehensive history he taught within his class.

After that came Dust Science with Professor Peach. Ruby wasn't surprised to have a lot of catching up to do, after missing the better part of a semester. She also wasn't surprised that Gin, who fought entirely with the weapons he'd been born with, also had almost no grounding in the usage of Dust, save for the experience of occasionally having it used _against_ him. What did surprise her, was how Ayumu knew quite a bit about the nuances of safe Dust handling...though, Ruby reflected that she shouldn't have been surprised, given Ayumu's history in the Dust mines. He'd paid a hefty price for the knowledge he did have. However, his knowledge in the area of application was also lacking.

Peach was also the first member of the faculty to examine the scars hidden by the sleeve on Ayumu's left arm, having managed to convince him to show her, after learning how he'd come by his knowledge. She had ultimately pronounced that there was nothing they could do to help Ayumu's condition. Beacon's medical facilities were first-class, for the sake of treating students injured in the ring or the field, and were available, free of charge, to the students themselves. However, even the most advanced medical technology could not yet repair nerve damage that had been done so long ago. About the only alternative Peach could offer was amputating the arm and mounting a prosthetic, which was an incredibly drastic choice. No one was surprised when Ayumu politely turned the offer down.

Some of the other classes were surprisingly easy. Ruby found herself learning that what she'd learned on the road had more than compensated for the time she'd missed in Fieldcraft and Herbology, having learned plenty of survival skills, and about various useful and medicinal plants from Ayumu, Gin, and Yu, including a couple of things that not even the professors knew.

Unfortunately, and to Ruby's complete lack of surprise, the time lost to her journey to Vale had hit her performance in Mathematics plenty hard. Fortunately, Ruby actually liked Mathematics, having come to appreciate the importance of arithmetic as far back as her days in Signal, when Qrow had shown her how math could be used to calculate ballistic trajectories. Ruby had worked hard and enthusiastically to master those skills, and was always excited to learn different applications for what many students considered their least-favorite class. Before betraying her, Weiss had been the only student ranked higher than Ruby in Math, Weiss motivated, as always, by her incessant perfectionist streak. Still, Ruby was more than willing to work to make up the difference.

* * *

"Ugh! It's finally over!" exclaimed Ruby as she and the boys left their last class of the day. Ruby stretched her left arm out, working the kinks out of her left hand as best she could after a day spent writing on test sheets. After months out of school, she was plenty out of practice writing herself, as the muscles in her wrist and hand were quick to remind her.

"For you, perhaps," said Ayumu. "We have to meet with Professor Port to conduct our oral exam for him."

"Oh..." said Ruby, her mood falling slightly. "Right...sorry."

"It'll be fine," said Gin. "The other tests were plenty quick. This one probably will be too. We'll meet you and the others at dinner."

"Are you sure?" asked Ruby. "I can wait while you do it."

"You've worked hard enough already, today," said Ayumu. "You should spend some time with the others before dinner. The three of us will be plenty busy afterwards."

"Yeah..." said Ruby, her mood falling. Her teachers had wasted no time assigning her reading and worksheets to complete before the next time she saw them again. After dinner, she was not looking forward to the hours she would have to spend doing said homework. Just thinking about it was enough to give her a headache.

The only consolation is that not all that homework was due immediately. Just as they had been before the incident, classes would be organized into blocks, so that Ruby only had to take a given class every other day. The longer periods enabled teachers to give more intensive instruction, and gave the students additional time to complete assigned homework. After seeing that the degree to which they lagged behind the rest of her year varied from class to class, the teachers had all assured the trio that their classes would be organized to distribute their workload as evenly as possible.

Fortunately, she wouldn't have to go through all this alone. Besides Gin and Ayumu; who would be suffering right alongside her, if not more than her, thanks to having very little to practically no schooling at all; Ruby also had her friends. They had all pledged their help to ensure that Ruby was completely caught up in all subjects, if not by the time classes started up again (virtually impossible), then by the time the Vytal Festival rolled around, so that they would be free to enjoy it together (definitely doable).

Reluctantly, Ruby parted ways with Gin and Ayumu, watching them as they made their way back to Port's classroom, before making her solitary way back to the dorm to change out of her uniform.

Ruby had barely opened the door before it was practically blown open by Yang. "Ruby! How'd your afternoon classes go?" she asked excitedly, eager to hear how the rest of her sister's day had gone.

The trio had met with their friends and teammates for lunch, managing to talk briefly about how things had gone during the morning. Figuring that it would get out sooner or later, they had shared the fact that Gin and Ayumu were hampered by their inability to write. Fortunately, everyone had been sympathetic, even Yang, though she refrained from expressing her sympathies to Gin, which Ruby hadn't failed to notice.

"Things went fine," said Ruby, managing to smile after relaxing a little. "I have a lot of catching up to do in some of my classes, but I can manage it. I'm actually ahead in a couple."

"Well, I guess spending months on the road, learning to fight, weren't completely wasted," observed Yang wryly.

"Yep," said Ruby in the most chipper tone she could muster. Not that she didn't appreciate her sister's concern and interest, but she was feeling drained and tired.

"Where are the boys?" asked Blake.

"Taking their oral exam with Professor Port," said Ruby. "They'll catch up in a little bit."

"It must be hard," mused Blake. "I wonder what the teachers will do for worksheets and written assignments until they learn how to write."

"Um...Professor Peach said something about there being scroll programs they could use," said Ruby.

"Why don't we get to do that?" complained Yang. "That would be _way_ better than filling out some kind of stuffy worksheet."

"Because they don't want us glued to our scrolls all the time," chastised Blake. "Besides, it's important to keep practicing basic skills, like writing, even if we already know how."

"That's true," said Ruby, pulling off her uniform and slipping into her summer outfit.

"So, how do things look going ahead?" asked Yang as Ruby fastened her cloak.

"I'm looking at a lot of six-day school weeks, probably," admitted Ruby with a tired sigh. "All of us are. But Professor Port said that I should be fully caught up in Grimm studies in less than a week. Fieldcraft and Herbology are going to only require a couple of sessions at worst. Then I'll be able to focus on the others."

"So you don't know your schedule yet?" asked Blake.

Ruby shook her head. "Not really," she said. "They said they'd make it after Ayumu and Gin finish their assessments with Professor Port, so we should get our schedules by dinner."

"That's good," said Yang.

"The only thing I know for sure, coming up, is Professor Goodwitch's combat assessment tomorrow," said Ruby. Ruby had been both disappointed and relieved that the combat assessment wasn't today. On top of all her academic classes being stuffed into this one day for assessment purposes, she would have been completely exhausted by having a combat assessment on top of all that. However, at the same time, she would have liked the opportunity to get some exercise for her body, after burning out her brain over the course of the day. But she could also see the point, and Goodwitch's desire to get a clear picture of the three of them at the top of their game.

"Oh, right," said Blake, frowning a bit. "That's going to be interesting..." _For multiple reasons,_ she added mentally.

Of course, Blake was looking forward to seeing additional demonstrations of what Ruby had learned in her time away. Also, she wanted to learn the capabilities of the two boys Ruby had brought into Beacon with her, including their new teammate and replacement for Weiss. It would give them an idea of how Gin would fit into the dynamic of their team, something that JNAR would also need with regards to Ayumu.

However, it would be interesting in a negative fashion as well. Besides the notification that had been sent to the scrolls of RUBY and JNAR, further notification had been sent to the students that had returned from their missions already, notifying them that a combat assessment would be conducted for Ruby and that volunteers were needed to serve as sparring partners. In a sense, this was the first open and official acknowledgment of Ruby's return since she'd arrived. There was little doubt that it was going to attract a lot of attention.

Weiss hadn't been alone in believing that Ruby didn't belong at Beacon, that the two years she had skipped were an affront to the time and hard work that everyone else had put in to get here. Blake had respected Ruby's skill and mettle, even _before_ Ruby's return from her sojourn. She'd seen, first-hand, the skill that had impressed Ozpin and earned his assessment that she was suited, not only to attend Beacon, but also to lead their team. Indeed, Ruby's skills had been on display frequently throughout their first semester.

And yet…despite that, people would gladly ignore such things in order to see what it was that they _wanted_ to see. She wondered how many people who showed up tomorrow would be there because they earnestly wanted to see a test of Ruby's skills, or because they were hoping she would fail in some spectacular fashion.

"Well, whatever," said Yang, dismissing the notion. "We'll just take things as they come. You'll know what's coming by dinner, so there's no need to waste time pulling your hair out over it."

"We'll be happy to help you with your studies after dinner as well," said Blake. "I'm sure the three of you will need all the help you can get."

Ruby giggled awkwardly. "You've got that right."

"Well, let's head out to the courtyard. It's too nice of a day to waste sitting indoors," declared Yang, already suiting action to word.

"Yeah!" agreed Ruby cheerfully, following her sister out.

Blake made no such exclamation, but followed her teammates regardless. As she did, her eyes were glued to the back of Yang's head. She'd noticed Yang's reaction, the way her eyes had narrowed, when the subject of tomorrow's combat assessment had come up. She had the feeling that Yang had her own plans for that event. Blake didn't have to think too hard to guess who those plans were for either. _Please...just don't take this too far._

* * *

"Ughh..." groaned Ruby, staggering into the dorm room and flopping, face-first, onto the bed she and Gin were sharing. She was relieved to notice that Blake had followed through on her promise, and no trace of Weiss' scent lingered on the bedding. On top of that, Blake and Yang had gone through the trouble of replicating the old canopy setup Ruby had made for her bed when they had originally set up their beds for this room.

"Feeling okay?" asked Yang, following Ruby in through the door.

"My brain hurts," complained Ruby, her voice a weary groan. "I just want to sleep."

"Well, don't forget to take your shower and change first," urged Yang, already gathering up her sister's pajamas. She pulled Ruby off the bed and shoved the sleepwear into her arms. "You'll feel better after a nice, hot shower."

"Thanks," mumbled Ruby, already staggering towards the bathroom. She closed the door behind her just as Blake arrived with Gin in tow.

"How's she doing?" asked Blake, her eyes going to the door.

"Eh...could be worse," said Yang.

Blake glanced at Gin, who had stopped upon entering the door and was now staring dumbly at the wall with a thousand-yard stare. While he wasn't as vocal, it was clear that this was just as hard, if not harder for him than it had been for Ruby. Gin, by his own admission, after they'd learned how the day's assessments had gone, had never been to school before, and didn't even know how to actually write. The focus that went into completing assignments, and the requisite skills that enabled that, were all things he'd never had to deal with before. Right now he was dealing with a very bad case of information overload.

Ayumu hadn't been much better. Though his attitude and manner remained polite and congenial throughout the session, Blake had noticed lapses in the boy's attention as he tried to complete the assignments the teachers had sent his way, via his scroll. When their team had parted ways with JNAR, Ayumu had been in a daze similar to Gin's. Blake could only hope that the boys became more accustomed to this as the days went on.

Their new schedule had come through, right before dinner, shortly after Gin and Ayumu had rejoined their teams after completing Port's rescheduled assessment. Fortunately, things weren't all bad. They only had a little bit of reading up on specific material for Grimm Studies, while they'd actually pulled ahead in Fieldcraft and Herbology, meaning that Ruby and the boys didn't need to do any further work in those classes at all. Instead, the time those classes would have occupied would be allotted to literacy classes, where the boys could work on catching up to the rest of the first year in reading, writing, and math, Ayumu and Gin having never learned anything beyond the most basic forms of arithmetic.

Thus, the bulk of their time would be spent catching up in History and Dust Science. Even there, Ayumu and Gin would have to do extra work, seeing as they would have to cover the first semester's teachings, in addition to the time taken by their journey to Vale. Thus, while this schedule was already plenty hard on Ruby, it would be even _harder_ on the boys.

Blake silently settled Gin down on the bed and left him there. It took a few minutes for Ruby to finish her shower and emerge, looking quite refreshed. Gin had to be poked and prodded into taking his own shower. After a few minutes, he too emerged, wearing the t-shirt and boxer shorts that he'd gotten as sleepwear the previous day, looking a little more cognizant, though his only action was to go straight to the bed and crawl under the covers. Ruby didn't waste any time joining him.

Naturally, Blake saw Yang's eyes harden as Ruby curled up against Gin, prompting him to wrap his arms around her. Frowning, Blake grabbed Yang's wrist and pulled her into the hallway.

"What's up, Blake?" asked Yang, rubbing her wrist as Blake closed the door to keep from disturbing Ruby and Gin's rest. Blake had been a little bit rougher than she'd intended.

"The question is...what's wrong with you?" asked Blake, staring sternly at Yang. "Ever since you've seen those two together, you've been so harsh with Gin. What's your problem with him? Is it so bad that he's Ruby's boyfriend?"

Yang's own expression hardened. "That's not your problem," she growled.

"Actually, it is," said Blake. "Ruby isn't my sister. But she is my teammate and leader. You're my partner. Gin's our teammate too now. So I think this is very much my problem."

Yang growled, the low sound actually reverberating in Blake's bones and making her body tense. The air around Yang began to warm slightly. "I just don't think that guy should be pawing my sister like that," she snarled. "Look at them! They're already sharing a bed like some kind of married couple."

"It's not so bad," Blake countered. "They haven't gone all that far. You and Jaune have already had sex, so you're not exactly one to talk when it comes to worrying about protecting your sister's innocence."

Yang's eyes flashed that familiar, vivid red color, which was normally a sign of her Semblance kicking in. Likewise, her hair's color began to lighten and the air became uncomfortably warm, the corridor suddenly feeling dangerously claustrophobic to Blake's senses. She took an unconscious step back.

Then, slowly, with much effort, Yang forced herself to calm down, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply through her nose, blowing her breath out through her mouth. She began to repeat the process, the ambient temperature falling a little more with each breath, until it was almost back to normal. Her hair returned to its normal shade of blonde, and she opened her eyes to reveal that they'd returned to their natural lilac color. "Sorry," she said.

"It's not like you to be like this," Blake pointed out. "You used to be more encouraging to Ruby. You were the one pushing her to break out of her shell and meet new people. Heck, you were the one practically setting her up with Jaune. I never pegged you for the overprotective sister type."

"Yeah, well, that was before Ruby was almost killed by Weiss and Pyrrha, and I spent the last few months thinking she was _dead_ ," said Yang harshly.

Blake blinked. "Oh? Oh..." She was beginning to get what happened now.

"I...I just don't trust him," said Yang, turning, resting her hand against the wall, clearly resisting the urge to punch it, restraining herself due to the fact that she knew Ruby was sleeping on the other side. "Those two boys came out of nowhere. I haven't seen Ruby in months, and now she suddenly has a boyfriend? Who is he? Where did he come from? Why did he help her?"

"Then why not ask him yourself?" proposed Blake. "It may not be easy getting the whole story from him. But Gin clearly cares a lot about Ruby, which means he'll want to at least manage some kind of coexistence with you, if only for her sake."

"Yeah right," scoffed Yang. "You saw how he was yesterday morning, He didn't care at all that he'd been caught red-handed, with my sister in his bed...or this morning either."

"I'd hardly call that being caught red-handed," replied Blake. "He and Ruby didn't do anything besides sleep in that bed. Despite that, I could tell he was _embarrassed_. He just wasn't intimidated by you glaring at him."

"Huh?" Yang tilted her head, confused by the notion.

Blake sighed. "Well, with what we've heard about their teacher, this Yu person, that doesn't surprise me. Gin's been dealing with someone more intimidating than either of us could ever hope to be for years. Of course you're not going to make him back down by glaring at him."

Yang frowned, staring at the wall. At first, she spread her hand against it, pressing her fingertips into its surface. "You're right," she said softly.

"What?" asked Blake, a bit confused by the tone of Yang's voice. This did not sound like she'd given up on the notion of antagonizing Gin at all.

"A glare isn't enough," said Yang determinedly.

"Yang..." said Blake worriedly.

"But that's okay," said Yang, obviously speaking more to herself than Blake, "that's what tomorrow's for."

Blake could only watch helplessly as Yang's fingers curled inwards and the knuckles of her fist pressed up against the wall. "Oh Yang..."

* * *

 **That awkward moment, where the guy you used to have a crush on tells you he hooked up with your big sister...**

 **All joking aside...**

 **So yeah, it turns out that Yu doesn't really care all that much about his students' academic development. His teaching revolves around what's more immediately useful. Of course, our history and stories abound with tales of warrior scholars, who derive a great deal from the parallels between wielding the pen/brush and sword. But, when you're teaching a kid how to use a sword, out in the wilderness, you might as well just dedicate all that time to teaching him to use a damn sword. Because of that, Ayumu and Gin wind up having to work a little harder to fit into their place at Beacon than most prospective students would. Of course, Beacon is a school for warriors, above all else, so a lapse like that isn't exactly a deal-breaker.**

 **As for Yang, normally, I don't really endorse the characterization of Yang as the super-overprotective sister that so many writers seem to portray her as. Yang has always been supportive of Ruby, and makes it clear that she'll have Ruby's back. Even her tracking down Raven in Volume 5 was about using Raven's Semblance to find a surefire way of getting to Ruby faster. But Yang's never expressed the kind of protectiveness that so many writers seem to attribute to her.**

 **Granted, aside from the Jaune/Weiss/Pyrrha triangle, and the Ren and Nora's "will you just boop already" relationship, the series as a whole has not dwelled on romantic matters all that much. Oh sure, there's a bit of ship-tease here and there, with as much of it being us viewers projecting our preferences/prejudices on actions that may well have been meant to be seen as perfectly innocent by the writers, but romance does not take up a significant portion of the plot. So it is a little tricky to tell how Yang would behave if Ruby wound up in a romantic relationship.**

 **However, Yang is shown to go to substantial lengths to push Ruby outside her comfort zone, socially speaking. Back in Volume One, she parts with Ruby, right after their arrival at Beacon, primarily to force Ruby to try and interact with other people. Then, of course, Yang also urges Ruby not to fixate on partnering up with her, again, wanting Ruby to forge connections with other people. It's not much of a stretch then to see Yang as supporting Ruby in romantic endeavors.**

 **Of course, now, things are a bit different, so Yang's feelings have adjusted accordingly, as we'll see more of in the coming chapters.**


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43:**

"That's a really big audience," observed Blake, as she and the other members of RUBY found their places in the sparring room's spectator seating.

"Y-yeah," said Ruby, feeling slightly nervous as she glanced around at all the people who had come to see the combat assessment. She didn't understand why Professor Goodwitch had sent out a general notice. She, Gin, and Ayumu were expected to perform one match each. She supposed that Goodwitch would need a good number of potential participants if the matches were going to be assigned randomly. But only other first-years should have been eligible. However, the notice had been sent out to every student still on campus.

Even now, numerous students were entering through the doors and finding seats. Ruby spotted Team CFVY, not far away, catching Velvet's eye. The rabbit-faunus smiled at Ruby and gave her a cheery wave, which Ruby shyly returned. Amongst the other students, Ruby saw a few of the first-year teams that had either finished their missions already, or had picked missions inside the Kingdom walls. Those, she wasn't surprised to see. However, what she wasn't expecting was the plethora of students from the second, third, and even fourth years of the school. It seemed that, even if they'd never met her before, even if they'd never even laid eyes on her before, everyone wanted to see the student who'd been proclaimed "dead," only to show up, mysteriously alive, a few months later.

Once again, Ruby was struck with the sensation of being a spectacle, the star attraction at some kind of freak show. Most of the students entering the room didn't actually care about her or what happened to her. To them, she was nothing more than a curiosity, at best, or an eyesore that had been thought gone, at worst. Even now, she could feel their eyes gravitating towards her, and she was struck with the desire to sink down into her seat, and hide beneath her hood.

A cool hand rested over her own, and Ruby looked over to meet Gin's amber eyes. Their eyes met and he smiled slightly at her. Ruby smiled back, feeling her nerves abate a little. Gin's presence alone was a balm in its own right. However, it was also a reminder that she'd been through a lot worse than this. She'd endured Yu Yuen's training after all. Compared to his intimidation, none of these students held a candle. Right now, she didn't even think that a fourth-year student, ready to graduate, could scare her.

Feeling reinvigorated, Ruby focused her attention on the ring in the center of the room, though she couldn't help but continue to wonder why Professor Goodwitch was making such a spectacle of this match.

* * *

"You seem to be rather intent on making quite the show of this," observed Ozpin as he cast his eyes around the seats that surrounded the upper floor of the sparring room. The seats had already been filled, but still, students continued to file in, lining the railing above the seats as everyone jockeyed for the best view of what was to come. Most of them were Beacon students, but, here and there, he could see students from Haven, Vacuo, and Atlas.

"If Ms. Rose has improved as much as you seem to think she has, then she should have no difficulty, even with this kind of pressure," said Glynda cooly, making adjustments on her scroll in preparation for the matches.

"Is that what this is about, pressure?" asked Ozpin. "You wish to test her limits in front of a large audience?"

Normally, Glynda Goodwitch was the perfect picture of the unbiased instructor, harshly critiquing her students for even the slightest flaw and never playing favorites. Despite that, she had clearly never been fully able to accept Ruby's presence in Beacon, believing that Ruby wasn't prepared for the demanding level of performance required of a student at a Huntsman Academy, versus the performance demanded by a Combat School, like Signal. After Ruby's supposed death, Ozpin had been subjected to a tirade of I-told-you-sos and what-were-you-thinkings. Granted, Glynda hadn't been upset about whether or not Ruby deserved to be at Beacon, but had merely been frustrated out of concern for the girl. She had believed that Ozpin had practically been setting her up to get killed.

"The audience isn't important, so much as the participants," said Glynda, not taking her attention of the scroll. "I simply wanted to make sure that I had the largest pool available."

"Did you now?" said Ozpin. "But you could have simply sent that notice to all the first-years."

"I sent the notice to everyone because I have added all who volunteered to the randomizer, regardless of their year," said Glynda.

Ozpin's eyes widened in surprise. This was beyond his expectations. "You believe that a fellow first-year student will not be able to provide an effective assessment of her current level."

"Seeing as she already defeated Ms. Schnee and Ms. Nikos of all people, quite handily too, that would be correct," said Glynda, finally looking up at Ozpin. "I don't know what that girl has been through. But it's apparent that her combat skills are no longer at the level of a first-year. I want to get the best assessment I can of her abilities."

"I suppose that would be wise," admitted Ozpin. "Still, I would have preferred you not drawing attention to her return prior to the official announcement."

"If you're not making her hide in her room until the time, then there's no real reason to conceal it," countered Glynda. "The 'why' can wait, but we might as well make it known that she's back now."

"Very well, I'll leave it to you then," said Ozpin.

"It's what you always do," said Glynda, already heading out onto the floor of the ring.

The moment she entered, silence fell. Talking ceased, and the students all focused their attention on Beacon's deputy headmistress. Glynda's manner had impressed an immediate respect upon nearly everyone who met her, even the students visiting from other schools, such that they knew better than to act up in her presence.

"Now that I have your attention," she called out in a voice that carried to every corner of the room, "I shall explain what is happening.

"Due to circumstances that need not be elaborated upon here, Ms. Ruby Rose was previously believed to be dead on a mission. In the months since the incident, she has been making her way back to Vale and Beacon, and returned to us only three days ago. On top of that, she has returned with two additional prospectives, who have earned their place among the ranks of our students. They are Mr. Gin Ueno and Mr. Ayumu Ao.

"The purpose of this event is to effectively assess their combat capabilities. All students who have registered have had their names entered into the system for random selection. Prior to that, we shall have an opening for volunteers. However, should I deem that the resulting match does not provide an adequate view of the participants' abilities, I may require another, selected at random.

"Furthermore, an official announcement shall be made concerning Ms. Rose's return to Beacon, once all students have returned from their missions, including about the circumstances of her disappearance and return. In the meantime, you are not to pester her or her teammates and associates about the details. Are there any questions?"

Glynda cast her gaze about the room, almost as though daring the students to actually ask her. However, no one spoke. The silence was such that one could have heard a pin dropping. Satisfied that no one was about to interrupt, Glynda nodded. "Very well. Then let us proceed. Ruby Rose, report to the ring."

"Yes!" shouted Ruby nervously, shooting to her feet and heading down the steps that would lead to the ring, fighting to keep from breaking out into a nervous sweat as she felt everyone's eyes on her. Entering the ring, Ruby stood at the edge, waiting for her opponent to be selected, closing her eyes and allowing her senses to extend outwards in preparation for the fight to come. Once again, she reminded herself that she had no reason to worry. She had trained under Yu Yuen. Compared to him, there wasn't a single person in this room she could find intimidating, not even Glynda Goodwitch herself.

"Now then...are there any volunteers for Ms. Rose's first match?" asked Glynda.

Hands shot up all over the room. In fact, nearly every student in attendance, with the exception of the rest of RUBY, as well as JNAR, had raised their hands. It seemed that nearly everyone was eager to find out how Ruby had changed during her time away...or to use the match as an opportunity to satisfy their curiosity about her.

With this many willing participants, Goodwitch would be hard-pressed to pick one. "I see," she said. "Please lower your hands then. I shall make the selection."

Engaging the randomizer, Glynda watched as the system selected an opponent. "Mr. Raptis...if you would please proceed to the ring."

Everyone watched as the selected student stood up and made his way down the stairs, a cryptic smile on his face.

Ajax Raptis was a second-year student and one of the best Dustweavers in the whole school. At least, that's what Ruby had heard. She'd never gotten the chance to see him fight before. And now she was about to face him down in front of an enormous audience.

He sported a head of short, dark-brown hair, with a slightly longer section in the back that was tied into a tiny tail that didn't reach lower than the middle of his neck. The smooth, tanned skin of his face was decorated by a pencil mustache that formed a thin line over his upper lip, along with a short goatee that hung beneath his chin that made him look slightly older than his actual age.

Beyond that, he was dressed in a rather simple white button-down shirt, tucked into a pair of brown cargo pants, secured by a belt that was festooned with numerous pouches and canisters of varying shapes and sizes. His hands were covered by dark-brown, fingerless gloves.

All of that was hidden beneath a long, varicolored tailcoat that almost looked patchwork in its design, seeming to consist of several strips of differently-colored cloth, all stitched together into a single whole. The sleeves of his left arm were red on the upper side and pale-blue on the underside. His right arm was even more elaborate and garishly colored. Teal, green, and orange ran in vertical strips up to his elbow; where the colors shifted, with vertical strips of dark-blue, yellow, and orange that ran up to his shoulders, which had been formed from patches of deep-brown cloth. Both sleeves ended in dark-purple cuffs. More brown formed the collar and ran down the front flaps of his tailcoat, while the back was pale-green in color. The tail of the tail-coat was separated in two sections, with the outside edge of each section consisting of yellow cloth, while the inside section was red cloth.

The outfit looked garish at first, a riot of poorly-matched colors, stitched together into an asymmetric garment that was ridiculous, and even painful, to look at. Coco Adel, the famous second-year fashionista had proclaimed the coat a "fashion tragedy" upon first seeing it. However, even she had never dared to suggest that Ajax lose it.

"All right," said Goodwitch, stepping out past the edge of the ring and bringing up the safety barrier. "Assume your positions."

Ruby reached behind her, having already materialized Shining Rose at the small of her back before she'd even entered the ring. Now she drew the weapon smoothly, the shaft extending, while the head unfolded, sliding into place. With a low hum, the brilliant blade of bright-red stretched out, curving downwards, while the winglike projection spread out from the backside of the weapon's head.

A chorus of shocked mutters spread throughout the audience as they began to speculate about Ruby's weapon, some simply observing that it was different from the one she'd wielded previously, others pointing out that it appeared to sport technology that shouldn't even exist yet.

Ruby whirled her weapon around her, the blade and wing forming a ring of crimson light that appeared to encircle her, before she came to a stop, resting the weapon with the blade levered back, ready to swing at an instant's notice. In front of her, Ajax set himself into a wide stance, angling the right side of his body towards her, the hand extended ahead of him. It wasn't all that dissimilar to unarmed and close-melee styles that Ruby had seen before, like those of Gin and Yang. Of course, given that Ajax was supposedly a Dustweaver, Ruby knew better than to assume that he'd be a close-range fighter only, if he was that at all.

"Ready..." said Glynda, her eyes narrowing as she focused all her attention on Ruby Rose. _Show me what you are capable of._ "...Begin!"

* * *

"Raptis is a pretty big deal, isn't he?" asked Yang, watching the brightly-garbed second year make his way down into the ring.

"I think so..." said Blake, frowning. "I can't remember hearing all that much about him."

"He's supposedly from a very wealthy family," said Ren.

"That's putting it mildly," said Velvet, sitting down next to the seat Ruby had vacated, making everyone, save Gin and Ayumu, jump with her sudden interjection into the conversation.

"Velvet? What are you doing here?" asked Yang, staring at the new arrival.

"It's not just her," said Coco, leaning past Velvet to smile at the first-years. "After she spotted you guys, she said we should head over here, give you moral support and all that."

"We appreciate that," said Jaune with a smile.

"So you know him?" asked Blake, glancing down at Ajax as he moved to stand across from Ruby in the ring.

"Uh huh, pretty well," said Coco. "He's a spoiled rich-boy, who uses daddy's connections to arm himself."

"Sounds like someone we know," grumbled Nora darkly.

"Coco's just being petulant," said Velvet, shooting a remonstrating look at Coco. "She's bitter that Ajax is higher-ranked than she is."

"He beat her in their last match," added Fox in a quiet voice.

"Shut up," muttered Coco petulantly.

"It is true that he makes considerable use of his family's wealth and resources," said Yatsuhashi, folding his muscular arms and leaning back in his seat. "The Raptis Family are affiliates of the Schnee Dust Company. They are the company's local distributors in Vale."

"Somewhere around seventy-percent of the Dust shops in Vale are either owned or supplied by the Raptis Family," added Velvet. "They manage the shipping and other transport methods that bring Schnee Dust into Vale."

"Huh...I wonder if Weiss knew him." mused Yang idly.

"Hard to say," said Coco. "If he knew Weiss, Ajax didn't say anything about it."

"So he's a Dustweaver then," observed Ayumu, his eyes narrowing slightly as he stared down into the ring. "And he uses his family's connection to obtain the quantities of Dust he needs to use his fighting style."

"Pretty much," said Coco. "But...I guess there's no denying it. He's good."

"There are two main traditional styles of Dust usage," said Velvet, "weaving Dust into clothing or merging it with your body. Ajax is an expert at both."

"So that coat of his isn't just a crime against fashion," muttered Yang.

"Nope," said Coco. "That's his primary weapon, Joseph."

"And all those differently-colored sections of fabric..." said Gin.

"You got it," said Coco. "Those are all separate Dust-types."

"Interesting…" mused Gin. "That must give him a lot of options for combat."

"Yep, you guessed it," said Coco. "I hope your leader is up to the task."

"She'll be fine," said Gin, leaning back.

Yang's eyes narrowed and she shot a sidelong glare at Gin, which he didn't react to.

* * *

The instant Goodwitch's signal echoed through the arena, the two fighters burst into motion. Ajax stepped forward, sweeping his hands in overlapping circles in front of him. Orange light gleamed from the matching strips of red and orange on his sleeves, streaming out to form a complex array, at the center of which an orb of flame gathered, about the size of a basketball. The fireball contracted in on itself, seeming to swallow the array that had created it, before exploding outward in a rain of fiery shrapnel that unleashed a wave of small explosions that completely flooded Ruby's starting position with fire and smoke.

But Ruby was no longer there. She'd vanished from her starting position right before the fireball exploded. She reappeared behind Ajax, her scythe raised. Ajax was already turning to meet her, swinging his right arm up to intercept her blade. The shining blade of the scythe should have cut straight through the fabric, but instead rebounded with a loud clang, as though it had met metal, rather than cloth.

Completing his turn, Ajax put all his strength into the block, forcing Ruby's weapon back. As he turned, he whipped his right hand out, throwing what looked to be a handful of glittering, blueish-white dust into the air between him and Ruby. The dust congealed, gathering together to form over a dozen, needlelike shards of ice that flew right for Ruby's face, her eyes in particular.

Ruby leaned back, letting the shards of ice pass right over her face. At the same time she began to pivot, pulling her scythe back and bringing it back around in conjunction with her spin to strike at Ajax's opposite side. Ajax countered by swinging his left arm around in a wide, circular motion. With a ringing sound, a wall of ice suddenly erupted from the ground between him and Ruby. Stepping back, Ajax's eyes widened as he barely missed being grazed by the blade of Shining Rose as it cleaved through the ice without any sign of being slowed.

Pulling back his arms, Ajax clenched his hands into fists. The pale-green back of his coat glowed, streams of winds swirling up and over his shoulders, climbing down his arms and forming into concentrated whirlwinds around his fists, right as he finished drawing them back. Ajax punched forward with both fists, slamming them against the ice wall, which shattered into countless, razor-edged fragments that blitzed through the space on the other side.

Had Ruby been there, her Aura would have been sorely strained fending off so many cutting edges. As it was, she had once again vanished from sight. Ajax looked back and forth for any sign for her, only to yell out in pain as Ruby slashed down from above, having leapt straight upwards. Her scythe bit deeply into the Aura that protected Ajax's right shoulder. He staggered forward, Ruby landing behind him and already bringing her scythe around for another swing. The blade became a flashing blur as Ajax caught three more hits to his back. The pale-green section of the back flashed again and Ruby was blown back by a powerful whirlwind, which blasted Ajax forward at the same time. The two of them came to a halt on opposite sides of the ring.

Spinning around, Ajax pointed sharply at Ruby, sighting down his finger at her. Ruby was already moving again, and just in time, as the yellow strip of Ajax's right sleeve shined, then a crackling bolt of lightning struck where she'd been standing in a shower of sparks. Ajax fired several more bolts, but Ruby closed the distance between them, dancing back and forth so that each attack streaked past harmlessly. Closing in, she led with a slash of her scythe, aiming right for her opponent's chest, only for the glowing blade to rebound off the brown collar and flaps of his front. Ajax spun around, whipping his leg out in a hooking back kick, streams of fire flowing off the tail of his coat to wrap around his legs, sweeping out in a wave of flame that threatened to engulf Ruby.

Ruby retreated from the flames, falling back about halfway across the ring. Coming back around after his kick, Ajax grinned, bringing up his left hand and holding it out. Another array formed around his wrist as motes of fiery light flowed down from his sleeve to gather in another basketball-sized orb.

In the meantime, the blade of Ruby's scythe extinguished, along with the winglike projection behind the blade. The head folded down so that the section that produced the wing was now oriented towards Ruby's opponent, like the barrel of a rifle. At the same time, the shaft of the weapon collapsed down, the end bending slightly so that it became a stock that Ruby braced against her shoulder to steady her aim.

Ajax's eyes narrowed as he struck, unleashing a large beam of pure flame that lanced out at Ruby with an angry hiss. At the same time, Ruby fired. Her weapon had no actual trigger, but she had created one in her mind, using it to manifest the bullet and propel it out the barrel in a straight line. The bolt of pure Aura discharged with a crack almost identical to that of a regular gun. It struck the incoming beam of fire-Dust energy head-on. The beam exploded outward as Ruby's shot punched straight through it, scattering flames and motes in every direction, before the manifested bullet struck the palm of Ajax's hand, snapping his arm back. His Aura took the force of the blow, but couldn't completely cancel the bullet's inertia. Ajax's arm was flung out backwards and he shouted in pain as, with a loud "pop," his shoulder dislocated, resulting in his arm hanging uselessly at his side.

Ruby paused for a fraction of a second. In official spars, it was up to Professor Goodwitch to call whether or not an injury made a combatant unfit to continue. People had fought with dislocations before, but Professor Goodwitch needed to confirm that they were fit to continue before the match could proceed.

Except that Ajax didn't wait for Goodwitch make her judgment. Grimacing and grunting through the pain, he instead pointed out at Ruby with the index finger of his right hand. This time, instead of a lightning bolt, it was instead a razor-thin stream of pressurized water. Ruby ducked underneath the stream as Ajax swept it over her head like an extra-long blade, etching a line across the safety barrier behind her.

Seeing as Ajax was going to continue fighting, Ruby rushed in again, continuing her movement to the side, and curving her approach to circle around from Ajax's right. She rose up as she approached him, accompanying the motion with a rising sweep of Shining Rose, as the shaft extended and the blade appeared again. Ajax threw himself to the side and down to allow the slash to cut through the air above him harmlessly. The cuff of his left sleeve flared black, edged with purple, and his fall accelerated, pulling him to the ground even faster.

One might have assumed it was an amateurish move to avoid an unexpected strike, one that brought Ajax's weight down on his injured shoulder. However, Ruby could see that it was intentional, as Ajax used his right arm to shift his left so that his weight came down in just the right way to pop the joint back into its socket. His arm fixed again, Ajax triggered the wind-Dust in the back of his jacket, producing a whirlwind underneath him that blew his body upwards, allowing him to return to an upright position. Even then, the wind continued to propel him, sending his body into a spin as he lashed out at Ruby with a roundhouse kick, unleashing a tighter, more concentrated wave of flame.

Bringing Shining Rose down, Ruby cleaved the incoming wave in two, allowing its two halves to fly harmlessly past her body. She rushed in at her opponent, whirling her scythe around her body to bring it back at him in a sideways slash. However, Ajax continued his spin, bringing his other leg around and lashing out with a straight, side-kick. Ruby narrowly sidestepped the attack, along with the heavy bolt of lightning that crackled past, making her skin tingle and her hair stand on end.

Red petals exploded from the wing and Shining Rose accelerated sharply, faster than Ajax could anticipate, Ruby's weapon appearing to be nothing more than a streak of light that flashed past him. Ajax didn't have time to call on his earth-Dust to harden his tailcoat, and was blown backwards, a significant portion of his Aura cleaved away by Ruby's attack. Now, only a thin margin remained before his Aura entered into the critical zone and he was disqualified.

Landing on his back, Ajax allowed his momentum to carry him through a roll that brought him back up onto his feet. Rising up, his hands blurred to the pouches at his belt. He pulled them up, revealing a Dust crystal in each hand, red in his left, yellow in the right. Clenching his hands down on the crystals caused them to shatter as Ajax took their energy into his own fists. The pale-green fabric on the back of his jacket flashed and streams of wind swirled outwards, extending behind him like a pair of wings, propelling him forward.

His sudden acceleration allowed him to close the distance between him and Ruby in barely less than a second. As he closed in, Ajax led with his left fist, the collar of his sleeve flaring as he punched downwards. Ruby leapt back, managing to escape, Ajax's fist slamming down into the ground and unleashing an explosion that shattered the floor, the shockwave buffeting Ruby's body as she fell back.

From there, Ajax leaped upwards, the winds propelling him to greater heights, going into a flip so that he could bring one leg down in a mighty dropkick, the limb wreathed in lightning and flame. Ruby danced to the side as his attack descended through the space her head would have occupied a second earlier, again shattering the ring and unleashing a powerful explosion.

From there, Ajax's assault only grew more and more intense. Drawing an earth crystal from his pouches, he wreathed it in flame, then lobbed the whole thing like a grenade, the crystal forming into a flaming stone, that exploded when it struck the ground, throwing tiny, flaming fragments throughout the ring. He released a wave of ice-Dust into the air over his head, causing it to swirl around as though forming a miniature storm, which then rained spears of ice all across the space. Lightning bolts crackled across the air and ground. Water and wind sprayed and cut. Dust was sometimes known as Nature's Wrath. For the moment, Ajax made it live up to its name, filling the entire arena with a maelstrom of elemental energy that seemed to leave no inch of the space untouched.

* * *

"Ruby!" gasped Yang, surging to her feet.

"Geez! This is going overboard," observed Coco.

"It's too far!" declared Velvet, horrified. "Is he trying to _kill_ her?"

"Maybe," said Gin, the easygoing calm in his voice earning a burning glare from Yang. "But if he really is, that only makes it easier. _Sakki_ , murderous intent, bloodlust; the more you chuck it around, the easier you are to read. If he really does mean her harm, then Ruby will be able to read him like a book."

"And she's doing quite well, so far," said Ayumu.

"They're right! Look!" gasped Blake, pointing at the screens that showed the combatants' Aura-levels.

Ajax's level was hovering just above the point where he'd be disqualified. However, Ruby still had over three-quarters of her Aura. Every once in a while, the meter would flicker, dropping a sliver, but that was it. For all the sheer elemental ferocity that Ajax was bringing to bear in that ring, it was barely even touching Ruby.

"I wonder, is he one of the people that Ruby mentioned?" asked Gin. "One of the people that has it out for her because she entered two years early?"

"I...I don't know," admitted Velvet. "We don't spend a lot of time with Team Charcoal. I couldn't tell you what Ajax's feelings are on the matter."

"That attitude is mostly among first-years anyway," added Coco with a frown. "Most second-years don't have enough dealings with the situation to really bother having an opinion over it, and the third and fourth-years are just plain too busy."

"Well, he does strike me as the kind of person who just doesn't take it well when things don't go his way," mused Ayumu, staring down into the ring. "There's a certain degree of desperation in his attacks now. He's trying to bring Ruby down through sheer volume of attacks, trying to leave absolutely no space she can escape to. He's only having success that could be called marginal, if one is trying to be generous."

"What do you mean?" asked Jaune.

"For one person, through those means, it's impossible to completely fill an area, even one as constrained as that arena, with destructive energy," explained Ayumu. "All he can do is throw out close and long-range attacks as rapidly and in as many ways as he can in order to maximize the chances of a lucky blow. It helps that the spectacle of his attacks can serve to blind the senses. Flashes of light from fire and lightning disrupt sight, explosions and thunderclaps disrupt hearing, smoke stifles scent and taste..."

"But Ruby has the _Shingan_ now," said Gin, folding his arms. "Even if one or more senses are hampered, the others pick up the slack. She feels the flow of the explosions, moves from one area of safety to the next. She reads her opponent's intent to realize where he'll attack next, while her other senses tell her what that attack is."

"She has numerous options to bring this to an end now," said Ayumu. "The simplest would be to simply sit back and wait for her opponent to self-destruct."

"Self-destruct?" asked Nora. "Ajax is going to blow himself up?"

"No," said Ren, leaning forward. "He's going to run out of Dust, sooner or later. No matter how much he's carrying, no matter how much is woven into that coat, no matter what tricks he uses to stretch his supply, if he keeps throwing it around like this, he's bound to run out."

"Exactly," said Gin with a smirk. "But...knowing Ruby..."

From within the maelstrom, there was a flash of crimson light that seemed to cut through the entire storm of elemental energy. It dissipated in a flash, revealing a battered and smoking ring, the once-smooth surface now crushed into a mess of jagged rubble. Ruby stood behind Ajax, facing away from him, her scythe held out to her right, the blade angled back, indicating the blindingly-fast strike she'd just executed with it. In that same second, the buzzer sounded, indicating the end of the match.

* * *

Ajax stumbled, then dropped to his knees. Falling forward, he caught himself by bracing his hands against the broken floor, sweat streaming down his face.

"Well done, Ms. Rose," said Glynda, striding past the lowered safety barrier. "Your performance is exceptional. It is impressive to see how much you have grown these past few months."

"Thank you, Professor," sad Ruby modestly, her cheeks going red as she once again became conscious of the countless eyes on her.

She could hear faint mutters from the audience, some sounding approving, others not so much. However, the sound of applause also began to filter down, particularly when Yang and Nora leaped to their feet, whooping and cheering excitedly. Before long, the applause drowned out the mutterings. Ruby looked around, surprised at how many people appeared to have liked what they had seen. Smiling, she bowed, the movement throwing her hood up over her head to better hide her burning cheeks.

"You may return to your seat," said Glynda.

"All right," said Ruby, folding and stowing her scythe away, but not dematerializing it yet. She holstered it at the small of her back and returned up the stairs, heading to where her team and her friends were waiting.

"Mr. Raptis," said Glynda, turning her attention to Ajax, who was still struggling to stand. "You're quite fortunate that Ms. Rose brought matters to an end when she did. I'm sure that this fight has already proved costly in terms of your Dust. In the future, you should remember that simply trying to overwhelm an enemy with sheer volume of attacks will rarely end well for you."

"Y-yes, Ma'am," said Raptis, finally managing to struggle into an upright position.

"Also," said Goodwitch, her tone growing more severe, "next time you take an injury like you did, you are to _wait_ until _I_ give the word to continue the match. The next time you allow yourself to get carried away like that, you will be disqualified on the spot and then suspended. _Am I clear?_ "

"Crystal," grunted Ajax, not looking her in the eye as he limped towards the stairs in Ruby's wake.

Goodwitch sighed and shook her head slowly. Drawing her riding crop, she utilized her Semblance to begin repairing the surface of the ring.

* * *

"That was awesome!" cheered Yang, hugging Ruby tightly as she returned to her team.

"You were just the coolest!" declared Nora with equal enthusiasm, wrapping both Yang and Ruby in her arms.

"That was well fought," added Ren, his voice barely audible above the general din.

"Great job, Ruby," said Jaune, grinning at her.

"We're all very impressed," said Blake, a wider-than-usual smile on her face.

Ruby finally managed to struggle free of the combined Yang-and-Nora hug, only to find herself wrapped up in another, albeit gentler hug. "That was amazing!" exclaimed Velvet.

"Thanks," said Ruby, gladly returning Velvet's hug.

"Good job there, kid," said Coco, lowering her shades to smile approvingly at Ruby. "I especially liked how you served Raptis a slice of humble pie."

"I would be interested in a match myself, in the future," commented Yatsuhashi, bowing his head towards Ruby.

"I'd love to," said Ruby, bowing her head back.

Velvet let go of Ruby, who settled into the seat between Yang and Gin. Gin was a bit too shy to try something as openly affectionate as kissing her in such a public venue, but he did reach over and rest his hand atop hers, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Good job," he said.

"You certainly made us proud," added Ayumu.

"Thank you," said Ruby, her cheeks burning a little brighter.

They chattered a little while longer as the conversation of countless throats roared around them. Everyone in the room was talking about what they had just seen. The air was filled with an atmosphere of excitement.

Finally, after a few more minutes, Goodwitch finished repairing the ring. Striding out to its center, she slapped her riding crop loudly against the palm of her opposite hand, the sound, somehow amplified, cut conversation off immediately, dropping the room into a silence that was almost deafening.

"Thank you," said Goodwitch, now that order had been restored. "Mr. Ueno, please make your way to the ring now."

"Break a leg," said Ruby, as Gin stood up and headed down the stairs.

Reaching the center of the ring, Gin straightened up and looked around. He could easily feel the curiosity with which most people regarded him, wondering what he'd done to earn his way into the Academy, so late in the year.

"Now then, are there any volunteers to fight Mr. Ueno?" asked Goodwitch, already preparing the randomizer.

"YES!"

Goodwitch's eyes were immediately drawn up to the stands, where Yang Xiao Long had shot to her feet, her hand raised up, her eyes glaring down into the ring, at Gin in particular. Gin, for his part, barely even seemed to register her anger, his posture relaxed as he met her eyes unflinchingly. The suddenness and volume of Yang's outburst had silenced and discouraged anyone else who fancied a bout with the boy, something that Yang had probably been counting on.

Goodwitch also looked at Yang, her gaze scrutinizing, her mouth in a tight frown. She didn't like the look in Yang's eyes, which promised trouble. At the same time, she could see the stubbornness in that gaze. Yang would not be backing down unless Goodwitch put her foot down, which would probably only lead to greater problems later on down the road.

 _It's just as well, I suppose,_ thought Glynda with a sigh. Prior to Ruby's return, Yang had been second in the combat rankings, ranking just below Pyrrha Nikos. Now that Pyrrha had been expelled, Yang was technically the top-ranked fighter of her year, though it remained to be seen what Ruby and the new arrivals could bring to the table. Yang's fighting prowess was also a good bit beyond the level of the average second-year as well, so she would be able to provide a good assessment of Gin's ability.

"Very well, Ms. Xiao Long," said Glynda. "Come down to the ring."

As Yang made her way down, Glynda glanced at Gin. "Mr. Ueno, you don't seem to have your weapon with you. Do you need to retrieve it?"

"Nope," replied Gin, spreading his arms out to his sides. "My weapons are right here."

Silver scales spread like rashes across the skin of his forearms, their edges overlapping and interlocking to the degree that the arms might as well have been gauntlets, while curving claws extended from the tips of his fingers.

Goodwitch's eyes widened in surprise. _A dragon-faunus! I've never seen one before!_

Yang, who'd been striding confidently forward, halted partway across the ring, her eyes fixating on Gin's arms. _What the-?_

* * *

Having spent so long on the road with Gin, and seen him use his scales and claws countless times, Ruby had become accustomed to them. More to the point, she'd almost forgotten what Gin had told her, the day he'd explained the nature of his faunus-type to her.

Two sets of lungs inhaled, the sound of a sharp intake of breath echoing out from either side of Ruby. Looking one way, Ruby saw Blake, her entire body tense and rigid, her bow stretching slightly as the cat ears hidden beneath it stood on alert. Had she been an actual cat, Ruby had no doubt that her back would be arched and she'd be hissing up a storm. As it was, Blake's eyes were wide, her pupils contracted considerably. Her hands curled down, the nails digging into the arms of her seat.

Looking the other way, Ruby saw that Velvet looked like she was about to faint. Her ears had nearly doubled over and she cringed back away from the ring with clear fear, her entire body trembling.

"Geez! What the heck's wrong, Vel?" asked Coco, looking at her teammate in confusion.

"Ruby!" Blake's voice, taut with tension, drew Ruby's attention back to her own teammate. "Your boyfriend is a dragon-faunus!"

"That's right," said Ruby, now remembering what Gin had told her about how most faunus viewed dragon-faunus.

"Wait! Dragon-faunus?" asked a confused Nora. "Does that mean dragons are real?"

Ruby couldn't help but giggle, remembering how Gin had responded to that question. "Gin has no idea," she said.

"R-Ruby...this is..." Blake was almost a loss for words. "...Do you have any idea how dangerous he is?"

"Yep," said Ruby. "He's plenty dangerous all right."

"I don't get it," said Jaune. "What are you so worried about, Blake?"

Blake shook her head vigorously. "You wouldn't understand," she said. "Dragon-faunus are...they're different...wild...like beasts."

"Blake Belladonna!" snapped Ruby, glaring at her teammate with all the ferocity her Silver Eyes could muster, which was considerable, after the things she'd been through.

Blake snapped to attention in a fraction of a second.

"Don't you _ever_ talk about Gin like that," said Ruby with impressive ferocity. "He's done more for me than you could possibly imagine and I know for a fact that he's not some kind of beast."

"B-but Ruby..." protested Blake weakly.

"I thought you cared about faunus equality," said Ruby.

"Yes, but-"

"So...I guess this means that some faunus are more equal than others," said Ruby, her voice cold.

"Th-that's not it..." said Blake. "You don't understand. Dragon-faunus really are different."

"Yeah, they are," said Ruby. "Gin told me as much. But that doesn't change the fact that Gin is Gin, and he'd _never_ hurt me."

"Ruby...I..." Blake didn't know what to say.

Ruby turned her head to look at how Velvet was handling things. Coco was doing her best to keep Velvet from passing out from fear. Velvet's behavior definitely resembled that of an actual rabbit's now, her entire body trembling as she shied away from the ring. Reaching out, Ruby gently rested her hand on top of Velvet's, drawing the shy girl's attention.

"Velvet," she said gently.

Velvet looked at her in confusion.

"It's okay," she said. "Gin's a good person."

Ruby's words appeared to relax Velvet a little and her trembling eased. She relaxed into her seat, turning her gaze down to the ring, her forehead beading with sweat, in spite of her change in posture. "My parents...they used to tell me stories about dragon-faunus. I'd always thought they were some kind of fairy tale...bogeymen or something."

"Isn't there historical precedent though?" asked Yatsuhashi. "I thought a dragon-faunus fought during the Revolution."

"Yes," said Velvet, swallowing. "Ignis: the Savage. It was her own allies who called her that. It's said that she never fought a single battle."

"Uh...that's not the kinda rep I expected a girl with that kind of title to have," mused Coco.

"It's said she never fought in a single battle..." repeated Velvet, her voice trembling, "...because any fight she participated in became a massacre instead."

"Oh..." said Coco, her shades dropping low to reveal her wide-eyed surprise. "Wasn't expecting that..."

"Gin didn't give me that much detail," said Ruby, looking down into the ring. "Although, he might not know too much himself."

"I helped Gin look up other dragon-faunus," said Ayumu. "However, outside of Menagerie, detailed history regarding the faunus side of the Revolution is...sparse."

"Does that mean he's strong?" asked Jaune.

"Very," said Ayumu. "However overblown the monstrousness of their reputation may be, the one undeniable truth about dragon-faunus is that they are born fighters. And Gin has had his natural fighting instincts and abilities thoroughly and carefully honed for years under Master Yu's tutelage."

Down below, Goodwitch was confirming the readiness of both combatants. Ruby decided to table the discussion regarding Gin's faunus-type for the time being, instead focusing all her attention on the ring below.

* * *

 **Ajax Raptis: Ajax is Greek for Earth or Land, which evokes the color brown. Raptis means tailor in Greek, to match up with Ajax's primary choice of weapon. Ajax was inspired by the _World of Remnant_ episode, _Dust_ , with Salem explaining how Dust can be woven into clothing and merged with the body. We saw some of the former with Cinder, back before she became the full Fall Maiden. We didn't really get an example of the latter until Volume 5, with Hazel. So Ajax is basically a walking artillery piece. Ajax isn't a really major character. However, he's not a throwaway character either, so keep an eye out for him in the future.**

 **Joseph: The name is obviously a reference to the Joseph from the Book of Genesis, in the Bible, and the coat of many colors his father gifted with him. It's basically a bunch of different Dust types stitched together into sections of cloth, making the whole thing an assault on the eyes. Maybe that's intentional... Joseph's left sleeve only sports two Dust types, while the right features several more, with the left being designed more for power, while the right, his dominant side, is designed to make more use of finesse with different Dust types.**


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44:**

"Take your positions," instructed Goodwitch, watching both combatants warily.

Both assumed fairly classic unarmed stances. Yang's gauntlets unfolded out to cover her forearms and fists as she stepped forward, holding her right fist out ahead of her. Gin mirrored her stance almost perfectly, but with his hands open and facing outwards, so that the claws were pointed towards her. His expression was calm and focused, a stark contrast to Yang's mask of simmering anger.

Goodwitch stepped outside the ring and brought up the safety barrier. "Ready..." she intoned.

Yang tensed, gritting her teeth, getting ready to go on the attack.

"Begin!"

Yang shifted her weight forward, preparing to charge, even as she brought her arms around in preparation to punch behind her, planning on using the recoil of Ember Celica's discharge to propel herself forward. However, before she could complete the motion, Gin was already in front of her. _How?_

Realizing how close her opponent was, Yang hesitated, beginning to lean back. Her surprise was replaced by confusion as Gin's image rippled, and he suddenly burst forth from his own body, the image of him that had appeared in front of Yang dissolving into mist. Gin had used his technique to alter Yang's perception of the distance between them, making it seem as though he'd closed in faster than she'd expected. The resulting hesitation had given him the time he needed to _actually_ close the distance between them.

Now Gin lunged forward, leading with his right hand, sweeping out with his claws, their curved edges leaving trails of silver in their wake. Her eyes wide and expression frantic, Yang threw up her left arm to block, flinching at the ring as Gin's attack glanced off the metal of her gauntlet. Following through, Gin drove forward even more, striking, not with his limbs, but his shoulder. Desperate to defend, Yang brought her left arm around, stopping Gin's shoulder with her gauntlet, finding her body rocked back by the tremendous force the strike contained as Gin channeled the strength of his whole body into it. The force was enough to lift Yang up off her feet.

She was caught completely off-guard when Gin stepped forward, striking straight ahead with his left hand at her unguarded abdomen. Yang felt Gin's claws sink into her Aura, making her cry out in pain, even as the force behind the blow slammed into her body like a hammer, throwing her back across the ring. Yang's back struck the safety barrier with a crackle of discharging energy. Dropping back down onto her feet, Yang snapped her head up to glare at Gin. However, he seemed unperturbed, as he once again began to close the distance between them.

With an angry yell, Yang pushed herself away from the barrier, punching behind her and discharging her gauntlets. The recoil accelerated her forward. Furthermore, the bolts struck the barrier and exploded, producing a shockwave that scorched her back, but also accelerated her even more than normal. Yang flew at Gin like a cannonball. However, Gin remained calm, matching her approach, even if he couldn't match her speed.

Right as they were about to meet, Yang kicked down with her feet to push off the floor, bringing her body up into a horizontal position while she spun around, allowing her to bring her right leg down at Gin's head in an axe kick. Not even seeming to notice the change in his opponent's position, Gin made no move to block or dodge as Yang's heel struck the top of his head...and passed right through it.

Gin's head burst like a balloon, scattering a cloud of silvery mist, even as the rest of his image rippled around to the side of Yang, flanking her as she came back down. He whipped his right arm back across his body, raking his claws across Yang's back, making her yell in pain as she stumbled forward. Not willing to let Gin have unimpeded access to her back, Yang punched forward with her right arm, firing her weapon, using the recoil to spin around, lashing out with a back-kick aimed at Gin's head.

Gin ducked beneath the path of Yang's kick. Rising up, he moved to counterattack, but was stymied as Yang continued her spin, bringing her right arm around in a backfist that threatened to smash into his skull. Her gauntlet connected, but again, Gin's head was shredded into mist as his actual head leaned back clear of her attack.

 _I've got you this time,_ thought Yang vindictively, as she continued her turn so that she punched straight out with her left fist at Gin's chest, firing Ember Celica as she did. Her fist connected with something hard, and the round her gauntlet fired exploded, pushing Gin back away from her. Examining him through the smoke, Yang saw a flash of silver and frowned, as she realized that Gin had blocked her attack with his forearm, his scales apparently proving more durable than she could have imagined.

Gin skipped backwards, even as Yang tried to close with him again. Growling, she punched out, firing a bolt at him. Gin swept the arm he'd blocked with across his body, batting the shot away like a ball. A second later, his retreat took him to the edge of the ring, leaving his back just an inch away from the safety barrier, leaving with no hope of escape to the rear.

 _This time for sure,_ thought Yang as she charged forward. With a yell of rage, she punched, only for her yell to wind up cut off by a pained yelp as her knuckles appeared to punch right through Gin's chest, making his image ripple and distort, to slam into the barrier behind him, the construct crackling as her fist impacted. The pain of hitting such an unyielding surface was bad enough, but she also discharged Ember Celica in conjunction with her punch, prompting the barrier to rebound the explosive force right back against her fist, making her hand and arm burn.

Then Gin planted his hand on the top of Yang's gauntlet, having jumped above the level of her punch, using it as a pivot as he kicked off the barrier behind him to reorient his body, so that he could slam both his feet into Yang's face, sending her flying backwards. Yang landed on her back, the breath exploding from her lungs as her body was sent skidding across the surface of the sparring ring. Sliding to a stop, Yang spotted Gin, who had used his kick to bounce his body back towards the barrier again, flipping around in the process so that he could kick off it again, with both feet this time, and launch himself straight at her.

Yang bucked her hips to roll backwards, allowing her to bring herself up on her hands. Pushing off the floor, she followed through with shots from both her gauntlets, allowing her to launch herself away in a back-handspring that carried her out of the way, as Gin's clawed hand slammed into the floor where she'd been lying, shattering it with incredible force.

Yang's recoil-aided handspring allowed her to rise up in the air. As she did, she pumped her arms, launching a barrage of fiery bolts at Gin, who either sidestepped or swatted them aside as he pursued her.

* * *

"I've never seen Yang pressed like this," said Blake, her eyes wide as she stared at the conflict taking place down below.

"He's not giving her a chance to change the momentum of the fight," observed Ren carefully. "Yang's greatest strength is her powerful offensive strikes. But Gin doesn't give her a single chance to land a blow."

Jaune chewed his lip as he watched Yang try desperately to gain some kind of advantage. _If she could land just one good hit, it might be enough for her to start pressing the attack._

"He fights...differently from how I expected," observed Velvet quietly.

"Yeah, from what you were saying, I figured his style would be more...animalistic," said Coco, frowning.

"Animalistic...that's actually a fairly good way to describe it," mused Ayumu cheerfully.

"Huh?" said nearly everyone, turning to look at Ayumu in confusion.

"People use that word, animalistic, to describe a fighter, in order to imply that a person's fighting style is wild and uncoordinated. But, if you've spent time with _actual_ animals, you realize that it's a misapplication of the term.

"Animals, especially predators, are masters of refined techniques that they use to capture prey with minimal risk of injury to themselves. A style that is refined, relentless, and precise is a style that could definitely be called animalistic. That's actually a fairly apt descriptor of Gin's style."

"When you put it like that, yeah," agreed Ruby, watching the fight with renewed appreciation as Yang continued to desperately try to shift the fight's momentum.

"So...he's trying to bring Yang down without giving her a real chance to fight back," said Nora.

"That's it," said Ayumu cheerfully.

"You know...it looks different...but the way he fights...is a lot like Pyrrha," said Nora, her eyes following the battle intently. Her words drew surprised gasps from everyone in the vicinity.

Jaune stared at Nora, blinking in surprise, forgetting that, for all her cheerful, bubbly, often flighty manner, she was capable of surprisingly deep insights from time to time.

"So...this is what a dragon-faunus is capable of," said Blake.

"No," said Ayumu simply. "This is what Gin is capable of. He is a dragon-faunus, yes. But he would not be _near_ as dangerous had his abilities not been so thoroughly refined by Master Yu."

Blake frowned, returning her focus to the ring.

* * *

Yang gasped for breath, sweating profusely as she fought to fend off Gin's attacks. Whenever she tried to get off an attack of her own and turn the tables on him, Gin would seem to slip effortlessly around it to continue hammering and cutting away at her. She could feel his claws steadily cutting away chunks of her Aura with every hit. She wasn't certain how much she had left, but Yang knew better than to try to check her scroll or the screen above the ring, which would display her Aura level. Just from the way the battle was going, Yang knew that the instant she took her attention off Gin, even if only for a fraction of a second, she might as well hand him the match on a silver platter.

 _Dammit! I need to do something! I need to turn this around!_ thought Yang desperately, gritting her teeth as she narrowly deflected flashing claws, which sparked off the metal of her gauntlets. _If I could just get one good hit in..._

If there was one good thing about the way that the fight was going so far, it was the fact that Gin's attacks were feeding plenty of energy into her Semblance. What was more, her growing frustration and anger were adding to her Semblance's potency. Once unleashed, she was likely to be almost unstoppable.

Of course, that was assuming Yang got the chance to unleash her Semblance. Right now, the way he was pressing her, there was every chance that Gin would knock Yang's Aura down into the critical zone before she had a chance to utilize the power she'd built up. If she wanted to turn things around, she needed to be able to go on the attack.

 _But I can't get a fix on where he is,_ she thought frustratedly. _Every time I think I've got him, it turns out to be that weird mist Semblance of his throwing off my aim. How can I figure out where he is long enough to get a punch off...?_

Then it hit her. _Oh...Why didn't I think of that before?_ She didn't like the idea too much. It would hurt a lot, for one thing. For another, without precise knowledge of how much Aura she had remaining, there was every chance that this gambit would end up knocking her out of the fight. But she had to take that risk. Right now, it was her only chance at turning this around and winning.

 _More than that...I need to teach this guy not to mess with my sister,_ thought Yang.

Fending off another slash of Gin's claws, Yang skidded to a stop and watched as Gin closed in to attack once more. This time, she made no attempt to attack as he approached. His arms rippled, seeming to bend unnaturally, reaching up towards her face, before shrinking back into themselves, his actual hands and arms emerging from the images with sprays of mist. Yang raised her arms, but made no attempt to stop Gin's claws as they slashed at her abdomen, striking it from either side.

Biting back a scream, Yang fought through the burning pain that Gin's claws left in their wake, instead bringing her arms back down, trying to capture Gin's before he could withdraw them. This close, with his claws in direct contact with her body, she could use that pain to trace their location perfectly. At the same time, her ears strained for the sound of the buzzer, as she hoped desperately that she still had enough Aura left to continue the fight.

Gin's eyes widened fractionally as he realized what she was doing. He attempted to pull back. He almost made it. His left arm he managed to snatch away. However, before he could withdraw his right, Yang's hand clamped around the cool scales of his wrist. _Gotcha!_

To his credit, Gin didn't struggle in a desperate effort to get away. Instead, he reversed course, driving his free hand in at Yang, trying to finish her off before she could take advantage of having trapped him.

But Yang wasn't about to allow this opportunity to go to waste. She roared, her voice alone making the entire arena vibrate. At the same time, the colors of her skin and hair lightened in tone, a nimbus of golden light radiating off her body, shedding bright motes and sparks as she put all her strength into the punch she threw with her right hand. Gin, seeing it coming, abandoned attacking her, and instead raised his arm to block. Yang's fist struck the scales of his forearm with thunderous force. She hit so hard that the impact launched Gin backwards, tearing his trapped arm out of her grip.

Not hesitating, Yang dived after him, rushing through a ring of scattering mist, not even noticing it. The force of her attack had blown away Gin's mist, preventing him from gathering enough together to properly refract his image and distort her perception of him. Because of that, Yang homed in on Gin's position effortlessly, leading with a punch from her left hand.

Gin raised his arm, blocking that one as well. However, even if he prevented Yang from doing any damage, his lower mass meant that the raw power behind Yang's strike pushed him back even farther, also keeping him from finding the balance and energy to counterattack. As such, the only thing he could do as Yang followed through with her right was block again.

Now that she had her chance, Yang wasn't about to let it pass. She drove forward relentlessly, unleashing a rapid series of powerful blows in a seemingly endless right-left combination, a technique her father had called a "Rolling Combo," which utilized a rhythmic sequence of blows, combined with the weaving of her body and her footwork to throw her whole weight behind each punch. She used the force of her blows to drive Gin back until she pinned him against the safety barrier. From there, Yang began punching even harder, trying to drive her blows through Gin's guard, and into his body. As she pounded away, her gauntlets discharged explosively in conjunction with each punch, her Semblance enhancing the power of the Dust bolts and increasing the yield of the resulting explosions.

Pressing on, the light shining off Yang's body intensified, her hair reaching the point that it almost seemed to be a construct of living flame, rather than hair. Her eyes shifted from their normal lilac color to red. Gin's body was completely eclipsed by the explosions as Yang struck him again and again, completely unloading both her weapon's clips into her opponent.

* * *

"Oh my..." said Ayumu as Yang's Semblance kicked in, and she began to pound Gin relentlessly.

"Yang," whispered Blake, unsure of how to feel at this point. She'd been afraid that this would happen, figuring that Yang was using the combat assessment as a chance to try and drive Gin away from Ruby. Seeing Yang's barely restrained anger before, Blake was certain that Yang would end up using her Semblance to try and pound Ruby's boyfriend to a pulp. She'd been dreading this since before the fight had begun.

Of course, that had been before she'd learned that Ruby's boyfriend was a dragon-faunus. Blake hadn't heard many stories about dragon-faunus, seeing as they were so rare. What she _had_ heard was a great deal of speculation, and that they were something to be feared. Seeing as faunus were themselves maligned and feared because of the traits that set them apart, Blake had thought that the dragon-faunus must have truly been monstrous for other faunus to regard them with such trepidation. She'd read about Ignis: the Savage, who'd supposedly dominated entire battlefields on her own, leaving the ground carpeted in corpses. She'd read about Aurelius: the Terror of Mantle, who'd required an entire battalion of soldiers to bring him down. The dragon-faunus recorded by history were few, but they were all remembered as monsters, responsible for horrendous slaughter.

Given what she'd read, and how rare dragon-faunus seemed to be, Blake had come to think of them as not faunus at all, but some kind of aberration that emerged from faunus bloodlines periodically, a kind of mutant...a monster. But now she'd seen one with her own eyes, met him, talked with him, not even realizing what he really was. She'd never imagined that a dragon-faunus could seem so...normal...most of the time. She'd seen the tenderness that Gin treated Ruby with, the genuine affection and care that he held for her. But that became almost impossible to reconcile with everything she'd heard and believed about dragon-faunus.

During the fight itself, Gin's style showed none of the savagery that she'd have expected from a dragon-faunus. Instead, his movements were smooth, flowing, and precise, speaking of technique borne of intensive training, and refined through intense discipline of the body and mind. On top of that, watching Yang's Semblance kick in, and seeing her go on the offensive to relentlessly pound into a seemingly helpless Gin, made her seem more like the savage than Blake had expected Gin to be.

So now she wasn't sure what outcome to hope for in this battle.

* * *

A click signaled that Ember Celica had run out of shots. Yang fell back, gasping for breath, the light of her Semblance fading away, its power spent. Her entire body rose up and down as she fought to remain standing and steady. She'd put everything she had into that barrage of punches. The barrels of her weapons issued a steady stream of smoke, the barrels themselves glowing almost white-hot. Ember Celica was going to be in need of a serious maintenance check, once this was over, that much was for sure.

However, that was the furthest thing from Yang's mind. In the haze of her berserker rage, she'd gotten so carried away that she hadn't been able to tell if her blows had actually managed to power through Gin's defenses. At one point, all she'd been able to feel was the shockwaves of her own explosions, unable to tell if her punches were still hitting scales, or connecting with softer flesh.

As her eyes returned to their normal color, Yang became conscious of two things. First, she hadn't heard the buzzer, which would have been understandable, given the thunderous cacophony of her attacks. However, had that been the case, Goodwitch would have definitely stepped in to stop her. The fact that she hadn't was the second thing Yang realized. That meant that the match was still on, and Gin was still in the fight.

"And I thought I had anger issues," Gin's voice called out from with in the cloud of smoke.

Yang was unable to stop her gasp of surprise, as the smoke slowly cleared to reveal Gin, still standing strong. His arms were raised, his left up and guarding his head and face, while his right was down low, guarding his midsection, smoke still streaming off both of them. Eventually, that too cleared, revealing that his scales were undamaged, not even showing so much as a blemish from the number of hits they'd withstood. The only signs of what he'd been through were a few black smudges on the sleeves of his shirt, over his upper arms. He gazed steadily out at Yang. Unlike Yang, who was practically gasping for air at this point, Gin only seemed slightly winded, the flaring of his nostrils being the only indicator that he was breathing harder than usual.

 _He took all that..._ thought Yang, horrified to see her Semblance made so completely ineffective.

Unable to restrain her curiosity any longer, Yang looked up at the screen that displayed the combatants' Aura levels. As she'd expected, hers was hovering just at the edge of the critical zone, practically a single hit away from being disqualified. The sight of Gin's Aura level made her jaw drop when she saw it. Gin hadn't even lost a quarter of his Aura after all that.

"Where are you looking?"

Gin's voice was practically right in her ear. Yang turned her gaze back towards him, just in time to see his hand as it clamped down over her face. In the time she'd taken to check their Auras, Gin had closed the distance between them. Yang's cries were muffled by the scales of Gin's palm as he put his weight behind the lunge, knocking the already-tired Yang off her feet. Having expended her Semblance, Yang was in no shape to continue fighting. Had she been in a more sensible frame of mind, she would have considered conceding the match. However, there was no longer any time to think about that now.

Instead, all she could do was flail helplessly as Gin used his hand to drive the back of her head down into the floor of the ring with enough force to shatter the smooth surface of the arena. Through the pain of impact, Yang felt her Aura break, and heard the buzzer announce her defeat. However, she didn't have the presence of mind to even realize that, darkness claiming her utterly.

* * *

Gin stood up, releasing Yang's face as the buzzer echoed through the arena. His claws retracted and his scales seemed to shrink down into his skin, vanishing from sight. Taking a deep breath, he held it for a moment before letting it out, breathing out a cloud of mist in the process. Kneeling down again, he began to inspect Yang's head for any signs of injury, as Goodwitch brought down the safety barrier and entered the arena as well.

"Very well done, Mr. Ueno," said Goodwitch, her tone slightly shaky. She'd been reluctant to allow the two boys who'd accompanied Ruby to Vale into Beacon, despite hearing of their accomplishment in Mountain Glenn, much less allow another student who was just as young as Ruby into the Academy. However, as usual, she found herself bending before the mysterious whims of Beacon's Headmaster, assured that there must have been some reasoning behind such an unconventional decision.

Seeing Gin fight had made Ozpin's reasoning quite clear. What was more, she realized that this fight hadn't allowed her to fully see the depth of Gin Ueno's strength. While she hadn't gotten the impression that the boy had been holding back against Yang, she also realized that he wasn't fully exerting himself to defeat her either. The fact that he'd managed to wait out Yang's Semblance with the defensive strength of his scales alone was also unbelievably impressive, as was the degree of control and discipline he exhibited throughout the battle.

What Goodwitch had seen had been enough for now. As she approached, she issued a signal from her scroll, summoning medical personnel to take Yang to Beacon's infirmary, so that she could be checked for injury after the devastating finishing blow she had just suffered. Kneeling by Yang, Glynda could see no immediate signs of injury. It appeared that Gin had used just enough force to break her Aura, and no more, another sign of impressive control on his part.

"Mr. Ueno, you may return to your seat," she said, looking across Yang's unmoving form at him. "We will see to Ms. Xiao Long's condition."

"All right," said Gin, standing back up and heading towards the stairs.

Meanwhile, a pair of white-clad medics emerged from the ground-level door, along with a stretcher, which they loaded Yang on. Standing up, they carried her away while Goodwitch set about repairing the floor once again.

* * *

Gin made his way up the stairs to the spectator seating, not seeming to notice the other students shying away from him as he passed. Instead, he looked up at Ruby as he approached their row, their eyes meeting. He nodded slightly at her, making Ruby smile and nod back as she stood up.

"I'm going to see Yang," Ruby declared.

"I'll come too," said Jaune, getting up as well.

The two of them edged past Gin as he made his way back to his seat. Though he didn't look at them, he could tell that both Blake and Velvet were leaning back away from him, almost as though they were afraid that the slightest physical contact with him would be fatal in some fashion. He ignored their reactions as he settled into his seat, wincing and letting out a soft groan as he did.

"So you _didn't_ come out of that completely unscathed," said Ayumu cheerily.

"Of course I didn't," replied Gin, squirming a little in his seat. "She pressed me right up against that barrier while she pounded me. My back is sore."

"Understandable," said Ayumu with a chuckle. "I imagine that your arms feel like lead too."

"Got that right," muttered Gin, letting the limbs in question lie limply on the arms of his chair. He closed his eyes and breathed out, through his nose, exhaling twin streamers of mist in the process. Feeling eyes on him, he opened his eyes again and glanced towards the source of the feeling, seeing Ren staring at him speculatively. It took him a second to come up with a query that didn't come off as overly terse. "Question?"

Ren nodded hesitantly. "Given how strong your scales seem to be, I'm surprised you took any damage at all."

Gin smirked, then shifted, wincing as he back protested the movement. "Ask your leader sometime. Even if his shield can tank any attack, do you think his arm doesn't get sore if he blocks too many, or one that's harder than usual?"

Ren shook his head.

"My scales aren't any different," said Gin. "They're practically indestructible, but it's up to my arms to keep them between me and my opponent's strikes. Yang hits harder than that Huntsman with the mace...what was his name again?"

"Bruno," supplied Ayumu helpfully.

"Right. Him." said Gin continued. "In fact, the only person I've ever met who hits harder than her is our Master...but he hits harder than everyone. It took all my strength to keep her from breaking through my guard. Even then, my strength can't do anything about my body's weight and leverage, so I wound up being pushed back up against the barrier. So, even though I was blocking her punches, the force of her hits kept smacking my back against the barrier so that, in a sense, she was using the barrier to hit me." He sighed. "I'm lucky she ran out of steam when she did. A little bit longer and she might've broken through." He decided not to add that he was also fortunate that Yang had allowed her curiosity to get the better of her, and had checked their Aura levels, her hesitation giving him enough time to muster enough strength to make the final attack.

"It's not like you to simply wait out an opponent like that," observed Ayumu, keeping the majority of his thoughts to himself.

"Why not?" asked Nora. "If his scales are super-strong, then he should be able to tank anything."

"It's not economical," said Gin. "Even if my scales can prevent damage, it still takes a lot of strength and stamina to keep blocking against a focused attack. Most of the time, it's less costly to evade attacks, rather than just tank them. It usually leaves me in better position to counterattack too."

The others nodded, thinking back to the earlier stages of the fight, where Gin had frequently evaded Yang's strikes and set himself up to counter her in the process.

However, only Ayumu had the knowledge and experience of training alongside Gin for years. Not even Ruby understood the full extent of Gin's capability yet, not because his abilities were incomprehensibly greater, as they were with Yu, but because she hadn't seen enough of them to get a real understanding of his level, due to being focused on her own training at the time. But Ayumu had practiced alongside Gin endlessly, sparred against him repeatedly. Only their Master had a better understanding of Gin's ability than Ayumu.

As Ayumu had told the others earlier, Gin's fighting style could definitely be called animalistic, reflecting the refinement and precision of a predator effectively bringing down prey. However, unlike an animal, Gin had a sapient being's ability to reason. Predators' hunting techniques were primarily focused on minimizing risk of injury. Gin had the capacity to accept risk if it offered up a chance at victory. During the fight, when Yang had trapped one of his arms, the Gin that Ayumu knew so well would have ignored Yang's incoming punch, and accepted the risk of taking a serious hit, because he could still land the blow that would have ended the match then and there. However, he'd blocked instead.

Of the people currently present, only Ayumu realized that Gin's block hadn't been reflexive...but conscious and deliberate. He had _allowed_ Yang the opportunity to fully unload the power of her Semblance on him.

Meeting Gin's eyes, Ayumu raised his eyebrow a fraction. Gin responded with an incremental shake of his head, indicating that it would be better for Ayumu to ask later, if the topic came up at all.

Ayumu's time was up anyway. Down below, Goodwitch had finished repairs to the ring, and now, it was _his_ turn to descend and await an opponent.

* * *

The walkway above the spectator seats was also occupied by curious students, their gaze focused entirely upon the ring below. They chattered amongst themselves, commenting and critiquing the fights they'd just seen. Because of that, they didn't notice the woman carefully making her way along the walkway behind them.

Cinder Fall was dressed quite conservatively, wearing the tight-fitting, black uniform of Haven Academy, which, despite covering far more skin than the outfits she usually wore, only served to highlight her figure even more than usual. Making her way along the walkway, she paused, looking between students to see down to the floor as Ayumu made his way into the arena. Her orange eyes shimmered slightly and she smirked. Opening up her scroll, she brought up a program that would have looked familiar to Goodwitch, had she been able to see it, seeing as it looked identical to the randomizer program on the Deputy Headmistress's scroll. With her finger, Cinder scrolled through the registered students, until the image of the one she wanted appeared next to the portrait of Ayumu.

Satisfied, Cinder closed her scroll. When Goodwitch tried to select an opponent down below, the randomizer would appear to run as usual. But, this time, the selection would be anything _but_ random.

* * *

Ayumu waited patiently out on the floor for his opponent to be selected. Professor Goodwitch asked the audience if any of them were interested in fighting him. After the last match and seeing Gin's skill, it seemed that there were a number of people interested in fighting him. However, Goodwitch decided to go to the randomizer when she saw the sheer number of people volunteering to fight.

Ayumu watched the screen that hovered over the arena, which showed a revolving line of pictures next to his own portrait. Finally, the randomizer came to rest on the image of a dark-skinned girl with mint-green hair and piercing, dark-red eyes.

"Emerald Sustrai, please come down to the ring," called Goodwitch.

Up in the stands, Ayumu saw the girl in question rise from her seat and proceed to the stairs. She walked out into the ring, their eyes meeting as they gazed across the distance between each other. Emerald's expression was almost completely neutral, save for a basic, confident smile, which she favored him with. Looking at her waist, Ayumu saw her weapons, a pair of what looked like bronze revolvers, although he expected that they were far more than simple guns.

Ayumu brought his hands together, angling his arms so that his sleeve fell down his left arm to cover his hand entirely. He'd worked out this trick with Ruby and his new team. Seeing as their objective was to avoid having people realize the true nature of their weapons before the Vytal Festival tournament, it would have certainly been counterproductive if Ayumu was seen producing his sword from an empty hand. By shifting things like this, it now looked as though the Green Destiny was being drawn out of his sleeve. Ayumu whirled it through a few passes before angling it at his opponent with a flick that made the blade ripple, producing the sword's signature ringing sound.

Emerald's eyes narrowed slightly and her hands dropped to the handles of her revolvers, ready to draw them the instant the match began.

Goodwitch moved outside the edge of the ring and brought up the barrier. "Combatants ready...Begin!"

Emerald's hands blurred, pulling her weapons free of their holsters, leveling them at her opponent in less than a second, and firing off a barrage of shots at him. Ayumu slid forward, his graceful movements almost seeming to be in slow motion, belying their actual speed. Angling his moves, he slid between most of Emerald's shots. The Green Destiny was a blur, sparking against the incoming bullets that Ayumu couldn't avoid so easily as he closed the distance between them.

Just before Ayumu came within melee range, Emerald dropped down into a crouch. Underneath the barrel of each of her weapons, a curved, sickle-shaped blade unfolded out and she met Ayumu's blade with a swift parry from one, while moving to attack with the other. A deft flick of his wrist allowed Ayumu to bring his own blade back around to block Emerald's attack. For a few seconds, their blades wove a net of flashing green streaks between them as they attacked, blocked, parried, riposted, and countered. Despite having two weapons to Ayumu's one, Emerald appeared stymied by the difference in reach, her shorter blades being trumped by the longer range of Ayumu's sword.

Even as they exchanged slashes and thrusts at incredible speeds, they danced around one another, each jockeying for a position that would give them an advantage. Interestingly, for how quickly he'd closed the distance between them, Ayumu appeared hesitant to press the attack, instead carefully probing Emerald's defenses from a safer distance.

With a smirk, Emerald activated her weapon's function, and the blades detached from the handles, extending out on chains, which Emerald whirled around her, _her_ weapons now having the advantage in reach. Furthermore, the extended range and flexible nature of the chains allowed Emerald to change the angle of her attacks to those that might not be so easily expected, swinging her weapons out and drawing them back so that the blades hemmed Ayumu in from behind, as well as from the front and sides.

However, Ayumu appeared unfazed by the development, his calm smile remaining in place as he wove and danced between Emerald's attacks, occasionally blocking a strike from one of her sickles. At the same time, he jumped and flipped like an acrobat, going into spins that carried him between whirling slashes of the chain-sickles, at times seeming to drift like a leaf upon the wind, at others seeming to plummet like a rock. It was during one such evasion that he appeared to kick off the air itself and suddenly accelerate right at Emerald.

The downside of flexible weapons like chain sickles was that their defensive capabilities dropped considerably. As Ayumu suddenly closed the distance between them, Emerald had nothing to interpose between herself and his imminent attack but the handles of her weapons themselves. Otherwise, her best bet was to try and tangle his weapons with her chains. But, this close, that was a tricky proposition at best.

Crossing her handles, Emerald managed to intercept the blade of Ayumu's sword, stopping it inches away from her side. But she was caught off-guard when Ayumu's left hand curled into a fist and jabbed into her stomach, forcefully driving the breath from her lungs. Emerald gasped, jumping back away from him, Ayumu whipping his leg up in a roundhouse kick that nearly took her in the temple.

Glaring at him, Emerald swung her weapons. A rattling of chains made Ayumu realize that Emerald's intent was now to wrap the chains around his body directly. Instead of trying to block them, he jumped straight up, going into a flying leap that carried him over Emerald's head. Emerald immediately whipped her weapons upwards, trying to catch Ayumu before he could land. However, once again, Ayumu appeared to step off the air itself, allowing him to spin and twirl between her attacks like a dancer. Suddenly accelerating downwards, Ayumu landed within inches of Emerald, just as she turned to face him.

Seeing that she couldn't keep him at a distance, Emerald retracted her chains, returning her weapon to its more basic form as she tried to slash at him with her blades. Ayumu parried and countered, but his swiftly weaving blade was more of a distraction, used to lure Emerald's own weapons out of position while he struck her with punches from his other hand or kicked her with his feet. As they danced back and forth across the ring, Ayumu's sword had yet to so much as touch Emerald herself.

* * *

"Is he...toying with her?" asked Ren curiously.

"Not really...just being careful," said Gin with a sigh.

" _That's_ careful?" asked Nora with understandable skepticism.

"For him it is," said Gin. "In a situation like this, the biggest problem is Ayumu's weapon."

"It is?" asked Blake, curious, in spite of herself, briefly forgetting that the boy sitting within easy reach of her was a dragon-faunus.

For his part, Gin made no show of what he thought being addressed by the girl who had been so afraid of him a few seconds ago. "The biggest problem is that the Green Destiny is just too damn sharp."

"Uh...I feel stupid asking this, but how is that a problem?" asked Coco.

"Well, if you want to fight a sparring match, and _not_ carve your opponent up like a turkey, it creates a few issues," said Gin.

"Oh..."

"The problem is that the Green Destiny's edge is so sharp that even a glancing blow can do serious damage," explained Gin. "Its edge can cut through the strongest Aura like so much tissue paper. Ayumu doesn't even need to actually exert himself to cut, if he angles the blade properly. Blows that would just chip off a little bit of Aura could cause severe lacerations, or even sever limbs, if Ayumu isn't careful. Ayumu's been working on his skill. Master Yu has always said that sharpness is a state of mind, so, theoretically, if Ayumu fully masters wielding his sword, he could be in complete command of what he cuts and what he doesn't. Unfortunately, he's still well short of that point, so, in a situation like this, he'd prefer to keep from actually striking his opponent with the blade at all."

"I see..." said Ren.

"His sword is _really_ that sharp?" asked Yatsuhashi, leaning to look past Coco and a still slightly quaking Velvet. "How did he manage to create such a weapon?"

"Very carefully," said Gin with a cryptic smirk. While Ayumu and Ruby's plan with their weapons had involved telling their teammates, the fact of the matter was that Team CFVY was not privy to their plan, which meant he had no intention of telling them anything.

It wasn't that hard to deflect suspicion. Huntsmen and Huntresses, as well as students, often zealously guarded the secret workings of their weapons, mostly out of pride for their unique nature, but also as a means of maintaining an edge against competition. This was especially true of students who would be expecting to compete against one another in the Vytal Festival Tournament. If Gin, or anyone else on RUBY or JNAR, chose to withhold information regarding a weapon, everyone else would assume it was in order to gain a decisive advantage in the tournament, or at least to keep potential opponents from realizing its full capabilities or a possible vulnerability.

Satisfied that he'd deflected suspicion, Gin returned his gaze to the arena below, where it appeared that Emerald was beginning to take her opponent more seriously.

* * *

Desperate to gain some space from the continuing onslaught of unarmed attacks that chiseled steadily away at her Aura, Emerald reverted one of her weapons into its revolver mode, cracking off several shots at Ayumu from point-blank range. Ayumu's deft control of his own blade allowed him to interpose it between him and the incoming bullets, which pinged menacingly off his blade upon contact.

As she fired, Emerald jumped back, shifting her other weapon into revolver mode as well, launching a steady barrage of bullets at Ayumu, who ducked, weaved, and deflected, even as he advanced in order to keep close to her. Still, Emerald's sudden shift in strategy allowed her to buy herself a little extra distance. All she needed was a few seconds to concentrate, and she could get the edge she needed.

Technically, there was no need for her to win this fight. What Cinder wanted and needed was an assessment of the new kids, the ones who'd put the wrench in their plan to create a breach in the center of Vale. However, after repeatedly taking punches and kicks from the boy in front of her, Emerald wanted to at least want him to taste a little pain before she tried to throw the match in a convincing manner. She was getting sick of that smile of his, which never seemed to leave his face, no matter what she did.

So, as she fell back, she narrowed her eyes, focusing the entirety of her senses on Ayumu, and activated her Semblance.

Emerald's Semblance was something she and Cinder referred to as "perception manipulation." She could hijack her target's senses and project what she wanted her opponent to see and hear directly into their own mind. It had been an ability that had served her faultlessly as a thief. Emerald still remembered her days as a street rat in the slums of Vacuo, using her Semblance to make merchants think that pieces of cardboard were real money, or even convince them to just give her the goods she wanted outright. She had mastered several other skills in order to be an effective thief, but it was her Semblance that had kept her a cut above and allowed her to get away with many crimes without getting caught.

So, as she fell back and Ayumu advanced, she projected the illusion of herself trying to dodge to the side and circle around him, in an effort to flank him. Predictably, Ayumu turned to follow her, his eyes tracking her movements, even though Emerald hadn't actually moved from where she had been, directly in front of him. Smiling triumphantly, Emerald surged forward, her sickle raised, eager to strike a decisive blow on the boy.

Ayumu's sword reacted as though it had a mind of its own, abruptly changing directions and swooping upwards to catch the blade of Emerald's descending sickle. Emerald's eyes widened and her concentration broke, causing the projection to vanish. The shock also caused her to freeze, leaving her completely helpless as Ayumu turned back to her, his smile not changing in the slightest. Unlike her, Ayumu didn't hesitate, stepping in and striking her hard in the collarbone.

Gasping in pain, Emerald fell back. Narrowing her eyes, she tried to use her Semblance again, only to abandon her efforts as Ayumu abruptly accelerated, closing in on her with speed that belied the sheer grace with which he moved. Before she could react, Ayumu struck her again with several rapid punches, hitting several points on her body that sent sharp needles of pain jabbing into her with each impact, using only the extended knuckles of his first two fingers. Finally, Ayumu jumped up to execute a kick with each of his feet in succession, knocking her back and bouncing her off the barrier.

Rebounding, Emerald found her body feeling numb and her legs giving out, causing her to sink down to her knees. She tried to get up, but her body was slow to respond. All her attempts ended when she felt a slight chill of steel very gently touching the skin of her throat, just below her chin. Emerald froze in place, unable to even swallow.

"Do you wish to continue?" asked Ayumu cheerfully.

"Nope. I'm good," said Emerald, finally finding the wherewithal to move. She dropped her weapons and raised her hands in surrender.

* * *

 **And so rounds two and three are complete.**

 **With Yang vs Gin, my objective was to showcase Gin's primarily pragmatic approach to fighting, mainly catching his opponent off-balance, and doing his utmost to keep them from using their own strengths.**

 **And, of course, we have Cinder and company doing a little fact finding on the three meddlers that have caused so much trouble. The consequences of that particular matchup are sure to be...interesting.**


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45:**

Surprised chattering filled the room as the students talked about the fight after Goodwitch declared Ayumu the winner.

"It really does feel like he was toying with her," mused Ren.

"He wasn't," said Gin. "He wasn't going all out, of course. She'd be in pieces across the ring, if that were the case. But he was taking the fight seriously."

"With a smile like that?" asked Nora, indicating Ayumu's pleasant expression, which hadn't changed an iota during the match.

"That's just his habit," said Gin.

"Habit?" asked Blake, shocked by the idea.

"I don't know when or where he picked it up," said Gin. "In fact, even Ayumu doesn't know how he came by it. Basically, it's his default face for the most part. However, it's also the face he wears whenever he's feeling stressed or pressed in battle."

"Really?" asked Nora.

Gin nodded. "The more stress he feels, the more worried or afraid he is, the more inclined Ayumu is to smile. That's just the way he is now. Master Yu actually encourages that, saying it's a rare case where a habit works better than anything he could teach."

"How can a smile make a real difference?" Coco wanted to know.

"Well, it doesn't make him stronger," said Gin. "It's not a case of Ayumu deceiving himself or anything. He just smiles. But it's gotten him out of a few pinches in the past.

"Think about it. If you were fighting someone, and you were feeling confident about it, if you had the advantage and were pressing your opponent back, your victory feeling like it was just right around the corner; how do you think you would feel if, despite all that, your enemy had a smile like that on his face, one that never seemed to twitch or falter?"

"I'd think he was holding something back," said Ren, "or that he knew something that I didn't."

"I'd think he wasn't taking the fight seriously," said Blake, "like he was mocking me...probably."

"Exactly," said Gin. "And when your opponent feels like that, he or she starts to get irritated. They start to let their emotions get the better of them. They slip, get sloppy, make a mistake, and suddenly, Ayumu can turn the tables on them. He's beaten opponents who were fairly superior to him in terms of ability and skill, because that smile of his can break through their resolve and cause them to doubt their own ability, because they don't realize how hard they're actually pressing him."

"That's...that's really amazing," said Velvet, finally speaking up. "I never thought something as simple as a smile could be a weapon."

"A technique more like," said Gin. "Master Yu once told us that, once the fight begins, _everything_ is technique; not just how you attack or defend, but how you move, use your feet, where you move, even the little things, like how you breathe; all of it becomes an expression of technique. Ayumu's smile is one of his more formidable ones."

"Awesome!" cheered Nora, grinning as she returned her attention to the ring, where Ayumu was helping his opponent to her feet.

* * *

Reluctantly, Emerald accepted the hand that was offered. As she did, her limbs protested, mainly by tingling fiercely, almost like she'd hit her funny-bone, with the effect spreading across her entire body.

"The numbness will fade shortly," said Ayumu. "I didn't strike too deep."

 _Nerve strikes,_ thought Emerald, feeling bitter. She hadn't been expected to win, and probably should have thrown the fight before things went too far. She and Mercury were supposed to be keeping a low profile after all. However, throughout the match, her irritation had built as Ayumu kept weaving effortlessly through her attacks, not even seeming to bother striking her with his sword, and instead making a show of beating her with unarmed attacks...all while wearing that infuriating _smile_ on his face. She'd wanted desperately to make him feel some real pain and fear...only for him to completely dominate her. _It's not fair!_

Even if her own mind, she felt like an idiot for thinking that. Of course life wasn't fair. She'd known that since the beginning, ever since she'd been a homeless, abandoned child on the streets of Vacuo, with no choice but to resort to theft to keep from starving to death. _Life_ had taught her that life wasn't fair. Some people were born with everything they could ever need or want. Others, like her, were born with nothing, and either had to struggle, or just give up and die. Emerald had learned to accept that. More than that, she had learned that unfairness was a tool, a weapon. Life had never treated her fairly, so why should she give fairness any consideration when it came to others?

Despite all that, this defeat felt especially bitter to her. Still, she supposed she'd gotten some useful intel from fighting this boy. Cinder had an interest in all three of the unexpected arrivals. But, obviously, it would have raised eyebrows if members of her team had fought each of them, so she'd settled on one, the one who would probably be the most difficult to assess properly from a distance.

"By the way," said Ayumu as he released Emerald's hand, "that was very interesting...Is that ability your Semblance perchance?"

Emerald blinked, then gasped, her eyes going wide. "I-I don't know what you're talking about," she stammered quickly, mentally kicking herself in the ass. She'd just as good as told him that his guess was spot on.

"I see," said Ayumu cheerfully. "Despite your denial, I would advise you to be more careful about using it in the future. That level of concentration on a single thing is dangerous in such a pitched battle. It narrows your focus too much, and dulls your reactions."

"Thanks..." said Emerald, a question rising in her mind. She knew she shouldn't ask, but, seeing as she'd failed utterly at making him think he was wrong about her Semblance, she figured she might as well. It might give her some more useful information to make up for a blunder of such epic proportions. "But how did you...?"

Ayumu's smile widened the tiniest of fractions. "It's like looking at a painting," he said simply.

"What?" Emerald blinked in complete confusion.

"Look closely enough and you can see the strokes of the artist's brush," said Ayumu. "Thank you for the excellent match, Ms. Sustrai," he added, beginning to turn to face Goodwitch as she entered the ring. "It would have been even more interesting, had you been fighting to win from the very beginning."

Once again, Emerald gasped, fighting the urge to clamp her hands across her mouth, knowing that would make her look like a complete idiot.

Meanwhile, Ayumu turned to face Goodwitch, musing in the back of his mind, _It appears that Professor Goodwitch is not the only one conducting an assessment here._

* * *

Yang groaned as consciousness returned. She didn't feel any aches in her body, which suggested she hadn't been injured during the fight. Fortunately, having one's Aura broken didn't have any lasting consequences, so long as one wasn't attacked _while_ their Aura was broken. The strain alone was sometimes enough to cause the one affected to pass out on the spot.

However, that didn't change that her entire body felt as though it was made of lead. She was completely drained. That wasn't much of a surprise either. After all, she'd gunned her Semblance to full throttle, and run it out through the end, and gotten clocked one last time.

Yang fought back tears, a thoroughly miserable feeling pooling in her gut. Gin had completely tanked the full force of her Semblance, bouncing back as though she hadn't even touched him, and smacked her down like it was nothing. No! The entire fight had been his from the word, "Go!" From the very beginning, she hadn't stood a chance. A groan forced its way out from between her lips.

"Yang?"

Ruby's voice caused Yang's eyes to snap open. She regretted the reflex almost immediately. The lights of the infirmary room were dimmed, but it was still almost too intense for her poor eyes. She blinked blearily, trying to clear them, the room a complete blur to her as she fought to bring it into focus.

Finally, she managed to get a clear view of her surroundings from the bed. Ruby was leaning over her from one side, while Jaune was watching her from the other, both of them wearing concerned expressions.

Jaune sighed, his body sagging in relief as he reached out and brushed his fingers over Yang's cheek. "You gave me a scare there," he said softly. "I'm glad you're okay."

Yang didn't feel okay. Despite that, Jaune leaned in and gently kissed her cheek. "How do you feel?" he asked after pulling away.

"Terrible," said Yang.

"The doctor said you weren't injured," said Jaune, his eyes narrowing slightly as he started to look confused.

In contrast to Jaune, Ruby didn't look confused at all. Her happy smile at seeing her sister regain consciousness faded, replaced by a more neutral expression. Yang realized that Ruby probably had a pretty good idea why she was so miserable.

"Hey, Jaune," said Ruby, looking up and across the bed at Yang's boyfriend, "can I talk to Yang alone for a little bit."

"Sure," said Jaune, nodding and stepping back. He left the room, closing the door behind him and leaving the sisters to their privacy.

For a moment, they were silent, neither one seeming to really trust herself with the act of speaking.

Finally, Ruby broke the silence. "Yang, I know why you're mad."

"I'm not!" protested Yang, her reflexes wanting her to sit up rapidly. However, the best her body could manage in its present state was a sluggish twitch.

"Yes you are," countered Ruby, her voice rising slightly in pitch. "I'm not blind. Ever since you saw me and Gin in bed together..." She paused, her cheeks going pink as she averted her eyes from Yang's. "...We didn't do anything," she added a little weakly, knowing how silly the assertion sounded, despite the fact it was true. Regathering her composure, she turned back to Yang. "Ever since, you've acted like you hate Gin."

"Why shouldn't I?" asked Yang fiercely. "Ruby...he...I don't trust him!"

"Why?" asked Ruby simply.

"Be-because...because..." Yang was surprised when the argument didn't readily come to her tongue. She knew that Ruby and Gin hadn't done anything intimate. There were none of the signs they were at that level of relationship yet, and Yang knew her sister well enough to know that Ruby wouldn't be able to hide something like that from her. However much she had changed and matured in the months that she had been gone, the one thing that certainly hadn't changed was the fact that Ruby was still Ruby. Unfortunately, that only made it harder for Yang to explain why, every time she saw Gin touch Ruby, kiss her, hug her, cuddle with her, or even so much as look at her, she felt like punching him in the face. "It's...it's a gut feeling. Ruby, he's dangerous."

"Oh, I know that already," said Ruby wryly. "I probably know that better than you." She leaned back, blinking and taking another look at Yang's condition. "Then again, maybe not."

"Ruby!" protested Yang. "I'm serious. I don't trust him! He...he's..."

"He's what?" pressed Ruby.

"HE'S GOING TO TAKE YOU AWAY FROM ME!" Yang practically screamed, tears spilling from her eyes. Unable to bottle up her feelings anymore, Yang broke down sobbing, rolling away from Ruby. "I-I...I can't lose you...n-not again!"

"You won't," said Ruby softly and gently, reaching out and combing her fingers through Yang's blonde locks. "Yang...you've got it wrong. Gin isn't taking me away. He'd never take me away from you."

"You don't know that!" Yang snarled, rolling back to gaze at her sister fiercely, an expression that might be called a glare if it wasn't loaded with an almost possessive love. "You can't trust him!"

"Yes I can," said Ruby, maintaining her composure, despite the sudden shift in Yang's mood.

"You can't!" insisted Yang. "We trusted Weiss and Pyrrha and look what happened with them."

"This is different," said Ruby.

"How?" demanded Yang.

Ruby smiled. "I can trust Gin," she said. "I know he won't betray me and he'd never take me away from you, because...because he's the one who _brought me back_ to you."

"Wha-what?" stammered Yang.

Ruby's smile widened. "Gin brought me back to you," she repeated, "him and Ayumu. If they hadn't found me in the forest, I would have died out there, alone. Weiss and Pyrrha would have gotten away with what they'd done, and you all would have gone along not even knowing what had happened."

Yang shuddered at the thought of going through her remaining years at Beacon alongside Weiss and Pyrrha, not realizing that they'd murdered her sister. She imagined the thought of graduating with them, going through her life with no knowledge of what had transpired...or maybe not. What Jaune had learned about Pyrrha made it apparent that, if Pyrrha had had her way, _Yang_ wouldn't have made it through to graduation either.

"If they hadn't been who they were, if they hadn't done what they did for me, then, even if I was found someone else, I might never have come back," added Ruby.

"What?" gasped Yang.

Ruby shuddered. "Yang, you have no idea how terrifying it was to go through that. I really thought I was going to die. Weiss and Pyrrha, who I'd thought were my friends, were the ones who did that to me. I felt weak...helpless...I ended up with amnesia. Gin and Ayumu were there for me, when I needed someone the most. If it had been anyone else besides those two, I might not have found the courage to return. They showed me that I could get stronger. They encouraged me to train. They taught me things that I would never have learned at Beacon. Because of that...I found the strength to come back. They gave me courage."

Yang sniffed. "That's my job," she muttered.

Ruby brushed away Yang's bangs. "You give me courage too, Yang," said Ruby. "It's not your fault."

"I should have been there!" protested Yang. "I should have protected you! Instead I carried on like nothing happened, not even thinking about..."

"Yang! It's okay, I know," said Ruby. "Weiss and Pyrrha planned things out just right. It's no wonder you didn't suspect anything. I didn't see any of that coming until after Weiss tried to stab me for the first time." She lowered her head to rest her forehead against Yang's. "My point is...even if you're upset, even if you're angry, it's not fair to take it out on Gin."

"Then who?" asked Yang. "Weiss and Pyrrha are both imprisoned. It's not like I can take my feelings out on them."

"Well...me for one," said Ruby. Seeing Yang's shocked expression, Ruby sighed. " _I_ was the one who decided to take my time coming back. _I'm_ the one who made the decision not to let you know. _I_ was the one who made you wait. If you're angry at anyone, it should be me."

"I can't be angry at you," said Yang, "even if I wanted to...I just can't keep it going."

"But can you at least not be angry at Gin," said Ruby. "He doesn't deserve it, especially not after what he let you do today."

"Let me...?" said Yang in confusion.

"We figured you'd fight him during the combat assessment," said Ruby with a sigh. "That's why I asked Gin to take all your frustration, let you build your Semblance up all the way, then let it out at him. If he'd wanted to, he could have ended that fight when you grabbed him. But he chose to let you keep going so that you could let all that out."

"He did that...?" wondered Yang, scarcely comprehending what she'd just heard.

"Because I asked him to," said Ruby. "Gin isn't afraid of you. But he understands how important you are to me, that's why he allowed you to use your Semblance on him like that."

Yang stared at the ceiling for a moment, trying to process that. "Why did you ask him to do that?" she wanted to know.

"Because I wanted you to see how much Gin cares about me," said Ruby. "He's willing to go that far without hesitation." Her cheeks turned red. "It's actually kinda embarrassing how willing he is." She sighed. "He's still too nice to me."

Yang blinked. "What do you mean by that?"

Ruby sighed, running her hand through her hair. "Whenever he can, Gin always tries to let me have my way, regardless of whether or not it's easy or hard for him. It's not that I don't like him being so nice...but I'd like him to stand up to me and tell me what _he_ wants from time to time. He spoils me, honestly."

Yang couldn't help but giggle at that. "When you put it like that, you make it really hard for me to stay mad at him."

"Good," said Ruby. "You shouldn't have been mad at him in the first place." She blushed again and looked away. "But, I guess I should have told you that we got used to cuddling together."

Yang's smile widened as she found herself within more comfortable territory. "Yeah...your other new friend mentioned something about that. So I'm 'too hot' for you, huh?"

"Yang, don't you start," growled Ruby, her cheeks growing red.

"I just think it's interesting that I'm the one who gets you all heated up, and you have to turn to your boyfriend to cool your head," teased Yang, definitely feeling better, indulging in one of her favorite hobbies, teasing Ruby good-naturedly.

"Yang!" yelped Ruby, the red on her cheeks beginning to spread to the rest of her face.

Now Yang was laughing wholeheartedly. After a moment, she calmed down and smiled warmly at her sister. "All right, Ruby. You win. I'll take it easy on your boyfriend from now on...outside the ring, at least. If I end up sparring against him again, I'm gonna pay him back for beating me today."

"That's fine by me," said Ruby. Checking the clock in the room, she sighed. "Sorry, I have to go and get lunch before class."

"Go ahead," said Yang. "I'll apologize to Gin tonight. Is that okay?"

"Yeah," chirped Ruby, jumping to her feet and heading to the door.

The door had barely swung closed before Jaune came in again. "So...clear the air?" he asked, taking the seat Ruby had vacated.

"Yeah," said Yang with a sigh. "Sorry. I guess I was acting like a jerk."

"It's okay," said Jaune, taking her hand and squeezing it. "I understand a little bit."

"You do?" asked Yang.

"I have little sisters," Jaune reminded her. "Three of them, actually."

Yang nodded. She remembered that Jaune had mentioned he wasn't the youngest in his family. However, she also remembered that, for some reason, he was also treated like the baby of his family, like he was fragile and incapable.

"My little sisters are sweethearts," said Jaune fondly. "But the way my older sisters and parents treated me kinda rubbed off on them. It doesn't change the fact that I'd do anything to protect them, even if I'd never gone off to become a Huntsman."

"Of course," said Yang.

"So I can kinda understand where you're coming from," said Jaune. "Ruby 'dies' and disappears from your life, and you were powerless to do anything about it. Then, out of nowhere, she suddenly comes back, reveals that someone you trusted was responsible for what happened to her, and then takes out the two people responsible for nearly killing her herself, leaving you nothing to do."

"That's right," said Yang with a sigh.

Jaune rubbed his thumb over Yang's knuckles. "But it's more than that. Ruby's grown a lot while she was away, hasn't she?"

"Yeah," Yang agreed.

"However traumatizing Weiss and Pyrrha attempting to kill her was, it allowed Ruby to grow faster than she ever might have had she stayed here at Beacon," continued Jaune. "She matured and, not only did she grow stronger, she's also grown up in a lot of ways. It's really hard to reconcile that with the memory of the Ruby you knew before all of that happened to her."

"Oh..." said Yang, understanding what Jaune was getting at.

"So she comes back, having undergone these huge changes that you completely missed out on and she has her own boyfriend to boot," said Jaune. "I think it's only natural that it would frustrate you. It also makes sense that you'd focus that frustration on her boyfriend."

"You knew?" asked Yang.

"Well...Ruby and I talked on the roof the other night," said Jaune. "We talked about Pyrrha and about...us. She said she understood why you were upset and asked me to let her handle it, so I did."

"That's good of you, Jaune," said Yang with a wistful smile.

"Remember, whatever else, I'm here for you," said Jaune. "If you start to feel frustrated, you're free to take it out on me in the ring, if you need to."

Yang giggled. "I guess Gin isn't the only one who needs to learn to not be a doormat," she said.

"Huh?"

"Just something Ruby said that makes a lot more sense now," said Yang. "So...now what?"

"Well, the doctor said you just need to rest and recover," said Jaune. "I've got plenty of time, so I'll stay here for now, keep you company...unless you're getting tired of me already."

"Never," purred Yang, her tone drawing Jaune in like a lure so that he could press his lips against hers.

* * *

"So...what information did you bring me?" cooed Cinder, smiling as Emerald reclined on the floor.

"Both of those guys are good," said Mercury. "Gin Ueno knows how to use his abilities as a dragon-faunus. He doesn't even need a weapon, 'cause he was born with the ones he uses."

"That could make things difficult," mused Cinder. "He can't be disarmed, and he can bring his full fighting strength where others cannot."

"And then there's his Semblance," said Mercury. "It was hard to see completely from the stands, but it looks like it's some kind of illusion that throws off his opponent's sense of his distance and direction and lets him avoid attacks. It almost seems to work like Belladonna's shadows in that sense."

"Why does he need to dodge if he has such a strong guard?" wondered Emerald. "He completely tanked the blonde bimbo's attack with her Semblance on full-blast."

"Hmm..." hummed Cinder. "Have you heard the fable of the the fox and the cat?" she asked.

"Sure," said Emerald. "A fox and cat are talking about how they can get away from danger. The fox brags about how he has a ton of tricks for getting away, while the cat has just one."

"But when the hounds come, the cat climbs a tree," said Mercury, picking up the thread of the story. "But the fox gets caught up because he doesn't know which trick to use and gets caught up dithering over it."

"Isn't the moral of the story to have one trick that always works, as opposed to trying to get a bunch of other ones?" asked Emerald.

"That is how you might interpret it," said Cinder. "However, the fox didn't get caught because he'd learned a great many tricks for escape. He got caught because he _hesitated_. It's easy to claim that having one skill that always works is better, but...no such thing truly exists. After all, what would happen to the cat if the one hunting him had been able to climb after him?"

"He wouldn't have had another trick for getting away," said Mercury.

"Correct," said Cinder. "In escape or battle, it is _hesitation_ that is the fatal error. Having multiple skills that enable you to adapt to the changes of the situation will always be superior to having just one. What is important is having the extra skill, the skill of knowing _which_ skill to use in a given situation, which will give you the best edge. That boy has been trained to defend against powerful attacks, but how to evade them as well. More importantly, he has been trained in the knowledge of when best to defend and when best to evade. He is a skilled player with powerful cards, and the understanding of when and how to play them."

"Pretty scary when you sum it up like that," said Mercury. "He's not perfect though. If he'd gone for the kill when Xiao Long trapped him, he'd have won the match before she had a chance to unload on him."

"Very true," agreed Cinder. "But we'd best not underestimate him." Her eyes narrowed. "Now...what about the girl?"

"She's tricky," said Mercury, folding his arms and leaning back in his chair. "Everyone was making a big deal about that scythe of hers, because it has some kinda high-tech energy blade. But it didn't seem to make much of a difference in the fight itself."

Emerald nodded. "Her Semblance seems to be something speed or acceleration related. She can use it to move faster or swing her scythe faster."

"Given that she's on the small side, she probably doesn't have a lot of weight to put into her swings," added Mercury with a smirk. "She probably uses that Semblance of hers to make up the difference."

"She's good," said Emerald, "But I think those two boys are better than her."

"Probably," said Cinder. "If she is Yu's student, then she hasn't been so for near as long as those boys have."

"Well, I checked the recordings of her matches before she disappeared, for reference," said Mercury. "Her style is way different from how it used to be. Her last weapon was a scythe/sniper combo, and she'd use the recoil to add more acceleration."

"So her style is more conservative now," mused Cinder.

"Her weapon is still a rifle of some kind," said Emerald. "But it didn't seem to have a recoil. Given that it has an energy blade, it's maybe some kind of Directed Energy Weapon as well."

"That seems sensible," said Cinder, nodding. "There isn't much of interest about her ability then." Then she smiled slyly. "However, her history...now that is quite interesting."

"What do you mean?" asked Mercury.

"Ozpin's kept it under wraps for the time being," said Cinder, opening up her scroll. "But it appears that the reason for Ruby Rose's disappearance is because her teammate, and one Pyrrha Nikos, attempted to murder her."

"What?" gasped Emerald, her eyes going wide in shock.

"So she survived, trained up and came back stronger," said Mercury. "I'm guessing she beat Nikos and her teammate then."

"That she did," agreed Cinder, "at the same time, no less. Her growth is extraordinary to be sure."

"It also explains why we haven't seen Nikos or the heiress around lately," said Emerald. "Ozpin's got them under lock and key."

"He's arranging for their trial," said Cinder, closing the scroll. "It appears that he intends to announce what happened to the students once all the ones away on mission return." She sighed. "It would have been a nice bonus if he'd tried to keep the story of what happened to the girl hidden...but it appears we aren't that lucky."

"Too bad," muttered Mercury.

"Now then..." said Cinder, her eyes going to the thief, "...what about the boy you fought, Emerald?"

"He's good," said Emerald, barely able to keep herself from swallowing nervously. She'd been dreading this part of the conversation ever since leaving the ring. "He was in complete control during the fight. I couldn't even touch him."

"Very impressive," agreed Cinder.

"He's also annoying," Emerald growled, "showing off by using unarmed attacks against me...all while wearing that damn smile." Her right hand tightened into a fist. "It pissed me off."

"Hmm...I wonder if that may have been the point," mused Cinder, prompting a gasp from Emerald. "It's a sound strategy to affect a careless attitude to disrupt an opponent emotionally. We shouldn't underestimate this boy."

Emerald began to feel lightheaded. She hadn't even considered that. If that was the case, then she'd fallen for Ayumu's strategy, hook, line, and sinker.

"Anything else of note?" asked Cinder.

Emerald frowned. "Two things," she said. "First, I think his Semblance has to do with gravity manipulation."

"He can control weight?" asked Mercury.

"He can control _his_ weight," said Emerald. "At least, that's as far as the extent of it seems to be. There were times he moved like he was lighter than air. Then there were times where he dropped like a stone. So I think he must be able to control his personal gravity in some way."

"Interesting..." said Cinder. "What else?"

"His sword is something else too," said Emerald. She pulled her weapons out and opened up the blades. "Take a look at this."

The edges of her sickles were chipped and nicked in multiple locations, some spots looking as though they'd been actually cut into.

"Fascinating," said Cinder. "His blade must be extraordinarily strong to damage your weapons like that."

"It didn't feel like he was hitting very hard," said Emerald. "I think that sword's sharpness is more dangerous than its strength."

"Oh...I see..." said Cinder, her eyes narrowing as she analyzed the damage to Emerald's weapons. "I believe I understand why he chose to use unarmed attacks against you."

"Huh? Why?" asked Emerald. "He was just toying with me, wasn't he?"

"No," said Cinder. "In fact, he was being _very_ careful with you."

"Careful?" asked Mercury skeptically.

"Of course," said Cinder. "If his blade is able to inflict this kind of damage to dear Emerald's weapon with as little force as she ascribed to it, then imagine what might happen if he tried to slash or thrust at her with it."

Emerald paled, realizing what Cinder was getting at.

"Because this was a spar, he chose to use his sword to counter your weapons, but only ever attacked you with unarmed strikes in order to avoid injuring you," said Cinder. "What a considerate boy he is."

"That's...pretty scary," said Mercury.

Emerald whipped her head to stare at him. "Scary?"

"Yeah," said Mercury. "He's good enough to be able to worry more about not actually harming you than the actual outcome of the match, and he has the skills to stay on top of you, even though he's trying hard to keep from injuring you. I'd say that's pretty good.

"Of the three of them, he's the oldest, so I'd guess that he's probably been learning from Yu Yuen the longest."

"That would probably explain it," agreed Cinder. "Anything else to add, Emerald?"

"No," said Emerald, fighting the urge to swallow and keeping her face as neutral as possible. _There's no way I can tell her,_ Emerald thought, imagining what Cinder might do if Emerald told her that Ayumu had seen through her Semblance.

Emerald and Mercury had once gone out of their way to eliminate a deserter from the White Fang, mainly because Torchwick had been stupidly ignoring him. Despite succeeding easily, Cinder had scolded both of them for acting without permission, and risking blowing their cover. She couldn't even begin to imagine how furious Cinder would be if she learned that Ayumu had learned about her Semblance, the linchpin to all their plans.

"Very well then," said Cinder, not noticing Emerald's nervousness. "Well done, Emerald. I believe we can factor these new variables into our plan easily, thanks to both your intelligence gathering."

Cinder's approval made Emerald's body tingle...in a manner far more pleasant than Ayumu's nerve strikes had. She had made the right decision, keeping her mistake to herself. It appeared that neither Mercury nor Cinder had noticed any sign that she'd used her Semblance during the fight, which was all for the better. The only downside was that Cinder's praise had extended to Mercury too.

Still...this was good enough for now. _Yeah,_ she thought, _it's best not to worry. It's not like there's anything he can do about it anyway._

* * *

"So...what do you think?" asked Ozpin as the video of the combat assessments ended. "From what I can see, allowing those two boys to enter Beacon is an excellent decision."

"It would appear that Ironwood disagrees," said one of the Councilmen. "He has made quite the vocal objection to your decision."

"James has his reasons to be wary," said Ozpin. "It is true that the two of them, Mr. Ueno in particular, have criminal backgrounds."

"Yes," said another of the three Councilmen, "including murder and manslaughter, crimes that you would normally not be permitted to issue pardons for."

"Having reviewed his history and circumstances, I have chosen to classify those as survival crimes," explained Ozpin, "just as I told James."

"Committing murder is a survival crime?"

Ozpin nodded slowly. "In a sense. It is true that, as a dragon-faunus, Mr. Ueno has had issues with his temper and violent tendencies. Prior to being forced to flee Menagerie, he was never properly trained how to rein in those impulses, and spent much of his time as a bandit subject to them. He is now much more cognizant of the wrong he has done and seeks to atone. Therefore, I have chosen to make an exception in his case."

"You are treading dangerously, Ozpin," said the third Councilman. "And these two are students of Yu Yuen, considered the single most dangerous criminal in the world."

"At this point, Mistral and Vacuo both classify him as a natural disaster," said Ozpin. "I believe it is suitable to consider him such. He does not have any particular agenda, beyond his own amusement. He is not specifically an enemy of any Kingdom unless we chose to be one."

"Yet you're comfortable with his students in your Academy?" pressed the Councilman.

"Quite," replied Ozpin. "Yu has no interest in undermining either Beacon or Vale. He has trained his students in technique and cultivated their strength. However, his philosophy does not induce him to try and mold their personalities to be _like_ him, so they have been able to grow as their own individuals, and choose how they put the strength they acquired to use. They have already done us favors, in Brandywine and Mountain Glenn, so I believe that they are quite trustworthy indeed."

"Yes...Mountain Glenn," said the first Councilman. "Ironwood was quite sore about that."

"It cannot be denied that using a smaller, more surgical force was much more effective than Jame's idea of rolling his entire army to their doorstep," said Ozpin. "According to the reports of Ms. Rose and the boys, the train was ready to run at a moment's notice. The conditions would not have been as ideal for Torchwick and the White Fang, had they been able to implement their plan on the timetable they had set for it, but they would have seen James' force coming and would have caused the breach, and inflicted considerable damage with what they had already assembled."

"You have a point," conceded the second Councilman. " _I_ , for one, am growing tired of General Ironwood's insistence of meddling in our domestic affairs."

Ozpin shook his head. "James merely wishes to protect the people. It is admirable that that desire extends to people outside his Kingdom. However, his methods for doing so are often unwieldy and too overt. He must learn that overwhelming force is _not_ the key to victory in every situation."

"Agreed," said the third Councilman. "Very well then, Ozpin. You've made your case. These two new arrivals appear to be fine assets. We will overlook Ironwood's objections for the time being. As expected, security arrangements for the Vytal Festival shall be in your hands as well."

"Thank you very much," said Ozpin, dipping his head to them.

"When the festival begins, the eyes of the entire world will be upon us," said the first Councilman. "We _must_ make this a success."

"Of course," said Ozpin.

"There is one last matter to consider," said the first Councilman, "the upcoming trial for Weiss Schnee and Pyrrha Nikos. It is my understanding that you wish for this to be a public trial."

"Public, but not advertised," said Ozpin. "That is to say, information concerning the trial should not be restricted. However, I have no wish to make this affair a spectacle."

"Unusual..." mused the second Councilman. "Considering the nature of the trial, not to mention the identities of the defendants, I would think you would wish for the trial to be conducted in silence. Revealing that two Beacon students participated in such a heinous act will be a blow to the institution's credibility."

Ozpin shook his head. "No. It is precisely _because_ of the identities of the defendants that we must not restrict information concerning the trial. For better or for worse, both Ms. Schnee and Ms. Nikos are extremely high-profile students. Ms. Schnee was the heiress to the single most powerful corporate entity on the planet, and Ms. Nikos is a highly visible celebrity, especially in her homeland of Mistral.

"Considering this, both were expected to take part in the Vytal Festival Tournament as key members of their respective teams. If that expectation is not met, furthermore, if both of them simply disappear and their positions are filled by new members, without any explanation as to how and why, questions will be asked, and people will seek answers. If it is ultimately found that we concealed information concerning what they did and how they were dealt with, it would lead to the very backlash we are trying to avoid. Furthermore, it allows us to demonstrate our commitment to ensuring that we enforce the standards we hold for Huntsmen and Huntresses, and that we take the matter of policing them seriously. The fact that two such high-profile students are held accountable for their crimes, regardless of their status, will help with that."

"I see," said the first Councilman. "When you put it like that, it certainly makes sense. However, this is still quite the risky move. I understand you want to move ahead with the trial as soon as possible."

"Yes," said Ozpin. "Unfortunately, however much I might wish that she was left alone to concentrate on her studies and re-establishing her team's dynamic, there is no doubt that Ms. Rose's involvement as the victim in this affair will lead to her being dragged into the spotlight."

"I see...and if she intends for her team to participate in the tournament, it would be best if the matter was dealt with promptly, so that there is time for public interest in the matter to fade," said the third Councilman.

"Exactly," said Ozpin.

"I see...then we shall do what we can to expedite the process," said the first Councilman. "I was somewhat surprised when Mr. Schnee did not immediately send someone from his impressive battery of lawyers to begin the process of building her defense."

"I am not," said Ozpin. "For better or for worse, Jacques Schnee is concerned, first and foremost, with his company's image. Having one of his daughters convicted of attempted murder would be a terrible blow, for certain. But interfering in the execution of justice against her would look even worse. Given that he still has a son in the line of succession, he can afford to cut her loose."

"Like a lizard severing its tail," mused the second Councilman. "He truly is a cold and calculating one, that man."

"True," said Ozpin. "It is disappointing to see that those were the traits he has apparently imparted to his daughter."

"Very true," agreed the first Councilman. "However, we are not here to conduct an assessment of Mr. Schnee's parenting methods. We shall assign a public defender to Ms. Schnee and Ms. Nikos. For expedience's sake, we will try them together, rather than as separate defendants."

"That is fine," said Ozpin.

"Very well then," said the first Councilman. "That is all for now."

The call ended and Ozpin sighed, raising his spectacles to rub the bridge of his nose.

"That was quite the exchange," said Glynda, stepping away from where she'd been standing, out of the view. "I am surprised that you would have gone with a public trial. I too had thought you would want this to be kept quiet. Are you seeking to malign Ruby's attackers, to fully punish them for their actions?"

"I don't believe Ms. Rose is as vindictive as all that," said Ozpin. "In her darker moments, she may have indeed dreamed of the torment those two would receive, being savaged in the court of public opinion. However, I suspect that she is more than satisfied with things as they are now. Her assailants have been exposed, they have been dealt with, and will never trouble her again...hopefully. She is back where she belongs, and with those who are most important to her.

"And even if she were that vindictive, I would not hesitate to keep the trial quiet, if I thought it would be the best way to prevent unrest. Ultimately, the wellbeing of the people and of the world must take precedent over one girl's, admittedly justified, grudge. However, the reasoning I used with the Council holds. Questions would indeed be asked about Ms. Schnee's and Ms. Nikos' absence, and very careful scrutiny would be given to our answers. Of course, there is another matter that makes keeping this quiet unfeasible, one that I did not relay to the Council."

"The intruder," said Glynda, cluing in to his reasoning. "If she left a virus, as you suspect, one that compromises our information security, then she would be in a position to leak that information to the public, and reveal a coverup in exactly the manner that you fear."

"Exactly," agreed Ozpin. "However, I still would have gone with a public trial, even if that weren't the case. The risks of trying to cover it up are just too great to ignore. Better to pull the bandage off quickly, rather than drag it out slowly."

Glynda nodded.

"Please inform Ms. Rose about this," said Ozpin. "In particular, be sure to warn her about the scrutiny that is likely to befall her if she goes to Vale while this is going on."

"Of course," said Glynda. "That being said, perhaps we should suggest she agree to at least one interview. If we simply sequester her away, here at Beacon, then the press will only become more intrusive in their desire for information."

"Very true," said Ozpin. "Please advise Ms. Rose of her options. However, the choice ultimately lies in her hands."

"Very well," said Glynda, turning and heading out.

Ozpin sighed tiredly and slowly lowered himself into his chair. Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he turned to look out over the campus of his school, silently mulling over the state of affairs in his Academy. With all that was going on, he was glad to hear some additional good news from Ironwood, namely that the expert Ironwood had called in would be arriving momentarily, allowing them to finally get to work ensuring that Beacon, Vale, the other Academies and Kingdoms, and the network that held them all together, was secure at last.

* * *

Ironwood stood calmly at ease, watching as the long-range transport settled onto the landing pad at the docks, the sleek, almost needle-shaped airship coming to rest in exactly the center of the landing pad's circle. The quiet whine of its engines descended into silence. A few minutes later, the hatch on the side of its fuselage opened, a ramp extending down to reach the ground. Ironwood smiled as he watched the ship's single occupant descend.

"I can't thank you enough for coming on such short notice," said Ironwood, striding forward to meet the man. "I apologize for calling you away from your busy schedule."

"Not at all," said the man, calmly adjusting the tall collar of his gray overcoat, making sure it settled properly over his dark-red vest and the yellow dress-shirt that resided underneath. "If the threat to the security of the Kingdoms is as severe as you implied during your call, then it is best that the situation is dealt with promptly."

"Thank you," said Ironwood, extending his hand, which the other man easily accepted.

After they shook, the man took a moment to check the scroll he pulled from his pocket. "Now then, please tell me about this intrusion into Beacon's CCT that you suspect."

"Gladly, Doctor," said Ironwood.

"Please...Call me Arthur," said Arthur Watts with a congenial smile, as he fell into step by Ironwood's side.

* * *

 **Now we get a look at how Ruby and the boys' actions have had larger reverberations in how the story deviates from canon. First, by stopping the breach, they prevent the debacle that caused the Council to lose most of their trust in Ozpin, which gave Ironwood the leverage he needed to take control of the Vytal Festival's security. Of course, considering what happens in Volume 3, this is a pretty big deal.**

 **And then there's the other big thing, namely that the good guys now know about Emerald's Semblance. Of course, they don't know that she's one of the bad guys...yet. There'll be more about how Ayumu saw through Emerald's Semblance later, which involves a lot of speculation on how Emerald's Semblance works. In all honesty, I probably overthought it a little, considering how it's portrayed in the show, but I felt I was able to construct a feasible way for her Semblance to be countered.**

 **Emerald _not_ telling Cinder that she screwed up seemed a fairly logical action for Emerald's character. After all, learning that Emerald had slipped up and exposed one of the most important aspects of their upcoming plans would make Cinder _pissed_. Emerald has some pretty strong feelings for Cinder and, while the argument can be made that her loyalty trumps her own satisfaction, I also feel that an argument could be made that Emerald would want to avoid revealing that she'd made a mistake of such magnitude, particularly if it's so easy for her to cover it up. After all, it's not like it's _guaranteed_ to come back and bite them in the ass later on.**


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 46:**

"And that is how the situation currently stands, Ms. Rose," said Glynda, wrapping up her explanation of how preparation for Pyrrha and Weiss' trial were coming along. "Do you have any questions?"

"Um...not yet," said Ruby, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

The last thing she'd been expecting, after stumbling tiredly out of her final class of the day, was to receive a summons to Professor Goodwitch's office. Ever the stern disciplinarian, Beacon's deputy Headmistress rarely ever called a student into her domain, unless said student had committed some infraction that they were about to be punished for. Ruby was worried that there was some rule she'd inadvertently broken over the course of the week, or that Goodwitch had called her to inform her that her performance in class had been subpar, and that she'd be required to give up her sole day off in order to make up for it.

So, it had actually come as something of a relief to learn that Goodwitch had summoned her to inform her about the proceedings of the trial against Weiss and Pyrrha, however uncomfortable that topic might have been.

"Given its nature, while we have no intention of advertising it or announcing it," explained Glynda, "it's inevitable that the trial shall become known to the public. Given the status of the defendants, it will probably, despite our best efforts, become quite a fixture in the media for a time. That means, as the victim of their crime, you shall most likely become a fixture as well."

"Right..." said Ruby, feeling even _more_ uncomfortable. At the height of her anger at the injustice those two had committed against her, she had occasionally dreamed of a massive and showy trial, where everyone would be able to see the masks of perfection those two girls clung to ripped away, as their crimes were laid bare for the world to see. However, that desire had diminished away to almost nothing, now that she was back home. Right now, all she really wanted to do was buckle down, focus on catching up, then continue on the path to becoming the Huntress and hero she dreamed of being.

That said, it had never occurred to her that, if her dark dreams had come true, then _she_ would have become a part of that spectacle. Before Pyrrha had betrayed her, Ruby had heard some of the Invincible Girl's stories about dealing with the press and the paparazzi, something Ruby definitely never wanted to deal with. Now, however, it seemed that she was on the path to enduring that very same fate.

"I wish to inform you that, while you are on Beacon grounds, the press will not be bothering you," said Glynda. "We will not allow anyone from the media up here, until the Vytal Festival is in session. As long as you stay out of Vale, you need not worry about any harassment."

"But that's as long as I _stay_ out of Vale," said Ruby, frowning. Beacon was a lovely place, but staying here twenty-four-seven would begin to wear thin after a while.

"Correct," said Glynda with a nod. "Of course, isolating yourself like that will only make the press hungrier for a story. It would be better to give them one, so that they can move on to the next one."

"What are you suggesting?" asked Ruby.

"At least one interview with a fairly well-known reporter," said Glynda. "Sufficiently comprehensive, we can satisfy the public's curiosity, and allow the press to move on from there. Naturally, there will still be those who will wish to press harder, but it should reduce the pressure considerably, and overall interest will fade by the time the Vytal Festival comes around."

"All right," said Ruby. "When?"

"That depends," said Glynda. "As I said, we are not making an official announcement of the trial. It will be up to the media to find out about it themselves. Once they catch wind of it and begin asking their questions, that would be the best time to take care of this."

"All right," said Ruby.

"I shall keep you informed in that regard," said Glynda. "There is one other matter, or rather, a possibility of what might happen in the future though."

"What's that?" asked Ruby.

"Ms. Nikos and Ms. Schnee are being assigned a public defender," said Glynda. "Given the preponderance of the evidence against them, a conviction is all but certain. Considering that, it is likely that the prosecution and their defender will suggest a plea bargain to avoid the trial altogether."

"Uh...what's that?" asked Ruby, canting her head.

"A plea bargain is an agreement in which the defendant agrees to plead guilty to a certain charge or charges in return for concessions from the prosecution," said Glynda.

"For snacks?" asked Ruby, making Glynda sigh.

"Conditions," she amended. "It's an exchange. For example, the current charges that Ms. Nikos and Ms. Schnee are Attempted Murder and Conspiracy to Conceal Evidence."

"Uh...why the second one?" asked Ruby. "I thought it was just attempted murder."

"The second one is the crime of covering up the evidence of their misdeeds afterwards," said Glynda. "It is not necessary, strictly speaking. But, in situations like this, the prosecution often adds additional charges in order to pressure the defendants into agreeing to a plea deal."

"So they'd...what...exactly?" asked Ruby.

"If they agreed, they would most likely agree to plead guilty for the Attempted Murder charge," said Glynda. "That is, after all, the charge we actually want them to be punished for. In exchange, the other charge would be dropped and, most likely, their sentence would be lightened."

"How much?" asked Ruby, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"The sentence they would most likely be given for their crime is Life, with a possibility of parole in fifteen years," said Glynda.

"Parole," said Ruby, "so they could get out."

"With conditions," said Glynda. "Parole is not the same as being released, as the person on parole is still technically serving their sentence. I can relay that information to you in more detail later on. That is the maximum sentence possible for what they are charged with. However, they would only be eligible for parole in fifteen years. Whether or not they are actually granted it will be determined by a number of circumstances."

"Okay," said Ruby. She was getting the gist of it. Weiss and Pyrrha could get out of the prison itself in a few years, but it was a privilege that could be taken away, if they didn't earn it, and it sounded as though it wasn't the same as letting them off the hook early.

"Back to the plea bargain," said Glynda. "It is likely that the overall sentence will be shortened somewhat. It would unquestionably still be a significant portion of their lives, if not longer than their actual lifespan. But it would not be the same as a Life sentence."

"Okay..." said Ruby.

"Also, the period before they are determined eligible for parole might be shortened as a result," added Glynda. "That is the most likely outcome of such a bargain."

"What do we do?" asked Ruby.

"There is nothing we can do," said Glynda. "A plea bargain is between the prosecution and the defendant, with the attorney assigned to the defense playing an advisory role at best. Ozpin could assert that he wishes for a trial, but he cannot make the prosecution avoid a plea bargain. In fact, there's a very good chance that they will make an offer to the defendants. Given the open-and-shut nature of the case, a defense will be all but impossible, and it is in the interest of the Kingdom to save both time and taxpayer money."

"Oh…" said Ruby, not sure how she felt about this yet.

Glynda fought the urge to sigh. She imagined that Ruby would feel cheated if Weiss and Pyrrha accepted a plea bargain, rather than being tried openly in court. It probably felt like letting them off lightly.

Ruby lowered her eyes to the desk and stared pensively at it for a moment. Then she slowly closed her eyes. Her demeanor visibly relaxed and she opened them again, looking earnestly at Glynda. "Okay," she said.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Glynda, wondering what Ruby meant by that.

"Well, you just told me there's nothing we can do about it, right?" replied Ruby. "In that case, I'm not going to worry about it. Weiss and Pyrrha...they...no...I...I'm _tired_ of hating them. I don't want to waste time and energy on hate." Her lips curled up in a small, contented smile. "I'm home, where I belong, with the people that truly care about me. As long as there's no chance that they'll do this to me or someone else again, then I'm fine with whatever happens next. I just want to move on, and get back on track to becoming the best Huntress I can possibly be."

"I see." _Ozpin was dead-on about her,_ thought Glynda silently. She closed her own eyes and lowered her head for a moment. _This is for the best._

Truth be told, Glynda secretly hoped that the matter would result in a plea bargain, and that Weiss and Pyrrha would accept the terms. It would be far less visible than an official trial, which would probably result in less pressure by the media on Ruby. More importantly, if the trial went ahead, Ruby would be required to stand as witness, being the sole actual witness to the crime, as well as its victim. That would be hard enough on her in its own right, however, her testimony would also be cross-examined by the defense. A forthright girl like Ruby Rose would not be prepared for the intense pressure of being examined by the opposing counsel, and would undoubtedly be pained by having her own words twisted in some manner to lessen their impact. _Yes. It's best if things go the way I hope._

Opening her eyes again, she met Ruby's gaze, staring deeply into those lovely silver eyes. "To be honest, Ms. Rose, I owe you an apology."

"Huh?" Ruby blinked in surprise. "Why?"

"I...I too once felt that you did not belong in Beacon, not yet," said Glynda earnestly, her words eliciting a small, shocked gasp from the girl in front of her. "It was not for the same reasons as Ms. Schnee and Ms. Nikos, or the rest of those fools who appear to have sympathized with their views, I assure you. I have never seen your presence here as an insult or degrading to the students who spent two extra years training."

"Then why?" asked Ruby.

"I believed you weren't ready, that it was too dangerous to allow you to come here," said Glynda simply. "You may not be surprised to learn that you are _not_ the first student to have 'died' on a mission, though no other has returned like you have."

Ruby swallowed and nodded.

"It wasn't due to being betrayed by their comrades, like you were, either," said Glynda. "Truth be told, even if you give someone the finest training, the best education, the most effective equipment, the worst can still happen. The Grimm are a terrible and unpredictable foe, and have gotten the better of even experienced Huntsmen and Huntresses, much less partially-trained students. I am sure you understand that well enough."

"Yes," said Ruby, her mood falling.

"Sometimes, it's simply due to the situation being beyond the scope of our control," said Glynda. "But, other times, it is much more predictable. A person's training may not be as complete as they think, or they may not be able to make the transition from theoretical classes and supervised spars to actual combat in the field. The end result is the same either way.

"As one of the people overseeing this Academy, my goal is to ensure that we train the finest Huntsmen and Huntresses possible. However, my goal is also to ensure that students _survive_ to graduate here...either that, or see them out before the strain of attempting such a thing breaks them.

"There is no denying that you are remarkably skilled for your age. However, that can make things even more dangerous for you. What Ozpin saw as decisiveness in your efforts to foil Torchwick's Dust robbery, I took as recklessness. You are two years younger than everyone else in this school. That does not merely mean a gap in time spent training, but also a gap in maturity that is only natural between you and people chronologically two years your senior. Even before some of them began to ostracize you, I am sure that you did feel somewhat...out of place...amongst the students in your year."

Ruby nodded slowly. In fact, it had been one of her big anxieties about accepting Ozpin's invitation, the reason she'd been so set on being on Yang's team, as her partner, when she first arrived. She'd been worried about how she could possibly be able to connect to a class full of people who were all two years older than her.

Glynda continued. "Unfortunately, there are aspects of personal maturity that no amount of prodigious talent and skill could ever hope to compensate for. I believed that those aspects might ultimately lead to your death in the field, if you were not given the time to grow up naturally, amongst those your own age. When I heard the original version of what had happened on that mission, I'd thought my worst fears realized."

"Oh..." said Ruby. She'd always felt that Goodwitch had been rather cold and critical towards her, seemingly reluctant to accept Ozpin's decision. She'd never imagined that this was the reason why. She blinked, thinking it over.

"However, I have now come to see that Ozpin was quite right about you," said Glynda. "I'm just sorry that it took this long for me to see it. You did indeed belong in Beacon, even before the things you went through matured you so dramatically. You have shown me that you embody everything that we could ever hope for a Huntress to be. I believe you will go on to do us proud."

"Thank you, Professor," said Ruby, smiling again. "And thank you for looking out for me."

"It is a pleasure and a privilege, Ms. Rose," said Glynda, showing the girl one of her rare smiles. "I am glad to have you back. Now, I believe I've taken up enough of your time, especially now that the weekend is here, as brief as it may be. I understand you have been working very hard to make up for the classes that you missed."

"Yes," said Ruby, nodding.

"Then go, spend your time with your team and your friends," said Glynda. "It's important to have some time to rest after all."

"All right," said Ruby, getting up. "Thanks for telling me everything, Professor," she said as she headed out the door.

Glynda leaned back in her seat, looking silently at the ceiling, hoping that, if anything else happened, Ruby wouldn't have to have a part in it. The poor girl had suffered enough.

* * *

The trip back to her dorm was uneventful, though Ruby found herself practically ambushed by Yang and Blake once she entered the room.

"Hey! You're back!" cheered Yang, pulling her little sister into the room. "How'd it go with Goodwitch? You in trouble or something?" A sly grin spread across her face. "She catch you and Gin making out in class?"

"No!" shouted Ruby, her cheeks turning red, a reaction that was mirrored by Gin, who was seated on their bed.

"What was it?" asked Blake.

"She wanted to tell me about how things were going with Weiss and Pyrrha," said Ruby. "Their trial is going to be soon, but the pro-pro...the guys on our side-"

"Prosecution," supplied Blake helpfully.

"Yeah, them," agreed Ruby. "Anyway, she said they might offer Weiss and Pyrrha a plea bargain, where they could get their sentences reduced...or something like that."

"What?" snarled Yang, her eyes flickering red.

"They wouldn't be let off the hook," said Blake quickly trying to assuage Yang's anger, lest she march right down to the detention center and demand that the two prisoners be handed over to her for their punishment. "It's a technical detail to avoid an unnecessary trial."

"Unnecessary!" exclaimed Yang.

"Because they have no chance of winning," explained Ruby, also wanting to keep her sister from going off the rails. "The bargain would probably be them pleading guilty to attempting to kill me."

"It's for the best," said Blake. "A trial would just make things difficult for us, especially Ruby, _especially_ when she's busy trying to get caught up with the coursework she missed while she was away."

"Yeah," agreed Ruby. "To be honest, I'm done with Weiss and Pyrrha. Like I told Goodwitch, so long as they can't hurt anyone else, I'll be fine. I just want to get my school life back on track."

Yang closed her eyes and sagged. When she opened them again, they had returned to normal. "Okay," she said, smiling wryly. "Since when are you the mature one, Ruby?"

Ruby giggled. "I've always been the mature one," she countered, sitting next to Gin on the bed. "That's why I'm the leader after all."

"Oh...you're mature, huh?" Yang raised an eyebrow, then shifted her gaze to the boy sitting next to Ruby on their bed. "That true?"

Gin and Ruby both flushed and Ruby sputtered. "Th-that has nothing to do with it!"

Yang laughed, and even Blake hid a smile, though she'd still stationed herself as far across the room from the young dragon-faunus as she possibly could, still not fully comfortable with his presence, now that she'd learned what he really was.

Ruby almost wished for the nostalgic days when Yang viewed Gin through a lens of hostility...almost. Unfortunately, much to her chagrin, Yang learning to accept Ruby and Gin's relationship had led to another revelation for Ruby's older sister, namely that, while Gin was completely unfazed by her attempts at intimidation, he was far more susceptible to embarrassment. She'd been on a roll, teasing them mercilessly ever since, saying whatever she could to turn their cheeks red. Still, Ruby supposed it was better than Yang always being on edge, and within a hair's breadth of trying to turn Gin into a red stain on the wall.

Ruby sighed and leaned her head on Gin's shoulder, letting his body drain the heat of her embarrassment away. Gin smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, raising his hand to her forehead, both of them blushing, but otherwise ignoring Yang's coo at their behavior.

Blake was the one who tried to break the silence. "So...what do you have planned for the afternoon?" she asked.

"The teachers didn't give you guys homework, right?" asked Yang.

Ruby and Gin both nodded slowly. "They said we deserve a couple nights free of stress," said Gin.

"So we have the whole afternoon and evening...and all of tomorrow to do whatever we want!" added Ruby, beginning to feel excited again, sitting upright and prompting Gin to drop his arm.

"Awesome!" crowed Yang. Then she paused. "Actually...we don't have all of tomorrow...or even most of it."

"Why?" asked Ruby.

"Well, Dad's coming over," said Yang. "He didn't when you first came back, because of everything going on, but he said he wanted to visit on the first day you had off, and this is it."

"Oh," said Ruby, nodding. "I owe it to him, I guess."

"Darn right you do," said Yang, a playful growl in her voice, "even if he knew you were alive before I did."

"Sorry," squeaked Ruby.

"It's okay," said Yang. "Anyway, we get to see how Dad reacts to your new boyfriend."

Gin and Ruby shared a glance, Ruby's nervous, Gin's...reserved. Neither of them knew how Taiyang Xiao Long would react to learning that his youngest daughter was in a relationship. There was a decent chance that his reaction would be similar to Yang's initial one.

"Aw, don't worry," assured Yang. "Dad won't go ballistic on you. He's reasonable. He reacted pretty well to me and Jaune getting together."

"That's true," agreed Blake. "Although Jaune did a lot to earn his way into your father's good graces, even before the two of you were a thing."

"Also true," conceded Yang, before grinning. "But don't worry, Gin. I promise to protect you if Dad _does_ get a little belligerent."

"Somehow, if he's related to you, I imagine that that's the least of my concerns," said Gin. "I'm more worried that he shares your sense of humor."

"You're just not used to being embarrassed, kid," said Yang with a giggle. "Don't worry. You'll get the Yang of it, sooner or later."

The other three occupants of the room groaned at the pun.

Then Yang's eyes shifted back to Ruby, and she began grinning again, the kind of grin that set Ruby's nerves on edge. "In any case, your evening's spoken for too."

"Huh? Why?" asked Ruby.

"As soon as dinner's over, we're kicking Gin out and having a full on, girls only, pajama party!" shouted Yang, pumping her fist in the air. "Nora's coming over, and I invited Coco and Velvet too. We're gonna have a nice, old-fashioned sleepover in our room. We're gonna gossip, watch movies, and snack until the break of dawn, then sleep until Dad shows up."

"And where am I supposed to go during this event?" asked Gin, crossing his arms, a slight petulance to his expression.

"You can go hang with Jaune, Ren, and Ayumu," said Yang with a dismissiveness that, somehow, also managed to be playful. "I'm sure you guys can find something to waste your time on."

"So considerate of you," Gin deadpanned. He looked to Ruby, who smiled ruefully at him.

"Sorry," she said. "You know how my sister gets by now."

"Yeah, it doesn't take long to get an idea of how she is," said Gin.

"Don't worry, Ruby," teased Blake. "I'm sure you can go one night without your oversized teddy bear to cuddle up to."

"Th-that's not it!" protested Ruby, puffing out her cheeks and blushing. Then she decided the best way to alleviate her embarrassment was to fire back in some fashion. "Besides, he's not my teddy bear. He's my cold pack."

"Is that how you think of me?" protested Gin in mock horror, making Ruby gasp, then giggle helplessly. It was little more than a joke, but it was a sign that Gin was beginning to assert himself more in their relationship.

Yang laughed too and even Blake hid a smile, her discomfort unable to completely stifle her mirth.

After a moment, they all calmed down. "Well, if that's the case, then Gin and I are going," said Ruby.

"Going where?" asked Yang and Gin at the same time, even as Ruby stood up, pulling Gin to his feet along with her.

"I don't know yet," confessed Ruby yet. "But, if I'm going to be stuck here all night, and with Dad tomorrow, then I want to at least have the afternoon to spend some alone-time with my boyfriend. Come on, Gin." She pulled him out the door, Gin following without protest.

"Think we should keep an eye on them?" asked Yang playfully.

"No," said Blake flatly. "Ruby's right. She deserves some privacy with...Gin."

"You really _do_ hate him," said Yang.

"I don't hate him!" snapped Blake, lowering the book she'd been pretending to read while Gin was in the room. In truth, _pretending_ to read was the best she could do. She was too conscious of Gin's mere presence to even think about what was on the page in front of her. "You're the one who hated him!"

"For completely stupid and irrational reasons," admitted Yang readily enough. "But that doesn't explain why you're so afraid of him. You've never met a dragon-faunus before. Do you really believe those old stories you told me about?"

"Some of those stories are historical fact," declared Blake. "Ignis and Aurelius weren't myths, and the crimes they committed are very real."

"But didn't this Ignis person fight on the faunus side of the Revolution?" pressed Yang. "I thought you'd think she was a hero."

"She was a _monster!_ " countered Blake. "She slaughtered hundreds of soldiers."

"It sounds like she was just fighting her enemies," said Yang, frowning. "Whether it's just one person or an army, if they're killing enemy soldiers, even by the hundreds, isn't it the same?"

"It's not-!" Blake began to protest, but the words died on her lips, her counter sounding hollow. "I...I'm not sure," she said.

"Maybe you should look into it more," said Yang. "Gin's not like you thought he would be."

"Well...that's not the same..." said Blake. "I didn't know he was a dragon-faunus before that."

"And after you learned...is anything actually different?" asked Yang. "Has Gin been acting like a monster in any way?"

"No," admitted Blake.

"That's just it," said Yang. "Gin's always been a dragon-faunus. The only thing that changed was was whether or not you _knew_ it. Is it any different from how it was when we found out you were a faunus?"

"It's not the same," said Blake, the retort sounding hollow, even to her. She frowned and looked down.

"It sure sounds the same," said Yang.

"I just...I don't know what to think," said Blake. "Even when I think about it rationally, even when I know there's no legitimate reason to be wary of Gin...I can't help but feel...I don't know."

Yang mulled it over for a little while. "Maybe we should ask Ayumu," she said.

"Ayumu, why?" asked Blake.

"Well, he's a faunus too," said Yang. "But, unlike you and Velvet, he's not afraid of Gin at all."

"Well, with how long they've been together, he's probably just used to Gin by now," suggested Blake, deflecting her surprise at how easily she'd forgotten that Ayumu was a faunus too. Unlike her, he wasn't actually making an effort to hide his faunus traits, but simply forgot that they were covered, and that he looked like a human at first glance. He never hesitated to correct someone who assumed he was human within his earshot though.

"No harm in asking," said Yang.

* * *

Knocking at the door to JNAR's room, it was answered by Ren, who gladly fetched Ayumu for them to ask.

"Gin...?" said Ayumu in surprise, having come over to RUBY's room in order to answer their questions.

"Yeah," said Yang. "You're a faunus, like Blake and Velvet. Was there ever a time you were afraid of him?"

"Hmm...not explicitly," said Ayumu. "When I first saw his scales, there was a visceral reaction, something almost reflexive."

"Really?" asked Blake.

"Well, the fact of the matter is that I might have been afraid of him, but I didn't really react to that fear," explained Ayumu.

"How?" asked Blake.

"Because of your master, right?" asked Yang with a grin. "It's like how I couldn't really intimidate either of you."

"Ah, well, we oversimplify it a bit," said Ayumu with a small laugh. "It's true that, thanks to Master Yu's intimidation, no one else we've encountered ever seems to measure up in that department. But the reason we control our reactions so well is that we were taught to."

"Taught to...?" said Blake, her ears perking beneath the bow.

Ayumu nodded slowly. "Our Master taught us, not to ignore or not to feel fear, but to process it as information."

"What do you mean?" asked Yang.

"Fear is critical to survival," said Ayumu. "Fear is often your first indicator that you're in danger. The key is to be in control of how you respond to that fear. Our Master taught us to treat fear as a source of information, determine what makes us afraid, then work to counter that fear in the most effective manner."

"Pretty cool," said Yang.

Ayumu nodded. "So...while I felt fear of Gin when I first realized what he was, I can't say I reacted in any manner. It's true that I'm not afraid of him now, and haven't been for a long time. Now that I think back on it, I can't find any real basis for _why_ I was afraid, which leads me to believe that it was an instinctive or reflexive response, possibly akin to a phobia."

"Phobia?" asked Blake.

"It's hard to say," said Ayumu. "Like me, Gin doesn't go out of his way to hide the fact that he's a dragon-faunus. But he doesn't explicitly announce it either. He uses his claws and scales as he needs to, and allows others to connect the dots. However, after observing how some faunus have reacted to the realization that he's a dragon-faunus, it's led me to believe that there may, in fact, be an instinctive quality to the fear that faunus have of dragon-faunus."

"Really?" asked Blake, looking down at her hands.

Ayumu nodded. "It also explains why, even though stories of dragon-faunus as monsters have been passed down amongst humans and faunus alike, humans have not ever seemed to have had as visceral a response to dragon-faunus as other faunus do."

"So...it's something instinctive to faunus specifically?" asked Yang, for clarity's sake.

"I believe so," confirmed Ayumu. "Truth be told, dragon-faunus are a strange breed. From what little I've learned about them, almost nothing is consistent about their nature or how their faunus traits manifest. Some, like Gin, completely violate the Law of Singularity."

"Law of what-now?" asked Yang, blinking in confusion.

"The Law of Singularity, from the field of faunus biology," said Blake, untying her bow to reveal her ears. " _A faunus displays only a single animal trait,_ " she recited.

"In other words, while Ms. Blake here has cat ears, there is no chance that she would have a cat tail as well," explained Ayumu. "That, together with the Law of Symmetry, is one of the two laws that primarily describe faunus biology."

"Law of Symmetry...?" prodded Yang, a bit confused as to how this had sidetracked into a discussion of faunus biology.

"In other words, what a faunus has on one side of their body, they'll have on the other," said Blake. "A faunus won't have a single animal ear, for example. Or, if their trait is on one limb, it will be found on the opposite limb as well. Unlike the Law of Singularity there are some exceptions to that one, if the animal a faunus gets their traits from is asymmetrical itself."

"Gin's eyes and scales are consistent with the Law of Symmetry," said Ayumu. "However, they violate the Law of Singularity. But that's not consistent. I'd read that Ignis had _no_ visible traits beyond her scales and claws, and could pass as human when they were concealed, something she supposedly used to devastating effect once or twice, during the Revolution."

Blake nodded. "Aurelius had some kind of fins or flaps over his ears, and, when his scales came out, they covered a larger portion of his body and he looked like some kind of inhuman hybrid."

Ayumu sighed. "Unfortunately, because dragon-faunus are so rare, those are the only two whose traits have been reliably catalogued in any meaningful fashion. There are other discrepancies as well."

"What kind?" asked Yang.

"Just looking at him bring them out, you'd assume that Gin's scales are some kind of sub-dermal formation that emerge on the surface of his skin, when he uses them," said Ayumu. "But, if you'd ever felt his arms when the scales are gone, you wouldn't feel them below his skin layer."

"You're saying they're not there?" wondered Yang.

Ayumu shook his head. "I'm not sure. Even Master Yu isn't sure how Gin's scales work, or he isn't saying anything if he does know, and his _Shingan_ can examine a person more thoroughly than an X-ray. He's always equated the appearance of Gin's scales to a spreading rash, which led us to suspect that Gin's scales are the result of some kind of transmutation of his skin into a different substance. How that could work, I couldn't even begin to tell you. It's another mystery surrounding dragon-faunus."

"Lot of mysteries here," mused Yang. "But how does that help Blake?"

"Well, going back to the subject of fear, it's my belief that there's some kind of ingrained, instinctual response to dragon-faunus," said Ayumu. "Their unique nature truly sets them apart from other faunus, which triggers some manner of instinctive aversion. The stories of dragon-faunus partly serve as a way to rationalize that fear. If you truly want to get over it, the only way to do so would probably be in the same manner that you would overcome any other regular phobia."

"Exposure," said Blake softly, her skin paling.

"That's right," said Ayumu. "The best way to overcome your fear of him is to spend time around him, and become accustomed to him."

"C-can I really do that?" asked Blake. "I mean...Gin probably already..."

"He doesn't hate you," said Ayumu. "Believe me, people have reacted much worse to the revelation that he's a dragon-faunus. Some other faunus have attacked him on sight. Besides, he'd appreciate the fact that you're making an effort to overcome your fear."

"He won't get angry?" asked Blake.

"Gin learned to master his anger a long time ago," said Ayumu. "Something like this wouldn't even rate as an irritant."

"Nice," said Yang. "Well, you're gonna have plenty of time to get used to him. We're gonna need it, if he's gonna fight in the tournament with us."

"Right..." said Blake.

"What about these other two you guys keep talking about?" Yang wanted to know.

"Aurelius and Ignis," said Blake softly. "They're the two most historically prominent dragon-faunus, and the only ones officially recorded and recognized."

"They each participated in the major conflicts of the past century," added Ayumu. "Aurelius fought in the Great War, Ignis in the Faunus Rights Revolution. Sadly, there isn't a lot of information about them specifically, although I understand that there are more records of Ignis' actions in Menagerie." He sighed and scratched his head. "After meeting Gin, I read up on them, out of curiosity, but I'm no historian."

Both Yang and Blake twitched, their eyes going wide. They shared a look with one another. "But we do have a historian, here at Beacon," said Yang.

"And he _does_ know a great deal about faunus history," added Blake.

* * *

"Ah, yes, I have done some research on the dragon-faunus, particularly Ignis," said Dr. Oobleck, sipping coffee from where he sat, behind his desk. "I applaud your desire to satisfy your curiosity about such an important piece of history."

"Important?" asked Blake, leaning forward in her own seat.

"My dear, I'd go so far as to say that Ignis was a _critical_ player in the Revolution." Oobleck sighed and shook his head sadly. "However, that is an unpopular view to take, and my efforts to bring her actions to attention in a positive light have been censured in the past. As a result, I have found it necessary to leave her out of discussions of the Revolution altogether, if only for the reason that I have no wish to join Vale's historical community in maligning her."

"Maligning her?" Blake frowned.

"Yes," said Oobleck with a sigh. "According to the official history of the Faunus Rights Revolution, Ignis: the Savage was officially classified as a war criminal for the slaughter of countless soldiers during the conflict, a designation that Menagerie has officially endorsed, despite how much they owe her."

"So she was critical in winning the war?" asked Yang.

"Not necessarily," conceded Oobleck. "The faunus forces were effective at utilizing the resources they had on hand, and leveraging the advantages they had, like their night-vision, over the human forces. They would have most likely won out in the end, particularly because they had a cause that they supported much more fiercely than the humans did theirs. But, without Ignis, the Revolution would have lasted far longer, and with far more bloodshed on both sides overall. On top of that, we owe her a debt for minimizing the remaining enmity after the Revolution's conclusion."

"How so?" asked Blake.

"I'll explain near the end," said Oobleck. "But it's best to start with Ignis' actions during the conflict itself to establish the proper context. I have to admit that my characterizations of her are based on extrapolations I've made over the course of my research. Both sides of the conflict consistently regarded her as a monster in the aftermath, that much must be admitted. However, I've found discrepancies that paint a more nuanced picture."

"What are they?" asked Yang.

Oobleck adjusted his glasses. "Ignis was characterized as a monster for the mass slaughter of enemy soldiers. However, in the official records of Menagerie, there is no record of her killing soldiers _outside_ of combat situations and, more tellingly, she is indicted for the slaughter of _soldiers_ , but not _civilians_. There is no record of a civilian receiving so much as a scratch from her."

"Then why slaughter?" asked Blake. "Doesn't that mean she was unnecessarily violent on the battlefield."

"Ms. Belladonna, on the battlefield, there isn't really any such thing as unnecessary violence," said Oobleck. "In the past, treaties have been drawn up to try and mitigate weapons that are more about causing harm than killing the enemy or similar matters. However, beyond that, the most basic goal in any battle is to kill as many of the enemy while losing as few of your own as possible. Exercising cruelty on the enemy is inefficient in the short term, and the records show that Ignis was most certainly anything _but_ inefficient."

"So she was good at killing the people on the other side," said Yang.

"Quite right," agreed Oobleck with a sharp nod. "More enemies might have died by her hands than would have against an actual force, but that is not necessarily her fault. An armed force, faced with a single opponent, would rightly assume that their massed firepower would ultimately tell against her, no matter how strong she is on her own. However, Ignis' strength was apparently greater than even that, which led to soldiers holding on and not retreating until she had killed far more of them than a full force of faunus fighters would have accounted for, before their enemies decided to retreat and regroup.

"Sadly, had it not been Ignis on her own, but rather a squad or company of faunus soldiers, it wouldn't have been considered a crime, both because no single soldier could be saddled with the responsibility for all those killed, but also because there would have been more dead on the faunus side, inevitably, mitigating the severity of their actions in the minds of successive generations. However, since those killed by Ignis were killed by her alone, her actions were called slaughter or massacres, instead of victories."

"Was there any information about her as a person?" asked Blake.

"Not much," said Oobleck. "Almost no humans met her in a capacity that didn't involve them fighting against her on the battlefield. The records of Menagerie have little information regarding what kind of person she was beyond how she fought...which might be telling in its own right. What little I've found come from civilian anecdotes passed down in a few settlements that were contested locations during the conflict. They indicate that she was actually quite calm, but withdrawn, outside of combat. Rather, I think that, personality-wise, she might have quite a bit in common with your new teammate."

"Huh..." mused Yang, blinking in surprise.

"Furthermore, records of her actions during the conflict are quite at odds with her characterization as a remorseless berserker," said Oobleck. "Historians recorded that she often acted without consulting her official superiors in the chain of command, and conducted attacks on her own. However, by researching those attacks and setting them into the context of the larger conflict as a whole, I determined that she actually possessed a great deal of strategic acumen. She understood her greatest strength quite well."

"That she could fight on the level of an army?" asked Yang.

"Not quite," said Oobleck. "Her greatest strength was that she possessed fighting strength equivalent to that of a much larger force...in a single person. Ideally, this enabled her to act as a fully detached force from the main body of the faunus army. She could counter enemy movements, disrupt their deployments, and execute ambushes that would normally require a considerably larger force, but with the mobility and logistic support of a scout or messenger. This made her much more maneuverable and enabled her to use her abilities to even greater effect. Take the Battle of Fort Castle, for example."

"Didn't the faunus forces win that because of their night-vision?" asked Blake. "That's what you taught us in class. Ignis wasn't a part of that battle."

"Correct," said Oobleck. "But she did participate in its immediate aftermath, and was a key factor in making the battle as decisive as it was. Despite his overconfidence, General Lagune _did_ have the capacity to learn from his mistakes. Once he realized that the faunus had the advantage in the dark, he resolved to fall back and mount a fresh attack with reinforcements, at dawn. However, the reinforcements he was expecting never arrived."

"Ignis?" asked Yang.

"Exactly," said Oobleck. "She did not participate in the battle itself because she had acted on her own, circling around Lagune's forces, cutting off both their logistic support and expected reinforcements. What was more, she executed this in such a timely manner that, when Lagune's attack failed and his forces retreated, she was in position to wait for them. Her attack kept them from regrouping and completely shattered their morale, allowing the faunus forces to surround and capture the rest of them, along with Lagune himself."

"Wow..." said Blake softly.

Oobleck sighed. "Of course, because of the prejudices she was under, Ignis was characterized as having gone rogue and only showing up after the rest of the army had done the real work."

"That's so sad," said Yang.

"All told, what I've learned about Ignis is that she is a more tragic figure than an evil one," said Oobleck. "At the Revolution's end, with the signing of the Menagerie Accords by the human and faunus forces, one of the provisions of the treaty was that she be officially designated a war criminal, and punished for her actions. Ignis willingly went into self-imposed exile into the deserts of Menagerie as a consequence, where she passed out her last days in complete isolation."

Yang gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "Why?"

"Well, it goes back to what I said about her being able to inflict death on the scale of a military force on her own," said Oobleck. "Because of how one-sided it appeared, her actions were viewed as savage, rather than heroic. Furthermore, the animosity against her made her a convenient scapegoat for the enmity that the humans felt over the lives lost, as well as the loss of the Revolution in general. Because she was saddled with the blame for much of the bloodshed, it made it easier for the human forces to accept their loss, and move ahead with taking steps to acknowledge faunus rights. It seems that Ignis understood this as well, and accepted her final role quite willingly, in order to facilitate peace between humans and faunus, going so far as to exile herself to the harsh, uninhabitable deserts of Menagerie to spend her final days."

Yang couldn't quite stop herself from sniffling at that.

"No wonder this isn't a popular view," mused Blake quietly. Then she looked up. "But why did you research her so thoroughly. To get this kind of information, you must have gone to Menagerie itself."

"Indeed I did, Ms. Belladonna," said Oobleck. "In my days as an active Huntsman, I carried out many expeditions in order to build a more complete history of the events and conflicts that have shaped our world today. The Faunus Rights Revolution is one of the most important turning points in our history, even more important than the Great War itself, in my view, as the roots of that conflict continue to cause offshoots of it today, as you girls know full well, thanks to your recent altercations with the White Fang."

Blake and Yang both nodded slowly.

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it," said Oobleck sadly. "Unfortunately, it would appear that there are those, both humans and faunus, who have not yet learned the terrible cost of open conflict between one another."

Blake frowned. She knew that Adam's view was different, and that he believed he _had_ learned from the mistakes of past generations. Of course, his view was that the faunus of the Revolution hadn't gone _far enough_ , that they should have pressed on and either subjugated the humans...or eradicated them entirely.

"What about the other guy," asked Yang, "this Aurelius person?"

Oobleck frowned darkly. "Unfortunately, I have not had the time to do more extensive research into his history. Most historians treat him as more of a footnote in the overall conflict, a dangerous weapon in Mantle's arsenal, one that was costly to defeat, but had little impact otherwise. What little I have learned is that his story may be even more tragic than poor Ignis'."

"Why?" asked Blake, sitting up a little straighter.

"Human and faunus relations were even worse, back in those days," said Oobleck. "it is true that faunus participated in the war to win recognition and equality for their people, but different factions of the conflict used them more as slave-soldiers than enlisted soldiers."

"That's awful!" gasped Yang.

"What happened to Aurelius appears to be even worse," said Oobleck sadly. "He was not merely enslaved by Mantle's army, but broken by them. They broke him and then trained him like an animal, then he was set upon enemy forces as a living terror weapon. They deliberately turned him into a savage beast."

Yang caught on. "And, of course, because he was a dragon-faunus, no one really objected, because they were viewed as monsters, even by other faunus."

"Precisely," said Oobleck. "I hope this information makes it easier to accept and understand your new teammate. I imagine he has gone through considerable difficulties, thanks to his nature."

"That's putting it mildly," said Blake, now very conscious of how coldly she'd been treating him. "Thank you for sharing this with us, Professor."

"Thank you for taking an interest in such an underrated portion of our world's history," replied Oobleck. "It is not often that I get the chance to share my conclusions regarding Ignis with students."

Leaving Oobleck's office, Yang and Blake were silent for several minutes as they made their way through Beacon's hallways.

"So...feel any better?" Yang asked, throwing a sidelong glance her partner's way.

"Well, I feel that I need to at least make an effort to be more accepting," said Blake, "if not for Gin's sake, then for Ruby's. At the very least, I don't think she's the kind of girl to fall for someone, just because he saved her life."

"Nope," agreed Yang. "She's not. Maybe we can talk about it more at tonight's sleepover. It'll be interesting to get the scoop on them, especially since it'll be easier to get Ruby to talk about their relationship if Gin isn't there with her."

"You're right," said Blake, looking forward to their night in.

* * *

 **So...this chapter was mostly dialogue and exposition. I can understand if people don't like that, but I felt that a lot of this stuff is relevant to the story going forward. Obviously, Ruby would need to have the concept of a plea bargain explained to her, because I very much doubt she's received much education on such matters.**

 **The issue of Gin being a dragon-faunus is one I'd been waiting to address. In the first arc of this story, it wasn't much more than a part of Gin's exposition, and there wasn't much place for it to come to the fore, mainly because most of the chapters were largely centered around him, Ruby, and Ayumu in the wilderness. Even when they did go into a settlement and interacted with other faunus, Gin keeps his scales out of sight, unless he needs them, like with the fight against the White Fang, who were probably a bit too busy to comment, or even notice, his nature. Of course, now that he's at Beacon, with a cast of other faunus to call attention to his most notable traits, that aspect of him is going to be more prominent.**

 **Aside from that, I did want to do a little explaining about the history of Ignis and Aurelius. I'd actually considered creating my own _World of Remnant_ interludes for this story for such bits and pieces of the world, but didn't have enough topics to make it a consistent addition, to say nothing of the fact that it would have pushed up the chapter count, which is absurd enough as it is.**


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47:**

"So...this is what you meant by 'alone time?'" asked Gin as he looked out over the empty sparring ring.

"Yep," said Ruby, popping her mouth with the "p" sound, giving Gin an eager smile. "After spending all that time in class, I kinda want to do something more active, you know. I felt like some exercise would be nice."

"I can't argue," said Gin, rubbing his head, running his fingers through his hair. "But sparring..."

"I've wanted to spar against you for a while," confessed Ruby. "I know you don't feel comfortable with fighting me, but you're going to have to get used to it. Professor Goodwitch might make us fight each other in the future, and you'll only get in trouble if you try to hold back."

Gin sighed, lowering his gaze. "You're right," he said, a small smile of his own appearing.

"Don't be afraid of hurting me," said Ruby. "I want you to fight me the way you fought Yang...minus the part where you let her start whaling on you. Master Yu was right, you have to be willing to be cruel to me...in the ring, at least."

Gin gulped.

"Gin," said Ruby, looking at him, her smile gone, replaced by a stern expression that was surprisingly potent despite its contrast with her lovely features, "if you hold back against me, that's gonna make me angry. Understand?"

"Y-yes," stammered Gin.

Ruby's smile reappeared with a suddenness that was startling. "Good! Then let's hit the ring."

"Right..." said Gin, still feeling a bit nervous as they walked out into the ring.

Using her scroll, Ruby brought up the safety barriers and activated the Aura-monitoring system to send up an alarm when one of them reached the critical level, just like with their regular sparring.

Gin looked up at the screen that displayed their levels, then back down to Ruby. "If we're going to do this, then I have a condition," he said after a moment's thought.

"What is it?" asked Ruby, genuinely curious.

"When we fight, I want you to stop when you feel that your Aura is just above the critical level," said Gin.

"Huh?" Ruby blinked. "Gin...what are you-?"

"When I fought your sister, I got in the final blow, because she broke her attention to check her Aura-level on the screen," said Gin. "Checking it with your scroll is even worse. Either way, you're taking your focus off the fight itself, which is a fatal error that any opponent of real skill, person or Grimm, won't hesitate to take advantage of."

Ruby swallowed and nodded, surprised...and secretly thrilled...by Gin's sudden assertiveness.

"When you were training with Master Yu, he always ran you down to the limit of your reserves," continued Gin. "So you essentially pushed until you couldn't go any further. What you need to develop now is your sense of your own Aura, to learn to feel your own limits, and when you're reaching them. Pushing yourself all the way to the edge in training is fine. But in a real battle, you need to learn when it's time to back away and retreat. Pushing yourself to the limit to defeat an opponent is meaningless, if you're helpless afterwards, in the face of the next."

"Oh..." said Ruby, blinking, before finding herself smiling. This was even _better_ than what she'd been hoping for. More than just taking her seriously in their sparring session, Gin was now seeing this as an opportunity to continue her training.

Their relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend was, naturally, one of equals. But, in the ring, or in battle rather, they weren't equals. For all that she had improved rapidly, Ruby knew that Gin was still better than her, by virtue of the many years he had spent under Yu's tutelage. Now he was using that extra experience to continue her instruction in Yu's place.

"You're on," said Ruby, unfolding Shining Rose and igniting the blade, raising it in readiness to the strike. She sank into a crouch, ready to surge forward the instant the fight began, a confident smile on her face.

Across from her, Gin crouched as well, an almost excited smile of his own on his face. _Well now,_ he thought, seeing the look on Ruby's face, which sent shivers of anticipation racing down his spine, _if you look at me like that, I can't help but take you seriously as an opponent. I should've done this a long time ago. Ruby's right. I_ do _hold back too much with her._

Gin's scales spread across his forearms like a rash, claws extending from his fingertips. He raised his hands in readiness, to strike or defend as needed. The two of them fell silent, each waiting for the opportune moment to move. Without an observer, like Goodwitch, to give the signal to begin, it was up to them to decide when to begin the fight.

In the stands above, a single student wandered in, coming to check if the room was open. When she saw the two combatants down on the floor, her eyes widened, and she immediately pulled out her scroll and called her teammates.

Gin and Ruby surged into motion in almost perfect unison. Ruby flashed forward, a spray of red petals bursting out with each step of her feet as she closed the distance between them. In contrast, Gin seemed to slide, his movements fluid and graceful, flowing like water to meet her. The moment she was in range, Ruby lashed out with her scythe, which Gin countered with his raised arm, blocking the blade as he continued to move forward to try and penetrate into Ruby's range before she could maneuver her weapon back into position to defend. He lunged in, the fingers of his hand extended, aiming his claws right for Ruby's chest.

His only reward was a handful of petals as Ruby pulled on the scythe, which was still hooked around Gin's blocking arm, using his own arm as leverage to pull herself out of the way of his attack, utilizing both her body and her weapon to accelerate, before Gin could realize what she'd done. Using Gin's arm as a fulcrum, Ruby hurtled around his body, launching herself into the air, extinguishing the blade of her weapon and allowing her to fly free. As she did, Shining Rose collapsed down into its rifle mode and she lined up a shot at the back of Gin's head.

A crimson bolt cracked across the space between them, piercing right through Gin's skull and out the other side. However, his head exploded into a cloud of mist as Gin's body rippled downwards to reveal that he'd ducked. Sinking into a crouch, Gin pushed off the ground and launched himself at Ruby, flying through the air at her, claws extending like a big-cat, pouncing on prey.

With an eager smile Ruby opened up her weapon once more, extending the blade and whipping it around behind her. Red petals exploded out from the winglike projection at the back of the weapon's head, propelling Ruby at Gin in the same manner that her previous weapon's recoil used to, allowing her to reverse her course in the air. Using her Semblance again, she accelerated her scythe's swing to bring it around to strike at Gin once again, this time before he reached the range where he could block and continue forward.

Gin was forced to brace his arms against one another to ward off the blow. Unlike Ruby, he did not have a means of changing his inertia in midair, and was sent flying backwards. He used a backflip to help play out the momentum and landed on all fours, crouching low to the floor, ducking beneath the followthrough swing of Ruby's scythe as she followed him down and followed up with another attack just as blindingly-fast as the last.

Surging up, Gin rushed Ruby again, attempting to catch her before she could bring the scythe around for another slash. However, it had seemed that Ruby had anticipated that, using her Semblance to accelerate the weapon even further, making the blade into a streak of light as she slashed it right through Gin at the level of his stomach, seeming to cleave him in two.

However, once again, the only thing her blade had actually caught was mist. Out of the corner of her eye, Ruby caught sight of the air, off to one side, rippling and distorting as Gin slipped around behind her. His _Suigetsu_ allowed him to fool her eyes, but Ruby could feel Gin's presence and position through her other senses, catching him as he closed in and slashed his claws at her back. Continuing her scythe's swing, Ruby used the movement to maneuver the shaft of her weapon around her back, bracing it diagonally across her shoulder so that it ran down to her opposite hip. The position was perfect and Gin's claws glanced off with a clang of metal.

The force behind the blow did launch Ruby forward, but she allowed it too, not fighting the force of Gin's blow, but instead riding it to gain distance, even as she released her weapon with one hand and pulled down with the other, using her shoulder as a fulcrum to bring the blade around in an upwards slash at Gin, right as his attack knocked her back into her optimal range.

Once again, Gin was forced to raise an arm to block as the glowing, crimson blade of Ruby's scythe drew sparks off his scales from their clashing Auras. He fell back and Ruby turned around, spinning her weapon about and reversing course to come at him again, before he could have a chance to take back the offensive.

Neither of them noticed, or bothered to notice, that the stands above were beginning to fill. After the student who'd first stumbled upon them had called her team, the word had begun to spread across the school that two of Beacon's big curiosities were clashing against each other in the ring. After seeing what they could do against regular Beacon students during the combat assessment, many in the student body felt there was no way they could miss these two clashing against each other.

They were not disappointed. Gin and Ruby were blurs as they danced back and forth across the ring. Gin's arms would seem to be in one place, even while Ruby was fending off strikes from a completely different direction. Ruby's scythe spun and slashed so fast that, at times, it seemed to surround her with concentric rings of spinning light. The air between them was filled with silver and red starbursts from their Auras clashing in attacks too swift for the eye to easily follow.

Down below, Ruby was overjoyed, feeling a strange sense of calm as she immersed herself in the sensation of battle. In a sense, she felt closer to Gin than she ever had before, able to feel his movements through the air around her. Excitement hummed through her veins, spiking every time she fended off a slash of his claws, or nearly landed a blow against him. When he flashed across her field of vision, Ruby could see every bead of sweat glistening on his skin, and every stray hair that trailed from his head. When he passed beyond the reach of her eyes, Ruby could still feel him, his breath sounding as though it was coming from her own lungs, and his heart as though it was beating in her chest.

 _Wonderful,_ was the only thing she could think. She couldn't manage any other coherent thoughts. There simply wasn't time to think as they danced back and forth across the ring, jockeying for position and exchanging blows at incredible speed. A strange tranquility began to settle over her mind as she lost herself in the flow of battle, attacking, defending, evading, and countering. Her body felt as though it was moving on its own, yet it obeyed her will perfectly. This was what Yu had been telling her about. This was the state that he'd been guiding her towards.

Then Gin abruptly changed the game. Before, he had been circling around her, trying to maneuver to her flanks and close inside her range before she could bring her weapon around to attack or defend. But, suddenly, he abruptly changed strategies and came at her directly from the front, charging in, bringing up both arms in a close guard as Ruby used her Semblance to accelerate Shining Rose into another slash meant to strike and push him back before he could move too far inside her range. This time, instead of being pushed back, Gin completely bulled through her attack, knocking Ruby's scythe back instead, and heading right for her.

Ruby had expected Gin to use another driving thrust for her chest. Instead, she was shocked when she saw him duck down and to the side, even though there hadn't been an attack for him to dodge. Then he came back up and around. Ruby's eyes widened as she saw his arm extended out past her field of vision. She caught a flash of silver out of the corner of her eye and raised Shining Rose's shaft to block the slash she realized was coming.

She was almost too late. She barely managed to get her weapon into position in time, but Gin's attack was so powerful that it nearly ripped Shining Rose from her hands. Worse still, Gin wasn't done. Even as she warded off his slash, he continued his motion to the opposite side, ducking and then rising in the same way. Realizing what was coming, Ruby desperately transferred her defense to the opposite side, again just barely managing to ward off Gin's strike, which was just as powerful as the last. Even then, he continued on, once again shifting to the opposite side of his last attack and going into the same ducking and weaving maneuver.

 _This is Yang's!_ Ruby realized, her eyes widening even further, realizing that she'd been caught. Gin was executing the same Rolling Combo that Yang had used against him in the combat assessment. Instead of smashing at her with punches the way Yang would have, Gin was instead launching powerful slashes of his claws in a seemingly endless right-left combination, each blow carrying such overwhelming force that it was all Ruby could do to keep up her defense.

Even then, her all wasn't enough. Her grip slipped and Gin's slash knocked Shining Rose out of position. Before Ruby could regain her grip and raise it again, Gin had already gone into his next attack, catching Ruby in the side of the face. His claws raked burning lines across her cheek, carving out chunks of her Aura and snapping her head to the side. Now Ruby was completely helpless, the next attack following up on the heels of the last before she had any chance of recovering, Gin brutally hammering away at her in a display of brute ferocity that was quite at odds with his normal style.

Unable to do anything else, Ruby threw herself backwards with all her might, letting gravity carry her down to the floor as Gin's latest slash flew through the space her head had occupied. Ruby turned her fall into a roll, carrying her away from Gin. As she came onto her feet, she remained in a low crouch, swinging her scythe low, so that the blade was barely skimming above the surface of the ring, right at Gin's feet. He skipped over her slash, and Ruby used her Semblance through her feet to shoot out of the way as he landed where she'd been crouched, his clawed hand plunging into the floor and shattering it with the force of impact.

Coming back fully upright, Ruby whirled Shining Rose across her back to swing it around at Gin as he rose to pursue her, the two of them racing for each other. Then Ruby's eyes widened again.

Shining Rose froze in place. A fraction of a second later, Gin halted as well, his claws hovering a tiny fraction of a centimeter away from her chest, the tips barely tickling the fabric of her top.

"Here, right?" asked Ruby, smiling through the sweat and fatigue.

Gin relaxed and his smile returned, replacing the stern expression that had come over him when he'd started laying into her. He stepped back and lowered his hand, retracting his claws and scales. "You pass."

Ruby looked upwards and smiled to see that her Aura-level read as barely a sliver above the critical zone. Had they continued, the buzzer would have sounded with the next exchange. Exhilaration flooded through her, and Ruby was swept up in the urge to throw her arms around Gin and kiss him then and there. However, her excitement was stifled when faint murmurs reached her ears. Looking around, Ruby saw that, while they had been fighting, the stands had filled with spectators. They were all talking animatedly about the fight. A few were even applauding her and Gin.

Ruby's cheeks turned bright-red. She nervously closed down her scythe and holstered it with a haste that made it almost seem as though she were trying to hide it.

"We attracted an audience, huh?" mused Gin, also blushing as he swept his eyes across the stand.

"Let's go to the lockers," suggested Ruby. Even she didn't need to actually use the locker to hold Shining Rose, she needed to keep up appearances, at least until they were ready to show everyone the true nature of her new weapon.

"Yeah," agreed Gin. The two of them made a hasty exit.

* * *

After cleaning themselves up a little, Gin and Ruby beat a hasty exit before any of the spectators could try to catch them and bombard them with questions. Ruby was still nervous at being treated as such an oddity, the attention she was garnering only seeming to increase after her demonstration during the combat assessment. She supposed it was only natural. People wanted to know what had happened to her, and how she'd changed so much. But she wasn't ready for that. They would get the basic version of events once Ozpin gave his official announcement, and Ruby was already tired enough of telling the same story over and over again.

She and Gin fled to a quiet corner of the courtyard and settled down in the shade of a large tree. There, Ruby allowed herself to relax, settling back into Gin's arms and basking in the relaxing sensation as he rested his hand on her forehead, and his body seemed to gently drain the heat from her own.

"What was that at the end?" she asked, after resting a moment. "You used Yang's combo there."

"That's not exclusively hers," said Gin. "It's a technique that Yu taught me...in the sense that he guided me into the motions to produce it through our sparring matches, then explained it to me afterwards. The weaving motion uses the shift of the center of gravity to generate even more power than you'd normally be able to just through pivoting around alone. It essentially allows you to 'step into' each attack, which gives you extra power."

"Wow," said Ruby, fascinated by the idea.

"But," said Gin, holding up a finger, "the reason I used it was to take advantage of your weakness."

"My weakness?" Ruby turned in Gin's arms to look at him in confusion.

"Yep," Gin smirked. With his finger, he gently tapped the bridge of Ruby's nose, "your eyes."

"How are my eyes my weakness?" asked Ruby. "I thought my _Shingan_ was getting better."

"It is," said Gin. "But you've developed something of a bad habit with it."

"What do you mean?"

"Your _Shingan_ is excellent, though its range is still limited at your current level. However, you're only using it when your opponent, me this time, is outside your field of vision."

Ruby inhaled sharply, her eyes widening.

Gin shifted her around again so that her back was resting against his chest and gently combed his fingers through her bangs. "The problem is, when your opponent is inside your field of vision, you have a tendency to relax, and stop using the _Shingan_ , because you can see them. You start using it again almost immediately when they leave it, but, ironically, the time when your guard is the lowest is when your enemy is directly in front of you."

Ruby giggled nervously. "Oops."

"You didn't have that problem when you were fighting Weiss and Pyrrha, because there were two of them, so one was almost always outside or on the edge of your field of vision, so you didn't stop using your _Shingan_ while you were fighting them," said Gin. "That's the reason I used that combo against you. Coming in close narrowed your field of vision and the ducking and weaving motion took me continuously in and out of it. You couldn't keep up with what was essentially turning your _Shingan_ on and off like a lightbulb, and you were caught off-guard even more when I used the motion to launch attacks from outside of your field of vision, even while the rest of me was well inside of it."

"Ah..." said Ruby, catching on.

"The thing about the _Shingan_ is that you don't use it _instead_ of relying on your eyes," explained Gin, "you need to integrate your eyes into the _Shingan,_ and bring them into concert with all your other senses, so that it doesn't matter whether your opponent is in front of you or not. It's not easy. The _Shingan_ is one of the few techniques Master Yu uses that he didn't create himself. But its creator, like him, was blind as well. It's a lot easier for blind fighters to learn the _Shingan,_ because the eyes are the most distracting of the senses." He sighed. "Technically, even Ayumu and I still aren't fully doing it properly. When we use the _Shingan_ , we aren't using our eyes in conjunction with the rest of our senses so much as we're ignoring visual input in favor of relying on the rest."

"So you're not perfect with it either?" asked Ruby.

"Nope," said Gin with a smirk. "Neither of us claimed to be. But, right now, you need to work on getting to the level where you can at least stop being distracted by what your eyes see. Then we can work on how sight can be integrated."

"Right," said Ruby. Then she began to giggle.

"Something funny?" asked Gin, curiosity, rather than annoyance coloring his voice. Ruby had a very nice laugh.

"It's just...this is a lot of fun," said Ruby. "It's like the best of everything I want to do. I get to spend time with you. When we were fighting, it was strange, because I felt so close to you in that moment."

"Me too," confessed Gin, tightening the arm he'd wrapped around her midriff.

"I get to train while I'm doing it," continued Ruby. "I felt so alive and, even though you didn't run out my Aura the way Master Yu does, you were pressuring me constantly, making me push my limits. And I got to learn from you at the same time." Ruby sighed contentedly and snuggled deeper into Gin's embrace. "It's everything I ever could have asked for."

Gin couldn't stop himself from leaning forward slightly to gently kiss the back of her head. "You're such an amazing girl," he said. "I'm in awe of your desire to improve."

Ruby turned her head around so that she could catch his lips in a proper kiss, pressing into it and letting their lips linger together while the hand Gin had been keeping on her forehead drifted down so that he could hug her around the waist with both arms. When they pulled apart, Gin's amber eyes stared into Ruby's sparkling, silver ones.

"Thank you," said Ruby, her voice a soft whisper. "You're getting better at not being so careful with me."

"I'm glad I managed that much," said Gin with a smile.

Ruby considered kissing Gin again. However, she was caught by a sudden yawn, the drain of her previous exertions catching up with her.

"Tired?" asked Gin.

"Yeah," admitted Ruby readily enough. "Are you all right if I take a nap until dinner. I don't want to pass out during Yang's slumber party."

"Fine by me," said Gin. "I wouldn't mind a nap myself."

"Right here is fine," said Ruby, leaning back into Gin's embrace nestling into the crook of his neck as his chin came to rest on her shoulder, their heads leaning together. Ruby closed her eyes and drifted off, Gin joining her soon after.

* * *

"...and then, Ayumu, without missing a beat, said we were there for tomatoes," said Ruby.

The girls around her exploded into laughter, Yang actually rolling around on her mattress in her mirth.

"It's not _that_ funny," said Blake, with a wan look at her partner, though she too wore an amused smile.

Once dinner was over, Yang, Ruby, and Blake had returned to their dorm room to set it up for the upcoming sleepover. They'd shifted their bunks to the side and laid out pillows, pads, and blankets across the floor, essentially turning it into a single, giant mattress. Gin had stopped by for his own pajamas, before being shooed out by Yang, essentially being exiled across the hall, while Nora came over to join them. Only a few minutes later, Velvet and Coco arrived.

Yang and Blake ensured that there were snacks and drinks aplenty. For now, they had spent the first part of their little event lounging around and gossiping. Quite naturally, most of the gossip was focused on the details of Ruby's journey back to Vale. She'd only ever given brief and general summaries before.

"He was lying, right?" asked Coco. "I mean...who goes traipsing through the wilderness to visit a settlement, just for tomatoes?"

"Well, I really think Ayumu did," said Ruby. "At least, I think that's why Brandywine was their destination. They were heading there, even before they found me. Master Yu would just leave them on their own and they'd just go where they wanted...for any reason they wanted."

"It does make sense, when you put it like that," mused Blake. "They were heading through the wilderness anyway, so why not visit a place because it grows good tomatoes?"

"Yep," agreed Ruby.

"Were they really good?" asked Yang.

"They were delicious," said Ruby. "I've never had tomatoes like that before." She sighed and let her gaze drift up towards the ceiling. "Actually, I'd love to go back there and visit, though not just because of the tomatoes. The people there were all so nice."

"I bet they were, after you got rid of those corrupt Huntsmen," said Coco.

"Yeah," said Ruby. "But they were really nice, even before that, especially Tawny. I miss her."

"She was that waitress you told us about, right?" asked Coco.

"Yeah," said Ruby wistfully. "Out there, having her there was the closest thing to having Yang with me. It was like having another big sister, honestly. When I got my memories back, she was the one who helped me through it and gave me enough courage to tell Gin and Ayumu about what happened."

Yang wrapped her sister up in a one-armed hug. "Yep, you've definitely got to take us out there someday, if only so I can thank this lady for all that she did for you."

"Definitely," agreed Ruby.

"So you and dragon-boy...when did you become a thing?" Coco wanted to know.

"Um...not officially until Weathertop," said Ruby, a bit nervous, her cheeks coloring now that the topic had shifted to her relationship. Not only that, she noticed both Blake and Velvet wince at the mention of Gin. "But...he said he'd already liked me before that."

"So he was crushing on you?" asked Yang. "I wonder when that started."

Even though her blush was getting brighter, Ruby couldn't help but smile. "Well, Gin said it was right after I woke up and he saw my smile for the first time."

Not even Blake and Velvet could stop themselves from cooing at that, though Yang had to ruin the mood slightly. "That's so cheesy and cliche," she commented, giggling.

"That's what I thought when I heard him say it," said Ruby. "But I know he meant it."

"So...how is he?" asked Coco, leaning in closer. "Come on...spill."

"Coco, you shouldn't pressure her like that," protested Velvet. "It's probably very private."

"Well, there isn't all that much to say," said Ruby. "We haven't done all that much as a couple, mostly kissing, hugging, and cuddling. But..." She averted her eyes shyly. "...he's sweet."

"Really?" asked Blake, her ears perking beneath the bow.

Ruby nodded. "Actually, he's a little _too_ sweet. Like I told Yang, Gin doesn't really assert himself. He's always worried about me, always careful with me. I'd like it if he were himself more and he didn't always feel that he has to tread lightly around me, but..."

"...but it makes him easier to get along with," suggested Yang.

Ruby nodded. "It also makes it easier to trust him. I know that Gin would never push me into doing something that I'm not comfortable with."

"So...no sexy stories to share?" asked Coco disappointedly.

"Even _I_ think Ruby's too young for that," said Yang, her expression hardening slightly as she looked at Coco.

"I'm just sayin'..." said Coco, raising her hands in her defense, "...I mean, come on...a guy and a girl, out in the wilderness together, sharing a bed or sleeping together...I'm more surprised something _didn't_ happen."

Ruby giggled, though her face was nearly completely red by this point. "Well, neither of us is really ready for that," she said. "And...we haven't really felt the the urge either."

"Seriously?" asked Coco skeptically. "So he doesn't make you...you know..." She gestured downwards. "...not at all?"

"Coco!" exclaimed Yang, affronted and scandalized at her little sister being questioned about something so intimate.

"Well...I get heated up sometimes," admitted Ruby, before giggling and smiling. "But Gin's really good at cooling me down."

"His body temperature, right?" asked Blake.

Ruby nodded. "I think part of it is that he was there for me when I was almost dead. His touch...it's cool, but not too cold. It just kind of drains the heat out of me and makes me relax. When he holds me or puts his hand on my forehead, I always feel safe, like I can relax and let my guard down completely and I know he won't take advantage of me."

"That's so sweet," said Velvet with a sigh, Ruby's description able to make her momentarily forget that Gin was a dragon-faunus.

"Honestly, I think both of us are just comfortable with the way things are," said Ruby. "We don't need to go further yet. So we'll just take our time."

"That's good," said Yang, squeezing Ruby with the arm holding her. "There's no need to rush."

"Certainly not like you and Jaune did," said Blake with a sly smile.

"We did not rush!" countered Yang tartly, her own cheeks coloring.

Now Ruby's eyes went wide and she gaped up at her older sister. "Wait! You and Jaune...you mean you two went and had... _sex?_ " The last word emerged as an almost strangled squeak.

Yang frowned and threw an annoyed glare at Blake. She had no issues with believing that Ruby was mature for her age. But that didn't mean that she liked the idea of talking about her sex-life around her little sister.

"When?" prodded Ruby, having no intention of letting the topic go.

Seeing as she wasn't going to be ducking out of this anytime soon, Yang sighed in resignation. "After the dance, right before the day of our mission," she admitted.

"Nice choice," said Coco. "If you're gonna do the boy, it might as well be in preparation for one momentous occasion."

"It wasn't like that...not really," protested Yang.

"What do you mean?" asked Velvet.

"After what happened to Ruby-this was before we knew what Weiss and Pyrrha had done, by the way-I was worried. The mission we were going on was going to be way more dangerous than the one we lost Ruby on. I just didn't want to have any regrets, or feel like I didn't do something I should have, if...something...happened." Yang lowered her eyes.

"Do you regret it?" asked Velvet.

"Of course not!" exclaimed Yang, snapping her head up. "I love Jaune, and it was a decision we made together.

"That's good," said Velvet with a small smile. "Don't worry. No one's judging you."

"What _I_ want to know is if he was any good?" asked Coco with a smirk, drawing a scandalized look from Velvet.

Yang's cheeks reddened and her eyes narrowed dangerously, getting annoyed about Coco's insistence about talking about these things in front of her little sister. However, she was distracted by a tap on her shoulder.

"Yang," said Ruby, somewhat wryly. "I know all about the birds and the bees. _You're_ the one who gave me The Talk, remember?"

Yang exhaled wearily. "Yeah...but it still feels weird to talk about having sex with my boyfriend in front of you."

"I know..." said Ruby, her smile gentle...before becoming sly. "So how was he?"

Yang yelped in surprise, actually flinching away from Ruby as the others chortled at her reaction.

"Not so easy when you're on the receiving end," added Blake, joining in on the teasing.

"Hey, what can I say, I'm a giver," said Yang, managing to bounce back a little.

"Yeah, but the one thing you're not giving us is any answers," commented Coco. "So...how was Arc in bed? We're not letting you duck this one."

Seeing that she wasn't going to manage to drag the conversation away from this topic anytime soon, Yang sighed again. "He was fine, very gentle and sweet." She smirked, even as her cheeks turned pink. "He has magic fingers though."

"Really?" gasped Velvet, her own cheeks blushing as she covered her mouth.

Yang couldn't help but smirk at the rabbit-faunus' reaction. "Oh yeah," she said. "You seem interested, Velvet. Thinking of asking if you can borrow him?"

"Yang!" exclaimed Ruby, as Velvet's blush expanded to encompass her entire face.

Ignoring Velvet, Coco spoke next. "So, pretty vanilla, huh. I was hoping for something more kinky."

"Sorry, but our first time was vanilla," replied Yang, before pausing. "Unless you count the possibility of Ren and Nora, or Pyrrha, walking in on us."

"Yeah," agreed Nora. "That's what you get for doing it in our dorm."

"The latter might have gone pretty poorly," said Coco, her tone darkening.

"Yeah, well..." Yang shrugged helplessly. Truth be told, she sometimes wondered what would have happened if Pyrrha had walked in on them while they were doing the deed. As far as Yang and the rest of the former Team JNPR had known, Pyrrha had been in and out while they'd been asleep, and hadn't done anything. But Yang didn't have a hard time imagining Pyrrha's restraint snapping, if she'd caught them in the act.

"Well, no need to worry about that now," said Blake.

"Very true," said Yang. "Though Jaune and I will get a room of our own, if we feel the urge to do it again. I don't think we will for a while though."

"I thought you had more drive than that, Yang," teased Coco.

"Of course I have a sex-drive," said Yang. "But I'm just too busy to let it control me. Classes will be starting again soon, for those of us who aren't already taking a ton of makeup classes already." She shot a playful glance Ruby's way as Ruby giggled nervously. "Then we've got the Vytal Festival and the tournament. Frankly, I'm swamped. We all are. Our first time was kind of this 'now or never' sort of thing, because I was afraid we might not get a chance to do it again."

"I get it," said Nora, with an almost wistful smile on her face.

The focus of their gossip session changed and everyone's attention zeroed in on Nora in an instant. "What's this?" asked Yang, a hungry grin appearing on her face as she looked at Nora. "Thinking of a night of passion with the boy you like?"

"Th-that's not it!" protested Nora, her cheeks turning red. She waved her arms frantically, causing both Yang and Coco to shy away from her, knowing that even an uncoordinated blow from Nora could be substantial. The girl's strength was not something to joke about. "R-Ren and I aren't like that! We're together, but not together-together."

Now it was Coco's turn to grin. "What's this?" she asked. "Who said anything about Ren? Why would you think we're talking about _him_ , huh?"

Nora's only response was an inarticulate squeak, her entire face turning red and putting Velvet's previous display of embarrassment to shame.

"What's the matter?" asked Yang. "You like Ren, don't you?"

"I...I..." Nora almost looked like she might explode at this point.

"Nora? Are you okay?" asked Ruby, tilting her head as she regarded her friend.

"So...you don't like Ren?" asked Velvet curiously.

"No! I mean...Yes! I...I mean..." Velvet's body was beginning to quake from nervous tension.

"Uh...maybe we shouldn't push..." suggested Ruby, worried by Nora's reaction.

"Have you even thought-?" began Coco.

"I LOVE HIM!" Nora exploded, collapsing onto her pad and sobbing. "I love him, okay! I can't imagine my life without him!"

"Nora!" Ruby rushed to her side and wrapped her arms around Nora's shoulders, holding her tight. "It's okay," she said softly, rocking the older girl back and forth, combing her fingers through Nora's orange locks.

"What's wrong?" asked Yang, leaning in, taken aback by Nora's sudden explosive passion. She hadn't thought any more of teasing Nora about her crush than she would about teasing Ruby. "Why are you so upset?"

"I don't know!" wailed Nora, pressing her face into Ruby's shoulder. "I love Ren so much that I'd do anything for him. But when I think about telling him how I feel...showing him how I feel! I lock up. I can't think. I can't breathe! There are all these strong feelings and I can't even begin to work through them."

"What are you so scared of?" said Coco. "I mean, I think the worst he could do is tell you he doesn't feel the same."

Coco immediately found herself regretting those words. The look on Nora's face told her that the mere prospect of such a thing happening was almost as frightening as the prospect of death itself to Nora.

"I don't understand," said Yang. "Why does that scare you so much?"

"R-Ren...he...he's everything to me," said Nora with a sniff. "He's all I have."

"That's not true," said Ruby firmly.

"Wha-what?"

"Ren's _not_ all you have," said Ruby. "You have Jaune. You have us. You have Gin and Ayumu now. We're all here for you." She began to rub Nora's back. "You and Ren have been together for a long time, haven't you?"

"Uh huh," said Nora. "But not together-together," she corrected almost automatically.

Ruby exhaled slowly through her nose and pulled her hand away from Nora's back to brush her tears off her cheeks. "What happened? How did you end up together?"

Nora sniffled. "I...I didn't have anybody. I can't remember my parents. All I knew was the street...scrounging and stealing to survive. I ended up in Kuroyuri, trying my hardest to get by. The local kids all liked to pick on me. I looked different, was dressed differently. I don't think my family was from Mistral. Then the Grimm came..."

Ruby tightened her hold on Nora and nuzzled her hair.

"...I was scared. I didn't know what to do. Everyone was running and screaming. The Grimm was screaming even louder...the sound it made..."

"Wait a second!" exclaimed Yang in surprise. "You're saying that _one_ Grimm did this?"

Nora nodded reluctantly, the look in her eyes haunted. "It was...it was horrible. I only saw part of it...but that was enough. All the death, the fear, it brought in a few Nevermores too. I hid underneath a house that hadn't been destroyed yet, crying. Suddenly, the whole thing rattled. There was a Nevermore on top. It sensed me. It was going to find me and...and..."

"It's okay," whispered Ruby.

"Then, suddenly this boy came under the house with me. I'd only seen him once before, at a distance. But he found me and he told me it was gonna be okay. I...I just held onto him as tightly as I could. Then...everything felt calm. My fear...it disappeared. The Grimm...They stopped looking for us, as though they couldn't sense us. They just left."

"I wonder if that was his Semblance," mused Velvet idly.

"He told me that we had to be brave, that we'd protect each other," continued Nora. "And we did. Ever since then, we've always been together. Ren...Ren's my entire world."

"No wonder you love him so much," said Ruby, smiling fondly, wondering if there would ever be a time she felt that way about Gin. Even then, she doubted that he could be to her what Ren was to Nora, not to that extent.

"Then that's all the more reason to tell him how you feel," said Coco, her tone firm. "A guy like that wouldn't hang you out to dry."

"If he didn't like you the same way, I'd think he wouldn't have stayed with you the way he did," added Yang.

"B-but...what if he just thinks of me as a friend? What if he just thinks of me as his little sister?" Nora was horrified by the notion. "I'm afraid that telling him would just destroy what we already have."

"So get over it."

Everyone snapped their heads around to look at Yang, who was staring sternly at Nora.

"What do you mean?" asked Nora, sniffling.

"I mean you have to get over it and do it," said Yang. "You're a big girl now, too big to be letting fear control you."

"Yang!" protested Velvet. "It isn't that simple-"

"Isn't it?" asked Yang sharply, throwing an intense gaze that was almost a glare Velvet's way. She fixed that gaze back on Nora. "A little bit ago, you said you got why I slept with Jaune, right?"

Nora nodded hesitantly.

"When I thought I'd lost Ruby, it made me think about all the things I'd never get to see or do with her," said Yang. "It made me miserable. But it also made me think. We were going on a mission to Mountain Glenn, a place infested with Grimm, to find a bunch of terrorists planning an attack on the Kingdom. That's a hundred times worse than the mission we lost Ruby on.

"I was scared. I was thinking, 'What if it's Jaune, this time?' What if this was the mission _he_ never came back from? What things would I have missed if I lost him there? That's why I slept with Jaune that night."

"I understand," said Nora softly.

"If you do then you should also understand something else," said Yang. "The same is true for Ren."

Nora's face turned white.

"Before that mission, I'd always had this sense of invincibility, like we'd always be okay, no matter what. I felt that we could take whatever the world would throw at us and we'd be able to get through it. But...when Ruby disappeared, when we thought she'd died...that sense of safety was gone."

Yang moved to cup Nora's cheek, making sure their eyes met. "When that happened, I realized how fragile people are, including me, including us. I thought, this time, it was Ruby; the next time, it could be Jaune, Blake, you...Ren. What we do...this job...it isn't safe. There's nothing that guarantees our survival, not here, and not down the road. Things are only going to get more dangerous from here."

Nora nodded against Yang's hand.

"In that case," said Yang, "you need to seriously think about telling Ren how you feel. And, if the prospect of that scares you so much, think about what it would be like if something happened to him, like it almost happened to Ruby. Think about how it would feel to have lost the chance to tell him, to never know what the two of you could have. I'm not saying something _will_ happen to him. But if it does, then that chance disappears...forever."

The very idea made Nora whimper.

"So...think you might be able to tell him now?" asked Yang.

Nora nodded slowly.

"I don't want you to think you have to rush," said Yang. "But this...this isn't good for you. You're choking on your own feelings. But you're stronger than this. Understand?"

Nora nodded again.

Yang smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "I know you can do it," she said softly. "I believe in you. We all believe in you. And I'm also pretty sure that Ren feels the same way."

Nora's eyes widened and and she gasped softly.

Yang pulled back and settled onto her pad, exhaling loudly. "Phew! That was intense."

"Maybe you shouldn't have pushed," suggested Blake sourly.

"Naw, that was good for her," attested Yang.

"Still, what a mood, huh?" asked Coco rhetorically.

"Yep," said Yang. "This is no good. We're here to have a good time. We need to get back in the swing of things." She thought silently for a moment. "There must be something else we can talk about..."

"Uh...maybe we could just watch a movie or something for a little while," suggested Ruby lamely, Velvet nodding her agreement.

"I know!" exclaimed Yang, apparently ignoring them. "I've been wondering something."

"What is it?" asked Ruby.

"Well, I want to know how you took down Torchwick," said Yang, looking at Ruby. You haven't told us yet."

"I'm quite curious myself," admitted Blake, her interest peaked by the new topic.

"Sounds like quite the story," added Coco with a grin.

"W-well...it's no big deal," demurred Ruby, her cheeks flushing again.

"Come on!" protested Yang. "You took down a criminal mastermind, a horde of armed terrorists and-What?-a dozen Paladins."

"There were only ten," grumbled Ruby.

"Uh...that's still a lot," Velvet pointed out.

"And there were only three of you!" Yang finished eagerly. "You gotta tell us how all that went down."

Ruby sighed. "Well...all right..." she said reluctantly.

* * *

 **Back when the Mountain Glenn arc was actually taking place, I held off showing what exactly happened to Torchwick and the White Fang, mainly because I wanted Shining Rose's debut to be in the fight with Weiss and Pyrrha. My intention had always been to go back and show what happened, how Ruby and the boys brought the White Fang op down. And here it is. The next few chapters will be a flashback mini-arc, detailing exactly what happened, from Ruby's end of things this time.**


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48:**

 _Three days before the incident:_

Ruby awoke to the sound of birds chirping and fire crackling. A warm, meaty scent tickled her nostrils, and her stomach growled loudly.

"Good morning."

Ruby blinked and looked over to see Ayumu turning some kind of plump chunk of meat on a spit, its juices sizzling as they dripped down into the flames. Just the sight of its surface browning from the heat made Ruby's mouth water.

"Breakfast will be ready in a moment," said Ayumu. "I know venison isn't typically breakfast fare, but it's what Gin caught this morning."

"A deer?" asked Ruby, surprised.

Ayumu smiled and nodded. "There's a game trail not to far away. It leads to a brine spring, so we have plenty of salt too."

That made Ruby smile. Before traveling with Ayumu and Gin, she'd had no idea just how much of an impact even something as simple as salt could have on her life. To her, it was something that sat on the table, in a shaker, next to one full of pepper. She knew that you were supposed to use it in cooking, and nearly every recipe called for it in some fashion. But eating the food that Gin and Ayumu prepared had taught her how valuable it was.

In the wilderness, there was no place to buy salt. The salt used in the Kingdoms and settlements throughout the world either came from mines, or massive evaporation plants that harvested salt from seawater. Out in the wilderness, the only sources of salt readily available were in the form of surface deposits or brine springs, and the best way to find them was to track animals, which regularly sought such areas. Harvesting salt in the wilderness could be laborious and time-consuming. Ayumu and Gin hoarded their supply carefully. It was a luxury to be used sparingly, primarily to satisfy their body's need for sodium, when the foods they ate might not have quite enough.

Thus, Ruby had been introduced to the prospect of eating food that had not been salted to taste...and discovered just how much of a difference salt made in the flavor. It was quite a shock, the first time she'd experienced it.

So, Ruby was quite excited for her breakfast, eying the hunk of meat Ayumu turned the meat to expose a different side to the heat.

"You might want to get dressed first," suggested Ayumu, a bit of laughter in his voice. "You weren't in any condition to do that when you got out of the cave."

Ruby blushed furiously, looking down at the blanket that covered her. It reminded her of when the boys had first found her, and she'd done pretty much everything with that blanket as the only thing preserving her modesty. Glancing over, she saw her clothes waiting for her, neatly folded, resting on the surface of a flat rock.

"Go ahead and get dressed," said Ayumu, turning his full attention to his cooking. "I won't peek."

Ruby nodded, trusting Ayumu to keep his word. But, as she was about to pull her blanket off, she paused and looked around. "Where's Gin?"

"Scouting the terrain," said Ayumu. "He'll be back in a few minutes, I suspect. I'll warn you if he's getting close while you're still dressing."

"Thank you," said Ruby, shedding the blanket and standing up slowly and carefully. Her body protested a little, but her limbs held, showing no sign of weakness or atrophy, though they still felt a bit sluggish, whether from the time she'd spent asleep or lingering exhaustion from her journey through the cave, she couldn't say.

With careful, deliberate movements, Ruby slipped on her clothes, her fingers fumbling a little to lace up her corset, though she managed well enough. Finally, attaching her cloak, she relaxed again, joining Ayumu by the fire. He turned his eyes to her, now that she was decent. "How do you feel?"

Ruby's stomach growled insistently again. "Hungry," she admitted sheepishly, rubbing her stomach. "Other than that...a little bit shaky. But I think it'll pass after I get moving again."

"Glad to hear," said Ayumu. "You came out yesterday afternoon, slept through the rest of the day, and all the way through the night." He held up a canteen for her. "You should drink some more water, by the way. You were fairly dehydrated, and you only took a little before you fell asleep."

Ruby nodded, gratefully accepting the canteen and sipping at its contents. She felt thirsty, but she didn't want to make herself sick by trying to gulp down a large amount of water all at once.

The journey through the cave had been arduous. When Ruby had emerged, Gin and Ayumu were waiting for her, as promised. She'd been too exhausted to dress herself then, so the boys had carefully held a blanket between them, then stepped backwards to drape it over her shoulders, then wrap it around her. After that, Gin picked up Ruby and carried her to their camp, where they'd made her take some water, before allowing her to finally sleep.

"And...how do you feel?" asked Ayumu. "I mean...how does the world feel to you now?"

Ruby blinked, then relaxed and closed her eyes, taking deep, slow breaths. She was amazed how clear everything felt. She could feel the location and shape of nearly everything around her. She could feel Ayumu's presence acutely, the sensation of his Aura a bright light in the darkness, almost like that of the fire in front of them. More importantly, she could sense a cooler presence, almost like a softer light, coming closer, accompanied by the faint crackling of leaves and other detritus.

"Everything...everything's so clear now. It's amazing!" Ruby opened her eyes, beaming as she turned her head to watch as Gin emerged from the undergrowth to join them.

"Hey," said Gin, breaking into a smile, which Ruby returned. She hugged him eagerly, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, while Gin returned the gesture by wrapping his around her waist. Leaning in, they kissed, letting their lips linger together for a long moment before pulling apart. As they did, Ruby's stomach once again growled loudly.

"Perfect timing," said Ayumu, taking the chunk of meat out from over the flames and laying it on a flat rock that he'd cleaned earlier, "breakfast is ready."

Gin used his claws to slice pieces from the chunk of meat, handing them to Ruby, who gobbled them down with a gusto. The venison had a strange, gamey flavor to her tongue, but she was too hungry to care too much about the particulars. It did taste good though, Ayumu not only using salt, but a few herbs to complement the flavor.

After eating, Ruby leaned back with a satisfied sigh, her stomach full. "That was wonderful. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," said Ayumu. "We're ready to break camp at any time. Do you feel up to traveling, or would you like to rest a little while longer?"

Ruby bent her knees and walked around the camp a little to get a feel for her legs. "I'm good," she said. "I don't think we can travel at our best pace, but I'll be able to cover some ground."

"Good," said Gin, already beginning to gather up their things. "We're around a couple days out from Vale, by my measure. There's a huge, abandoned settlement ahead."

"Mountain Glenn," said Ruby softly.

"You know it?" asked Ayumu.

"A little," said Ruby nervously. "It was an attempted extension of Vale. It didn't work out, because of the Grimm. That's all I know."

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised," observed Gin. "I scouted the place out, and there were a _lot_ of them. It's almost like something is drawing them there."

Ruby frowned. "But they shouldn't be. There aren't any people left, are there?"

"Maybe, maybe not," said Gin. "I only worked around the fringes on our side, so I don't know if there's anyone still there...or if someone moved in in the meantime. Seems unlikely though, given that the Grimm have the run of the place."

* * *

They made their way slowly through the forests, and out towards the settlement. They moved carefully. The knowledge that the area was occupied by large numbers of Grimm made them careful. Normally, they wouldn't have been adverse to fighting off the Grimm, however many there were. But there was something about the area, something in the atmosphere that set their nerves on edge, and stoked their sense of caution. None of them could place what it was. All they knew was that it was strangely and oppressively ominous.

"I'm beginning to think that this is another of Mater Yu's tests," said Gin in a whisper.

"It sure feels like it," said Ruby. "Is he nearby?"

"We haven't seen him since we left you at the cave entrance," said Ayumu. "But he most likely is somewhere in the area."

Something enormous loomed over them. Emerging from the undergrowth, they found themselves before the remains of a skyscraper, its sides in the midst of collapse, vines and weeds winding their way up along the the building and the cracks in the concrete, commencing the slow process of breaking it down as nature slowly began to reclaim its hold on the area.

Moving past the building brought more into view, all of them in similar states of dilapidation, lining cracked and overgrown streets. They reminded Ruby of the streets in Weathertop, but only superficially. The sense of desolation present in Mountain Glenn was the exact opposite of the vibrant scenery of the thriving mining town.

The click of a dislodged stone striking a hard surface made them freeze in place. In a nearby alleyway, shadows began to move, low growls issuing forth. The trio quickly retreated behind the corner of a building, watching as a pack of Beowolves prowled out and slowly made their way down the street, their heads swaying back and forth as they searched for prey.

"I'm still not sure why," said Ruby, her hands clenching, wanting to draw her scythe, "but I feel like we need to stay out of sight."

"I agree," said Gin with a frown of his own. "For some reason, I feel like causing a commotion would be a bad idea."

"Then we three are in accord," said Ayumu as pleasantly as ever. "There is something here...something we should be careful not to disturb...not yet...anyway."

"We'll have to be careful," said Gin. "The bulk of the pack is there, but they'll have outliers searching along their flanks. Also...watch your step. There's weak spots on the ground."

The other two nodded.

They continued to make their way through the deserted streets and alleyways, carefully avoiding the Grimm that they came across. It was a difficult task. The Grimm were everywhere, behind every corner, infesting every building, lurking in every shadow. They saw more Beowolves, but also Ursas, Creeps, Deathstalkers, and even the sliding bulk of a King Taijitu winding around a crumbling fountain in a dilapidated plaza.

Their awareness heightened to the limit, they were able to avoid the Grimm completely, able to sense their location without even needing to see them, even when the Grimm were out of line of sight or behind some form of cover. The trio continued to move silently, avoiding all contact.

Rounding a corner, they came to a halt when Gin, who'd gone first, held up a hand.

"What is it?" asked Ruby.

Gin lowered himself into a crouch, and picked something up off the ground. Turning, he showed it to them.

"A bullet casing," said Ruby, recognizing the hollow, cylindrical piece of metal instantly.

"Fresh one too," said Gin. "No sign of corrosion. The burn marks from the propellant discharge are still clear too, which means this was used less than a day or two ago."

"So someone is out here...or was," noted Ayumu, kneeling by Gin and finding several more casings on the ground.

"No bloodstains," said Ruby, looking around.

Gin nodded. "The Grimm don't care about cleaning up their messes, and, if this person had companions to drag them off after death, they wouldn't be interested in cleaning up either. So they're still alive."

"But are they still here?" wondered Ayumu.

"I think that's worth finding out," said Gin.

"I agree," said Ruby. She was eager to press on to Vale, but there was something wrong about this place, something wrong going on here, and she wanted to find out what it was.

They moved ahead again, continuing to take care to remain hidden from the Grimm, but now keeping an eye out for people as well. Fortunately, they didn't have to look hard, or for long, as the answer to their curiosity almost found them instead.

The roar of powerful engines was audible from a considerable distance away, and grew louder as the source drew ever closer. A shadow swooped over the buildings, and they looked up to see the form of a bullhead descending from above. It passed over them quickly, which eased their minds, as its crew wasn't looking for them apparently. Then Ruby noticed something.

The profile of the machine was off. A bullhead normally sported a rounded underbelly to help its aerodynamic profile in flight. However, this one had a large, rectangular mass, a crate of some kind, attached to the bottom. This bullhead was carrying cargo.

"We need to find where it's going!" said Ruby, almost forgetting to keep her voice low, though the racket of the bullhead would have probably be enough cover anyway.

"This way," said Gin, leading them into one of the taller abandoned buildings.

It was the work of a few minutes to climb its stairs, dodging weakened points of the structure where the floors might give way, as well as skirting the edges of a couple of nests of young Nevermores. But they were soon at the roof and afforded a view of the personnel-turned-cargo transport as it switched into its hovering configuration and slowly began to lower out of sight amid a group of buildings.

"I guess that's where we need to head," said Ruby.

They descended quickly, dropping down the side of the building, once they were sure that there were no Grimm in the vicinity, and made their way in the direction of the landing bullhead. As they moved, they noticed fewer Grimm around them, though the reason quickly became apparent when they heard the sounds of gunfire coming from the landing zone.

It was only natural that the bullhead's arrival would draw the attention of the Grimm. Now they were converging on the landing zone to get at whoever was there, which meant there was also a force holding them off.

With the realization that the Grimm were distracted, they were able to pick up the pace, finally arriving at the point where the bullhead landed. They halted and looked out from around the corner. Ruby's eyes widened and her hands flew to her mouth to cover a gasp, though such restraint was unnecessary.

The landing zone looked to have been some kind of station or depot at some point. In fact, it reminded Ruby of one of the larger rail-stations used by Vale for public transit. However, this station had no rails to be seen, and its condition was just as crumbling and decaying as the rest of the abandoned settlement. The bullhead had settled before the remains of what had been a pair of large doors, a loading zone of some kind. The crate on its underside was open, and figures, dressed in familiar garments and white masks, hurried to carry smaller crates from within the larger one and into the building. Others had formed a perimeter around it and the bullhead; which had detached, landed, and was also being unloaded; laying down cover-fire and killing any Grimm that approached...which was quite the task, as it appeared that nearly every Grimm in the area had been drawn to them.

Still, the White Fang soldiers carried out their assigned tasks with impressive coordination and discipline. Barely a minute after the trio had arrived, the last of the crates were unloaded and carried inside. The bullhead lifted off and reattached the cargo crate to its underbelly, then took to the air. A few small Nevermores and Griffons tried to bring it down, but more shots lanced out from the roof and shot them out of the sky, giving the bullhead enough space to switch back to flight configuration, and soar back the way it came.

Finally, the soldiers began to retreat in good order, continuing to bring down the attacking Grimm as they fell back into the abandoned station. The Grimm pursued them, bounding through the ruined doors. Gunfire continued to echo out from within for a few moments longer as Grimm streamed into the structure. But it eventually tapered off and silence fell, save for the howls and roars of the hunting monsters.

"They aren't dead," said Ruby, frowning as she watched the empty building.

"No," agreed Gin. There was no scent or sound of death in the air, and nothing further issued forth from the building, save for the black smoke of dissipating Grimm carcasses.

Finally, the cacophony of the Grimm faded, and the monsters themselves began to exit the building, apparently deprived of their targets. They now dispersed once again, looking for something else to sate their savage instincts. The trio carefully hid themselves, until the Grimm had all but completely abandoned the place, though a persistent few Beowolves and a couple of Creeps continued to poke around the rubble.

"The White Fang are here," said Ruby nervously. "Why? What's out here for them?"

"That airship was bringing stuff to them," said Gin, rubbing his chin. "That's gotta be a lot of work to hold off the Grimm while they unload."

"If the Grimm have searched the building, but not found them, then where did they go?" wondered Ayumu.

"Let's find out," said Gin.

They carefully crept out from their hiding place, darting across the open space, and through the loading doors that the White Fang soldiers had fallen back through.

They found themselves on a loading dock of some kind.

"That wasn't an airfield out there," mused Ayumu. "This space was originally for trucks."

"This building seems to be some kind of hub," said Gin. "We're darn close to the center of the settlement, here."

"It looks like a station to me, like a train station," said Ruby. "But I don't see any rails."

"Station..." Ayumu blinked, then his eyes widened. "Aha! I think I understand now!" He dropped to his hands and knees and lowered himself all the way to the floor, almost in a pose of supplication. However, instead of pressing his face down, he turned his head to the side and rested his ear against the concrete floor. "I'm right!"

"What?" asked Ruby and Gin in unison, regarding him curiously.

"Ruby's right. This is a station," explained Ayumu. "But the rails must be underground."

"Underground?" asked Ruby. "Why?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say to connect this place to the Kingdom," said Gin, looking out the building. "There's a chunk of the mountain in the way. Any road they built would have had to skirt it. That would have been costly to build and maintain, not to mention that it'd be under constant threat of attack all along its length."

"So instead they tunneled under the mountain!" said Ruby, catching on. "Since it's underground, they'd be able to go in practically a straight line, and it would be naturally safe from the Grimm."

Ayumu and Gin nodded.

"I could feel it while I was scouting around," said Gin, gently tapping his toe against the floor. "The earth in this entire region is like honeycomb. There are caves and caverns everywhere. I thought it was weird at first. That would have made a lot of the stuff here pretty structurally unsound. But I think the settlers were trying to build into the caverns. This Mountain Glenn place exists both above and below ground."

"Interesting...and ambitious," mused Ayumu. "A pity it didn't succeed...though I'm not sure why."

"Well, whatever reason it fell, that's something for later," said Ruby, looking at the floor between her feet. "Right now, we need to find what the White Fang are up to."

"We know where they've gone," said Gin, gesturing to the other end of the dock, where a pair of enormous elevator doors waited. One was clearly abandoned, the mesh grid covering it torn to pieces and the torn frame of the elevator itself residing within. The shaft below was choked with rubble, having apparently collapsed in on itself at some point.

However, the other one had clearly been repaired and restored...and then some. Instead of the mesh shutter, meant to deter workers from accidentally tumbling to their demise, it had been replaced with a door of solid steel meant to ward off the claws and fangs of the Grimm, one that looked much newer than the building around it. Even now, they could see the claw marks decorating the surface.

"Well...I think we'll give ourselves away if we go that way," said Ayumu, noticing another, smaller door, off to the side of the large cargo elevators, also much newer than the rest of the building, and made of heavy steel. If those elevators were for bringing cargo to and from the trains below, then this door probably was the stairs the workers climbed, when the elevators weren't working, or in emergencies.

Moving closer, they examined it carefully. Ruby reached out a hand for the handle, but froze, her fingers hovering a scant few inches away from it. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. "It's rigged," she said.

"Probably an alarm of some kind," agreed Gin, examining the door closely. "Whatever they're doing here, they don't want anyone finding out what it is."

"I have no idea how to disarm something like that," admitted Ayumu.

"Me neither," said Gin.

"Ditto," added Ruby.

"It seems we'll need to find another way down," said Ayumu. "Let's start by searching around here. This station was meant to conduct traffic into the underground, so there must be multiple ways in and out."

That much proved to be true...but also untrue. There were indeed many ways down into the caverns below. But most were choked with rubble, having collapsed over time, without anyone to maintain their structural integrity. Those that hadn't had been barricaded off by the White Fang, who hadn't even bothered making any other doors down, apparently only needing the one door and elevator for their purposes.

Despairing of any easy way down, they regrouped outside, in one of the nearby abandoned buildings. They didn't want to wait inside the station. The casings before made it more apparent what was going on. White Fang soldiers were going out on patrol, probably thinning out the local Grimm to make safer landings for their ships, as well as keeping an eye out for intruders who might stumble on their operation.

"What do we do?" asked Ruby.

"We'll have to look elsewhere," said Ayumu. "There must be other ways underground, whether to this cavern or nearby ones. I imagine that there's an entire subterranean network connecting this settlement below the streets. If we find a way in, we can navigate to wherever the White Fang are operating."

Setting out onto the streets, they wandered about, trying to find hints as to where another entrance to the underground might be. They soon found a few. However, without an exception, they were choked off with massive amounts of rubble.

The day passed on towards evening, and the trio took refuge in an abandoned building, not daring to light a fire, lest they attract attention of the Grimm or the Fang. In there, they pondered their dilemma.

"I don't get it," said Gin. "At least one of those passageways should have been open."

"I guess the White Fang sealed them to keep hidden," said Ruby.

"That would be quite the large undertaking," mused Ayumu. "Unless they knew exactly where those entrances were, they'd have to track down every one and demolish them individually. Depending on what they're doing, I can't imagine that they'd want to go through that much trouble, unless they were trying to reopen the settlement."

"Which would be ridiculous," added Gin.

"But for every entrance to be sealed..." said Ayumu. "If it's not the Fang, then the only ones who could have done it would have to have been the settlers themselves..."

"I get it," said Gin, sitting upright.

"What is it?" asked Ruby.

Gin looked at her, his expression darkening. "If you were living in a settlement with a large underground infrastructure, one that was being overrun by the Grimm on the surface, what would you do?"

Ruby blinked, then stared at where they sat. "You mean they hid underground..."

"And sealed all the entrances," finished Ayumu. "That would explain while all of them, save for the ones the White Fang opened themselves, have all been demolished."

"So we're not going to find a way down then," said Ruby, her spirits falling, "not unless we want to go in through the one open way and let the White Fang know we're coming."

They sat in pensive silence for a while, mulling over what to do. They always could try making a frontal entrance and fight there way down. It was something the Ruby of the past might have actually endorsed. However, her experiences on the road, not to mention what Weiss and Pyrrha had done to her, had made Ruby more cautious. Before she and her friends acted to stop the White Fang, they needed to know what they were stopping, so that they could stop it properly.

Sighing, Ruby turned to look upwards, staring into the crumbling mass of the building above them. Her eyes focused on a cracked section of a floor above them. The upper floor was visible through a hole in the ceiling and the scattered chunks that they were sitting on must have been the floor of the room above.

Ruby inhaled sharply. "I know!" she said eagerly.

"What?" asked Gin as both he and Ayumu looked up at her.

"It's all crumbling," said Ruby.

"I'm afraid I don't follow-" began Ayumu.

"I get it!" said Gin, catching on to what Ruby was saying.

"What?" asked Ayumu, trying to wrangle an explanation from them.

"This place hasn't been maintained since it fell," said Gin, looking back at Ayumu. "That doesn't just apply to above ground, but below as well. We've been sensing weak spots in the ground all around the place where erosion is weakening the cavern ceilings. We've been navigating around them, but those are actually our door downstairs."

"Oh! I see!" said Ayumu, slapping his fist into the palm of his opposite hand. "Very clever."

"We can find a place where the ground's given way and go down," said Ruby.

"Or we can just make one of our own," said Gin. "If this place is collapsing, another sinkhole opening up won't make the White Fang overly suspicious, even if it is loud."

Ruby and Ayumu nodded. Now that they had their way in, they were eager to begin their search. However, night had fallen and they were tired from the walking, not to mention having to keep their guards up constantly.

They ate sparingly. With the enemy and the Grimm close, they couldn't afford to make a fire and cook. Fortunately, they had trail rations, jerky that Ayumu had made from the prizes of previous hunts, as well as fruits, nuts, and herbs that they had gathered even as they traveled. It wasn't a particularly filling meal, but it calmed their stomachs.

After eating and cleaning up, Ruby settled down in Gin's arms and drifted off to sleep. There was no need to set a watch. Ayumu and Gin had developed a subconscious awareness of their surroundings that allowed them to sense the approach of danger, even when asleep, and react immediately. Ruby had yet to acquire that skill herself, but she could trust in the boys to protect her while she slept.

So, even though they were in the midst of so much danger, Ruby slept without a worry.

* * *

Morning came soon enough. After a sparse breakfast, they set out to look for a sinkhole that they could use to descend, or a weak point that they could break through. It didn't take very long at all. In fact, Ruby nearly found it by accident. Walking down a deserted street, she felt the ground suddenly change beneath her feet. She wasn't exactly sure what it was she felt, but all she knew was that the street felt different here. It was enough to bring her to a stop, even before Gin's hand reached out and snagged her shoulder.

Looking at him, Ruby smiled and Gin smiled back. They exchanged a nod.

"This is it," said Gin, crouching at the very edge of where the ground seemed safe. There were no real visual indicators of it. The street had been a single, wide network of cracks all along its length, so that didn't mean anything in and of itself. But, at this point, the earth between the street above and the cavern below grew thinner, reaching the point where the weight of any one of them might cause it to collapse. A single misstep could have sent them tumbling into the darkness below, whether they wanted to or not.

"I guess we should break in," said Ruby.

Gin nodded and raised his hand, scales covering his arm up to his elbow, claws extending from the tips of his fingers. "This won't be hard."

"Wait!"

The urgency in Ayumu's tone locked them into place like statues. Once the feeling passed, they both turned to look questioningly at the older boy, who smiled cheerfully at them. "While a collapse may not arouse their suspicion, an impact causing said collapse might. If we're going to open the way here, we should make it sound as natural as possible." With that, he began to stride forward.

Ruby and Gin backed away from each other, opening a space for Ayumu to pass between them. He walked past them normally, as though he were out for a morning stroll. The street ahead was dangerously weak, but the ground didn't so much as crack beneath his weight.

Finally, Ayumu stood in approximately the center of the weakened area. "Even if it opens naturally, I imagine they'll send someone to investigate, if only to make sure that Grimm don't come through the opening. We'll need to find cover quickly, once we're down."

Gin and Ruby nodded.

Then the street began to crack beneath Ayumu's feet, a spiderweb of black lines extending out, almost as though he were standing on a sheet of thin ice that was slowly giving way. The street beneath him began to sag, the cracks meeting and growing wider. Here and there, chunks of asphalt dropped out of sight, leaving black voids in their place. Another minute, and the ground Ayumu was standing on sagged further, forming a curving depression. The cracks around him widened. Then, finally, with the sound of asphalt and stone splitting away from itself, the earth gave way entirely and a yawning abyss opened up, swallowing Ayumu whole.

Even as she and Gin jumped down after him, Ruby found herself marveling that this was the first time that she'd seen Ayumu use his Semblance overtly.

Ayumu's Semblance gave him the ability to manipulate his personal gravity, allowing himself to decrease and increase his weight at will. He could make himself as light as a feather, light enough for him to practically step off the air itself. He could also make himself heavy enough to plunge even faster than the earth's gravity would normally allow. In battle, he was subtle and swift in its application, making small adjustments that allowed him to maneuver in midair, and allow him to return to the earth faster than his opponents suspected he could. Even Yu had grudgingly acknowledged that Ayumu was already quite accomplished, when it came to "thinking small" with his Semblance.

By lightening himself, Ayumu had been able to walk right out into the center of the weak spot, right to where the ground was weakest. After that, he'd gradually increased his weight, making the earth below give way naturally, ensuring that there would be nothing suspicious about the cave-in that resulted.

They dropped into gloom, massive shapes looming out of the darkness. Even before her eyes adjusted, Ruby could feel their contours through the air around her. Straight angles and corners, contrasting sharply with the sensation of the curving cavern walls. The settlers hadn't just occupied the caverns, they'd constructed underground buildings, many of which having been built into the cavern walls themselves. Some ended with flat roofs, others rose directly up to the ceiling and, Ruby was willing to bet, continued upwards into the sky above, serving as direct underground extensions of the buildings on the surface.

The cavern floor rose up to meet them. Down below, Ayumu had already drifted to a safe landing. Ruby activated her Semblance, creating an upward acceleration to counter her downward one. It required a bit more fine-tuning to use than the recoil method she'd relied upon back when she'd had Crescent Rose, but it worked just as well, and, more importantly, didn't announce her descent with gunshots.

Beside her, Gin oriented downwards, extending his clawed and scaled hands, spreading his Aura through them and smashing them into the ground to expel his inertia into the earth itself to cushion the impact of his landing. With the rubble crashing to the ground all around them, they didn't have to worry about the noise of another impact amongst all of that.

Once they were down, they immediately rushed in through the entrance of one of the abandoned underground buildings and waited.

They didn't have to wait long. As the echoes of the cave-in faded into the distance, Ruby felt the air stir and heard the sound of footsteps, the sound of someone who wasn't making any effort to be silent.

"Damn! Another one," a low, masculine voice called out.

"You're surprised?" asked another voice, higher and lighter, feminine. "This whole place is falling apart, piece by piece. Eventually, this whole settlement is gonna be one giant sinkhole."

"Good thing we aren't staying that long," announced the man. "It's just gonna be another week or so. Honestly, I'll be glad to get out of this hole."

"We all will," said the woman with a tired sigh. "I don't know what that freaky witch did to make sure the Grimm stay out of our hair down here, but I don't trust it. It gives me the creeps to know that they're still lurking around."

"Holding them off while the bullheads land is a pain," added the man. "Good thing we have all that Dust we stole."

"Yeah. There's plenty to go around, even with most of it going to the bombs," said the woman.

 _Bombs!_ Ruby's eyes widened and she stifled the urge to gasp in shock.

The woman continued. "It sure is a nice change from how things used to be. We used to have to scrape and scavenge to get together enough to arm a single operation. Now we have all the Dust we can use, and then some."

"It almost makes it worth working with that piece of human pond scum," growled the man.

"True," agreed the woman. "I'm getting sick of him throwing his weight around though. I hope Brother Taurus gets here soon. He'll put that thief in his place."

 _Thief?_ thought Ruby, her eyes narrowing. Then it struck her. _Torchwick! Torchwick's here!_

Roman Torchwick, the man who'd, unwittingly, set Ruby upon the fast-track to becoming a Huntress, by robbing a Dust store that she'd been in at the time, was here in Mountain Glenn, overseeing some kind of operation with the White Fang. Thanks to the incident at the docks, Ruby knew that they'd been working together. Now, here he was again.

"Don't count on it," said the man, frustration coloring his tone. "As long as Torchwick's being backed by that witch, he's safe. Not even Brother Taurus wants to cross her." He sighed. "He won't be back in Vale until after this operation is over anyway."

"Too bad he's missing the fireworks," said the woman. "But I guess we'll have to welcome him back with a pile of human corpses instead. That'll make his day for sure."

"That it will," agreed the man. "Well, nothing off. I don't think any Grimm came down here. I don't know why we bother..."

"We bother because the Lieutenant said so," said the woman. "Let's just get back. I don't want to hang out here all day."

Their voices, footsteps, and presence, receded into the distance, leaving the trio alone once more.

Ruby had broken out into a cold sweat after hearing that. "They're planning some kind of attack," she whispered. "And it sounds big."

"Strange," wondered Ayumu. "What kind of attack could they possibly launch from out here?"

"The only way to know is to go in and find out," said Gin. "Let's get moving."

They set out through the darkness, Ruby trusting in her training to sense the terrain around her, moving as deftly as though she could see everything. She was able to sense which pieces of earth were solid, which chunks of rubble would hold her weight, and which would shift and make unnecessary, possibly dangerous noise. She wasn't even able to fully describe _how_ she knew, the meshing together of her different senses giving her a near-perfect knowledge of her surroundings.

As they followed in the wake of the two soldiers, they heard more sounds growing louder; the clangs of heavy machinery, interspersed with shouted instructions and commands. The cavern roof was illuminated dimly by several light sources towards the section of the cavern that Ruby knew to be underneath where the station was.

They reached a final row of buildings between them and the commotion on the other side. Gin leading the way, they proceeded up into one of them, senses on high alert for any signs of sentries. However, it appeared that the White Fang apparently believed that they didn't require much security below-ground, assuming they had enough above-ground.

Making their way through the building and to its other side, they peered out a broken window, a gasp escaping Ruby's lungs at the sight that lay before her.

The White Fang's operation wasn't small by any stretch of the imagination. Soldiers hurried about, every which way, looking like scurrying rats from this distance. Light was no longer an issue, powerful spotlights stationed around the perimeter of their underground encampment illuminating everything quite clearly. Large, mechanical walkers clanked around, clearly heavily armed, though, at the moment, they were doubling as cargo haulers, carrying large crates that were much too heavy for even squads of soldiers to lift. Though Ruby didn't know it yet, these were the Atlesian Paladins, one of which had been fought by her sister and friends in Vale.

And at the center of this operation, there was the train. A single Dust-powered locomotive was hooked up to several bulky, rectangular, cargo cars, their shape reminding Ruby of the container that the bullhead had ferried in from above. The cars nearest to the front were being loaded with all manner of things: equipment, munitions, and Dust. Behind them was a car with a flatbed, which held several more of the mechs that were already stomping around. By Ruby's count there were ten of them in all. Some of the cars near the rear had their sides open, but appeared to be completely empty, save for some bulky device that appeared to have two different containers of Dust on either side of it.

 _Those must be the bombs,_ thought Ruby, recognizing the configuration from some of her Dust classes. It used two containers of different types of Dust, that would react violently to one another, and forced them together to generate a powerful explosion. _But what are the bombs for?_ wondered Ruby.

She let her eyes wander over the train's length, hoping to spot a clue that would inform her as to what was in the works. She didn't have much luck, no flashing neon signs indicating what the evil plan the White Fang were working on was. She continued, her eyes now tracing the length of the track, before disappearing down a tunnel. Given their earlier suspicions about the nature of the place and the direction of the tracks themselves, Ruby was fairly certain that the tunnel led right to Vale.

"Pretty elaborate setup with the train and all," mused Gin. "It almost looks like a smuggling operation. Are they setting up to smuggle more weapons into Vale?"

"They wouldn't need to," said Ruby, shaking her head. "Before...what happened...the White Fang had been stealing Dust all through the Kingdom. That bullhead we saw earlier was flying _out_ from Vale, so I think they're actually bringing their Dust and weapons out here."

"How odd," mused Ayumu. "And yet, this setup appears to be designed to bring the weapons right back in."

"They're only loading the cars on the front half of the train," said Ruby. "I looks like the rear cars are just for the bombs."

"A terrorist attack," suggested Gin.

"That's what it seems like," said Ruby.

"Strange," said Ayumu.

"What?" asked Ruby.

"Well...it seems unusual," said Ayumu. "If this were a terrorist attack involving large amounts of explosives, I think the way they would want to carry it out would be to send the train down the tunnel and blow it up at the destination, presumably somewhere important in Vale."

"Right," agreed Ruby.

"Yet the bombs are in the rear cars," said Ayumu. "If you tried a similar tactic with that, you'd blow up the entire train together once you reached the end. The cars in the rear would compact against the cars in front and everything would be destroyed...which might be fine, except that the cars towards the front are clearly for passengers and armaments, meaning that those would be lost as well, not to mention those mechs in between."

"There may be something involving the timing of the explosions," said Gin. "That's the only answer I can think of." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "We need a closer look."

"We'll have to be careful," said Ruby.

"No," said Gin firmly. "I'll go...by myself."

"But, Gin..." protested Ruby worriedly.

"Don't worry," said Gin with a smirk as he straightened up, "they won't see a thing."

* * *

 **And here we go, Mountain Glenn from the point of view of Ruby and the boys. Because we went with an actual flashback, there are aspects of this story that aren't being told directly to Ruby's listeners.**

 **One of the biggest challenges of this arc was coming up with a way for Ruby and the gang to figure out the evil plan that was in the works. It felt cliche and stupidly contrive to have them just happen to hear Roman or the others explain the plan in perfect detail, by virtue of being in the right place at the right time. So this and the next chapter are all about how they work out what's going on.**


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49:**

Ruby watched in fascination as Gin stepped back from the window, and into the center of the room that formed their refuge. Bowing his head and closing his eyes, he brought his hands together in a manner that reminded Ruby of the gesture that Ayumu often made before drawing Green Destiny. However, instead of drawing them apart, Gin kept them together, his eyes closed in concentration.

Then, slowly, his form began to ripple and distort. However, it wasn't the manner in which it usually did, when he was using _Suigetsu_. Instead, the ripples spread over his body, which appeared to sink into the scenery behind him, as though was slowly submerging himself into the fabric of reality itself. With one last ripple, Gin disappeared from sight completely.

Despite the fact she couldn't see him, Ruby could still sense Gin's presence. Looking carefully, she could see the faintest distortions, like a ripple in the air caused by heat, but fainter, where Gin stood. But that was the extent of it. Otherwise, he was completely invisible. "Wow!"

"I'll be back," said Gin softly. The air in front of Ruby and Ayumu rippled a little more, albeit subtly, and she saw the faint distortions in the air move back out through the door they'd come in from.

"What is that?" asked Ruby.

"The extreme form of _Suigetsu_ ," answered Ayumu. "Gin calls it _Shingetsu_. Essentially, rather than just using his mist to refract light to displace his position and distort his movements, he instead uses it to completely bend light around himself, rendering him invisible."

"That's so cool!" gasped Ruby. "Why doesn't he do that more often?"

"Well, as you can see, it takes a good bit more concentration to maintain than the standard _Suigetsu,"_ replied Ayumu. "It took him almost two full minutes to fully veil himself. Even afterwards, he has to be careful of how he moves. You saw the distortions, yes?"

Ruby nodded.

"When he moves, he can't perfectly bend the light around him, leading to those ripples in the air," explained Ayumu. "If he moves too quickly, he'll break through the mist completely. So he has to move slowly and carefully. The concentration he needs to maintain it makes multitasking difficult as well.

"Perhaps it would get easier if he practiced more, but we've been training primarily in combat, not espionage. _Shingetsu_ is something that Gin's occasionally practiced on the side, as opposed to the regular _Suigetsu_ , which is much easier to maintain, and has more combat applications."

"Oh..." said Ruby. "Well, it's a good thing he has it." She returned to the window to watch, looking for any signs of Gin. At this distance, even the faint ripples made by his movement might as well have been invisible to her eyes. She couldn't even see a trace of him.

"Indeed. It's certainly useful in a situation like this." Ayumu joined her, both of them keeping watch. At this point, there wasn't much they could do but wait and keep tabs on the situation. If Gin was discovered, things would get loud and messy quickly, so they'd have to be ready to support him if that happened.

* * *

Reaching the ground floor, Gin emerged from the building and slowly made his way towards the train, weaving between White Fang soldiers going about their tasks. The urgency of their work was such that they apparently didn't have too much time or energy to spare to focus on their surroundings. The faint, rippling distortions in the air that marked Gin's passage caught no attention as he approached.

Instead, he had to be careful that none of the White Fang soldiers tripped over him in their hurry. Ironically, that was even more difficult than if they were actually hunting for him. The complete lack of intention towards him behind their movements meant that Gin had to navigate entirely on the physical factors of their presence. He also had to tread carefully. An abrupt or hurried motion would disrupt his _Shingetsu,_ and the game would be up. This wasn't a situation where, if he found himself suddenly in someone's way, he could get out of it in a hurry.

Still, his training allowed him to read the flow of movement of the soldiers, and he weaved deftly between them, reaching and then pressing up against the side of the train, where he was at least marginally out of the way. He then worked his way along the length of it, making his way towards the cars in the front. If that was where the passengers were, then it stood to reason that there might be hints as to the nature of the attack they were planning.

Reaching the first of the cars that marked the front portion of the train, Gin peered through the hatch, careful not to be where someone might walk. Inside, a pair of soldiers were stacking crates while chatting. Gin listened in for a little, but their conversation seemed largely unhelpful, merely inventorying the Dust in the crates they were stacking.

Gin moved on, making his way up the cars, one by one, checking each from the outside. Some were unoccupied. Others were in the process of being loaded. The only thing he could determine was that the White Fang were stockpiling enough munitions in the train alone to fight a small war. Between this, and the Paladins resting on the flatbed, Gin figured they were gearing up for a major attack, with a lot of troops and materiel. _So why do the cars in the rear have bombs?_

The car immediately behind the locomotive itself was the only one of the cars in the front section that was closed. Gins stared at the door on the side, wondering if he ought to try and enter. However, that would probably give away that someone was down here who shouldn't be.

He frowned, but resolved to proceed onwards, figuring that this car must be fully-loaded already. Perhaps the locomotive itself would provide some clues. He'd moved past the door, when one of the White Fang soldiers; an imposing, well-built man, wearing a full-faced mask, one much more elaborate than the other troops around him; approached.

"Mr. Torchwick!" he called.

Gin froze, pressing up against the side of the train. This soldier had come straight up to the closed door of the car immediately behind the engine itself. The door that Gin was right next to swung open, and a man in an immaculate white suit came striding down. _So this is Roman Torchwick, huh?_

Gin's eyes went to the man's cane, which he twirled by its crook over the first two fingers of his right hand. Stepping down from the car, Roman stopped spinning his cane and rested it on the ground in front of him, planting both hands on the top of it, as though he were using to hold himself up.

 _He's dangerous,_ thought Gin, frowning as he assessed the criminal in front of him. _He's alert...wary...and smart. He's more dangerous than anyone on Team Brown was...but Ciar and Viola were definitely scarier than him._

"What is it?" asked Torchwick, his tone irritable and contemptuous. "Can't a guy get ten minutes of peace and quiet, without being bothered over every little thing?"

"The latest shipment was dropped off without any problems," explained the White Fang soldier in a rough, deep voice. "We're still three days behind schedule."

"Well, ain't that just grand?" grumbled Roman rhetorically. "The boss lady won't be happy, if we can't get this party started in time, and _I'm_ the one she'll be pressing for answers."

"It can't be helped," said the soldier, apparently someone fairly high-ranked in the organization, if Gin was any judge, maybe even the Lieutenant the two grunts earlier had mentioned, "our secondary recruitment team was captured in Withywindle. We were expecting more manpower from the settlements."

 _Well...that's interesting,_ thought Gin with a smirk, _we ended up doing ourselves a favor, without even realizing it._ After all, the team in question could only be the White Fang group that had tried to capture Ruby, and that had been subsequently beaten down and delivered to the authorities.

"Excuses, excuses..." said Roman in annoyance. "That's the trouble with you animals. There's just no trusting the help these days, eh Neo?"

Roman glanced over his shoulder as he spoke, his words being addressed to a young woman who sauntered out of the car in his wake. She was short, almost looking like a child. But there was an air to her that suggested that she was older than she looked. She observed the lieutenant with a pair of mismatched eyes, one pink and the other brown, then blinked. When her eyes opened again, the colors in them had switched.

 _Interesting..._ thought Gin, observing her. His eyes drifted down to the lacy parasol she gripped in her hands, holding it both by its handle and its closed canopy. He also took in the sight of her figure, the lithe legs in tight, brown pants, the brown corset underneath her white jacket that hugged the taut muscles of her stomach. She was shorter than even he and Ruby, but Gin could tell in a single glance that this girl was _not_ to be underestimated.

Roman Torchwick struck Gin as being quite formidable, clearly someone who was able to handle himself in a fight, quite well too, if Gin's assessment was accurate. The cane probably contained a few hidden functions that would make it an extremely dangerous weapon, despite its innocuous appearance. He could understand how the thief had managed to get away from Ruby, not once, but twice. Yes, Roman Torchwick was formidable.

Roman Torchwick was formidable, but the girl behind him was _deadly_. It was all in the little details. Even though her posture was relaxed and at ease, her balance was perfect, the state of someone who could go into combat mode in an instant, responding to any attack without the slightest delay. Even though she seemed unconcerned, Gin could tell that her awareness was greater than Torchwick's, her eyes surveying her surroundings, even as she nodded along with Roman's words. More importantly, Gin could tell that she wasn't just using her eyes. If he misstepped around her, then even _Shingetsu_ wouldn't be able to keep him hidden for long. He remained still, keeping his breaths as slow and light as possible.

Even though she hadn't said a word, Roman turned back to the lieutenant, as though Neo had just rattled off an entire paragraph. "My thoughts exactly. Listen up, pal. We get only _one_ shot at this, and we need to do it _right_. Now, if push comes to shove, we can get this wagon rolling with what we've got onboard, and the people with us now. We'll still do plenty of damage. But the boss lady wants this to be a show, if you take my meaning. If we _don't_ do it right, we'll be standing in our own personal funeral pyres. I don't have any plans of letting that happen. Besides, there won't be nearly as many dead humans if we don't do this when we're supposed to."

Roman stepped closer to the lieutenant to continue berating him. Neo followed him, stepping away from the door. Gin took the chance that was offered, and carefully slipped behind her, and then into the train car.

The interior of the car was completely different from the rest. Roman had apparently turned the thing into his personal quarters for the duration of the operation. A bed rested on one side, a plush couch resting next to it. Across from the couch was a large entertainment center, with a very expensive-looking holoscreen projector. Beside it was a desk with a luxurious leather chair resting behind it. The chair had been pushed out so that Roman could deal with the White Fang outside. The desk itself was covered with a few papers, including one large one that covered nearly the entire surface.

Making his way to the desk, Gin bent over to examine the papers on it, keeping an ear on the conversation outside, looking for cues that would indicate Roman was coming back in. That would mean it was time to go. Once Roman was back inside the car, he'd probably close the door behind him, meaning there was no way for Gin to escape without alerting him, and the dangerous young woman that accompanied him, to his presence. Fortunately, he seemed to enjoy berating the faunus outside, clearly using the opportunity to vent his frustration and stress over this job.

The large sheet of paper over the top of the desk was a blueprint, a fairly simple one. On one end of it was an outline of the cavern the train was currently in. Stretching across the rest of its length was a depiction of the tunnel the train was apparently meant to run through. Gin's eyes were immediately drawn to the marks that had clearly been added to the blueprint after it had been printed.

Black symbols, depicting a line with arrows on either end, pointing away from each other, had been drawn intermittently along the line of the tunnel. Each black symbol was followed by a circular mark in red. Carefully, Gin inspected the blueprint for some kind of legend, but saw none, Roman apparently not needing one to keep track of the meaning of the only two symbols he'd added to the blueprint.

Frowning, Gin counted the number of each symbol. There were the same number of black and red. The black ones came first, the red coming after, with the last red symbol appearing a fair distance down the tunnel, but well back from the tunnel's end.

Gin would have liked more time to ponder the meaning of what he'd seen, perhaps peruse the other documents on the desk. He'd have to content himself with a cursory examination. No doubt someone with Roman's level of canniness would notice if even a single sheet of paper was out of place, and realize something was amiss. However, Gin's investigation was cut short as he realized the conversation outside was coming to a close.

"Listen up!" Roman was shouting at the lieutenant. "Get your rears in gear and get this done, or I _won't_ be the one you'll have a problem with!"

"We'll double our efforts," promised the lieutenant, sounding more annoyed than chastised.

"Good," said Roman. "Though, if you can double your efforts, that means you've been slacking off. You can tell the grunts we're cutting the fat."

"They won't like that," growled the Lieutenant.

Gin slipped out the door, carefully moving to avoid Neo as he stepped down, also stepping carefully to keep from disturbing any debris on the ground as he moved, and began moving back down the line of the trains.

"Hey, I'm a generous employer," teased Roman. "Just tell them we're cutting their hours. We'll start by cutting their lunch hour to thirty minutes."

Gin left Roman, Neo, and the Lieutenant behind, moving back the way he came. He got a few cars down the train's length, when he realized he was being followed. Stopping, he slowly turned, and his eyes widened as he saw Neo slowly making her way along the train in his wake, her eyes sweeping back and forth, searching.

 _Did she realize I was there?_ wondered Gin, pressing himself against the side of the train as Neo drew closer.

The diminutive girl moved with a casual saunter that belied the impressive degree of alertness she possessed, moving as though she were out for a stroll, even though Gin could sense that she was fully on alert for any sign of intruders. She didn't have the _Shingan_ , but she had the heightened awareness of someone who'd been through combat a substantial number of times, and come out on top, as much due to a finely-tuned survival instinct as anything else.

She slowly walked past where Gin had hidden. Inhaling slowly, Gin closed his eyes. Then he exhaled even more slowly, allowing his awareness to slowly bleed away with the air in his lungs. Slowly, steadily, Gin sank completely into the surroundings, his presence disappearing entirely. This was a tricky fallback for him, something he'd developed way back, even before he'd met Yu, something he'd relied on during those times where his only recourse was to hide. Only Yu had ever been able to find him when he was like this. The tricky part was maintaining the balance between this state and _Shingetsu_. One slip, and _everybody_ would see him.

He heard Neo stop walking a short distance away. There was a metallic grating sound, like a blade being drawn from its sheathe. Taking care not to let his hold on his present state slip, Gin saw that Neo had changed her grip on the parasol, releasing it with her left hand so that she could hold it by its handle in her right. From its tip, a narrow blade had emerged. Now she came back along the car, metal scraping slightly as she traced a line along the side of the train with the tip of her blade...right at the level of Gin's head.

Gin knew he couldn't panic. Panic was probably what the girl was aiming for, even if she didn't know he was actually there for sure. This was a tactic to flush out someone in hiding, a slow, building tension, designed to make anxiety peak, rather than a sudden attempt to cause surprise.

Slowly, Gin allowed his legs to buckle, sliding down the side of the car, sinking into a seated position so that the tip of the blade dragged across the metal above the top of his head. Neo proceeded past, going all the way to the end of the car before stopping and turning to survey the space again.

Gin could sense her scrutiny. She wasn't certain that someone was there. It was more of a hunch than anything else, the sense that something was off, but she couldn't quite place the cause. But she had an idea of the location. She turned, apparently about to make another investigation of the length of the car again, but stopped as Roman's voice echoed through the cavern.

"Oi! Neo! Get back here! We've got work to do!"

Neo stopped, standing in place for a moment. Then, after an almost unbearably long time, by Gin's reckoning, though it was probably no more than a few seconds in realtime, Neo retracted the blade back into the umbrella's tip. Then she turned and made her way back towards the lead cars of the train.

Gin pushed himself back up, careful not to let himself relax, raising himself back out of that selfless state that had allowed him to utterly hide, if only so that he was able to make his way back to where Ruby and Ayumu were hiding.

Moving just as cautiously as he had in the beginning, Gin crept back the way he'd come, once again weaving between the White Fang soldiers, which was harder, as they had apparently already begun to speed up their efforts to finish whatever endeavor this was in time.

Once he reached the building Ayumu and Ruby were hiding in, Gin ducked inside and released _Shingetsu_ , his body appearing visibly, looking as though he were stepping out from behind a curtain of mist that peeled away, and dissolved in the air behind him. Gin made his way upstairs to where his friends were waiting.

Ruby and Ayumu looked up as he entered, relief apparent on Ruby's face as she stood to greet him.

"You're back!" she said happily, smiling radiantly.

"Yeah," said Gin with a tired sigh. "I need to sit down for a moment. I had a close call, and keeping _Shingetsu_ up like that takes it out of me. My head feels like it weighs a couple of tons."

"Of course," said Ayumu.

"I've got an idea," said Ruby, guiding Gin to sit down by her. She leaned against the wall and stretched her legs out. "Here..." She pulled on Gin's shoulder, guiding him to lay down so that his head rested on her thighs.

Gin blushed at first, but relaxed as Ruby began to gently comb her fingers through his hair. Ruby found his touch to be cool and soothing. But Gin found her touch to be just as comforting, in the opposite fashion. To him, Ruby felt slightly warm, like basking on a sun-warmed rock, just after the sun itself had disappeared below the horizon. That, combined with the sensation of her fingers brushing through his hair, almost lulled Gin into a doze. The pressure that had been building inside his head gradually dissipated.

"Feel better?" she asked, smiling down at him.

Gin rolled over onto his back and stared up at her eyes, smiling back at her. "Much," he answered.

"What did you learn?" prompted Ayumu helpfully.

"Well, it definitely seems that they're planning to run the train down the tunnel," said Gin. "Fortunately, it seems we've got a few days before they're ready to roll. In fact, they're behind schedule because of what we did in Withywindle."

"Ah, expecting more helping hands, were they?" asked Ayumu cheerfully.

"Yep. I guess recruitment in the Kingdom itself wasn't quite enough." Gin proceeded to explain what he saw and heard down in the encampment, detailing the blueprint he'd found in Torchwick's car.

"What do you think those symbols Gin saw mean?" asked Ruby, now resting her hand on Gin's forehead in much the same way he usually did for her.

Ayumu scratched his chin. "Arrows pointing away from each other, like Gin describes, implies separation."

"Separation? So they're pushing something apart..." Ruby frowned. Then her eyebrows went up. "Gin, how many of each symbol were there?"

Gin's eyes narrowed at the urgency in Ruby's tone. "Six."

"What are you thinking?" asked Ayumu.

"I'm thinking that there are six symbols for separation...and six cars with bombs on them," said Ruby, swallowing nervously, throwing a glance towards the window that looked out over their quarry.

"So that means that the second set of symbols, the red ones, are where they intend to detonate those bombs after separating them from the train," said Ayumu.

"But why?" asked Gin. "Those were plenty far back in the tunnel. The last explosion is set to go off well away from the end of the line."

"Are they trying to bring down the tunnel behind them?" wondered Ayumu.

"Why?" asked Ruby. "The last thing they'd be worried about is someone following them, or even tracing the line back. It's clear that they set up here just to get the train going and arm it. So it's not like they're trying to make a base."

"Certainly not when they're practically announcing its location to anyone with a basic knowledge of the area's history," added Gin.

"Maybe they're expecting pursuit," mused Ayumu. "Given that they are acting as terrorists, their short-term goals would be to inflict maximum casualties. They could announce the location of their base, lure pursuing forces into the tunnel after them, then bring the tunnel down on their heads."

"Awfully elaborate plan and one that could go wrong in a lot of ways," said Gin. Tilting his head up, he saw Ruby staring pensively upward at the ceiling, though at an angle, in the direction of where they'd entered the cavern from. "What are you thinking about, Ruby?"

Ruby blinked as though her mind had been miles away. "Oh! I was thinking about sinkholes," she said. She gazed back down at Gin again. "Gin...those symbols, were they evenly spaced or irregular?"

"Irregular," said Gin. "Doesn't make a lot of sense, if they want to undermine the structural integrity of the whole tunnel though."

"You have an idea, Ruby?" asked Ayumu.

"Yeah," said Ruby, a fearful edge to her voice, "and it's a lot worse than all the other ones we've been floating."

"What is it?" asked Gin, reaching up to cover the hand she had on his forehead, and gently squeeze it.

"I'm thinking that they're targeting points along their route like the one we came in through," said Ruby.

"You mean points where the earth between the tunnel and the aboveground areas is thin and weak?" asked Ayumu.

Ruby nodded slowly. "I think they aren't trying to block off the tunnel as they go, but open it up to the outside."

"Why?" asked Gin.

"The White Fang mentioned that someone did something to keep the Grimm away," said Ruby. "But that only extends to the camp itself."

"Outside of said camp, the fact that these are people acting out of hatred would mean there is a great deal of negativity," mused Ayumu.

"And that would draw the Grimm," said Gin, his eyes widening as he grasped Ruby's train of thought.

Ayumu swallowed in a rare betrayal of nervousness. "You're suggesting that they wish to open up the tunnel and draw the Grimm in through the openings."

"If that happens, then the Grimm follow them through the tunnel..." continued Gin.

"...Right into the middle of Vale," finished Ruby. "They aren't just launching an attack with mechs and weapons, they're going to bring a swarm of Grimm in with them." Her skin paled dramatically. "That's awful! How many people would they kill if they did that?"

"I don't exactly want to consider it," said Ayumu. "I think we were set on stopping them from the beginning, of course, but now it's _especially_ clear that we can't let them send that train out."

"So what do we do?" wondered Ruby.

"Well, for starters, I think we should pull back a little farther," said Gin, "maybe even back to the surface. One of the people Torchwick has working for him is _way_ more dangerous than the rest. I don't feel secure hashing this out while we're so close to their encampment. They aren't going to send out the train for at least another week, according to what I heard."

"We have time then," said Ayumu. "We'll need to be careful. From the look of things, the tunnel is already complete, and the train is ready to go. Right now, they seem to be accumulating armaments and personnel. If we alert them to our presence, they may send out the train and carry out the plan as is, which would still cause considerable damage."

Ruby nodded. She looked down at Gin. "Are you ready to go?"

Gin smirked back up at her. "I've always been ready to go," he said. "But this is just so comfortable."

Ruby giggled, happy to find some bright spots in the midst of this dark discovery.

* * *

Returning to the surface had been less arduous than she'd anticipated. While all of the normal routes were blocked or watched, they would be able to leave up through the sinkhole that they'd come down through. Reaching the highest point they could find in the cavern, where they had the best line up to the hole, Ruby gazed up at it, working out how to use her Semblance to reach up through it.

"Go ahead," said Ayumu. "You've been wanting to practice with Shining Rose's special function, right?"

"What about you two?" asked Ruby. "I could try and carry you both."

"Your balance needs more work before you try more complicated loads," said Gin. "It's a completely new move you're working on."

"I can get Gin and me up there just fine," added Ayumu. "My Semblance allows me to extend its effect to those I'm in contact with. It's helpful that you can get up on your own though."

Ruby nodded and drew her weapon. "All right," she said. "Let's go."

It was the work of a few seconds to get up to the surface with her new move, but she nearly flubbed it at the end, tumbling and having to recover quickly to avoid landing on her face. Ayumu and Gin followed her up, Ayumu keeping an arm around Gin's waist, as he kicked off the air itself to carry them both to the surface. From there, Ayumu glided over the weakened portion at the edges of the hole to land, depositing Gin and landing himself. Ayumu bent over, resting his hands on his knees, breathing hard.

"Are you all right?" asked Ruby worriedly.

"I'm fine," said Ayumu. "It's only natural that, the more mass I try to affect, and the more I affect it with my Semblance, the more of my Aura and stamina I spend. I don't use it to carry another person very often, so I'm a bit lacking in that department."

"Why didn't you say that earlier?" asked Ruby worriedly.

Gin sighed. "If he had, would you have let him carry me up?"

Ruby squeaked, and gave Gin an affronted glare. "You tricked me!"

"Yep," said Gin with a chuckle. "Not sorry about it this time."

Ruby opened her mouth to scold him, only to stop as she felt a flutter in her heart. _He's being himself more,_ she realized. The Gin she'd known at the start of their relationship wouldn't have hesitated to apologize and back down. This was a definite improvement. What was more, she liked seeing Gin stand up for himself more.

"Let's pull back farther," said Ayumu, who'd regained his wind. "Beyond the borders of the settlement would be best. We'll be safest out there, and we can obtain some fresh provisions. We'll even be able to light a fire, if we keep the wood dry.

"That's fine by me," said Ruby. The journey back would be tense, as they would still have to worry about the Grimm and White Fang patrols. But they knew where their quarry was, and didn't need to search anymore. That meant they could move more quickly.

It took a few more hours to traverse the terrain. By that point, the sun was beginning to dip. Gin, having scouted the area, took the lead and drew them to the shores of a small lake, fed by a creek running down the mountain. While Ruby and Ayumu went through the process of setting up their camp for the night, Gin stripped down to his boxers and waded out into the lake, before diving underneath the water.

"He can swim?" asked Ruby, surprised.

"Yes," said Ayumu. "Perhaps it has some manner of relationship with his Semblance, but he is quite at home in the water. Master Yu used swimming for physical conditioning exercises as well, so he's had plenty of practice at it."

"Huh..." mused Ruby, wondering what other hidden skills and talents Gin had yet to show her.

* * *

Half an hour later, they were seated around the fire, waiting for the fish Gin caught to cook, as Gin dried himself off using his Semblance.

"It's basically a form of hydrokinesis," Gin explained. "I call it Mist Control, but mist is evaporated water condensing in the air. It's harder to control it more dramatically than that. Normally, I use ambient moisture. If that's lacking, I can use the water in my own body through my sweat...but I try not to do that when I can avoid it, for obvious reasons."

"What if you used Dust?" asked Ruby. "Water from Dust is responsive to Aura. You could probably control it a lot better than just as mist."

Gin shook his head, holding up his hands and examining them. "I'm not sure why, but my Semblance doesn't work with water from Dust. I think that, to my Semblance, it's another substance entirely."

"Hmm..." mused Ruby, her cheeks blushing slightly as she watched her boyfriend.

"By the way, Gin," said Ayumu, chuckling softly. "Are you planning to spend the entire evening in just your underwear?" He paused. "Not that Ruby seems to mind."

Gin's eyes widened and his cheeks turned a bright-red that spread across his entire face. He whipped his head around to stare at Ruby, who giggled, even though she was blushing as well. "It's a treat," she admitted, taking in Gin's toned physique, the taut, dense musculature, along with its impressive definition, that made him a good deal heavier than his size alone might suggest. No wonder Ayumu had been winded carrying him up from below.

Gin dressed quite hurriedly after that. A minute later, he was sitting at the fire, next to Ruby, still blushing. She leaned against him with a sigh, taking a moment to bask in his presence, before turning her mind to the conundrum they were faced with. "So...what do we do?"

"Well...fortunately, it's not too hard to figure out, now that I've had some time to think about it," said Gin.

"What?" asked Ruby, pulling away to look at him.

"The White Fang used the train because it was there, and the basics of what they needed were already laid out," said Gin. "But that's gonna be their undoing, because their plan has one major flaw that we can exploit."

"What's that?" asked Ruby.

"However fast, however powerful the engine, if you want a train to get anywhere, you need tracks," said Gin. "That tunnel is miles long. With them already short-handed, and working hard to get all their materiel together, I bet the White Fang doesn't have the manpower to patrol its entire length."

"They might not even bother," said Ayumu. "The tunnel is, no doubt, still sealed at Vale's end. From their perspective, it's probably the most secure area of their entire encampment. They have no reason to expect intruders from that direction. Their attention will be focused on the rest of their perimeter."

"If we can get past that, we can enter the tunnel," said Ruby.

"Yep," agreed Gin. "Then we only need to tear up a small portion of the tracks to derail their plan...literally."

"And even if we can't stop them entirely, if we do enough damage, we could set their plan back by weeks," said Ruby.

"From how Torchwick was talking, I gather that's unacceptable," said Gin with a smirk. "Setting out undermanned and under-armed would be an easy workaround. But there's no working around your train not being able to go anywhere. They'd have no choice but to suspend their timetable to fix the tracks."

Ruby's eyes narrowed. "If we can destroy the tracks without alerting them to it, we can attack without worries. If Roman tries to send out the train without knowing the tracks have been ruined, he'll wreck the whole thing himself."

"A simple and effective solution, all told," said Ayumu. "The real question is whether or not we can manage that. The tunnel echoes will carry sounds a fair distance and ripping up steel rails would make quite a lot of noise."

"Then we make some noise at our end," said Ruby firmly. "I think I know just how to do it. We can put a stop to the plan that way too."

"Targeting the bombs?" asked Gin.

Ruby nodded. "One good shot and the entire encampment will probably go up. Because of their design, setting off the bombs that way will mean a smaller explosion, but that's probably for the best. Otherwise, we might bring the whole cavern down."

"So it wasn't that hard to plan at all," mused Gin. "I'll sneak down the tunnel and tear up the tracks. I shouldn't have a hard time getting past the sentries with _Shingetsu_. The only person I really need to be wary of is Torchwick's follower. But she sticks close to him. If I give them both a wide berth, she won't see me coming."

"I'll set off the bombs," said Ruby. "Then the only thing we need to really worry about is taking down those mechs."

"So we've got a plan then," said Gin. "Let's take a day to rest up. We have the time, so we might as well use it. We'll want to make sure you're fully recovered from your time in the cave before we move."

"Agreed," said Ayumu. "Besides, the more time we take, the more effort and materiel the White Fang will sink into the operation, making it a bigger blow when we bring it down."

"But stopping it takes priority," said Ruby firmly. "One day, no more than that." She flinched when she saw both Ayumu and Gin giving her an odd look. "Um...what?"

"It's just...I can see why you were made your team's leader," said Gin with a chuckle.

"Oh..." Ruby blushed and looked down, but smiled as Gin rested his hand atop her own.

* * *

Ruby and Gin slept in that morning, while Ayumu went through the trouble of finding food for their breakfast. By the time they woke up, he was already well along in the process of cooking their morning meal, having set a flat rock up practically on top of the fire, while spreading small pools of batter across its surface.

"Pancakes?" Ruby was surprised to see Ayumu preparing them of all things.

"Well, I wouldn't call them pancakes, exactly," replied Ayumu cheerfully. "I used flour I made from that wild grain field we passed through a few weeks back."

"You've been carrying that all this time?" asked Ruby.

"I have," replied Ayumu. "I'm afraid they're not particularly sweet, as I don't have any sugar. But I do have some honeycomb from that beehive we found on the mountain, when we were on our way to meet you. We can spread that on top."

Ruby didn't need words to convey her thoughts on that, as her stomach spoke quite eloquently for her. Gin chuckled beside her.

"I'm surprised you'd think to make pancakes out here," said Ruby.

"Uh oh," muttered Gin.

"Actually, some nutritional anthropologists-"

"Wait! That's a thing?" blurted Ruby in surprise.

"That's a thing," replied Ayumu cheerfully, showing no hint of frustration at being interrupted. "Anyway, as I was saying, some nutritional anthropologists believe that pancakes may have been some of the earliest cooked foods, early people mixing ground grain with water, and cooking them on flat rocks, just like this."

"How do you know that?" asked Ruby.

"He read it," said Gin. "Ayumu loves learning about odd topics. But he's especially a nut about food and cooking."

"I'd love to try cooking in an actual kitchen sometime," said Ayumu cheerfully. "Though I have to admit that I have no experience in working things like a stove or an oven."

Ruby couldn't help but giggle at the thought. Ayumu's cooking couldn't be called gourmet by any stretch of the imagination. But that was hardly his fault. In fact, Ruby thought that Ayumu was quite the skilled cook, excelling of making use of the limited ingredients that could be found throughout the wilderness to produce meals that were surprisingly tasty, despite the sparse resources around them. She imagined that, with a little learning, he could be quite the wiz behind a kitchen counter.

"Well, I happen to have a couple of friends in Beacon that are good cooks," said Ruby with a giggle. "I think they could help you learn."

"I look forward to meeting them," Ayumu replied.

The cakes cooked quickly, which was hardly a surprise. Of course, calling them cakes was quite the stretch. Without access to leavening agents, like baking soda, they were nowhere near as light and fluffy as the pancakes Ruby was used to, in fact quite dense, being slightly hard if anything. Still, they were quite tasty for something Ayumu had made using wild ingredients and cooked on a rock, especially with honeycomb smeared across their tops. Ruby ate several, Ayumu being happy to cook extra servings for her, and using up their entire reserve of honeycomb.

Seeing the guilty look on Ruby's face, he gave her a small grin. "It's fine. Today's a day for the little luxuries we can get. Besides, it won't be long before we're in Vale and we'll be able to eat whatever we please, without worry."

"I guess that's true," admitted Ruby, her guilt fading a little. She had to admit, with what she had just been through, and what they were preparing for, she wasn't adverse to a little pampering.

After that, they relaxed at the lake for a while longer, taking what was, for them, a lazy day. Bored, Ruby began to practice a few of her techniques with Shining Rose, including the new one she'd used to get out of the cavern. Managing her balance on the narrow shaft of her weapon was tricky, and it would probably take extra practice for her to really get the feel of it. But, at this point, she was able to rise above the level of the forest canopy.

That was when she saw it, the familiar, swooping figure of a bullhead. At first, she assumed it was another White Fang one, making a drop-off. However, she noticed the lack of a cargo container on its belly. Furthermore, its flight carried it to another portion of the abandoned settlement. She frowned, and her eyes narrowed. She canceled her technique and returned to ground-level.

"Someone's here!" she said as she landed by Ayumu and Gin. "They're not White Fang either."

"A bullhead?" asked Gin.

Ruby nodded.

"Well, it seems our day off is coming to an early end," said Ayumu. "In that case, we'd best see who it is. Good thing we've already broken camp."

They ran as swiftly as they could through the forest, careful not to attract the attention of the Grimm. Reaching the tallest building in sight, Ruby and the boys immediately climbed it, carefully avoiding any further Nevermore nests. Reaching the top of the building, she brought out Shining Rose in its rifle mode and leveled it in the direction of the bullhead, which had completed a circling sweep, and was now going into a hover in preparation to disembark its passengers, descending towards another of the settlement's ruined skyscrapers.

Ruby had designed Crescent Rose to serve as a high-impact sniper rifle as well as a scythe. Crescent Rose's successor was no different, although the mechanics of how it worked were completely different. Her new weapon's "scope" consisted of a single lens, a circle of light-red Aura that formed above the barrel. Like Shining Rose's blade, this too was a manifestation, a technique that allowed her to control the range of her view.

Gazing through it, Ruby sent out her will, as though projecting the feeling of her eye extending out ahead of her. The lens of Aura reacted, a second, slightly smaller, lens detaching from the other side and sliding through the air out along the barrel, a third, even smaller one then detaching from that. Through it, Ruby saw her view of the building the bullhead was hovering over rapidly zoom in, allowing her to see the aircraft in detail as its passengers leapt out the door to land on the building's roof.

Who Ruby saw made her breath catch in her throat, her heart and mind suddenly swamped by waves of emotion. Her body began to tremble, faint vibrations that made her view of the other roof jump violently. She began to sweat, her entire body tensing like a coiled spring.

"Ruby?" asked Gin, he and Ayumu realizing that something was off.

"I-it's them..." said Ruby, her voice a whimper as she forced herself to hold her weapon steady to keep sighting down its length. She drew her view across each of the new arrivals' faces, taking them all in. There was Nora, Ren, Jaune, Blake... Ruby's mind nearly went blank at the next person she saw. There was no mistaking that head of long, blonde hair, or those lively lilac eyes. "Y-Yang..."

* * *

 **It's worth reiterating that the big thing I wanted to do with this story arc was have Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu work out what Roman and the White Fang were up to, with minimum use of contrived coincidences. I wanted them to work it out for themselves, not have Gin scout things out, then conveniently happen to stumble upon Roman giving the White Fang a detailed lecture, complete with a PowerPoint presentation, on their plan to lead a horde of Grimm through a breach in Vale's defenses. The biggest coincidence is that Gin's near the door of the train, when Roman and Neo come out it.**

 **And, of course, we have the part where the two previously separate storylines intersected, this time from Ruby and the boys' point of view.**

 **Also, the bit about pancakes comes from the cooking show, _Good Eats_. God, I miss that show.**


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter 50:**

"Your sister?" Ayumu blinked in surprise. "That means your old team is here now."

Ruby didn't even really hear him. It was taking all her self control to keep from just forgetting about Roman, the White Fang, the Grimm, _everything_ , and dashing across the crumbling buildings so that she could throw herself into her sister's arms. _Yang's here! She's right there! If I wanted, I could..._

Despite knowing that there was still a lot she needed to do, it was unbelievably tempting. Seeing Yang drove home the fact that they were almost there, that this was the final leg of her long journey. She could see Yang again. She could be with her sister and friends. She could see her father. She could go back to Beacon and become a Huntress.

Then Ruby's gaze drifted along and she saw two other familiar faces, the two faces that haunted her nightmares, the faces of the people who had nearly _killed_ her. There was Weiss, her light-blue eyes still cold as she gazed around her. It seemed that the time she'd spent as Team WBY's leader hadn't taken the edge off her personality. Nearby was that unmistakable head of red hair and those green eyes. Pyrrha Nikos, for all that she'd seemed to be in agreement with Weiss at the time, certainly didn't seem satisfied. If anything, she seemed unhappy and discontented. Ruby wished that it was because Pyrrha regretted what she did, but Ruby doubted that. She figured those two probably hadn't spared her so much as a thought since they'd come back from tossing her out like so much trash.

Ruby's jaw clenched so hard that it began to hurt. Her face felt like it was on fire, a heat that was spreading across her entire body. This time, there was no question regarding the emotion. It was rage. Ruby's gaze was tinted red, and not by the color of her Aura. She focused her sight on Weiss, zooming all the way in and putting the center of the heiress' forehead right in her scope. Her mental finger curled around the trigger. One twitch...one shot...

"Ruby."

Gin's hand reached around and gently rested on her forehead. Ruby felt him kneel down behind her, his other arm snaking around her midriff as he pressed his body against her back. She felt the heat begin to drain away, Gin's cool touch soothing her, relaxing her. Her muscles unclenched, and she slowly lowered Shining Rose, no longer looking through the scope. She let out a sigh and slumped in Gin's arms, allowing him to hold her up.

"It's okay," said Gin, moving his hand to brush his fingers through her bangs.

"You have your plans for them," said Ayumu. "It's hard, seeing them all again, both the good and the bad. But you mustn't forget what we need to do, not just with the White Fang, but with your attackers as well."

"Thank you," said Ruby, pushing away from the edge of the roof and back against Gin's chest. "I'm glad I have you both to help me keep it together."

"Of course," said Ayumu, taking Ruby's hand.

Gin kissed the back of her head.

Ruby spent a few more minutes basking in their care, before gathering her thoughts. "I'm not sure what to do now," she said.

"Do we know why they're here?" asked Ayumu.

Gin frowned. "It's odd that your old team and friends would just show up, right after we stumbled on a major White Fang operation."

"It's not coincidence," said Ruby firmly, sitting up. "It must be Blake."

"Your faunus teammate?" asked Ayumu.

Ruby nodded. "She's former White Fang, and she's been upset about the things they've been up to lately. She was at Vale's docks, investigating whether or not they were really stealing Dust."

"Which was how they ended up with a picture of you," noted Ayumu, remembering what they'd learned in Withywindle.

Ruby nodded. "She must still be investigating the White Fang. I bet she and the others learned something is up out here and came to look."

"The timing sure is interesting," said Gin, "not to mention convenient. I wonder if Yu had something to do with this."

"It's hard to envision him being so omniscient," said Ayumu. "But with his _Shingan_...and the fact he was setting our pace, I have my doubts."

"No point wondering about that," said Ruby. "We know exactly where the Fang's operation is, and we have a pretty good idea of what they're up to. But Yang and the others, they might be going in blind."

"They might know even more than we do," Gin pointed out.

"We can't be sure of that," said Ruby. "That train's ready to go. If Torchwick gets so much as a hint that someone might be onto him, he'll go ahead and send it out."

"Well...If I had to guess, your friends don't know where the operation is," said Ayumu.

"You don't think so?" asked Ruby.

Ayumu nodded. "They've set down quite a ways away from where we know the White Fang are encamped. That could be a ploy to keep them from being spotted on the way in. However, as positions go, that's still extremely unfavorable. They will have to move through a large number of heavily Grimm-infested streets."

"They'll be making a lot of noise," added Gin.

Ayumu nodded. "If I had to guess, I think they know there's a White Fang operation out here, and came to search for its exact location."

"That makes sense," said Ruby. "But...what do we do about it?"

"Well, we can go ahead and get started on our plan to deal with the train," said Gin.

"Yeah..." said Ruby. "But..." She turned her gaze in the direction of WBY and JNPR on the distant roof.

"They have quite a lot of ground to search," mused Ayumu, following the line of Ruby's gaze. "If they move systematically, they can search the rest of the day and not reach the White Fang's patrol area."

"What are you getting at?" asked Gin.

"We submitted the evidence we gathered in Brandywine to Mr. Qrow," said Ayumu. "But...the best thing to do would be to draw a confession from either of the two perpetrators."

"So...what?" asked Gin. "Are you saying we torture it out of them or something?"

"Hardly," said Ayumu. "That wold be sinking to their level. Besides, I doubt any kind of admission under torture would be admissible in court, not to mention that it would be difficult to get them away from the others."

"So what do we do?" asked Ruby.

"Well...I imagine that this is going to be a very stressful day for them all," said Ayumu. "If we put Ms. Nikos and Ms. Schnee under a little _extra_ psychological pressure...the kind of pressure that focuses their minds on the crime they committed, then we can perhaps goad them to speak about what they've done to each other. If Ruby is on hand with her scroll when that happens..."

"Oh!" Ruby's eyes widened. "But what kind of pressure do you have in mind."

"A little game of hide and seek," said Ayumu with a chuckle, regarding Ruby with eyes that were showing a surprising degree of excitement. "Ruby, how do you feel about pretending to be a ghost?"

Ruby's eyes narrowed and she returned Ayumu's smile with an eager one of her own.

* * *

It was tricky, getting through the abandoned settlement, while dodging Grimm along the way. As they moved, they heard gunshots and angry roars echo out, signs that the battle had been joined. It seemed that WBY and JNPR were having to fight their way through the waves of Grimm. Of course, the sounds of their battle were spreading throughout the settlement, catching the attention of Grimm well away and bringing them running. It was going to be a long day for the two teams.

Ruby was not surprised to find them in the midst of battle. What she was surprised to see was that not only were they being supervised by one of Beacon's staff, in the form of Dr. Oobleck, but had apparently been joined by Penny, the girl Ruby and the others had met in Vale, and had helped them fight off the White Fang at the docks.

From there, she followed Ayumu's plan well. First was killing an Ursa that had been about to take Weiss from behind. Waiting right until Weiss was looking her way to dart back around the corner, tracking Weiss with her _Shingan_ as the heiress approached, and using her Semblance and new technique to dart upwards, while leaving a few scattered petals in her wake to catch Weiss' attention. After that, it had taken all her strength not to break out laughing at the shocked look on Weiss' face.

A little while later, Ruby saved Pyrrha in a similar manner, this time bisecting an attacking Beowolf, and rushing out of sight before Pyrrha could turn around, once again leaving some of her Semblance's petals as a visual indicator.

Throughout the day, Ruby shadowed the two girls, waiting until one or the other was separated from the others. She would rush past, passing right through the corner of their vision, drawing their attention, sometimes distracting them while they should have been focusing on their opponents, their inattentiveness being rewarded with a blow from a Grimm's claws or fangs, but not enough to actually injure them.

It was entertaining, at least. Perhaps it was a little darkly vindictive of her, but Ruby enjoyed the idea of teasing Weiss and Pyrrha, tantalizing them with the possibility that their past misdeeds were coming back to haunt them. It would make for a great buildup for when she actually confronted them.

By the end of the day, everyone was tired and worn out from constantly fighting the Grimm. But Weiss and Pyrrha were especially flustered and distracted, though they hid it well from the others. That night, the group took shelter in one of the abandoned buildings that they'd cleared out earlier. Ruby and the boys decided to lurk on the floor above them, keeping an eye on things. Just as the group below were settling watches, Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu set watches of their own, not to watch for Grimm (they could do that while they slept), but to monitor the group below and see if there was anything they could learn, be it about their reason for being here or evidence regarding the crime.

Ruby took the first watch. Down below, Ruby noticed that Yang and Jaune had also taken the first watch. It was hard to see from her position, but they were staying close together and talking softly. Ruby couldn't quite hear what they were talking about, but gave them their privacy. They weren't the ones she wanted to listen to.

As the night drew on, Yang and Jaune returned to go to sleep. Ruby's eyes widened when she noticed who had replaced them. _Weiss...and Pyrrha!_

If it had been just one or the other, Ruby would have performed another dash past their field of vision, perhaps swept overhead to scatter some of her petals where they could see them. But this...if Weiss and Pyrrha had arranged to be on watch together, this might be the opportunity she was looking for.

Moving carefully, remembering everything she'd learned from Gin, Ayumu, and Yu about moving silently, Ruby moved closer, holding her scroll at the ready. As she got closer, her heartbeat shot up alarmingly, excitement thrumming through her veins as she listened in. Weiss and Pyrrha were talking about her. Ruby had already pulled up the audio-recording app on her scroll. Now, with a tap of her thumb, she hit "record."

"…But I killed my partner and I covered it up by calling down the Grimm right on top of our teams…" Weiss was saying.

Ruby's lips pulled back in an eager grin and it was all she could do to keep from shouting out triumphantly. This was it! This was her smoking gun! This was the undeniable proof of what Weiss and Pyrrha had done to her, that they'd planned to do it to her from the start. Now she had the last piece of the puzzle needed to bring them down. She couldn't have asked for a better opportunity.

She continued recording Weiss and Pyrrha's conversation. Eventually, the two of them lapsed into an uneasy silence, and Ruby turned off the recording function of her own scroll. Carefully, she crept away, taking her time to be as quiet as possible, not wanting to ruin her hard work now. Besides, she and the boys had big plans for the next day, plans that they couldn't afford to put off, not for Ruby's personal grudge and retribution.

 _Weiss and Pyrrha can wait,_ she thought as she got enough distance to return to where Gin and Ayumu had helped her to stakeout the teams below, the three of them quietly moving away and in the direction of the White Fang encampment. _Right now, there are people in danger and we have to do what we can to protect them._

* * *

Ruby had expected an uneasy night. Between the tension and excitement of what she'd just accomplished with Weiss and Pyrrha and the anticipation of the difficult battle to come, she'd figured she'd be too hopped up on adrenaline to sleep properly. But Gin's cool touch lulled her into gentle slumber as always.

Despite that, they still wound up waking up too soon for her tastes. Listening in through the period of two watches and moving away to find a spot to rest for themselves had eaten up a lot of the night. On top of that, Ruby had wanted to get their operation underway before the two teams from Beacon woke up to minimize the chances of interference, which meant getting up even earlier. She yawned sleepily as Gin gently roused her. Unfortunately, there was no luxurious breakfast this time, just jerky and dried fruit that Ayumu had prepared earlier in their journey. They couldn't risk making a fire and cooking, not with the White Fang on one side and Ruby's old classmates on the other. It was almost like a high-wire balancing act to Ruby's mind.

Of course, once they started, there was no way WBY and JNPR wouldn't notice what was happening, even considering the distance they were at. Ruby figured that she, Gin, and Ayumu had a few minutes, at best, to wrap up their operation before the others reached the encampment. They would have to hit hard and fast to make this work.

"How do you feel?" asked Ayumu, looking chipper and ready to go, despite having been up as late as the rest of them and waking up even earlier to do what he could to prepare their breakfast.

"I'm fine," said Ruby, before finding herself unable to stifle a yawn. "I'll be all awake in a few minutes."

"Don't push yourself too hard," said Gin. "Maybe it's best if we let your friends...and enemies...take care of Torchwick."

"Maybe, but I don't think so," said Ruby frowning. "The way they were searching around yesterday, I don't think they have any idea of what Torchwick and the Fang are planning. They'd make straight for the station otherwise. If they stumble in blindly..."

"Then Torchwick will send out the train and lead Grimm right into the heart of Vale," said Ayumu, finishing Ruby's train of thought.

Granted, there wasn't a hundred-percent certainty that that was what Torcwhick actually had planned. However, given the nature of his preparations, and what they had discovered, it was the most devastating possibility they could envision...which, considering the nature of the terrorists working on it, made it the most plausible. It was also the plan with the greatest built-in flexibility, allowing Torcwhick to carry it out, even if conditions were less than ideal. It was apparent the White Fang were amassing weapons and troops, which must have been what they were currently waiting for, which meant that they'd be supplementing the attack with their own weapons. But, even if they didn't get together all the people and materiel they planned to, they could still wreak havoc with the Grimm alone, even if the level of destruction fell short of their ideal expectations.

Just the thought of the Grimm rampaging through the streets of Vale alone was enough to make Ruby feel weak in the knees. Her mind added the image of those mechs using their armaments to lay waste to whoever opposed them, and White Fang soldiers gunning down anyone they encountered, and she knew that they had to stop this now. Even if Yang and the others weren't on the verge of tripping over them, every minute wasted meant more destruction that had the potential to be unleashed on the people within the Kingdom.

 _No...it has to be today,_ thought Ruby firmly, gnawing on some jerky to take the edge off her hunger.

After their breakfast, sparse though it was, they proceeded down into the caverns, using the same entry point they had the previous day. After that, they crept as close to the encampment as they had before, hiding out in a different underground building, just in case.

"This is where I head out," said Gin. "Give me fifteen minutes. Once I'm past their perimeter and down the tunnel, I'll be able to leave concealment and move at full speed...I think."

Ruby and Ayumu nodded.

"Just in case, we'll be ready to move if someone spots you," said Ayumu.

"I can take the shot from here," said Ruby, peaking out the window and confirming a clear line of sight to one of the train cars and the bomb within.

"Then, once we confirm the destruction of the train and the tracks, we can take down the rest of the White Fang forces," said Ayumu. "It works to our advantage actually. If we can take them all down by the time your friends get here, they can handle taking the criminals into custody."

"Works for me," said Ruby, hefting Shining Rose.

"All right...here I go," said Gin, closing his eyes. Once again, the air around him seemed to ripple, then swallow him whole. A few seconds later, a faint mirage made its way out the door of the room.

"Let's keep our heads down until the end of the time limit," said Ayumu, resting a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Even if the White Fang are expecting it, the more time you spend watching the cars, the more likely it will be that you get spotted."

Ruby nodded, settling down and resting her back against the wall, as she and Ayumu waited for the time to come. It was the longest fifteen minutes of her life. Ruby almost regretted sending Gin down the tunnel. She could have used his touch to calm her now. Ayumu's presence was reassuring, but didn't have that innate, comforting quality that Gin did, even though Ruby felt almost just as close to him now. For his part, Ayumu had seated himself, crosslegged, in the center of the room and closed his eyes, meditating silently.

Five minutes passed...then eight...then ten...then thirteen. In the final minute of their wait, Ruby stirred from where she sat and rose up to crouch at the window, glad that the glass had given way long ago, so that she wouldn't have to worry about the sound of her breaking it alerting the guards to their presence. Behind her, Ayumu's eyes snapped open and he stood up, moving to the wall on the side of the window.

Ruby leveled her rifle, using the windowsill to steady her aim. The lens of her ranged manifestation appeared and she lined up her shot, gazing down the length of the barrel and fixing her aim on the Dust-chamber of the bomb she'd targeted, midway along the train's length, ensuring that the explosion would, hopefully, set off the bombs to either side and ensure that all of them were destroyed. Of course, depending on how it happened, there was a chance that the forward cars, with all their armaments, would still be able to run, so she had to wait and ensure that Gin had wrecked the tracks before taking her shot.

Her view also let her see the layout of the encampment. Soldiers were already working, or perhaps they'd been working in shifts through the night. Several mechs were clanking around, moving pallets and crates. Even Roman was up and about, wandering amongst the faunus, berating them and waving his cane, all while the strange, diminutive girl, Neo, followed behind him, an enigmatic smile fixed on her face.

Silently, in the back of her head, Ruby counted down the remaining seconds until time was up. ...e _ight...seven...six...five...four...three...two...One!_

Just as her count reached the end, their was a low roar, almost like the sound of a rushing river. It was accompanied by a rumble and a vibration that ran through the soles of their feet, along with the screech of steel being rent, twisted, and torn.

The response amongst the White Fang was nigh instantaneous. In almost perfect unison, their heads snapped around to look in the direction of the tunnel, where the noise had issued from, stopping what they were doing. More than a few dropped the loads they'd been carrying and scrambled to draw their weapons.

Roman also turned in the direction of the commotion, glaring and baring his teeth, gripping his cane more tightly, flipping his grip around to bring it up and ready for use as a weapon. The girl behind him reacted in a more casual manner, calmly hefting her parasol, though the slight bending of her knees showed her also entering combat readiness.

In that moment, Ruby smiled, seeing the ideal opportunity to strike. While everyone's attention was focused on the racket from the tunnel, no one was paying attention to the regular perimeter. Focusing her Aura, she pulled the trigger.

With a crack, a bullet of her manifested Aura lanced out. At nearly the same instant, Ruby re-sighted her weapon, using the tiniest burst of her Semblance to nudge her aim to the second Dust chamber on the same bomb, and fire off a second shot so swiftly that the two cracks overlapped and almost sounded like a single shot. The bullets of her Aura struck the Dust-chambers of the bomb nearly simultaneously, igniting the Dust within.

As a result, when the bomb went off, the effect was slightly more-uncontrolled example of what would happen if the bomb had been detonated properly. The dual explosions of the igniting Dust pushed the un-ignited Dust together, forcing the volatile Dust-types together and creating a third, even more powerful explosion that blew the car the bomb was residing in to pieces, waves of fire and twisted chunks of metal flying in all directions. The shockwaves tore apart the cars to either side of it and shattered the Dust-chambers on the bombs within, setting off the Dust in those as well, creating exactly the chain reaction Ruby had been hoping for as powerful explosions rippled up and down the length of the train.

Her efforts succeeded beyond her wildest dreams. The combined shockwave of all those explosions slammed into the forward portion of the train, completely flipping the flatbed cars and sending the mechs waiting on them tumbling, almost like the discarded toys of some gigantic toddler, the ones closest to the rear cars being warped and smashed by the explosions.

The explosions wreaked havoc on the White Fang soldiers as well. Those closest to the cars were sent flying by the explosion. All the rest were knocked flat by the shockwave as well, which saved a few, though not all, from being struck by the debris.

Ruby felt a twinge of guilt, not liking how powerful those bombs had been, worried that not all of the White Fang, especially those in the closest proximity to the train cars, had survived the blast. However, there was no time to worry. She was here as a Huntress, with a job to do. The people of Vale needed to be protected and she would do it.

Roman and Neo had been knocked over by the explosion too, though Neo had turned her fall into a flip before her body could even hit the ground, landing in a crouch on one knee. She brought up her parasol and snapped it open to shield Roman and herself from the blast. The lacy canopy of the weapon looked as though it would tear from a stiff breeze, but it caught and deflected the explosive shockwave, and the flames that followed in its wake, as though it were woven from solid steel. Even the chunks of debris that flew their way like bullets were deflected as Neo spun the weapon in her hand, the spinning motion allowing her to turn the incoming chunks of metal away without having to completely ablate their impact.

As the explosion faded, Neo rose up into a standing position, streamers of flame streaking off the tips of the parasol's ribs as she swept the weapon artfully around herself before bringing it up to rest over her shoulder, looking as elegantly composed as ever, only a slight, tight frown on her face betraying her distress at the situation.

 _Yeah,_ thought Ruby, biting back an impressed whistle, _she's gonna be a tough customer._

"WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED!" roared Roman, surging to his feet, raising his cane and casting about for someone to use it on. "I swear to God, if one of you mutts screwed up handling those Dust crates, you'd better have died in that explosion or I'll make you wish you had!"

"I heard a gunshot!" one of them shouted back. "Someone shot the bombs!"

"That's our cue," said Ruby, throwing an eager smile at Ayumu, who returned it.

"I guess so," he said, already drawing Green Destiny. "Shall we, then?"

Ruby grinned and jumped onto the windowsill, crouching in the opening. She had just enough time to see one of the soldiers spot her. He shouted and pointed in her direction. Roman's head turned to follow the line of the soldier's sight. Across the distance between them, his eyes met Ruby's...and widened, his jaw dropping in a gratifying expression of horror.

 _I guess everyone must think I'm dead now,_ thought Ruby, feeling excited at the prospect of playing the vengeful spirit, visiting her wrath on this criminal. Gathering her Aura in her feet, she activated her Semblance as she kicked off the windowsill, rocketing straight for Roman and leaving a miniature cyclone of red petals in her wake, her cloak flaring out behind her as she descended upon the enemy like a stooping Nevermore. Shining Rose unfolded to its full length and its blade ignited into brilliant life as Ruby levered it back to swing right at Roman's torso.

Roman was scrambling backwards, barely able to remain on his feet as he stumbled and tripped over the now broken and shattered ground. He raised his cane, the end of it flipping open to reveal the gun barrel hidden within its length. Pulling the trigger sent a bolt of crimson fire-Dust shrieking out the end like a firework. But, in his haste and fear, Roman's aim had been wide of Ruby and she didn't even need to correct her course as it streaked harmlessly past her.

However, whether by accident or design, the shot wound up flying right at Ayumu, who'd emerged from the window in Ruby's wake, and was also gliding down towards the ruined encampment, his sword raised. Ayumu didn't even glance at the incoming bolt through, instead flicking Green Destiny, the incredibly sharp blade slicing the shot cleanly in two and splitting the path around his body so that they struck and exploded against the wall of the building behind him.

Reaching Roman, Ruby unleashed a slash with Shining Rose, the blade becoming a streak of crimson in the air as it flashed at the unfortunate thief. However, Roman was knocked aside as Neo twirled into the path of Ruby's attack, kicking Roman in the side to knock him out of the way, even as she snapped her parasol open again, twirling the canopy so that Ruby's blade skipped across its surface and her slash went wide.

Conserving her momentum, Ruby spun her scythe around her body as she landed. The canopy blocked off her view of Neo, but she felt the smaller girl moving through the air off to her left side. Twirling her scythe around, Ruby swung to parry and counter Neo, who'd flanked behind her with impressive speed and thrust with a narrow, straight-edged sword at Ruby's back. Neo's blade clanged against Ruby's. Neo rode the impact, using it to launch her and allow her remaining forward momentum to carry her over Ruby's head to land behind the canopy of her parasol, grabbing it before it could even finish falling to the ground. Twisting her wrist, Neo brought the parasol around so that she could slide the blade of her sword into the umbrella's shaft, snapping the canopy closed at the same time.

"Good job, Neo!" shouted Roman, still backing away. "Hold her off!" Turning, he began scrambling towards the thickest concentration of soldiers, no doubt planning to use their bodies as cover for his exit. "What are you mongrels waiting for?!" he shouted over his shoulder. "Kill these monsters, NOW!"

His shout knocked the White Fang out of their haze of confused indecision, and they turned, bringing rifles to bear on the two people who'd just landed in the midst of their operation, others unsheathing melee weapons and moving to charge them.

Ruby's eyes narrowed as she focused on Roman's fleeing back. However, she couldn't rush forward recklessly. Neo remained between them, and Ruby realized that the girl had broken her momentum. In another few seconds, the White Fang would move to encircle and cut her off, _then_ she'd be in a pickle.

Neo merely smiled, a faint hint of eagerness in her expression as she twirled her weapon in her hand, before holding it up, gripping the parasol by the canopy and leveling it at Ruby so that its tip was pointed right at Ruby's chest. Ruby remembered Gin's description of the weapon, and how the blade could emerge from the tip as well. In fact, given its extendable nature, there was every possibility the blade that emerged from the umbrella's tip was a completely separate one from the sword Neo could draw from the shaft, Ruby's almost encyclopedic knowledge of the nuances of weapon design reminding her that such weapons were almost never what they seemed.

She had to get past Neo, if she wanted to get at Roman. However, Ruby could see no quick or easy path past the smaller girl. Then she felt a faint breeze at her back and smiled. Sinking into a crouch, Ruby launched herself straight forward, angling herself to fly past Neo, and after the thief she worked for. Neo immediately shifted to try and block Ruby's progress, but was forced to abort and whip her weapon up to parry a slash from Ayumu's blade as he seemed to almost materialize in the air to her right, actually crossing in front of Ruby as he did so.

Neo's parry was elegant, coming up to strike Ayumu's descending blade by its flat, avoiding the edge entirely. Evidently, Neo clearly had some suspicion about the dangerously-sharp nature of Ayumu's sword, and she withdrew her weapon before Ayumu could turn his wrist to line up the edge with her weapon. Against an opponent like this, Ayumu didn't need to worry about keeping her weapon intact, though he still desired to keep from killing her if he could avoid it.

Landing, Ayumu saw Neo reverse her weapon, not to swing it at him, but to bring it down as she used the motion to turn her entire body, then kick off the ground and allow her to swing the heel of her boot at his head in a vicious kick. Ayumu bent over backwards, allowing the kick to sweep harmlessly over his face, his eyes actually catching the tail-end of Ruby's cloak as she shot past them in pursuit of Roman.

Ayumu kicked off the ground, lightening his body so that he drifted like a dandelion seed in the air, even as his body rotated around. He came around just as Neo's spinning flip brought her back down at earth, turning to meet him. Kicking off the air, Ayumu launched himself at Neo before she would have expected him to, closing the distance between them with a suddenness that caught her off-guard. Instead of his sword, Ayumu instead turned his waist, bringing his leg around in a swift kick at Neo's head, returning the favor of her previous attack.

Her eyes widening in surprise, Neo brought up her umbrella, bracing it with both hands. Ayumu reinforced his leg with his Aura, increasing his weight with his Semblance at the instant of impact, so that the kick connected with a surprising amount of power, nearly knocking Neo off her feet. However, for a person of her size, Neo had a surprising amount of strength, able to remain standing.

Halting Ayumu's momentum, she snapped the parasol open abruptly. Ayumu decreased his weight at nearly the same instant so that sudden motion sent his whole body spinning through the air as his leg was thrown off, allowing him to escape the line of Neo's attack as she closed the umbrella just as abruptly, and brought it around to swing it through the space he'd been occupying a second earlier.

Ayumu increased his weight, allowing him to descend back to earth faster, decreasing again right as he reached the ground to lessen the impact. From there, he came to a stop, leveling Green Destiny at Neo, who brought her parasol around to rest over her shoulder again as she met his gaze, blinking, her eyes switching colors when they opened again. There was a smile on her face, but it was no longer the enigmatic smirk she'd worn previously. Instead, it was a smile of confidence and eagerness, the smile of someone who was focusing their all on the fight in front of them and enjoying every minute of it.

"It seems that I'll be your opponent, today," said Ayumu cheerfully as he flicked his sword with his wrist, producing its eerie ringing tone.

* * *

Ruby practically flew after Roman. By this point, he'd reached the ranks of the White Fang soldiers, who were firing frantically at her as she closed in. A barrage like that should have riddled Ruby's Aura with bullets. However, Ruby's sudden closing in and the soldiers' own panic was throwing off their aim. She whirled her scythe around her, deftly deflecting any shots actually in danger of striking her body.

She struck their ranks like a bowling ball, a powerful slash of her scythe scattering the unfortunate soldiers, and sending their bodies tumbling through the air like so many tenpins, yelling in pain and surprise. Those outside her immediate range of attack immediately turned, trying to track her with their weapons. But Ruby was past them before they could even finish turning, the distance between her and Torchwick shrinking to practically nothing in less than a second.

Roman turned to fire a wild shot over his shoulder with his weapon. All Ruby had to do was duck a little bit and let the weaponized firework shriek harmlessly over her shoulder. Reaching out, she hooked the blade of her scythe around Roman's legs and pulled sharply, petals exploding from the wing on the back end of it, prompting the blade to flash and cleave through Roman's legs at the shins. However, his limbs weren't actually severed.

Roman yelled with pain, feeling the sensation leave his legs below the point Ruby had struck them, even as her blade also carved off a hefty portion of his Aura. At the same time, the force of her attack pulled his limp limbs out from under him and dumped him unceremoniously on his face. His cane clattered across the stone, coming to a stop just a short distance away...but still out of his reach. There was no way Roman could reach it without crawling, which he immediately began to do.

Turning around, Ruby folded her weapon back into its rifle form, discharging several shots with loud cracks, as bullets, trailing petals, lanced out to blow the remaining White Fang soldiers around them off their feet before they could either bring their guns to bear or close to melee range. Continuing her spin without slowing, Ruby turned back around to face the downed Torchwick, who was still scrabbling for his cane.

Unfolding her scythe again, Ruby ignited the blade, then let it fall, like an executioner's axe, to pierce the ground right in front of Roman's face, bringing his crawl to a halt, as he let out a horrified whimper.

Slowly, hesitantly, Roman rolled over onto his back, eyes wide with fear as he stared up at Ruby, who looked back down at him with a slight smirk.

"H-h-h-hey th-there...Red," stammered Roman, giving Ruby a shaky, terrified grin, clearly trying affect his usual attitude with her...and failing miserably. "Y-y-you're looking chipper for someone who's supposed to be...d-d-d-dead."

Ruby's smile widened. "Thanks," she said. "But I can't rest in peace when you're being such a bad boy."

"Aww...come on, Red," protested Roman. "I didn't kill you."

Ruby wasn't sure whether he actually believed the whole "ghost" thing or if he was playing along for conversation's sake. Either way, she found it hard to resist the impulse to indulge in banter. In the back of her mind, she was fully aware that Roman was playing for time.

It didn't take long to realize what he was waiting for though. Ruby felt something large looming over her, dropping down from above. She skipped to the side as two massive, metal feet slammed down where she'd been standing, crushing the stone floor of the cavern and creating a shallow crater where the powerful machine had landed. Ruby jumped back as the mech's upper half rotated to face her, its right arm striking out at her in a punch, once again smashing the floor where Ruby had been standing.

Her body tensed in preparation for a counterattack. But Ruby then felt a second and a third mech joining the battle. The second one arrived at the end of a mighty leap, just like its predecessor had, clearing the train and trying to kick Ruby as it landed, though she managed to dodge aside from the attack. The third came running up from farther back, where the flatbed cars, and their war-machine cargo, had landed. The third mech was scorched, and its left arm's motions were more jerky and limited than the right, indicating that it hadn't escaped the cataclysm unscathed. The cavern filled with the hisses of sealing hatches and the hum of powerful Dust-engines coming online as White Fang soldiers crawled into more of the mechs and started them up, regardless of their condition.

The third mech opened fire with its arm-mounted cannons, Ruby barely managing to dodge the explosive rounds that threw up waves of flame and debris where she'd been standing a second before. Roman yelped and was knocked aside from the shockwaves, his own body and Aura battered.

"Hey! Watch where you aim those things, you damn mutts!" he shouted over the cacophony.

Despite the pressure, Ruby couldn't help but smile. It seemed that, despite their "joint business venture" that Roman had bragged about before, he and the White Fang were hardly on good terms. She suspected that none of the mech pilots would shed any tears if Roman were "accidentally" blown to pieces in the midst of this melee. Granted, that didn't make her current job any easier.

Ruby's eyes and other senses glided over the machines, taking in their features. She was able to quickly note the guns on the arms, the missile pods on the shoulders, as well as the open joints and exposed targeting sensors. Despite their vaguely humanoid appearance, she figured that their level of articulation was much greater than that of an actual person.

Changing directions, Ruby rushed the first mech that had arrived. The massive machine raised both arms and swung them at her, moving with speed that belied its bulk. Still, Ruby was able to weave between the flailing limbs. Raising her scythe, she jumped and slashed, aiming for the joint where the legs met the platform that mounted the machine's torso, firing her Semblance out from the back of her weapon as she did.

There was a flash and a line of bright-red flashed through the mech's waist. The machine lurched forward, the legs giving out, and the chassis, along with the arms and cockpit, was sent tumbling off the ground. The third mech jumped over its downed comrade, and unleashed a barrage of missiles that curved through the air to bombard Ruby from all directions.

Ruby was a red streak, weaving between the self-propelled projectiles, and jumping for the second mech, which also tried to punch her. Ruby planted her feet on its metal fist and kicked off, propelling herself straight upwards, leaving a column of swirling petals in her wake. The second mech was rocked as the remaining missiles that had been pursuing Ruby struck it instead, its body jolting as they detonated against its armor. However, it held firm and didn't fall.

In the air above, Ruby raised her scythe over her head, channeling her Aura into the blade, which doubled, then tripled in length, the head tilting back so that the blade now extended out nearly parallel to the shaft. Her cloak flaring out behind her like a set of crimson wings, Ruby let out a shout and activated her Semblance through both her body and her weapon, swinging it down in a mighty slash, supplemented by her plummet. Her blade cleaved through the mech from top to bottom, splitting the thick armor effortlessly. Ruby landed in a crouch, sending a wave of wind, throwing out a ring of petals around her as her weapon's blade returned to its normal length.

In front of her, the mech had frozen. Then, with a groan of metal, the whole thing split in two from top to bottom. The two halves fell in separate directions, spilling the unconscious pilot out onto the ground.

Ruby turned, and her eyes widened as she found herself staring down the barrel of the third mech's cannon. She jumped aside right as it fired, feeling the passage of the mech's shot pulling at her cloak. Going on the offense, Ruby surged forward, leading with a slash aiming for the right arm. The forearm section of the mech rotated, the cannon switching out for a metal fist, just like the ones the other mechs had been attacking with, and punched at her. Ruby sidestepped and brought her scythe down on where the arm met the shoulder, cleaving it off in a single stroke.

Ruby continued on past, aiming to come back around and finish the fight with another stroke. However, the mech turned around with surprising speed, bringing its other arm to bear. However, the left arm was not functioning near as well as the right. Its movements were jolting and jerky, and it was unable to strike. Ruby smiled confidently as she paused to gather her strength, channeling her Aura to extend the blade of her scythe again. This time, she charged the mech straight from the front. It fell back, attempting to kick her. But Ruby's advance was too swift. She shot past it, accompanied by a crimson streak from Shining Rose as the scythe's blade cleaved through the upper part of the chassis so that the top was sent flying into the air. The machine went dead, sinking down onto its knees and going silent.

Taking a second to catch her breath, Ruby stood up and cast about for Torchwick, finding him easily enough. The orange-haired criminal had retrieved his cane and was using it to support himself as he hobbled away, his legs having apparently regained enough control to move properly now.

With a growl, Ruby crouched, preparing to pursue. Her efforts were cut short when she heard the hissing sound of many more missiles rushing through the air. Turning around, Ruby saw a veritable swarm of missiles flying in her direction, fired by no fewer than seven of the mechs, which were now all bearing down on her position.

Taking to the air once more, Ruby collapsed her scythe back down into its rifle form and braced its stock against her shoulder. Rather than try to sight down the length of the barrel, she closed her eyes and fully extended her other senses as far as possible, able to clearly feel the missiles closing in around her. With that, she was able to aim her weapon without her eyes, piercing each missile with a precise shot of Aura and setting them all off before they could reach her. Ruby landed in a crouch as the missiles filled the air around her with fire and smoke, almost like a spectacular fireworks show, the resulting explosions hampering the sensors of the mechs, buying her time before they could target her again.

Then a heavy foot slammed down on the ground behind her and Ruby sensed someone looming over her, not a machine this time, but a large, powerfully-built faunus, with a mask that covered his entire face. Ruby turned to look at him, seeing the man's bulging arms heft what looked like a giant weaponized chainsaw, its engine and teeth filling the air with a growling whine.

Had the situation not been so dire, Ruby would have been gushing over the White Fang Lieutenant's weapon. However, this time, she could only stare grimly on as the man raised the weapon up and readied to attack. Behind him, the remaining active troops were assembling as well, numerous gunners training their weapons on her while the others readied swords, axes, and other weapons.

"Your interference has cost us dearly, girl," rumbled the lieutenant. "Now we shall make you pay."

Ruby lowered her weapon, ready to unfold her scythe again and sweep the man's feet. However, she paused, her smile returning.

The change of her expression clearly angered the man and he roared, swinging the chainsaw down at her head. Ruby made no move to dodge, instead remaining where she was and smiling confidently.

The saw came to an abrupt halt as an arm, covered in silver scales, caught it. The saw's teeth screamed against the unyielding surface, throwing up a spray of sparks, until the arm shifted to an angle, sliding the blade down until it skipped off at the elbow and dropped down to the ground, biting into the rock.

The lieutenant didn't immediately try to pick his weapon up again, too busy being transfixed by the sight of the boy who now stood between him and Ruby, the faint light that remained after the explosion gleaming off his silver scales. Gin smirked, staring up at the trembling lieutenant, flexing his clawed fingers eagerly.

"Sorry," he said plainly. "You're not going to get any compensation through violence. If you really want to sue for damages, I recommend you get a lawyer."

* * *

 **Poor Roman, everything went so wrong for him so fast. Good thing he has Neo though.**

 **With regards to Neo's umbrella, my assumption has always been that the sword she draws from it, and the blade that extends from the tip, are separate blades, mainly because it seems weird that you'd put a full-length sword in a weapon, then make it so that it can either be drawn from the shaft, and extend from the tip as well. It seems more logical to me that Neo's parasol has two separate blades, mainly because that would be useful for misdirection, and also allow her to wield both blades at once.**


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51:**

Ayumu and Neo faced one another, their expressions almost perfect mirrors to each other as their eyes met. There were slight differences. Ayumu's smile was gentle and serene, while Neo's betrayed an eagerness, and no small amount of bloodlust, as she watched her opponent. For a long moment, neither moved, even though the battle raged around them. Roman could be heard, yelling in the near-distance, even as guns chattered and cannons thundered.

There was no question that Neo was under a great deal of pressure. The situation was to her opponent's advantage. The longer it dragged out, the less time she would have to aid Roman in his escape, if she even could at this point. It was clear that the White Fang would be no match for the girl who'd accompanied Ayumu, and the third person she was certain was also in the vicinity.

And yet, she _couldn't_ move, not carelessly anyway. Ayumu's awareness at this range was nothing short of flawless. One wrong move, and he would exploit any and every opening mercilessly. Neo frowned and slowly raised her umbrella, holding it by its handle as she pointed it at Ayumu, her knees flexing, almost as though she were a fencer preparing to thrust.

When Neo did, there was a faint hiss, and her umbrella shot at Ayumu, the blade extending from the tip as it flew at Ayumu's face like an arrow.

Ayumu's reaction was instantaneous, but almost looked lazy, considering the easygoing grace with which he moved. He brought up his blade and flicked his wrist, bringing his sword against the parasol's tip. However, at that tiny contact, the canopy snapped open, suddenly completely obscuring Ayumu's vision.

Despite that, Ayumu didn't hesitate in the slightest, already bending backwards slightly, at the waist, his wrist rotating to bring his sword around and up as Neo appeared behind him, thrusting with the sword blade hidden within the umbrella's shaft, having launched the upper portion, which included the canopy, at him earlier. She'd aimed to catch him off-guard, flanking him while his vision was blocked. But her ruse didn't fool Ayumu in the slightest. His evasion let Neo's sword slip harmlessly by in the air in front of his chest. His own blade came up to halt her progress as she tried to turn her thrust into a slash, batting the weapon away with a light pinging noise.

Even as he parried her attack, Ayumu countered, snapping his leg up in a swift kick at Neo's midsection. However, she kicked off the ground and, in a near perfect imitation of Ayumu's own effortless grace in the air, launched herself into a jumping flip that carried her over Ayumu's head, and over the canopy of her own weapon, which had only begun to fall to the ground, after being blocked by Ayumu earlier.

Grabbing the detached portion of the parasol with her left hand, she hefted it, the canopy quickly closing. With a flick of her wrist, Neo flipped it in the air, allowing her to change her grip to the closed canopy. She tucked her left arm and the upper portion of the umbrella behind her back so that the parasol, and the blade extending from its tip, were pointed at Ayumu, even as she leveled the sword hidden in its shaft at him with her right hand.

The two of them closed with each other simultaneously, their blades ringing as they clashed against one another. The two fighters fenced furiously, dancing back and forth over the ground. Their blades were blurs, flickering and weaving, moving in curving slashes or swift, darting thrusts. Where they met, sparks of Aura flew through the air. Even as they fought with their blades, they also exchanged blows with their other limbs, using slashes to lead into punches or kicks aimed to hobble or disable. Neo took advantage of the dual nature of her weapon, using a spin to hide her movement as she brought the upper portion of the umbrella and its smaller blade around to slash or thrust at Ayumu in quick motions in an effort to catch him off-guard.

Their fight ranged across the broken terrain, their duel taking them through the doors of a crumbling building. Neither passed up an opportunity to use the terrain to their advantage. Ayumu executed a fierce offensive, increasing the speed of his rapid attacks to drive Neo back up towards a wall in an attempt to pin her in place. However, Neo easily displayed her acrobatic agility, hopping up and kicking off the wall with one foot to launch herself up and over Ayumu's head. Her jump took her up high enough that she was able to reach the ceiling and kick off that as well, shooting downwards with both her blades aimed at Ayumu's head. Ayumu executed a turning sidestep, allowing Neo's blades to fly down past his face as he diverted the path of his evasion to keep her from trying the same thing.

Only pulling her left arm back, Neo planted her sword firmly in the floor, executing a handstand on the crook of the handle of her sword blade. She turned her body and lashed out with a swift kick, aiming the heel of her boot at Ayumu's chest. Ayumu jumped, going into a drifting spin over the path of Neo's kick. He kicked off the air, halting his spin and starting another spin that brought his body around in a forward flip that allowed him to bring his leg down in an axe-kick aimed for Neo's body. Still supporting herself with her right arm, Neo continued her turn, letting her lower half to drop towards the ground as she swung her umbrella's upper portion around to deflect the line of Ayumu's kick.

Ayumu's heel dropped past Neo's body to strike the floor as Neo allowed her own feet to fall all the way down so that she landed in an arched position, her legs supporting her at one end, her arm supporting her by the handle of her sword at the other. A buck of her hips allowed her to snap her upper body upwards enough to pull her sword free of the ground and, without rising fully upright, she turned her body into a spin that allowed her to bring the bladed tip of her parasol around to slash at Ayumu's face. He leaned back, just out of its range. However, that was not far enough to escape the range of Neo's sword as she continued her spin to follow through with a rapid slash with it, extending its range even further by twirling the weapon by the crook of its handle about the first two fingers of her hand. The difference was no more than a few centimeters. However, in a fight like this, that distance could mean the difference between life or death.

Still, Ayumu remained unruffled, turning his wrist to maneuver his own blade in position to parry, meeting Neo's slash directly. He attempted to use the shock of impact to dislodge the sword from her fingers, seeing as she wasn't actually gripping it at the moment. The handle did bounce away and lose touch with Neo's fingers for a fraction of a second. However, she turned her wrist deftly, maneuvering it to spin her weapon about her fingers again and turning its path so that she brought the blade back around to deflect Ayumu's followthrough thrust. The impact again knocked the crook off her fingers, but Neo opened her hand and closed it around the handle without missing a beat, and executed a thrust of her own that Ayumu parried as he fell back.

They returned to a swift fencing match, their blades arcing and clanging against one another. Ayumu steered their duel towards the wall again, this time causing the two of them to approach it in a sidestep. At first, it seemed as though he was aiming to limit Neo's movements by hampering her sword arm on her right side by forcing their exchange towards the wall, but then his sword began slicing through the stone and masonry like a hot knife through butter, not even losing speed as he continued to exchange blows with Neo simultaneously.

After just a few such slashes, the wall gave way, collapsing into chunks of rubble and opening up the next room. It wasn't just the wall though. The ceiling the wall supported was already cracked and in danger of collapsing, the damage caused by the passage of time and the elements being supplemented by the buffeting shockwave of the explosion Ruby had triggered earlier. When the wall gave way, the ceiling too crumbled, causing chunks of the building to rain down on both of them.

Neo smirked. Ayumu might have been trying to hinder her own movements by dropping the ceiling on them, but he'd actually given her a powerful tool. Drawing back from him, she slid her sword back into the parasol's shaft, then opened the canopy, spinning it as she swept it around her, several chunks of stone and masonry bouncing away off the spinning canopy, while others were swept up into its spin. Bringing the whole thing back around her, Neo launched the accumulated chunks of debris as Ayumu like the spray from a shotgun.

Rather than seeming caught-off-guard, Ayumu's expression was as unflinching as ever. Bringing up his sword, he braced the flat of Green Destiny's blade against the first two fingers of his left hand, he flicked the blade just as it made contact with the first pieces of rubble in the flurry heading his way. That eerie tone rang out once more and the entire barrage of rubble that Neo had thrown his way suddenly rebounded with a flash of green from Ayumu's Aura, flying back at her.

Fortunately, Neo's parasol was still open and interposed between her and the mass of flying debris, so it bounced harmlessly away. However, its momentum had been reversed and simultaneously amplified by the application of Ayumu's Aura, which pushed Neo backed, threatening to knock her off her feet.

But Neo wasn't so easy to catch off-guard. Before she could be knocked over, she kicked off the ground, jumping upwards and allowing the momentum of Ayumu's counter to send her into the backflip. As she came back around, she found a large piece of rubble that had crumbled a little bit later than the rest. Planting her boots against that, taking advantage of her small size and low mass to use the falling chunk of stone as an airborne platform to execute another jump that carried her up to what remained of the floor above them.

Ayumu followed her immediately, executing a leap of his own, which carried him off the ground and up to Neo's level in a single move, not even needing to use an impromptu platform like she had. Neo fell back. However, as she did, she drew her blade again, her sword slashing at the floor where she'd been standing, cutting into it so that, when Ayumu's foot touched down, the floor, already weakened by the earlier collapse, gave way beneath his tread. Despite that, Ayumu continued on, jumping off the pieces of floor before they could fall away, somehow managing to keep going, despite the fact that the movement should have simply kicked them down without giving him any means of support.

Neo continued her retreat, alternating between slashing at Ayumu's body and attacking his footing. However, no matter how many times she carved away the floor where his feet were about to touch down, she couldn't make him fall, or even lose his balance and falter in his continuing advance.

Neo's eyes widened, and she seemed to give up on cutting away the floor in her wake, instead retreating an extra step. Before Ayumu could touch down on the sections that Neo hadn't cut yet, Neo returned her sword to its sheath inside the parasol, and thrust the whole thing at Ayumu. Ayumu brought his own blade up to block the thrust of the umbrella's bladed tip. However, at the instant of contact, the canopy snapped open again. This time, Neo's intention wasn't to blind him. Instead, the open canopy carried the force of her thrust behind it, releasing a gust of wind.

Normally, it would have amounted to little more than a mere breeze that would have barely stirred Ayumu's hair. But, this time, his momentum was not only halted, but reversed by the breeze. Ayumu's Semblance had lightened him to the point where he was able to use even small pieces of the floor as platforms to jump off of. Unfortunately, it had also lightened him to a point where even the relatively light gust released by the parasol's canopy was able to push him back.

Undaunted, Ayumu allowed himself to be pushed backwards, going into a backflip that brought his legs back around so that he could kick off the air behind him, and launch himself after Neo. But, in the time it had taken him to execute the maneuver, Neo had slipped back farther, then darted down what had been the remains of a hallway and sidestepped through the doorless entryway of a larger room, the door itself having rotted away over the years.

Ayumu touched down on the floor, able to return to his normal weight, now that Neo was no longer attempting to actively destroy his footing. He followed her through the doorway, barely a second behind her, his eyes only losing contact with her for a brief instant. Emerging into the room, he saw Neo reverse direction and come at him, her blades raised. Ayumu lifted his own blade to counter, but his slash suddenly drifted through the air towards the empty space to Neo's left.

Both the attacking Neo and the space Ayumu's sword struck at suddenly shattered, as though they were glass, revealing a wide-eyed Neo, who'd barely managed to parry Ayumu's attack with her own blade.

"Oh!" said Ayumu, his eyes widening in surprise. He paused, and Neo took the opportunity to jump back out of his immediate range. She was used to surprise in her opponents, but Ayumu's surprise was both pleased and amused, something she didn't like in the slightest.

Ayumu flipped his grip on his sword, bringing it around so that the blade's flat rested against his arm while he held the weapon with his fingers curled around the crossguard, the first two fingers of his hand extending down the length of the handle. "Sorry," he said with a soft laugh, rubbing the back of his head. "I mean no disrespect. I just didn't expect to run into someone with this sort of skill."

Neo tilted her head, blinking. When her eyes opened again, the prink and brown had switched sides.

"I see..." said Ayumu, his tone slightly pensive. "Could your Semblance be...refraction, perchance?"

Neo jolted back as though Ayumu's query had been a thrust of his sword, her reaction as definitive an answer as any spoken one might have been.

Ayumu laughed again. "I see," he said. _It's a similar principle to Gin's technique. However, where Gin needs to manifest his Semblance into a medium to refract and distort light, this girl controls light itself. I thought something felt off. She's actually been using it subtly throughout our whole match._

Though Ayumu hadn't consciously realized it, Neo had been using her refraction throughout the whole match, slightly distorting both direction and distance. With his _Shingan_ , Ayumu could track her effortlessly, even when his eyes were deceived. However, the slight difference had been enough to allow her to avoid meeting the edge of his weapon with her own blade and parasol, ensuring that Green Destiny couldn't cut through either part of her weapon. It was an elegant and well-developed skill.

 _My_ Shingan _is still a far cry from perfect if she can alter my aim by even the slightest degree,_ noted Ayumu. _I still have a long ways to go. In some ways, she's an even better opponent than Ciar._

Ciar had been quite dangerous in his own right, his swift, radial attack having probably felled many and adversary before they even realized it was coming. However, if one possessed the means to perceive and react to said attack, Ciar himself was actually quite vulnerable, when brought into melee range, which had proved his downfall.

Neo, on the other hand, was an opponent who relied on skill, both in her fighting technique and in her use of her Semblance, which could be both blatant and subtle. As such, she was actually proving a much better match for Ayumu than the supposedly more-dangerous Ciar ever had.

For the first time since their fight had begun, Neo betrayed a frown. She'd clearly never had her illusions pierced through so easily. What was more, in the lull in their fight, she could hear the sounds of combat outside the building rapidly receding. The sounds of gunfire and the shouts of soldiers were becoming more sporadic.

"Well, it seems our time is almost up," said Ayumu. "Shall we conclude, Ms. Neo?"

Not giving her any opportunity to respond, not that she seemed inclined or even able to (verbally, at least), he dashed forwards, almost seeming to glide across the floor at her, flipping his grip on his sword again, even as he whipped the weapon around in a slash aimed at Neo's neck.

Neo fell back, but Ayumu's blade seemed to cut through her face. Neo's image shattered like glass to reveal her real body as she brought her own sword around in a parry. Ayumu pressed the attack and their weapons once again became flashing blurs. However, this time, Neo's body seemed to shatter repeatedly, along with the space around it as Ayumu's sword pierced through her illusions again and again, his aim no longer even being diverted by her expert application of her Semblance.

"I'm sorry," Ayumu called out over the sound of ringing steel, "but you should have kept to using it more subtly. I won't be fooled so easily this time." Indeed, he was ignoring his eyes entirely, so much that he might as well have closed them, tracking Neo entirely through the gestalt of his other senses that made up the _Shingan_. It almost seemed as Green Destiny itself was homing in on Neo's location, always bending unerringly towards her true position, no matter where her body appeared to be.

Their fight pressed up to the corner of the large room, adjacent to the wall to the outside, with a window that overlooked what remained of the White Fang's base of operations in Mountain Glenn. Neo's eyes flashed in the quickest glances outside, what she saw caused her resolve to continue fighting to crumble completely.

As Ayumu closed in yet again, Neo's sword flashed downwards, cutting into the floor once more. Ayumu jumped back, lightening his body in preparation for Neo's anticipated attack on his footing. However, instead of the floor giving way beneath Ayumu, it gave way beneath _Neo_ , dropping her back down into the darkness of the floor below. Ayumu hesitated, surprised by her sudden change in strategy.

Instead of trying to follow her directly through the hole she'd opened up in the floor, Ayumu instead used his Semblance to increase his weight, until the section of floor he'd been standing on, already weakened by Neo's attack, gave way, intending to try and catch her off-guard in the chance that she was waiting for him to follow her. Now his descent would be preceded by another rain of debris that might throw her off-guard enough for him to land a blow.

Ayumu landed amidst a shower of rubble, then froze, his senses finding no trace of Neo, save for a few tiny traces of her scent, which smelled faintly of strawberries. However, Ayumu's skills weren't enough that he could track her by scent alone. It appeared that she'd executed the move solely with the intent of escaping.

"Well now," said Ayumu, rising up after he determined that Neo was no longer present, "that's a bit unfortunate. Hopefully she won't try to interfere with Mr. Torchwick's capture. It's a shame. That was a lot more fun than I expected. I rather liked her."

Ayumu decided that he'd best head out and make sure she didn't do exactly that.

* * *

"A-a-a-a-a...d-d-d-d-dragon-faunus," stammered the lieutenant, stumbling backwards, pulling the still whining blade of his saw across the floor, its teeth scraping and grinding against the stone, which offered less resistance than the scales on Gin's arms.

"That's right," said Gin as Ruby rose up to stand behind him.

Ruby turned around and stood with her back to Gin, facing the mechs that were now advancing through the smoke of their failed missile barrage. They wouldn't open fire now, not with so many of their comrades in range of the resulting attack. But they could charge in to add their formidable strength to the melee.

However, those were relatively minor concerns, all told. Ruby found that her scythe was perfectly suited for cutting into the mechs. In its own way, her blade was as effective at cutting as Ayumu's was. If she swung it right, there was almost nothing that it couldn't cut through, if she had the mind to do it. However, the White Fang soldiers, the mechs, even the imposing figure of the lieutenant, were all so many distractions. While she and Gin were dealing with them, Roman Torchwick was making his getaway.

Glancing in Roman's direction, Ruby saw him hunched over, gasping for breath. Apparently, walking with his legs still not fully functional was taking a lot out of him. It would take time before he regained full use of his legs, a few more minutes at best, and time before he caught his breath enough to make a real effort at escape. She intended to make sure that it was time he didn't have.

"I see..." growled the lieutenant, not knowing about Ruby's thoughts, not that he would have cared had he known, "...then perhaps things are not so hopeless after all."

"Huh?" Gin lowered his arms, genuinely perplexed by the lieutenant's change in attitude and his train of thought.

"True...this operation is a failure, and the destruction we intended to unleash upon those human scum was denied...for a time," continued the lieutenant, drawing angry and frustrated growls from the other faunus behind him. "However, we are presented with a marvelous opportunity, a chance we won't get again."

"Say what now?" asked Gin, canting his head to one side.

"Failure can be made up for," said the lieutenant, talking more to himself than anyone else. "Brother Taurus will be angry for certain. But, if we can present him with a dragon-faunus, he will be happy to forgive us."

Ruby frowned, her body tensing.

"Present, huh..." said Gin. "and what makes you think that I'd be interested in joining the White Fang?"

"Your interests and wants do not matter," declared the lieutenant. "A beast like you has no rights, no agency. You shall exist to serve our cause. We shall take you and mold you into the ultimate weapon to turn against those filthy humans who dare to oppress us!"

Behind him, the White Fang soldiers raised a ragged cheer.

Ruby growled, her fingers clenching tightly around the handle of her weapon as it unfolded back into its scythe form. However, Gin seemed largely unconcerned, merely smirking at the lieutenant.

"Wow," he said with a small chuckle in his voice. "It's amazing you can still breathe, choking on your own hypocrisy like that."

The lieutenant growled and brandished his chainsaw once more, sweeping it dramatically through the air.

"You will serve us or you will die!" he declared.

"Hmm..." Gin pretended to mull the options over. "I pick Option Three...I beat the lot of you to a pulp and turn you over to the authorities. That sounds good to me."

"Me too," agreed Ruby, her smile returning.

"I will break you, brat!" roared the lieutenant, grasping the handle of his chainsaw in both hands and bringing the weapon down in a single, powerful stroke.

Gin merely raised his right hand and caught the saw's blade with his palm, stopping the lieutenant's swing cold.

"Let's make this quick," he said to Ruby.

"Right!" agreed Ruby with an eager nod, bending her knees, before kicking off the ground to send herself shooting out to confront the approaching mechs.

In the meantime, Gin remained where he was, still holding the lieutenant's saw by its blade, his manner almost casual, even though it was clear the looming, muscular man was bearing down with all his strength.

Then Gin closed his fingers around the blade and squeezed tight. The whining of the chain's teeth against his palm and fingers rose sharply in pitch, before snapping with a sharp, cracking sound as Gin's grip crushed the blade itself. The motor continued, pulling the chain in one end and spitting it back out the other so that the broken chain was sent whirling off into the darkness. Had his eyes been visible, there was no doubt that the lieutenant's would probably be as wide as dinner plates.

As it was, he was so flummoxed by this development that his body froze in place, almost like a statue. He made no effort to defend, or even react as Gin sank into a crouch in front of him, his hand descending and opening to discard the chunk of crushed metal that had been part of the saw's blade, which pinged as it struck the ground. Swirling, sinuous, silver Aura, decorated with scales, wound around Gin's arms as he drew his right arm back. Then, all at once, Gin shot forward, driving the claws of his open hand at the lieutenant's chest.

The sudden attack prompted the bulky man to action and he frantically raised the engine section of his weapon in a feeble, last-ditch defense. But Gin's claws tore right through it, as though it were made of paper. His blow powered through and struck the lieutenant full on in the chest, the force of the blow blowing him back and sending him flying through the ranks of his troops, scattering them and taking at least three down with him as his back was slammed into the side of the train's second car, the one Roman had been using as his quarters, causing the whole thing to rock, then fall over completely, tilting onto its side with a crash.

"Get him!" shouted one of the other soldiers, and they turned on Gin. The ones with guns opened fire, while those with melee weapons closed in, swinging wildly.

Gin had to give these soldiers a little credit. Deluded fanatics to a man and woman they might have been, but they were at least good enough not to shoot their own as bullets flew past the heads of the advancing faunus. Of course, that discipline and skill were something Gin could turn to his advantage. He dropped all the way down to all-fours and advanced rapidly, charging to meet the incoming attackers head-on. In doing so, he forced the ones with guns to stop, so that they wouldn't hit their comrades.

That lack of pressure from the gunners was all that Gin needed. Their line of sight blocked by their own allies, they were caught completely off-guard as he plowed straight through the lines of the melee attackers, slamming a couple of sword-wielding faunus aside and rushing straight for the gunners. They quickly tried to compensate, wanting to start firing before Gin could reach them. However, Gin rose up, bringing their aim up in line with him...and making them realize that, if they missed, they would once again risk hitting their fellows.

Ironically, the very discipline they relied on to coordinate their attacks as a group now caused them to hesitate, their fingers pausing on triggers, as they weighed whether or not to shoot their single opponent and risk hitting their own. That gave Gin all the time he needed to close the distance.

He threw himself headlong into their ranks, slashing with his claws, movements that seemed wild and uncoordinated. However, their seemingly random nature masked how smoothly and efficiently each blow flowed into the next, Gin weaving amongst his opponents with moves that were downright serpentine. His Aura shimmered, taking on the shape of an elongated, silver, scaled body, that weaved and undulated in his wake, its movements following those of Gin's arms as he struck with the force to send full-grown faunus flying through the air, dropping opponents with a single slash of his claws each.

Those soldiers armed with swords, axes, and spears, quickly moved to join the fray. However, their efforts yielded no better results. Gin's blows snapped the blades of swords. Axes cracked, then broke as they crashed against the scales on his forearms. Spears were caught and their shafts snapped like twigs. Even those strikes that seemed to land, instead threw up sprays of mist and caused Gin's form to ripple and distort before their eyes, like a reflection on the surface of a lake disturbed by a thrown stone. Gin's movements became nigh impossible to read and his opponents were left completely helpless as he brought them down, one after another.

In just a minute or so, Gin stood alone, amidst the scattered bodies of groaning and unconscious soldiers.

* * *

In the meantime, Ruby had dashed straight for the remaining mechs, which opened fire as she closed in. She weaved between their shots effortlessly, slipping into range with her scythe and unleashing a flurry of slashes from the rapidly-spinning weapon. Ruby emerged from the other side of their ranks. Four of the mechs turned to follow her, trying to track her with their weapons. Three others tried to do the same, but toppled over as severed legs gave way, while arms collapsed to the ground.

One of the remaining mechs stomped forward with surprising speed, punching downwards with its fist. Ruby jumped up, over the path of the punch, and landed on the outstretched arm. Before the mech's pilot could react or counter, she had dashed up the length of the arm, slashing upwards with her scythe and targeting the chassis. The blade extended and sliced clean through the machine's torso, which split and slid off at an angle, exposing the shocked pilot, who could only sit and stare at what happened to his mech.

The three remaining ones sighted their guns on her, apparently driven to the extent that they no longer cared about their disabled comrade. Ruby jumped out of the way as more shots exploded against what remained of the mech she'd just disabled. She went into a series of rapid, flying somersaults, flipping end over end, her scythe blade following her movement, making her seem like a whirling saw-blade as she activated her Semblance through her weapon to increase the speed of her spin. Her flight carried her right into the middle of one of the remaining mechs, splitting it in two, just like the one she'd attacked from above earlier.

Ruby flew through the falling halves of the machine, just barely missing slamming into the exposed pilot as he dropped out through the widening gap. Emerging on the other side of the mech formation, Ruby turned about as the remaining two machines tried to bring their weapons to bear on her once again. However, Ruby relaxed and smiled, lowering her weapon, and not even appearing to care about her defense as she watched the two massive mechs train their guns on her once again.

Gin flew through the air, approaching the mech on the left, a silver Aura in the form of a sinuous, undulating dragon's body weaving through the air behind him, while his right hand was sheathed in the form of a dragon's head, its maw opening wide, teeth bared. The teeth, and Gin's hand, closed with crushing force on the mech's body. Metal shrieked as it was torn and ripped, Gin's attack carrying him right through the middle of the machine, shredding its chassis with his passage.

Gin continued on, kicking off the tattered remains of the mech he'd just ripped apart, and leaping for the last mech standing. Even as he moved, his Aura wound back around his body, crawling up and along his left arm, the dragon-head reforming. The last mech turned, backpedaling as the pilot tried to keep Gin from reaching him and counterattack at the same time. However, he hadn't done nearly enough. The machine lashed out with a first to meet Gin's attack, but the dragon's fangs and Gin's claws closed on the fist, and he ripped his way up along the mech's arm, looking like a torrential river as much as a dragon, tearing the limb away completely and ripping out a large chunk of the mech's shoulder in the process.

The machine staggered, thrown off-balance to the point of being on the verge of toppling over from the sheer force of Gin's blow. Then Ruby appeared in a flash and cut its legs out from under it. The mech toppled to the ground, not rising again.

"Thank you," said Ruby with a smile as Gin came back to her.

"No problem," said Gin. "I know you had them handled, but I figured the faster the better, right?"

"Right," agreed Ruby with a nod of her head.

Now the two of them turned their heads in unison to look after their main target. Roman Torchwick had apparently regained some more function in his legs in the past few minutes, making a staggering, stumbling run for the subterranean buildings that rose up around the ruined encampment, their already crumbling facades beginning to collapse after the shockwaves of the explosion.

Evidently, Roman had noticed the lull in the battle as well. Turning to look over his shoulder, he let out a startled yelp to see the two perpetrators of the attack on his operation staring at him, with no one left to protect him from their wrath. He turned to continue running, but nearly fell over when he saw a flicker of red out of the corner of his eye and checked again to see Ruby already closing in, petals streaming out behind her as her scythe reached out for him.

Desperately, Roman raised his cane, this time taking the time to line up a shot before firing. The effort was pointless all the same. Ruby swept her weapon downwards in a slash that cleaved through both the screaming bolt of fire-Dust and the barrel/shaft of Roman's cane in the same move. Roman whimpered, seeing his cane split in two, lengthwise. Another slash and the handle was sliced clean off, the curved crook bouncing away while the split length of the barrel clattered to the ground in two pieces.

Not trusting Roman to be completely helpless, even without his weapon, Ruby continued her attack, her weapon becoming a blur around her as she hacked away what remained of Roman's Aura, her weapon's blade biting into his body and making his limbs cease to function. Roman's clothes were torn and his hat shredded into tatters. He collapsed to the ground with a pained groan, and was barely able to even twitch as Ruby stood over him, panting in a combination of excitement and fatigue.

"All done?" asked Gin, coming up behind Ruby.

Ruby nodded slowly. "Yeah," she said, planting the butt-end of her scythe so that she could use it to support herself. Above her, the blade of light retracted in, along with the wing and the head folded down.

The lightest tap of feet against the ground caused them to turn, neither really surprised to see Ayumu approaching at an easy walk. "I see you two have finished up here," he observed.

"Yep," said Ruby. "What about the girl...Neo, right?"

Ayumu nodded. "Unfortunately, she proved to be quite elusive. While I believe I had the advantage, she was still able to escape me."

"That's a surprise," said Gin, his eyes widening.

"Her Semblance actually gives her an ability similar to your _Suigetsu_ ," explained Ayumu. "She is very adept with it, and I believe that Master Yu would say that she is quite good at 'thinking small' with it."

"Pretty high praise," mused Gin, turning his gaze down to the moaning Roman. "Makes it odd that this guy would just abandon her like that. She's a little too valuable to be thrown away just to cover his getaway."

"That _is_ pretty low," said Ruby, a slight growl in her voice.

"Not at all," said Ayumu, startling both of them. "In fact, from what I can tell, I believe the two of them are exceptionally close, and, more importantly, have a strong bond of trust that I suspect they do not share with anyone else. They must have worked closely together for many years."

"Even though Roman abandoned her?" asked Ruby, surprised by the idea.

"I don't believe either of them saw it as abandonment," said Ayumu, holding up one finger. "First, Ms. Neo is a considerably stronger and more skilled fighter than Mr. Torchwick." He held up a second finger. "Second, they are both fully aware of this fact and make full use of it. When Mr. Torchwick ran and left her behind, Ms. Neo did not show any indications that she felt betrayed by his actions and, if anything seemed to expect or even want Mr. Torchwick to do that." He held up a third finger. "Thirdly, they appear to have employed this strategy effectively numerous times in the past. Once she decided to no longer fight, Ms. Neo was very effective in escaping me. The only difference was that she was unable to hold off anyone but myself and the White Fang were not suitable as a distraction to allow Mr. Torchwick to escape the two of you. That appears to be the only miscalculation on her part here."

Ruby pressed her lips together, surveying the cavern around them. "She could be hiding anywhere, waiting to take Torchwick back."

"Perhaps," agreed Ayumu. "However, that commotion, particularly the explosion we set off has undoubtedly alerted your friends from Beacon and they are probably on their way here, even as we speak."

Ruby nodded nervously.

"In his condition, it would not be easy for Ms. Neo to move Mr. Torchwick, though I suspect she's up to the task. It would make things especially difficult, out here in Mountain Glenn, with Grimm no doubt willing to set upon them, especially if she's hindered by having to carry Mr. Torchwick at the same time.

"Instead of trying to rescue him here, I suspect she will fall back and allow him to be taken into custody. Mr. Torchwick will be taken back to Vale and imprisoned. However, there, a person of her skillset would probably have a much better chance of extracting him safely."

"Okay..." said Ruby, still not certain of that.

Gin's head tilted and he frowned. "Well, if we're gonna take the chance and leave him for the authorities, we need to decide soon. They're coming now."

Ruby frowned and closed her eyes, relaxing her mind and allowing her senses to extend out. Doing so allowed her to hear the murmur of voices and the sound of several different sets of feet making their way across the stone floor of the cavern towards their position. The voices were familiar, making Ruby's heart thud alarmingly in her chest.

"Let's go," she said. "We'll keep watch and make sure that they catch Torchwick, then head for Vale."

"All right then," said Gin, while Ayumu nodded amiably.

Then Ruby froze, her eyes going to the downed mechs. "Wait! Those things probably have data recorders. We need to find them and break them before the others get here." If those recorders had any video feed, Ruby didn't want her old team and JNPR finding out she was still about.

"Well, we'd better get to it quickly," said Ayumu.

"Yeah, they're almost here," agreed Gin.

Fortunately, it wasn't too hard. Ruby's fascination with weapons of all shapes and sizes extended to advanced pieces of technology, such as these machines, which allowed her to intuit the location of the data recorders on the basis of where they would be most secure from conventional forms of damage. By chance, she and Gin had already wrecked several of the data recorders over the course of their fight already and destroying the remainder proved to be a quick task. They were able to leave just barely ahead of the others' arrival.

They retreated into the shelter of the crumbling buildings, finding a vantage point that hadn't been too weakened by the explosion. From there, they watched as the eight students and Dr. Oobleck entered the destroyed encampment. They observed as the students began to look for the White Fang soldiers and go about the laborious process of restraining them, Pyrrha making good use of her Semblance to bend the metal scattered around into effective restraints.

Ruby tensed, watching as Weiss approach Roman, who'd begun to regain some of his ability to move, and was now trying to crawl away. They spoke, and Ruby knew that Roman would reveal that she was involved in some way. Weiss' already fair complexion paled considerably, and she reacted in horror and shock. As some of the others approached her, Weiss quickly clocked Roman in the side of the head with Myrtenaster to knock him out and silence him.

Ruby experienced a thrill of fear as she realized how close her plan had come to being undone. Had it been anyone _other_ than Weiss or Pyrrha who'd found Roman, her plans could have very well gone awry. It was an oversight that made her tremble, though she relaxed when Gin's hand found her own.

Still, the threat was past for now. Weiss had obviously decided that Roman couldn't be allowed to talk, which worked for Ruby even more than it worked for her.

"Let's go," said Ruby softly.

Gin and Ayumu nodded and the three of them fell back to withdraw.

* * *

Waiting for an opportune moment, they slipped down the tunnel entrance while everyone was distracted securing the prisoners. There had been one encounter, while they'd been taking their leave. However, it had worked out well enough in the end. Once they were in the tunnel, they moved along its length, following it towards Vale, the most direct route they could ask for.

As they left, they noticed that the ominous feeling they'd gotten upon entering Mountain Glenn had not faded, even after they had dealt with the immediate threat. Ruby got the distinct sense that this was not the last time she would have to deal with the place and its secrets.

It was direct, but not exactly as quick as Ruby would have liked. No doubt the train would have made good time in the tunnel. But, at a fast walk, it took them nearly all of the rest of the day to reach the other end of the tunnel. From there, they had to be careful, discretely opening, then working to seal back up, the entrance so that they wouldn't leave a hole in Vale's defenses.

Once they were in Vale proper, Ruby pulled out her scroll and placed a call to the contact that Qrow had given her, grateful for his earlier suggestion.

The person on the other end of the line answered promptly. "Hello...who is this, and how did you get this number?" inquired a familiar voice that made Ruby want to sigh in relief at hearing it again.

"Professor Ozpin," said Ruby, a little shyly, "this is Ruby Rose. Uncle Qrow gave me this number."

"Ah, Ms. Rose," said Ozpin, his voice betraying only the slightest amount of surprise. "Your uncle called me not a day ago and told me to expect you. I'm grateful to hear from you again and even more grateful to confirm that you are indeed alive."

"Thank you, Professor," said Ruby, her voice emerging in a sigh.

"It appears that we have a great deal to talk about, Ms. Rose, especially considering what Qrow has told and shown me."

Ruby nodded, despite knowing that, without a video-link there was no way Ozpin could see it. "Yeah, we do."

"Give me a minute to get a fix on your location and I shall send a bullhead to bring you to me directly," said Ozpin. "Whatever else happens, it's good to have you back, Ms. Rose."

"It's good to be back," said Ruby, letting out another sigh. Her long journey back to Beacon was finally over.

* * *

 **And thus, the flashback arc reaches its end. Writing Ayumu's fight with Neo was one of the trickier bits. When writing fights like that, it's easy to get caught up in the fighters using their weapons, but, using Neo's fight with Yang in Volume 2 as a basis, I tried to keep in mind that both participants should be plenty adept at using the rest of their bodies to fight, as well as taking into account terrain, and, as always, keep in mind that the fight is taking place in three-dimensions.**

 **Also, while Ruby is relating the summary of this to her friends, this arc is obviously depicting things that wouldn't make it into her retelling, like the details of Gin's experience, as well as other facts that might be...omitted, for one reason or another.**


	52. Chapter 52

**Chapter 52:**

 _Present day:_

Silence greeted Ruby as she finished her story.

"Holy...cow..." said Coco after a moment's pause. "That was totally... _badass!_ You are _awesome_ , girl!"

Ruby blushed brilliantly, averting her eyes shyly. "Thanks," she said. "It's not all that big a deal."

"Um...I disagree," said Blake, who'd been watching Ruby with wide eyes as she described some of the moves she'd used to take down the Paladins. "Considering how much trouble we had with one of those machines, that you were able to take down ten of them, with just a little help, is nothing short of incredible."

"Yeah!" agreed Nora eagerly. "That one we fought was super-tough!"

"Well, Roman might have had a better idea of how to use it than the White Fang did," said Ruby. "I think that a lot of their intended pilots were taken out by the explosion, and whoever was closest jumped in to use those machines, so they weren't able to make the best use of it. A lot of them were damaged in some way too, so they were a long ways from full strength. And, uh...Shining Rose is super-sharp, so their armor wasn't as much trouble..."

Ruby found herself hesitating. Her weapon had probably been one of the deciding factors in making the fight against the Paladins much easier than it had been for WBY and JNPR. Shining Rose's blade, just like Ayumu's sword, had the potential to be sharp enough to slice through almost anything, depending on Ruby's intent. With the armor around their cockpits rendered all but useless by her weapon, Ruby naturally would have had a much easier time taking them down with just one or two hits. She also fully believed in the other reasons she'd given for why the fight was as easy as it was.

At the same time, she also had to make sure to steer the conversation away from her weapon, before the discussion became too in-depth. Ruby liked Coco and Velvet a great deal, but she didn't yet trust them enough to entrust them with the secret of her weapon's true nature. She wasn't sure if she ever would. The fewer people that knew the truth about Shining Rose and Green Destiny, before Ruby and Ayumu made their reveal, the less likely it was that the secret would be revealed before they were ready to do so.

Coco looked as though she wanted to ask more about the nature of Ruby's weapon, but stopped herself, apparently taking Ruby's hesitation as a desire not to give too much about her capabilities away, when the Vytal Festival Tournament was coming up. "Well, whatever the case, if we face each other during the tournament, please don't cut through my gun. I put a lot of work into it."

"Same," said Velvet, raising her hand.

"Ditto!" agreed Nora, cheerfully playing along.

"Okay," said Ruby with a giggle. "I'll try." In truth, she could do a lot more than try. She naturally viewed her opponents' weapons as extensions of themselves, rather than as separate, inanimate objects. It was a viewpoint fully ingrained upon her by her own affection for Crescent Rose, before it had been destroyed. As such, her blade would not automatically cut through her opponents' weapons, unless she deliberately intended to do so.

"That works for me," said Coco with a chuckle.

"So that ice cream girl got away, huh?" mused Yang, frowning a little.

"Ice cream girl...?" Ruby blinked, processing it for a moment. "You mean Neo?"

"I guess," said Yang. "Different-colored eyes, pink and brown hair...that whole color scheme of hers makes me think of that ice cream, uh..."

"You mean Neapolitan?" asked Blake.

"Yeah!" agreed Yang enthusiastically. "That! Even her name is Neo, so I'm guessing her full name is Neopolitan...or something like that."

"Uh...what's Neapolitan ice cream?" asked Ruby, a little confused.

"Oh! It's awesome!" cheered Nora. "It's vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream all together in one big lump of delicious deliciousness!"

"What?" gasped Ruby, horrified, whipping her head around to stare at Yang. "I never knew such an ice cream existed!" she exclaimed in horror. "How could you keep this a secret from me, Yang?"

"Uh...I thought I told you once...didn't I?" Yang watched Ruby shake her head slowly. "Huh...Well...my bad, I guess."

"Actually, I think we got some for tonight," said Blake, opening the cooler that they'd been using to store their colder snacks for the evening. Fishing around, she pulled out a small carton. "Here it is," she declared, holding it out to Ruby, who took it in a flash that made everyone wonder if she'd used her Semblance to grab it.

"Uh...we good?" asked Yang warily, remembering how Ruby could get when it came to desserts, though being denied cookies was usually what flipped the switch of her wrath.

"Hmm..." Ruby stared pensively at the carton of ice cream for a moment, before looking back up at Yang. "You're off the hook for now, Sis."

"You have no idea how relieved I am," Yang deadpanned, before finding herself unable to restrain her giggles any longer.

A few seconds later, all of them were laughing, even as they silently wondered how the conversation had slipped from what Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu had done in Mountain Glenn to ice cream flavors of all things.

After that, they chatted a little while longer about a variety of topics before selecting a movie to watch. The six of them continued to enjoy each other's company, long into the night, finally falling asleep just the sun's light began to appear on the horizon.

* * *

"All right...let's test the temperature," said Jaune, sprinkling some water over the griddle's surface. Little droplets skittered around excitedly before evaporating. "Looks good. You ready?"

"As ever," replied Ayumu cheerfully, already standing by with the bowl of batter and the ladle.

"All right," said Jaune. "Remember, don't go overboard. They're gonna spread out a fair bit, so don't pour them too close together."

Ayumu nodded and carefully poured ladlefuls of batter onto the hot griddle, trying his best to space them out so that they didn't touch. His efforts were marginally effective, though Jaune noted it wasn't the perfect use of griddle space. Some of the spreading pools of pancake batter ended up touching, despite Ayumu's effort to space them out, while others hovered farther apart than they needed to be. Still...for his first time making actual pancakes in an actual kitchen, rather than on a hot rock in the middle of the forest, it wasn't too bad.

"Okay...now watch them," said Jaune. "When the little bubbles start to set at the edges, you're good to turn them."

Ayumu nodded, taking up the spatula. In flipping them, at least, he proved surprisingly adept, the complex motions of his swordsmanship giving him good control over the comparatively simple movements involved in flipping pancakes.

A few minutes later, a pile of the sweet breakfast treats lay on a platter, ready to be served, while Jaune set out plates, forks, knives, napkins, butter, and syrup.

"All right, guys," said Jaune, "breakfast is ready."

"Sweet!" exclaimed Sun Wukong, jumping up off the common room couch, Neptune following in his wake.

"Someone wanna get Ren and Gin?" asked Jaune absently. "They're out in the courtyard, doing their morning exercises."

"Oh yeah, that Tai-Chi stuff," mused Sun. "I'll get 'em." Not bothering to use the door, he instead slid open the window and bounded out that way.

"Does he know what doors are?" asked Jaune.

"Yeah," answered Neptune. "But he pretends not to."

"Okay..." mused Jaune.

In response to the girls tossing Gin out of Team RUBY's dorm and having a pajama party, the boys had decided to have a get-together of their own. Jaune, Ayumu, and Ren happily welcomed Gin into their room. An invitation was sent to Sun and Neptune, who eagerly accepted.

In response to the girls inviting over Coco and Velvet, Jaune sent an invite to Fox and Yatsuhashi as well. The older boys politely turned the invitation down, much to Jaune's relief. Yatsuhashi was easy enough to handle, but Fox possessed an intimidating presence, whether he wanted to or not. It was probably awareness of that fact that led to them turning the invitation down anyway.

A few minutes later, Sun reappeared, predictably, at the window. "Hey! You guys have to check this out!"

"Check what out?" asked Jaune. "Breakfast's getting cold."

"You'll see," said Sun, beckoning. "Come on!"

The other boys used the door to follow Sun down into the courtyard. There they found that Ren had abandoned his morning exercises to watch Gin, who was still going through his own. The second they saw Gin, they realized why Sun had called them.

Gin had taken a wide, low stance, slowly moving his arms and shifting his weight, going slowly through movements that, at full speed, would translate into powerful strikes. It wasn't anything especially unique, not much different from what Ren typically did during his morning sessions.

What _was_ different, however, was the swirling Aura that flowed around Gin like a powerful current, a thick stream of silver, its sides decorated with scales, its flowing, sinuous motions linked to the movement of Gin's arms and hands. Out at the front, a slightly elongated head, with a large mouth, armed with curved teeth, quested out. A dragon of silver Aura weaved its body around Gin, the boy clearly directing its movements through the movement of his arms. The dragon's moves were as slow and languid as Gin's. But those watching could feel that clear sense of power.

"Oh...you haven't done that in a while," noted Ayumu.

Gin's movements became closer, his arms not reaching out as far from his body, drawing the dragon inwards, winding about him until it slowly sank into his skin and vanished from sight. Finally, Gin slowed to a stop and stood up straight, looking at Ayumu. "I've been slacking off," he said. "I figured it'd be a good idea to get back into the swing of training regularly, if we don't have to worry about finding our breakfast every morning."

Ayumu nodded. "A good idea. I'll have to start doing that too."

"That was training?" asked Sun with wide eyes. "That was awesome!"

"It's fairly basic," said Gin, stretching his arms.

"In any case, come on inside," said Ayumu. "Jaune's been teaching me how to make proper pancakes."

"I'll chew carefully," said Gin.

"So cruel..." Ayumu mock-whimpered.

They reconvened in the dorm's common room to help themselves to the pancakes Ayumu helped prepare. Despite Gin's jocular reservations, the pancakes were fine, even if a few were a bit misshapen.

When their get-together had started last night, Jaune had been at a bit of a loss for what to do. Sun and Neptune were all for playing video-games late into the night. However, Gin had no experience playing such games and Ayumu's hampered left hand made him unable to use the controls properly. Jaune wanted to find something Ayumu could do, at least. Unlike the girls, sitting and gossiping wasn't really their thing.

At one point, Ayumu expressed in interest in learning to cook conventionally, after tasting some of the snacks Jaune had made for their gathering. Ren and Jaune had been happy to show Ayumu the basics of using the kitchen, while Sun and Neptune took responsibility for walking Gin through the nuances of _Ninja Fighter 3_. As a result, they spent their evening quite amicably, retiring to bed a good bit earlier than the girls.

Strangely, unlike Blake and Velvet, Sun showed only a little wariness towards Gin, meeting him for the first time since Gin had publicly revealed his nature as a dragon-faunus. However, after spending some time with Gin, even that wariness had faded quickly and Sun was soon talking to Gin like they were old friends.

And now, with Jaune guiding him, Ayumu was showing great promise in preparing breakfast with only minimal assistance.

"So what was that?" asked Sun in between mouthfuls of syrupy goodness.

"What was what?" asked Gin.

"That thing with the dragon!" exclaimed Sun. "That was totally awesome!"

"Oh...that," said Gin, cutting another piece of pancake and eating it carefully. For someone with his rough upbringing, he was a surprisingly dainty eater with a knife and fork.

"Yeah, 'that'!" Sun nearly shouted. "Dude! How can you be so casual about it? It's a freaking dragon!"

"Because I used to do that everyday," said Gin with a slight frown, scratching one cheek. "Ayumu and I got so preoccupied with basic chores on the road to Vale, we didn't even think to go through our own routines."

"Because you were looking after Ruby, right?" asked Jaune.

"Well, 'looking after' implies that she couldn't take care of herself," said Ayumu, "which couldn't be further from the truth. However, Ruby does lack our training in advanced survival skills, so we took it upon ourselves to take care of procuring food during our trip."

"Normally, we leave ourselves a bit more free time, since we're usually just wandering anyway," added Gin.

"Yeah, but that doesn't answer the question of what that was," interjected Neptune.

Gin frowned, seeing that these two boys weren't going to be thrown off this line of inquiry so easily. He turned to look at Jaune and raised an eyebrow. "Is it safe to tell them? It involves the thing Ruby doesn't want us telling people about."

"Oh!" Jaune blinked and thought for a moment. Then he nodded. "Go ahead. Sun and Neptune can be trusted."

"They did join our investigation into Torchwick and the White Fang," added Ren.

"And they fought the Paladin with us," said Jaune. "If we can trust them enough to entrust them with Blake's secrets, then I think that we can trust them with Ruby's too."

"I have to admit that I am curious about the nature of that skill," added Ren.

"All right," said Gin, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them. "It's a form of manifestation."

"You mean like what Ayumu and Ruby do with their weapons?" asked Jaune, surprised.

"What do they do with their weapons?" asked Sun.

Ayumu brought his hands together and drew forth Green Destiny, the blade ringing lightly. The weapon's sudden appearance causing Sun and Neptune to nearly topple over in their seats from surprise.

"No weapons at the breakfast table," said Jaune, pausing to sip his coffee.

"My apologies," said Ayumu, putting his blade away again. "I figured it would be best to go ahead and show them."

"Where did that thing come from?" asked Neptune, staring at Ayumu's hands. "Where were you keeping it all this time?"

"Nowhere," said Ayumu. "Until I brought it out, it did not exist. I made it, here and now."

"Wha-how?" gasped Sun.

Ayumu proceeded to explain the nature of manifestation and materialization to them. The two boys listened with rapt attention, shocked by this revelation.

"I had no idea Aura could do that," said Sun, staring into space after Ayumu finished his explanation. "So Ruby's new weapon is actually made from her Aura too?"

"Correct," said Ayumu. "It's a secret we're saving until during the tournament to reveal. We are hoping to change the way people view the singular importance of Dust in their lives."

Sun's eyes drifted to Ayumu's left hand, remembering the scar it the sleeve over his arm concealed. It had taken some prodding to get Ayumu to talk about his history, and how he'd ended up with that scar, which had cast a pall over the evening for a little bit. "Yeah, I can see why'd you'd want to do something like that. Blake's told me a little about what the SDC has done, but all she has are stories and rumors. You've actually _lived_ through that."

"Well...I feel that it's not something to brag about," said Ayumu. "Besides, that's a tangent we should avoid for the time being. You wanted to know more about what Gin was doing."

"Right," agreed Sun, his mood lifting.

"Basically, what I was doing is the second form of manifestation," explained Gin. "I don't materialize like Ayumu and Ruby do, because I don't need to. I don't think I need to explain why."

Remembering the claws and scales on Gin's forearm that were more than a match for any manmade weapon, Sun and Neptune had to nod their agreement.

"But, besides producing objects, manifestation can be used in technique, to essentially give technique tangible 'form,' which produces greater power," said Gin.

"You didn't use that in your match with Yang," noted Jaune.

"Well, I was supposed to beat her, not shred her to pieces," said Gin. "But, besides that, there was no real need for me to do so."

"You were holding back?" asked Ren, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Hardly," said Gin. "But I wouldn't say I was going all out either. Letting her pound me with her Semblance aside, fighting my opponent in the most efficient and effective manner possible, with the minimum expenditure of my own strength, is the ideal method Master Yu taught us."

Ayumu nodded sagely.

"Oh..." said Sun.

"Normally, when I fight, unless I'm really trying to destroy my enemy, you wouldn't see the whole thing," said Gin. "I don't completely manifest unless I really am striking with all my strength. What you saw me doing in the courtyard was a little different, even from that. Guiding my Aura outside my body is for the purpose of honing my ranged skills."

"Ranged skills?" asked Jaune.

Gin held up his hand and extended his claws, though his scales remained concealed. The sudden movement made Sun jolt. But, otherwise, he didn't show any other reaction to the reminder of Gin's draconic nature. "I've always been happy to rely on the weapons I'm born with. But, if there's one thing that I've realized I was lacking, it's the fact that my claws are _not_ also guns."

"Very true," admitted Jaune. "So...your ranged attack is basically throwing your Aura in the form of a dragon."

"'Throwing it' sounds crude," grumbled Gin. "I put a lot more work into it than that. The truth is, I don't encounter many situations where I actually _need_ to do that. It uses a lot of Aura, so it's one of the most wasteful techniques I have. Under most circumstances, I'm usually able to manage an approach against an opponent, no matter what methods they have. Even airborne Grimm, like Nevermores and Griffons, can generally be drawn to ground level if you play on their aggressiveness."

"That makes sense," said Neptune.

"But practicing like I was this morning is also just practice to help refine manifestation in general," said Gin. "Manifestation is reliant upon the image of what you want to create, in both form and action. My 'dragon' is an example of both. So my main purpose in doing that is to improve my ability to visualize what I want to create."

"Doing so makes the execution of the technique faster and more efficient," said Ayumu. "With practice, Gin will be able to call up the image of what he wants his Aura to become with almost no delay, which means less of an opening."

"That's pretty neat," said Sun.

"Any other questions?" asked Gin.

"Just one," said Sun. "Can you teach me how to do that? That looks awesome. I'd love to be able to do something like that."

"Hmm...we can walk you through the basics of manifestation," said Ayumu. "However, yours would probably be quite different from Gin's."

"Different?" asked Sun.

"Your manifestation should be distinct to your own nature and preferences," said Ayumu. "It needs to be something that suits your style of combat. If you focus simply on imitating others, you'll only hamper yourself."

"Oh..." said Sun.

"That being said, Master Yu always says that 'to imitate is to learn,'" said Ayumu. "So...if you start by imitating Gin in the basics of manifestation, you'll eventually come to realize how to make it your own."

"A warning...it's not easy," said Gin.

Sun chuckled. "What is?" he asked rhetorically. "If it was easy, it wouldn't be worth learning in the first place."

"A fine attitude," said Ayumu cheerfully. "We can work out the particulars later."

"A word of warning, it's not something you can normally pick up quickly," said Gin. "It might take months of practice before you achieve meaningful improvement."

"Fine by me," said Sun, folding his arms.

"Well, we have a while before Ruby and Yang's father is supposed to arrive," said Ayumu, glancing at the common room clock. "We could begin straight away, after breakfast."

"Cool!" said Sun.

* * *

Ruby awoke slowly, blinking her eyes blearily. Their room was dark, Yang having drawn across the curtains to ensure that the sun didn't bother them. Despite waking up on her own, she felt sluggish and lazy, probably because she'd become accustomed to early mornings during the weeks on the road with Ayumu, Gin, and Yu.

Smacking her lips, Ruby looked around, not yet awake enough to really be able to make use of her _Shingan_. In the darkness, she could see the still forms of her friends, still fast asleep. The sight of it all was enough to make Ruby smile. However, she felt grungy and her mouth tasted nasty. Ruby realized that she'd fallen asleep without brushing her teeth, something she'd rarely forgotten before.

Not wanting to greet her sister and friends with morning breath, Ruby decided to take advantage of the fact they were still asleep and claim the first shower for the day. Fifteen minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom, fully dressed and feeling much more awake and comfortable. Stretching, she winced at the feeling of her back popping, probably because she'd fallen asleep in something of an awkward position, rather than in her bed. Her sleep had also been a little bit more fitful without Gin there beside her, not that Ruby would ever admit as much out loud, especially where her sister might overhear. At the very least, she was glad to know that she _could_ get through the night without him, having started to worry that she was getting a little too clingy.

Opening the door, Ruby stepped out into the hallway, deciding to stretch her legs and move around a little. Hopefully, when she got back, the others would be ready to greet the day.

She heard familiar voices from the common room and made her way down the hallway. There, she was surprised to see Gin with Jaune and Ren, listening intently as Jaune explained the basics of how to use the microwave to him.

"Morning," said Ruby, before pausing and smacking her lips, then yawning.

"Morning," replied Gin with a wry smile, "barely. You look like you had a late night."

"I did," said Ruby. "We didn't get to sleep until the sun was almost up." He came over to her, the two of them hugging and exchanging a quick kiss.

"Told ya," said Jaune to Ren and Gin. "Girls will keep each other up all night long."

"Hey!" protested Ruby.

"That sounds like a euphemism," added Gin.

"Almost everything is a euphemism for something these days," said Ren.

"Usually for sex," added Jaune with a sigh.

"Where are the others?" asked Ruby, looking around, noticing that Ayumu, Sun, and Neptune, the latter two she'd learned were invited to the boys' party last night.

"Ayumu's been walking Sun through the basics of manifestation," said Gin. "Neptune's watching. We told them. I hope you don't mind."

Ruby frowned a little. But then, thinking back to all the things Sun had done with and for them, including the things she'd heard had happened while she was away, she decided there wasn't anything to worry about. Sun had proven himself a trustworthy friend to their group, Neptune as well. "I'm okay with that," she said.

"Good," said Gin with a relieved smile. "Ayumu should be back soon."

Then something about Gin's morning registered with her. "Wait a minute...what did you mean by 'barely' earlier?"

Gin blinked. "You said 'good morning.' I was just pointing out that it could barely still qualify as morning. It's almost noon. I was about to come and wake you girls up myself."

Ruby blinked, Gin's words rattling around in her head. It was a testament to how out of it she was, having her sleep schedule thrown askew by the party, that it took so long for her to comprehend what Gin had actually said. _It's almost noon! Dad's going to be here at twelve-thirty!_

An instant later, she was gone, a cloud of scattering petals being the only indicator that she had been there at all.

"That was kinda mean," said Jaune with a sly smile.

"I suppose it was...kinda," said Gin, looking down and blushing.

"If Ruby weren't in a hurry, I'd bet she'd be proud that you could tease her like that," added Jaune gently patting the younger boy on the back.

"Thanks," said Gin with a smile.

Meanwhile, Ruby burst back into her team's room, rushing across it to the window and yanking the curtains open. "Yang! Get up!"

Yang wasn't the only one rudely awakened by the sudden shower of light that bathed them. Blake moaned and curled up into a ball on her cushions. Velvet's rabbit ears folded down to cover her eyes. Coco groaned and pulled a pillow over her head. Nora...didn't react at all, still snoring blissfully away, without a care in the world.

"Huh...wha-what's wrong, Ruby?" asked Yang, slowly forcing herself upright, her hair a tangled mess and her eyes glazed.

"It's almost noon!" exclaimed Ruby. "Dad's gonna be here any minute!"

"What?!" shouted Yang, shooting to her feet. "I gotta clean up!"

She staggered into the bathroom, slamming it shut behind her, drawing muffled expletives from Coco, beneath her pillow.

"Ruby...what's going on?" asked Velvet sleepily, also sitting upright.

"Sorry, Velvet," said Ruby. "I didn't mean to wake all of you. I sorta panicked."

"Why?" asked Velvet.

"Well...Dad's coming to see us today, and this is the first time I've seen him since before...you know," explained Ruby.

"Oh..." said Velvet, her eyes widening.

"I'll close up the curtains," said Ruby, smiling apologetically. "You can go back to sleep."

"If it's almost noon, we might as well get up," said Coco, sitting up and stretching with a yawn of her own.

"No going back to sleep after that racket," added Blake sardonically as she too sat up.

"Sorry," squeaked Ruby twiddling her fingers nervously.

"It's all right," said Blake. "It's good that you'll get to see your father again. We should clean up around here, so our dorm doesn't look like a complete disaster, when he gets here."

"Right," said Ruby.

They moved around the room, clearing away the detritus of the previous night's events, cleaning up trash and putting away the cushions and pillows they'd laid out. By the time it was almost twelve-thirty, their dorm room looked almost habitable again.

The only problem was Nora, who continued to sleep like a rock, but snore like a chainsaw. Any attempts rouse, or even move her, only made her snore louder and clutch all the tighter to the cushions she was sleeping on, which made her an awkward load to bear. Finally, Ruby, with a sly grin on her face, went to fetch her official "Nora countermeasure," and came back with an amused and exasperated Ren, who woke Nora with the magic word guaranteed to bring her out of the deepest of slumbers and snap her out of the worst stupors, " _Pancakes_."

Nora was immediately awake with a shout, though the sight of Ren caused one of the subjects of their conversation last night to come back to her in a rush. Nora's face flushed bright-red. Before anyone could react, she practically bulled Ren over in her rush to get out the door, zipping across the hall to JNAR's room, and locking herself in the bathroom over there. Ren looked after her, confused, while the other girls hid amused titters.

After that, they continued to go through the process of picking up what remained of their slumber party. Yang still had yet to emerge from the shower, which was fairly typical, considering how much maintenance her hair needed in the morning. Ruby had just finished clearing away the pillows and was moving her and Gin's bed back into position, when she heard knocking on the door, which they'd left open to simplify taking out all the things that needed to be thrown away.

Looking up, Ruby's eyes widened and a gasp escaped her at the sight of the man leaning against the doorframe. "DADDY!" Unable to contain herself, Ruby threw herself at her father, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

Taiyang Xiao Long laughed and returned the hug, holding his daughter with an embrace that put some of Yang's strongest bear hugs to shame. Ruby didn't mind in the slightest, burying her head in his shoulder, tears spilling freely from her eyes.

"I'm so glad to see you, baby girl," said Taiyang, kissing the top of her head.

"I'm s-sorry!" said Ruby, her voice choked with sobs. "I should have at least called."

"It's okay," said Taiyang, now gently rubbing her back. "Qrow said you were going to be radio silent for a while."

"It doesn't excuse me not calling you when I got back," said Ruby.

"That's okay," said Taiyang. "Just knowing you're all right is enough for me. My little girl is home and safe, and all is right with the world."

For a few more minutes, they simply continued to hold one another, Ruby's friends looking on fondly to see her reunited with her father.

"So...where's your sister?" asked Taiyang after a few minutes, releasing his hug, though he still kept his arms slightly around her, allowing Ruby to pull back to look him in the eyes.

"Shower," said Ruby with a sniff, rubbing her nose.

"This late?" Taiyang raised an eyebrow, then took in the state of the room, which looked much better, but wasn't yet fully restored to its normal state. "I see. Slumber party, huh?"

"Yeah," said Ruby, now wiping her eyes.

"Stayed up all night?"

"Yep."

"Have fun?"

"Yep."

"Good." Taiyang chuckled, then turned his eyes to Blake. "Blake, good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too," said Blake, smiling back. "I'm glad we could meet under better circumstances this time."

"Me too," said Taiyang. His eyes went to Coco and Velvet. "I don't believe we've been introduced."

"Oh!" Ruby pulled out of his arms and bounced over to the two girls from Team CFVY. "This is Coco and Velvet. They're our upperclassmen."

"It's nice to meet you," said Velvet, smiling politely at Taiyang. "We're all glad to have Ruby back."

"That's true," agreed Coco with her signature smirk.

"Good to hear," said Taiyang. "Thank you for looking after my daughters and their team."

"Our pleasure," said Coco. "Though it seems they don't need all that much looking after."

Velvet giggled.

The door to the bathroom opened and Yang emerged, fully dressed, but still toweling off her hair. She looked up and saw her father and dropped her towel. "Dad!"

"Hey there," said Taiyang. "How's my Little Sunny Dragon doing?"

"Daaaad!" protested Yang, her cheeks turning red as the other girls giggled discreetly.

"Sounds like you had quite the night," said Taiyang. "Now...I have something here for you..." He pulled a small pack off his back and deposited it on the floor of the room.

The girls all looked at it, then flinched back as the pack suddenly jumped on its own. Then the flap shot open, and the head of a familiar gray and white corgi emerged from within, barking a greeting.

"AAAH!"

All five girls shouted in unison, though they had different tones. Coco and Velvet shouted in surprise, Yang and Ruby with excitement, and Blake with terror.

"Zwei!" yelled Ruby, holding out her arms.

The little corgi didn't hesitate, jumping up into her hold, and licking enthusiastically at Ruby's face as she giggled loudly, cuddling the little bundle of fur and cuteness.

"I missed you too!" said Ruby, in between giggles as Zwei slathered her face in wet puppy-kisses.

Yang grinned, happy to see her family's pet and even happier to see him reunited with Ruby. Glancing over, she saw that Coco and Velvet were both cooing and looking forward to fawning over Zwei. Blake, however, was nowhere to be seen. Blinking in confusion, Yang looked around, not seeing Blake in the bathroom or near the closet. Motion out of the corner of her eye drew Yang's vision up to her bed. There, she saw Blake, crouched tensely, her golden eyes looking out over the edge and glaring down at the dog in Ruby's arms.

After a moment, Blake noticed Yang looking at her and looked back. Their eyes met.

Yang began to grin.

Blake's eyes narrowed dangerously. Even though no words were exchanged, there was no questioning what Blake's look meant. _Not. One. Word._

Yang merely covered her mouth with her hand to hide her smirk.

"Well, now that we're back together, I'm going to take my girls out to lunch," said Taiyang. "Would you ladies be willing to look after Zwei while we're gone. He's very well-behaved."

"We'd love to," said Velvet eagerly, exchanging smiles with Coco. Velvet knelt down and held out her hand and the eager and curious corgi quickly bounded over to investigate.

Blake would have disagreed, but she chose to retreat back behind the edge of Yang's bed, and watch warily from above for her chance to escape.

"Now then," said Taiyang, "shall we get the others?"

"Huh? Others?" asked Ruby, tilting her head in confusion.

"Well, I do want to meet the boys who saved my precious little girl," said Taiyang firmly. "Buying them lunch is the least I can do."

"Oh!" said Ruby, her eyes widening. "You want to meet Gin and Ayumu? They're just down the hallway."

* * *

"You can't be serious," growled Weiss, staring at the document in front of her.

"Completely," said the severe, stern-looking man sitting across her. "I've reviewed the evidence myself and, unfortunately, even our best efforts would be unable to undermine it. I've reviewed the rules of evidence to see if there's any way your 'confession' that the victim recorded could be disallowed, but she was acting with Professor Ozpin's sanction, which is equivalent to a warrant."

"She can't have been," snarled Weiss. "That brat didn't let everyone know she was back until days later!" She winced after her outburst. Shouting strained her throat, which exerted pressure against the one accessory she now wore in addition to her prison uniform. Unconsciously, Weiss reached up to finger the silver collar, wrapped snugly around her neck.

The Aura-suppression collar was a piece of technology, like most advanced technology, invented in Atlas. As the power of Huntsmen and Huntresses grew, so did the fear of what they would be capable of should they abuse said power. After many decades of research and hard work, this was the answer that had been come up with by Atlesian scientists. Weiss didn't know how the collar worked. All she knew was that it completely inhibited her Aura while she wore it, keeping her at the level of a person whose Aura hadn't been unlocked, and preventing her from using her Semblance. It was the only reason she could even be permitted outside her cell, now that she'd fully recovered from her beating at the hands of Ruby.

"It appears that Ozpin was informed of Ms. Rose's activities beforehand," explained the lawyer. "I'm sorry, Ms. Schnee. But, at this point, there is nothing more than we can do. A trial would be little more than an exercise in futility."

"I know my father's lawyers could do better than this," grumbled Weiss.

"But your father's lawyers are _not_ here," replied her appointed defense lawyer. "And, even if one of them were, I imagine they would see the same thing I have, a hopeless case. You have no effective defense, Ms. Schnee."

Weiss ground her teeth together, staring at the document her lawyer had brought her. It had come through him from the prosecution. "But signing this is a guilty plea," she objected.

"It is," agreed the lawyer with a cautious nod. "By signing this, you agree to enter a plea of 'guilty' to the charge of Attempted Murder in the First-degree. As a consequence, the charge of Conspiracy to Conceal will be dropped. Your sentence shall also be reduced. You will go from Life, with a possibility of parole in fifteen years, to Seventy, with a possibility of parole in seven years."

"Seven years..." Weiss stared at the paper. If she signed this, it would be seven years until she got the chance to see the world outside the walls of prison again. Worse than that, she would only get out if certain conditions were met. "That brat..." she growled. "She did this to me."

"Ms. Rose has no say in this," said her lawyer. "The offer comes directly from the prosecution. They wish to avoid wasting time and money on a trial."

"I...I need time to think," said Weiss.

"You have one week," said her lawyer.

"What?" she gasped. "That little time?"

"The prosecution has been instructed by the Council to go ahead with the trial as soon as possible," explained the lawyer. "They are currently clearing a space on the docket for your case, and that of Ms. Nikos. The two of you will be formally asked for your pleas in one week's time. If you do not agree to this by then, you will either have to plead 'not guilty,' and take your chances, or plead 'guilty' without any concessions."

He pushed away from the table and stood up. "I have to go and deliver the same offer to Ms. Nikos. If you both refuse, you will be tried together. However, if only one of you accepts, then the one who refuses will be tried. Your decision is your own." He gestured at the paper. "I'll leave that with you. If you decide you wish to accept the bargain, let me know when I come back tomorrow."

He left, closing the door behind him. Weiss was left in the room, still seated at the table, staring at the paper. _I can't sign this,_ she thought vehemently. _I won't let Ruby beat me!_

That was the crux of this matter. It had already dawned upon Weiss that she had no chance of winning this case. However, accepting this bargain, pleading guilty, felt like less of an acknowledgment of what she had done, and more of an acknowledgment that what she had done was wrong. _The only thing I did wrong was not making sure that brat really was dead before leaving her body for the Grimm to chew on._

In the back of her mind, a traitorous voice spoke up. _So what Father said about me was right then._

Weiss shivered. Her eyes glanced over the page once more. Her fingers curled inwards, her nails scraping the table's surface with the movement. She glared down at the page, as though it had personally insulted her. Anger hummed through her veins. She wanted nothing more than to shriek, tear the paper to pieces and then overturn the table for good measure. However, she knew that such behavior would likely lead to punishment, so she forced her anger down.

Despite all the factors stacked against her, Weiss still held onto hope for a way out. There was still one tiny ray of reassurance remaining, the one person she truly knew was on her side. Mother was a drunkard, too inebriated to be capable of doing anything but order more liquor. Her brother, Whitley, had gotten the inheritance, thanks to this whole affair, and would be in no hurry to help her. But Weiss still had her sister. She still had Winter.

Unfortunately, all her efforts to get in touch with Winter had proved fruitless. According to the person she'd contacted on Ironwood's staff, Winter was overseeing a classified military operation, and was unable to be contacted. They didn't know when she would be available again. Weiss realized that there was every possibility that the week, or even the whole trial, could go past before Winter was able to get in touch with her.

"What do I do?" Weiss asked herself, grabbing her head with her fingers, tangling them in her hair. "I can't do this!"

Despite that, however much she wanted to deny it, Weiss was confronted with the truth that accepting this offer by the prosecution might be her only choice. So it was that, in this place, in the heart of one of the most secure places in the world, though she was far away from any Grimm, Weiss' mind and heart were slowly torn and devoured by the twin monsters, Fear and Doubt.

* * *

When Ruby, Yang, and Taiyang arrived at the common room, they saw that Ayumu had returned from teaching Sun the basics of manifestation, and was enjoying a cup of tea with Ren and Gin, while Jaune sipped from a mug of coffee. Gin and Ayumu noticed their approach before they'd even entered the room and were already looking up expectantly.

"Ah, good...um...afternoon, Ruby," said Ayumu, wrestling with the greeting for a moment as he juxtaposed his knowledge of the time with the fact it was the first he'd seen of Ruby this day.

"Yeah," said Ruby, blushing at the reminder of how late she'd slept.

"Ms. Yang..." said Ayumu, nodding at Yang.

"Hey," said Yang with a grin, raising her own hand in greeting.

"And..." Ayumu's eyes rose to Taiyang. "...I presume this is your father."

"That's right," said Taiyang, striding past his daughters. "I'm Taiyang Xiao Long. Nice to meet you both."

Ayumu and Gin rose from their seats to greet him. They faltered slightly when Taiyang held out his hand, before realizing they were meant to shake it. They each took his hand in turn, Ayumu wincing slightly at the power behind Taiyang's grip.

"It's nice to finally meet both of you," said Taiyang. "Qrow didn't say much about you two. But what he _did_ say was reassuring. I can't thank you enough for what you did for Ruby. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"Ah...well...getting to know Ruby was reward enough for the two of us," said Ayumu with a sheepish laugh, rubbing the back of his head, "especially in Gin's case."

"Huh?" Taiyang blinked and turned his gaze to the silver-haired boy, who stared back at him with a level, neutral expression.

"R-right..." said Ruby, realizing she'd forgotten to bring this up. What was more, it appeared that Yang hadn't mentioned it to their father either, when they'd arranged his coming over. "Gin's my boyfriend now."

"Your boyfriend?" Taiyang's eyes widened.

Both Gin and Ruby blushed, but she darted over and took his hand in hers. They meshed their fingers together and gently squeezed.

"Well now..." Taiyang was at something at a loss for words as he looked back and forth between Gin and Ruby.

In the meantime, Ayumu sidled up next to Yang. "You didn't tell him on purpose," he said softly.

"That's right," Yang whispered back, a sly grin on her face. "Now we're in for a show."

* * *

 **No one trolls better than Yang Xiao Long. Also, it seems silly that Ruby wouldn't know what Neapolitan ice cream is, but I felt it was funny, so I put that in.**


	53. Chapter 53

**Chapter 53:**

"Do you have any questions?" asked the lawyer, shifting nervously as he watched the young woman across the table from him.

Pyrrha Nikos said nothing, staring silently at the paper in front of her, perhaps reading it yet again. Actually, the lawyer couldn't be sure that she'd even read it once. Perhaps she was simply staring at it. Truth be told, her complete lack of anything resembling a reaction...to anything...had left him unnerved.

Naturally, after learning that he'd been appointed to defend Weiss Schnee and Pyrrha Nikos, he'd studied their backgrounds and done his best to understand them, so that he could better plan their defense. He'd checked their backgrounds and even reviewed footage of them; the concerts Weiss Schnee had sung, the tournament matches Pyrrha Nikos had participated in. His review of Pyrrha Nikos had left him with the impression that she was a polite girl. She'd always shown sportsmanship in the ring, and had a smile and a modest demeanor outside of it, kind, even to those she defeated. All of which made it hard for him to understand how she could have participated in this heinous act.

Then again, perhaps the girl in front of him, staring emotionlessly at the document listing the provisions of the plea bargain, was her true nature...or her present nature. Even though she appeared calmer than Weiss had, on the surface, the lawyer could sense the presence of a simmering anger, lurking just beneath. The sense of danger he felt from being in the room with this young woman was much greater than what he'd felt from Weiss.

Thus, even though she didn't seem upset at what the prosecution had offered, the lawyer got the impression that she would fight this out to the bitter end, and try her hardest to bring the ones she considered responsible for her situation down with her. The lawyer could only hope that _he_ wasn't included on that list.

He flinched when Pyrrha suddenly moved, her motions sharp, her eyes immediately rising to meet his. "I'll sign it," she said firmly.

"Y-you will," stammered the lawyer, shocked by her decision. He'd been sure that she would refuse, maybe even tear up the document straight away.

"I will," declared Pyrrha firmly.

"A-all right," said the lawyer, producing a pen. He watched, still flummoxed, as Pyrrha took it up and signed the document without a moment's hesitation. Setting the pen down, she slid it and the paper back to the lawyer.

So many questions rattled around the poor man's head. He wanted to ask why she'd given up, why she'd surrendered without a fight, even though she still looked as though she were prepared to battle things out until the bitter end. However, something about Pyrrha Nikos' demeanor unnerved him. So he silently took up the paper.

"There's one other thing," said Pyrrha.

"What's that?" asked the lawyer.

"I need to speak to the press," said Pyrrha. "I need to make a statement."

"I'm sure that can be arranged," said the lawyer. "Your arrest was never announced, but it wasn't covered up either. It's been officially entered into the record. You are free to talk to a representative of the media if you wish."

Pyrrha's lips twitched, the first faint hints of the beginnings of a smile forming.

"However, Professor Ozpin told me you might ask for something like that," explained the lawyer, his words causing Pyrrha to flinch. "He told me that, if you asked, to advise you that there is no point, particularly if you mean to talk about Mr. Arc's transcripts."

"What?" gasped Pyrrha, her eyes going wide. Anger surged up within her. "He told Ozpin!" She should have seen this coming the moment she'd threatened Jaune with this. He'd been resolved as he walked out. Of course he would go up and blurt everything out to Ozpin, regardless of the consequences. He wouldn't let what happened with Cardin ever happen again.

"He did," conceded the lawyer, whom Ozpin had briefed on the situation. "However, Mr. Arc's situation has been known since before his admission."

Pyrrha's jaw went slack. "No..." she whispered.

"I checked the records myself," said the lawyer. "There is still a pending case against Mr. Arc for falsifying his transcripts and falsely representing himself. However, it has been put on hold until he either leaves Beacon or graduates. In the event of the latter, the case will be dropped completely. It was first reported when Mr. Arc sent in his application. However, at the request of Professor Ozpin, it was held, and Mr. Arc was to be prosecuted only in the event of his failing the initiation."

Pyrrha reeled back as though she'd been struck. The lawyer saw it in her eyes, the realization that one of the weapons she'd been hoping to lash out with had been ripped out of her grip and made utterly impotent.

"Do you still wish for me to arrange for a statement?"

Pyrrha closed her eyes, and her entire demeanor calmed once again. "No," she said, raising her eyes to meet the lawyer's once again. "There's no point to it now. Thank you for your time." She smiled.

The lawyer felt his skin crawl. Pyrrha was smiling, but behind that smile he could practically feel an intense malice. That smile unnerved him even more than her dull expression earlier had. Despite signing the plea bargain, and giving up on her effort to bring the poor Arc boy down with her, he could tell that her wrath hadn't been abated in the slightest. Still, her actions showed that she'd given up, for now at least.

The lawyer scrabbled for the document and his other belongings, standing up and bidding Pyrrha a hurried farewell before leaving, eager to be out of the room. The door closed behind him, and Pyrrha was left to her own devices until she was escorted back to her cell.

Pyrrha settled back into her seat, reflexively reaching up to finger the collar around her neck. Had that collar not been present, she could have torn this prison apart with ease, now that she was outside of her cell's containment field. She was required to put it on anytime she left the cell. She was also required to plug it in at night to ensure that it was fully charged, or the guards wouldn't allow her to sleep. It all showed that they were serious about keeping her in place.

But they couldn't keep that up forever. Pyrrha knew enough about her situation to realize that there was nothing she could do right now. She'd hoped that she could at least strike out at Jaune, punish him for choosing Yang and Ruby over her. But that was a vain hope for now. It was all vain...for now. Pyrrha's eyes narrowed. _For now_...that was the key to this situation. For the time being, she was imprisoned, restrained, monitored incessantly, and suspected constantly. Milo and Akuou were gone, destroyed by Ruby. Her Aura and Semblance were suppressed. Her world had been shrunk down to a few small rooms and the hallways connecting them. However, Pyrrha knew full well that she still had one weapon in her arsenal. That weapon was time itself.

According to the provisions of the Vytal Treaty, after her conviction, she would be deported back to Mistral to serve her sentence. Pyrrha was fine with that. It would make it easier for Ruby and the others to forget about her. There was no need to hurry. Pyrrha could wait months, or even years, if it was required. She wouldn't forget...and she wouldn't forgive either. For the next few years, if that was what it took, she would be a model prisoner. Then, when she got out, she would take action.

The provisions behind parole for Huntsmen and Huntresses were especially strict. Amongst them, Pyrrha knew that she would be barred from any work related to the Huntress profession, or even from carrying a weapon ever again. There would certainly be other regulations regarding her life in that situation, but those were the two that mattered most. If she broke with them, she would become a bounty for Huntsmen and Huntresses herself.

But that was fine. Pyrrha knew that she could press forward and deal out justice. The weapon was a problem that could be solved easily enough. Pyrrha hadn't even needed to look to know that there was a way to get a new weapon for herself. After all, if a man like Torchwick could get his hands on Huntsman-grade weaponry, there was no reason she couldn't either. Besides, Mistral was a fine place for getting things that you weren't supposed to have.

 _Yes...I'll swallow my pride and pain for now,_ she thought, clenching her hand into a fist. _I'll wait. Then...when the time is right...Ruby, Yang, Jaune...I'll make all of them pay._

* * *

Pyrrha's meeting with her and Weiss' lawyer wasn't as private as any of them might have thought. There had been an additional party monitoring both conversations.

Arthur Watts stroked his mustache and leaned back in the seat of his workspace, tucked into the back of his personal airship. It was more cramped than where he usually worked, but he didn't mind. As long as he could do what he did best, he could do his best in any place. _It seems that coming here to clean up Cinder's blunder wasn't a complete waste of my time after all,_ he thought.

Of course, having to act as Ironwood's "expert" meant that he had to actually _remove_ the virus he had originally given Cinder, which annoyed him. However, in the process of removing it, he'd been carefully modifying the system of Beacon and Vale's CCT to meet his own needs. Even without the virus in place, he could establish backdoors and provide himself administrative rights in par with, if not even better than, the virus he'd created, all without leaving the same kind of trail a piece of openly malicious programming would.

Yes, Cinder's blunder had cost him dearly in terms of time and effort. But it had allowed him to neatly insert himself into the heart of Vale's information infrastructure. As such, even as Salem had technically told him to stay out of Cinder's plans, despite her blunder, Watts couldn't resist doing his own investigation into the botched operation that Cinder had been planning.

Ruby Rose and the two boys that had come with her to Beacon were interesting to be sure. But dealing with violence was better left to Cinder or Tyrian...or Viola, when she was in the proper frame of mind. Watts' interest was largely academic in that area. On the other hand, the two girls that had supposedly attempted to murder Ruby Rose were far more interesting to his eyes. As such, he'd spent a good bit of time learning more about them.

Weiss Schnee had proven a disappointment. She was little more than a beaten dog, still trying to bark proudly. She wasn't even useful as a potential inroad to the SDC anymore, now that her father had cut her loose.

But Pyrrha Nikos...now here was someone who might still be useful. Watts stroked his chin and grinned as he looked at the image of her, still sitting at the table in the interrogation room. Given her actions, most would assume that Pyrrha had given up and was simply being bitter about it. But Watts could see it in her eyes. She wasn't beaten yet. Her eyes reminded him of a serpent's, venomous, deadly, patiently biding her time until it was right to strike. Where others might have seen despair, he saw resolve.

 _And such resolve should be rewarded, I think,_ thought Watts to himself. _Cinder is proving herself to be quite unreliable. It might be better to entrust her role to someone who is patently more competent. Ms. Nikos might be lacking a bit in the department of experience, but her skill and power are more than apparent...as is her hunger for greater power. Given the proper impetus, I imagine she could become far more useful than Cinder ever was...And...If I mold her properly, I won't have to deal with Cinder's backbiting any longer._

And so, Watts decided to focus on his new area of interest. _I had thought to return as soon as possible. But I think it might be worth my while to stay around through the Vytal Festival. After all, it's sure to be one that the whole world will remember._

* * *

The silence was distinctly awkward as the group made their way down Vale's sidewalks. Despite being evidently surprised, and looking somewhat troubled by the revelation that Ruby had a boyfriend now, Taiyang had rallied impressively, still inviting the boys to go out to lunch with him and his daughters, extending an invitation to Jaune as well.

Now the five of them were heading towards a diner that Taiyang frequented, and often took his daughters to, whenever they were in Vale. Given that it was Sunday, during the lunch hour, the place was crowded and filled with chattering patrons. Even so, the servers were working with commendable efficiency and, in less than five minutes, the group had been shown to their table.

After that, there was more awkward silence as they looked through the menus and made their orders. Having been there multiple times, Ruby, Yang, and their father all had favorites that they settled on quite quickly. The three boys that accompanied them took their time though, looking through the menus to find what they preferred. Only after the waitress had come and taken their orders, did they start speaking.

"So..." said Taiyang, staring across the table at his youngest daughter, where she sat next to Gin, "...I imagine it slipped your mind to inform me that you were seeing a boy."

"Yeah...a little bit," admitted Ruby a little sheepishly. "But I thought Yang would have told you." Her eyes narrowed as she directed a slight glare at her sister. Yang responded with a cheeky grin that indicated she had no reservations about withholding this information from their father.

"Oh no," said Taiyang sternly. "You aren't pinning this one on your sister. It was hard enough learning that you were still alive from _Qrow_ , not you. But this..." He waved vaguely in Gin's direction, prompting the boy to raise an eyebrow.

"Well...things were...busy..." said Ruby. "I was training. Some of our experiences in the settlements got pretty weird." She thought back to the tense, somewhat nerve-wracking environment that had been Withywindle, not to mention their encounter with the White Fang there. "After I got back, Professor Ozpin and the teachers hit us with a whole bunch of makeup work and classes, all at once. Classes are starting again tomorrow, and I'm _still_ not completely caught up."

Taiyang's frown deepened. "Even with that excuse, I still feel that I should have heard this from you by now." His eyes narrowed. "I can't help but notice that, even though your team is back up to full strength, there are still only _three_ beds in your dorm room. Don't think you can fool me by saying your boyfriend sleeps on the floor."

Ruby squeaked, her cheeks turning bright-red. Gin's cheeks colored as well, and he averted his eyes, fidgeting nervously. Yang was grinning like a maniac, taking evident amusement in their discomfort, while Jaune regarded his girlfriend with a wan smile, somewhat disconcerted that she was enjoying this so much. Ayumu was as serene and unruffled as ever.

Taiyang regarded his daughter a little longer, then slumped with a sigh. "Well...I suppose you would have gotten around to telling me sooner or later." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Of course I would!" declared Ruby nervously. "I'd want to bring him to Patch to meet you during the inter-semester holiday after all, Ayumu too."

"So you _weren't_ planning on keeping him a secret forever, then," observed Taiyang.

"Of course not!" said Ruby indignantly. "I'm not ashamed of being with Gin. He's made me happier than I ever thought a boy could make me. I don't regret our relationship for a second."

Though Gin's blush intensified, he smiled. Reaching over, he took Ruby's hand below the level of the table. She returned his grip with a gentle squeeze.

"And you..." said Taiyang, his eyes going to Gin. "What do you have to say about this?"

Gin raised both his eyebrows in genuine confusion. "Exactly what else is there to say?" he wondered.

"Suppose I decided I didn't like you?" posed Taiyang, his voice dropping slightly, becoming a resonant rumble in his chest.

One of Gin's eyebrows dropped. "Then you don't like me," he said simply. "That doesn't matter to me in the slightest. Nothing you say or do could make me change my mind. The only one who can put an end to our relationship is Ruby herself."

Ruby looked at Gin in surprise. "Gin..."

"What?" asked Gin, turning to look at her. "I know you told me to be more selfish, and I'm trying. But I am, in a way."

"Huh?" Ruby blinked in surprise.

"I can't help it," said Gin. "The thing that makes me happiest is knowing that you're happy. If I ever started causing you pain, and you decided you didn't want me anymore, I couldn't help but go along with it, because the thought of hurting you makes me feel worse than losing you."

"Gin..." whispered Ruby, her eyes tearing up slightly. She leaned in and pressed her forehead against his. Gin smiled and leaned back towards her, tilting his head forward to kiss her lightly, before going back to resting their foreheads against each other.

"So corny," Yang whispered to Jaune.

"It's cute," Jaune retorted, elbowing Yang slightly.

In the meantime, Taiyang's expression had become more neutral. "Hmm..." he mused softly, watching his daughter and her boyfriend across the table. "Well, I suppose I don't have any real objections. You are living in the same room as your older sister and her partner after all. They wouldn't allow you two to go too far."

"Not that we need to chaperone them," said Yang with a giggle.

"Yang!" protested Ruby, her blush renewing itself.

"What?" asked Yang. "You told us last night that the two of you don't feel like doing that."

"No! Of course not," said Ruby as both her and Gin's cheeks reddened even further. "We're fine with the way things are."

"Really?" Taiyang tilted his head.

"It's not so much that you need to worry about them getting excited," interjected Ayumu, speaking for the first time. "They share a bed because contact between them makes them feel comfortable."

"I see," said Taiyang, a slight smile forming. "Well...I suppose I don't have any objections. It isn't exactly conventional. But yours wouldn't be the first relationship that blossomed inside a team's dorm room." He glanced sidelong at his eldest daughter. "Although, we waited until our third year before letting our passions get the better of us."

"Dad!" protested Yang, blushing herself, even as everyone else at the table, including Jaune, chuckled.

"And what about you?" asked Taiyang, turning his gaze on Ayumu.

"Um...what about me?" asked Ayumu. "I'm more an accompaniment to Gin than anything else, in this case. I assure you that your daughter isn't 'playing the field,' if that is what you're worried about."

Both Gin and Ruby gaped at Ayumu for a second. They weren't the only ones as both Jaune and Yang were staring incredulously at the black-haired boy.

"Um...I didn't mean to imply that," said Taiyang.

"Well, I'm not sure what there really is to ask about," said Ayumu with a shrug. "Truth be told, I tend to serve as translator for these two, a lot of the time, seeing as I'm better with words than both of them put together."

Ruby and Gin bristled for a fraction of a second, before calming and exchanging resigned glances with one another. "He's not wrong," admitted Ruby.

"True," agreed Gin.

"Yet, you also joined Beacon," said Taiyang.

"For a different reason than Gin," said Ayumu simply. "Although, I too have Ruby to thank for my new direction in life. She was the one who suggested it."

"How so?" asked Taiyang.

"It's a bit of a long story," admitted Ayumu. "Simply put, I had spent much of my life, up until now, focused on getting stronger. She has given me a way to apply that strength."

Ruby glanced over at Gin and he tilted his head towards her in a half-nod. She turned her eyes to Ayumu and he also tilted his head towards her. They weren't telling her to fully explain their plans, but they were leaving the decision in her hands.

"What's going on?" asked Taiyang, interested in, but not troubled by, the silent interplay between the three of them. It spoke of a strong bond formed through mutual experience with one another. They had developed a considerable rapport in the months they'd spent on the road.

"It's...complicated," said Ruby, her eyes subtly glancing around the diner. "I don't want to talk about it here."

 _So it's serious,_ thought Taiyang. Glancing sidelong, he saw that Jaune and Yang were watching the trio across the table with interest, which made him realize that they knew what Ayumu, Ruby, and Gin were talking about, but were leaving the matter to them. However, it wasn't the same kind of serious as finding out that his daughter had a boyfriend and was already sharing a bed with him. This was something else.

Ruby and these boys were up to something, and they'd roped Team RUBY and Team JNAR into it.

The waitress arrived with their food, making further conversation a little more difficult as they tucked in eagerly. Sleeping in like they had, Ruby and Yang had both missed breakfast. Jaune and the boys had eaten already, but it had been some hours since their last meal.

Deciding that interrogation time was over, Taiyang decided to shift the conversation to something more pleasant while they ate. Ruby was glad, seeing as her father was apparently satisfied for the time being. Instead, he asked general questions, like how Ruby was doing in her makeup courses.

"It's hard work," answered Ruby with a sigh. "I'm still not caught up all the way, so I'm looking at six-day school-weeks for another month, at least. I'll have to do extra reading and work every night too."

"You're all right with this?" asked Taiyang.

"Well, like everyone's been rubbing in since it started, I made my own bed," said Ruby. "I'm just going to have to lay in it."

"But your boyfriend is laying in it too," teased Yang.

"Yang!" protested Ruby as her and Gin's cheeks flamed up.

"Admittedly, it's quite challenging," said Ayumu. "I had very little actual schooling, and Gin has had practically none. We've been self-taught on various things that our Master hasn't instructed us about, but we were woefully unprepared for the...academic...component of attending Beacon."

"Are you managing?" asked Taiyang.

"We are," said Ayumu with a rueful smile, rubbing his hand through his hair. "It helps that Professor Goodwitch has said that we can use her combat classes as a free-study period until we're caught up."

"Wait! Really?" Yang leaned forward, staring across the table at her sister and the boys. This was news to both her and Jaune.

"Sorry, Sis," said Ruby sheepishly, "with everything else going on, I forgot to tell you."

Yang sighed. "Well, it's probably for the best," she said. "After Professor Ozpin makes his announcement tomorrow, I get the feeling you're going to be challenged a lot."

"Probably," agreed Ruby. "But that can wait until I'm all caught up."

"Well, you did thrash Pyrrha and Weiss...at the same time," said Jaune. "Not to mention you beat that second-year during your combat assessment. So you're probably one of the top combatants in the whole school now."

"You seem to be taking it well, considering your partner was one of the instigators in all this," said Taiyang, looking at Jaune.

"Dad!" protested Yang, growling defensively. "Jaune's not responsible."

"Yang, it's okay," said Jaune, before addressing Taiyang. "Yeah...I've kinda given up trying to wrap my head around what Pyrrha did. It's just so unbelievably petty and selfish."

"How so?" asked Taiyang.

"Well..." Jaune looked across the table at Ruby, who blushed and nodded. "I'm guessing you knew about Ruby's crush on me, right?"

"Yes," said Taiyang, a sly smile that was a match for his eldest daughter's appearing on his face. "Yang told me about that."

"Yang!" squealed Ruby.

"Not sorry, Sis," retorted Yang with a laugh.

"Well, Pyrrha had feelings for me too," said Jaune. "I was too dense to catch a hint from either of them. But, for some reason, Pyrrha decided that the best way to come out on top was to kill Ruby. Weiss just provided her with a co-conspirator and a convenient excuse to hide behind that would fool most other people."

"That's why she did it?" snarled Taiyang, bunching his hands up into fists.

"Pretty much," said Jaune with a sigh. "So I've given up really thinking about her all that much. She just isn't worth it. I've got a new partner anyway." He directed a smile across the table at Ayumu.

Ayumu laughed. "Ah, I'll do my best. I'm sorry that we have to postpone working out our dynamic as a team."

"It's okay," said Jaune. "We'll get things worked out by the festival. Team January should get pretty far if we do it right."

"Certainly," agreed Ayumu.

"And what about the girls who tried to kill my daughter?" asked Taiyang.

"They're being held in Beacon's detention center," said Ruby. "Professor Goodwitch says that they'll probably be given a plea bargain."

"I see," said Taiyang. "Considering what I've heard about the evidence, that's the most likely course."

"We're lucky the press hasn't caught wind of it yet," said Yang. "Otherwise, we couldn't have even gone out today."

"They will, sooner or later," said Jaune.

"Uh huh," agreed Ruby. "Professor Goodwitch said I ought to give at least one interview to get my story out there, which should give them enough to work with."

Taiyang frowned. "I'm not sure I like the idea of this. But I suppose it makes sense, especially considering who the perpetrators are."

Ruby sighed. "Yeah. But, as long as I can stay in Beacon, I'll be fine." She smiled blissfully and leaned her head against Gin's shoulder, a gesture he reciprocated.

The others all nodded in agreement and they returned their attention to the meal. However, Taiyang's eyes kept drifting back to Gin, watching the face of Ruby's boyfriend very carefully.

* * *

A light knocking on the door roused Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury from their reverie. They'd been taking care of various activities to pass the time. Looking at the door, Cinder frowned.

"Is it Neo?" wondered Mercury.

"She should still be out," said Emerald with a frown.

Cinder decided to find out for herself, getting up and striding to the door. Throwing it open, she stifled a gasp, though she was only partially successful. "Watts."

Emerald and Mercury looked up sharply, surprised to see the man standing in the doorway.

"Hello, Cinder," said Watts in a faux-pleasant tone that did almost nothing to conceal his contempt for the woman before him. "I can see that you still know how to waste time."

"What are you doing here?" growled Cinder. "You shouldn't even be in Vale."

"I'm here to clean up _your_ mess," said Watts calmly. "If you hadn't blundered so badly, slipping into the CCT, Ironwood and Ozpin wouldn't have realized that you planted my virus. It was one of my finest creations and, now, you've forced me to remove it."

"What?" gasped Cinder, her eyes going to the scroll resting on her bed.

"Ah yes, continued proof of your negligence," scoffed Watts, forcing his way into the room. There was nothing unusual about his posture, relaxed, with both arms folded behind his back, yet there was an utter confidence in his bearing that forced Cinder back from him like a solid barrier as he advanced into the room. "It's quite fitting that you are here, playing student. Your education is clearly lacking."

"I'll show you lacking," snarled Cinder, her eyes flickering from within.

"Yes yes, that lovely Fall Maiden power," said Watts with a dismissive wave. "You should use it with more discretion, if you don't want people to pick up on your presence. However much we may despise one another and, however much I wish it was otherwise, I am here to help you, when all is said and done."

"How?" asked Cinder.

"As I said, I was forced to remove my virus," said Watts. "You're fortunate I monitor Atlesian communications. I've also inserted myself into various lists of people that the great and powerful of Remnant use as a consultant on various matters. That foresight is the reason I'm here now. Ironwood called upon me to remove the virus, and so I did. In exchange, I have taken the opportunity to establish myself as the primary administrator of Vale's local network."

"What does that mean?" asked Cinder.

Watts sighed, clearly annoyed at having to explain himself to a woman he considered a neophyte. "It means that I am able to do everything that my virus did, and more, all without leaving a trace of evidence. I shall be staying on through the Vytal Festival to ensure that the remainder of our plan goes smoothly."

"It's _my_ plan," snarled Cinder possessively. "She gave it to _me_ to carry out."

"And so she did," said Watts with a chuckle. "Though I cannot fathom the reason Salem places so much faith in you, she does. However, it is clear that you cannot be trusted to see things though on your own, considering how badly you blundered in Mountain Glenn."

"That wasn't my fault," growled Cinder. "Torchwick and Taurus are the ones responsible for that."

"It is folly to try and pin one's failings upon others," said Watts condescendingly. "You are worthless, if you cannot even manage your own subordinates properly." He frowned. "You're fortunate that the children who interfered were students of the Calamity. That appears to be the reason Salem has not demanded any punishment for your failure. But, because of them, and because of you, Torchwick is not where he needs to be. Taurus is most likely very upset with us, and the White Fang will be less cooperative as a result. We shall have to be extra creative, if we are to make this work."

Cinder glared at Watts for a long moment before relenting. "Fine," she growled.

Watts humphed. "You need to work on your attitude, Cinder. You aren't fully the Fall Maiden yet. Despite Salem's faith in you, I have my doubts about the inevitability of your completion. There is also an additional task that has been placed in our care."

"What is it?" asked Cinder.

"The girl with silver eyes," said Watts, "Salem wants the girl brought to her...alive."

"Ruby Rose...? Why?" Cinder frowned contemplatively.

"Are you aware that Ciar is dead?" asked Watts.

"What?" gasped Cinder, her eyes going wide. Behind her, both Emerald and Mercury paled.

"Yes," confirmed Watts. "Ciar was killed, and Viola badly injured, from the last attempt made to capture that girl. It appears that she and those two boys who were with her are far more dangerous than we ever expected. I suppose that's thanks to the Calamity's teachings. I imagine that is why Salem has given you such a generous reprieve."

Cinder frowned, looking down at the floor of the room. Ciar wouldn't be missed. But, in a sense, he was what she aspired to be, a figure that inspired fear and respect. The notion that someone as dangerous as him could be killed by mere children was daunting indeed. But, in that case... "Why take the girl alive?" Cinder wanted to know. "If she's such a threat, we should kill her as soon as possible."

"I wonder that as well," admitted Watts, clearly irritated at the notion of agreeing with Cinder. "However, ours is not to question Salem's intentions. In the end, our purpose is to follow the orders we are given."

"Fine," huffed Cinder. "If that's all you have to say, then feel free to leave."

"I shall," said Watts, stepping back out the door. "Remember to do your part, Cinder, and I will do mine." He closed the door behind him.

Cinder stared at the door for a minute before going back to her bed and slumping down on it.

* * *

"You love her, don't you?"

Gin didn't even flinch at the question, leaning against the railing and staring out over the sea.

After lunch, their little party had taken to wandering the streets of Vale, Ruby and Yang ecstatic to spend time with their father. With the afternoon waning, they had decided to go to the arcade for a while, before going out to dinner, then returning to Beacon for the night. Their path had taken them along a street that ran along the sea, over near the docks. In fact, it was close to the place where the incident that had led to the revelation of Blake's faunus heritage, and her former allegiance to the White Fang, had started.

Taiyang had discreetly fallen to the back of the group, then placed a firm hand on Gin's shoulder, steering him away from the rest of them as they reached the entrance of the arcade, leading the younger boy to the side of the street that overlooked the sea. There, they were able to speak with some privacy.

Closing his eyes, Gin inhaled slowly, savoring the salty breeze blowing off the ocean. They were far enough from the docks that there was no fishy smell tainting the air. Breathing out again, he opened his eyes. "Yeah...I guess."

"You don't know?" asked Taiyang.

"Having never been in love before, I'd say not," said Gin.

"What makes you 'guess' then?" asked Taiyang, frowning.

"It's hard to say," said Gin, frowning. "Ruby keeps telling me I need to be more selfish. I understand. I don't want to obsess over her or anything, but...I can't help the way I feel. Right now, the thing that makes me the most happy is making _her_ happy."

"Why?" asked Taiyang.

"I'm not sure," admitted Gin. "She has a mysterious power."

"Mysterious power...?" Taiyang tilted his head, confused.

"I don't get it myself," said Gin. "It has nothing to do with her skill or talent or ability. I'm not sure that it could even actually be classified as a power. But...the moment I met her, she knocked me completely off-balance."

"You mean when you saved her life?" asked Taiyang.

"Not that," said Gin. "Exchanging a few quick words with someone who's barely conscious, and on the edge of death, doesn't exactly count as 'meeting' someone in my book. It was after she regained consciousness, when we spoke for the first time." Gin sighed, his cheeks coloring. "All it was was was her thanking me for giving her some water. But...when I saw her smile for the first time, even though I was sitting on solid ground, I felt off-balance. My whole world suddenly felt as though it was tilting her way.

"Before then, the only real aspiration I had was becoming stronger than Master Yu. Even though I didn't want to be the same person I was before I met him, I didn't exactly have atonement on my mind."

"Atonement for what?" asked Taiyang.

"Right...I guess you wouldn't have been told yet," said Gin. He gave Taiyang the basic rundown of his life as a bandit. "I did things that I can't really be forgiven for. I lived selfishly for my entire life, up until a few months ago, when I met your daughter. For the first time, I experienced what it really meant to want to do something for someone else, entirely for their sake. Before that, Ayumu and I did good deeds when we needed to for the settlements and people we came across, but it was largely self-satisfaction. Even when we first found Ruby and helped her, it was because we saw no reason not to. But, after Ruby, things changed for both of us."

"Does Ayumu...?" wondered Taiyang.

"Nah, not like that," said Gin with a chuckle. "He sees her more as a sister than anything. He's the one who kinda helped us get together."

Taiyang smiled and looked out over the sea. "And what about Ruby? Does she feel the same?"

"Well...she likes me," said Gin. "But she doesn't love me...not yet." Her groaned and ran his hands through his hair. "I really hate putting it like that."

"What do you mean?"

Gin frowned. "Tacking that 'not yet' onto the end makes it sound like I feel that it's inevitable. It feels presumptuous, kinda...like I'm taking her feelings for granted. But not saying that makes it sound like I'm not serious about my love, or hers."

Taiyang smiled and chuckled. "I understand," he said. "You're being patient, considerate. For someone who's never done this before, you're doing very well, I must say."

"So you're okay with this?" asked Gin.

"Well, now I am," said Taiyang. "The way you described your feelings, it reminds me about how I felt about Ruby's mother. Also, even though you feel so strongly about her, you're willing to be patient. No... _because_ you feel so strongly about her, you're willing to be patient."

"What can I say?" said Gin with a small laugh. "Your daughter is someone worth waiting for."

"That she is," agreed Taiyang. "But...I have a piece of advice for you."

"What is it?" asked Gin.

"Find something else to get passionate about," said Taiyang, "not just Ruby. I'm not saying that you need to find something to focus your energy on _instead_ of her, but _in addition_ to her. Your feelings are strong. But that complete focus on one thing, one person, that can be a double-edged sword."

"What do you mean?" asked Gin.

"Did Ruby tell you what happened after her mother died?" asked Taiyang.

"She brought it up occasionally," said Gin. "But she didn't say much about it."

Taiyang sighed and frowned, lowering his head to stare straight down at the water crashing against the stone wall below them. "Like I told you, the feelings you have for Ruby do a good job of describing how I felt about Summer, Ruby's mother. She was my entire world, the north that I used to orient the compass of my life. I did everything in my power to be the best husband for her that I could."

"And how is that a bad thing?" asked Gin.

"Because I was so focused on being a good husband, I forgot what it meant to be a good father," said Taiyang, a completely haunted look washing over his face. "Don't get me wrong. I love Yang and Ruby. But I think, on some level, that my love for them was tied to her love for them. When she died...my whole world shattered.

"I fell into a total depression, lost myself in drink, and became completely worthless. I practically forgot that I had two daughters, who had lost the same person I did. I was so blindly, selfishly, single-mindedly focused on my wife, my love, that I forgot about the other people who loved and depended on her...and me. Because of that, Yang and Ruby nearly died."

Gin was unable to find the words to say, merely staring wide-eyed at Taiyang.

Taiyang pressed on. "I'm so unbelievably lucky that Yang is so strong. In my negligence, she stepped up to look after Ruby. In my absence, she raised Ruby practically as her own. But she was only a child too. Because of that, she understood that there was no way she could completely see to Ruby's needs. Because of that, she thought that she needed to bring a mother back into our home, _her_ mother."

"Yang's mother...?" Gin's eyes widened slightly.

"Summer was my second love," said Taiyang. "Raven was my first. She gave me Yang...and then she just left. That depressed me too, but at least Summer was there to pick up the pieces...and give me Ruby. But, when Summer was gone, I ran out of people to pick up the pieces for me.

"Yang, not knowing any better, thought that the way to heal our home was to bring her mother back. But she had only the barest idea of where to look. Taking Ruby with her, she left the house to go looking for leads in an abandoned cabin practically on the other side of the island. I was so completely worthless that I didn't even realize they were gone until hours later. Desperate, I called Qrow, Raven's brother, who didn't abandon us, even after she did. He brought them back, but not before Yang and Ruby had practically walked into a Beowolf pack."

Gin's body tensed.

Taiyang smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry," he said. "Qrow saved them before they could be hurt. But he gave me a piece of his mind afterwards, and helped me realize what an idiot I'd been.

"I guess the point I'm trying to make is that, even if you love her, you shouldn't focus everything on Ruby. Even if she doesn't return your love yet, she still cares about your happiness, and the prospect of her wellbeing being the _sole_ source of that happiness would become a burden on her."

Taiyang turned his head to meet Gin's eyes with a sober gaze. "So...you need to find something more in this life than just her, not just for your sake, but hers as well. Do you understand?"

"I...I think I do," said Gin, frowning pensively and turning to look out over the sea again. "I don't know what though."

Taiyang laughed and gently slapped the boy's back. "There's no need to rush. Take your time. In the meantime, I'm glad that my daughter could find someone like you. It seems that she and Yang are both quite lucky in love."

Gin blushed. "I'm glad to hear that," he said. "You're sure you're okay about your daughter dating a dragon-faunus?"

"A dragon-faunus!?" exclaimed Taiyang, surprised. "Really?"

Gin held up his arm, allowing his scales to emerge. Taiyang stared at them in complete amazement.

"I'd never thought I'd _ever_ see a dragon-faunus," Taiyang said softly. "And now I find that one is dating my daughter."

"That isn't a problem, is it?" asked Gin.

Taiyang blinked, then relaxed and smiled. "Well, it certainly is a surprise, but not a problem. I've never had an issue with faunus in general, and I certainly don't object to my daughter dating one. I've heard that being a dragon-faunus comes with its own associated burdens and problems. But, from what I've seen, you are still someone who makes Ruby truly happy. In the end, that's all that matters."

"Thanks," said Gin, letting his scales recede.

"Anymore surprises you boys have for me?" asked Taiyang, raising an eyebrow.

"Not really," said Gin. "Ayumu's an avian-faunus, but that's about it, and it's not such a big deal to us." He paused. "There's one other thing, but Ruby wants us to wait until we're somewhere more private before we show you that."

Taiyang nodded, looking a little uncertain. "You've definitely peaked my curiosity," he said. "But I'll wait until you three are ready."

"Thanks," said Gin.

"Now then, we should go back in, before Ruby starts thinking that I've murdered you and got busy burying the body."

* * *

Weiss sighed as she settled back onto her cot in the small cell she'd been assigned in the detention center. The paper, describing the plea bargain she had yet to accept, was still clutched in her hand. Weiss didn't need to read it again, having read it several times in the period before the guards had come to escort her back to her cell.

At least here, she could take off the collar that suppressed her Aura. Of course, that meant nothing. With the containment fields activated, she couldn't use her Aura inside the cell either. As prison cells went, it wasn't too bad. It was a cramped rectangle of a room, but with enough space for her to stand and walk a few paces. The door was on one end, a semi-private bathroom, set behind a partition on the other. The wall on the left side from the door was where her cot rested. On the other was a single shelf that housed a few books.

Despite her status as a prisoner, Weiss had limited access to Beacon's library, and could check out some books so she wasn't left with absolutely nothing to do with the time she now had a horrific excess of. Setting the document on one end the shelf, she perused the books she'd checked out on the other, hoping for something to take her mind off the choice she'd been confronted with for a little while longer.

"Well well welllllll..." teased an all-too-familiar voice from the cell next to hers, making Weiss' entire body go rigid with shock before she turned to stare at the wall, and the tiny window she'd hardly taken notice of that linked the two cells. The window had bars across it, and would have required that she stand on her cot to look through it, but it appeared that the sole reason for its existence was to give her a conversation partner in the odd event that there were more than a few prisoners in the rarely-used detention center.

Except that her neighbor was not the person she'd been expecting. Pyrrha had been given a completely different cell, making it impossible for the two of them to communicate. Instead, the cell next to Weiss' had somehow, impossibly, been assigned to someone who _shouldn't_ have been there to begin with. "Torchwick!"

"Hey there, Ice Queen," said Roman Torchwick cheerfully from his cot on the other side, where he reclined, arms folded behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling, an impish grin on his face. "Looks like we're gonna be cell-buddies for a while."

* * *

 **Well this is interesting. Lots of fun hints for what's going to happen in the future. I wonder why Weiss suddenly has Roman as a next-door neighbor. I take back what I said about Yang, last time...Ozpin is the best troll.**

 **Some people might be confused as to why Taiyang has such an easy time accepting Gin, compared to Yang, but part of that is that he had more time to come to terms with Ruby being alive, so he's able to adjust better. Plus it helps that, in my opinion, Yang's temper comes from her mother's side more than her father's. I just feel Taiyang would handle it pretty well.**


	54. Chapter 54

**Chapter 54:**

"What are you even doing here?" demanded Weiss, her shock overriding even her indignant feeling towards that hated nickname. "Why aren't you in prison?"

"Last I checked, I was," said Roman in a casual tone. "This sure looks like a prison to me."

"That's not what I meant!" snapped Weiss. "Why aren't you in Vale's penitentiary?"

"Beats me," said Roman with a laugh. "I was, until this morning. There I was, taking a mid-morning nap in my cell, when I was rudely awakened and told I was being shipped over to Beacon...for some reason." He turned his head, grinning at the wall, through which he could, only all-too-easily, imagine Weiss' outraged expression. "Imagine my surprise when I found out I wasn't the only person down here, and that my neighbor was none other than _you_. I guess we're not so different after all."

"I'm nothing like you," snarled Weiss. "You're just a piece of criminal scum."

"They don't throw you in a place like this for being a saint, sweetheart," teased Roman. "Sure, I'm criminal scum all right. I'll own up to that. But the fact that you're down here means you've been a baaaaaad little girl. What'd you do?"

"I don't have to tell you anything," growled Weiss.

"No, but I bet I can find out," said Roman, closing his eyes. "I wonder...does it have anything to do with little Red, who was supposed to be dead, but actually isn't?"

Weiss' faint gasp told him all he needed to know. "Well well well well well welllllll...Ice Queen, you surprise me. Now I've got all kinds of juicy theories. Maybe I should run them all past you and see which one sticks."

"No!" snapped Weiss.

"Well, if you don't want me to do that, I guess you'd better tell me yourself to set the record straight," said Roman.

"I'm not telling you anything," declared Weiss.

"Well, if you won't talk, I will," teased Roman. "Les'see..."

"Shut up!" Weiss shouted.

"Nah," said Roman. "It's not like there's much else to do around here. Besides, I haven't had a smoke in a while, so I'm still going through withdrawal. I need something to keep my mind off it."

"Fine..." snarled Weiss, at her wit's end. "I'll tell you, if only to keep you quiet."

"That's the spirit!" cheered Roman. "Don't worry, Ice Queen. Swapping answers to the question, 'So, what are ya in for?' is a time-honored prison tradition."

Weiss growled, gritting her teeth so hard that her jaw ached. After a moment's hesitation, she began to speak, knowing that trying to put it off would lead to Roman annoying her again.

* * *

"This is cruel," said Glynda, as she and Ozpin monitored the audio feed from the paired cells of Weiss Schnee and Roman Torchwick. "Did you put Torchwick in the cell next to hers just to torment her like this?"

"Hardly," said Ozpin. "Do you think I'm so sadistic that I'd put Roman Torchwick in the cell adjacent to Ms. Schnee's to torture her, while setting up an audio-feed of dubious legality directly to my office, solely for the purpose of listening to her suffering?"

Seeing Glynda's raised eyebrow, Ozpin sighed and shook his head. "I just feel that this might be a more effective form of interrogation than what James has been suggesting."

"Interrogation?" said Glynda, her eyes widening in confusion.

Ozpin nodded. "Yes. I have no doubt that Roman is a skilled liar and dissembler. More than that, he is well aware that he is but a pawn in our enemy's plans, and that talking would invite punishment sooner or later. In a traditional interrogation, he would instead taunt and mislead to keep from revealing any pertinent information.

"On the other hand, placing him in a position to speak to Ms. Schnee...I figured that having a conversation partner like her would serve as a useful catalyst."

"Catalyst?" inquired Glynda.

Ozpin smiled, an expression that might have almost been called smug. "Roman Torchwick and Weiss Schnee come from very different walks of life. She was born into a position of wealth and privilege. Roman Torchwick, on the other hand, was born into poverty, and turned to crime very early on. And yet, despite the two of them coming from such different worlds, here they are, sharing the same space, for the same basic reason, the fact that they are now both criminals. It is an irony that I am sure that Mr. Torchwick is fully aware of, and even relishes. Given his nature, I expect him to be _very_ talkative with Ms. Schnee in the time that they are together...and, as a consequence, he might be inclined to be a bit more...careless...about what he says."

"I see," said Glynda, her eyes narrowing. "But this is still a very dubious action you are performing, particularly spying on them like this."

"Of course it is," said Ozpin with a sigh. "As is much of our endeavor concerning Autumn. This audio link is connected directly to a secure server, which has no connection to the larger CCT network. Even if Dr. Watts wasn't successful at removing the virus, there's no way for anyone but me to access these recordings, unless they infiltrated my office directly."

"Which is not completely outside the realm of possibility," Glynda pointed out.

"Very true," said Ozpin. "However, that is a risk we shall have to take. Above all else, we need to know more about what our enemy has planned. Ms. Rose's success in dismantling the Torchwick and the White Fang's plan to cause a breach in Vale's defenses has derailed the enemies plans, which will undoubtedly make it much more difficult for them to meet their goals. At the same time, however, it also makes their actions more difficult to predict as we have few leads on what contingencies our enemies will enact, or if they are coming up with new actions on the spot. That is dangerous, both for them and us."

"But you think that Torchwick knows?" asked Glynda, tilting her head.

"Not per-se," said Ozpin. "However, I believe he has at least some idea of his role in their larger plan, even if he does not know the full scope of the plan itself. However, if we can get some idea of his intended role, we might be able to anticipate how our enemies would shift to compensate for this disruption."

"This is still quite dangerous in its own right," said Glynda with a dark frown. "Getting Torchwick transferred to your custody is asking a lot of you, even if the Council was willing to acknowledge it for now."

"They were quite accepting of my reasoning," said Ozpin. "As a matter of fact, I _do_ believe that it is safer to have Roman in our custody, rather than in Vale's penitentiary, where he would be in proximity to numerous potential compatriots. I feel it is best if he was...kept in a bit more solitary confinement."

Glynda nodded. "Well, that I can accept at least."

"I understand that this is a gamble," said Ozpin. "However, it is also a potential way to learn more about what we are up against. I hope that it will pan out. However, if it doesn't, I suppose we will have to make due. We have custody of Ms. Schnee for another week at most, before she must either accept the plea bargain offered or go to trial. In that time, we will have to take what chances we can."

* * *

Weiss wrapped up her tale and fell silent. From the cell next to hers, Roman let out an impressed whistle.

"Wow," he said, "I've gotta say...I didn't think you had it in ya, Ice Queen. Taking out Red like that...you've got taste and style."

Weiss swallowed back the urge to vomit. The realization that a man as detestable as Roman Torchwick liked what she'd done, and how she'd done it, was distinctly bitter. "Shut up," she said half-heartedly.

"Hey, I'm just sayin'," said Roman. "To go that far and hit Red where it really hurts...you must'a hated her something fierce."

"Of course I did," snapped Weiss. "Ruby ruined everything!"

"Did she now?" asked Roman, raising an eyebrow, despite knowing that Weiss couldn't see it.

"She did!" snapped Weiss. "This wasn't how things were supposed to happen."

"Well, I doubt anyone goes to a Huntsman Academy thinking that they'll wind up imprisoned in it," taunted Roman.

"That's not what I mean!" shouted Weiss. "I was supposed to lead my team. After all the time and work I'd put in, all the studying and practicing...I'd more than earned it. Then Ozpin went and handed the position over to a little brat who had no right to be there in the first place."

"Yeah...I imagine that stings," said Roman. "Still, for you to have that much of a grudge over it...It really drives home how different things are for us."

"Of course things are different," growled Weiss. "I'm nothing like you."

"Nope," conceded Roman cheerfully. "You might've been born a higher-class citizen than me. But I'm clearly a higher-class criminal than you."

"What does that mean?" asked Weiss, confused and...affronted, though she shouldn't have cared what class of criminal she was. Just being a criminal was bad enough.

"Well, I wasn't born a crook," said Roman. "But I was born into a place where the rule I learned was that, if you wanted something, you had to take it. That wasn't taught to me by anyone. It was drilled into me by life itself, you could say. Some people aren't lucky enough to be born with everything in life handed to them on a silver platter."

"I didn't have everything handed to me," scoffed Weiss.

"Well...maaaaaybe not _everything_ ," said Roman, chuckling. "But...I wonder...did you ever, even once, worry about starving to death, the question of when and where your next meal might be meaning the difference between life and death?"

"I..." Weiss blinked, unable to respond.

"Did you ever go through a day, wondering if you'd have a roof over your head when you slept that night?" pressed Roman. "I've heard the winters in Solitas are pretty bad. But did you go through any of them wondering if you'd survive, or if you'd be frozen to death by the time it ended?"

Words failed Weiss.

Roman's smile widened. "That's what I thought, Princess. You talk all high and mighty about what you've _earned_. But, in reality, you just expected that position you almost murdered Red over to be handed to you, like nearly everything else was. Basically, you threw a temper tantrum. All that wealth, all that privilege that got you where you are now...and you threw it away in an overblown hissy fit. That's just sad."

"You son of a..." hissed Weiss.

"The truth hurts, doesn't it?" asked Roman. "Meanwhile, I've been busy being a much higher class of criminal."

"Oh...and what makes you such a 'higher-class' criminal?" spat Weiss venomously.

"You don't get much higher-class than plotting the downfall of an entire Kingdom do ya?" teased Roman.

* * *

In his office, Ozpin smiled in satisfaction, glad to see that his efforts were already beginning to bear fruit.

* * *

Evening had arrived in Vale when Ruby, Yang, Gin, and Jaune bade farewell to Taiyang, who would be catching the ferry back to Patch, after going back to Beacon with them to pick up Zwei. After dinner, they had taken Taiyang to a secluded section of Vale's park, where they had explained what they had planned for the Vytal Festival, allowing Ayumu to show Taiyang how his weapon worked, though not showing Ruby's, as they were wary of showing it off in such an open space, given its greater visibility.

Taiyang had been surprised, but also approving of what Ruby had planned, glad to see his daughter's commitment to making the world a better place, especially in the face of everything she'd been through.

Through it all, neither Taiyang nor Gin breathed a word of what they'd talked about outside the arcade, instead glossing it over as the typical "Dad Talk," an explanation that the others accepted readily enough and was certainly true enough as a summary of what they'd talked about. Ruby had been curious, but Gin had asked her not to pry. That didn't exactly assuage Ruby's curiosity, but she was glad that Gin continued to work on being more assertive.

Having enjoyed their time out with Ruby and Yang's father, the group returned to their dorm rooms, reuniting with their teams for the night. Despite the presence of the dog, Blake had managed to finish cleaning up the remnants of their sleepover, with help from Nora (once she was fully awake) and Coco, while Velvet entertained the corgi. Exhausted by their day, they'd gone to bed and slept soundly.

* * *

Ruby frowned as she was disturbed by the sensation of her bed shifting, along with the absence of a pair of cool arms that should have been wrapped around her. Opening her eyes, she saw the shadowed figure of Gin getting up and heading towards the bathroom, followed by the sound of him going through his morning routine and getting dressed. When he emerged, Ruby was sitting up, now fully awake herself, and looking at him in confusion.

"Why are you getting up so early?" she asked softly with a confused frown. The grey light of dawn was only beginning to seep in through the windows.

"Well, I've been slacking off for a while," said Gin just as softly, neither of them wanting to wake their teammates. "So I decided to start getting up early to get some more practice in, especially since we're gonna be spending so much of our free time on academics."

"Why didn't you wake me up too?" asked Ruby, realizing that Gin was right in that they needed to get some practice in sometime. The morning seemed as good a time as any, as they'd probably feel completely drained, mentally if not physically, by the time night came around. She took a small amount of amusement in the fact that the day had arrived where she'd rather wake up earlier than stay up later.

Gin flinched and froze. "Well...uh..." He rubbed his hair awkwardly, fighting for the words before sighing. "I guess I was treating you delicately again," he admitted. "I figured you'd like to sleep in more, now that you're home."

Ruby giggled. There was no need for her to counter Gin's argument, as he'd already realized what he'd done himself and clearly knew that he should be encouraging her to join him. It would be even better if they could get Blake and Yang in on it too. But that would only come after they'd suggested to the pair, rather than just spring it on them one morning.

Getting out of bed, Ruby took her turn in the bathroom. Once she was ready, she and Gin quietly let themselves out of the room and headed out to the courtyard. Ruby was careful to materialize Shining Rose before she reached it, not wanting to risk other students seeing her create it out in the open.

To her surprise, Ren was out in the yard as well, already going through his morning exercises, slow, flowing, graceful motions that were like a slow-motion imitation of actual combat moves. He nodded politely to them as they took up positions of their own around the courtyard. Ayumu was there as well, going through drills with his sword at similarly slow speed, pausing to smile cheerfully at them before resuming.

Ruby ran through her scythe-drills, absorbing herself in the activity, allowing the exercise and the familiar actions to calm her mind and spirit, getting her ready for the day. She had to admit that she needed a little more getting ready, considering what they were faced with today.

Once she finished her drills, Ruby relaxed her stance and lowered her weapon, before folding it up and stowing it at the small of her back. Turning around, her jaw dropped as she saw Gin guiding the silver dragon manifested from his Aura with almost the same kind of flowing, graceful moves that Ren used. She'd never seen his regular practice when they were on the road. Watching the silver dragon in flight made her heart pound in her chest with giddy excitement as she imagined herself doing something similarly spectacular, someday.

Once they were finished, they'd bade a brief farewell to Ren and Ayumu, knowing that they would see the two boys and the rest of Team JNAR at breakfast. They returned to their room, finding that Yang and Blake were now getting up as well.

"And where were you two, huh?" asked Yang with a teasing smirk, while Blake rolled her eyes at her partner's antics. "Getting some romantic alone-time before the day starts."

"No," said Ruby, affecting a faux-haughty tone. She was leaning against the wall by the bathroom door, waiting for Gin to finish getting changed into his uniform. "Gin and I were getting in some morning training before we started the day."

"That's very admirable of you," said Blake with a smile. "We should probably be joining you," she said with a teasing, but pointed, look at Yang.

"Hey, I need my beauty sleep," Yang retorted. "Besides, I get my practice in during my free periods."

"Unfortunately, Gin, Ayumu, and I won't be having much in the way of free periods for a while yet," said Ruby. "Any ones we do get are pretty much going to be study periods."

"We'll help as much as we can," said Blake reassuringly.

"Thanks," said Ruby. "But it feels good to work up a little sweat in the morning. I feel a lot more ready today."

"That's good," said Yang, a note of worry in her voice. "I guess you'll need it."

Blake nodded in silent agreement.

After Gin emerged from the bathroom, Ruby took her turn to change into her uniform. After that, they made their way into the cafeteria for breakfast, Team JNAR emerged from their room nearly simultaneously. Curious, Yang, Ruby, and Blake glanced sidelong at their sister team, looking for any sign of change in the dynamic between Ren and Nora. If there was, they couldn't see it. Nora hummed cheerfully, hopping and skipping her way down the hallway, which wasn't different from how she usually acted in the morning.

There was no indicator that Nora had confessed her feelings to Ren. In fact, it almost looked as though Nora had rewound herself to a time before her talk with the other girls. Yang hoped that wasn't the case. However, she and the others decided to leave it alone for now. They had much more important things to worry about this morning anyway.

The dining hall was already mostly full with hungry students, getting their breakfast before the day's classes. RUBY and JNAR quickly got their food and found themselves seats. It wasn't long before they were joined by Team CFVY, as well as Sun and Neptune.

They ate and chatted, whiling away the minutes. With each passing minute, Ruby could feel the tension building inside herself. Fortunately, just a light touch from Gin would cause it to unravel before it could build up too much. She was glad that he would be with her for what was to come.

Finally, a tone sounded, followed by Goodwitch's voice from the intercom. "Good morning, students. Your first class of the day will be starting late. In ten minutes, please gather in the auditorium for a special assembly. This is a mandatory assembly for all students."

The silence that had fallen as Goodwitch had spoken dissolved into confused mutterings, as the students talked amongst themselves, speculating about the reason for the assembly. Ruby and her friends were already taking their trays to the washers and heading out to the assembly hall. There, they parted from Sun, Neptune, and Team CFVY. RUBY and JNAR headed backstage, where Ozpin and Glynda were waiting for them.

"Good morning, Ms. Rose," greeted Ozpin. "How are you feeling?"

"Worried," admitted Ruby, relaxing yet again as Gin took her hand.

Ozpin nodded. "I can understand that," he said. "However, so long as you hold your head high and maintain your confidence you will be fine. You'll be up onstage with me and Glynda, but you won't be required to say anything...unless you wish to."

"No, that's fine," said Ruby. "I don't think I could speak to so many people to begin with."

"Mr. Ao, Mr. Ueno, you shall be up on stage as well," said Ozpin, nodding to the two boys in question, before turning to the others. "The rest of you can wait near the back of the stage. This assembly is about these three, but it's important to show your support."

They all nodded. Yang reached out and rested an encouraging hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"This shouldn't take long," said Glynda, adjusting her spectacles. She looked out and saw that the auditorium was nearly full, with numerous students still filing in. With the visiting students from other schools coming in as well, it was even more packed than it had been during the last assembly, which was for the teams going on their first mission, considering that the students from all four years were present.

In a few more minutes, everyone was present. Glynda and Ozpin exchanged nods and Ozpin strode out onto the stage; Ruby, Ayumu, and Gin following behind him and standing a bit back as he spoke.

"Good morning," he greeted the students. "I apologize for taking time out of your schedules for this. However, it is an important announcement that pertains to recent developments, here at Beacon, of which you should be informed.

"Some of you have no doubt noticed certain new faces in your midst, faces that do not belong to any of our visitors from the other Academies, as well as one face that we feared we would never see again.

"Ruby Rose, who was presumed dead on a mission during the previous semester, actually survived her ordeal and returned to us, here. In the process, she revealed a terrible abuse of our trust and a betrayal of what Huntsmen and Huntresses stand for as a whole."

As Ozpin spoke, a faint murmur of muttering voices rose out of the crowd before the stage. Students were whispering quietly to each other.

"Ms. Rose's teammate and partner, Weiss Schnee, along with Pyrrha Nikos from Team Juniper, used their mission as a pretext to ambush and attempt to kill Ms. Rose."

Shocked gasps an exclamations filled the auditorium at this pronouncement. Emotions ran the gamut from horror, to skepticism, to disappointment, and beyond. It seemed that everyone was processing this particular piece of news differently.

"Because of their crimes, Ms. Schnee and Ms. Nikos are no longer with us. They have been expelled from the Academy and are now awaiting the judgment of the law."

Now the mutterings increased in volume. Without focusing her senses, Ruby couldn't discern what was being said and by whom. She didn't want to focus her senses though, afraid of what she might hear. Already, she could see more than a few students glaring at her with apparent hostility. Either they felt Weiss and Pyrrha were justified in their course of action, or they were angry at Ruby for getting two of Beacon's most notable first-years expelled.

"The behavior of these two reflects poorly upon the conduct of our students and on our profession as a whole," said Ozpin. "Because of that, they shall be punished to the fullest extent of the law, without regard to what status or previous acclaim they might have had."

Ruby frowned and swallowed nervously. She really did not like Ozpin's choice of words there. That almost made it sound like they were being punished as much _because_ of their status as for what they had done. Looking out over the faces of the assembled students, Ruby could tell that some were definitely thinking that themselves.

"However, we have also gained new students," added Ozpin. "Gin Ueno and Ayumu Ao have been officially enrolled at Beacon Academy, and will be taking Ms. Schnee and Ms. Nikos' places on their respective teams. They are the young men who saved Ms. Rose's life after she was nearly killed, and have escorted her back to Beacon across the continent's wilderness, on foot. On top of that, the three of them are responsible for the destruction of the White Fang encampment in Mountain Glenn, which prevented a terrorist attack of horrific scope, based upon what we have learned about the enemy's intentions. I feel that their deeds are an acceptable substitute for the typical initiation."

Ruby glanced to either side of her, looking at the boys. They seemed unconcerned by the situation. Granted, they appeared to be subject more to curiosity than hostility, though Ruby could see some angry or frightened looks being leveled at Gin, a fair few by other faunus. _The word that he's a dragon-faunus is definitely starting to get around._ It remained to be seen how Gin would deal with other faunus, whether in day-to-day life at Beacon, or during the tournament. Not even Blake was completely comfortable with Gin in the room, though she didn't show it much, so long as Gin kept his scales out of sight.

Ozpin nodded to Glynda, effectively performing the tradeoff. He had been the sage, informing them of recent, important events. Now Glynda was taking over as the stern disciplinarian, instructing them on what to do next and, more importantly, what _not_ to do.

"The reason for this assembly is largely informative, and to answer the basic questions that have arisen regarding the circumstances of Ms. Rose's return to Beacon," said Glynda. "The more detailed specifics regarding those events shall be entirely left to Ms. Rose's discretion as to whether or not she shall talk about them.

"This is not an invitation to pester Ms. Rose with questions. I cannot stop any of you from approaching her and asking her any question under the sun. However, if Ms. Rose does not want to answer said questions, or answer them entirely to your satisfaction, it is _not_ your right to press the issue. The content of this assembly is the extent of what you, as students of Beacon and the other Huntsmen Academies, are entitled to know. Any more than that is what Ms. Rose is entitled to _decide_ whether or not to tell. Please keep that in mind."

Glynda paused, taking a moment to sternly survey the gathered students, enforcing the impression that she would take a dim view of any people infringing on Ruby's boundaries in an attempt to satisfy their curiosity. Given her demeanor and reputation, her speech was much more effective than it would have been, had Ozpin been the one delivering it.

"That is all," said Glynda, an air of finality in her voice. "You are dismissed. You have ten minutes to get to your first-period classes."

The crowd of students broke up, and the ambient noise of the auditorium rose briefly as they talked amongst themselves while heading for the exits. No doubt they'd want to discuss what they'd just learned in more detail, but they also had to rush and get their materials in order to get ready for classes they should have been in already. The noise steadily declined as more and more of them filed out through the doors.

Glynda and Ozpin turned to Ruby and the boys as their teams emerged from backstage to rally around them. "Thank you for standing up here with us," said Ozpin, addressing Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu. "I apologize for having you serve as little more than living props, but it served to allow them to see clearly that you were back amongst them."

Ruby nodded, understanding somewhat. Had the three of them just been part of the crowd, it would have disrupted the flow of Ozpin's speech, when he announced her return as the students all turned to try and pick her out from the multitude. Having them be up on stage kept attention focused, and allowed the speech to flow more naturally.

"I also imagine that you weren't feeling up to saying anything yourself, if you didn't have to," added Glynda, smiling at Ruby.

"Yeah," agreed Ruby, having no idea what she would have said on an occasion like this, beyond a completely perfunctory and unnecessary "I'm back."

"I am sure that, despite Glynda's warning, you will be the center of attention for some time to come," added Ozpin. "It is my hope that you won't completely isolate yourself from honest inquisitiveness, though, I understand if certain students' questions become too pointed or speculative for your tastes."

"If anyone is bothering you to the point of harassment, inform me," said Glynda. "I will make sure that they are disciplined properly."

"I will," said Ruby.

"In that vein...Ms. Xiao Long..." Ozpin turned his attention to Yang, who stiffened and straightened, almost to the point of standing at attention. "...please refrain from being overly aggressive in fending off curious students. Keep in mind that, as Ms. Rose has been reinstated as your team's leader, it also means she must be able to handle the pressure of deciding how to deal with those who are bothering her. I advise you to take your cues from her, and step in _only_ when she indicates she needs it...and do not use force unless it is _absolutely_ necessary."

"Y-yes," said Yang nervously, having forgotten that, for as laidback and almost grandfatherly Ozpin was most of the time, he could be plenty stern and intimidating when he wanted to be.

"Excellent," said Ozpin. "You all are dismissed. Please don't be late for class."

The eight of them nodded and went to collect their things.

* * *

"You? Plotting the downfall of a Kingdom?" posed Weiss skeptically. "I have trouble believing that."

"Oh, I know," said Roman dramatically. "I didn't see myself doing that either, I gotta say. I'm not usually the kinda guy who goes for that scene."

"What do you mean?" demanded Weiss.

"I'm a crook, not a terrorist," replied Roman casually. "Of course, I guess the official designation's changed after what I got involved in." He sighed. "Normally I don't go for the whole wanton destruction gig. There's just no profit in it. Stealing all the money in the world's no good if you've burned down all the places to spend it in and wrecked everything you might spend it on."

Weiss frowned, her curiosity winning out over her anger and her disgust towards the man occupying the cell next to hers. "So...why are you working with the White Fang then?"

"Well, when I started, it was for profit," admitted Roman. "I was paid a pretty hefty sum to work with those animals, not something I'd usually do, mind you. I mean, it can be a pretty sweet gig if you run it right. I've kicked off entire gang wars just to sell guns to both sides. But I've never helped a bunch of genocidal faunus commit said genocide. It's just kinda...self-defeating."

Weiss frowned. "So...you didn't want to work with the White Fang then?"

"Well...not really," said Roman with a groan. "Of course, once I realized how far south things were going, I wanted to bail. But then the checks stopped coming and the threats started."

"Threats..." muttered Weiss.

"Ya see, Ice Queen, I'm a crook, I'm a terrorist now too, I'm handy in a brawl, and I'm suave and good-looking to boot. I'm all those things and more. But, if there's one thing I'm more than anything else, I'm a survivor. I came up from practically nothing to running the most successful criminal outfit in the Kingdom, and became the most infamous man in all of Vale. Why, I'd even go so far as to say that I'm as much of a celebrity as your partner in crime, though for a different audience."

Weiss bared her teeth in a wordless, nearly silent, growl at the thought of Roman comparing himself to Pyrrha Nikos of all people.

"But you don't get far in this life without a damn good knack for knowing when things are about to go pear-shaped," added Roman. "As you can pretty readily imagine, doing the work I do, I ain't exactly in the business of making friends."

Weiss huffed, not even needing to respond to that.

"So...you get a pretty good sense of when you're about to get it in the back," said Roman. "The problem is that, by the time I was knee deep in this, I was hit by a revelation."

"Oh...and what's that?" asked Weiss.

"Sometimes there are things you can't get away from," Roman growled. "There are things and people you just can't stop. If you try, well...you get run over...or incinerated, in my case." He groaned. "Of course, that might just happen to me now, seeing as things went so bad."

"When Ruby broke up the plan with the train," said Weiss.

"Oh yeah," groaned Roman. "If there's one thing we definitely agree on, Ice Queen, it's that little Red is a total pain in the ass."

Weiss said nothing, swallowing an indignant reaction to Roman drawing another parallel between the two of them.

"I mean...I spent months setting up that operation, stealing every scrap of Dust that wasn't nailed down, and prying up every one that was. Then there was the logistics of organizing a major construction project outside the borders of the Kingdom, in a Grimm-infested ruin to boot...all completely under the radar, and with no one in the authorities the wiser...until some damn kids decided to stick their noses in."

Weiss couldn't help but wonder if Roman was talking about Ruby with that remark or if he was referring to WBY and JNPR's own investigation into his and the White Fang's activities.

"And we were almost good to go too," he lamented. "Oh! It was gonna be a show for sure!"

"You were planning on ramming a train full of bombs into the heart of a civilian population center," growled Weiss.

Roman laughed uproariously. "Oh, Princess! If only you knew."

"Knew what..."

"The bombs weren't for the Kingdom," said Roman cheerfully. "We were gonna blow them all up on the way."

"What?" gasped Weiss.

"The bombs were for blowing holes in the tunnel," said Roman. "When we did that, guess what would drop in."

"Grimm..." hissed Weiss, feeling lightheaded.

"Oh yeah..." said Roman with a chuckle. "That was the plan. We make our merry way into Vale with a train full of munitions, stolen mechs, and angry faunus, leading a party of Grimm in behind us."

Weiss' jaw dropped, speech failing her yet again at the horrifying implications of what Roman had been planning.

"On top of that, we were waiting until the time was right," added Roman. "All you students and the Huntsmen you were supposed to be shadowing would be away on your missions. Think the police could stand up to the kind of firepower we were bringing in?"

Thinking back to the fight against a Paladin that she'd been part of and how difficult it had been to bring down just one, Weiss couldn't imagine Vale's police or even their military being able to contain several such machines easily, especially not with a horde of Grimm adding to the general chaos. In fact, without Huntsmen, she couldn't imagine them being able to contain such an incident period, not before a huge section of the Kingdom was wrecked.

On top of that, the fear and other negative emotions stoked up by the chaos would have drawn even more Grimm into the Kingdom, probably enough to easily overwhelm Vale's perimeter defenses and leave the whole Kingdom awash in Grimm. Suddenly, Roman's previous remark about what he'd been jailed for didn't seem so far-fetched after all. "You'd actually go through with all this?" she wanted to know.

"Not willingly," groused Roman. "Like I said, I prefer profit. Wrecking everything doesn't make you money. But...sometimes, ya just got to go with the flow, ya know."

"The people you're working for..." Weiss frowned. "Are they really so bad?"

"Oh...you ain't seen nothing, Ice Queen," said Roman, chuckling. "I'm just a cheap pawn myself. That alone should tell you that they've got way bigger ambitions in mind than just kicking up a little trouble in one Kingdom."

"They're targeting the other Kingdoms too," said Weiss.

"Ha!" barked Roman. "That's way underselling it, Princess! It's the Kingdoms, the Academies, the people, everything in between. Even I don't have a clue as to what their actual endgame is, but the thing that's clear to me is that they're gonna overturn everything, the very logic this world runs on...they're gonna rip it to pieces. What comes after...who knows?" He shrugged indifferently.

Weiss gasped softly. "You'd never have gotten away with this," she growled after recovering.

"I wasn't _supposed_ to get away with it," teased Roman. "There's no version of this that didn't end up with me in a cell."

"Yet you don't seem happy to be here," Weiss noted. For all that he took amusement in alternating between ribbing her and bragging to her about his accomplishments, there was an undercurrent of anger and resentment to Roman's speech and manner.

Roman huffed. "Well...I wasn't supposed to end up in _this_ cell," he muttered. He flinched, then growled softly to himself. "Damn, Ice Queen, you surprise me."

"Why?" Weiss wanted to know.

"For someone who's supposed to be such a pain, you're too damn easy to talk to," said Roman. "Well, I'm gonna get some shuteye now. Maybe we'll meet out in the prison yard sometime."

Weiss was too relieved at the prospect of ending the conversation with this detestable man to point out that Beacon's detention center didn't have a prison yard. It had a recreation room and a fitness center, even a small entertainment center where they could briefly exercise certain privileges, watching a holoscreen an hour a day, if they chose to. But that was it. After all, the detention center was supposed to be an intermediary location, where accused Huntsmen and Huntresses were to wait until they were tried and convicted, before being shipped off to serve their sentences in proper prisons.

Rolling over, Weiss glared at the wall, resolving to ask if she could get a shutter for the window between their cells. As much as it had made the time fly by, talking with Roman Torchwick was not something Weiss wanted to do unless she absolutely _had_ to.

* * *

Playback of the audio file came to a stop and Ozpin stared at the holographic icon hovering over his desk.

"You've been listening to that over and over again," said Glynda with a frown. "You almost missed the assembly because of it."

"Because I believe it is our best clue to deciphering the enemy's plans," said Ozpin.

"Torchwick did say quite a bit," said Glynda, "which appears to substantiate your reasons for bugging his and Ms. Schnee's cells. But I can't decipher much, save that which confirms what we already know."

"And yet...there's more than what we know in there," said Ozpin. "I believe that Torchwick has given us a window, through which we can see the next steps in the enemy's plan."

"What steps?" asked Glynda.

"Torchwick indicates that he was going to be imprisoned, regardless of the attack's outcome," said Ozpin.

"That's absurd!" exclaimed Glynda. "There's no way someone, especially a self-professed survivor, would allow themselves to be caught after masterminding a terrorist incident. He'd be faced with the death penalty."

Ozpin nodded thoughtfully. "I know," he said. "But circumstances would be rather different, had things gone the way he'd planned...or even if he'd been forced to implement the attack earlier than planned."

"What do you mean?" asked Glynda.

"Think," said Ozpin. "If the attack had succeeded, and the train breached Vale, leading a mass of Grimm in its wake, the police and military would have been quickly overwhelmed. Even if it had been before the majority of them were sent away on their missions, even responses from Huntsmen and students would have been delayed significantly."

"Yes...the destruction would be terrible," said Glynda.

Ozpin nodded in agreement. "But perhaps..." He swiveled his chair to turn away from his desk and look out the window as he spoke. "...not as terrible as he or even we would expect."

Glynda followed his line of sight, finding three familiar craft hovering in the skies between Beacon and Vale, occasionally passing over the Kingdom itself. "James..." she said breathlessly.

"Yes," agreed Ozpin. "If such an attack did occur, there is no way that James would stand idly by and watch as a bystander while Vale's authorities sorted it out. He would immediately deploy his forces to contain the White Fang and the Grimm as effectively as he could. And he would be right to do so."

Glynda nodded.

"The important part, I believe, is what happens after that," said Ozpin, turning back to face her. "Given James' behavior lately, what do you think he would do after the attack?"

"No doubt he would be in here, thundering incessantly with 'I told you so's," grumbled Glynda petulantly.

Ozpin sighed. "Indeed. He would undoubtedly see the incident as vindication that he was right about our efforts being half-measures. Given his current predilections, James would no doubt insist that he take charge of security for the Vytal Festival."

"And, if he'd saved the Kingdom from a terrible terrorist attack, the Council would probably let him," added Glynda.

"If not ask him themselves," said Ozpin, frowning, though his mouth was hidden by his hands as he rested his elbows atop the desk. "And James, knowing that he was central to the whole affair, would demand custody of Torchwick."

"So...the 'different cell' Torchwick expected himself to occupy would be on James' ship," said Glynda, staring out at the warship in question.

"Correct," said Ozpin.

"He was meant to be a false prisoner," said Glynda. "But what could he accomplish there?"

"That is the question," said Ozpin. "But...we can now be fairly certain of one thing. Whatever our enemy's aims and the final iteration of their plans, it is somehow built upon the Atlesian forces overseeing security during the Vytal Festival."

"But how?" wondered Glynda.

"That is what we will need to find out," said Ozpin with a shake of his head. "But, I believe that one thing is certainly clear now. James' ships and soldiers have overstayed their welcome. I believe it is time that they returned home."

"I believed that even before we had this conversation," growled Glynda.

* * *

 **I thought Ozpin's approach to interrogating Torchwick was rather clever, if I do say so myself. Maybe it's a stretch that they're able to hypothesize how things would have gone, had Ruby and the boys not broken up Torchwick's operation (aka extrapolated the canon events), but I thought it was logical enough.**

 **And, of course, there is fallout galore, thanks to the continuing aftershocks of what Ruby and the boys did.**


	55. Chapter 55

**Chapter 55:**

Ruby stifled a groan as she settled down at the table with the rest of her team for lunch. "This is getting tiring."

"I know the feeling," admitted Blake.

Following the assembly, they were now all feeling the effects of being perpetually at the center of attention, thanks to the controversy swirling around Ruby and what had happened to her. Curious eyes followed them intently wherever they went, in the hallways, the locker room, the dining halls, even the bathrooms. In every class they had been in, so far today, the teacher had been forced on at least one occasion to call at least one student, if not more, back to focus on the class itself, rather than staring at Ruby, Gin, or Ayumu.

It wasn't exactly helpful. Ruby was still behind in a few important classes, and continued to need to do additional work to catch up, even as she tried to keep up with what was being taught in the current class. For every assigned reading the teacher gave the class as a whole, Ruby got another one discretely sent to her scroll.

At least she had some extra time to study, thanks to Goodwitch's combat classes being turned into a study period for her and the boys (minus Jaune and Ren, of course). Of course, that could only help so much. It would only get harder once students started working up the courage, nerve, or gall to approach her and ask more specific questions about what had happened to her and her time away.

Yang had proposed that one of them stay with Ruby at all times, if only so she wasn't isolated and caught alone to be questioned or harassed. But Ruby had turned that idea down flat. The entire motivation for her attempted murder, for Weiss at least, had been based upon the idea that she had no right being in Beacon at such a young age. Having her own teammates shelter her from other students would reinforce that perception amongst those that still believed that. Ruby wasn't so foolish as to think that Weiss and Pyrrha being imprisoned would have actually done that much to change anyone's attitudes regarding her right to be here, even if most people would agree that Weiss and Pyrrha had gone too far.

Of course, even if nearly all the attention was directed at Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu, the rest of their friends were feeling plenty of its effects, simply by being on the periphery of it. The constant attention had everyone on edge, to the point where Ruby was worried that Yang might snap if it went on for much longer.

Unfortunately, Ruby didn't think it would be letting up soon. The feeling of watching eyes was even more intense in the dining hall, with no teachers or lessons to keep the attention of other students off of them. The training she had undergone to develop her _Shingan_ only made Ruby even _more_ aware of all that attention.

"How are you doing?" she asked, looking over at Gin, then across at Ayumu, where he was sitting with his team. They must have been feeling the burden of this attention almost as much as her. With their own _Shingan_ even more alert and comprehensive than her own, Ruby imagined that they must have felt that attention all the more keenly.

"It's not all that bad," said Gin with a shrug. "It's certainly not what I'm used to, I'll admit."

"But it's not hard to adjust," said Ayumu.

"You just ignore it?" asked Ruby.

"Only some of it," said Gin.

"What do you mean?" asked Jaune, looking between them.

"Well, I'm sure that even some of you have felt it," said Ayumu, looking around the table. "Most students are regarding us with mere curiosity. That's not all that hard to ignore. The ones that we shouldn't ignore...are the ones with hostility."

"What?" gasped Yang, throwing an angry gaze around the dining hall.

"Take it easy," chided Gin. "You'll only make it worse if you get defensive."

"It's not so much that we need to do anything about it," said Ayumu. "We just need to keep track of their presence, location, and intent. Those that are hostile to us may not be inclined to act upon their feelings. But we'll notice if someone does."

"It's the same as usual," said Gin, looking at Ruby. "Filter out the white noise and maintain your awareness about what matters."

Ruby nodded and relaxed her body, closing her eyes and allowing her senses to fill the air around her. Her awareness immediately picked up on the near constant pressure of eyes, some shifting towards her and lingering, others drifting away as the onlookers lost interest. It was the ones that remained constant, or drifted away and returned to her regularly, that were important, as was the intent behind those gazes. Ruby could feel suppressed anger, sometimes barely held in check. She suspected that, had she been by herself, some of those people would not have hesitated to come over to her.

She focused on those particular gazes, letting the rest fade into the background, but not completely from the back of her mind, wanting to make sure that she had the fullest awareness of her surroundings that she could at all times.

Opening her eyes, she looked to Gin, and he nodded approvingly.

"So what do we do now?" asked Yang.

"Nothing," said Ruby simply enough. "All we can really do is just keep up with doing what we've been doing all day, going to class and being students."

The others all nodded, seeing the point of her words. It wasn't as though they could go around and tell people to stop staring at Ruby and the boys. All they could do was weather this situation until the rest of the student body found other things to occupy their attention. With the Vytal Festival coming up, that wasn't going to be difficult.

* * *

After lunch, they made their way to their next class. Their meal had been light by virtue of necessity, as Goodwitch's Combat Class was next on their schedule, and no one wanted to wind up puking on the floor of the ring because they ate too much before being called to fight.

Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu walked part of the way with their teams, before branching off to head towards the library to begin their free study, which largely consisted on getting a jump on their homework. It helped them reduce their evening workloads and, more importantly, enabled Gin and Ayumu to have the evening free to work on their writing practice.

As they headed down the hallway, they still had to dodge around other students making their way to their own classes. Walking along, Ruby caught a flash of short, brown hair from a taller second-year student. She wouldn't have noticed ,if it wasn't for the burst of malice that accompanied his presence.

She almost didn't recognize Ajax in a Beacon uniform, not without his garishly-colored, Dust-coat. However, the one thing she knew for sure was that he had seen her...and was about to do something about it.

His right hand hung along his side, all the fingers closed. As Ruby and the boys approached, Ajax's hand relaxed ever so slightly, his index finger extending to point straight down, as a tiny, pale-blue crystalline fragment dropped towards the floor. To Ruby's senses, it was like a tiny spot of descending chill. The fragment hit the floor and, with a tiny ringing sound, burst into a patch of smooth ice about the size of a salad-plate.

Given that the hallway floor was covered by tufted carpet, no one walking along it would ever even consider the possibility of slipping on it. Of course, the presence of a layer of smooth ice covering it changed things considerably. Ajax had timed his little trick almost perfectly, dropping the ice-Dust fragment so that it hit the floor and spread out beneath Ruby's foot, right as she was in mid-stride, walking past him. At this point, Ruby was going to step on the ice and she knew it.

But she also knew what to do about it, shifting her weight subtly. When her foot came down on the ice, her weight was directly above it, with virtually no angle that would cause it to slip out from under her. Her stride adjusted so that she extended and planted her opposite foot before stepping off the sheet of ice. She continued on, the minute shift in those two steps being the only indicator that anything had happened at all.

Ruby and the boys continued on past. She could practically feel the angry consternation bleeding off her former opponent behind her. She sensed him stop and felt him turn towards her. As he did, his left hand came up, fingers curled around something, the motion indicating that he intended to throw whatever it was straight at the back of her head.

Ruby stopped and turned to face him, finding that Gin and Ayumu were already watching Ajax, standing to either side of her.

Then a slender hand, with perfectly-trimmed nails, closed around Ajax's wrist, freezing his arm in place.

"Ajax," said the young man who grasped his wrist, staring at the back of Ajax's head with a pair of piercing, grey eyes, "put that away."

A low growl worked its way out of Ajax's throat as he bared his teeth in frustration. His arm strained against the hand holding it. However, despite the other young man's light build, he held it in place with seeming ease. Then he began to slowly force Ajax's arm back down towards his side.

The young man turned his face to look at Ruby and the boys, and she was surprised to see that he was beautiful. He was undeniably male. However, his face was slightly narrow and effeminate, with incredibly smooth skin that would have been the envy of nearly every girl at Beacon.

"I apologize for my teammate," said the young man, still restraining Ajax's arm. "It was nothing more than a harmless prank...completely inappropriate, of course...but still harmless. I will take him to task for it, you can believe me."

Ruby scrutinized the unfamiliar boy closely. His manner was pleasant enough, and she could tell that he was being partly sincere in his statement. Ajax's demeanor clearly indicated that what he had in mind was no mere _prank_. However, his teammate put a stop to it, with the notion of a "prank" serving as an excuse to save face. However, he was completely sincere about his intent to stop Ajax from trying to interfere further.

"Thank you," said Ruby, giving the young man a small smile.

The young man nodded and proceeded to half-lead/half-drag Ajax away.

"Well...in the immortal words of your sister...that was a thing," said Gin, making Ruby giggle.

"It was," she agreed. Her mirth spent, she found herself frowning as she continued to watch the two upperclassmen making their way down the hall, Ajax's teammate maintaining a firm grip on his wrist to keep him from trying to double back.

"So it seems that Mr. Raptis _does_ have some form of vendetta against you," said Ayumu, scratching his chin. "Though I wonder if it was because of you defeating him during the combat assessment or if it's older than that."

"It doesn't matter," said Ruby with a sigh. "We'll just have to steer clear of him if we can. He's a second-year, so it isn't like we'll cross paths very often."

"True," agreed Ayumu.

"Let's go," said Ruby. "We've got a lot of homework to do."

They continued on to the library, which was practically deserted, save for the occasional third or fourth-year. First and second-years had classes throughout the day a lot of the time. However, third and fourth-year students spent most of their years taking missions, coming to the campus itself to attend brief, seminar-style classes. The further along one got at Beacon, the more time one was expected to spend in the field. As a consequence, there was practically nobody to bother them as they knuckled down and got to work. Ruby ruefully reflected that, had Weiss not tried to kill her, she might have been surprised about how seriously she was taking her studies right now.

* * *

"You can't be serious, Oz!" Ironwood shouted, resting his hands on the edge of Ozpin's desk.

"I am quite serious," said Ozpin, looking up at Ironwood from his seat. "You are most welcome to remain to watch your students' performance during the Vytal Festival personally. However, your forces, which I am sure were solely for the purpose of escorting your students on the dangerous journey here from Atlas, have now served their purpose. It is long past time that they _returned_ to Atlas."

"That is _not_ why they are here, and you know it!" snapped Ironwood.

"And yet, that is what the official reason _shall_ be," said Ozpin. "This does not simply come from me, James. Vale's Council has asked me to tell you to send your ships away. Should you not comply, they will make it an official mandate. Should you not comply with that, it will be considered an attempt at military occupation of the Kingdom, a violation of the Vytal Treaty, and, consequently, an act of _war_."

Ironwood straightened up and turned away from the desk, walking slowly and deliberately away from it, though not actually heading for the elevator. He shook his head slowly. "Oz! I can't believe you're doing this. The enemy is right in our midst and you want me to lower our security...make us even more vulnerable?"

"Your armada does not help our security as much as you think," said Ozpin. "You need to stop trying to use a hammer, when the situation calls for a scalpel. It is true that the enemy is among us. However, your warships flying overhead will not deter them, and they will not be of any use in flushing out our quarry." He leaned forward. "The resolution of the situation in Mountain Glenn makes it clear that the subtle approach is best."

"You got lucky there and you know it," said Ironwood, turning back around again, glaring at Ozpin fiercely. "It was luck that your student and those criminals found that White Fang base, and managed to deal with them without inciting Torchwick to launch his attack ahead of schedule."

"Which he most certainly would have done had your ships flown over with all their splendor, for everyone to see," countered Ozpin. "This is not the appropriate situation for such overt measures, and this is not the kind of war your forces are equipped to fight. You need to realize your limitations and theirs. Not all our foes can be brought down with power alone."

"Oz, please..." Ironwood was pleading now. "The people are in danger! I created this force to protect them, to make the world safer. Let me do it."

"I cannot," said Ozpin. "I have always appreciated your care for the people, James, not just the people of Atlas, but all people. However, this is not the time and place for your ships or your weapons." He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. "Now...send them on their way."

Ironwood sighed and walked away from the desk again, this time heading for the elevator. "You'll regret this, Oz," he said. "This is a war and we need to win it."

"But not the kind of war you seem to think it is," said Ozpin with a sigh, speaking mostly to himself as Ironwood stepped into the elevator and let the doors close behind him.

* * *

On the days that it was held, Goodwitch's Combat Class took up the whole afternoon, which was certainly a boon to the trio, allowing them to get a lot of their homework done in advance. Furthermore, in the free time between the end of the day's classes and dinner, it gave them time to seek out the teachers for any questions or clarifications they had.

However, by the time the study period had finished, Ruby felt fairly confident she had a firm grasp on everything that they'd covered. Her wrist ached from the number of notes she'd taken (again, something Weiss might have been proud of, had she still been around). It was also nice, as the library, during class, gave her an ideal environment to study in, free of the eyes that seemed to follow her perpetually, everywhere else in the school.

So it was with a light heart and a hearty sense of satisfaction that Ruby and the boys rejoined their teams. She noticed that the other members of RUBY and JNAR were looking fairly tense, which indicated that something might have happened during Combat Class.

"How'd Combat Class go, Yang?" asked Ruby, falling into step beside her sister as they made their way back to the dorms to change out of their uniforms.

"Not too bad," said Yang evasively.

Blake sighed and rolled her eyes. "A few of the students were curious about where you were. Professor Goodwitch told them you needed to use the class as a study period to get caught up on your academics, and that she was sufficiently satisfied with your performance during the combat assessment that she could let you do so until you caught up."

Yang's cheerful front dissolved. "Then one of them said something about you being a coward and hiding from everybody."

"But not loud enough for Goodwitch to hear her," added Blake.

"And Yang challenged her and beat her to a pulp," put in Ren.

"Hey!" shouted Yang.

"It's true," said Nora in a surprisingly sober tone.

"Goodwitch chewed you out something fierce for that," Jaune. "Not to rag on you, Yang, but you really do need to work on your temper."

"Et tu, Jaune?" gasped Yang in mock horror, glaring at her boyfriend.

"Just saying," said Jaune with a shrug.

"He's right," added Blake, with even Ruby nodding along.

"I seem to remember your temper quite clearly," remarked Gin, the reference to her disastrous attempt to chase him away from Ruby still fresh in everyone's minds, prompting giggles and muffled laughs as Yang's cheeks flushed bright-red.

Despite her giggles, Ruby felt a flash of consternation at Yang's actions. She was happy her sister was ready to leap to the fore to defend her reputation, but Ruby also knew that having her teammates, Yang especially, be so defensive of her could only lead to trouble in the long run. She had to show that she could fight her own battles. Of course, that took a backseat to getting caught up on her schoolwork right now.

"So how'd your study period go?" asked Blake.

Ruby shrugged. "It went fine. I got almost all the readings done, so I should only have to do a little work after dinner."

"We ran into her opponent from the combat assessment in the halls though," added Gin.

"Is that good or bad?" Jaune wanted to know.

"Bad, it seems," said Ayumu. "He dropped a shard of ice-Dust on the floor in order to make Ruby slip on it."

"She didn't fall for it," added Gin quickly, sharing a quick smile with Ruby.

"His teammate stopped him from doing anything else," said Ruby. "But...I'm a little worried."

"Why?" asked Yang.

"I don't think it was just a prank," said Ruby. "I've been getting a better feel for animosity, and Ajax's was pretty serious. He had something in his other hand and his original plan was to use it while I was down."

"That jerk..." snarled Yang, her hands clenching into fists.

"Yang," said Ruby firmly, drawing her sister's attention. "No."

"But-"

"No," said Ruby. "If he tries anything, I'll handle it...or we'll handle it, if any of you are with me when it happens. If he does, then we turn him over to Professor Goodwitch, and that's the end of this."

Yang stared into Ruby's eyes and felt her anger crumble before Ruby's firm resolve. "All right," she said with a resigned sigh.

Ruby smiled brightly. "Thanks, Yang."

In a few minutes, they reached the dorms, the two teams going their respective rooms. Ruby and Gin settled in with Yang and Blake. As the other three conversed, Blake sat on her bed, curled up slightly as she looked on. Though she hadn't consciously decided to do so, she had essentially edged herself as far away from the young dragon-faunus as she could, her entire body slightly tense. She could relax somewhat, so long as Gin kept his scales put away. However, the sight of them always put her nerves on edge.

 _I can't let this continue,_ she thought, feeling slightly tired. This constant tension was eating away at her. Much longer and it would begin to impact her performance in class, to say nothing of what it might do to her during the Vytal Festival Tournament. The first round of the tournament would be fought as a team battle. If Blake didn't get her act together, she'd drag her own team's performance down.

Taking a deep breath, Blake firmed up her resolve, her throat working furiously in anticipation of what she was about to say...what she was about to do. She waited until a momentary lull in the conversation to speak up. "Gin..."

Gin looked up, Ruby and Yang looking with him. They saw Blake uncurl, then scoot over to the edge of her mattress to sit fully next to Yang. She was looking at Gin, tension in every line of her body, her fingers curling and bunching the fabric of her mattress cover.

"Yes?" said Gin, his tone patient and inquisitive. He averted his eyes slightly, getting the feeling that maintaining eye contact would put more pressure on her.

Blake swallowed, then took a breath...then another...and another...

Yang gently rubbed her partner's back. "You can do it," she said softly, remembering what Ayumu had told them about faunus reactions to dragon-faunus and the most likely way of overcoming it.

"Can I...can I see your scales?" she asked finally.

Gin nodded, holding up his right arm. Silver scales slowly spread like a rash across the surface of his forearm, broad scutes locking into place on its upper surface. He kept his claws sheathed. Just the appearance of those scales was enough. Blake's heart began to hammer heavily against her ribs. She began to breathe a bit harder. Sweat beaded her brow.

Yang pressed a little harder against Blake's back, making sure that her partner felt the contact over the rebellion of most of her senses. "You can do it," she repeated.

"M-may I..." Blake struggled to find the words.

Gin waited patiently for her, still holding his arm in place while Ruby looked on, her hands going to his shoulders.

"May I...t-touch them?" Blake finally managed to force out, the very thought sending a sensation of reflexive revulsion washing through her. There was no reason, no rationale behind it. Nothing about those scales looked dirty or slimy or disgusting. Yet there was something deep within her hindbrain, a primitive voice, that screamed with all its might to either get as far away from that boy and his scales as possible...or kill him right then and there.

 _This is way beyond how she was reacting earlier,_ thought Ruby worriedly. In such close proximity, the sight of Gin's scales had Blake on the verge of a panic attack.

 _It really is like a phobia,_ thought Yang, feeling Blake's body trembling beneath her hand.

Wordlessly, Gin leaned forward and extended his arm out across the space between them.

Blake reflexively leaned back away from it. However, Yang's hand moved and her arm slipped around Blake's back to keep her from fully leaning away. "Come on," said Yang. "Don't drag it out. You can do this, Blake."

Blake gulped and looked over at Yang, taking in the warm, lilac eyes of her partner. "Do it for Ruby," said Yang softly. "Do it for me."

Shuddering, Blake nodded. She turned to look at Gin's extended arm again. He held it steadily, showing no signs of impatience. She'd always heard that dragon-faunus had vicious tempers. But she saw no sign of it in the boy before her. Instead, all she saw was a complete acceptance of her fear, and patience as he waited for her to come to him.

 _For Ruby..._ she thought; for her leader, the one who had inspired her, who'd experienced the edge of death and returned from it stronger than ever, who'd been betrayed by people she had respected and considered friends, who had returned to face them head-on.

 _For Yang..._ she thought; for her partner, the one she loved as a sister, the one who'd stood with her, who'd lost her sister and used that loss to become stronger and more caring.

 _For both of them,_ she thought; for the people who'd learned the truth about her heritage, her background in the White Fang, but who'd never stopped believing in her, who'd searched tirelessly for her when she had abandoned them. If she couldn't do this for them, she wasn't worthy to be at Beacon, to be a Huntress...she might as well have never left the White Fang.

Slowly, Blake reached out with a trembling hand, reaching for Gin's outstretched arm. Yang's arm exerted a little more pressure, helping her along, keeping Blake from drawing back. Yang's other hand slipped into Blake's unextended one, meshing their fingers together and squeezing tightly, letting Blake know she was there.

Blake's heartbeat was practically thunder in her ears. Sweat was streaming down her face. She forced herself to stay strong, to focus on that arm and those scales. The distance between them closed. As she watched, Gin's hand smoothly turned so that his palm was up, his fingers open and extended. Recognizing the invitation, Blake slowly, hesitantly, brought her hand to his, and pressed her palm against his own.

Her heartbeat rose to a thundering crescendo and Blake was certain she was about to faint from the terror. Her entire body felt like it was on fire from the fear and anxiety racing through her, her face feeling like it was about to burst into flames. But through all that heat, she felt something...cool.

Gin's scales felt smooth, but slightly textured, against her skin. Just as Ruby had often said, they were cool, but not cold. There was something about them that made the heat begin to slowly drain from her body. Blake pressed her hand against Gin's a little harder, forcing more of her skin into contact with his scales, sliding her hand along the textured surface. She began to rub it slightly.

Gin said and did nothing, merely holding his hand in place, allowing Blake's own to explore its surface. She moved her hand so that her fingers could trace along his. Then she slipped it down to trace back up and feel along his knuckles, then the back of his hand towards his wrist.

Finally, she leaned back, their hands parting. Blake practically fell over backwards, only Yang's arm around her keeping her from collapsing entirely. Breaking contact caused her to relax and all her tension to drain away all at once, leaving her vision graying at the edges as a wave of fatigue swamped her.

"You okay, Blake?" asked Yang worriedly.

"I...I'm fine," said Blake, giving her partner a weak smile. "I just need to rest a little."

Even though all she'd done was reach out and touch her teammate's hand, it had been one of the most stressful actions of her life, leaving her feeling as though she'd gone through several punishing rounds in the sparring ring. Her entire body felt like lead.

Gin slowly raised his arm to put it in Blake's field of vision. Her entire body jolted slightly and she almost began to reflexively scramble back before Gin pulled it back, his scales seeming to shrink back beneath his skin.

"Gin...?" asked Ruby, worriedly.

"It's not something she's gonna be able to get over all in one go," said Gin, smiling at her. "But she's trying."

Ruby nodded and smiled over at Blake. "Thank you," she said.

"For you and Yang, it's the least I can do," said Blake, finally managing to bring her eyes back to Gin, now that his scales were gone. "For you too," she added. "You don't deserve to be treated like that."

"But it's something you can't exactly help," said Gin with a shrug. "You can work at it until you dull your reaction to me, but it's not something you ever consciously chose to feel."

"Maybe not," said Blake. "But I tried to rationalize it, to excuse it. Ruby was right. I can't talk about grand ideals, like equality for faunus, if I think that some faunus are more equal than others."

"It's fine," said Gin. "You need to rest now. We can all see that was pretty stressful for you." He paused and scratched his chin. "To be honest, I'm amazed your boyfriend got over it so quickly."

"Sun?" Blake blinked in shock and surprise. "When did he-?"

"When we had our sleepovers," answered Gin. "He was a bit put off at first...but then he just...I don't know...got used to me...or something." He frowned pensively. "I'm not sure what he did either. He barely even flinched when he saw my scales later."

Blake's jaw hung loose as she tried to process what she'd just heard. In her gut, dark shame pooled as she realized the boy she'd grown so close to had been able to overcome a fear that had almost knocked her into a faint, and easily at that.

"Blake, it's okay," said Yang. "You're not Sun. You're completely different from him. It's only natural that you'll deal with these things differently from him."

"He seems...quite reckless," added Gin with a sigh. "I think he may have even overcome it by embracing his fear so that it turned into a sort of thrill for him."

"You can do that?" asked Blake.

"In a sense," said Gin. "In a way, it's not all that different from how things went with Master Yu. It's the essence behind a great many activities that are risky or potentially dangerous. You embrace your fear for the sake of an adrenaline rush, which then turns it into a source of enjoyment."

"Like people who watch horror movies," said Ruby, her eyes widening.

"Right," said Gin, nodding slightly, "or even combat. When you're young, you fear pain and violence. But, once you've trained, the excitement of battle, that experience of fear, can become enjoyable, even intoxicating for some, like it is for our Master."

"He likes fear?" asked Yang, blinking in surprise.

"He's an addict," said Gin with a roll of his eyes. "The problem is that there hasn't been anyone in God knows how long who can actually make him experience that rush, so he's been going through a decades-long withdrawal...hence why he's been training us."

"Huh..." said Yang, a bit confused.

"In any case, it's okay," said Ruby, looking to Blake. "It's fine that it might take you longer to get over it. It's not a contest. Just relax for now."

"All right," said Blake with a sigh. Yang helped her to stretch out on the mattress so that she could lie down. Were it not for what happened next, she might have fallen asleep then and there.

Someone knocked on the door of their room. Making sure that Blake was settled, Yang got up and headed over and opened it. She was surprised to find a handsome, yet effeminate boy standing there waiting with a neutral expression.

"Can I help you?" she asked, slightly confused.

Ruby leaned over to see who was there and gasped. "It's you!" she exclaimed.

"Hello," said Ajax's teammate. "I hope I didn't come at a bad time."

* * *

"I swear to God, if you don't shut up, I'm going to ask the guard for ear plugs," declared Weiss, glaring at the wall that separated her from the most obnoxious man in the world. _And I thought Arc's flirting was headache-inducing._

"Aw, don't be like that, Ice Queen," teased Roman. "That's so cold." He laughed at his pun, while Weiss groaned.

"I hate you so much," she ground out.

"That's the idea," said Roman with another laugh. "You and your little friends were a headache for me, so now I get to be one for you now."

Weiss wondered if that really was Ozpin's intention in placing Roman's cell next to hers. She'd only been given a few blissful hours of silence when Roman had gone to sleep for the night, then the occasional break from his chattering when one or the other of them was allowed out for meals or recreation. Thankfully, they were scheduled separately for those things. Roman seemed to have made it his personal mission to make her time in this cell a living hell.

Her eyes drifted to the plea bargain, where it rested on her room's shelf. Now she was considering signing it simply because doing so would get her sent to a regular prison, where she could be away from Torchwick, although, at this point, she was liable to ask for a pen just so she could use it to gouge out her ears.

"You should be grateful, honestly," said Roman. "Now that we're neighbors, you can be assured that you aren't sticking your neck out. With how you and your friends were going, that was just an invitation to get your heads chopped clean off."

"You think you're that dangerous," retorted Weiss skeptically.

"Oh, I'm plenty dangerous," said Roman with a laugh. "But I'm not the one you really need to be worried about."

"Your employer?" guessed Weiss.

"Right," said Roman with a sigh. "You should be glad that you're getting your trial, Ice Queen. At least you'll get transferred out of this place."

"To a prison in Vale," said Weiss, "then to Atlas."

"Better than staying here, let me tell you," said Roman, folding his arms behind his head, his smile fading as he stared up at the ceiling. "I'm not happy to be stuck at Ground Zero."

"Ground Zero?" asked Weiss, her eyes widening. "They're going to attack the Academy?"

"Uh...duh," said Roman with a roll of his eyes. "The Kingdom, the Academy, the whole shebang. These people want to bring everything down."

"How?" gasped Weiss.

"Damned if I know," said Roman. "I'm just a low-tier piece. They don't bother telling a guy like me their whole plan, not when I might get captured by the enemy and spill it. But, if I guessed, I'd think they'd do it during the Festival."

"Why would they wait for that?" asked Weiss.

"Well, if there's one thing I've noticed about the boss, she likes using the Grimm for her plans," said Roman. "That and she...and whoever else is working with her...have it out for all the Kingdoms as a whole. What better time to do it than during the Vytal Festival? The entire world is gonna be watching as one of the bastions of mankind comes crumbling down. That'll spark fear in everyone watching, and you can bet the other Kingdoms will have their hands full soon enough."

Weiss scoffed silently. Sure, maybe the other Kingdoms would experience difficulties. But her homeland of Atlas wasn't so frail. They were the most powerful, prosperous, and advanced of all the Kingdoms. They'd tamed the harsh continent of Solitas, which even the Grimm couldn't roam without freezing to death.

She considered taking Roman's information. Maybe she could use it to bargain with Ozpin, convince him to drop the charges against her. However, she realized that no one was likely to believe her. She could scarcely believe was the thief was saying herself. He was probably just toying with her.

Before Roman could start bludgeoning her ears with his voice, someone rapped hard on the door to her cell.

"Message for you, Schnee," announced the guard, not waiting for her to answer him. Weiss resisted the urge to growl angrily at his curt use of her name, completely devoid of respect of care for its status. But, then again, she was a prisoner...and these guards weren't trained to be polite.

"Who is it from?" she asked, sitting up.

The door opened and the guard came in with a small piece of paper, presumably with the message printed on it. "Winter Schnee," he answered, holding the paper out to take her.

Weiss tried to keep from appearing too eager as she snatched the paper from his hand. Even as she did, the other part of her was trying to swallow her disappointment that Winter's message was so brief that it only needed such a small piece of paper to be printed on.

She didn't bother to thank the guard, who stepped out and shut the door, not waiting for a response.

"Ooh! Message from home?" asked Roman in his annoyingly teasing tone.

Weiss didn't bother to snap at him, hardly even hearing his voice as she stared in confusion at the four words that made up Winter's message to her. _Take the plea bargain._

 _That's it? That's all she has to say?_ thought Weiss, disappointment and a sense of betrayal raging through her. Winter was telling her to just roll over and plead guilty. _Why?_

There must have been something to this, some kind of hidden meaning or message she wasn't getting. Racking in her brain, Weiss couldn't figure out what that might be. The message was only four words long, so it wasn't as though there was a lot to extrapolate meaning from here. Nothing stood out in her mind that suggested some kind of secret message either. It was a plain instruction, one she couldn't ignore.

Weiss pondered it, completely ignoring Roman's jibes and attempts at further conversation, tuning him out completely. _If I took the plea deal...what would that do for me?_

She thought about the offer, the dropping of the extra charge and the reduction of her sentence. That wasn't much of a carrot to dangle, all things considered. But, if she did accept the bargain...or lost the trial (which was likely, as much as she didn't want to admit it), she'd be sentenced to imprisonment and then...

 _I'd be deported to Atlas,_ thought Weiss, her eyebrows going up. _That must be it! Winter wants me to accept the bargain so that I'll be sent to Atlas. She has much more pull over there. She can get me out if I'm in an Atlesian prison._

But why accept the bargain? _Because it will help my case fade from the public's mind,_ she thought. If she allowed the case to go to trial, there was no doubt it would be heavily publicized; the former SDC heiress, charged with attempted murder of her own teammate and leader. That would make headlines across the world. People would be talking about it constantly. They would follow her situation even when she was deported to Atlas. If Winter got her out after that, the outcry would cast a pall on her military career.

So, instead, Winter was advising her to accept the plea bargain so that the public would lose interest faster. That had to be it. Frowning in concentration, Weiss examined the message once more and nodded to herself. Her reasoning was sound. Winter was clearly too busy with her military work to speak to Weiss directly, but had chosen to do what she could to help her.

Content with her reasoning, Weiss called for the guard again. She couldn't put this off. She'd have her lawyer here within the hour, and tell him she'd agreed. _This is my chance!_

* * *

 **So, yeah, when you haven't been invited to do so, bringing in a bunch of airships from your own Kingdom, then parking them in another Kingdom's airspace isn't the kind of thing that goes over well with the people in charge. Of course, not having saved everyone from the breach that didn't happen, thanks to Ruby, Ironwood finds that his forces are now less-than-welcome in another Kingdom. It's almost as though coming in with your own small army could potentially be taken the wrong way.**

 **Blake's a lot braver than I am. In my case, I'm arachnophobic. It's not severe. I can handle the small spiders, from a distance. It's the big, hairy ones that freak me out. I can't even look at their pictures without getting the heebie-jeebies, one of the things that made looking into background info to help writing Viola earlier on pretty difficult. You won't see me trying exposure therapy anytime soon, not with spiders...**


	56. Chapter 56

**Chapter 56:**

An awkward silence filled the room as everyone stared at the boy standing in their doorway, who shifted awkwardly as he stared back.

Yang couldn't deny that he was easy on the eyes, sporting a head of rich, golden hair, cascading in a smooth wave down past his shoulders, practically shining beneath the lights in a way that made her want to sigh with envy. Likewise, the skin of his face was smooth and unblemished, almost like Ayumu's, but lacking the boyish roundness Ayumu's face sported. Instead, its profile was thinner, more elegant, almost feminine. He stared at them with calm, gray eyes that reminded Yang of storm clouds on the horizon.

He was dressed in a tight-fitting, black outfit that highlighted his slender figure, perfectly proportioned limbs that were neither too long, nor too short. They were thin enough to appear graceful and light, but thick enough to keep from looking bony. His top was a black, button-down shirt, with a tight collar that hugged his neck and gold embroidery that highlighted the centerline down his chest and outlined the pockets to either side of it, with more gold decorating the cuffs of his sleeves and a line running up each arm, over his shoulders and up to the edge of his collar. His pants were comparatively plain, hugging his legs tightly, but sporting no embroidery or flare of any kind.

The young man stood calmly at ease, arms folded behind him at the small of his back. His posture was straight, with almost military precision. Taken as a whole, he looked like the kind of person who would have been at home in the circles that Weiss used to move in...before she'd been arrested…an elegant socialite, rather than a fledgling Huntsman.

"May I...may I come in?" asked the man politely, hesitating a little in his request, fully aware of the awkwardness. "I don't wish to make a spectacle of this."

"Of what...exactly?" asked Yang, her eyes narrowing.

"He's Ajax's teammate," said Gin calmly.

"What?" gasped Yang, her eyes flickering red as they focused on the boy, who flinched nervously.

"Yang!" exclaimed Ruby. "Stop!"

Yang blinked and looked in confusion at her sister, who was looking at the boy instead. "Please, come in."

"Thank you," said the boy, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Chrysanthos Floris, the leader of Team Charcoal." He smiled pleasantly, his demeanor reminding them all slightly of Ayumu. "Pleas, call me Chrys."

"Okay..." said Yang hesitantly. "What do you want, _Chrys?_ "

"Yang!" said Ruby sharply. "Behave."

"He's the one who stopped Ajax in the hall," added Gin.

Chrys dipped his head towards the couple. "I came to apologize for my partner's actions. I'm appalled at his behavior towards you."

"Tripping me with ice isn't exactly something to get worked up over," said Ruby.

Chrys shook his head slowly, the movement tossing that magnificent wave of blonde hair in a manner that was almost hypnotic. "That was just the setup," he said. "I made Ajax turn over what was in his other hand after we left. Doubtless he has more, but..." He withdrew his right hand from behind his back and extended it out, opening it to reveal a black crystal in his hand.

"Gravity-Dust?" asked Ruby, leaning forward to get a better look at it. That didn't look quite right. The black crystal was too black to be gravity-Dust, a Dust-type she was intimately familiar with, due to her extensive use of it, back when she still had Crescent Rose. It was missing the purple highlights that denoted gravity-Dust as well.

"No," said Blake, sitting up on her bed and inspecting the Dust in Chrys' hand. "That's...tar-Dust."

"Tar-Dust?" Ruby's eyes widened, remembering it from some of her makeup readings for their Dust Science class.

Tar-Dust was a composite of earth, water, and fire-Dust. Its properties could vary widely, depending on the ratios of each used in its composition. Its most common form was of a black, viscous, sticky, somewhat elastic substance that could adhere to almost any surface. It was frequently used on airships and other vessels to affect emergency repairs to the hull or chassis. One of its more prominent forms was a clear jelly that would ignite on contact with air, and burn furiously for an extended period, while clinging to virtually any surface it attached to. Ruby had read that it had seen extensive use during the Great War, but was outlawed by the Treaty of Vytal...though there were reports and rumors that it was used by some of the human forces during the Revolution as well.

"What kind is it?" asked Blake, her eyes narrowing.

"High earth, standard fire, minimum water," said Chrys with a sigh, dropping the crystal into Ruby's hand when she saw that he wanted her to take it. "It would have stuck firmly and been extremely hard to dislodge. I believe he intended to cover your face with it while you were down."

"If that had gotten in her nose and over her mouth..." said Gin darkly, while Ruby paled.

"He was trying to kill her?" snarled Yang, her eyes turning red again.

"I...doubt that," said Chrys, averting his eyes from Ruby. "At least, I _hope_ he wasn't trying to kill you. Your partner should have been able to scrape it off with his claws."

"Why?" asked Ruby, aghast to learn that her former opponent had planned to do this to her.

"Well..." Chrys looked down. "He's been in a bad mood ever since your match. However, it's only gotten worse since the assembly."

"Because of what happened to Weiss," guessed Blake.

"What do you mean?" asked Yang, looking at Blake in confusion.

"Remember what Velvet and Coco told us," said Blake. "The Raptis Family has very close ties to the Schnees."

"That's it in a nutshell," agreed Chrys. "As one of the affiliates of, and the local distributor for, the SDC, the Raptis Family has strong ties with the Schnee Family, ties that Ajax and his father were looking to strengthen further."

"By marrying Weiss," guessed Blake once again.

"Huh?" Ruby and Yang both blurted out in surprise.

"It's true," replied Chrys. "I'm not certain how realistic their ambitions were, but Ajax intended to advance his name as a potential suitor for Ms. Schnee's hand. He was ecstatic when he learned that she was going to attend Beacon, as it would give him a chance to establish a relationship and ingratiate himself with her." He shook his head slowly. "I believe he may have harbored ambitions of repeating the accomplishment of Ms. Schnee's father, though he never said as much explicitly."

"Weird," said Yang. "All the time we've been here, and I've never seen him hanging around Weiss once. You'd think that the dance would have been the perfect chance for him."

"That was partly our doing," said Chrys. "My teammates and I made an effort to keep the opportunities for them to encounter one another to a minimum. We didn't want him to bother Ms. Schnee incessantly, and we figured that we were doing him a favor by keeping him from making such transparently selfish moves." He shrugged. "Although, we may have done him an even greater favor, considering what's come to light, even if he doesn't choose to see it that way."

"So he's upset that his chance to marry into the Schnee Family got shot to hell," said Yang. "And he's taking it out on Ruby."

"More or less," said Chrys with a disappointed sigh. "The sole remaining heir to the SDC is Ms. Schnee's younger brother, Whitley Schnee. Unfortunately, unless he happens to play for the other team, a marriage between him and Ajax is not in the cards."

"Yeah...I feel totally bad for him," deadpanned Yang with all the insincerity she could muster.

"I understand that you're upset," said Chrys, bowing his head towards them. "That is why I ask that, this time, you take my partner's actions as nothing more than a particularly vicious prank. I will do my utmost to rein him in and, hopefully, get him through this difficult phase of his. He'll have to get over it, sooner or later."

"And if he doesn't?" asked Gin, his tone stern and firm. "If he comes after Ruby again...?"

Chrys sighed, his entire body slumping and sagging. "If that happens, then...do what you must. You may even report me for not reporting him, despite knowing about his intentions. However, he is still my partner and we've been through a great deal together. I would like to make one more effort to turn him around."

Yang opened her mouth, preparing to tell Chrys to take his request and shove it. She would have happily gone straight to Goodwitch, and reported Ajax for trying to suffocate her sister with tar-Dust. However, she stopped when Ruby stood up, holding a hand out in front of Yang and meeting Chrys' eyes with a level gaze.

"All right," said Ruby, giving him a small smile. "Thanks for being honest with us, and taking the time to tell us."

Chrys sighed, in relief this time, and smiled back, bowing in a formal manner before Ruby. "I can't thank you enough for this," he said. "I'll try to make sure that Ajax learns his lesson."

"You'd better," growled Yang, feeling a bit petulant.

"Then, I shall take my leave," said Chrys, backing towards the door.

"Um...wait!" said Ruby quickly, holding out her hand with the tar-Dust crystal Chrys had let her examine. "You forgot this."

"You can keep it," said Chrys with a smile. "Like I said, Ajax undoubtedly has more. You may not find a use for it, but I don't need it back."

"Oh...All right," said Ruby, looking down at the crystal in her hand once more before closing her fingers around it.

Chrys let himself out of the room and closed the door behind him once again. A slightly awkward silence settled over Team RUBY as they pondered the implications behind this situation.

* * *

"So...this is where you trained with Ms. Nikos," said Ayumu, surveying the rooftop Jaune had led him to.

"Yep," said Jaune with a sigh, looking around. The setting was different from what he was used to. The afternoon sun shined down from overhead, lighting everything up extensively. Jaune was used to training during the evenings. Unfortunately though, Ayumu's evenings were spoken for, as he and Gin had their literacy classes in the final periods between dinner and curfew. With Ayumu's already substantial workload, Jaune was a bit reluctant to approach him about training. However, Jaune also knew that he needed to get stronger. Now that he no longer had Pyrrha to work with, Jaune figured that Ayumu, who was clearly just as skilled as Pyrrha, if not more-so, might be able to help him in Pyrrha's place.

"Keep in mind we should keep it down," said Jaune. "Team Cardinal's room is just below us."

Ayumu blinked, his smile descending slightly, though not ever becoming a true frown. "I had thought you were friends with them now."

"I am," said Jaune, rubbing his hair. "But, I just figured that we don't want them to overhear something related to your and Ruby's plan for the Vytal Festival."

"Ah, a good point," said Ayumu, his smile returning as he nodded his agreement. "Fortunately, I am not much for raising my voice."

"I noticed," said Jaune dryly. It was surprising how well Ayumu was fitting into the team in Pyrrha's place. Besides his phenomenal skill in the ring, Ayumu's patient, pleasant demeanor, bore a lot of resemblance to Pyrrha's, albeit with a genuine serenity that far surpassed anything Pyrrha was capable of. Ayumu was able to bear witness to the most incredible of Nora's absurdities and eccentricities without so much as twitching, accepting everything with a warm, gentle, serene smile. Whereas Pyrrha's polite demeanor had been as much a persona she'd adopted to fit her celebrity image, Ayumu's was born from his relaxed and easygoing manner.

Jaune averted his eyes slightly. "I know you have a lot on your plate now and I know that we don't really know each other all that well yet. But...I'm hoping that you can help me. I still need to get a lot better, if I'm not going to be a burden on my team."

"I see," said Ayumu. "This would be the fake transcript matter you told me about."

"That's right," said Jaune with a sigh.

"Well, I believe I can certainly give a few pointers," said Ayumu. "I am nowhere near as proficient an educator as Master Yu, but I hope that I can instruct you well enough." Then his smile slipped and he showed a rare frown. "However, the difficult part may be unpleasant."

"Yeah, I figured that much," said Jaune.

"Not for you," said Ayumu with a sigh. "It will be unpleasant for me."

"Come again?" asked Jaune.

"Well...before Master Yu joined up with us for the remainder of the journey to Vale, Gin and I were Ruby's teachers," explained Ayumu. "Except that, as Master Yu was more than happy to point out, we were nowhere near willing to force Ruby to push herself to her limits."

He looked up at Jaune. "I'm afraid that, if I'm really going to help you, I'm going to have to be harsh with you...but I am not very good at being harsh...even with people who've actually earned my enmity."

"...Okay," said Jaune, still a bit confused. "Well...you're still more of an expert than me, so, I'll leave it to you what you want to do."

"Very well then," said Ayumu. "May I see your weapon?"

"Uh...sure...why?" asked Jaune, pulling his weapon off his belt and handing it, sword and sheath both, to Ayumu.

Ayumu held the sheath in his left hand and drew the sword with his right. Almost immediately, the blade began to dip down and he had to visibly strain his arm to keep it level. "My...this is heavier than I thought."

"But your sword isn't that much smaller," Jaune pointed out.

"Yes, but it's much thinner and lighter," answered Ayumu, twisting his wrist to move Crocea Mors blade up and down. "My sword and the style I use to employ it are based around its exceptional cutting edge and dexterity, rather than power. Your sword is a more conventional one, one that has an effective edge, but also relies upon weight and power to make the cut."

"Okay," said Jaune.

"Sadly, my arms are not built to employ it in the same manner that you would," said Ayumu, handing the sheath back to Jaune. "But...if I use it like so..."

He stepped back from Jaune and took the sword up in both hands, holding it out in front of him so that the blade was parallel to the roof. Then he stepped forward, raising it over his head and bringing it down in an angled slash, stepping forward in the same motion, using the leftover momentum of his swing to carry the sword up and around so that he could bring it around into a side-slash. He went on to followthrough with more attacks, using the sword's weight and momentum to bring it around and into the next. His movements were so smooth and natural that he looked as though he'd been training with it for his whole life, making Jaune gape in shock.

Finally, Ayumu slowly brought the sword to a stop. Rotating his grip on it, he presented it, handle first, back to Jaune, who took it back reflexively, his envious gaze not leaving Ayumu's.

"I wish I was as talented as you," said Jaune.

"Ah, it's not talent, actually," said Ayumu. "It's something of a knack that I picked up over the course of my training. Master Yu's even better with it, of course."

"What kind of knack?" asked Jaune.

"Theoretically, if you can meet certain conditions, you should be able to command a weapon nearly perfectly from the moment you take it up in your hands," said Ayumu.

"How?" asked Jaune skeptically.

"Simply put, by picking up a weapon, you feel its weight, its balance, and its heft," said Ayumu. "That, combined with knowledge about its shape, the location of its edges or striking surfaces, should allow you to intuit how it needs to be wielded in order to make the best use of it. From there, so long as you have full command over your body and its motion, you should be able to naturally work out how to wield a weapon within the first few swings, if not sooner."

"That's...nuts," said Jaune.

"Like I said, the predicate is that you must have full command of your own body," said Ayumu, "the ability to make your body move exactly how you want it to, no matter the circumstances. That kind of command only comes through extensive training, so it's not as though I possess some God-given talent."

"Thank God for that," muttered Jaune.

Ayumu giggled lightly and nodded. "Master Yu's ability in this area is exponentially greater than mine. With his experience, there's hardly any weapon that he hasn't encountered before. But if he ever does encounter one, he can work out how to wield it with just a single touch. Even more than that, he can use his _Shingan_ to read his students and work out the best way for _them_ to wield said weapon."

"Huh?" said Jaune.

"My manner of swinging that sword is a good bit different from how you've been taught to swing it," said Ayumu, looking pointedly at Jaune. "Am I right?"

Jaune nodded.

"And I couldn't even dream of trying to wield the sword and shield together, because my build isn't the same as yours," continued Ayumu. "I could probably work out a suitable method for wielding Ms. Nora's hammer, but I couldn't use it the same way she does.

"Master Yu, on the other hand, can take it much further. With his _Shingan_ , he can analyze your build and balance, and tailor his lessons to find the best way of wielding the sword for you."

"So...you can't help me?" asked Jaune.

"Not as quickly or easily," said Ayumu. "But I do believe I can work out the best way to help you after seeing you in action. That said..." He drew Green Destiny and stood at the ready. "At your convenience."

Jaune gulped, remembering Ayumu's speed and precision during his match with Emerald. Taking his own stance, he readied himself to fight. For a long moment, neither of them moved. Ayumu stood patiently, taking in everything about Jaune, from his stance, to the position of his weapons, to the rhythm of his breathing, and the movement of his eyes.

As the silence dragged on between them, Jaune began to wonder how he should start. His eyes drifted to Ayumu's legs, wondering if he should attack the other boy's stance. That didn't seem likely, as Jaune also remembered Ayumu's acrobatic moves.

Then Ayumu was the one that moved, seeming to almost slide across the space between them, the shift between stillness and movement so smooth and subtle that Jaune almost didn't notice until Ayumu entered into striking distance, his blade a flashing, green blur, cutting through the air at Jaune's body. Jaune reacted automatically, shifting his shield to catch the sword, which glanced off with a clang.

The first thing that Jaune noticed was how light the blow had been. It wasn't near as powerful as any of Pyrrha's strikes had been, to say nothing of how hard Yang could hit. The impact barely even reached his arm. Ayumu's sword bounced away, but the deft movement of Ayumu's wrist allowed him to bring it back around to slash from a new angle. Jaune quickly shifted the shield to catch it again. Ayumu began to go through a rapid flurry of swift slashes and thrusts that forced Jaune to work just to keep up with them, even if the power behind them didn't trouble him any.

Because Ayumu's sword moved so swiftly, Jaune had begun to narrow his focus on it in order to figure out where to place his shield next. However, that proved to be a mistake, as Ayumu's next swing caused Jaune to hold his shield out to the side to block it. Too late, Jaune realized that he'd left his entire front exposed as Ayumu stepped forward and slammed the palm of his left hand against Jaune's chestplate, blowing Jaune back off his feet and sending him sprawling onto the roof, his armor clattering and scraping.

"Ow," grumbled Jaune, getting to his feet.

"Interesting," said Ayumu, his sword now being held in a reverse-grip so that its flat rested against his arm, the pommel pointing straight down.

"That bad, huh?" asked Jaune.

"Well...I wouldn't say bad," demurred Ayumu. "It's true that there is a great deal of room for improvement..."

"That's just another way of saying that I suck," grumbled Jaune.

"Well, if you're going to take that attitude about it, then absolutely," said Ayumu.

"Huh?" blinked Jaune.

"The key to improving is to take a look at what you could stand to improve," said Ayumu. "That means confronting your failings head-on. Dismissing them simply by asserting that you suck, or other declarations of your inadequacy, is counterproductive. You must look at what you are doing, then move from there to look beyond, at what you _can_ do."

"So...what then?" asked Jaune.

"Allow me to provide my assessment," said Ayumu cheerfully. "At the moment, you are suited to a more defensive stance. I doubt you've had much practice in the types of mobility techniques most of our peers use...no fancy acrobatics, I mean."

"Right..." said Jaune, figuring as much. He would have loved to perform some of the incredible jumps, flips, spins, and dodges that nearly every other student in his year could do without even needing to think about it, but he'd hardly managed anything of that sort yet.

"That being said, you have a very solid defense," said Ayumu. "Your skill with your shield, and your ability to keep up with my pace of attack, is exceptional, given your limited level of training. You have a good idea of how to maneuver it to maximize its coverage of your body at any given moment, which is essential to proper shield use. I imagine, had I given you an opening, you are also quite deft at striking out from behind it now."

"So...I'm good at turtling then?" asked Jaune.

"Quite," said Ayumu cheerfully. "There's nothing wrong with that. Did you know that, in Mistral, nearly all forms of martial arts begin from a defensive stance? In most of those arts, one is almost never expected to strike first. That's how it became known as the Art of Self Defense."

"Really?" asked Jaune, his eyes wide. "That's cool...I guess. But it sounds kinda...I don't know...wimpy."

"You would think so," said Ayumu, "and many did. However, it has nothing to do with principle or moral philosophy. Instead, it was a development born of ruthless, cold-blooded pragmatism."

"How's that?" asked Jaune.

"Simply put, wait and invite your enemy to attack," said Ayumu, "watch for an opening. Then, when it appears, exploit it mercilessly."

"So...watch and wait," said Jaune. "I can do that."

"Good," said Ayumu. "But the key to that is patience. Your opponent may have a similar philosophy, in which case, the battle becomes one of stillness, as each tries to out-wait the other. In our exchange, I waited and moved when you began to attack."

"But I didn't attack," said Jaune.

"No...but you _wanted_ to, didn't you?" inquired Ayumu.

"I...I did," said Jaune.

"Do you know how I could tell?" asked Ayumu.

"Um...you read my intent, right?" asked Jaune, remembering Ayumu, Gin, and Ruby talking about that frequently.

"That much is true," said Ayumu. "But, you hadn't yet committed to the attack yet. Instead, it's something much simpler. I watched your eyes."

"My eyes?" Jaune blinked in surprise.

"Yes," said Ayumu. "That's the first thing you need to correct. When you are fighting, your eyes shouldn't leave your opponent's unless absolutely necessary."

"Huh?"

"I attacked when I saw your eyes start to wander, looking for targets to strike," said Ayumu. "For me, that was the first sign that your defense was slackening. From there, I was able to catch you off-balance and force you onto a purely reactive defense, which narrowed your focus to my sword, before you opened yourself to a strike from my opposite hand."

"So...I messed up by looking away from your eyes," said Jaune.

Ayumu nodded. "When we're fighting, you should focus on my eyes. Right now, when you attack, you look at where you want to attack, which tells me your target, and exactly what I need to do to counter you. You have to learn to utilize your peripheral vision to monitor the flow of the battle, without your eyes leaving your opponent's. Not only does that help hinder my ability to read your movements, but it will allow you to read and react to mine without neglecting the rest of your body."

"All right," said Jaune. "What about this _Shingan_ thing you and the others keep talking about?"

"You aren't ready for that," said Ayumu earnestly. "You first need to learn how to distribute your awareness to your other senses. Developing your ability to observe with your peripheral vision is the first step in that, as it teaches you to keep from narrowing your focus."

"All right," said Jaune.

"Don't get discouraged," said Ayumu simply. "It's an undeniable fact that you are considerably behind your teammates. However, the only way to overcome that is to apply yourself to the fullest extent possible. If you truly want to reach their level, you cannot allow yourself to the luxury of doubt."

"Right," said Jaune, swallowing.

"As such, I will do my utmost to endeavor to be...rough...with you," said Ayumu. "And...if I cannot, though I do not wish to go to such extremes, I could introduce you to my Master."

That made a chill run down Jaune's spine. Considering what he'd heard about what Yu Yuen had done to train these three, he didn't want to know how the man would train him. All Jaune _did_ know was that it would be painful in the extreme.

Although, if Ayumu followed through on what he intended to, then Jaune's training promised to be painful regardless. Jaune swallowed and sank back into his opening stance once again. _No pain, no gain,_ he thought remembering the old athletic adage with no small amount of trepidation.

* * *

"Well...that was interesting," said Yang into the empty silence that Chrys left behind him.

"Yeah," said Ruby with a sigh. "I guess we...or I...had better be careful from now on. There's no telling who might hold a grudge over this."

"Well, Ajax's situation with Weiss is very specific," said Blake. "I'm more worried about students who were fans of Pyrrha."

"Yeah...that could be a problem," agreed Ruby nervously.

"She's a celebrity, right?" asked Gin.

"She was," said Yang with a sigh. "She had endorsements and sponsorships, the whole shebang. Heck, she was even on the front of a cereal box."

"Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for the admirers of people like that to behave irrationally with regard to things that damage the reputation of the object of their admiration," said Blake. "A lot of Pyrrha's fans could be upset with you for ruining her reputation, no matter how little right they had to actually be angry over it."

"Of course, there's probably gonna be a backlash against her too," said Yang. "I bet her parents are gonna be in some serious hot water, when her fans find out what she's done."

Ruby sighed. "Well...there's nothing we can do about it, except to just keep going."

Gin rested a hand on her shoulder. "You have us with you, so you'll be fine."

Ruby smiled and leaned against him.

Silence fell on the room once again. Blake was still worn out from the tension of forcing herself to touch Gin's scales, so she lay back down on the bed again and closed her eyes, resting her arm across them for good measure. Ruby leaned against Gin, resting her head on his shoulder as he leaned back, the two of them basking in the quiet. In the meantime, Yang looked around for something she could do...or not do for that matter.

Then Ruby's scroll chimed, the sudden noise making her jump in surprise, before she frantically fished it out of her pocket and opened it up to reveal a message from Glynda.

"What is it?" asked Yang, leaning forward. Behind her, Blake lifted her head off the pillow again to look across at Ruby.

"It's Weiss and Pyrrha," said Ruby, making everyone else in the room tense. "They've accepted the plea bargain, both of them."

Blake breathed out and relaxed her head back against the pillow. "That's good," she said.

"Yeah," said Ruby. "Now the case won't go to trial. Weiss and Pyrrha will just be sentenced and we can all move on." She blinked as another chime sounded from her scroll as she finished speaking. "What now?"

The message from Glynda was actually an instruction this time. "She wants us to turn on the news."

"Uh oh," said Yang, already pulling out her scroll and turning on the television projector in their room. The screen appeared and, in a second, Yang switched the channel to the local news. The anchors were already talking a mile a minute about the development, but no one in the room paid what they said any mind. The caption at the bottom of the screen said everything they needed to know.

 _SDC Heiress and Mistral Celebrity Charged with Attempted Murder._

"Geez! And the assembly was just this morning," said Yang with a groan. "The cat's out of the bag already."

"We're lucky they didn't find out about this before now," said Blake. "Ruby's been here for the better part of two weeks before the media caught on."

"Nothing we can really do about it now," said Ruby with a sigh. "I'll probably have to talk with Goodwitch about setting up that interview."

"Probably," agreed Gin with an apologetic smile.

"This is where things could get ugly," muttered Yang worriedly.

* * *

" _At the moment, the circumstances regarding the particulars of the crime remain unclear,_ " the Vale News anchor, Cyril Ian, was saying over the official images of Weiss Schnee and Pyrrha Nikos that dominated the screen. " _We have reached out to the Vale Police Department and Beacon Academy for comment. The VPD has yet to respond. However, the official response from Beacon Academy expressed disappointment and condemnation of the conduct of these two students, and that they had already been expelled. Back to you, Lisa._ "

The picture switched to the image of the Vale News Network's primary anchor, Lisa Lavender, looking as she always did, her namesake hair cut in a professional line that ended just above her shoulders, her yellow eyes narrowed and always seeming to scrutinize something off-screen. " _Thank you, Cyril,_ " she said. " _This news was brought to our attention by an anonymous tip from within Beacon itself. However, upon investigation, we found that the two suspects were officially imprisoned and charged last week. While there was no official announcement, it also appears that there was no attempt at a coverup. Despite that, the highly unusual handling of this case has drawn some criticism from those who have accused Beacon and the police of trying to conceal it._

" _At this point, the only other concrete fact known about the case is that the victim, Ruby Rose, is also a student of Beacon Academy. Ruby Rose drew some attention, back during the start of the current school year, for entering Beacon Academy a full two years early, at the invitation of its Headmaster, Professor Ozpin. Ruby Rose was reported Missing and Presumed Dead back in the late-spring, when she disappeared on a training mission for the Academy. The current case indicates that her disappearance was the result of the attempted murder the accused are now charged with. Ruby Rose has since returned to Beacon, her arrival bringing the accused's actions to light._

" _At the moment, there has been no official comment from Ms. Rose herself. We at the VNN have reached out through Beacon channels to obtain more information from her and are still awaiting a response._ "

Glynda sighed and shut off the screen. "So it's begun," she said, turning to Ozpin.

"I assume that one of the students called the news about this," said Ozpin.

"Well, it's not as though we forbade it," said Glynda. "Fortunately, we were able to at least preempt the news when it came to making sure our students learned about this. It would have been a sore point if they had learned about the situation from the news, rather than from us."

"True," agreed Ozpin. "So far, things are going about as well as we hoped. What else is there?"

Glynda brought up her scroll and looked through it. "The news is actually a bit behind the current pace of events," she said. "They haven't yet learned that Ms. Nikos and Ms. Schnee have both accepted the plea bargains and, thus, plead guilty for their crimes. I imagine that should reach them sometime later this evening. I'd be surprised if it took until tomorrow for them to find out."

Ozpin nodded.

"Also, Ms. Rose has asked to meet with me about setting up an interview with the press," said Glynda. "We'll probably schedule it on Sunday, when she's off from her classes."

"It saddens me that she have to give up one of her rare days off for this," said Ozpin. "But I suppose it can't be helped. It's better to deal with this sooner, rather than later. The more opening and accommodating we are, the less the press will see this as an attempt to cover this up. Once Ms. Rose's version of events is out, that will hopefully sate the media's hunger for more information, especially when they learn that Ms. Schnee and Ms. Nikos have fully admitted their guilt."

Glynda nodded. "I've already scheduled a meeting with Ruby tomorrow afternoon. Do you have an idea of who we should reach out to?"

Ozpin looked at where the screen had been hovering a moment earlier. "The Vale News Network has always done an excellent job of valuing accuracy over sensationalism, and Ms. Lavender has always been quite amicable in her interviews. I imagine she would be our first choice."

"So be it," said Glynda. "I'll provide an updated statement to the press and let them know about Ms. Rose's intent."

"Please do," said Ozpin. "By the way, while we're on the subject, I received an interesting piece of news from the Council practically the moment Ms. Schnee's guilty plea was entered."

"Oh...?" Glynda raised an eyebrow.

"It appears that they received a special request, through James, from her sister," said Ozpin.

"Winter...?" Glynda frowned. "I'm hoping she doesn't want us to suspend Ms. Schnee's sentence."

"Far from it," said Ozpin, sending the file to Glynda's scroll. "I think you'd be surprised."

Glynda read the information about Winter's request, her eyes widening.

* * *

Ruby fought to keep from breaking out into a nervous sweat as she and Glynda sat on chairs in the waiting room for their interview with Lisa Lavender. Ruby had imagined being on the news one day, when she was doing great things as a Huntress. She'd never imagined that she'd be in an interview before her career had even started, to say nothing of being interviewed over something like this.

It didn't help that the official breaking of the news had made the remainder of the week rather tense for her and her friends. Everywhere she went, hushed whispers followed her. She chose to ignore most of them, yet couldn't keep her curiosity completely in check.

They were a mixed bag. Some of the other students expressed curiosity about the particulars of the incident, but had yet to work up the will to approach her directly. Others had expressed pity over what had happened to her, which Ruby didn't exactly appreciate, but didn't mind either. Then there were those who suggested she was doing this whole thing solely as a way of getting attention, which she silently scoffed at. Then there were those who appeared to think that Weiss and Pyrrha's only mistake was not doing the job right, which hurt considerably, though she kept that to herself, having expected as much from the very beginning.

Worse were the more overt expressions of hostility. In the hallways, in the cafeteria, in the library, Ruby found herself always around at least a few students who were not happy with what she had done. Most were content to keep their distance and mutter unhappily. However, others made efforts, however petty and childish they were, to act on their hostility. She'd lost count of the number of students who'd tried to bump into her in the hallways, or knock her books out of her hands. In the cafeteria, there were the efforts to trip her as she made her way between tables, along with the occasional thrown fruit. In class, she found herself the target of spitballs from students sitting in the rows behind her.

It angered Yang to no end, and even Blake was showing impatience with the continued pettiness and juvenile behavior of their classmates. Jaune and Nora were likewise incensed, the latter making many an offer to break a few legs to get people off Ruby's back. Gin and Ayumu, on the other hand, were taking things surprisingly well, despite the fact that they had been the subject of some malicious gossip themselves, Gin in particular. At first, Ruby had been afraid that Gin, like Yang, would be tempted to lash out at the people who were threatening and bullying her. However, Gin, Ayumu as well, instead remained calm, telling Ruby to consider it an extension of her training.

That was exactly how Ruby ultimately chose to deal with it. Following Gin and Ayumu's advice, she had taken advantage of this environment of intermittent hostility as an opportunity to practice maintaining her full combat-level awareness at all times. It was working too. None of the efforts by her fellow students had yet managed to actually cause her any trouble.

When her classmates attempted to knock her off-balance in the hallways by bumping into her, Ruby generally rode out the impact and gracefully continued on as though nothing happened. Attempts to knock her books out of her arms were countered by shifting her position so that they were out of reach, while her attacker was often left with an arm awkwardly raised, unable to follow through without making the effort look obvious. She stepped easily over extended legs in the dining hall, without even breaking stride. Just shifting her body slightly allowed her to avoid thrown objects and she sometimes even caught them without looking. At one point, someone had thrown a perfectly good strawberry at her. Ruby had caught it and, upon examination to determine that it hadn't been tampered with, had promptly popped it into her mouth, much to the humorous consternation of the thrower.

Similarly, she made something of a game of dodging the spitballs and paper airplanes thrown her way in class, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible, as though she didn't even notice the projectiles launched her way and only "just happened" to move at exactly the right instant to dodge them. Sensing the irritation of her would-be tormentors, and imagining the faces they were stifling for the sake of appearance, nearly had her breaking down in laughter at times.

Because of that, while it had been a tense and fraught week for her and her friends, Ruby felt she was doing rather well. It helped that the hostility was largely focused on her alone. Her teammates were largely left alone. No one was stupid enough to try and taunt or tease Yang to her face, after all. Jaune, Ren, and Nora were largely left alone, mostly out of a similar fear of Nora. Only Ayumu and Gin faced any real harassment, and they dealt with it even more gracefully than Ruby herself did.

Despite that, Ruby couldn't quite shake the feeling that matters had yet to reach their climax. These expressions of hostility that had dogged her throughout the week had remained rather tame. However, the anger of those who held those feelings had yet to abate. In fact, with each attempt to humiliate her she avoided, Ruby could feel it building more and more. Things would come to a head, sooner or later.

In the big scheme of things, this interview seemed relatively minor. Ruby and Glynda had only arranged it to satisfy the press and, hopefully, get them to leave Ruby alone for the most part, once they had her side of the story. However, it remained to be seen whether or not it would help or hurt her situation back at Beacon.

"Nervous?" asked Glynda, giving Ruby one of her rare, reassuring smiles.

"Yeah," admitted Ruby, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

"It's understandable," said Glynda. "I'm glad that you agreed to do this. It will give people less to speculate about, which will help things settle faster."

"That's good," said Ruby. Amongst those sympathetic to her, like Team CFVY, she'd learned that reporters from the VNN, and other news providers, reputable or otherwise, had been staking out the docks for airships from Beacon, practically jumping every student they could catch and asking questions regarding the case. Some had been more aggressive than others.

In fact, the night prior to this interview, the Vale News Network had run a collection of statements from the various students they'd managed to interrogate on the topic of Weiss and Pyrrha, her, the legitimacy of her presence at Beacon, and the nature of the incident itself. Responses varied, but Ruby wasn't surprised to see that a great many of them had been negative. Those people who held low opinions of her had been the most willing to speak out about her, and share their opinions with the wider world, while those who knew or respected her tried to keep as succinct as they could out of respect for her privacy, if they didn't try to dodge the questioning altogether.

She supposed she was gratified that the news itself didn't form any opinions. However, the talkshows were supposedly abuzz with speculation about the situation, some of it negative, some positive. Ruby made it a point not to keep track of such things, sure that it would only upset her, especially when Glynda assured her that such shows had no pull amongst Beacon's faculty, even if some of the student body were affected. Unfortunately, in that area, there was little they could do except take things as they came.

Other news had seeped out through the week as well. Jacques Schnee, Weiss' father, had made an announcement that he was deeply disappointed with his daughter's actions, and trusted that Vale's Council and judiciary would see that justice was done. In the meantime, he was naming his youngest child and son, Whitley, as the new heir of the SDC.

Likewise, a spokesperson hired by Pyrrha's parents in Mistral had declared that Pyrrha's mother and father were deeply disturbed by their daughter's actions and expressed nothing but disappointment at how she had thrown her potential for true greatness away to act upon a petty grudge. Pyrrha's parents had also apparently withdrawn from the public sphere, and there were reports that they were receiving death threats from incensed former-fans of Pyrrha.

Ruby sometimes wondered if she was receiving such letters herself. However, Glynda informed her that the people working the Beacon mailroom were being very discerning about filtering her mail. Right now, the only letters she should be receiving were from family or trusted friends, which, fortunately, narrowed the pool down considerably. Ruby was glad for that, not wanting to learn how many of Pyrrha's fans and supporters wanted her head on a pike for damaging their precious idol's image.

The door leading to the stage opened and Lisa Lavender herself appeared there, smiling gently. In contrast to her sharp, businesslike demeanor on the screen, in private, Lisa had proven to be a polite and friendly woman, though Ruby thought she might have been acting that way in order to make it easier for them to talk. She appeared to be exceptionally good at getting her subjects to open up to her. Ruby figured she wouldn't know, until after the interview, if that was a good or a bad thing.

"We're ready for you," said Lisa with that polite smile that Ruby guessed was tailor-made to put her at ease, though she was grateful for it all the same.

"All right," said Ruby, getting up, along with Glynda. The three of them made their way out onto the stage.

* * *

 **I gotta admit, it's a bit tricky to work how to develop Jaune's fighting sometimes. I remember reading the rants of another writer on this site, with him going off on how silly it was that Jaune was such a complete mess with a _sword and shield_ , when they're so easy...which had me going...Have you ever tried to fight with a sword and shield? I haven't, I'll admit, but I know enough to realize that even relatively basic weapons have a lot of nuance to their use, and require a lot of dedicated practice to master properly. Swinging a sword isn't such a simple thing, and using a shield, especially over the course of a protracted battle, can't be the easiest thing in the world either. What that doesn't change is that, no matter how you shake it, Jaune's fighting style is pretty...vanilla...especially when you compare it to all the outlandish stuff other RWBY characters can do. Even upgrading it with a two-hander mode in Volume 4 doesn't really amount to a huge change in that respect.**

 **Anyways...**

 **Chrysanthos Floris: Chrysthanthos means "golden flower" in Greek. Appearance wise, Chrys is the pretty-boy, the Bishonen. He's a pretty upstanding guy, when all is said and done, primarily there to make it apparent that not everyone at Beacon is pissed about Ruby's return. There isn't a lot to say about him right now, but stay tuned. We will see him again.**


	57. Chapter 57

**Chapter 57:**

The room for the interview was actually rather tastefully appointed, given its purpose. It looked more like the sitting room of a high-class home than a place where a reporter was supposed to question people. Ruby supposed that was deliberate. It was a space calculated to put people at ease, making them more inclined to talk and share their thoughts than not. It was decorated in warm colors and wood. The two chairs she and Glynda seated themselves in were surprisingly comfortable, more-so than the chairs in the waiting room.

The chairs were angled so that they mainly faced each other, with Glynda and Ruby on one side, while Lisa occupied the chair on the other. However, they were at a slight angle to allow the two cameras on either side a good view of their faces without the cameras ever intruding into the space of the conversation itself.

Behind the cameras, the warm, comforting decor of the interview room gave way to the more cluttered and technical look of the news studio itself, where staff moved hither and yon, checking equipment and distributing orders. Ruby was amazed that they could maintain their hectic pace without tripping over the cables that seemed to tangle the floor like a spider's web or colliding with one another. The chairs were angled so that, when they were looking at Lisa, the studio beyond the set was out of view, though Ruby could still sense the movement of all the staffers with ease. She just hoped it didn't distract her too much, though none of them seemed to actually be giving her any thought, with how much they were concentrating on their tasks.

Ruby looked across at Lisa, who smiled back at her. "I'll let you know when the cameras are about to start rolling," she promised.

Ruby relaxed and glanced sidelong at Glynda, who flashed her another of the stern disciplinarian's rare smiles, which relaxed her even more, making Ruby glad that Glynda was there with her. When it came to setting up the interview, it was determined that Ruby would not be questioned alone, Glynda declaring that she would be there as well. Her presence served a dual purpose. Glynda would essentially be speaking for Beacon itself as an institution when it came to responding to questions aimed that way, while also serving as Ruby's guardian of sorts, with her father still on Patch. She would deflect any questions that were apparently making Ruby uncomfortable or that Ruby didn't want to answer, which Ruby hoped she wouldn't need to rely on too much.

"Cameras rolling in ten," declared a tech from offstage.

"Ten seconds," said Lisa, slowly counting down while Ruby took a deep breath to settle herself, closing her eyes and doing everything she could to let her anxiety flow away. When Lisa's count reached "two," Ruby opened her eyes as Lisa herself stopped counting out loud to avoid being caught by the cameras.

"Hello, and thank you all for tuning in," said Lisa, addressing the cameras, and the audience, first. "I am Lisa Lavender of the Vale News Network. Here with me are two very important guests, central figures in the case against Weiss Schnee and Pyrrha Nikos, formerly of Beacon Academy. The first is Professor Glynda Goodwitch, Deputy Headmistress of Beacon Academy. The second is Ruby Rose, the victim of the crime that the perpetrators committed. Thank you both for coming."

"While we aren't exactly happy to be here, we do have to admit the necessity of something like this," said Glynda firmly.

"Of course," said Lisa. "Ms. Rose, thank you from taking time out of your busy schedule to join us."

"Um...You're welcome," said Ruby, unable to completely stifle her nervousness at being on a live program, which was probably being watched by hundreds, if not thousands right now, and would probably wind up being seen by millions before the week was out.

Lisa's lips quirked in a friendly smile. "Ms. Rose, the press has only been given the driest, most bare-bones version of the attempt on your life. I understand that recalling such an incident might be uncomfortable. However, it would help everyone if they had a more detailed statement of what happened the night you were attacked."

"All right," said Ruby. Truth be told, talking about what had happened that night tended to make her feel tired, more than anything else. She'd told the story to plenty of people, plenty of times by now. The memories had long lost their edge.

So she went into as detailed a description of what had happened as she could, describing Weiss and Pyrrha's plan: how they'd separated her from the rest of the group, attacked her without warning, cut her off from escape, and used her own feelings of fear and betrayal to draw the Grimm into their teams' camp to distract them from the sounds of battle. Finally, she wrapped up the story by explaining how Pyrrha had destroyed Crescent Rose and Weiss had stabbed her, then knocked her over the cliff.

In her retelling, Ruby kept back certain details, mainly the real reason Pyrrha had joined with Weiss. Part of that was because they had only learned that later. The main reason was that they didn't want to drag Jaune and the whole drama surrounding Pyrrha's obsession with him into the light if they could avoid it.

Throughout the story, Lisa remained mostly silent, only occasionally asking questions for clarification and curiosity, mostly allowing Ruby to completely relate the story of what happened. Once Ruby wrapped up, Lisa was looking a little pale, apparently discomfited by the idea that two people were capable of such cold-blooded betrayal.

"That truly is remarkable," she said after Ruby finished. "I'm very impressed that you managed to survive."

"There's nothing to be impressed about," said Ruby. "If Gin and Ayumu hadn't found me before I bled out or the Grimm finished me off, I _wouldn't_ have survived."

"Ah, yes, the two young men who accompanied you back to Beacon," said Lisa, her eagerness increasing at this potential new angle. "It is my understanding that they have replaced the culprits on their respective teams."

"That's right," said Glynda. "Ayumu Ao has replaced Ms. Nikos on Team Juniper, which has been re-designated Team January. Gin Ueno has replaced Ms. Schnee on Team Ruby."

"There has been some speculation that these boys have not properly earned their place in Beacon," said Lisa, "and that their enrollment has largely been a reward for their rescue of Ms. Rose."

"That is baseless speculation," said Glynda. "It is true that certain liberties were taken in interpreting the rules of what constitutes an appropriate initiation for incoming students. By the standards of our initiation, the journey that the three of them made to Beacon, on foot no less, would more than qualify. However, in addition to that, the three of them managed an exceptional accomplishment, even before setting foot in Vale."

"Are you referring to the planned terrorist attack that was being prepared out in Mountain Glenn?" asked Lisa, leaning forward.

"That is correct," said Glynda. "Criminal elements of Vale and an extremist faction of the White Fang were planning and preparing for a major attack on Vale, which Ms. Rose, and the two young men who accompanied her, thwarted. Given the extreme danger involved, we decided that their actions were more than appropriate as a substitute for the initiation."

"And you can confirm the severity of the threat that they prevented?" asked Lisa.

"I can," said Glynda. "Many of the details concerning the operation are classified. I can say, however, that the actions of Ms. Rose and her companions prevented would have resulted in massive damage and loss of life, had the perpetrators been permitted to go ahead."

"Remarkable," said Lisa. "And you believe that Ms. Schnee and Ms. Nikos' assertions are unfounded."

"You mean their perception of Ms. Rose's presence being an insult to Beacon's prestige?" Glynda lowered her head over her folded arms and let out a snort, a sound that Ruby never expected to hear from the strict and dignified teacher. "It is utterly preposterous," she said finally, the conviction within her tone filling Ruby with a warm happiness.

Glynda continued. "It is true that Ms. Rose was invited in under unusual circumstances and, had those circumstances not been present, she would most likely still be a student of Signal right now. However, in successfully completing the initiation, she more than demonstrated that she had the capability to excel as a student in Beacon, a capability that she has more than lived up to, even before her ordeal, which she chose to use as an opportunity to make herself even stronger.

"Since her enrollment, Ms. Rose has been held to the same standards as any other student in her year. There have been no allowances made to her age, yet she has proven to be capable of holding her own in all her classes. By all standards, she has been an excellent student, one that we are proud to have in our halls. If anything, students who are concerned with such worthless vanities are the ones doing a _true_ disservice to our Academy."

"But I understand you've had your doubts about her," prodded Lisa.

"That was true," said Glynda. "However, unlike what many assume, they have nothing to do with the Academy's prestige. I was worried about Ms. Rose's safety and wellbeing, and whether or not she was prepared for the rigorous demands of our school. I can now safely say she has completely dispelled my doubts regarding her right to be at Beacon."

"And so you are not worried about Ms. Rose representing Beacon during the Vytal Festival Tournament?" asked Lisa.

"If she and her team pass the qualification rounds, what is there to dispute?" asked Glynda. "Just as it was in her classes, there will be no special allowances to her age in the tournament either. We don't even have any control over that, so it's not as though we could do anything, even if we wanted to."

"I see," said Lisa, nodding to herself. "Ms. Rose..."

"Y-yes?" stammered Ruby, flinching and straightening up after being brought back into the conversation so suddenly.

Once again, that reassuring smile reappeared on Lisa's face, before fading as she got down to business. "How do you feel about Ms. Schnee and Ms. Nikos accepting a plea bargain by the prosecution?"

Ruby let out a long breath. "Actually...I feel relieved," she said.

"Relieved?" Lisa raised an eyebrow.

"I admit, I kinda fantasized about seeing the two of them on trial," said Ruby. "I wanted everyone to hear what they did and see all the evidence for themselves. But...a trial would have taken a lot of time and stress and..." She sighed and looked up at Lisa. "I just want to focus on becoming a Huntress. That's all I ever set out to do when I came to Beacon. I don't really care about ranks or prestige or fame or anything like that...I just wanted to be a Huntress, to fight the Grimm and protect people.

"I know that Weiss and Pyrrha pleading guilty doesn't mean they actually believe they did anything wrong. I don't really care about that anymore. As long as they can't hurt me or anyone else anymore, I'm fine with it."

"That's a very mature attitude to take," said Lisa with a degree of sincerity that Ruby hadn't expected from her. Her businesslike manner quickly returned to the fore. "I understand that this is the only interview you are planning on giving."

"That's right," said Ruby. "To be honest, I didn't really want to do this. But we figured that I should at least answer the questions people have about what happened to me."

"Unfortunately, as things stand, Ms. Rose doesn't have time for further interviews," said Glynda simply. "While she used her ordeal as an opportunity to improve her practical skills and has done so to an impressive degree, the unavoidable fact is that she missed the better part of a semester's worth of academic coursework, which she is now working very hard to get caught up on."

"I see," said Lisa. "Well, I'm grateful that you chose us for your interview." She turned her warm smile on Ruby. "And all of us here at the Vale News Network wish you luck on your continued endeavors, Ms. Rose."

"Thank you," said Ruby, smiling back.

* * *

After the interview wrapped up, Ruby found herself grateful that the VNN station had their own dedicated airship platform. A bullhead from Beacon was able to fly directly there and pick them up, sparing them the trouble of trying to navigate the streets to the public docks, where they would no doubt be hounded by other members of the press and curious citizens alike.

"You did very well, Ms. Rose," said Glynda reassuringly over the whine of the aircraft's engines.

"Thanks," said Ruby, feeling like she didn't quite deserve the praise. Beyond telling the story of what had happened to her that night, months ago, she felt she hadn't contributed all that much to the conversation, while Glynda had been the one doing most of the talking. Lisa, apparently out of respect for the privacy of Ruby and her family, had avoided asking questions about her personal life.

All told, with the preparation and travel time, the interview had taken about three hours to complete in total, not including the time they were now using to make the return trip to Beacon. Ruby was relieved to know it was over and, in spite of her desire to simply put the whole thing behind her, she was curious to know how it had been received by her fellow students.

However, at the moment, she merely wanted to rest. When she got back to Beacon, no doubt interest, both good and bad, in her would renew itself, even though it hadn't exactly been given much time to wane yet. She could only hope that this had worked the way she and Glynda hoped it would.

A few minutes later, she felt the cabin tilt as the bullhead shifted into its hovering configuration, slowly and easily descending towards the landing pad. The doors opened, allowing Ruby and Glynda to disembark. Ruby squinted at the transition from the dark bullhead interior to the afternoon sunlight. However, she quickly realized that her friends were waiting for her at the edge of the landing pad.

"You were great!" shouted Yang, rushing forward to sweep Ruby up in a hug, which she eagerly returned. Glynda walked past the group, trading nods with some of them as she made her way back to the Academy.

"You were watching?" asked Ruby, feeling her stomach squirm at the idea.

"You bet we were!" cheered Nora with an ear-to-ear grin.

Yang let her go, while Blake took her place, also hugging Ruby quickly. "You did just fine," said Blake.

"You got to tell your story, which is the important part," said Ren.

"By this point, anyone who doesn't believe it is an idiot," added Jaune.

Ruby felt a hand rest, almost like a drifting feather, on her shoulder. Looking at its owner, she relaxed upon seeing Ayumu beaming at her. He didn't seem to have anything to say, but the warmth of his gaze was enough for her. The air to her other side cooled slightly and a familiar set of fingers closed around her hand.

"Hey," she said, turning her smile to Gin, who returned it.

"Hey," he said back.

There wasn't really anything else for them to say. So, instead, Ruby leaned in and rested her head against his shoulder. Gin turned his body, reaching out an arm to pull Ruby up against him. Reflexively, her arms went around his shoulders, while Gin's hands brushed up and down her back. Ruby could hear the faint snickering and affectionate cooing of her friends at the two of them, but couldn't bring herself to care, Gin's cool touch already lulling her into a relaxed state that bordered on sleep.

After a couple of minutes, Ruby pulled away enough to look around and noticed that the rest of their friends were already heading back to the school. "Um..."

"It's okay," said Gin. "I already made plans."

"Plans?" Ruby blinked in surprise.

Gin nodded. "Well...I figured now might be a good time to take you on another date. You seemed to like the last one."

Seeing as their last real date had been their first one, all the way back in Weathertop, Ruby found herself nodding eagerly. She supposed those evenings she and Gin spent wandering around Withywindle might have counted as well, but she didn't feel like they could be called official dates.

"You aren't thinking of going into Vale, are you?" asked Ruby, tilting her head.

"Um...not yet," said Gin. "It'll probably take a few more weeks for things to blow over. But Yang and Blake helped me work out a date that we can do, here at Beacon."

"Great!" exclaimed Ruby eagerly.

* * *

"So, you think it's gonna work?" asked Jaune.

"Uh, how could it not?" asked Blake. "They're just going on a date. It's not as though Gin's planning a proposal or anything."

"He'd better not be," growled Yang, slamming her fists together. "I may trust him now, but that's over the line."

"Which is exactly why we don't have to worry about it," said Blake, rolling her eyes. "They're both plenty comfortable with how things are."

"I'm just a little worried," admitted Jaune. "I know those two will be happy if they can just have fun together. But it's not like there's a lot to do at Beacon that's date-worthy."

"That's why we helped Gin set this up," Ren pointed out. "Don't worry, they'll enjoy themselves just fine. We also made sure that there shouldn't be any worries about them running into other students."

"It's gonna be the best 'we're stuck in Beacon, so let's make the most of it' date _ever_ , for sure!" cheered Nora.

"I can't thank you enough for helping us with this," said Ayumu. "Gin doesn't have...any experience really...when it comes to dates. I'm not much help either, for that matter."

"It's fine," said Jaune with a laugh.

"Hey, guys! What's up?"

Their eyes all turned forward to see two familiar Haven students approaching. Sun and Neptune were coming down the hallway towards them.

"Hey, Sun," said Blake, meeting his eyes and catching a flash of his dashing smile, which made her cheeks turn slightly pink.

"We were just on our way back to the dorms," said Yang. "You guys want to come hang out with us."

"Sure," said Sun.

"Hey!" Neptune whispered, a strangely sober and serious expression on his face as he elbowed Sun in the ribs. "Don't forget why we came here, lover boy."

"Oh! Right!" Sun's smile faded and he actually grimaced as he scratched the back of his head. "Uh...I thought you guys were going to meet Ruby. Where is she?"

"She and Gin are on a date," said Yang, her eyes narrowing at the troubled look on the boys' faces. "Did you want to talk to her?"

"Uh...yeah," said Sun. "We saw the interview. She was great, by the way."

"Glad to hear you agree," said Blake. "But what's the problem?"

Neptune sighed. "The problem is something we should have told you guys about a while ago."

"Enough with the dramatic stalling!" protested Nora, throwing her arms up. "Out with it already!"

"You guys know about the late arrivals, right?" asked Sun.

"Of course," said Yang.

In truth, only a little over half of the students who were actually planning to participate in the Vytal Festival had participated in the exchange that had them spending a semester at Beacon. The rest had opted to remain at their own Academies, only coming to Vale when the Festival officially commenced. In fact, not even every member of every team participating in the exchange had come to Beacon. The other half of Sun and Neptune's team, SSSN, wouldn't be arriving until the festival.

"Well...one of 'em might be a problem," said Sun with a dark frown.

"What do you mean?" asked Yang.

"Ya see...in our year, there's this guy..." Sun sighed. "His name's Liu Bai. He's a diehard Pyrrha Nikos fanboy."

He pulled out a scroll to show them a picture of a young man with slightly tanned skin. His expression was intense, his ice-blue eyes staring piercingly out of the picture from beneath a head of white, spiky hair. The picture was of his head and shoulders, with a little bit of his chest. A dark-blue tank-top stretched over the powerful-looking muscles of his chest and allowed him to showcase similarly strong muscles on his shoulders and upper-arms. Even if it was just a profile picture, he looked plenty intimidating.

"Uh oh," said Blake.

"Um...How bad is he?" Jaune wanted to know.

"Collects her merch, recorded all her official matches, has a little shrine to her in the corner of his dorm room," said Sun, "all the classics."

"Ah, the super-creepy type. Gotcha," said Nora, nodding sagely.

"No wonder Pyrrha didn't want to go to Haven," said Yang, looking disturbed and disgusted.

"I'm guessing that he's not gonna take what happened to Pyrrha well," said Ren, his stoic mask faltering.

"That's putting it lightly," said Neptune. "It's kinda weird actually, seeing as he was the guy Pyrrha beat out for the title in her third tournament win."

"Is he dangerous?" Yang wanted to know.

"Yep, pretty much," said Sun, folding his arms behind his head. "He was good enough to make the final round of the Mistral Regional Tournament, and he's only gotten better since then. He's a solid fighter, good with Dust, one of the top people in our year."

"I see, so you think he's going to have a grudge against Ruby for what she said about Ms. Nikos, and did to her," said Ayumu.

"I don't think, I _know_ ," said Sun firmly, shaking his head. "Seriously, if Pyrrha hadn't gone and done what she did, I'd be warning her to watch out for that guy. He has 'creepy stalker' written all over him."

"Um...and the teachers at Haven haven't done anything about this?" asked Blake. "That sounds like a rather...unhealthy...mindset for a student to have."

"Well, he manages in public pretty well," said Sun. "I've heard that he's had to attend a few counseling sessions. Other than that, I think the teachers think they have him under control."

"Until he's over here, of course," said Nora worriedly. "They shouldn't be letting a creep like that represent them at the festival."

"Like I said, he's good," said Sun. "That can count for a lot in Haven. I get the feeling some of the faculty pressured Professor Lionheart to let him come. Haven's got its prestige to think about in the tournament." He shook his head. "Frankly, I'd be more worried about the _damage_ a guy like that could do to their reputation."

"So...anything we can do about it?" asked Jaune.

"Not really," said Neptune. "I feel bad that we didn't bring it up as soon as we learned what happened to Ruby. We wanted to give you guys, and her, the heads up. At least Liu won't be a problem until he gets here, which isn't for a while yet."

"We'll keep an eye out for him," Ren promised.

The conversation tapered off for a little bit, until Nora broke the silence. "Well...that certainly was a downer."

"Sorry," said Sun with a nervous laugh, scratching his head.

Blake stepped forward and hugged him, which Sun returned. "No, it's fine," she said, pulling back, then actually planting a lingering kiss on Sun's lips. "Thank you for looking out for Ruby."

"M-my pleasure," stammered Sun, his cheeks going red at Blake's uncharacteristically public display of affection.

"We'll definitely let Ruby know," said Yang. "or you can let her know, if you're still with us when she and Gin come back. We don't want to ruin their date."

"Definitely not," agreed Jaune.

"Well, it seems there's nothing we can do about it now," said Ayumu. "Though, I think we should perhaps pass your warning along to Professor Goodwitch. Perhaps she will be able to arrange for Mr. Bai's behavior to be monitored for the duration of his stay in Vale...at least to an extent."

"That's probably a good idea," said Neptune.

"We'll do that later," said Yang. "For now, let's hang out."

* * *

"This is incredible!" gasped Ruby, staring at the projector screen rigged up at the front of an empty classroom. "How'd you guys do this?"

"Yang got the classroom reserved, and Blake took care of checking out the projector and the screen from the library," said Gin, having already linked his scroll up with the projector, working through the functions Blake had shown him to properly synch the devices. "I didn't realize that you could actually do that sort of stuff. Apparently, the faculty allow students to borrow classrooms on off days, so long as you go through the trouble to arrange it with them first. The projector and screen can be rented from the library for presentations and stuff."

"I didn't know about that either," said Ruby.

"I don't think it occurs to most students," said Gin, poking at his scroll with a little hesitation as he continued to try and recall the instructions Blake had given him for making the device and the projector do what he wanted. He still wasn't used to the little device, and the one issued to him by Beacon was nowhere near as advanced as Ruby's, which meant no AI assistant that he could just tell to do what he wanted. "Blake and Yang didn't know about it until they started looking up stuff we could do for our date. It's all above-board, no special privileges or anything. Officially, this is supposed to be for academic stuff, but nothing in the rules actually forbids doing this for more personal stuff. As long as we don't break anything or make a mess, we'll be fine."

"So...what are we doing?" asked Ruby.

"Yang hooked me up with a movie that she said you absolutely love," said Gin. "I figured we'd watch it on the big screen, since it's gonna be a while before we can go to Vale to visit the actual theater."

"What movie is it?" asked Ruby eagerly.

" _Adventure on Chorus_ ," said Gin.

Ruby squealed. "Ooh! I haven't seen that one in forever. Thank you, Gin!"

"Thank your sister," said Gin, letting out a relieved sigh as he cued up the movie, through the scroll, to play on the projector. "She's the one who said it was your favorite."

Ruby came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, hugging him tightly. "No. Thank you," she said. "I'm glad Yang and Blake helped with this. But you're the one who put them up to this. I'm so happy I get to do this with you."

"Me too," said Gin. "But you really should thank Jaune and Ren for the snacks. They made everything personally."

"Snacks?" asked Ruby, her eyes widening.

Gin gently shrugged out of her embrace and moved to a nearby seat and pulled out a couple of containers. Opening them up revealed two different kinds of cookies, chocolate chip and snickerdoodle.

Ruby had to fight to keep from drooling at the sight of them. "Oh!"

"Sorry there aren't more," said Gin. "But I didn't want to spoil your appetite when dinner comes around."

"What are we doing for dinner?" Ruby wanted to know.

Gin gave her a teasing smile, the kind that he rarely gave when it came to her. "You'll see," he said.

Ruby giggled and threw herself at him again, hugging him tightly, from the front this time. Gin returned the embrace with equal enthusiasm. Ruby kissed him, pressing her lips hard against his before extending her tongue, which Gin met with his own. After a moment, they parted, panting slightly for breath. "I love it," Ruby said breathlessly. "Thank you, Gin."

"You're welcome," said Gin, leaning forward to press their foreheads together. "Shall we get started?"

"Yeah," said Ruby happily.

Gin dimmed the lights and they took their seats. Gin started the movie and, within minutes, they were both enraptured by the story, enjoying the over-the-top action scenes and laughing at the comedic banter. They alternated between munching on cookies and holding hands. Once the cookies were out, they set the containers aside and Ruby leaned her head against Gin's shoulder with a happy sigh as his arm wrapped around her.

Outside this room, outside this cool arm circling her shoulders, Ruby knew that there was a great deal for her to worry about. There was no telling how Beacon's students would react to the interview. Doubtless, many of them had watched it. No doubt it was making the rounds on the CCT network, with people across all four Kingdoms viewing it. It wasn't likely to make many of the students hostile to her presence change their minds about her, so she would have to remain on her guard.

But all that was for another time. Right now, all Ruby cared about was the movie in front of her and the boy holding her, losing herself in the moment, and taking the time to enjoy herself without worry, which she knew was exactly what Gin and her friends intended. Even if the rest of the world was against her, Ruby knew that she still had people who loved and cared for her, and that was more than enough to make her happy.

* * *

A little over two hours later, the credits rolled and Gin shut down the projector. He sent a discreet text to Yang, letting them know they were done. Yang, Blake, and the others had promised to take care of the cleanup and taking the projector and screen back to the library, so that Gin and Ruby could focus on their date.

From beneath another desk, Gin produced a picnic basket, of all things. He led Ruby out into the courtyard, where the sun was beginning to set. He led her out past the courtyard and over to the cliff that overlooked the Emerald Forest, near the platforms where students were launched off for the initiation or training. There, they settled down to enjoy the meal Gin had arranged.

It was fairly simple, consisting of some very well-made sandwiches. But Ruby more than enjoyed them, loving the idea of eating with a view of the forest, while the setting sun dyed the sky in a tapestry of beautiful colors. After they finished their meal, she was content to cuddle up against Gin and relax as they chatted about whatever they felt like. Gin asked her questions about the movie that had occurred to him while he had been watching. Ruby had been all too happy to tell him about the background details involving the story and the characters, which she practically knew by heart now.

Before long, the sun had set completely. They watched in quiet contentment, laying back on the soft grass as the stars began to dust the sky above them. They were far enough from Vale that the light pollution from the Kingdom caused only minimal interference. The lights of Beacon itself were relatively tame, which made for near-perfect star-watching, this far from the main campus. The summer night was warm and Gin's arms were pleasantly cool, Ruby finding herself lulled nearly to sleep by his hold on her.

Too soon for her tastes, it was time for them to return. Gin gathered up the remnants of their picnic and hooked the handle of the box over one arm. He took Ruby's hand in his free one, and the two of them made their way back to school.

"Did I do all right?" Gin asked as they walked.

"You did wonderful," said Ruby, turning and kissing his cheek. "I loved it. It was a better date than I had any right to expect. I'm amazed we could do all this without even leaving the school. When we can go to Vale again, I'll have to show you some of my favorite places there."

"Sounds like fun," said Gin.

"Ah, young love, so sweet."

Both of them froze in place for the barest fraction of a second, their bodies tensing nervously at the familiar voice that had come from behind them. Then they leapt apart, jumping away from the source of the voice and turning rapidly to face it. Gin's scales and claws appeared on his arms and Ruby drew out Shining Rose, which unfolded to its full, deadly length, its blade igniting with a faint hiss. The abandoned picnic basket went tumbling across the ground.

 _I let my guard down!_ Ruby thought frantically.

Gin's thoughts were slightly different. _My_ Shingan _was active the whole time, but I didn't sense him at all._

Yu Yuen stood before them, his usual wide, taunting grin on his face, hands resting calmly in the pockets of his loose hakama, looking as though he was just out for a stroll.

"Master Yu," said Gin warily.

"Reaction-time's still a bit dull," said Yu. "It was barely less than a second, but you still hesitated. Against me, that's enough to kill you...eight times over."

"What do you want?" asked Gin.

"How foolish," said Yu. "I might be here to give the two of you a solid beating, just to make sure you're not slacking off."

"Not likely," said Gin. "If that was the case, you wouldn't have bothered announcing yourself like that. You'd just attack. That's how you always do it."

"Well well, aren't you the perceptive one now," said Yu with a low chuckle. "Acting like you can see right through me...I can see someone's getting a bit cocky."

Ruby growled, but Gin remained firm and calm. "It's not cocky if it's truth," said Gin. "And, if you do the same thing the same way every time, even a complete moron can clue into it."

Yu huffed. "How boring. You're no fun right now."

"Then maybe you should go off on one of your wanderings again," said Gin. "It'd be nice to spend some time without you looming over our shoulders."

Yu threw his head back and barked a harsh laugh. Before the echoes of the sound had even faded, he'd vanished from sight. Ruby and Gin both turned to try and track him, but Gin froze in place, feeling Yu's presence already at his back, the taller man now literally leaning over him on his right side.

"You can't get away from me that easily, kiddo," said Yu, grinning more widely than ever. "Even if I'm on the other side of the world, as long as you're striving to surpass me, I'll always be here, hanging out, just outside your vision. A piece of me will always be with you, and you won't get rid of it until you can put me in my grave."

"I will, someday," promised Gin.

"Yeah, but that someday is still quite a ways off," said Yu, "assuming it ever comes at all. Don't think that, just because you're at Beacon, I've given up on being your teacher, or even put your lessons on hold. I could come for you at any minute of any day, no matter where you might be. You better not slack off on your work now. You never know when I might decide to spring a pop quiz on you."

"Don't worry," said Gin. "We'll be ready for whatever you throw at us."

"That's right," agreed Ruby.

Yu sighed and straightened up. "Well, you've got confidence, at least. We'll see whether or not it's really warranted." Turning around, he began to walk away from them. "By the way, Ruby, you put on a good show. Thanks for the fun time."

"Show?" Ruby blinked.

"He's talking about your fight with Weiss and Pyrrha," clarified Gin.

"Oh..."

The next thing they knew, Yu was gone, his presence completely vanishing, as though he'd never been there to begin with. Ruby waited a moment before finally putting her weapon away. Gin also waited before retracting his scales and claws.

"What was that all about?" she asked, turning to look at Gin.

Gin huffed, blowing thin streamers of mist from his nostrils. "It's just as he said. He wanted to remind us that, even if we get comfortable, we can't lower our guard here. There's no telling what he might do if he thinks we aren't striving to improve."

Ruby swallowed hard. "And there's no way to know if he's watching or not."

"Not really," agreed Gin. "He can observe us from miles away, and he deliberately showed that he can close in without us being any the wiser. Basically, that was his way of saying that our _Shingan_ aren't remotely on the level they need to be, if we're ever going to match him."

"Do you think he'd attack?" asked Ruby. "Would he attack Beacon?"

"I have no idea," admitted Gin frankly. "There's no way to predict what he'd do to stave off his boredom." He walked over and stooped to pick up the picnic basket. "But there's no point in worrying either."

"Why?" asked Ruby as the two of them began making their way back to the dorm once again.

"Because his ultimate message was a reminder that we have to keep striving to improve," said Gin. "I'm not saying that he _won't_ do anything so long as we do that, but I do know that, if we waste energy worrying instead of spending it on training, he definitely _will_ do something."

Ruby swallowed and nodded.

Gin smiled reassuringly at her and took her hand once more. "Like I said, don't worry. We're already doing what we need to be doing, even if it's a bit more of a roundabout manner than before. We're going to get stronger."

"Yeah," agreed Ruby, leaning against Gin.

* * *

They reached their room soon enough and opened the door to find the rest of their team and JNAR waiting for them. Sun and Neptune were there as well.

Immediately, Yang and Nora were right in front of the pair, leaning hard into their personal space, all while grinning widely.

"So...?" prodded Yang.

"How'd it go?" asked Nora.

"I-it went great," said Ruby, unable to keep a completely straight face at the two girls pressing in on her. "Thanks for helping Gin set it up."

"You're welcome," said Yang and Nora in unison, jumping back.

Ayumu got up off of Ruby and Gin's bed, where he'd been sitting, watching as Jaune, Ren, Sun, and Neptune all played games on the TV projector with their scrolls. Coming over to them, Ruby saw his smile falter by the slightest of fractions. "Are you two all right?" he asked. "Did something happen?"

"What?" wondered Yang, Nora, and Blake, all looking at Ayumu in shock. The other four boys even stopped their game and turned to look at Ayumu in surprise.

"There's a tension there that I wasn't expecting," said Ayumu. "Normally the two of you tend to be quite relaxed after something like this."

Ruby and Gin shared a look before sighing in almost perfect unison, Gin running his fingers through his hair. "Master Yu paid us a visit," said Gin.

"Your...teacher?" asked Blake, canting her head slightly, her ribbon twitching as the ears hidden beneath it perked up.

"Oh," said Ayumu, his smile vanishing. "That would cast a pall on the evening."

"It wasn't so bad," said Ruby. "He waited until the date was over to show up."

"He apparently just wanted to remind us that he's making sure we aren't getting soft," said Gin.

"Aha," said Ayumu, slapping the palm of one hand with the fist of the other. "I thought we might be overdue for a visit of that sort."

The rest of the group looked on with more than a little confusion. Ruby had told them a great deal of her experience with Yu and his harsh teaching methods. However, it still seemed completely strange for them that someone who was supposed to be nurturing and helping his students reach their full potential would behave in such a threatening and adversarial manner.

"Well, at this point, the only thing we can do is just keep going," said Gin.

"We should keep working at getting our academics in order," said Ayumu with a sigh. "Once we have those out of the way, we can focus on working to improve our skills."

"Ruby," said Yang, looking at her sister worriedly.

"It's okay," said Ruby, flashing Yang a tired smile. "I guess you could say it's what I signed up for by asking him to teach me. It's another price I paid to get strong enough to beat Weiss and Pyrrha."

"If you say so," said Yang worriedly, though her posture relaxed a little.

Jaune exchanged glances with Neptune and Sun. "Well...I don't really want to lump bad news on bad news," he said, getting up. "But Sun and Neptune have something to tell you, something related to that interview you gave earlier."

"What about it?" asked Ruby, looking at two boys from Haven in confusion.

Sun and Neptune gave Ruby and Gin the rundown on Liu Bai, warning her of what she could expect when he and his team came to Vale for the Vytal Festival.

"Sorry to be such a downer," apologized Sun after they finished their explanation.

"It's okay," said Ruby with a warm smile. "I figured that we'd be up against something like that, sooner or later. We'll just have to take it as it comes."

"It seems that, even here at Beacon, Ms. Nikos had quite a few fans," said Ayumu. "They represent a larger threat than those like Mr. Raptis."

"Threat or not, I'm not going to hunker down and act like I'm afraid of everyone," said Ruby. Then she began to giggle.

"What's so funny?" Blake wanted to know, feeling slightly aghast that Ruby seemed to find the factors arrayed against her so amusing.

"It's just, Master Yu was warning us not to let our guards down or slack off and..." Ruby was briefly overtaken by giggles again. "...now we've gone and made Beacon into a place where we can't afford to do that."

Gin snorted, puffing out more mist. "When you put it like that, you make a good point."

Ayumu chuckled as well. The rest of their friends looked on in confusion, not certain what to make of the trio's mirth.

* * *

 **And Yu makes his triumphant(?) return. He's a massive troll.**

 **The whole interview with Lisa was part of my interest in the larger implications of some of the plot occurrences, pertaining to events that are either canon or my own invention. The actual show remains rather narrowed in scope, so questions of how the media and press dealt with the fight against Torchwick and the White Fang at the docks, at the end of Volume 1, or against the Paladin in Volume 2, are never really addressed in the show itself. All of this in spite of the fact that both were flashy, noisy affairs, with a _lot_ of collateral damage and, in the case of the latter, probably some serious civilian casualties to boot.**

 **In the context of my story, we have Weiss and Pyrrha, the heiress to the most powerful corporate entity in Remnant and a world-renowned champion respectively, being accused and tried for murder (and pleading guilty no less). That kind of situation has consequences that resonate well beyond Beacon's campus.**

 **With regards to the other half of Team SSSN not being at Beacon yet, this was my take on why we only ever see Sun and Neptune, during Volume 2.**


	58. Chapter 58

**Chapter 58:**

The next few days were fraught with tension as the content of Ruby's interview with Lisa made its way through Beacon. Not everyone had watched the live broadcast. But recordings of it were making the rounds, allowing nearly every student on campus to learn about the topic, along with a more detailed account of what happened to Ruby.

Opinions varied. Not only had the interview contained Ruby's story, but also Glynda's rebuke of the attitude that had led Weiss to mastermind the attack on her originally. Ruby was able to tell that at least some students were taking that to heart, choosing to tolerate her, even if they might never like or truly accept her as one of them. Others chose to take a much more contrary stance, outright opposing Glynda's statement.

Ruby was a bit surprised that the varied opinions were causing issues that didn't directly involve her. As viewpoints differed, sometimes between members of the same team, some teams found their members at odds with one another. At least a few brawls that broke out amongst students had their roots in the contentious subject of Ruby Rose.

More importantly, Ruby found that some students were apparently even _more_ determined than ever to harass her, Gin, and Ayumu. Whenever Gin entered the dining hall, or any public room for that matter, practically every faunus in the room (save for Sun and Blake, or Velvet, when she was there), would move as far away as they could manage, some choosing to leave outright, throwing angry or frightened glares Gin's way.

More hurtful were the remarks that they sometimes overheard, which didn't just come from the faunus.

 _"_ _Hey! Isn't the new kid a faunus?"_

 _"_ _That's not all. I've heard that even faunus think he's a freak."_

 _"_ _A freak among freaks! What a laugh!"_

 _"_ _I hear they're dating!"_

 _"_ _Ew! That's gross! I mean, dating a faunus is practically bordering on bestiality as it is. How sick is that girl that she'd sink that low?"_

 _"_ _I don't care what Goodwitch says, they don't belong here."_

Whenever she caught wind of such remarks, Yang bristled, eager to leap to Ruby's defense...by going on a heavy _offense_ against the speakers. However, Ruby and the others always did their best to rein her in, and keep her from causing too much destruction.

Her inability to attend Combat Class, in order to continue to catch up on her studies, didn't help matters. Despite her display of skill during the combat assessment, many students assumed she lacked the confidence to actually participate in matches, and more than a few were happy to call her a coward. Yang wasn't able to challenge and beat down every one of them and, more often than not, that only exacerbated things, as people then accused Yang of fighting Ruby's battles for her.

On at least a couple of occasions, things got ugly...

* * *

One day, RUBY and JNAR were enjoying lunch in the dining hall. In the midst of the meal, Ruby excused herself to go to the restroom. Getting up, she made her way across the hall, making a beeline for the room in question. Naturally, the others thought nothing of it as she slipped into the restroom, letting the door swing shut behind her.

However, Gin and Ayumu both noticed that the restroom door hadn't even finished closing, when four girls, in different sections of the dining hall, suddenly got to their feet and made their way to the restroom in Ruby's wake. Even though it wasn't directed at them directly, both Gin and Ayumu could feel the malice in the girls' intent.

Carefully, Gin elbowed Yang to get her attention and told her what he'd just sensed.

"What?" gasped Yang, glaring after the girls as they all filed into the restroom.

"Ruby can defend herself though," said Blake.

"Not without her weapon!" exclaimed Yang, shooting to her feet. "She'd always ditch or run away, whenever I tried to teach her unarmed fighting."

"But she can just materialize her scythe whenever she wants," Blake pointed out.

That made Yang relax a little...until Ayumu spoke up.

"Except that she can't," he said.

"Oh! Right! The plan," Jaune nodded, now looking more worried himself.

Realizing that Ruby was not in a position where she could materialize her scythe, without revealing the truth about its nature, Yang, Blake, and Nora all shot to their feet and rushed for the bathroom.

"Uh...you guys are awfully calm about this," said Jaune, looking between Ayumu and Gin in confusion.

"I wouldn't be too worried," said Ayumu.

"Ruby isn't as helpless as they might think," added Gin.

Jaune and Ren both shared a confused look, wondering what the other two boys were talking about.

* * *

Ruby closed and locked the stall door, hoping she could finish taking care of her business before something happened. As she'd made her way to the restroom, she'd felt four sets of eyes following her far more intently than the other gazes that generally came her way. More to the point, she'd felt the malice directed at her even more keenly than Gin and Ayumu had, being its focus, rather than on the periphery.

She wasn't the only one using the restroom, of course. However, only a couple of stalls aside from hers were occupied. She heard the door open, tracking four sets of feet that made their way into the room. Ruby's stalkers settled in to wait. One of the other stalls opened, and a girl made her way to the sink to wash her hands. She turned and gasped, catching sight of the four people waiting for Ruby.

Ruby figured there must have been some kind of nonverbal signal, because, after a quick pause, the other girl dashed past the foursome and rushed out the door. clearly eager to be away from whatever was about to happen.

The scene repeated itself with the occupant of the other stall as Ruby finished her business. She affected a calm demeanor, acting as though she had no idea four other girls were waiting to ambush her as she emerged from her stall and went to wash her hands. She felt those four girls moving to surround her from behind, not even needing to see their reflections in the mirror.

"Hi," she chirped in her cheeriest voice, as she turned around to face the four girls.

The four of them looked relatively indistinguishable in their Beacon uniforms, so Ruby chose to identify them by their hair. The tallest one sported a head of brown, wavy, auburn hair that tumbled past her shoulders, its sheen looking like she used almost as much hair-care product as Yang did for her hair. From her posture and position, Ruby guessed that this girl was the ringleader. Next to her, on the right, was a slightly shorter girl, sporting a head of black hair, cut into a short bob. On the leader's left was a girl with pale, platinum-blonde hair, that was almost white. Finally, a short, heavyset girl with dark-brown, almost black hair, tied into twin-tails that draped over her shoulders, rounded out the group currently encircling Ruby.

They all flinched back at her cheerful greeting, clearly expecting either fear or tension, seeing as they'd deliberately surrounded her like this. After a second, their leader rallied, putting on a cheerful expression. "Hello," she said, pretending to return the greeting. "You're Ruby Rose, right?"

"That's right," said Ruby.

"You were on that interview with Lisa Lavender the other day, isn't that right?"

"That's right," said Ruby.

"Wow, so young and already you're famous," teased the black-haired girl, her smile doing little to hide her malice.

"Well...I don't really want to be famous for that," said Ruby. "I don't think that interview counts for that sort of thing."

"So modest," the blonde sighed, pretending to be awestruck by Ruby's humility. "You're an inspiration to us all."

"It must have been so hard, going through that whole ordeal," added the twin-tailed girl, insincerity practically dripping from every word.

Ruby wasn't sure what they were hoping for, by acting like this. Their smiles were transparent facades, so it wasn't as though they were trying to butter her up. She would have known their true feelings, even had their animosity _not_ been swirling around the restroom like a slow whirlpool. Perhaps they were trying to use their pretend smiles and deceptive words in an effort to unnerve her. For the old Ruby, that might have even worked.

But Ruby, as she was now, found herself feeling _bored_. She had better things to do than deal with this stupidity. For starters, she wanted to go finish her lunch. Then she needed to go to the library and finish up the extra readings her professors had assigned for the day. That way she could spend the afternoon free period with her team and friends, then work on the regular homework with them, during the evening period before curfew.

"Anyway, we were thinking-"

Ruby held up a hand, still smiling cheerily. "Actually, let me stop you there."

"Huh?" All four girls froze in place.

"I don't know for sure what your problem with me is, but I can probably pick from a few options." Ruby sighed, then began counting with her fingers as she listed them out. "I'm an immature brat who doesn't belong in this school. I should've stayed out in the wilderness and died, or something. I shouldn't have messed up Weiss and/or Pyrrha's reputations or whatever. I'm a coward because I haven't been going to sparring class or answering anybody's challenges. I'm letting my fame go to my head because I scored an interview with a big-name reporter, or whatever...Any of those fit the bill?"

As she spoke, Ruby could sense the changes in the four girls before her. She felt their bodies tense. She could see the sheen of nervous sweat glistening on their skin, feel their temperature increasing. Their breathing was growing harsher, their heartbeats accelerating. That, and a myriad number of other signs, told Ruby that at least a few of her guesses were right on the mark. In a way, it was interesting.

 _Ayumu said that Master Yu's_ Shingan _can read a person's emotional state and changes so well that he can practically read their minds. Maybe this is how that works._ The thought made her smile widen, becoming more genuine, but less cheerful and more excited. She'd thought this would be a waste of her time. But this adversity had given her the opportunity to realize something new.

"You little…" snarled the auburn-haired leader. She turned to address the others. "All right then, grab her and we'll stuff her head down the toilet. We'll see if the brat is so uppity when she's drinking scum-water."

As expected, the twin-tailed bruiser stepped in first, her hand reaching out for Ruby. Without even needing to look, Ruby could feel the power in the muscles behind that hand. She was probably close to Yang when it came to raw, physical strength, although not quite all the way in that bracket. That hand would probably grip on like a steel vice, and Ruby didn't have enough raw strength of her own to make the girl let go. But Ruby didn't have to let her get a hold.

Instead, Ruby's own hand drifted up and closed around the bruiser's wrist. Extending her foot, Ruby pulled. Her opponent, already moving forward, was caught off-guard, and went stumbling as Ruby sidestepped to pull the girl past herself. Ruby's other hand came swooping up, lifting the girl up slightly by her midsection as Ruby's pull kept her forward momentum going. Exerting her own strength, Ruby basically spun the girl around her arm, almost as though the girl was the shaft of Ruby's weapon, only letting go, so that she slammed into the floor of the restroom hard, breath exploding from her lungs and her head jolting from the impact.

Everything froze for a moment as the other three girls stared at Ruby, who stared back, planting one foot on the downed girl's sternum, and pressing down just enough to limit her breathing, which would keep her from exerting her strength.

"Want to keep going?" asked Ruby, staring levelly at the other three.

"G-get her!" exclaimed the leader.

"Fine then," said Ruby with a sigh.

* * *

About a minute later, the door to the restroom burst open, Yang, Blake, and Nora rushing in.

"Ruby!" shouted Yang, ready to beat her sister's tormentors to a pulp, her eyes already flickering red...only for the fight to immediately go out of her at the sight before them.

The four girls that had followed Ruby into the restroom lay about, groaning and moaning. One was doubled over on the counter, her head stuck down into the bowl of a sink. Another was sprawled through the door into one of the restroom stalls. Another lay at Ruby's feet. The last was groaning and crawling towards the door, only for her to stop and freeze, looking up in terror at Yang.

"Ruby...?" Yang blinked, shocked to see her sister looking completely untouched.

Ruby clapped her hands against each other, as though she were dusting them off. "Geez, shove my head down the toilet," she muttered. "How juvenile can you get? I thought you were calling _me_ a brat." Looking up, she smiled brightly at the sight of her sister and friends. "Hi, Yang. Thanks for coming."

"Ruby...you..." Yang blinked still taking it in.

"Wow," said Nora, "you're good, girl."

"If I were Yang, I'd be firing off as many bathroom puns as I could," said Blake, turning to look at Yang. "But you're not?"

"No...I...Uh..." Yang was still blinking in confusion, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

There was no sign that Ruby had used her scythe, which meant she'd taken on these bullies empty-handed. But...

"Ruby...you're hopeless in hand-to-hand combat. You never wanted to learn, when I tried to teach you."

Ruby laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "Well, that's what happens when you learn under Master Yu. He made me learn, whether I wanted to or not."

* * *

 _"_ _Do I have to?" whined Ruby, glaring at Yu, who was standing in front of her, arms folded casually. "I'm not good at learning unarmed combat."_

 _Had he not been blind and blindfolded, Yu might have been blinking furiously. As it was, he faced Ruby with an expression that almost never appeared on his face, the expression of a man being taken completely aback by something he'd just heard, something he'd never expected to hear._

 _Ayumu and Gin were almost as surprised as he was. "Well...this is unexpected," said Ayumu. "Normally she's eager to try learning anything under the sun."_

 _"_ _I guess even God-given talent has its limits," said Gin. "Maybe even she has limits to her willingness to apply herself."_

 _Yu's head turned downwards, his expression briefly hidden from Ruby's sight. His body began to quake. She tensed, at first afraid that he was angry. Then Yu burst out laughing. "Awesome!" he crowed. "So even you have something you struggle with, something that makes you want to give up." He grinned viciously. "Too bad. Finding a weakness like this just makes me want to poke it more. Now you're gonna have no choice but to learn...not that I was gonna give you one in the first place."_

 _"_ _But I don't need to fight unarmed," said Ruby, manifesting her scythe. "I can make my weapon anytime."_

 _"_ _True," agreed Yu. "But even then, even with a weapon you can make anytime, call right to your hands without needing to fetch it from anywhere...there's still gonna be a time when you need to be able to fight without it."_

 _Suddenly, he was right in front of her, his hand closing around the shaft of her weapon, locking it in place. Ruby couldn't get it to budge. "Like right now," said Yu. "Even if I wasn't holding onto your weapon, look at your position. Weird a weapon as it is, a scythe is still a polearm, when all is said and done. Its most effective range is a certain distance from yourself. If an opponent penetrates into your space like this, you're not gonna have the room to swing it with any speed and power._

 _"_ _Of course, since the cutting edge is on the inside, and the blade is perpendicular to the shaft, you can retreat and cut your enemy from behind at the same time. But if an opponent gets this close, there's already a disparity in initiative and, most of the time, his hit's gonna land before yours does. To properly counter this kind of situation, you need the capacity to fight in the same range as your opponent, at least long enough to get the distance you need to use your weapon."_

 _Ruby gulped and nodded, unable to fault Yu's logic._

 _"_ _Besides, there'll probably be a time when you'll need to fight, but you_ won't _want to draw your weapon," added Yu, with a slight grin. "In this world, the way it currently is, the ability to make your weapon appear at any time is a massive trump card. Sometimes, it's a card you're gonna want to hold close to your chest."_

 _Ruby frowned, wondering what he meant by that. Then her spirits fell. "But Yang already tried teaching me," she said with a disappointed sigh, drawing her manifested Aura back into herself. "I'm no good at it."_

 _"_ _Huh...Your sister's the brawler, right?" asked Yu, scratching his chin._

 _"_ _Yeah," said Ruby. "She uses shotgun-gauntlets. But, otherwise, she's pretty much a fist-fighter."_

 _"_ _I see," said Yu, his grin confusing her. "Well, however good she might be at brawling, your sister is clearly an amateur at teaching."_

 _"_ _What?" asked Ruby, anger and confusion warring for dominance in her tone. Admittedly, Yang was aiming to become a Huntress, not a teacher, so Yu's remark made sense. But, on the other hand, it was in Ruby's nature as a loving younger sister to take offense at any negative remark addressed towards Yang, especially one made with such casual and dismissive contempt._

 _"_ _Let me take a wild guess and guess that, when she tried to teach you unarmed fighting, she was teaching you to fight the way she does," said Yu._

 _Ruby blinked, her anger dwindling, but her confusion increasing. "That's...that's right," she said._

 _"_ _I thought so," said Yu. "That's why I said she's an amateur."_

 _"_ _What do you mean?" asked Ruby._

 _"_ _No matter what weapon you wield, any weapon-school or style worth learning is going to have unarmed techniques," explained Yu. "In fact, in most such schools, those techniques are the ones they'll make you learn before they even let you pick up so much as a wooden stick and start swinging it around."_

 _"_ _Wha-why?" stammered Ruby._

 _"_ _The reason is that those unarmed techniques form the basis of the same techniques you'll use through your weapon," explained Yu. "At the most basic level, a weapon exists as a force-multiplier. It takes your movements and alters or amplifies the force through physics to use that force more effectively. A blade focuses the force of your swing, and concentrates it into a narrow line formed by the cutting edge, which is just a simple wedge, when you get down to it. Mounting that blade on a shaft, or increasing its length, creates a lever, which improves application when used properly. Weapons extend reach, or are designed to add mass or centrifugal force to a blow. To properly control your weapon, you need to learn to control_ yourself _first. The way to do that is to teach you how to fight without a weapon, at the beginning. You learn to fight unarmed so that, when you are armed, you make your weapon into exactly what it needs to be, an_ extension _of yourself."_

 _Ruby's jaw hung slack. She'd never thought of things in this manner._

 _Now Yu scratched his cheek. "But if he didn't start off that way, then that scrawny crow-brat you call uncle is a pretty amateurish teacher too."_

 _"_ _Hey!" snapped Ruby._

 _"_ _Not that I blame him," added Yu, not even seeming to notice Ruby's outburst. "A scythe is just plain_ weird _as weapons go. Its balance and shape probably make it hard to developed unarmed techniques to form a basis for learning it. Qrow probably started you out with staff-work, didn't he?"_

 _"_ _Yeah," said Ruby, remembering her earliest lessons with her uncle. His first training weapon for her hadn't been a scythe, not even a fake one. Instead, it had been a simple wooden staff that she then had to practice swinging and spinning._

 _"_ _Thought so," said Yu, nodding to himself. "That means there's still stuff you can learn. Staffs have a ton of unarmed techniques that you should be able to learn through using them. So we'll work backwards. I'll teach you unarmed techniques through your weapon to create the style best suited to you."_

 _"_ _You think I can?" asked Ruby._

 _"_ _Sure, once you've had it laid out right," said Yu with a laugh. "In fact, I think your style will be especially suited to grappling, of all things."_

 _"_ _Grappling?"_

 _"_ _Sure," said Yu. "Go ahead and try to punch me as hard as you can. Nothing fancy. Just come right at me." He spread his arms out, waiting for her._

 _Ruby growled and charged forward, punching out with her arm. Yu grabbed her wrist with pulled her forward, even as he sidestepped the blow itself. One foot shot out and struck her ankle, tripping her. Finally, his other arm swooped down below her midriff and lifted it up, flipping Ruby over it in a sharp motion that caused her to accelerate into a spin that brought her slamming down onto her back with a sharp exclamation of pain._

 _"_ _Not much force in that," mused Yu, clapping his hands together as though dusting them off. "You weren't kidding when you said you're a wimp when it comes to unarmed combat."_

 _Ruby scowled up at him. That hadn't been how she'd put it._

 _"_ _But what do you think?" asked Yu. "I just spun you around like you spin your scythe."_

 _Ruby blinked, then her eyes opened wide as she stared in amazement up at her teacher._

 _"_ _When you start spinning that thing, you aren't steering it with brute force. You're using the weapon's weight and momentum to your advantage, guiding it, letting it do the work for you. A well-executed throw operates on the same principle. Take control of your opponent's own momentum and steer them into falling. You learn this right, and you'll be able to twirl your opponents around like they're your weapon itself...except you'll be letting them go so that they can break themselves with the force of their own attack."_

 _"_ _Wow!" gasped Ruby._

 _"_ _Add in your Aura and you can pull of some really neat tricks." Yu's grin widened. "Feel like learning how to fight unarmed is stupid or impossible anymore?"_

 _Ruby shook her head vigorously, pushing herself up and into a standing position._

 _"_ _Right," said Yu with an even wider grin. Then he turned towards Ayumu. "Oi! Carve me a staff the same length as her scythe."_

 _"_ _All right," said Ayumu, drawing his sword and moving to a nearby tree._

 _"_ _Staff?" asked Ruby._

 _"_ _Right," said Yu. "Like I said, we're gonna teach you how to fight unarmed by working backwards. We'll take you back to swinging a stave. From there, we'll break down those movements into using just your hands. I'll have you fighting like a pro in no time."_

 _Ruby gulped, wondering if things would really go the way he said they would._

* * *

"They did, of course," said Ruby with an annoyed groan. "Even though it helped, I hate how he's always right like that...and then he has to rub it in."

"Yep," agreed Gin, while he and Ayumu nodded sagely.

After the shocking results of the four girls' attempt to jump her in the restroom, Yang wouldn't be satisfied until she'd gotten the story of how Ruby had learned unarmed fighting from her. After a quick call to Glynda to inform her of what had just happened (with Glynda promising to deal with the bullies promptly), Ruby returned to her table with Yang and the others, and related the story of how Yu had taught her how to fight unarmed.

"It was quite a shock," said Ayumu with a laugh. "It was the first time we'd ever seen Ruby express any reluctance to learn something combat-related."

"No kidding," agreed Gin, while Ruby blushed furiously at the reminder that she'd shown the boys her petulant, childish side.

A sniff drew Ruby's attention to Yang and she was shocked to see her older sister tearing up. "Yang?"

"I...I never even thought like that," said Yang. "I should've realized that you wouldn't be able to learn to fight the same way I do."

"I could...it just didn't suit me," said Ruby, trying to calm her sister. "You didn't learn anything about teaching others, Yang, it's not your fault."

"I really am an amateur when it comes to teaching," said Yang with a sigh.

"Well, as two who've also been scolded for their amateurish teaching methods, we can empathize," said Ayumu sheepishly, while Gin nodded in agreement.

"Still, to think he could break down Ruby's style and use it to teach her unarmed combat like that..." said Blake softly, "...this Yu person really does know his business."

"It's just as I told Jaune," said Ayumu. "Master Yu can observe a weapon and immediately determine the most effective manner to wield it. Then he can observe the wielder and determine the best way for the wielder to wield said weapon. From there, it would be easy for him to develop an unarmed style that matches that person's weapon and physical nature. If anything, it would be easier than working in the other direction. Learning a weapon is an elaboration on unarmed-combat technique, while learning to fight unarmed from fighting with a weapon would be a simplification instead."

Jaune blinked in surprise. It was one thing to hear Ayumu describe his teacher's capability and another to see it demonstrated through Ruby's remarkable development, in an area that had always been her weakest, combat-wise. Then something occurred to him. "Wait! You said that Yu knew there was gonna be a time when you wouldn't want to draw your weapon...Did he know about your plan?"

"That's...I'd say impossible..." said Ayumu, showing a rare frown. "But, then again, Master Yu makes a habit of doing the impossible. I hadn't even told Ruby about my past at that point, so she hadn't come up with her plan to use the nature of our weapons as a means of affecting greater change."

"Even if he didn't know, it's sound advice," said Ren. "He's right that there are plenty of times where it would be wise to not reveal that you can materialize a weapon."

"Keeping your hand hidden is a wise strategy, regardless of how powerful the cards in your hand might be," added Blake.

"Oh, whatever!" scoffed Nora. "All this just means that Ruby is even more awesome than we thought, and that's saying something!"

"She's not wrong," said Ren with a chuckle, while the others nodded in agreement.

Ruby blushed brilliantly and threw her hood over her head, though Gin's hand quickly found hers and squeezed it, which calmed her down.

"All right," said Gin, looking up at the rest of the group, "enough chit-chat. Let Ruby finish so that we don't end up late."

* * *

That wasn't the last time people would try to pick a fight with Ruby, or catch her without her weapon. However, their other attempts ended in similar disasters, with Ruby being even quicker on the uptake and more decisive in her response, each time using the incident as a chance to apply her training and enhance her own ability. She found it a delicious irony that her harassers sought to drag her down, but were instead pushing her higher.

It wasn't all bad either. A few students honestly approached her and expressed sympathy and well-wishes for what she had been through, sincerely, unlike the girls in the restroom. Ruby accepted their words with a warm smile and a "thank you." She was even approached by another first-year boy who admitted that he'd agreed with the opinion that she didn't belong at Beacon, but had changed his mind, after learning what had happened to her and what she'd done about it. He'd expressed admiration for her determination and her willingness to stick to her ideals, despite her horrific experience. Moments like that made Ruby feel even better about what she was doing.

In the public sphere, things were apparently going, more or less, the way Ruby and Glynda had hoped. The statement that Ruby wouldn't be doing another interview had been contentious at first. However, Weiss and Pyrrha pleading guilty settled the matter rather quickly, and the subject lost its momentum after just a couple of weeks, as the news outlets turned to other scandals to hold the interest of their audience. Before long, Ruby was able to go into Vale with her friends and _not_ worry about being mobbed by reporters.

The effort she was putting into her makeup work was paying off too. By the time mid-terms came around, Ruby had all but completely caught up on all her subjects, only needing a little more extra work in mathematics.

Ayumu and Gin had things a bit harder, having to balance their general education with their ongoing literacy classes. Despite being excellent readers, the boys only had a fairly basic grasp of grammar, when it came to writing, and so they'd been forced to learn the nuances of the written word, including the different methods of writing that were used at Beacon, such as argumentative essays. When mid-terms came around, the boys were deemed to be not quite ready to take the regular test. They were given private oral exams by the teachers instead. However, their tutors expressed the expectation that, by the time finals came around, Ayumu and Gin would be able to write well enough to participate in the regular exams.

With her school life going as well as could be expected, it was understandable that Ruby paid little attention to other developments, namely the deportation of Pyrrha Nikos back to Mistral to serve her sentence.

* * *

Pyrrha rested silently against the straight back of her seat. It was rigid and uncomfortable, but not so much that she wouldn't be able to sleep. She'd have to be able to sleep after all. It was going to be several days of travel, before the long-range transport reached Mistral. Arranging such transport for just a single prisoner was one of the reasons it had taken so long to arrange her deportation.

But now she'd bid goodbye to that dreary cell beneath Beacon Academy, and she was on her way. Too bad she still had to wear the Aura suppression collar. The passenger cabin of the transport lacked the containment fields needed to hold a Huntress' Aura in check and, of course, it would be too difficult to fashion a transport without metallic elements that her Semblance could affect. She would just have to put up with the discomfort of the thing until she reached her new residence for the next few years.

It was going to be a lonely trip. She'd been allowed to bring a few books, but there would be no one else going with her. Weiss, of course, would be going back to Atlas, so Pyrrha had this entire passenger bay to herself. Not even the guards would come down, now that she was restrained, except to bring her her meals. Pyrrha was well and truly alone.

Or so she thought...

The intercom speaker crackled to life, a faint haze of static accompanying the posh voice that spoke out of it. "Hello, Ms. Nikos. Finally on your way, I see."

Pyrrha frowned, looking up at the speaker. She didn't recognize the voice crackling out of it.

"My apologies for not introducing myself right now," continued the voice. "I have been keeping myself informed about the nature of your plight and I have contacted you to offer my assistance. I am close by, so you needn't worry about the logistics of the matter. Once I give you my initial assistance, I believe that the rest will take care of itself and..."

Several things happened all at once. It appeared that this mysterious broadcast had reached the other sections of the transport as well, including where the guards were stationed. The door at the far end of the prisoner section slid open, revealing two armored men, their rifles at the ready as they rushed down the aisle towards her.

At the same time, her suppression collar shut itself off. Pyrrha felt her Aura once again, now at her beck and call...including her Semblance.

"...you will know _exactly_ what to do," finished the voice.

Pyrrha's eyes narrowed and her gaze came to rest squarely upon the guards.

There were no visual indicators that her collar had been turned off, but the guards must have been monitoring its status on the head's-up-display built into their helmets. They both leveled their rifles at her.

"Don't-!" one of the guards began to shout.

He didn't get a chance to finish speaking. Pyrrha raised a hand, and both their helmets were outlined by shimmering, ebony auras. She flicked both her hands in a twisting motion. A doubled snapping sound echoed through the compartment. It wasn't the crack of Dust-rounds, but the sound of necks breaking. The two guards slumped lifelessly to the deck.

Now Pyrrha turned her Semblance on her restraints. The brace over her shoulders, keeping her pressed back against the chair, was the first to go, pulling back over her head with the screech of twisting, rending metal. Next were the shackles around her ankles, which she snapped with ease. Finally, Pyrrha turned her attention to her neck and carefully pried the Aura-suppression collar off. It came free, breaking open with a hiss and sparks flying, stinging her skin, but her Aura easily staved off any burns.

Standing up, Pyrrha stretched languidly, savoring the sensation of true freedom for the first time in weeks. Her eyes turned to the dead guards. She should have felt more remorse, having just ended their lives to keep them from killing her, or so she supposed that was why. However, she couldn't bring herself to feel anything at the sight of the lifeless bodies. Like Ruby Rose, they were more obstructions in the way of what she wanted, of what was _hers_. There was no longer any room for remorse for those who got in her way.

Reaching out, Pyrrha used her Semblance to pick up one of the dropped rifles. It flew to her hands, and she checked it competently, making sure that it was in working order and testing its balance. It was a fair bit bulkier than Milo had been in its rifle-mode. But it would serve her purposes nicely. As a rifle, she should be able to wield it without any issues.

Now she made her way to the door of the compartment. She knew that the two guards she had dropped wouldn't be the only ones on this transport. She also knew that, with her mysterious helper's broadcast reaching every corner of the ship, that they were probably wary and ready for trouble.

But they weren't ready _enough_.

Pyrrha's Semblance lined the door in black, and it groaned as she used her power to crumple it, ripping it free from the frame. Then she repelled it, shooting it across the adjoining room, clipping two guards as it flew past, sending them spinning up against the walls, and crushing a third behind it against the far wall on the other end.

There were at least three other guards who'd had the sense to dive out of the way when the door came sailing through. Now they rose up, leveling their rifles. Reacting automatically, Pyrrha used her Semblance to gently nudge them, even as she dropped into a crouch herself. The slight push against the weapons hadn't even been felt by their wielders and, combined with her evasive move, every shot went wide. At the same instant, Pyrrha's own rifle came up. She lined up her target in a mere fraction of a second, her classic combat reflexes kicking in, and fired, taking one of the guards she'd clipped with the door in the chest, blowing open his armor and sending a red bolt of fire-Dust ripping through his chest cavity. The man dropped, smoking and smelling of burned meat.

Before the other guards could even try to find their aim, Pyrrha switched to the other guard she'd dazed and shot him too, the Dust-round blowing the side off the man's head.

"How could you-?" shouted one of the remaining guards, opening fire with his weapon on the full-auto setting, spraying down Pyrrha's location with Dust-bolts.

Pyrrha dove forward even as her Semblance nudged the man's aim upwards. She went into a roll that brought her right to the man's feet. He reeled back, taken off-guard by her sudden advance. Pyrrha came out of her roll and into a crouch, in the same motion bringing her rifle around with one hand, lining the barrel up with the guard's chin. Pulling the trigger decorated the ceiling with scorched brain matter and fragments of his skull.

Her roll had also brought her in close to the remaining two guards. They immediately turned on her, their guns lowering, seeing as her position put them in each other's line of fire. Instead, they reached behind their backs, drawing out collapsable batons, which could be charged with lightning-Dust or weighted with gravity-Dust, depending on the needs. Pyrrha' suspected it was the latter. After seeing four of their comrades mercilessly killed before their eyes, they wouldn't be interested in trying to take her alive any longer.

That was fine by her. Pyrrha swung her rifle off to her right side, striking the descending baton of the guard on that side with a hit perpendicular to the direction of his swing. In the same motion, she squeezed off another shot. In melee, while swinging her rifle around in a parry, Pyrrha couldn't precisely aim for a vital point. However, her shot struck the guard in the side of the torso, the impact knocking him back against the wall with a scream of pain as the shot tore through his armor, burning the flesh behind it. He slumped down to the floor, writhing in agony.

At the same time, Pyrrha raised her hand to catch the wrist of the guard attacking her from the other side. She kicked off the floor at the same instant she fired the shot. It didn't add much to her movement.

Huntsmen and Huntresses often modified their weapons, not to reduce the recoil of their gunshots, but to _increase_ it, in order to use the recoil to enhance their movement. Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long had both used this method extensively. But for regular guards and military, rifles were designed to minimize recoil to keep from throwing off their aim, and make it easier for soldiers to learn the use of their weapons. Huntsmen and Huntresses were groomed over the course of years to learn to master the nuances of combat, with styles tailored to their individual natures and preferences. Soldiers, police, and guards were generally trained over the course of a few months, with methods designed to produce the maximum number of effective fighters with the minimum investment of time and resources.

Because of that, the rifle shot added practically nothing to Pyrrha's movement. But that was fine by her. Milo's own recoil was enough to propel the weapon itself when it was in javelin form, but it wasn't high enough to move her own body. Instead, Pyrrha relied on her own strength and skill to enhance her motion. She kicked out, knocking the guard's feet out from under him as she pulled on his arm, using her Semblance to aid the movement so that she could throw the man across the room. With her Semblance, as well as twisting his wrist to weaken his grip, she pried the baton from his hand so that it practically floated in the air before her.

Letting go of the guard, she let him slam into the wall next to his wounded friend. She then snatched the tumbling baton out of the air, her Semblance having kept it hovering just long enough for her to grab it, but not long enough for most people to realize it was being held there. Not wasting any time, Pyrrha surged forward, triggering the gravity-Dust in the weapon and bringing it right down on the head of its previous owner. His helmet shattered like glass, and the skull beneath it broke like the shell of an egg, splattering blood and brains, rather than yolk and white.

Pyrrha stood up, finding herself breathing harder than she should have. The remaining, wounded guard, looked up at her, his mouth opening to plead with her. However, she only looked at him long enough to line her rifle up with the center of his forehead. He barely managed to get out the first syllable of his plea before she decorated the wall with more scorched gray matter, the man's almost-headless body slumping to the floor.

Taking a moment, Pyrrha assessed her condition. She hadn't taken a single hit, a perfect match by her standards. However, she realized that her time spent locked in a cell, not interested in doing more than the most basic of exercises in Beacon's detention center, had left her stamina a little lacking. _I slacked off,_ she thought irritably. _As long as I don't apply myself, punishing them will remain a dream within a dream._

Her breathing and her heart-rate slowed a little, and Pyrrha began to move on. There shouldn't have been any other guards left, but she didn't take any chances. She shifted her rifle to her left hand, while brandishing the baton with her right. On a prisoner transport like this, the pilots were likely to be armed too.

Reaching out with her Semblance, Pyrrha reached for the door on the far side of the room from where she'd entered. She wanted the controls intact so that she could take control of the transport, so she couldn't blow it out of its frame like she'd done with the last one. Instead, she crumpled it like paper, shifting it to the side as she advanced through, her rifle at the ready...

...only to find herself staring down the barrel of a pistol that the co-pilot had leveled right at where her head would be, when she entered. Pyrrha pulled back as he fired, the shot going right past the tip of her nose. At the same time, she reflexively brought up the rifle and fired several shots of her own in the direction of the man who'd tried to kill her.

She turned her backwards fall into a roll that brought her back to her feet, ready to dodge or attack as needed. However, it wasn't necessary. The co-pilot slumped down over the controls on his side, while the pilot howled in agony, clutching his injured arm, which one of Pyrrha's wild shots had struck. Unfortunately, her shots had struck something else, the control panels of the cockpit, black smoke and sizzling sparks pouring from holes amidst the buttons, switches, and screens that decorated the control consoles.

The floor lurched beneath her and, through the canopy, Pyrrha saw the world suddenly rotate, the nose of the airship pointing downwards as it began to dive towards the ground.

"We're going down!" the pilot yelled unnecessarily, desperately trying to manipulate what controls remained to mitigate their velocity. Unfortunately, the engines of the airship weren't damaged themselves, instead inducing the transport to crash even faster. Pyrrha realized there was no way the pilot could restore control before they crashed to earth.

Instead, she used her Semblance to snatch up the door she'd blown out of its frame before. Holstering the baton through a loop on her prison uniform, Pyrrha used her Semblance to hold it in place while she switched her rifle back to her right hand. She mounted the entire door on her left arm, like a gigantic shield. With all her remaining power, she focused on ripping open the wall to her right. With an angry shriek, the metal gave way, crumpling and revealing the sky rushing past outside.

The cabin immediately depressurized, the air sucking the remains on the deceased guards out in just a few seconds. Pyrrha didn't wait for the wind to do the same to her, instead leaping forward and diving through the opening herself. Now she was in free-fall.

She turned her body in the direction the momentum of her leap and the ship's descent carried her, holding the door out in front of herself in a parody of the landing strategy she'd utilized during the initiation. The airship continued to dive downwards, slamming into the earth at full speed, erupting in a fiery explosion. Ironically, the buffeting shockwaves created a pressure-wave that Pyrrha was able to ride to slow her own fall. Then her makeshift shield slammed into the first of many trees.

Rather than continue to rely on her arm, Pyrrha turned her body and pressed against the door with her feet as it smashed through trunk after tree trunk, shattering them into splinters, but each impact absorbing more and more of her momentum. Finally, the door struck earth, Pyrrha's legs bending to absorb the impact and surfing atop it as it finally slowed to a stop, Pyrrha using her remaining forward momentum to carry her into a simple forward step that allowed her to step off the door and onto solid ground.

Looking around, she frowned. She had no idea where she was. All she knew was that she was in the wilderness of Sanus, somewhere east of Vale. She hadn't been airborne long enough for the transport to reach Anima yet. However, that didn't exactly give her much of a clue as to her exact location. Furthermore, she was stranded, with Grimm probably not far away and being drawn by the sound and light of the explosion. She had no supplies, and her weapons were cheap, mass-produced models. Unless something changed, she had little chance of ever seeing her revenge reach fruition.

Fortunately, the sound of airship engines reached her ears. Pyrrha looked up to see another airship, this one a sleek, personal model, descending towards her. Looking around, Pyrrha saw that the impact of her transport had created an impressive crater, but also destroyed many of the trees in the surrounding area, flames and smoke still rising upwards from the crater's center. The impact had cleared the ground for several-dozen meters. She made her way towards it, figuring that was where this new airship would be landing.

And land it did. It had barely touched down, before the door in its fuselage opened and a ramp extended, a smartly-dressed, mustachioed man making his way down, arms folded behind his back as he smiled indulgently at the newly-minted fugitive.

"Well done," he said. "I was watching the transport's security feed. Truly a spectacular display, Ms. Nikos. You are everything I thought you would be and more. I had thought you would hesitate when it came to making the kill, but I am relieved to see that I needn't have worried."

"And who are you?" asked Pyrrha, recognizing the voice from the intercom. "What do you want?"

"Ah, straight to the point," said the man cheerfully. "I like that. My name is Arthur. However, I'll ask you to address me as Doctor...Dr. Watts." His smile widened and one hand rose up to stroke his mustache. "And as for what I want...I wish to make you an offer I think you won't want to refuse..."

* * *

 **Uh oh...Pyrrha-yan is on the loose, and she's got help. In all honesty, her escape was one of the more exciting sequences of the story to write.**

 **Aside from that, it was also interesting to explore how Ruby might have learned unarmed combat, as opposed to how she learned it on the show Of course, Yu, being the consummate teacher that he is, is never one to leave a flaw unaddressed. And his approach to teaching Ruby unarmed combat strikes me as a valid one, even if my own experience with martial arts is...middling...at best. Some of this does come from the martial arts that I dabbled in over the years. It strikes me as more logical to, rather than teach Ruby a completely different style of combat, the way Ozpin does in the series, to instead build a style off of what she can already do.**


	59. Chapter 59

**Chapter 59:**

"Anything?" asked Ozpin, turning away from his office window to face Glynda as she entered from the elevator.

"No," replied Glynda. "There's been no further contact. The military have sent out a Search-and-Rescue Team. I've advised them of the threat Ms. Nikos poses. However, there's no guarantee they will find anything at all."

"I suppose," said Ozpin, turning to look out the window.

The signal from Pyrrha Nikos prisoner transport had cut out abruptly, just a few hours outside of Vale. That, in and of itself, was nothing particularly worrisome. The further beyond the Kingdom walls, and away from the main CCT tower, one went, the spottier reception was. It was not unusual for airships to lose contact for brief periods, before they came into contact with one of the many relays established in settlements throughout the continent.

If, however, a certain amount of time elapsed before contact was re-established, then it could be inferred that something had happened, generally something bad. In circumstances like that, Vale would scramble rescuers to find the transport. Unfortunately, because of the time they were required to wait before it could be assumed that something had happened, they were often too late to do any good...not that that was a primary concern in this case.

"I suppose we could assume that the transport suffered an engine malfunction or was attacked by Grimm," suggested Ozpin lamely, with the tone of a man already knowing it was hopeful thinking. _What a sad state of affairs it is, when considering those possibilities amounts to_ hopeful _thinking._

"Naive," said Glynda simply. "But I also expect that, even if they find the wreckage, the search teams will not find any signs of Ms. Nikos."

"That is my expectation as well," said Ozpin with a sigh, reaching for his coffee mug and taking a sip from it. "Instead, I believe it more pragmatic and productive to assume the enemy has made their next move, and plan accordingly."

Glynda frowned. "Attacking Ms. Nikos' transport? She's no longer a threat to them anymore. What point would there be to doing it?"

Ozpin's expression became even darker. "You are thinking about it the wrong way, Glynda. I enjoy chess, so I sometimes use it as a metaphor. But, in this scenario, we should be thinking in terms of shogi."

"Meaning?" asked Glynda, raising an eyebrow.

"In chess, a captured piece is gone from the game for good," explained Ozpin. "But in shogi, a captured piece can be returned to the board, as one of your own."

Glynda's eyes widened. "You believe that the enemy is seeking to recruit Ms. Nikos?"

"If we are to presume their involvement, then...yes," said Ozpin. "As a threat to their plans, Ms. Nikos has been effectively removed from the board. Her career is at an end. Her reputation is in shambles. Her life's plans have been effectively derailed. And, unless I am mistaken..." He activated the control on his desk bringing up an image of Pyrrha, from the room where she met with her lawyer. "...she has considerable anger. If the enemy believes that her anger can be turned to their ends, then she could be a formidable asset to them."

Glynda glared at the image of Pyrrha. "What do you think they will do with her?"

"It's difficult to say," said Ozpin. "Her fighting capabilities are considerable, so her use as a soldier, a pawn, would be substantial in its own right. However, perhaps the enemy sees the same things that I saw in her...and are willing to overlook her more negative traits."

"You mean they want to..." Glynda's eyes drifted downwards, going to the floor of the office, though her mind proceeded downwards even farther, to a place far...far...far below.

"I believe it to be possible," said Ozpin gravely.

"But if Ms. Nikos' report on her encounter with the woman in the CCT center is accurate, then that woman is likely the culprit behind Autumn's condition. Why would the enemy advance a new candidate, when they already have an active one?"

Ozpin sighed. "There is every chance that I am misreading the situation. However, I doubt it. But, even if the culprit is here, Ms. Nikos may still be useful. There are _other_ Maidens after all."

Glynda swallowed nervously. "What do we do now? Ms. Nikos was our primary candidate." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "You aren't suggesting we use Ruby?"

Ozpin shook his head slowly. "Unfortunately, that is impossible at this point. Though, in almost all areas, she would be the ideal candidate, Ms. Rose is ineligible for a reason beyond her control. We shall have to consider other options. At this point, the next candidate worth considering would be Ms. Xiao Long."

"That's...incredibly risky," Glynda said. "Ms. Xiao Long is capable, yes. But she is still untempered and reckless, prone to outbursts of anger. Entrusting her with that power..."

"There is also her relationship with Ms. Rose to consider," added Ozpin. "There is a strong bond of love and trust between them. The fact that Ms. Xiao Long's anger in response to Ms. Rose's deception shows just how potent their connection is to one another. Forcing Ms. Xiao Long to keep a secret of this magnitude from her sister is something we cannot not and should not do."

"Then what other options do we have?" wondered Glynda. "Ms. Belladonna is skilled, decisive, and with strong personal convictions. She also has a great deal of experience with secrets."

"She is also very conflicted right now," said Ozpin. "This would be a burden on top of the one she is already bearing."

"And Ms. Valkyrie...?" said Glynda dubiously.

"A last resort," said Ozpin with a chuckle. "A _very_ last resort."

"Those are the top candidates we have," said Glynda. "Unless you think we should look at second-years as well, such as Ms. Adel or Ms. Scarletina."

"Hmm..." Ozpin drained his mug. "Truth be told, Ms. Xiao Long is still the best candidate to my mind. If we cannot ask her under the current conditions she has, perhaps we can adjust to meet the conditions needed to trust her."

"How so?" asked Glynda.

"We include Ms. Rose," said Ozpin. "Not only that, but let's avoid potential conflict, and expand this to include both their team and Team January."

Glynda's eyes widened. "Are you out of your mind? You're asking that we extend knowledge of Autumn to no fewer than eight additional people?"

"Eight extremely competent, trustworthy people," said Ozpin, "people with strong convictions to do what is right. Team Ruby, in particular, is led by a girl with a stronger desire to protect others than I have seen in many years. It truly is a pity that Ms. Rose is ineligible. She would have been the ideal recipient."

"I'm not so sure about this," Glynda persisted. "Are you certain we can trust them."

"I believe so," said Ozpin. "However, if you wish to be assured, perhaps we should arrange some form of test of their commitment."

"I think I can help you with that."

Glynda froze, then whipped her head around to the left, where the voice had been coming from. There, standing casually, as though he'd been there the whole time, was Yu Yuen.

"You!" gasped Glynda.

"That's my name," said Yu with a laugh.

Glynda growled and muttered under her breath.

"Geez, take it easy, Wtichy-Witch," said Yu, striding forward.

"Where did you even come from?" Glynda wanted to know.

"Outside," said Yu.

"Glynda, please," said Ozpin, raising a hand to forestall her forthcoming irritable response, knowing that Yu would simply continue to bait her if she gave him the opportunity. "What do you mean, help?"

Yu chuckled. "Well, you want to test those kids, right? You want to see their resolve, their determination. As it so happens, I was planning a little pop-quiz for my students. Knowing them, they'll probably pull the rest of their little teams into it along with them. But that should be enough for you to see if they've got the stuff they need to be trusted with this little secret of yours."

"I would really rather you didn't," said Ozpin. "I can imagine what _your_ idea of a _test_ would be."

"Yeah, but I'd be going through with it, whether it helps you or not," said Yu with a wide grin. "Besides, desperate times call for desperate measures, and all that. Little 'Autumn's' time is running out, after all."

Glynda went pale and her hand strayed towards her riding crop. "You-! How do you know about that?"

"I've known for a long time," said Yu, his grin pulling wider, exposing even his gums. "I may be blind, but I can 'see' far more than you can. From the moment I set foot within a mile of this place, I was able to see everything: the dark and dirty little secrets you're keeping hidden in your basement's basement, the ones who are looking for that secret, everything... If I wanted to, I could solve all your problems with just a few words...but that's no fun."

"Of course," said Ozpin, sounding unsurprised. "In the end, your amusement is all that matters."

"That's right," said Yu. "Unlike some hypocrites, I've never pretended to do anything other than whatever I feel like doing at the moment. This little spat you're having with the hag is entertaining. It's also the perfect scenario to spur my students forward. Go ahead and use them to your heart's content. If you're thrusting them into a battle they couldn't possibly be prepared for, so much the better."

"Don't you care about them at all?" asked Glynda.

"Nope, not really," admitted Yu without a lick of hesitation. "I mean, I'll be peeved if they go and get themselves killed, after I sank years of work into building them up. But if they can't hack it, they can't hack it. I'll return to the beginning and start again."

"What are your students even for then?" asked Glynda.

"Me," answered Yu simply. "What else would they be for?"

"What do you mean?" Glynda demanded.

Yu sighed and stared down at his hand. "You have no idea how dreary it can be, being the strongest. I live for my entertainment. But nothing entertained me more than putting my life on the line against an opponent who could push me to the edge. But now...I've left everyone in the world so far in my dust that no one can give me a real fight anymore. Now I'm left with lesser amusements, like messing with your kids or poking the hag.

"But I know...I reached my level by applying myself, by delving into the essence of what it means to be truly strong, by relentlessly seeking mastery. The methods I used, others can use. If I guide them, then, someday, I'll be able to guide someone to the level that I seek, and I'll finally get that excitement, that high again. What's more, I'll reach a new level. I'll become even stronger still."

"Some would go so far to say that you have reached the level of God," said Ozpin. "Isn't that enough?"

Yu chuckled. "Of course not. I don't care about 'God' or whatever. All I know for certain is that I can still get stronger. If I _am_ at the level of God, then so much the better. That means that something exists _beyond_ God, something greater than even that. What could be more exciting?"

He turned his head towards Ozpin. "You and the hag are both squabbling over Maidens and Relics, abandoned toys, the leftovers of forgotten deities, who abandoned this world long ago. The Maidens' power is worthless. I've tested it myself, and it's nothing to write home about. They only serve a glorified keys to your 'doors.' And the Relics..." Yu snorted derisively. "Knowledge, Creation, Destruction, Choice...what a load of crap."

"The Relics have the power to completely change the world!" protested Glynda.

" _I_ have the power to change the world," said Yu. He clapped his hands together, then pulled them apart. Glynda gasped as she saw the light gleaming off steel. Yu had drawn a plain, but very fine, katana from thin air, the white wrapping of its handle being its only distinguishing feature. "I can create and I can destroy. I can choose and I know things. I don't need Relics for that. The Relics are the embodiment of those so-called gifts those two gods supposedly left to us. But those gifts exist within the soul of every man, woman, and child in this world. They can achieve this power with perseverance and will. Do you understand, now?"

Yu suspended his sword between the palms of his hands, one resting his left against the tip of the blade, his right against the pommel. With a rapid movement, he clapped them together, and the sword vanished from sight. "Like I said, this whole affair is just a children's squabble over discarded toys. To me, it's nothing more than a sideshow, but an amusing one all the same. Now my students are about to be roped into it, and I couldn't be happier."

"What is this test you're giving them?" Ozpin asked.

"Oh, I think you'll know when it comes along," said Yu, turning away from them, but still grinning over his shoulder. "I recommend you send them out when you see it coming. Send anyone else and I'll be making sure they _don't_ interfere...even if it means laying waste to your entire precious Kingdom."

Then he vanished.

"That man..." Glynda struggled to find the words to describe her feelings. "What is he?"

"He is a man," answered Ozpin. "However terrible the things he does are, however incomprehensible his ideas and motives may be to us, at the end of the day, he remains a man...and that is, perhaps, the most terrifying thing of all."

"What do we do?" asked Glynda.

"What _can_ we do?" Ozpin replied, frowning into his hands. "He's also right that, if we truly wish to consider whether or not Ruby and January can be trusted with our secrets, we will need to see their mettle put to the test. It is also true that Yu will do what he wishes, regardless of our needs and wants. The best we can do is adapt...and hope that the students are up to the challenge."

* * *

Yang grimaced as she fended off another strike of Gin's claws. The force behind the blow sent her skidding back. With a growl, she fired her gauntlets behind her to launch herself forward at him. Her fist struck Gin's upraised arm. But the resistance she was expecting was absent, and Yang stumbled forward through a cloud of glittering mist.

Realizing what he was up to, Yang whirled around to track Gin, expecting him to try and slip around her, the tactic he'd used regularly throughout their fight. If she could just anticipate the direction of his evasion, she could hit him before he could make his own attack.

Then Gin's claws punched into the side of her face, accompanied by the palm of his hand, the over all force of his blow slamming her back and sending her bouncing along the surface of the ring. Her face burning and her neck aching, Yang rode out the pain and the momentum behind Gin's blow, using her bounces to come back on her feet. Even as she skidded to a stop, she could see Gin's face almost inches from her own. He had no intention of giving her any room to recover.

But his attacks had charged Yang's Semblance up to the fullest level she could sustain, before her Aura was drained. Now she slammed her fists together, unleashing her Semblance, releasing the built up power in a shockwave around her. The force of the explosion would drive Gin back and give her the chance to take the offensive.

Then Gin's lead foot slammed down into the floor with enough power to shatter it. His right hand thrust forward, the afterimage of a sinuous body and silver scales following in its wake as he used its force to punch clean through the force of Yang's Semblance and strike her right in the stomach.

The two of them were blown away from each other, Gin knocked backwards onto his back, before rolling back onto his feet and sinking the claws of his left hand into the ring to slow himself to a stop; while Yang slammed into the safety barrier with a cry of pain, before sagging to her knees, the buzzer sounding to announce her loss.

Gin stood up and dusted himself off. He looked a little worse for wear, black smudges decorating his exposed skin, though his scales appeared as immaculate as ever. He glanced up at the screen that depicted their Aura levels. "Not bad," he said.

Looking up, Yang realized what he meant. In their first fight, during the combat assessment, she hadn't even taken off a quarter of his Aura. In this fight, she'd managed to wear him down to a little over half. But... "That's still no good," she said.

"You're right about that," said Gin. "You're going to hit your wall soon, if you haven't hit it already."

"My wall?" Yang blinked in confusion.

"It's as far as your current fighting style can take you," said Gin, turning back to her again.

"Are you saying I'm not good enough?" asked Yang.

"Well...I don't really need to say it, do I?" asked Gin.

Yang grunted in frustration, but couldn't really dispute his words.

With the gap on their studies closed, Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu now had more free time available to them. Gin and Ayumu were still taking literacy classes, but they were catching up quickly. They were now able to have much of their Saturdays free. Also, without the need for a free study period, they were able to rejoin Combat Class.

The consequences were predictable. In Combat Class, Ruby was challenged repeatedly by the other students. Ruby always agreed and Glynda allowed it, so long as Ruby's Aura wasn't depleted by more than half. She'd won all her matches so far, proving that her victory during the combat assessment wasn't a fluke. Her performance was going a long way towards changing the minds of those who'd originally believed she didn't belong in Beacon, though there was no doubt that plenty of resentment lingered all the same.

Ayumu was challenged occasionally, but no one seemed to want to fight Gin. Occasionally, Glynda chose his challenger herself. Most students seemed to fear the idea of exchanging blows with him. If his opponent was another faunus, they were especially hesitant, and Gin typically ended the fight in the most economical manner possible. He never went too far or injured anyone. If anything, his manner of fighting was astonishingly precise, even if it was utterly ruthless, and he always stopped as soon as he knocked his opponent's Aura into the critical zone. Yet, despite that, almost everyone seemed to view him as some kind of chained beast, always on the verge of breaking free and viciously savaging whoever was in front of him.

Yang thought it was stupid.

Outside of Combat Class, Ruby and Gin used their new free time to spar with Blake and Yang multiple times. It took a few rounds for Yang to catch on to what they were doing. With Weiss' expulsion, Ruby's return, and Gin's addition, not to mention the changes Ruby had gone through during her months away, the dynamic of Team RUBY was completely different from that of RWBY. The qualifiers for the Vytal Festival Tournament were full-team battles. In order to fight effectively, Ruby and Gin had to get a feel for how their own abilities matched that of their teammates, and Ruby had to make the adjustments necessary to ensure that, when their time came, they were able to fight as a team. Yang also knew that Ayumu was going through the same thing with his team.

"What's the problem with my fighting style?" Yang wanted to know. Then she growled. "Wait! Let me guess...It's sloppy."

"Not really," said Gin. "When you can get into your groove, you're devastating. You know what your strengths are, and exactly how to use them. You know how to get the most out of your power, and you know how to use your Semblance to its fullest extent."

He sighed, pulling out his scroll and disengaging the security barrier. They moved to the edge of the ring, where a pair of towels waited. He picked up his and tossed the other to Yang, who accepted it gladly. "Truth be told, you're a good bit stronger to me in the area of raw power. Our speed is about the same. And, when you activate your Semblance, it kicks your physical stats up into another bracket entirely."

"So, what's the problem then?" asked Yang.

"The problem is that your style is easy to read...predictable," said Gin. "In a match of strength against strength, I'd lose, nine times out of ten, at least. But even an opponent who can't match you in physical ability can counter your ability with skill. You're dangerous when you get in your groove. But I can keep you from finding your groove easily. That last exchange was pretty good. I noticed that you were trying to anticipate my evasion, and strike before I could. The problem is that, if you can't take the initiative, you're always reacting, even when you're trying to anticipate, so you're always a step behind me."

"So...I need to work on my defense?" asked Yang.

Gin shrugged. "That's one way to approach it. However, I'd say that the best way for you to improve is to not attack so blindly. At your level, you shouldn't be relying on your eyes so much. You should also be able to increase your awareness and read your opponent, rather than trying to react _after_ they move. And then there's your Semblance..."

"Let me guess," groused Yang, "I'm basically throwing a temper tantrum. Dad always says that."

Gin tilted his head to the side. "Well...that's one way to describe it. When you're fueling it with your anger and frustration, that's not even all that wide of the mark."

"So I shouldn't rely on it," said Yang, her face falling.

It was a sore point for her. It wasn't just her father, but her teachers at Signal, and even Glynda on multiple occasions, who'd said that her Semblance was dangerous and unreliable. When she took damage, she could turn that impact into raw power and unleash it back on her opponent. But they had all said it was reckless, unreliable, dangerous...

"I wouldn't say that at all," said Gin, surprising her. "The issue isn't that you _shouldn't_ rely on your Semblance, but that you need to change _how_ you rely on it." He smirked. "As Master Yu would say, you need to think smaller."

"Smaller...?" Yang blinked. "What does that even mean?" She'd heard that before, from Ruby, Ayumu, and Gin, but had never really gotten what they meant by that.

Gin turned to the side and began to walk. His body suddenly distorted, his appearance stretching and bending in ways that were hard to follow and, to be honest, almost nauseating. His body twisted and stretched, like a reflection on the surface of a lake that had just been disturbed by a thrown stone, rippling around Yang.

"My technique..." said Gin, from an angle a little behind Yang, making her jump. She hadn't even noticed that he'd circled that far around her. "...is called _Suigetsu_. It comes from an old proverb about trying to catch the moon reflected on the water."

"You can't," said Yang. "It's just a reflection after all."

"Exactly," agreed Gin. "That's the point. I use my mist, condense it, manifest it, and use it to reflect myself. As long as my opponent chases my reflection, they'll never actually catch _me_. Now, what's the obvious question with this?"

"If it means you can't get hit, then why wouldn't you use it all the time?" said Yang, turning to face him.

"That's right," said Gin. "Every technique has its limitations. I used to use _Suigetsu_ all the time in quite a few fights. However, I encountered scenarios where I can't use it effectively. Mist is just evaporated water after all. With enough raw power, not even all that much at that, an enemy can produce a shockwave to disperse it. Then they'll have no trouble finding me, until I can replace the lost mist and use the technique again. But they can just as easily keep me from doing that.

"So I've adjusted. Now, I use _Suigetsu_ only in short bursts, in the brief intervals of individual attacks. I read the flow of the fight, and apply it only when it will be most effective. I use it to penetrate the gaps in my opponent's perception, and use it to draw them into giving me openings they wouldn't otherwise. That's what's meant by 'thinking smaller.'"

Yang blinked, trying to work through what Gin had told her. "So...I should use my Semblance...faster?"

"In a sense," said Gin with a shrug. "Let's see..." He cupped his chin, thinking things over for a moment, trying to work out the proper way to explain his reasoning. "Right now, you use your Semblance as a game-changer of sorts. You charge it up over the course of the battle, and unleash it when you feel that you can use it to completely overwhelm your opponent."

"Right," said Yang.

"There are several issues with that," said Gin. "First off, in order to charge your Semblance up to that level, you wind up taking enough damage to bring your Aura down to the brink, right to the point where a single hit could end you. It's walking a thin line. One misstep and you lose without being able to do anything. That's exactly what cost you the match this time. You tried to use your Semblance to push me back. But I chose that moment to abandon defense and concentrate all my power into a decisive blow that took you out of the match, before you could begin to put your power to use."

"But isn't doing that reckless?" asked Yang, feeling that Gin was being fairly hypocritical, considering what he'd been saying earlier.

"Only if you do it without reason," said Gin, folding his arms behind his head. "There's an old saying of swordsmen that Master Yu taught me once. 'Let him cut your flesh, so that you can cut his bone.' It means being willing to accept moderate damage in order to strike a decisive blow. It's a calculated risk. One mistake, one misstep and I _would_ have been knocked back and you really would have been able to turn the tables and beat me. But I took the risk and responded appropriately, so I was the winner. But taking that risk was only a valid strategy because you allowed yourself to be brought down to the point where a single hit could mean the difference between winning or losing."

Yang looked down at her feet.

Gin pressed on. "The other weakness in how you use your Semblance is that, by burning it all at once like that, you also burn out your stamina. I could have just as easily fallen back, and then fought defensively, avoiding or deflecting your attacks until your accumulated power ran out, which would have left you completely wiped out. That's, more or less, what I did in our first bout."

"Then what am I supposed to do with it?" asked Yang.

"Let me use that fighting game you've been teaching me how to play as an example," said Gin. "In that game, there's that meter..."

"The Super-meter," said Yang.

Gin nodded. "Over the course of the match, that meter fills up. When it fills up all the way, then you can use your Super-move."

"Right," said Yang, nodding.

"In the game, you can't use your Super-move until you completely fill up the meter. Right now, you're treating your Semblance the same way. It's your Super-move, the game changer move that allows you to flip the tables on your opponent.

"The difference between the game's mechanics and reality is that you don't _have_ to wait until your 'meter' is full. You can use that accumulated power anytime you want or need to, no matter how much or little there is. And I'm guessing you don't need to use all of it at once either."

"But, if I use it before charging it up all the way, then it's not nearly as powerful," complained Yang.

"It may not be as powerful, but it's likely to be more effective," said Gin. "Right now, your fighting style is predictable. Anyone who's seen you fight even once knows to be wary, when the battle is nearing its end-phase. They don't even have to use the same method I did. They could just as easily fall back and avoid contact with you, and wait until your Semblance plays itself out. Then the fight is as good as theirs. A technique or strategy that loses most or all of its effectiveness, just because an opponent knows how it works, is worthless, as Master Yu would say."

Yang growled, frustration bubbling up inside her. "You know, for someone who claims to hate this Yu guy so much, you sure quote him a lot."

Gin shrugged. "It can't really be helped. Everything I know about fighting came from Master Yu. As annoying as it is to admit, he's never been wrong about anything, when it comes to battle."

Yang grumbled under her breath.

"Back to your Semblance," said Gin, making her wince, "the way I see it, your Semblance could be used a lot differently, and _way_ more effectively, if you didn't get so caught up in the idea of releasing it in one enormous explosive burst. Your regular attacks have a lot of power already. Channeling your Semblance, even when it's not fully charged up, can enhance that force dramatically." He smiled at her. "And, while your use of your Semblance isn't ideal, your fighting style and choice of weapons clearly have a lot of thought put into them."

"What do you mean?" asked Yang, surprised by this slight praise from Gin.

"You went with a close-combat style," said Gin. "You went with gauntlets that are meant to enhance the force of your fists. But that style means that, even if you aren't taking attacks yourself, the impact of your own blows feeds back into your own body, so that you are always building up more power as the fight goes on. As far as a style meant to feed your Semblance goes, it's ideal."

"Really?" Yang blinked in surprise.

"Which is why it's also suited for using your Semblance in smaller ways," said Gin. "In that last bout, I won by focusing all my strength into an offensive strike to pierce through the shockwave you produced. But, even without your Semblance at full power, you can produce a similar effect without having to abandon your defense, or even changing your fighting pace. A single decision and, suddenly, an ordinary punch becomes much more powerful. That unexpected surge of power could come at anytime throughout the fight, suddenly breaking through your opponent's defense, and opening them up to a full offensive with your regular strength that can bring a much easier win.

"It goes even further than that though. If you're unable to go on the offensive, like you usually are against me, a single, more powerful blow could make me lose my own rhythm, and open me up for you to change the flow of battle. Or, if you find yourself in a situation like I was in, where you see a chance to put it all in for victory, you can enhance a stronger attack and make it into a decisive finisher. A simple change, using your Semblance in a smaller way, and suddenly you have options for offense, defense, and counterattacking. That's what it means to 'think smaller.'"

Yang gaped at Gin, amazed by the course of his logic. She also realized she couldn't fault it. She looked down at her hands and stared at them for a long moment.

"Ruby told me that you chose to become a Huntress because you like the thrill," said Gin, moving closer to her.

Yang nodded.

"I can understand," said Gin. "That sensation of walking the thin line between victory and defeat, between life and death...it can be euphoric. Master Yu is so addicted to that feeling that he's mentored us, in hopes that we'll become opponents who can inspire it in him someday. However, it's best to find that high in the midst of battle by meeting an equal opponent, and pitting skill against skill. You obtain that sensation by allowing yourself to be driven into a corner, before breaking out at the deciding moment. Because of that, you not only lean on the power of your Semblance because you can suddenly turn the fight around, but because it's exciting. So, even in situations where it's not wise, you're still subconsciously allowing yourself to be driven into that corner because, in your mind, that's the best way to win."

"And what's the best way to win then?" asked Yang.

Gin smirked. "Well...I won't say it's objectively the best, but, for me, the best way to win is to win efficiently."

"Efficiently?"

Gin nodded. "Get the maximum results with the minimum investment of energy. Pushing my limits in training for the sake of increasing them is all well and good. But, in real battle, I will always seek to take down my opponents with as little effort as possible. It isn't that I look down on them or think that they aren't worth my full strength. Like flowing water, I follow the path of least resistance. I exploit my enemies where they're weak, I fight to keep them from using their strengths. As much as possible, I take every opportunity to deny them the chance for victory. That way, I take down my opponents in a way that leaves me ready to face the battle after that...and so on."

Yang frowned. She wasn't sure she agreed with Gin's assessment of his approach to fighting. But then she thought back to the mission to Mountain Glenn. She remembered how stressful it was. The Grimm had come at them, at times seemingly endless in their numbers. She'd been forced to fight at moments where she was afraid that she'd lose the strength to even lift her arms, much less kill monsters. Through adrenaline and the presence of her teammates, she'd found the way through.

But that was just it, wasn't it? She didn't want to be a tournament fighter. She wanted to be a _Huntress_. A Huntress wasn't someone who won matches in the ring. A Huntress was one who slew the Grimm. It didn't matter if she could kill fifty Beowolves in a row, so long as Beowolf number fifty-one was waiting in the wings. That was Gin's point. She had to stop thinking about fighting like a brawler, and fight like a Huntress.

"So what do I need to do?" asked Yang.

"Well, first you need to rest," said Gin. "After our last bout, you're tapped out. So we'll begin work on it when you've recovered."

Yang sighed in annoyance. "You know, it's crazy that I'm getting schooled, literally, by a kid my little sister's age."

"Well, I might be younger than you, but I bet I have the edge when it comes to experience," said Gin. "I was barely more than a toddler when I was forced to flee Menagerie. From there, I lived constantly on the edge. Then Master Yu found me and, for the past few years, he's been teaching me to hone my strength, often in scenarios and situations that could cost me my life, if I don't fight to the best of my abilities. So, when it comes to fighting in the real world, with real stakes, I'd say I'm functionally older than you."

"Yeah, that makes me feel real better," deadpanned Yang.

"Whether it makes you feel good or not, the truth is the truth," said Gin. "If you can accept it and look beyond it, then I think you could reach my current level easily."

"Well, I'm gonna give it my best shot," said Yang. "I'm not the sort of girl to take getting the beatdown from my little sister's boyfriend lying down."

"That's the spirit," Gin replied with a chuckle.

* * *

Yu perched atop the rocky peak of Mt Glenn, the land feature that had given the settlement of Mountain Glenn its name. When the settlement had originally founded, the mountain had been a feature of hope, reassurance. With it at their backs, the settlers felt they had the security they needed to beat back the Grimm and win territory for themselves. _I almost pity them,_ thought Yu with a chuckle. _So sad...They thought this mountain was protecting them, but they never had an inkling of the horror it conceals, and how it brought about their doom._

After being pushed back and the perimeter was established, why did the Grimm continue to press the settlement so relentlessly? Why was it that, no matter how many the settlers and the Huntsmen aiding them killed, more always seemed to come? How come, even now that their prey had fled or died, the Grimm continued to congregate? What was it about that place that drew them. The answers lay beneath the stone that lay beneath Yu's feet.

 _I'm impressed,_ he thought, _Something like this, so close to Vale. If the people knew this was here, they wouldn't be able to sleep at night for fear. Ironically, that would be the very thing that brought their doom to them._

Mt. Glenn had been viewed as a symbol of hope, a steadfast guardian of the settlement that had once sprawled at its base. Now, however, it instead loomed over the decrepit and decaying buildings, casting them in its massive shadow, its dark form looming, dominating the skyline. Mountain Glenn was a corpse, a dead settlement...and Mt. Glenn was its tombstone.

Yu let out a sharp bark of laughter. _This is perfect for my students, especially Ruby. Let her put her convictions to the test, let her see if they can make her stronger and carry them higher, or if they crumble in the face of this. You too, Gin...Ayumu...You're working to be Huntsmen now, so let's make this a test for Huntsmen and Huntresses. Show me how far that path can take you._

His head dipped and Yu turned his face down to the rock beneath his feet. "Just your sleep was enough to doom the ambitions of an entire Kingdom. Now...show me what your wrath can do when you're roused. Nap time's over, beastie."

He jumped into the air. "Time..." At the apex of his leap, he went into a flip, extending his right leg out as he came out of it. "...to..." He descended, his leg still extended in an axe-kick. "...wake..." Reaching earth, Yu slammed the heel of his foot into the stone with a loud crack of splitting stone. "... _UP!_ "

From where his kick struck the earth, a long crack opened up, gradually descending down the mountainside. More cracks began to branch off from it, spreading out along the stone surface of the peak before stopping. Silence returned to the mountaintop. Then...after a few moments, from the darkness revealed by the cracks Yu had opened up, a low rumbling sound emitted as something large, something ancient, something _malevolent_ , began to stir.

"There we go," said Yu, rising up. "Not all in one go. You just needed a little prodding. Now you can do the rest on your own. This is supposed to be a pop-quiz, but I guess I can give my students a little warning." He turned his face towards the not-so-distant Kingdom of Vale, his lips curling back in a savage grin. "Now, show me what you kids can do."

* * *

The first tremors reached Vale early in the morning. On a Tuesday morning, the students weren't yet in class. Many of them were asleep, though some early risers were already enjoying their breakfasts.

Glynda Goodwitch was going over her lesson plans for that day's Combat Class, working out new approaches and matchups that would effectively test her students' abilities.

Ozpin was in his office, going through some of the paperwork covering the preparations for the upcoming Vytal Festival, sipping from his mug as he turned the page on the thick packet he'd been presented with.

Team RUBY and JNAR were in the dining hall, grabbing an early meal.

All of a sudden, a low rumble filled their ears, and the ground beneath them jolted, substantial vibrations making furniture jump. Atop the tables, dishes, cups, and silverware danced, clattering and skittering across the surface, some plates and cups vibrating right off the edge and onto the floor, where they broke with a crash. Several such sounds filled the dining hall.

Ruby and the others all quickly moved to save their own provisions. Nora, still in the process of waking up, was a little slow on the uptake and fumbled, her grasping hands missing her glass as it vibrated over the edge and shattered against the floor.

Throughout Beacon, everyone, student and teacher alike, briefly forgot what they were doing, freezing in place. Those who had been asleep were jolted awake, even the heaviest of sleepers.

Ozpin jolted, dumping his mug of coffee over the reports he was reading. Pushing his chair back away from the spreading mess on the top of his desk, he turned in his seat to stare out the window that overlooked the skies of Vale, a rare expression of surprise crossing his face.

Glynda shot to her feet, knocking over her chair in the process, her lesson plans completely forgotten, trepidation surging throughout her entire being. "No..." she whispered. "It can't be..."

Even as those words escaped her mouth, Glynda knew that her hopes were in vain, for the physical tremor had been accompanied by one that had shaken her very soul, a sensation of deadly dread that rippled through the hearts and minds of every single person, both in Beacon and in Vale itself.

And...beyond the Kingdom walls...up the rocky slopes...the crack that Yu Yuen left on the mountain peak...began to widen.

* * *

 **As a famous man once said..."And here. We. _Go._ "**

 **Gin and Yang talking about her Semblance was something I came up with, regarding how her style could be enhanced by it. I was a bit disappointed by the direction the show itself chose to go with it, with Taiyang basically schooling her to _not_ rely on it, versus maybe showing a proper appreciation, and adapting _how_ she relies on it instead. After all, it's shown as early as the original _Yellow Trailer_ that Yang doesn't need to unleash her Semblance all in one go. She actually does use it in a quick burst to turn the tables during her fight with Melanie and Milita, before Junior got involved. Of course, there's no way to know if that was her using just a portion of what she'd built up so far, or that was all her accumulated power at the moment. In any case, the latter was the interpretation I went with here, and it could be valid as Yang just learning how to refine what she did during her fight in the Club.**


	60. Chapter 60

**Chapter 60:**

"There's no question," sad Glynda in a dark tone. "The seismographs confirm that the tremors originated from Mt. Glenn."

"Not that we needed the seismographs to confirm that," said Ozpin sadly, staring out the window. "Vale is not adjacent to any major faults, so there is only _one_ thing in the vicinity that could cause such tremors."

"But why?" gasped Glynda. "Why is it waking up now? With the destruction of Torchwick's operation, the anxiety of the population has dropped. Criminal and White Fang activity are at an all-time low. The police are taking more proactive action, and things are coming under control. There shouldn't be enough negative emotion to awaken it."

"No," agreed Ozpin. "Indeed, even had the breach occurred as planned, I don't believe that would have caused quite enough negative emotion to awaken it. I suspect it is a card our enemy has been waiting for the Vytal Festival to play."

"How...?" gasped Glynda.

"I can see it in their methodology," said Ozpin, turning to face her. "Do you remember Ms. Rose's report about Team Brown's intentions in Brandywine?"

"Yes," replied Glynda. "They were using the Grimm to gradually erode the settlement's defenses, believing that the relentlessness of their assault would bring them down, and Brandywine would become a cautionary tale that they could use to promote the importance of Huntsmen and Huntresses."

"Correct," said Ozpin. "However, I wonder how it came to be that a Huntsman team...came to consider the idea of using the _Grimm_ as a weapon."

Glynda blinked, finding herself surprised by that notion as well.

"I am also troubled that their actions appear to be similar to what the enemy is trying to do here," added Ozpin. "The Dust robberies, the terrorist attacks, the gradual eroding of public order that would cause people to lose trust in those whose purpose is to protect them...That mistrust invites only further anxiety, which pressures us harder. Had the breach occurred..."

"Then Ironwood would have taken over," said Glynda. "The Council and the people would have lost their faith in Beacon, in us, and turned to a foreign military to keep the peace."

"Which Ironwood would enforce with _power_ ," said Ozpin, "which would lead people to question _why_ such power is necessary to assure peace, in the midst of this celebration of the end of the Great War."

"You think our enemy was building up to this?" asked Glynda, her eyes going to the window, seeking the distant shadow of Mt. Glenn.

"Yes, in the future, when it could be used to its fullest effect," said Ozpin.

"Then, this isn't the enemy's doing," said Glynda.

"No," said Ozpin, lowering his head with a sigh, then shaking it slowly. "He did say we would know it when we saw it."

"You mean Yu did this?" gasped Glynda.

"Yes," said Ozpin, lowering his mug to the desk. "This is the test he's planned for his students."

"You can't mean to send students out there to deal with this," protested Glynda.

"Yu Yuen isn't going to leave us with any other choice," said Ozpin. "It most likely means that defeating this is within their capabilities, so long as they give it their utmost effort. However..."

"However, what?" asked Glynda.

Ozpin leaned forward, bracing his hands on the surface of the desk. "However, I do not believe Yu cares whether or not they will be able to protect the Kingdom and the people in the process of defeating it."

Glynda paled.

"But we have no choice," said Ozpin, looking up at her. "Call Ruby and January here immediately."

* * *

"So...why do you think Professor Ozpin called for us?" asked Yang as the eight of them waited in the elevator.

"I imagine we'll find out when we get there," said Blake with a roll of her eyes.

"Come on, Blake," protested Yang. "Half the fun is guessing what's going on."

"Do you think it had something to do with those tremors earlier?" asked Jaune.

"The timing is awfully convenient," mused Ren.

"Ooh! Maybe they want us to fight an earthquake!" suggested Nora eagerly.

"Nora, you can't fight an earthquake," scoffed Jaune.

"Oh yeah, just watch me!" exclaimed Nora. "I'll have that earthquake crying uncle in no time."

"Uh...how?" Ruby wanted to know.

"Hit it real hard," said Nora smugly.

"Um...how do you hit an earthquake?" asked Ayumu.

"Um...Haven't thought about that," said Nora, her finger going to her lower lip and tapping it slowly. "I'll just have to find its weak point."

Dubious glances were shared all around and the awkward, yet also amused, silence lasted until the elevator reached its destination, opening into Ozpin's office.

Ozpin was waiting in his seat. Glynda was also there, standing just off to the side of his desk. Neither of them looked particularly happy. However, there was no sign that any of their negative feelings were directed at the two teams of students who were arranging themselves before the pair.

"Thank you for coming so promptly," said Ozpin, standing up.

"What is it, Professor?" asked Ruby. "You look really worried."

"Because I am," said Ozpin, turning to look out the window. "Please allow me to explain. What you're about to hear is not the history that is taught to the populace of Vale or, indeed, to any except for a chosen few. You are aware of the history of Mountain Glenn, yes?"

"Yeah," said Ruby while the others nodded.

"Pro-Dr. Oobleck told us about it," said Jaune. "The Grimm wouldn't stop and they were overrun."

"Yes they were," said Ozpin. "In some ways, that should have been within expectations. Many an overambitious effort to tame the land has been stymied by the Grimm. It has happened countless times throughout history. However, there was something...unusual...about what happened in Mountain Glenn. When the land was initially clear and the Grimm were driven back, morale was high. The defenses were effective. The terrain was in the settlement's favor. All the factors were in place for Mountain Glenn to function successfully as an extension of Vale."

"Except it didn't," said Blake sourly.

Ozpin nodded. "Despite a distinct lack of the things that drew them, they continued to converge on the Settlement as though it were in the midst of civil upheaval. Those who studied the settlement after it fell could not understand the reason why."

"But you do?" asked Ren, somewhat skeptically.

"We...have a theory," said Ozpin. His gaze turned to Ruby, then Ayumu, then Gin, in turn. "When you three told me about your experiences in Mountain Glenn, you mentioned an ominous feeling, correct?"

"Yeah, you told us about that too," added Yang, looking to Ruby.

"It was ominous," said Ayumu. "It also didn't seem to be caused by the presence of Mr. Torchwick and his operation. Indeed, it was still present after we brought it down."

Ozpin nodded. "As I expected. In fact, the source of that sensation and the ultimate cause of Mountain Glenn's downfall are most likely one and the same."

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby nervously.

Ozpin looked out the window once more. "A certain few of us investigated the area more closely. The Council wanted to put the failure behind them, so they did very little investigating of their own. However, I had certain people I trust look into the matter. What they found was...disturbing."

"What was it?" asked Yang.

"Within Mt. Glenn itself, in a hollow, just below its peak...there is an enormous Grimm," said Ozpin, "far larger than any that has been seen for many decades."

"How large?" asked Ruby.

"Uncertain," said Ozpin. "They couldn't get an accurate assessment of its shape or its full dimensions. However, there were two things that they were fairly certain of. The first was that this Grimm was in some form of hibernation. The second is that it appears to have the effect of drawing other Grimm to its vicinity."

"A Grand Attractor!" gasped Yang, remembering a particular card that could be used during _Remnant: the Game_.

"Most likely," said Ozpin. "One has not been seen since the days of the Great War."

"So it's asleep," said Gin. Then his eyes narrowed. "Or it was. That's what these tremors are. That's what has you so worried. You think it's waking up."

"That's right," said Ozpin.

"That's bad!" exclaimed Ruby. "We have to stop it. If it's really big, then we'd need heavy firepower-Wait!" Her eyes widened and she gaped at Ozpin. "No..." she whispered.

"Ruby, what is it?" asked Yang.

"You called for _us_ ," said Ruby, swallowing.

"God dammit," groaned Gin, lowering his face into his hands.

"Well...I guess we should have seen something like this coming," said Ayumu, sounding disappointed.

"Uh...Ruby...guys?" Jaune looked between the three of them in confusion. "What are we missing here?"

"Yu did this, didn't he?" asked Gin, looking up at Ozpin. "It's another one of his damned tests. He warned us he was planning a pop-quiz."

"Yes, he visited us and mentioned that as well," said Glynda sourly. "He has made it clear that he will tolerate no outside interference from the military or, presumably, other Huntsmen or Huntresses. So it falls to the eight of you to deal with this."

"That asshole," snarled Gin.

"Wh-why?" asked Ruby, her eyes shimmering with tears. "I know he's harsh, but something like this...If we fail..."

"It won't be just us that pay the price," said Ayumu. "This thing could be a threat to the whole Kingdom, if we don't stop it."

"That is the kind of person Yu is," said Ozpin. "He would sacrifice the entire Kingdom without a second thought, if it advanced his goals."

"Wait! Your master did this?" asked Yang, horrified. "He's woken up some giant Grimm?"

"Looks that way," grumbled Gin.

"I'm making arrangements to dispatch you immediately," said Ozpin. "You have half an hour to get to the docks. Once there, you will take a bullhead directly to Mountain Glenn. Hopefully, you can kill it before it fully awakens."

"We'll do what we have to," said Ruby firmly.

Another tremor rocked the tower, causing them to stagger slightly.

"Please hurry," said Ozpin.

"Let's go!" said Ruby, leading the two teams back into the elevator.

"Do you really think they can do it?" asked Glynda after the doors closed.

"I believe it lies within their capability," said Ozpin. "Even if this is what Yu has arranged, I choose to put my faith in them, especially Ms. Rose."

"I suppose there are worse people to put our trust in," mused Glynda.

"There are indeed," said Ozpin with a rueful chuckle.

* * *

"No..." hissed Cinder, glaring off into the distance.

"Is that what I think it is?" asked Emerald worriedly. "Is it waking up?"

"Seems like it," said Mercury.

"That's not supposed to be until during the Festival!" protested Emerald.

"This is his doing," snarled Cinder. "That damn Calamity..."

"Yu Yuen? He's the one who did it?" asked Mercury.

"Who else," scoffed Cinder. "Watts wouldn't do it. But the Calamity doesn't care one wit about our plans and objectives. Of course he'd notice something like that and decide it was the perfect toy to occupy his time."

"But...what do we do then?" asked Emerald. "If that Grimm goes down, then..."

"Then we'll lose our fodder for the festival," muttered Mercury. "We're going to have to work out something else."

 _That man..._ thought Cinder, burning rage welling up within her. She turned sharply away. "Well...it's clear what we need to do now."

"What is it?" asked Emerald.

"We _kill_ those students of his," said Cinder decisively. "As long as they're alive and are staying here, he won't stop butting in where he doesn't belong. Even if he doesn't care enough to be hurt if they die, if they're gone then his reason for staying around will be gone as well. Then he'll stop meddling."

"But doesn't She want Ruby alive?" asked Emerald.

Cinder stopped, frowning down. "It's unfortunate. But, sometimes, live capture isn't always possible. The poor girl resisted too fiercely, and wound up dying from an attack she couldn't defend against. That's all."

Mercury and Emerald both paled, their limbs feeling weak. Cinder's anger had surpassed her obedience and loyalty. She wouldn't outright betray Salem, but she'd take what liberties she needed to eliminate the ones she hated.

 _There's nothing we can do to stop her,_ thought Emerald nervously.

* * *

"So...what's the plan?" asked Nora as they clutched the handholds of the bullhead's passenger compartment. After Ozpin's pronouncement, it had been a rush to change out of their uniforms and into their combat clothes, followed by a quick run to the locker room to retrieve their weapons. But now they were on their way to their quarry

"If we're quick enough, we can get there before it wakes up," said Jaune. "If this Grimm is as big and dangerous as Ozpin made it sound, then it's best to try and finish it off before it wakes up all the way."

"That's the best approach," agreed Ren.

"Ruby...?" Yang turned to look at her sister, who was staring pensively at the floor. She wasn't the only one. Gin and Ayumu looked equally troubled. "What's wrong?"

Ruby flinched and blinked furiously, having been lost in thought. "Sorry," she said with a sad smile, looking up. "I was just thinking."

"About what?" asked Blake.

"Well..." said Ruby hesitantly, "...if this really is Master Yu's test, then I don't think we're going to be in time to stop it from waking up."

"Why do you say that?" asked Jaune.

"He's testing our growth and skill," said Gin. "That means, he wants us to fight whatever it is, head-on, probably at a disadvantage too."

"He'd really go that far?" wondered Ren, horrified by the idea.

"Yep," said Ayumu and Gin without the slightest hint of hesitation.

Ruby paled and swallowed.

Throughout their run to prepare, the tremors had been growing in frequency. By the time they'd reached the docks and stepped onto the bullhead, they'd been occurring every couple of minutes. Undoubtedly, the unexpected seismic activity was stirring the anxiety and fear of the people of Vale, which, of course, was only waking the Grimm up faster.

"Well, let's try and beat your master's expectations," said Jaune firmly. "I told the pilot to get us there as fast as he can. We'll be there in a couple of minutes-WHOA!"

The cabin of the bullhead abruptly rocked to one side and the eight of them clung tightly to the handholds as the G-forces of a sudden turn threatened to send them careening around the space. Just as abruptly, they came out of whatever drastic maneuver the pilot had been forced to perform, banging painfully against the walls before finding their balance again. Then they lurched forward as they felt the bullhead abruptly shift to hover-mode.

"What's going on?" asked Jaune, shouting over the whine of the transport's screaming engines to be heard in the cockpit.

"We've got a problem, lot of problems actually," said the pilot. "The air around the peak is getting thick with Nevermores and Griffons."

"What?" gasped Jaune staggering and rushing to reach the cockpit and look out through the canopy. Looking out, he gasped, his eyes widening.

The skies around Mt. Glenn were choked with Grimm. Nevermores, large and small, screeched and cawed as they flew about, circling constantly. In between them soared the stranger forms of Griffons, roaring as they flexed their birdlike foreclaws, while their leonine hind legs trailed behind them followed by the bladed and spiked tips of their tails. Like the Nevermores, the Griffons ranged in a variety of sizes, from those no larger than the average Beowolf, to massive creatures equal to that of the giant Nevermores sharing the sky with them.

"They aren't coming after us," noted Jaune, frowning.

While the Grimm were circling the mountain determinedly, they also remained within a certain distance of it, not giving chase as the bullhead fell back on its hovering engines.

"We'll have to land and make our way up from below," said Jaune, adjusting his plans.

"The ground is going to be just as covered with Grimm as the sky," the pilot pointed out helpfully.

"There's no helping it," said Jaune. "Either way, we have to reach the peak before it wakes..." A loud rumble, audible even over the sounds of the bullhead's engines, filled the air. The mountain shook so hard that the tremors were visible to the eyes of Jaune and the pilot. The single, large crack that split the mountain's peak like a scar fractured, more cracks spreading out from it. "...up," Jaune finished lamely, his voice emerging as a strangled squeak.

Then the top of the mountain exploded, chunks of stone and dirt flying everywhere, as the form of the massive Grimm erupted from within it. With a sound that was equal parts roar and scream, the gargantuan beast threw its horned head up and opened its mouth, which opened further and further, the jaw stretching almost all the way down the beast's neck, and celebrated its new freedom with a call that was tangible and audible, making the bullhead shake with the force of the sound alone. Long forelimbs spread, revealing red, translucent membranes, stretched between elongated fingers, like those of a bat. It rose up on powerful hind-legs, spreading its wings out. With a kick, it took to the skies, flapping ungainly a few times, before it managed to find its pace, soaring in a circle around the broken mountain.

"Th-th-th-that's a d-d-d-dragon!" exclaimed Jaune.

"What?" asked Gin, coming into the cockpit. When he saw the Grimm, his neutral expression soured into one of distaste. "That is _not_ a dragon," he said firmly. "I am not dignifying that thing by calling it a dragon."

In spite of the dire situation, Ruby couldn't quite stop from giggling at Gin's petulance.

"Well, it's a Grimm Dragon for sure," said Ayumu, joining Gin at the cockpit door. "I wouldn't worry, Gin. It is no more a real dragon than Beowolves or Ursas are wolves and bears."

"Are dragons real?" asked Nora.

"Who knows," said Gin and Ayumu in unison.

"Well, now that we've got that out of the way, what do we do?" asked Jaune. "That thing's huge."

He wasn't wrong. The Dragon's size was larger than most buildings, larger than even the largest Goliath that any of them had seen. But its size was only part of the problem. As the beast dipped into a widening circle that took it out and around the mountain, the airborne Grimm that had been circling the peak now followed it, flocking around it from above and below like a screen of fighter escorts around a large warship.

And then things got worse. As they watched, black droplets began to congeal on the dragon's underside, some kind of ebony, tar-like substance that fell to the earth to splatter on the ground. From their vantage point, those in the cockpit watched in horror as white and black forms rose up from the splatters of black liquid, revealing fully-formed Grimm.

"It's not only huge, it's a living Grimm _factory_ ," said Gin.

"Truly a terrifying monster," said Ayumu. "This certainly explains Mountain Glenn's downfall. That beast may not only have been drawing Grimm to its position, but spawning them itself."

"Let's leave historical speculation for later," said Jaune. "At this rate, that thing's going to go for Vale, sooner or later. We need to stop it now!"

"The sooner the better," reported the pilot. "I can see those other Grimm already heading Vale's way. At this rate, they'll hit the walls in less than an hour."

"What do we do?" asked Yang, a sense of hopelessness filling her. This was even worse than the already bad scenario they'd been presented with. It wasn't just that this thing was an enormous, powerful, ancient Grimm, but it was also spawning its own reinforcements constantly. The longer they took, the more lesser Grimm it would create. This was a problem that was compounding itself with each passing second.

Ruby had closed her eyes in thought, the momentary flash of fear that had appeared on her face at the sound of the Dragon's roar vanishing. Instead, she'd forced herself to stay calm and think things through. Panic in this situation would be fatal. Likely, Yu had intended this test to be for her, Gin, and Ayumu, which meant he intended for the three of them to deal with the Dragon. That left five other people to direct.

Her eyes opened and she looked at the two boys who had come to Vale with her. Sensing her eyes on them, they turned and returned her look. A second's non-verbal communication passed between them, and they exchanged nods.

Ruby headed to the cockpit. "Get us above it," she said. "Go as high as you can."

"Roger," said the pilot, putting the bullhead back into its flight-configuration and pointing the nose upwards.

"Ruby, what are you doing?" asked Jaune, looking over at her.

"Gin, Ayumu, and I will take the Dragon," said Ruby firmly.

"Ruby! You can't be-!" Yang began to protest before being cut off by Jaune, of all people, when he held up a hand to stop her.

"What do you want us to do?" asked Jaune, looking at Ruby with sober understanding.

"Get back to the wall," said Ruby. "Make sure the defenses are ready. I don't think Yu will mind, so long as you don't interfere in our fight. Hold the line and don't let a single Grimm into Vale."

"Are you sure you can do this?" asked Jaune, staring into Ruby's eyes.

"No," admitted Ruby. "But it's the way we _have_ to do this."

Down below, the Dragon swooped down over the remains of Mountain Glenn, fanning its wings to slow its flight, before planting its clawed feet atop one of the ruined skyscrapers, which promptly collapsed straight down beneath its weight. The Dragon fell with it, landing with an earthshaking impact that didn't seem to bother it any. It lowered itself onto all fours, its wings folding so that its forelimbs were supported by the protruding claws that extended out from the joint, like those of a massive bat. The rubble of the collapsed building scattered around it in a circular berm, almost like a massive nest. The black gunk continued to seep out of its stomach and neck, dripping down and spawning more Grimm. From the perspective of Ruby and the others, with the dragon's body cutting off the sunlight below it, it almost looked as though the Grimm were rising out of the beast's own shadow.

"It's not going to Vale yet," noted Jaune. "That's good."

"It's making more Grimm," said Blake. "It'll probably spawn more to wear down the defenses, before it goes in itself."

"Then let's take it down before it does," declared Ruby decisively.

Of the flying Grimm that had been acting as the dragon's escorts, many of the largest ones continued to circle around it, while the smaller ones broke off, joining the horde of Grimm now rushing the Kingdom walls. The bullhead continued to rise higher, going back into a hover well above the dragon below. It seemed that none of the fliers had taken an interest in them so far, which was just fine.

Ruby, Ayumu, and Gin assembled by the passenger bay doors as they opened, revealing the cloudy sky above.

"I suppose it's time to put that technique you've been practicing to the test," noted Ayumu cheerfully, as he looked at Ruby.

"I guess," said Ruby, swallowing nervously. "I wish I'd more time to practice it."

"We're with you," said Gin, taking her hand.

"Then let's-" Ruby had moved to step forward and out of the passenger bay, but was halted by a hand that clamped around her wrist like a steel vice, bringing her up short, her leading foot hanging out in open space. Looking at her ensnared wrist, Ruby saw the familiar hand that gripped it, her gaze climbing up her captor's arm to her shoulder, then her face.

Yang was clinging to Ruby fiercely, her eyes wide with terror. "Ruby...!" said Yang in a pleading tone. "Please...! I can't...I can't lose you again!"

"You won't," promised Ruby with a warm smile at her sister. "I'll come back to you, Sis. I promise."

Jaune gently pried Ruby's wrist free of Yang's and took Yang into his arms. "Go get 'em," he said, giving Ruby an encouraging smile.

"I will," said Ruby, before continuing where she left off, stepping out into open space and going into free-fall, her red cloak flapping and trailing behind her. Ayumu and Gin were only a beat behind her, all three of them plummeting through the skies, spread-eagled, increasing their wind-resistance to slow their falls.

The bay doors closed. Continuing to hold Yang, combing his fingers through her blonde locks, Jaune turned to addressed the pilot. "Get us to the walls," he said firmly.

"Yes, sir," said the pilot decisively, putting the bullhead back into its flight-configuration.

"Yang," said Jaune, turning his attention to her. "Believe in her. Ruby can do this."

"Especially when she has those two with her," added Ren.

Yang looked up at Jaune, her expression still worried. Jaune leaned in and kissed her hard. When he pulled back, she was slightly dazed. "Get it together," he said firmly. "Ruby's doing her part. We need to do ours."

Yang blinked, then sniffed, wiping her nose. "All right," she said softly. She leaned in and they kissed again, letting their lips linger against one another for a few short moments before pulling back. When their eyes met again, her expression was firm with conviction. "Let's do it," she said.

"Yeah," agreed Jaune, letting her go. They took up their positions in the cabin again, grabbing the handholds and holding on, as the pilot pushed the bullhead's engines to the limit to reach Vale before the Grimm did.

* * *

"Hopefully, this arrangement will satisfy Yu," said Ozpin, watching a live feed from the bullhead. "If his students engage the dragon directly, he will permit us to rally our forces to defend the Kingdom, so long as they don't interfere in his students' battle."

"Is that wise?" asked Glynda. "If he interprets even that as interference, he might turn on our defenders."

"It's a risk that we must take," said Ozpin. "Now, of all times, we cannot allow the Kingdom's walls to be breached."

He turned and activated his desk, holographic screens coming up and depicting live feeds of the perimeter wall on the southeast side of Vale. "Contact all students, including all visiting students. Scramble every transport and bullhead available. Get civilian and cargo transports if you have to. Mobilize every fighter we have and get them to join Ruby and January at the walls. We must hold the line, at any cost."

Glynda frowned darkly, but nodded. "Very well," she said. "Should I contact Huntsmen in the Kingdom?"

Ozpin nodded. "As of now, this will be a Class A bounty mission for all participants. Use the emergency protocols to commission all available Huntsmen and Huntresses."

"Very well," said Glynda firmly. She turned and began striding away, pulling out her scroll as she did.

"Please don't let me be wrong," Ozpin whispered to himself as he brought up a holographic display, showing a map of Vale's southeast wall. Green contacts, indicating the position of weapon emplacements and defending soldiers dotted the wall itself. To the southeast of it, contact icons, glowing a malevolent red, denoted the swarm of approaching Grimm, the number of which were increasing with each passing minute.

"Please hurry," Ozpin softly pleaded, sending his thoughts out to Ruby.

* * *

Ruby savored the sensation of free-fall, the wind rushing past her ears and through her hair, making her cape trail out behind her. Right now, she looked like a superhero out of a comic book. However, she couldn't afford to dwell on that euphoria right now, not when the battle waiting below her was so urgent.

She, Gin, and Ayumu plummeted straight down at the Dragon, carefully adjusting their body positions and shifting their balance to keep above the beast as they descended. However, the Dragon was clearly much more aware of its surroundings than it seemed. It was an ancient Grimm after all, possibly centuries old. Its age gave it both intelligence and awareness, the former evinced by its strategy of spawning a swarm of lesser Grimm to swamp Vale's defenses, as a prelude to its own attack; the latter evinced by its sudden shift as it turned its head straight upwards, the four eyes gleaming out of the white bone-mask over its face narrowing with malign intelligence, locking right in on the three people plummeting towards it. The Dragon's too-wide mouth stretched open, and it let out another screaming roar.

The Nevermores and Griffons that had been circling it responded immediately, their circles tightening before they suddenly began to surge upwards, flying up to meet the descending trio.

Ruby reached behind her and materialized Shining Rose, even as she drew it, opening it up with a spin as the brilliant, shining blade sprang to life with a hiss. Ayumu clapped his hands together and pulled them apart, drawing forth Green Destiny. Gin's scales spread across his forearms like a rash, even as his claws extended from his fingertips. Now prepared for battle, the three of them met the incoming Grimm head-on.

Ruby led with a slash of her scythe, beheading an attacking Nevermore. The momentum of her own swing allowed her to swing out of the way as a Griffon slashed its talons through the space she'd been occupying earlier. Spinning about, her scythe whirling, Ruby used her Semblance to accelerate it to the point that the blade became a streak of light, disemboweling her attacker.

Nearby, Ayumu held his sword out in front of him, slashing downwards, perfectly bisecting an incoming Griffon so that he fell between its disintegrating halves. A Nevermore swooped up at him from one side. However, Ayumu's descent abruptly slowed and the Nevermore's sharp beak pierced through the air directly below him. Putting a spin on his body, Ayumu swung his sword again, removing the Nevermore's wing, causing it to drop from the sky with a shriek.

Not far away, Gin extended his clawed hands ahead of himself, curling his fingers so the claw-tips were pointed directly in front of him. Falling like that, he slammed them directly into the head of an oncoming Griffon, his claws piercing through the white, bone-mask covering its face and punching into its head, carrying the full force of Gin's body behind the motion. The Griffon's skull shattered backwards and Gin's momentum reversed its course, causing it to fall down. Pulling his hands free of the beast's flesh, Gin kicked off its corpse before it could begin to disintegrate and pushed himself off towards his next target, another Griffon that was lunging at him. Gin's sudden movement took him between the beast's outstretched claws and Gin sank his own claws into its throat, before ripping them free in a spray of black and red particles. He kicked off again, aiming for another incoming Grimm, using them as platforms to control his descent, even as he killed them.

The trio continued to fall, a rain of disintegrating Grimm corpses accompanying them as they approached the Dragon. The Dragon itself roared again, kicking off the ground and flapping its massive wings to take to the air and meet them, its too-wide jaws stretching open as it lunged upwards.

Ruby grinned. As large and powerful as the Grimm clearly was, its massive size also made it clumsy and ungainly. Its movements were easily telegraphed, allowing her to know exactly what to do. Shifting her weight and adding a light touch of her Semblance spun Ruby to one side with a flurry of petals. Applying her Semblance in the other direction, she reversed her spin to bring her back around and swing Shining Rose in a downwards arc. The Dragon's outstretched jaws rushed past her, its flying lunge missing her so that she was now plummeting past its underbelly. The shining blade of Ruby's weapon sank into the black flesh below its neck and she drew a line of crimson down the length of its body as she fell past it, black ichor spraying out from either side of her slash, vanishing into ebony smoke as it scattered in the open air.

The Dragon roared in pain, its entire body jolting, its wings spasming and its upward flight stalling. Then Ayumu struck, swinging Green Destiny around in a sharp, clinical arc at the beast's back, his blade cutting clean through the black flesh and the white, bone-plates that dotted its surface, drawing another pained shriek from the creature.

Then its body rocked as Gin slammed into it, sinking his claws into the flesh just above its shoulder. Sinking the claws of his right hand into the Dragon's skin and using them to anchor himself into place, Gin began to swing his left arm around in wide, powerful arcs, gouging out black chunks of flesh with each blow, almost looking as though he were trying to tunnel his way into the Dragon's body.

Falling past the Dragon, Ruby spotted an incoming Nevermore and kicked out, activating her Semblance through her feet, just as her boots met the bone-plate covering the birdlike Grimm's face, shattering it completely, and using the Nevermore's body as a platform. She jumped off, launching herself at the Dragon as it spread its wings again to arrest its fall, her flight taking her across its front so that she slashed a line across its chest, making the Dragon wail in pain yet again.

Ayumu performed a similar maneuver, cutting a Griffon in two with the swing of his sword, then kicking off one of the severed halves to launch himself at the Dragon from behind. Its tail rose up, the bladed spikes protruding from it threatening to cut him to ribbons. However, Ayumu kicked off the air itself to drift to the side, slashing at the tail as he flew past.

The two of them repeated the maneuver over and over again, using the Dragon's own escorts as footholds to continue attacking it, green and red streaks of light biting into its body over and over again as they two of them landed blow after blow. The Dragon's body lurched and spasmed, its pained screams echoing through the air over Mountain Glenn.

* * *

The bullhead swooped around, going into a hover just ahead of the Kingdom walls, its bay doors opening and allowing the five students within to disembark, easily making the short jump down to the ground. Up above them, the largest Dust-cannons that made up at least some of the wall's stationary defensive emplacements were already opening fire, their thundering discharges sending angry red, blue, and yellow bolts arcing through the air to drop down amongst the onrushing Grimm with explosive force, throwing black and white bodies aside in pieces.

Yet the Grimm continued to press on, the cannons barely making a dent in their numbers. As Jaune and the others arrayed themselves before the wall, the smaller, close-range defensive emplacements opened up as well, their rate of fire higher than the larger cannons, sending bolts ripping through the front ranks of Grimm in sweeping arcs, scything down countless beasts, yet leaving still more to vault the disintegrating corpses of their comrades, if such creatures even understood the concept of camaraderie.

"Get ready," warned Jaune, drawing his sword and opening up his shield. He took the defensive stance that Ayumu had been drilling into him in the days they'd spent training together. To his right, Yang raised her fists, her gauntlets sliding into place with successive clicks. To his left, Nora drew her grenade launcher. Next to Yang, Blake pulled her weapon from her back, grasping the bladed sheathe in her left hand, she drew out the black katana with her right and settled in, holding both weapons at the ready. Next to Nora, Ren flicked his arms and his bladed machine guns slid from their places of concealment in his sleeves and he leveled them at the onrushing tide of Grimm.

Above them, the soldiers began to open fire as well, adding their firepower to that of the defensive emplacements, aiming for the largest concentrations of Grimm and trying to break them up.

Nora swallowed nervously, her eyes taking in the sight of the wave of black malevolence sweeping towards them. Lowering her weapon, she turned and looked at her partner. "Ren..."

"Yes?" asked Ren, turning to look at Nora.

"Ren, I...I..." Nora fought to find the words, the three simple words she wanted to say. But her throat constricted, choking them off, strangling them out. Even now, with Yang's warning from their sleepover lingering in her mind, with the most dire situation they'd ever faced before them, she _still_ couldn't bring herself to say it. _I'm pathetic._ "I...I lo..."

Then Ren smiled, it was a soft, warm smile, filled to the brim with overflowing affection that made Nora's heart shudder in her chest and her entire body suddenly begin to heat up. "I know," he said simply.

Nora squeaked, tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes. "A-and-and you?"

Ren simply reached up, carefully turning his hand so that he didn't cut her with the blade of his weapon, instead reaching up and gently pressing his extended index finger to her nose. "Boop," he said simply.

"Ren," said Nora, her voice a hoarse whisper, her throat tightening further.

"Let's live," said Ren, turning his eyes forward. "Let's protect each other...not just us, but our family too."

Nodding firmly, Nora turned her eyes forward once again, Ren's words a stark reminder. They weren't alone. It wasn't just them against the world anymore. At Beacon they'd found new friends. More than that, they'd found a family. They'd found people who loved and cared for them, who would protect them. So now the two of them had to fight and protect their new family in turn.

"Let's do it," said Nora.

"Lay down a barrage," instructed Jaune.

The four people with him immediately opened up. Ren squeezed off rapid bursts from StormFlower, dropping at least one Grimm with each squeeze of the trigger. Nora opened up with several shots from her grenade launcher, sending her shots arcing into the midst of the swarm, trailing pink smoke. They exploded, flinging Grimm bodies aside like toys. Yang pumped her fists back and forth, firing explosive bolts into the Grimm's front ranks. Her shots blasted incoming Ursas and Creeps back, throwing them into the Grimm behind them, tripping up several of them with each shot. Beside her, Blake's katana collapsed to reveal the revolver barrel built into the hilt, which she leveled and opened fire with, pumping bullets into each Grimm she aimed at.

Jaune tensed, raising both sword and shield, bracing himself against the Grimm that continued to surge towards them. He took a deep breath and stood firm.

Then the Grimm were on them.

* * *

Something was wrong. The feeling of wrongness was as clear as day, as Ruby dragged her scythe's blade across the Dragon's chest yet again, prompting another shriek of pain from the beast as it lashed its tail at her. Ruby hooked her blade around the appendage and pulled, yanking herself out of the path of its swing and throwing herself clear. Extinguishing her weapon's blade, Ruby folded her scythe down into its rifle form and leveled it at the Dragon, squeezing off several shots, which struck the beast's body in sprays of black ichor. The massive Grimm jolted and reeled from each hit.

Ayumu continued to dance through the air around it, slicing into its body with Green Destiny, the sword barely encountering any resistance as it bit into the Grimm's flesh. All the while, Gin continued to plunge the claws of his left hand into the wound he opened on its shoulder, over and over again.

The Dragon shrieked and roared in pain. Its body jolted over and over again with each impact, shuddering, barely managing to remember to flap its wings to keep itself in the sky as it attempted to swat down its attackers, which barely seemed like insects, compared to its bulk.

Yet, despite all the damage they were dealing, the Dragon just. Wouldn't. _Die._ In fact, Ruby was struck with the distinct impression that their attacks, for all that they were hurting it, weren't actually _harming_ it. Ruby watched as another of her slashes connected home, sending more ichor splattering out. Even as her arc carried her clear of the Dragon's body, her eyes continued to trace the droplets' fall downwards, until they struck the ground, splashing and splattering, before Ursas and Beowolves rose up, howling.

 _Are we actually doing any damage?_ Ruby wondered worriedly.

"Ruby!" shouted Ayumu suddenly, attracting her attention. Ruby snapped her eyes around, gasping at the slackening of her awareness. In her effort to track and monitor the ichor that continued to drip and dribble off the Dragon's body, she'd forgotten to maintain her _Shingan_. Now she saw the Dragon itself lunging at her, its jaws stretched open almost all the way down the length of its neck, its curved teeth gleaming white against the red of its mouth and throat as it tried to swallow her whole.

Its jaws closed on empty air. It twisted and turned its head in confusion, its four eyes seeking the prey that had escaped its grasp. How Ruby had dodged it was a mystery. The fight had completely eliminated the airborne Grimm that had been supporting the Dragon, and now the only other things in the sky with it were the trio of students. Then, a crimson light shined out above it and the Dagon's eyes turned upwards.

Shining Rose's blade had disappeared, and the weapon's head had folded, the front resting flush against the shaft, while the back, with its winglike projection extended out ahead of it. That wing of brilliant red divided, spreading outwards to either side, flickering petals that also looked like scattering feathers, yet also like glittering embers, spraying out from their edges.

Ruby's boots now rested on her weapon's shaft, which bobbed under her weight, but held firm. Balancing on the narrow surface, Ruby fed her Semblance out through her weapon's wings, which were no longer just wings in appearance, but in function as well. Displaying the fruits of her training and ingenuity, Ruby rose up on manifested wings...and took flight. This was her hidden hand, the technique she'd been keeping as a secret, even from her friends. Only Ayumu and Gin, who had been there while she was developing it, were aware of its existence. Now was the time to put it to use.

The Dragon stared up at her, almost as though it couldn't comprehend the idea of a human actually flying through the skies above it.

Ruby leaned forward, tilting Shining Rose's shaft forward and downwards, sending herself into a dive at the Dragon once again. Her sudden charge appeared to make the beast realize it was still in the midst of a fight, and it rose up to meet her once again. Ruby kicked down, knocking the shaft out from beneath her feet, and kicking it into a spin that brought it back up into her hand. In that same movement, the wings retracted and the head folded out once more, her weapon's blade springing to life, just in time for Ruby to dive past the Dragon's outstretched jaws, her blade descending to where they finally ended, well down the length of its neck, then opening a line further along, releasing another spray of black gunk.

In the meantime, Ayumu kicked of the air again to dance past the Dragon's chest, Green Destiny biting into the flesh of its armpit, causing the outstretched wing to spasm and fold inwards, causing the Dragon to lurch to the side with another pained screech.

Ruby flipped her weapon around again, spreading its wings once more and landing to balance on the shaft yet again, before riding it back up to come at the Dragon from below. As she came within striking distance, Ruby kicked it up into her hands once more and swung out, this time to plunge the tip of her scythe's blade between the protruding ribs of the Dragon's chest. The blade plunged in, the held firm...for a second. Then, as the Dragon's body lurched in time with its wingbeats, Ruby's blade began to slip down.

Her eyes widened. It wasn't that the blade was cutting its way through. Rather, the Dragon's flesh softened and seemed to run, like thick, black syrup. Now Shining Rose was being pulled through that liquid, its sheer viscosity being the only thing keeping Ruby from dropping free. But that soon became a minor concern at best.

Just above where her scythe was anchored, Ruby saw more black liquid bubble up. Then a pair of clawed forelimbs thrust themselves outward, bending to grasp the ribs to either side of them, using them as footholds. They were followed by a skull-mask covered head and slavering, tooth-lined jaws, with glowing, red eyes.

Ruby screamed as a Beowolf pulled itself out of the Dragon's body and lunged at her, jaws outstretched.

* * *

 **So Ruby borrows a page from Maka and Soul. I guess she took the Remnant equivalent of Red Bull.**

 **So, when it comes to Grimm, and how they're portrayed in the show, the big complaint I have about them is that I feel Grimm need to be _weirder_. A major portion of planning out this fight was centered around that concept, and you'll see more of that as this battle goes on.**

 **On a side note, I'm aware that this Grimm was officially termed a Wyvern now. I'm also aware that it technically always was a wyvern, in terms of body type. But this chapter was written when everyone was still calling it the Grimm Dragon, so that's the name I stuck with. Besides, that's actually going to be important in a little bit.**


	61. Chapter 61

**Chapter 61:**

Gin froze, his head whipping around at the sound of Ruby's scream. "Ruby!" he shouted.

Suddenly, Gin lurched, losing his balance. Looking down, he saw that the mass of black flesh he'd sunk his claws into to anchor himself to the Dragon beginning to seemingly liquify. Then, to his shock, the liquid near his claws began to roil and bubble. Then a blunt head surged forth, a roaring Ursa lunging out at him from the Dragon's body, its jaws threatening to close around Gin's throat.

Gin reacted immediately, pulling his limbs free and raising his right hand to close it around the Ursa's throat in turn. With a pull, he swung himself around and out of the way of the Grimm's lunge, then, with a twist and pull, he ripped its throat out. The Ursa sagged limply, its own weight pulling its body free of the black gunk that had spawned it with a sickening, squelching sound. Gin landed on the Dragon's back, leaning down to hook his fingers around one of the bony scales that dotted its hide and keep from being thrown off entirely.

 _What is this thing?_ he wondered. As he'd been plunging his claws into the Dragon's body over and over again, he'd continually pained it. But his claws didn't feel as though they were cutting into flesh, instead feeling like they had been plunging into some kind of viscous liquid, the same liquid that had apparently been dripping off the Dragon's body almost constantly. _Its whole body is just one big spawning ground,_ Gin realized. _It doesn't need to separate from that gunk to spawn Grimm from it._

He looked around, trying to get his bearings. His first thought was making sure that Ruby was okay. So he closed his eyes and extended his _Shingan_ 's radius of awareness as far as he could. However, he couldn't pick up Ruby in his range. The Dragon was just too big. _Please be all right!_

At the same time, something about the Dragon seemed odd. However, Gin didn't have any time to ponder it, as the black body around the scale began to ripple. The next thing Gin saw was a flash of yellow, as a large, bulbous stinger exploded out in front of him, forcing him to dodge and slash at it, cutting it off with a swing of his claws. An angry, gurgling shriek vibrated the viscous liquid beneath him, and Gin was forced to evade again as a pair of powerful pincers emerged from beneath the muck, followed by a second pair. He barely managed to drop back further on the Dragon's body, finding purchase on another of its scales as he found himself facing a large Deathstalker pulling itself free.

Not wanting to let it get all the way out and, subsequently, obtain mobility, he lunged forward, a serpentine body decorated with silver scales trailing behind him as he lunged between the reaching pincers and slammed his clawed hand home against the Grimm's head with full force, shattering it. Then Gin jumped back again as the Deathstalker's dissolving corpse fell free from the Dragon's back. He barely managed to find purchase on another of the beast's scales before it suddenly spun its body about, apparently in a more determined attempt to dislodge him.

 _What is it about this thing? Can it produce Grimm constantly?_ The possibility was horrifying. If they were talking about an animal, then, even if said animal had as peculiar an ability as spawning other animals from its body, that ability would still be limited by things like the animal's reserves of energy, the nutrients and physical components within their body. Yet, this Dragon had been dropping that black muck that produced Grimm from its body almost constantly. The logic of thermodynamics indicated that it should become weaker, or be unable to produce more Grimm after a certain length of time, yet the Dragon just kept on going.

 _It's not worth it to figure it out right now,_ thought Gin, frowning and focusing on the task at hand. _What we need to do now is focus on what we can do to stop it. If we kill it, then it should stop spawning._

How was the question though. Though its body appeared firm, when attacked, it was just like trying to claw his way through thick water. It simply parted around his claws and flowed back in. The Dragon was clearly far more than just its bulk, though that was intimidating enough.

Then he sensed Ruby come flying up at the edge of the range of his _Shingan_ and felt his tension diminish slightly.

"We have to go after the hard parts!" declared Ruby.

"All right," said Gin.

* * *

When the Beowolf had lunged her, Ruby had reflexively jerked back, pulling her scythe free. Whipping back around her waist, she quickly brought the blade back around and beheaded the Grimm, flipping her weapon back beneath her and spreading its wings so that the headless Grimm's body toppled past her, dissolving into smoke before it even reached the ground. _Of course,_ she thought, _if that muck is what makes up its body, then that means it can spit Grimm out without having to drip it off._

At the beginning of the encounter, the Dragon had seemed strange, but not as dangerous as it first appeared. For sure, its ability to spawn more Grimm was exceptionally dangerous, and would only make things worse the longer it was left at large. But its enormous bulk and ungainly body meant that she and the boys could easily maneuver around it with little difficulty. Its attacks were easy to anticipate, and it didn't have the capacity to dodge their attacks.

But now, it became apparent that the Dragon was far more dangerous than they thought. Simply thinking of it as an exceptionally large Grimm, or even an attractor for other Grimm, didn't do the threat it presented justice. It would produce Grimm to guard the portions of its body that it couldn't protect itself and, even worse, that strange liquid that somehow seemed locked into the form of a single creature was amorphous to the point that they couldn't actually inflict damage on it.

Beyond simply fighting it and countering the Grimm it produced, they had to find a way to do _actual_ damage to it. Falling back, Ruby let her senses unfold out to their furthest extent, trying to take in as much of the Dragon's body with her Shingan as she could.

The Dragon's body was strange to her senses, which told her that it was liquid, yet not. It almost seemed...gelatinous...until the dragon decided that part of it needed to be liquid as needs arose. That wasn't good. Then Ruby noticed something.

Certain parts of the Dragon were more solid than the rest. The liquid made up its body from its torso, well down into its tail. However, certain parts were harder, unquestionably solid, more like the flesh of regular Grimm: the wings, the end of the tail, the head just above the neck. Those points were more like those of a regular Grimm.

 _If we attack those, then maybe we can bring it down,_ thought Ruby.

Then she was forced to bank to the side as the Dragon threw itself into a tight roll. At first, Ruby thought it was just trying to maybe fling Gin off its back. She saw a couple more Grimm corpses go flying off its body. Then she noticed something else. The dragon was flinging those droplets of black ooze into the air around it, almost like a dog shaking off water. Those droplets solidified, becoming wings that unfolded from around bird and beast-like bodies, a new host of Griffons and Nevermores taking to the air.

Ruby frowned and rapidly zipped between the airborne Grimm, her flight taking her up and over the Dragon's back, where she found Gin. Not too far away, Ayumu danced between their new attackers, his sword a flashing streak of green as he downed them, one after the other.

"We have to go after the hard parts!" she shouted.

Ayumu and Gin didn't need an extended explanation to understand what she was talking about. Their own _Shingan_ enabled them to pick up on what she had even faster. Ayumu kicked off the head of a Griffon he'd stabbed, launching himself towards the Dragon's right wing, while Gin pulled himself into a leap along its back towards the left.

Ruby took the head. Returning her scythe to her hand, she extended Shining Rose's blade once more and began leaping from one flying Grimm to another to reach the Dragon's head. Her new technique allowed her to essentially fly. However, it was a technique that could exhaust her within a few minutes, if she used it too much. Fortunately, in its effort to spawn more reinforcements that could protect it in the air, the Dragon had also given Ruby new footholds to use in lieu of flight, which would allow her to conserve her Aura better.

A jump took her to the feathery underbelly of a Neveremore. Ruby planted her feet against her chest, then kicked off with the full strength of her Semblance, channeling her Aura into her weapon, causing Shining Rose's blade to extend to several times its normal length as she brought it swinging down with a yell, more petals exploding from the winglike projection behind the head. She brought it down behind the backward-sloping horns of the monster's white skull-mask, putting as much strength and momentum into the strike as she could.

The Dragon's flesh parted with the slash, which cut through the creature's too-long jaws that extended most of the way down its neck, leaving a grotesque, tooth-lined maw dangling where the rest of the head had once been attached, as the head itself plummeted towards the ground, already beginning to dissolve.

At the same time, Gin, the gaping, tooth-lined jaws of a silver dragon forming from the Aura around his right hand, struck near the base of the Dragon's left wing, just far enough up that he was certain to hit solid flesh, and not that liquid. Gin's attack tore right through the appendage, causing the arm to fall free, tearing the red membrane all the way through. On the Dragon's right, Ayumu slashed his sword through roughly the same point, a flashing Aura serving as an extension of his blade's edge and severing the wing completely.

The two boys fell free of the Dragon's body. Gin glanced around, spotting a Griffon approaching him, talons outstretched. Turning his body in the air, he managed to evade its claws while bringing his own around to plunge into its neck. Rather than kill it immediately, Gin bore down with his strength and weight, forcing the Griffon low enough for him to jump off and onto solid ground. Ayumu also descended, fending off fliers, even as he kicked at the air repeatedly to control his falling speed. Ruby vaulted from one Grimm to another, killing each as she made contact, before jumping off to land next to Gin, while Ayumu lightly touched down next to them.

Headless and wingless, the Dragon's body plummeted down onto the remains of Mountain Glenn, crushing several buildings beneath its bulk. However, its fall didn't stop there, as it broke through the surface and plummeted down into one of the caverns below, a massive abyss opening and swallowing even more of the already ruined settlement. Fortunately, the trio had placed their landing well and found themselves on the edge of that abyss, rather than having their footing crumble beneath them.

"We did it," said Gin, trying to catch his breath.

* * *

It was terrifying. The Grimm were everywhere. Their roars and cries completely drowned out the sound of their voices as the five students held firm against their charge, fighting furiously to bring them down. None of them had a single iota of awareness to spare for the condition of the wall and the other defenses. Their world had completely narrowed down to a packed mass of fangs and claws that seemed constantly on the verge of swallowing them up without a trace.

Yang matched the Grimms' roars with her own, punching and kicking furiously, firing her gauntlets with each blow, punching through flesh and shattering bone, rarely failing to bring down a Grimm with every single blow. At times, her shots ripped through a body she'd punched into and struck a Grimm behind, felling that one as well. However, for each one she dropped, three or four more seemed to take its place.

Blake was like a wraith, seemingly dancing among the Grimm like a ghost. Occasionally, claws would slash into her body or jaws would close around her, only for her to vanish, reappearing to cut down the beast from an unexpected angle. Her katana collapsed into its sickle form and she whirled it around her, cutting down several Grimm in a wide circle before pulling it back into her hand and using the pistol built into it to bring down several more.

Nora whooped with excitement as she swung her hammer in wide arcs around her, sending two or three flying at once with the explosions that accompanied the impact. Those Grimm would go on to plow further swaths through their ranks, scattering them.

Ren alternated between careful, clinical swings of his bladed guns and short, rapid bursts of fire from the barrels, systematically bringing the Grimm down around him. His movements were graceful, like those of a dancer, and he ducked and weaved amidst claws and jaws, sometimes kicking out with a burst of his Aura to kill Grimm with blows from his feet as well as his weapons.

And through it all, Jaune Arc stood firm. Just as Ayumu had taught him, his movements were careful, methodical, and ruthless. A Grimm would attack him and he would deflect the blow with his shield before stepping inside the Grimm's reach and bringing it down with a slash or thrust. Rinse, lather, and repeat, he went through the same motions over and over again. It was nowhere near as exciting or flashy as the others' approach to combat, but it allowed him to keep killing Grimm, to hold his ground, and do his part.

All throughout, over the cacophony of roars and screams, the wall's cannons thundered incessantly, the smaller defensive weapons chattering rapidly, switching their aim to bring down fliers that threatened to go over the defenses or swoop down on the already occupied students. Even though the bulk of the Grimm was focused on the five people opposing them directly, a number rushed past them completely to attack the wall itself, either trying to climb up it or claw their way through. The soldiers stationed there continuously fired down, trying to keep the wall clear.

They were holding strong and fighting well...for now. Yet the Grimm kept _coming_. There seemed to be no end to them and, for every one that fell dead, several more clambered over its dissolving corpse to carry on the attack. The defenders could feel the strain already. Limbs burned from exertion, and lungs heaved to keep oxygen flowing to hardworking muscles. Hands and arms throbbed from the jolt of impact after impact. Grimm fell by the dozens with each passing second.

And yet the Grimm still came on, not seeming to mind their losses in the slightest, pressing onwards, propelled only by their mindless hatred for the humans and faunus that stood before them, and those that resided behind the wall. Far worse than their numbers, far worse than the endless press, far worse than any individual Grimm that made up that horde, was the uncertainty that filled the hearts and minds of the defenders.

 _How many more are left? How long will this go on?_ There were no clear answers to those questions and, as the battle dragged on, it became a greater weight on their hearts and minds.

In Yang's case, it didn't help any that she couldn't keep from worrying about her sister. She had no idea what was going on on Ruby's end of things. Was she all right? Had she and the boys managed to bring down the Dragon? Yang's mind couldn't keep those questions from bubbling up. She tried to buckle down and force herself to focus on the fight in front of her, to have faith in Ruby. However, her mind couldn't help but bring up memories of that night, months ago, the night where they'd been swamped by Grimm in a similar manner, barely managing to fight herself free and escape with the others, only to learn that the most important person hadn't escaped with them. Her heart was still haunted by that time, by that realization that Ruby wasn't coming home again (even if the feeling was still alleviated). She couldn't stop herself from wondering if it would be for real this time.

Perhaps because of that, Yang was sufficiently distracted that she didn't notice when a Creep barreled at her from the side. It rammed its armored skull into her midriff, blowing the air from her lungs and sending her sprawling. Immediately, more Grimm took advantage of her prone state and surged up and around her.

"YANG!" shouted Jaune, charging forward and surging past Yang's fallen form. As he did, he threw himself into the swing of an oncoming Ursa's massive paw. His body suddenly flared a brilliant white, which flowed down into his shield, before shining forth with even greater intensity.

The instant the Ursa's paw made contact with the shield, the beast was blown backwards, its arm and a chunk of its body past its shoulder disintegrating on the spot before it slammed through another of its kind, splattering them both across the ground.

Yang found herself gaping up at her boyfriend, suddenly remembering the fight against the Paladin and how he'd saved her from its descending foot at some point. _Is that...his Semblance?_

Jaune himself had no time for curiosity regarding what had just happening. Instead, he was immediately forced to focus on the Beowolves that surged through in the wake of the dead Ursa. He blocked and hacked and stabbed with all the fervor he could muster, which was considerable, bringing down Grimm after Grimm. "Are you okay?" he shouted over his shoulder, not taking his eyes off the enemy.

Reminded that they were in the middle of battle, Yang jolted and jumped upright. "Yeah!" she shouted back, turning so that they were back-to-back. Covering his rear, Yang took down the Grimm that had been threatening Jaune from behind, while the rest of their group formed up around them, cutting a widening swath amidst the horde of monsters and buying them some much needed space.

However, that space closed all too quickly as the Grimm charged in once again. Yang swallowed and braced herself to meet the next attack.

The ground shook, and a thundering, trumpeting call echoed through the air. The students looked up and found their confidence faltering at the sight of a Goliath. The elephantine Grimm wasn't as large as the Dragon, but large enough that they were sure that most of their attacks would only irritate the beast, rather than wound it. And now it was thundering forward, bearing down on them unstoppably.

The roar of a bullhead's engines became audible over the sounds of the Grimm, and the aircraft soared low over the battleground, its bay doors swinging open. A familiar figure dropped down from it, the thermos in his hands extending to form some kind of club with a small flame dancing on its end. He landed on the Goliath's back, just behind its head, and planted the flaming tip down against the monster's flesh. An explosion blasted through and out the bottom and the massive Grimm fell, its head splitting off, and its body crushing countless numbers of its smaller brethren beneath it. The fall of the beast appeared to actually give the rest of the Grimm a moment's pause, as though they too were completely thrown by the sudden development.

Rising up from the dissolving remains of the Goliath's corpse, Bartholomew Oobleck turned to regard the defenders and adjusted his glasses. "Students," he said curtly, "it is good to see you well."

"It's a relief to see you too, Pro-er-Doctor," said Jaune, his grin edging somewhere between relief and sheepishness at his slip of the tongue.

The Grimm didn't pause for long, overcoming their seeming shock and bearing forward once more.

A booming laugh burst out from the bullhead still hovering above. "TALLY HOOOOOO!" boomed a familiar voice as a slightly portly, red-clad Huntsman with a bristling mustache leaped out of the transport to land next to Oobleck. Turning around, he leveled a heavy blunderbuss with axe-blades extending from its stock. A pull of the trigger sent a fiery blast ripping through the ranks of the onrushing Grimm. "Come now, Bart! It's time for another contest!" cheered Peter Port enthusiastically.

"Quite," agreed Oobleck, turning to fire his own weapon, sending similar bolts ripping through the oncoming Grimm.

The bullhead drifted nearer to the panting and worn students, and four more figures leapt from its confines to land next to the bedraggled members of RUBY and JNAR.

"Great job," commented Velvet with a warm smile as she landed next to Yang.

"You kids did a fine job holding the line," said Coco with a cocky smirk, touching down next to Jaune. "Let us take care of things for a little bit. Hang back and take a breather."

"Uh, there's still a lot of them," said Jaune nervously, eyeing the Grimm that were closing in once again.

Coco grinned and pumped her right arm, triggering the handbag she gripped to unfold outward, sprouting the cycling barrels of a powerful minigun. She pulled the trigger and sent a barrage of bullets spraying out, sweeping the gun back and forth, scything down countless approaching Grimm, her bullets ripping through their bodies like paper.

"Don't worry," she said, pausing her barrage to let more targets gather together for her to gun down. "When I said 'us,' I didn't mean _just_ us." Taking one hand off the minigun, she pointed upwards as several more bullheads flew over the wall, their doors opening and even more figures dropping out from within. "I meant _all_ of us."

Jaune and the others couldn't quite keep from sighing in relief as practically the entire student body of Beacon, along with nearly all of the students visiting from abroad, leapt down and joined the fray.

* * *

A momentary lull fell over Mountain Glenn, or at least as much of a lull could fall over the place. The cries of numerous Grimm still echoed distantly, along with the sounds of the ongoing battle at the walls of Vale.

Ruby stepped over to the edge of the abyss and looked down at the unmoving body of the dragon. The black ooze that seemed to make up its body was now flowing out from the severed portions, pooling around it like spilled blood.

"We did it," said Ayumu, coming to stand next to her.

"Did we?" asked Gin, frowning as he stood on Ruby's other side.

"It's not dissolving," said Ruby. The sense of foreboding, that looming menace that the Dragon had emitted hadn't abated with its fall. That sense remained as strong as ever.

Then, the remaining portions of the jaws and neck, along with what remained of the Dragon's wings all dissolved into smoke. A surge of hope flared amongst the trio, but was soon extinguished as the oozing flesh that made up the rest of its body rippled and undulated. With a splash of ebony ichor, new wings exploded out from the Dragon's shoulders. Then a new head and jaws burst forth from the severed stump of its neck in the same manner. The monster pushed itself up on its new limbs and shook its new head as though clearing away the fog of unconsciousness, before lifting its head and roaring triumphantly at the sky above.

"That is...very unfair," said Ayumu dryly, his smile twitching.

"On top of everything else, it can regenerate," groused Gin.

"No..." said Ruby, her eyes narrowing.

"What is it?" asked Ayumu, turning to glance at her.

"It isn't like the parts we cut off regenerated," said Ruby. "It was just as though it had spawned them."

"There's a difference?" Gin wondered.

"I think there might be," said Ruby with a frown. She turned to Ayumu. "Your _Shingan_ is the best of all of us. Gin and I will keep it busy. Can you take a closer 'look' at it while we do that?"

"I will," said Ayumu nodding.

Ruby turned to Gin. "Let's try and keep it down there. It'll be better if we can keep it from taking to the air again."

"Right," said Gin with a nod of his own. He and Ruby leapt off the edge of the abyss and dropped down towards the Dragon. Ayumu followed them after a second's pause to give them a head start.

Ruby folded up her scythe into its rifle-mode and fired several shots, striking the Dragon in two of its four eyes, prompting a howl of rage and pain from the beast, before it turned and lunged at her with its too-wide jaws. Ruby opened her weapon back up and used her Semblance in conjunction with a wide swing to shift her body to the side of those lunging jaws, so that her blade bit into the beast's neck, underneath those jaws.

Gin landed on its back and directed another powerful slash down at it shoulder, eliciting another scream. Then he was forced to jump clear as the Dragon's oozing flesh rippled and surged up, a Creep launching itself out of the muck like a jumping dolphin and launching itself at him headfirst, its gaping jaws opened.

Gin and Ruby found themselves fighting evasively, dancing around the Dragon. Here, on the ground, one might have thought it less of a threat than in the air, but that was proving not to be the case. In the air, it had been forced to constantly beat its wings to remain aloft, limiting the ways it could counter its attackers without being forced to drop from the sky. On the ground, it had no such issues and was instead able to use its wings as another set of limbs to attack with, as well as move across the ground. It spun about, lashing with its powerful, bladed tail. It threw itself forward at one or the other, turning its own massive bulk into its greatest weapon as it sought to crush them beneath itself before they could escape. All the while more ooze dripped constantly from its body, spawning a fresh tide of Grimm that either moved to attack Ruby and Gin on their own, or split off to make their way towards Vale's walls, while more Grimm simply crawled straight out of its flesh to attack whichever of the Dragon's tormentors had landed the latest hit directly.

At the edge of the fight, Ayumu alit on one of the few subterranean buildings still standing, which probably would not remain standing for long, considering how much the earth was shaking from the Dragon's continued movements. However, he paid that no mind, and took a deep breath to settle himself, before extending his senses out as far as he could, letting them examine the Dragon's body as best as he could.

Gin and Ruby jumped and leaped desperately to keep from being crushed by the Dragon's bulk or getting slammed by one of its flailing limbs. Gin dodged out from under the descending claw of its folded wing, which slammed into the earth and shattered the stone beneath it. Gin darted beneath its chest, aiming to shoot out the other side before the Dragon decided to simply let its legs go limp and fall right on top of him.

Instead of falling, the Dragon briefly went still. A faint buzzing reached Gin's ears, and he looked up to see the black ooze that made up the bulk of the Dragon's body vibrating. A white, barbed blade emerged from between a pair of ribs, followed by another, then another, over a dozen suddenly dotting the Dragon's underside.

"Crap," muttered Gin, remembering what those barbs were as they suddenly fired out from the Dragon, trailing black cables behind them. Gin sidestepped one, then let another glance off the scales of his raised forearm. Above him, the owners of those barbs pulled themselves free, white carapaces glistening against the black of the Dragon's bulk, the wasp-like Grimm now making it seem like a hive. "It's spawning Lancers!"

The Lancers retracted their barbed stingers. Gin wrapped his fingers around the black cable trailing from one, allowing himself to be hauled up to the Grimm that had fired it. He struck hard, his claws cutting and smashing through the hard exoskeleton and into the softer interior. Even as he kicked off, the other Lancers were taking to the air, orienting around, aiming their stingers his way.

Gin deflected another barbed hook off his forearm and grabbed the cable, holding onto it like a rope swing to arc down. Coming up and out of the arc, he let go and allowed his momentum to carry him into another Lancer, allowing him to smash its head in. Planting his feet on the Grimm's corpse, Gin kicked off, launching himself upward enough that he avoided the sweep of the Dragon's tail as it flew past beneath him, smashing the Lancer's corpse and clipping the wings of another one, knocking it from the air.

Ruby dropped down, her scythe whirling, the blade slicing clean through the exoskeletons of two more Lancers without any resistance. Coming out of its spin, the Dragon fixated on her and lunged forward. Ruby flipped it around, balancing on the shaft and activating Shining Rose's wings once more, lifting herself out of the way as the massive bulk of the gigantic Grimm came barreling past beneath her. Ruby kicked her weapon back up into her hands and ignited the blade once more, planning to fall on the Dragon's back.

The black goo beneath her suddenly bubbled, like a pot brought to a boil. Suddenly, dozens of small Nevermores exploded out, their harsh caws and the battering sound of their wings against the air threatening to drown out the sound of the Dragon itself as they swirled around her, darting and pecking with their beaks and firing their quills. Ruby's scythe became a red blur, the blade a ring of light around her as she spun it around on multiple axes, cutting them down, while her shaft blocked the incoming feathers.

As she fell clear of the flock, Ruby gasped, sensing two objects approaching her in straight lines. Spinning her weapon around, she barely managed to deflect the hooks of two Lancers that had tired to fire on her while she was distracted by the Nevermores. Then an object loomed up in front of her and Ruby saw the Dragon's tail rise, threatening to bat her from the sky.

Sweeping her scythe around, Ruby hooked the blade around the incoming tail and triggered her Semblance from the wing at the back, using that to swing herself around the table. Changing the angle of her Semblance, she used it to amplify her pull, allowing her to slice off the end of the Dragon's tail, triggering another roar of rage and pain. She supposed it was a futile wound, seeing as the dragon would regrow its tail momentarily. But the pain caused it to falter. In the meantime, Ruby spread her weapon's wings once again, taking to the air to bring down the Lancers and Nevermores choking the area around the Dragon's body.

Not far away, Gin brought down another Lancer, riding it to the ground, hitting with enough force to leave a small cater. Standing up, he immediately dodged again as the armored fist of a Beringel smashed down where he'd been standing. Reversing course, Gin darted in as the gorilla-like Grimm lifted its arm to attack again, lunging forward, originally tracking Gin's dodge. However, Gin's form warped with a spray of mist as the Beringel's fist plunged through it. The mist cleared to reveal Gin already within arm's reach of the Grimm's body. He raked his claws across the Beringel's chest, ripping open long gouges and striking with enough force to lay it out flat. The Beringel landed on its back and went still.

Pausing from his attack, Gin monitored the course of the battle with his senses. Even as the Nevermores and Lancers had taken to the air, more black droplets of that strange ichor continued to drip off the Dragon's body in a ceaseless drizzle. From those droplets emerged more and more Grimm: Beowolves, Ursai, Deathstalkers, Creeps, and more still. Some of them remained to attack the ones harassing their spawner. However, the majority continued to make their way away, apparently heading up and out of the crater...towards Vale.

 _We can't let this keep up,_ thought Gin. _Forget our own stamina. There's no way of telling how long Vale's defenses will last, not to mention the others. We need to finish this soon._

The Dragon lurched, then spun about, fixating its eyes on Gin, then lunged at him with an angry roar, its jaws stretching far wider than any natural creature's. However, Gin made no effort to dodge, merely smirking.

"I was starting to wonder if you'd decided to take a nap, Ayumu."

Ayumu blew through like a gust of wind, his blade flashing green in his hand as he severed the Dragon's head with a single slash, sending it bouncing away across the ground.

"What are you doing?" asked Ruby urgently, dropping down from above. "It's just going to grow a new one."

"True, but it buys us some time," said Ayumu, pointing at the unmoving body. "It even stops spawning when it's like that."

Ruby blinked, then looked at the Dragon's body. "You're right," she said.

"What'd you figure out?" asked Gin.

"Well, it seems that Ruby's assessment was quite apt," said Ayumu. "This 'Dragon' isn't regenerating lost limbs, it's spawning new ones."

"And that means...what?" asked Gin.

Even as they spoke black ichor spilling from the stump left by Ayumu's cut began to ripple, then undulate. Then, with a splash, a new head erupted forth. The reborn Dragon opened its mouth to roar, only to be cut off by Ruby...literally, as she darted past it, slashing its new head off with her scythe before returning to the others.

"Continue," said Ruby imploringly.

"It wasn't apparent on the surface, but when I used my _Shingan_ to examine the Dragon more closely, I noticed something odd," explained Ayumu. He flicked his arm out to the side in a casual motion that seemed more like a wave than a strike, bisecting an approaching Beowolf.

"Odd...?" Gin raised an eyebrow, then sidestepped an Ursa that tried to bite down on him from behind, planting his hand on the back of its head, then ruthlessly driving it into the ground with enough force to pulp its skull.

"Yes," said Ayumu. "Grimm exude malice quite naturally. The Dragon's malice is directed uniformly, yet there also an essence of division, almost like multiple minds guided by a single purpose."

"Multiple minds...!" Gin's eyes widened. "Then you're saying..."

"That Dragon is not a single Grimm," said Ayumu. "Each of its limbs and more, all the 'hard parts' of it are, in fact, distinct Grimm. They act in concert to move the creature's body, so that it appears to be a single organism. But, in fact, it is more akin to a colony."

"But it drops when you take the head off," Ruby pointed out, before putting the conversation on hold again to rush over and do exactly that, before the Dragon could become active again.

"The head appears to be the guiding consciousness," Ayumu explained. "Every colony must have its queen I suppose. Losing the head causes the other parts of it to become temporarily immobile, until control is re-established."

"That's convenient," said Gin, before frowning darkly. "But, if what you're saying is true then, the only way to actually put it down for good is..."

Ayumu nodded. "We must kill all the 'hard parts' of the Dragon before it can respawn them. If we don't, it will continue like this endlessly."

"That doesn't seem too hard," said Ruby.

"Unfortunately, it isn't just the limbs," explained Ayumu. "Every single hard part of the Dragon is a distinct Grimm. That includes the scales, the spines, and the ribs. Unless we can kill _all_ of them, a single one will be able to allow whatever it is at the center of this Grimm to respawn the lost parts and start the whole fight over again."

"So we need to take them all out at once," said Gin. "You've got something for this, right?"

They paused as Ruby darted away to behead the Dragon yet again.

"I may," said Ayumu, once Ruby returned. "Master Yu did set this test for us because he believes that it is within our capacity to pass it."

"Ooh! That thing with the leaves, right?" asked Ruby, remembering the technique she'd seen Ayumu use on rare occasions.

Ayumu nodded. "It's a manifestation technique I'm working on, but I haven't competed it yet. With what we need to do, I shall have to draw out its complete form to ensure that all the blows land."

"What do we need to do?" asked Gin.

"We've got to lure it out into the forest," said Ruby. "Ayumu will have all the ammunition he needs then."

Ayumu nodded. "Once we get there, I'll need Gin to keep the other Grimm off of me while I prepare. Ruby, when it's time for me to attack, I'll need you to take the Dragon's head and immobilize it."

"Got it," said Ruby.

Ayumu turned to look at the Dragon, which was beginning to respawn its head again. "With the amount of Aura I have remaining, I only have a chance of making this work once. We can't afford to miss."

"It's okay," said Ruby, her tone so level and confident that it surprised the boys. "I trust you. I know you can do it."

Ayumu laughed cheerfully. "Well, when you say that, I can't help but give it my all. I _will_ make this work, no matter what."

"Then let's move," said Gin as the Dragon slowly rose up above them. "I think we've pissed it off enough that it'll follow us pretty determinedly."

Ayumu and Ruby nodded. All three of them jumped upwards, leaping just in time to avoid the Dragon's tail as it slammed down where they were standing. Ruby drew back her scythe, allowing Gin to stand on its blade, Shining Rose's edge not cutting into his Aura or him as he stood upon it. With a firm smile, Ruby activated her Semblance, petals exploding out of Shining Rose's wing in an arc as she swung the scythe around, using it to launch Gin towards the lip of the crater. Then she closed down the blade and flipped it around to stand on the shaft, spreading her wings to fly up herself. Behind her, Ayumu skipped across the air to leave as well.

Gin's assessment was on the mark. With an angry roar, the Dragon spread its wings, then leapt up. The mighty down-sweep created gusts powerful enough to send boulders tumbling as it rose up out of the crater, beating its wings for height. Casting its eyes about, it found its quarry easily enough as the trio of fighters that had been tormenting it made a beeline for Mountain Glenn's edge, heading for the forest beyond.

With another roar, it stooped down at them. Ruby and Gin dove to the left, while Ayumu dove to the right as the Dragon slammed bodily through where they had been, smashing ruined buildings and plowing a trench through the earth with its passage, before beating its wings to ascend once again. All the while, a steady downpour of black ooze drizzled constantly in its wake, spawning swaths of new Grimm.

The trio ignored the Grimm, dodging over and around them as they continued their flight to Mountain Glenn's edge, reaching it just as the Dragon swept around to make another pass.

The Dragon slammed down to earth again, its impact smashing trees into splinters, throwing rock and dirt into the air. All three fighters threw themselves clear of the impact. Gin turned and immediately began to focus on taking down the Grimm that were trying to follow them. A few Lancers swooped down from above, firing their stingers at him. Gin caught the cable trailing behind one and pulled sharply on it, tugging the Lancer down before jumping up to meet it, his claws slashing through its abdomen. Using its body as a platform, he jumped to the next one.

In the meantime, Ruby also focused on the Grimm, wielding her scythe with speed and precision, cutting down Beowolves and Ursai, even beheading the occasional Beringel.

The Dragon rose up on its forelimbs once again. Its dive had been steeper this time. Because of that, its momentum had been spent before it could get airborne again. It opened its mouth to roar, but then paused. Strangely, the wind appeared to be picking up.

Directly in front of it, standing atop a tree, his feet balancing on a branch so thin that it should have broken beneath him, was Ayumu. He held Green Destiny up in front of him, holding the blade horizontal across his body, the edges oriented up and down. The first two fingers of his left hand rested gently against the flat of the blade, just below its tip. His eyes were closed and his chest expanded and contracted with deep breaths. The air curled about the blade of his sword, swirling in a lazy-looking vortex, yet becoming dense and intense enough to slightly distort the light around the blade, which was only distorted more as the air took on the greenish tinge of Ayumu's Aura.

Ayumu's eyes snapped open, and he flicked the blade with his left index finger, releasing an echoing ring. Stepping off into the empty air, Ayumu kicked off the air itself, putting his body into a spinning flip, even as he swept Green Destiny around him in wide movements. The rushing wind released from his blade swept about him, pulling countless leaves off of trees, drawing them around Ayumu in a swirling, emerald cyclone that followed him as he jumped higher up into the air, rising well above the Dragon.

Perhaps sensing the threat to its life, the Dragon roared and tensed, beginning the process of backing up, trying to put distance between itself and the event it didn't understand. All the while, the leaves continued to swirl around Ayumu, spinning about so that their flat bodies meshing together, almost giving the appearance of Ayumu being surrounded by a swirling mass of serrated edges.

The Dragon crouched low, preparing to leap at Ayumu before he could complete whatever it was he was attempting. However, a red streak flashed past it and the Dragon's head dropped off at the neck as Ruby landed in a tree not far away.

The leaves around Ayumu shined a brighter, paler green as his Aura merged into them, turning each and every one of them into weapons, metaphorical blades for him to wield. Now Ayumu took the next step, willing the image in his mind into reality as those blades went from metaphorical to literal, each leaf becoming the core of a glowing, green, manifested sword the same shape as Green Destiny.

Allowing his _Shingan_ , the totality of his awareness, to guide his movements, Ayumu set his targets, locating each and every "hard part" across it, all the individual Grimm that, together, made up the Dragon, now held immobile by the lack of their guiding will.

With a sweep of his sword, Ayumu turned the whirlwind of swords around him into a rain of swords that flashed down at the Dragon in countless streaks of green light, punching into its body, piercing through every part he targeted. His attack took advantage of the aqueous nature of the Dragon's core body, sending his blades through that liquid to strike targets even on the Dragon's underside. Even if some of his attacks were off-target, he'd used more than enough to ensure that he struck everything he needed to.

Then, from the edge of his senses' reach, Ayumu felt a small projectile zip in, a single pine needle, charged with Aura like his leaves, striking just one of his blades and sending it askew, tumbling. The sudden change in its trajectory caused a major disruption as it deflected several other blades, scattering them in several directions. As a result, several of the Dragon's smaller scales went unscathed.

His eyes wide with shock, Ayumu almost forgot to land properly as he fell back down, stumbling and barely able to find his balance as he landed on a tree branch. Gin and Ruby joined him.

"What happened?" demanded Gin.

"There was interference," said Ayumu. "Someone hit one of my blades and threw several of them off-target."

"Can we take out the rest of them before it starts respawning?" asked Ruby, focusing on the Dragon.

"I can't do that attack again," said Ayumu, "not with my current Aura-levels."

"Darn right, you can't," chided a familiar voice. "Something like that is still incomplete after all."

The three of them all looked over to see the familiar figure of Yu Yuen, standing on a branch like theirs, his arms folded as he grinned at them.

Gin groaned, palming his face. "I knew it was you," he groused. "What the hell are you doing, Master? We were about to pass."

"Oh, you passed," said Yu. "Ayumu's aim was perfect. If I'd left things alone, he'd have killed every little Grimm on that creature's body and the day would be saved."

"Then why?" demanded Ruby, feeling tears gather in her eyes. "It's supposed to be over! Our friends can't hold out much longer. We need to end this _now_."

"Eh," said Yu with a shrug. "Well, you kids managed to pass my test pretty well. I was impressed."

That caused his three students to flinch, remembering how sparing Yu was with praise, when he offered it at all.

Yu's expression, while still smiling, took on a malicious edge. "That said, when you kids impress me so much...it makes me want to set the bar a little _higher_."

"You want us to kill it again?" demanded Gin incredulously. Of all of them, only Ayumu had come up with a technique to strike so many targets simultaneously across such a broad area. And there was no way he could manage it again with his current levels.

"I want you to kill it again," said Yu, confirming Gin's suspicions. "And I want you to kill it in a different way."

"How?" asked Ruby desperately.

She felt the full weight of Yu's attention settle on her. "I think you know how, Ruby. Ayumu's done his bit. Now it's _your_ turn."

The Dragon rose up yet again, looming above all of them.

Yu threw his arms out to the side. "Your pop-quiz is complete, but now you have to finish the bonus question. It's extra-credit time, kids!"

Behind him, the Dragon roared thunderously.

* * *

 **Back when I first introduced him in this story, I said that Yu is an asshole. And now, proof positive.**

 **So yeah, as I said last time, my biggest gripe concerning Grimm in the actual show is that the Creatures of Grimm need to be weirder. For the most part, the Grimm present a very direct threat, generally being mauled or smashed or whatever. Some, in the last three volumes or so, have added energy attacks to that list. But it's still kind of mundane overall. For the most part, the extent of CRWBY's creativity with Grimm design is what animal or mythological monster is gonna get the black and white treatment next. I'd like to see Grimm do stuff that truly portrays how unnatural as they are.**

 **In that respect, the Apathy introduced in Volume 6 were a good step in the right direction. They have that nice element of presenting an indirect threat, their presence sapping the will to live out of anyone in their vicinity, and their screams having an even more pronounced effect. I'd like to see something more along those lines in future Grimm, not necessarily humanoid or zombie ones, but ones that have modes of attack that are less...comprehensible.**

 **In this case, the Dragon is a pretty normal threat overall, but I chose to make its spawning ability the centerpiece of both its attack and defense. Besides making its body amorphous and hard to damage, it can also spawn Grimm for point-defense purposes, and, as you've just seen, actually putting it down is quite the tricky deal. This is essentially the boss battle of this particular arc of the story, and I wanted to give our heroes one that's a little bit trickier, requiring something other than you average "slice it into several pieces" approach.**


	62. Chapter 62

**Chapter 62:**

Yu vanished as the Dragon smashed through where he'd been standing a second earlier. Amidst its charge, his students lost track of their teacher.

"I hate him so much," groused Gin petulantly.

"Move," advised Ayumu politely, and the three of them burst into motion as the Dragon smashed through where they were standing as well.

Recovering from her dodge, Ruby turned, ready to take the Dragon's next attack, only to gasp in surprise and horror. "It's still going!"

Indeed, instead of turning to press its attack, the Dragon pressed on, plowing back through the trees. At first, it looked as though it might be returning to Mountain Glenn. But its course was veered slightly on an angle that would take it to...

"Vale!" shrieked Ruby. "It's heading for Vale!"

"Why is it ignoring us all of a sudden?" wondered Gin.

"We can ponder that later. We have to stop it," said Ayumu.

They gave chase.

"Ruby!" called Gin as they ran.

"What?" she asked.

"Can you do it?" he asked back.

Ruby hesitated to answer. All throughout her training with Yu, this had been the _one_ thing that she hadn't been able to fully accomplish. Yu said it came down to the right conditions not being in place. But now, she suspected that this battle, setting up this desperate turn of affairs where her secret was the only thing that could finish the Dragon off, had been Yu's plan all along.

"I'll have to," she said.

"Get ahead of it," said Gin. "We'll buy the time you need. Focus on doing what you have to do."

"B-but, Gin..." protested Ruby, faltering and coming a stop, Gin stopping as well, "what if I can't? What if I fail?"

A second later, Gin was standing in front of her. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her in for a lingering, deep kiss, Ruby's arms rising up to reciprocate. "You can," he said when they parted. "I _know_ you can."

"Gin..." said Ruby, sniffling.

Gin kissed her again, a lighter, quicker kiss. "I love you," he told her softly. "And I believe in you, with all my heart."

"Wha-what?" gasped Ruby.

Unfortunately, Gin was no longer there to answer. He had already set off after the Dragon again. Ruby was left standing there, her heart thundering against her ribs, and not just because of her physical exertions.

 _Gin...Gin loves me!_ Ruby had no idea what to think about that, not yet. Then she gasped. Now wasn't the time to be standing around thunderstruck by a sudden confession. Taking to the sky once more, she flew at the highest speed she could manage, quickly overtaking the Dragon and getting far enough ahead of it.

Fortunately, they had picked a good position to set up for Ayumu's attack, even though it had been thwarted. In order to reach Vale, the Dragon would have to round the mountain it had broken out of or fly over it. For a moment, Ruby was concerned as to why the Dragon hadn't taken to the air already. Then she spotted it.

When the Dragon had charged past them, Ayumu had cut it across the membrane of its right wing. He'd struck, not to kill, but to lame it, either anticipating its desire to head straight for Vale or to keep it from using that same dive-bombing attack from before. Because the limb had been lamed, but the Grimm that formed it hadn't been killed, the Dragon wouldn't respawn a new one yet. Now they had some time before the Dragon reached the walls of the Kingdom itself.

Ayumu and Gin had caught up, attacking from behind in an effort to hobble its legs. However, with a swing of its tail, the Dragon leveled the forest behind it, shattering trees and filling the air with wooden shrapnel. On top of that, it spawned a whole host of Beowolves and Creeps, which surged against the boys, slowing their progress and making it almost impossible to keep up with the Dragon's massive strides.

The problem lay in whether or not Ruby could do what was required of her. Since her training with Yu on the way back to Vale, Ruby hadn't made another attempt to activate her Silver Eyes. The few lessons he'd given her were brief, the attempts aborted after Yu determined it was more practical to focus on Ruby's regular fighting and getting her accustomed to Shining Rose instead.

And now he suddenly wanted her to use them...just like that. It wasn't fair.

 _But I guess that's how it goes,_ thought Ruby. _Life's not fair. It's not like Yu ever tried to teach me otherwise._ Indeed, if anything, he'd tried to hammer home the unfairness of life into her repeatedly.

All she could say for sure was that, if she failed, if the Dragon was allowed to reach Vale, countless people would die. Maybe the military and Huntsmen would bring it down sooner or later. But it would cause untold damage in the meantime. And, the whole while, its spawn would be running wild, causing even more chaos and confusion. In her minds eye, she could see it. She could see men, women, and children, humans and faunus, running through the streets, screaming as they were set upon by a seemingly endless horde of Grimm. She remembered the Dragon smashing through the ruins of Mountain Glenn and easily imagined how its bulk would devastate the buildings of Vale in a similar manner.

And, in the process, its first victims were likely to be her own sister and friends. They would try to hold the line. But there would be no holding the line against that.

The terror, the idea of what would happen if she failed, surged through Ruby. She started to breathe harder. A rushing sound filled her ears as panic filled her. It all hinged on her and she only had one chance. _I can't do it! It's too much!_ As her fear and terror built, she began to feel a strange pressure building up behind her eyes. It almost felt like she was about to cry, except they were tears of fire. Even as her panic surged out of control, her eyes felt as though they were about to explode out of her skull.

She realized what was happening. Her power was awakening.

 _"_ _Silver Eyed warriors come into their own in moments of trauma, moments of tragedy,"_ Yu had explained to her once. _"Fear, anger, guilt, grief, any of these, in sufficient quantities can serve as a trigger. An awakening is usually traumatic in and of itself. The power explodes outwards. The problem is that a release like that can kill the bearer. It's one of the reasons they ended up dwindling to the edge of extinction. It's a power that their own bodies can be crushed by."_

 _"_ _If you want to be able to use that power, you'll have to take the reins. In your moment of grief, of panic, you'll have to establish control. And the easiest way to do that is to give yourself a target, something to focus your power on, preferably, something you want to mess up big time. Then, to wield it, you'll need a form to hold it in. Having those conditions in place is what saved you during your partial awakening."_

Now she understood. Unfortunately, understanding didn't mean she could follow through. Even as she felt her power building up behind her eyes, Ruby also felt her panic and fear building, almost as though they were feeding into one another in an unstoppable chain reaction, spiraling out of control. There seemed to be nothing she could do to bring it to a stop.

 _"_ _I love you...I believe in you…"_ The memory of Gin's words cut through the fog of fear and panic clouding her mind like a blade, bringing with it a clarity. Ruby wasn't sure that she could return Gin's feelings fully. She liked him, but she didn't know if it was to the point of love yet. The idea of committing her feelings so whole-heartedly to someone wasn't and idea she was prepared to accept.

But one thing she knew for sure was that she could _never_ allow herself to betray Gin's trust. His belief in her was something she couldn't fall short of. He knew she could do this and had told her as much. She couldn't let him be wrong about that.

That was what she needed. Ruby felt her conscious mind almost seem to separate from her feelings. She was able to cooly establish the awareness she needed to regain control. Her panic began to subside...but so did the pressure building up behind her eyes. If she didn't do something, the power of the Silver Eyes would dissipate uselessly. She needed a form and a target.

Fortunately, the former was holding her up beneath her feet, while the latter was barreling in her direction, roaring with every bound. Calmly, Ruby kicked Shining Rose up into her hands, the scythe blade activating with a hiss. Now Ruby directed the pressure behind her eyes, willing it out of her head, up through her arms and into the shaft, then the blade. The power passed, a tingling sensation in its wake as it flowed through the scythe. The blade changed, its color going from bright-red to a shining silver that blazed like a signal in the sky. Its shape transformed as well, the edge taking on a ruffled appearance, almost like a feathered wing, not dissimilar to the one that extended from the back of the scythe's head, but much longer, narrower, and still holding the profile of a blade overall. The wing projecting from the back of the head extended as well, the feathers spreading out further and wider.

The Dragon didn't fail to notice the new threat. Lifting its head, it opened its too-wide mouth in another roar. This one was earthshaking, almost ear-shattering. The entire mountain vibrated, a rockslide triggering on one of its slopes. The sound was different, not just in terms of volume. There was something about the tone and timber. It was said that the Grimm were motivated purely by their hatred for humanity, but something about that roar spoke of an even deeper, more intense hate, the hatred of one encountering their most despised nemesis.

Yet the roar didn't deter Ruby. Instead, she dropped down from the sky, using her Semblance to alter the direction of her fall so that she descended towards the Dragon. It tensed and crouched, before leaping towards her, its head outstretched, mouth wide open, that absurdly-wide maw reaching out for her, as though it wished to swallow her whole.

Letting out a roar of her own, Ruby swung Shining Rose straight down, projecting all her accumulated power out in a crescent-shaped wave that struck the Dragon head on. The wave met the creature's bone-mask and cut through it effortlessly, traveling down the full length of the Dragon's body, splitting it in two from the tip of its snout to the end of its tail.

They both fell to earth, the Dragon landing with a thundering crash. Ruby managed to land on her feet, but tripped and went sprawling, as her legs abruptly went out from beneath her, feeling more like jelly than flesh and bone, quivering and weak.

She was tired...so tired. Ruby's eyelids suddenly felt heavy, and she wanted nothing more than to just give up and fall asleep. However, she knew she couldn't, not until she knew whether or not she'd succeeded.

The earth shook beneath a thunderous tread and Ruby's eyes drifted up to see the Dragon looming above her once more. The gleaming, silver line of her slash still stood out starkly against the black of its flesh. Ruby was certain that, after a second, the line would fade, and the Dragon would crush her and carry on as though nothing happened.

Sure enough, the line faded...but not into black. Instead, it was a pale gray, almost like stone. The Dragon's movements became jerky, halting, as though something was interfering with its body. The line of gray began to spread outwards, almost like frost forming over a cold surface. It spread wider and wider with each passing second, a crackling sound filling the air. What was left in its wake did indeed look like stone. In just a few seconds, the Dragon's entire body was encased, leaving it looking like nothing more than a statue.

Then...the petrified form suddenly split along the line Ruby had originally slashed through it, the two halves of the Dragon's body falling away from each other to reveal that the interior had been petrified as well. The legs that had been holding it up cracked, then fractured, and broke completely. From the edges of where it had been cut in two, the stone that now made up the Dragon's body crumbled into flakes of rock, then into gravel, then into dust, which blew away on the wind. Before Ruby's eyes, the remains of the Dragon disintegrated completely.

 _I did it!_ thought Ruby jubilantly. However, she couldn't find the energy for celebration. Instead, she felt her eyelids growing heavier and heavier. The fog of exhaustion was rising up and threatening to overwhelm her entirely.

* * *

At first, Yang had thought the reinforcements would have made things much easier. And they did, for a little while. The students all leapt into battle with enthusiasm, wielding their weapons with impressive eagerness and intensity, driving the Grimm back away from the wall entirely, leaving the soldiers free to focus on support. All the while, the cannons and the other, smaller, guns were firing away, continuing to thin the numbers of Grimm that actually reached their defensive line.

Sun and Blake fought back-to-back, covering one another effectively, Sun showing off some fancy new moves he'd apparently worked into his staff-technique. Nearby, Penny was rushing through the ranks of Grimm, her swords swirling around her, cutting them down by the dozens. Neptune brought down one after another with shots from his rifle, before switching to his halberd, then trident-mode, electrocuting any Grimm that tried to close with him in melee. Through the horde, Yang could see two of the other transfer students from Haven, Emerald and Mercury, making quick work of any Grimm that came their way.

Finally, Team CFVY was wreaking havoc on the enemy. Coco continued to hose down the approaching Grimm with her minigun, the bullets punching through even the hardened shells of adult Deathstalkers with enough force to kill other Grimm behind them. Any that got close were dealt with by Yatsuhashi's massive sword, or by Fox's ferocious strikes with his arm-mounted blades. Velvet also gave an incredible accounting of herself, lashing out with kicks that could kill Grimm in their own right, not seeming to actually need her own weapon, or it might not have been suited for this situation. Fox even used a trick that appeared to pump his Aura into Grimm, turning them into living bombs. By using it on larger Grimm, he would kick them back into the ranks of their fellows, leaving them to explode, shredding the others with bone fragments or flying spines.

It was heartening to see everyone fighting so well and so spiritedly. Morale was high, the students and the assembled teachers, as well as Huntsmen and Huntresses coming from within the Kingdom itself, certain that their numbers and skill would turn the tide...

...Except that the Grimm kept coming. No matter how many they killed or how fast, there were always more looming on the horizon. There were breaks or lulls, points where their numbers slacked off a little. But soon they were back again, just as numerous, if not more-so, as before. They came on, heedless of their own losses, not caring how many fell, or if they themselves were killed. They threw themselves at the defensive line with endless abandon, the kind of assault that could only be sustained by a truly mindless hate.

Yang punched until she felt as though she couldn't lift her arms. She saw Jaune struggling to lift his shield, his legs nearly giving way as he deflected a Beowolf's swing. Blake wasn't producing her shadows anymore, pausing frequently as she ran out of breath, forcing Sun to cover for her until she could find enough strength to re-enter the fray. Ren had mostly given up on melee combat, only using it as a last resort as he blazed away with his guns, dropping every Grimm he could with quick, precise bursts. Even Nora's seemingly boundless and endless energy was starting to fail her, and her whole body was drooping with exhaustion.

Because they had shown up later and in more numbers, it was taking longer to show with the others. Coco's minigun suddenly stopped spitting its lethal rounds, the barrels spinning with a whirring sound, accompanying the rapid clicking of the firing mechanism, absent anything actually firing. Coco's ammunition had run out. With an angry curse, she collapsed her weapon back into its compact form, resembling a handbag more than anything else, which she then wielded as a blunt instrument, with wide, sweeping swings.

The other students were beginning to flag as well, their movements becoming more sluggish. Some were taking attacks they wouldn't have otherwise. Coco wasn't the only one whose ammunition had run out either. The third and fourth-year students were doing better, as were the teachers and the Huntsmen and Huntresses. It wasn't just that their added age and training gave them more stamina. Taking a breather from the fight and falling back behind some allies, Yang saw that those who were still fighting well were fighting more conservatively, their movements more economical, their shots more precise and sparing.

 _So that's the difference,_ she realized. _That's what it means to fight like a Huntress._

Still, even they couldn't keep this up forever. Now morale was falling as the Grimm continued to come. Yang knew that morale would fall even further if they realized that these Grimm were being endlessly spawned by another, even larger, Grimm. At this point, they could only hold on and hope that Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu brought the Dragon down soon.

 _If it didn't kill them already,_ Yang thought soberly. If Ruby had fallen, for real this time, then she figured she'd learn soon enough, when the Dragon itself came bearing down on them. At least then, she'd be able to join Ruby fairly quickly. What a morbid comfort that was.

But this wasn't the time for such depressing thoughts. Yang desperately clung to her hope, choosing to believe in Ruby, believe she could do this, no matter how impossible such a feat seemed.

She heard a cry of pain and gasped, looking over to see Jaune, who'd been sent sprawling by the sweep of a Deathstalker's pincers. The scorpion-like Grimm loomed over Jaune, who edged backwards, his hand scrabbling frantically for the sword that been knocked out of his weakening grip, even as he tried to keep his shield up. The Deathstalker raised its stinger, its eyes locking malevolently on its target, mandibles and pincers clicking and clacking in anticipation as it went in for the kill.

With a roar of rage, Yang charged, leaping straight for the Deathstalker, her right arm cocked back to deliver the most powerful punch she could manage. Her rage, combined with the impacts her body had been taking throughout the battle, stoked her Semblance to a level that was almost full-power.

Yang knew that she had to end this with one hit. She couldn't afford to risk letting the Deathstalker injure Jaune. Normally, she would allow the power of her Semblance to flood her body, letting her fight at a level far above where she normally could. But, this time, she instead forced all that power into her right arm, stuffing it in. Her arm got hot, feeling as though it might burst into flames, her fist glowing white-hot.

Her roar attracted the Deathstalker's attention and its head turned to look at her. Its legs began to skitter, turning it around to face her. But it was too late. Yang dove past the flailing pincer the Grimm used to try and ward her off, heading right in for its head and putting everything she had into one, single punch. At the same time her fist struck home, Ember Celica roared, its Dust-rounds enhanced by her Semblance, a jet of golden flame punching completely through the Deathstalker's body, shattering its carapace and sending chunks of it scattering in all directions.

Yang staggered to a stop, then doubled over, planting her left hand on her knee to keep from keeling over completely. Her right arm dangled limply, a faint tingle being the only sensation Yang could feel from it at the moment. She gasped for breath, her sweat-matted hair falling past her face in a tangled mess.

A roar reached her ears and she looked up in time to see an Ursa barreling at her. She didn't have the strength to attack it and could only prepare to throw, or fall rather, to the side and hope she escaped its reach. But then, with a roar that nearly matched the Ursa's, Jaune rushed past her, meeting charge with charge, letting the beast slam headfirst into the face of his shield. Jaune grunted, his feet digging furrows in the dirt as the Ursa's momentum pressed him backward. However, he brought its charge to a halt. The Ursa disengaged, taking a couple of uncertain steps, dazed by the impact. Not giving it a chance to recover, Jaune roared again and brought his sword around in a slash that took its head off.

"Thanks for the save," said Jaune, panting, and looking back at her.

"Likewise," replied Yang, staggering up to stand next to him. The two of them observed that another lull had fallen over their area of the battle. However, they could already see the next wave of Grimm rolling in.

"Ready?" she asked.

"If it's with you, then always," Jaune answered.

"Cheesy," teased Yang.

"You know you love it," he teased back.

"Yeah...yeah, I do," said Yang, a warm smile touching her lips. "I love you, Jaune."

"I love you too," Jaune answered back.

The two tiredly raised their arms, a little feeling returning to Yang's right as the Grimm approached. They didn't have much fight left in them, but they'd give it all they had and more, if they had to.

Then another roar reached their ears, a much louder roar, a roar that outmatched the combined utterances of all the other Grimm on the battlefield. It was loud enough to make the earth vibrate. Yang's arms lost all strength and Jaune's sword clattered to he ground by his feet. Whatever had made that roar was beyond them... _far_ beyond them. And, with that realization, they also knew that there was only one thing that could have made that roar.

"The Dragon..." Yang whispered, a note of a slight tremor in her voice.

"Does that mean that Ruby and Ayumu...?" Jaune didn't dare to finish that sentence.

As fearsome as the roar had been, it soon trailed off. What happened after that was even stranger. At the sound, the Grimm had frozen in place, unmoving, almost like statues. Then, in an eerie unison, they turned back the way they had come. Roaring and bellowing, they charged away, baying with rage and hate.

The sounds of gun and cannon-fire dwindled and halted, the sounds of the Grimm receding as well, the battlefield becoming strangely silent in the wake of what could only be considered an unexpected victory.

"We scared them off!" somebody yelled, enthusiastic cheers of agreement following the declaration.

"No we didn't," said Jaune. "Something's wrong here."

Yang agreed. The Grimm hadn't fled, so much as they had seemed to find a new target and gone haring off after that, _instead_ of Vale itself. There was something that they, every single Grimm on the battlefield, without exception, had deemed more important than the Kingdom full of frightened people that lay just behind the wall.

Then it dawned on Yang, almost at the same time that it clearly dawned on Jaune as well. "Ruby!" she gasped. "They're going after Ruby!"

Jaune and Yang staggered towards the nearest teacher, who, fortunately, happened to be Oobleck.

"Ah, students," said Oobleck, turning to regard them. "The day appears to be ours, though the Grimm's behavior is quite unusual."

"It's not over," said Jaune urgently. "They aren't running away. They're going after our teammates."

"You mean Ms. Rose and the boys?" asked Oobleck.

Jaune and Yang nodded in unison. "It's a long story, but they stayed back in Mountain Glenn to fight a really big one that broke out," explained Jaune. "If we're right, then the big one is either summoning the others to assist it or they killed it..."

"And it called the others for revenge before it died," finished Yang.

"I see," said Oobleck. "I shall call for a bullhead immediately. However, it may take a few minutes before it arrives."

"As fast as you can, please!" begged Yang.

* * *

"Ruby...Ruby...Ruby..."

"Wha..." Ruby wasn't sure where she was. Her mind felt as though it was in a haze. Everything around her was gray and indistinct. Her body felt so light that she thought she might float away on the breeze.

"You need to recharge," said the voice urgently. "Remember...inhale..."

Ruby automatically breathed in.

"Imagine the fire within your body, the fire of your spirt. Use your breath to kindle that flame."

Ruby exhaled slowly, the image coming to her mind's eye automatically. She drew in another breath, imagining the air she breathed in feeding the smoldering embers, causing them to glow brighter. She breathed in again...and again...and again...The embers lit. Warmth started spreading through her body, chasing away that far away sensation, gradually burning the fog away from her eyes.

A hand rested on her forehead. It was strange. Somehow, she knew it was Gin's, yet it felt warm...that wasn't right...Was she just _that_ cold right now?

"You're doing good," said Gin softly. "Keep going. Come back to us."

Ruby continued. With each breath she took, the fog began to clear from her mind and her eyes. Looking up, she could see her surroundings, the forest. Just ahead of her were the ruined trees where the Dragon had crumbled away to nothingness.

Taking another breath, she felt her Aura returning, its warmth feeding down into her limbs, making them feel solid and real again...though it also had the effect of making them feel like lead as well.

"Gin...?" she asked.

"It's me," he said, giving her a relieved smile. "We're both here. You did it."

"The Dragon...it's..."

"It's gone, completely," said Ayumu coming to crouch in front of her. "However, it appears to have offered a parting blow of sorts."

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.

Then she heard it. The sounds were distant, yet growing louder with each passing second, howls, growls, and roars. "The Grimm are coming," she said.

Gin and Ayumu nodded. "We think this was the Dragon's last move, to call its spawn back and have them kill us in its stead," explained Gin.

"We don't know when help will arrive from Vale, or if there will be any help coming, we can only assume that they are able to send someone," added Ayumu.

"But won't Yu...?"

Gin shook his head. "We took the Dragon down...again...we passed his test. He won't interfere anymore."

"But he won't rescue us either," said Ayumu. "We need to hold together and survive, until help gets here or we finish off all the Grimm."

Ruby lowered her head for a moment. As she did, her fingers curled around a familiar shaft and she realized that Shining Rose was still in her grip. _Thank God my Aura didn't break completely._ She looked up at the boys. "We're going to use the rotation-strategy?"

"That's the plan," said Gin. "You stay there and keep recharging until the Grimm reach us. Keep going until you can fight properly, then spell Ayumu. He'll spell me, and I'll spell you."

Ruby nodded. That was the logical order. After her, Ayumu had expended the most Aura. They were all tired and hungry. Their last meal had been breakfast that morning...which seemed like a lifetime ago, though Ruby had no idea how much time had passed. It might not even be noon yet. However, if they were able to recharge their Aura, then they'd be able to push on and keep fighting for a while longer, especially if they rotated out and used the breaks to continue recharging.

Pushing herself up, Ruby got into a more comfortable position and turned her focus inwards, devoting herself entirely to recovering her strength. She didn't flinch when the sound of Grimm crashing through the undergrowth reached her ears. She didn't flinch when the beasts themselves came on, Gin and Ayumu meeting them with a will, dancing around her, protecting her as she drew on her Aura, flushing it into her body, soothing away aches and fatigue, and mending wounds. Before long, she was beginning to feel well enough that she could get up and return to the battle.

So she did. As Ayumu cut down a Beowolf, Ruby flashed in front of him, bisecting an Ursa that had been closing in from Ayumu's other flank. Ayumu would have had the time to turn to meet and deal with the Ursa, but Ruby taking it and returning to the fray was the signal that it was his turn. Now he retreated back, then sank to his knees between her and Gin, relaxing his body and closing his eyes, breathing deeply, all while Ruby and Gin danced around him, cutting down the Grimm as they came.

Time lost all meaning. Ruby barely noticed when Ayumu got up and dashed out to kill a Deathstalker that was menacing Gin, who took Ayumu's place in the center of the formation. Ruby lost track of the seconds and minutes until she felt Gin's hand on her shoulder, gently pulling her back as he advanced to meet the next Grimm in her place, leaving her free to recharge herself once more.

On and on it went. Ruby wasn't sure whether they were fighting for minutes, or even just seconds at a time. She didn't even bother to keep count of the number of times she had to recharge. But, as she did, she began to notice something. It was getting easier to build up her Aura, each time she recharged. Strangely enough, it almost seemed that her empty stomach was helping. The energy of her Aura pooled there, gathering, congealing, almost seeming to replace the food Ruby would have eaten otherwise.

 _It's strange,_ she thought. Her hunger pangs had eased, and the fatigue left her muscles as she flushed her Aura through them. _Aura can heal wounds...Does that mean tiredness and hunger...are they just other kinds of injuries that Aura can treat?_ And, if so, what did that mean?

As she took her turn on the front line, spelling Ayumu for a time, Ruby began to wonder if she needed to stop to recharge her Aura. According to Yu, the breathing technique was nothing more than a focusing exercise. If that was the case, what if she could maintain that focus, even as she fought? What if she could recharge her Aura in the middle of battle, without needing to stop? If she could do that, then...

How strange it was that here, in the midst of fighting for her life, hemmed in by enemies on all sides, Ruby found herself struck by such odd musings, such strange realizations of the nature of her Aura. Now she found herself wondering...had this been Yu's intention all along?

Her body felt lighter than air, her scythe like it weighed nothing. Her hands and feet seemed to move of their own volition. Battle itself became a haze, her body fighting on its own, mind detached, observing dispassionately, only interjecting when further direction was necessary. The Grimm came on incessantly, but she felled them all, striking down each with the least possible exertion and movement. Then she felt Gin's hand on her shoulder and she retired to the center of their formation once more.

How long had this been going on? How many times had they switched positions? How long were their individual terms going on for? As she recharged yet again, Ruby found herself faced with the prospect of this battle, seemingly without end...and found herself not worrying. She could still fight. She could keep going. Without even needing to look or ask, she knew that Gin and Ayumu felt the same. It almost felt as though they had achieved some transcendent state, some strange equilibrium, where they could keep fighting indefinitely.

Despite the hectic state of affairs, vicious and voracious Grimm pressing in on all sides, Ruby felt completely at peace. There was no worry, no anxiety. All of that had melted away.

Then...it abruptly ended. A rain of fiery bolts and gunshots rang out from all sides, falling down on the Grimm like a sudden downpour, dropping them by the dozen. Ruby jolted, feeling as though she had been knocked out of a daze. Looking up, she saw the bullhead overhead. She saw her friends and teammates dropping down from it, along with Oobleck, Port, Team CFVY, as well as Sun and Neptune. They touched down forming a perimeter around the trio.

"Yang!" shouted Ruby as her sister came to stand protectively in front of her.

"We made it!" gasped Yang in relief, pausing for a quick look and a smile over her shoulder to confirm Ruby was all right. "Don't worry, we've got this."

Truth be told, Yang was a long way from her best condition. They'd had time for a breather, and a chance to rearm, on the flight out, but that was a long ways away from a full rest. Her arms still felt sore and tingly, but if it was for Ruby, she could keep going.

Ruby sighed, feeling a sense of weight that had been absent before returning to her body. Her legs began to shake and she sank down to her knees, feeling worn to a frazzle, as though all her previous exertions were suddenly catching up to her. Gin and Ayumu sagged down next to her. All three of their bodies were completely drenched with sweat.

"We saw your formation on our way out," commented Oobleck as he brought them bottles of water to drink from. "Simply spectacular, I must say. I've rarely seen such a cohesive and effective fighting strategy as yours. You simply must tell us more about it when this is over."

"Yeah, we'll have a lot of things to talk about when this is over," said Yu, who was suddenly standing behind Ruby as though he'd been there all along.

"My word!" exclaimed Oobleck, stumbling backwards, his spectacles askew.

"What?" gasped Yang, momentarily turning away from the fight to see the strange man standing in their midst.

"Yang! Look out!" shouted Ruby, forcing herself to her feet as she saw and Ursa bearing down on her distracted sister.

Yu's hand landed on her shoulder, pressing her down. "Relax," he said, "I'll clear out the chaff."

Then he vanished. Ruby caught a flickering glimpse of him suddenly standing in front of the Ursa, before vanishing. A sound, like a balloon bursting, except deeper and more resonant, echoed out, then repeated over and over again, echoing out with machine-gun rapidity. Ruby caught several more flickering afterimages of Yu, as the Grimm all around them appeared to explode from impacts so powerful that their bodies were blasted practically to dust, even before they began to dissolve. The explosions trailed off and silence fell, save for the rustling of wind through the leaves.

Then Yu reappeared behind Ruby, as though he'd never left. "That's better," he said. "It's annoying to have these pests drop in when the three of you were doing so well, but you did pass the test...the extra credit too...and I'm a man of my word."

It took Ruby a second to realize that, by "pests," Yu meant her sister and friends. "What do you mean?" she asked, turning to look at Yu over her shoulder.

Yu began to pace around her. "Well, the Dragon was good for pushing you to the limit, forcing you to bring to fruition the things you'd learned, but not yet become proficient in. Ayumu, your technique still needs polish."

"I need to think smaller, right?" asked Ayumu ruefully.

Yu's smirk was all the response needed. "But...your real gains came after, when you were at the end of your rope, pressed against the corner, fighting with no end in sight. Today, _that_ was where you made your real gains."

"Ruby? What's he talking about?" Yang looked at the blindfolded man in confusion. "Is this the Master Yu you were talking about?"

Yu completely ignored her. "I'm sure all three of you realized it," he said, nodding at Gin, Ruby, and Ayumu in turn. "Believe it or not, this prolonged battle at the end was where you began to take the first steps on the path to mastery."

Ruby swallowed, a strange feeling welling up within her. She couldn't quite call it happiness. It was more like excitement, a kind of anticipation.

"You were thinking," said Yu, his grin widening, "asking the questions. The answers to those questions will guide you to the place you seek. Welcome to the starting line, kids!"

Ruby's breath caught in her throat and she looked down, amazed by the realization that she'd been on the right track after all.

"Uh...hello?" prodded Yang, feeling miffed at being ignored. The others were looking on in confusion as well.

Yu shrugged. "Then, of course, these idiots had to come barging in and ruin it," he said petulantly. "Oh well...what can ya do?"

"Excuse me!" snarled Yang, her anger flaring.

"Yang!" shouted Ruby, her voice urgent, catching her sister off-guard. "Don't!"

Yang froze, blinking as Ruby looked at her imploringly. There was some kind of fear in her gaze. It took a second for it to click that Ruby was afraid _for_ Yang. She didn't want Yang to attack Yu...and it wasn't because Yu had been teaching her.

"You'd best listen to her," said Yu, turning his head slightly towards Yang, as though he were glancing at her, though, with his eyes completely covered behind the blindfold, that couldn't have been possible.

"Listen to your sister," he advised Yang with a smirk, something about him sending chills down Yang's spine. "I haven't really got the patience for idiots today. I'm not in any mood to restrain myself."

"Yeah, right," scoffed Sun, stepping forward and hefting his staff.

"Easy there, Monkey Boy," teased Yu with a grin. "You have no idea how much I'm holding back. I have to hold back constantly, particularly with weaklings. Life is a highway, and I'm always riding the brakes. 'Cause, if I ease off...even a little bit..."

All of a sudden, everyone present felt as though a massive weight had descended on them from above. Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu all gasped and strained, barely able to remain upright. It was even more pronounced for the others, the sheer weight of Yu's presence crushing them down to their knees, then onto their hands as well, their throats clenching, choking, unable to draw so much as a single breath.

Then, just on the edge of the sensation becoming unbearable, the weight vanished and all was as normal. Everyone slowly lifted up, looking at Yu with absolute terror.

"That's what real power looks like," said Yu. "And that's just me letting loose a little. I haven't had to draw on my full strength in ages." He abruptly turned back to Ruby and the boys. "Anyway...! Before I was so rudely interrupted...I guess I should congratulate you on your success. Now it's simply a matter of heading towards the logical conclusions...and you'll realize the secret of _true_ strength."

Ruby wasn't sure what to think. She had to admit, it was a thrill to learn that they'd found the gateway to something she hadn't even imagined before. It was amazing what this battle had taught her, except that...

"What if we'd failed?" she asked.

"You'd have died, of course," said Yu frankly, not even bothered by it.

"And the Dragon, it would've..." she pressed.

"Eh, probably gone to Vale and rampaged," said Yu with a shrug. "That's what Grimm do after all."

"You put all those people at risk...for our training?" asked Ruby, feeling a deathly cold feeling settle over her shoulders.

"Uh...I guess..." said Yu with the air of a man who'd clearly barely thought about the consequences of what he'd done and, now that he _was_ thinking about them, _still_ didn't care.

"How could you?" she gasped.

"Well, I smashed open the mountain a little, then sent a little jolt of my Aura into it to piss it off-" began Yu.

"NO!" exclaimed Ruby, glaring at Yu. "How could you do that to Vale? How could you put those people at risk for a test?"

"Eh," said Yu with a shrug. "I just did."

The bottom dropped out of Ruby's stomach as she realized the truth. Ayumu and Gin had told her time and again about Yu's selfishness and self-centeredness. But it was one thing to be told about it...and another entirely to look Yu in the face (if not the eyes) and see that he'd been willing to condemn hundreds, if not thousands, of people to a horrible death, all for the sake of her training, and that none of their lives meant a thing to him. He cared nothing for the lives that might have been lost, the havoc that would have been wrought. All that mattered to him was whether or not she learned what he wanted her to. "You monster..." she gasped softly.

On either side of her, Gin and Ayumu flinched sharply, as though in anticipation of something extremely unpleasant. In front of her, Yu ducked his head. For some reason, Ruby had trouble figuring out his expression. Had she angered him?

Then Yu began to laugh. It was soft at first, little more than a chuckle. It grew louder and louder, Yu slowly straightening up as the volume of his laughter increased. As it grew louder, Ruby felt the waves of sound striking her body, almost like the impacts of palpable blows. Worse, she felt them strike her Aura, her very soul, making it and her recoil away from the horrible sound. Now Yu had thrown his head back, baying his mirth to the heavens, the sound seeming almost deafening.

Yang toppled over backwards, falling onto her butt, desperately scooting away from Yu. Jaune was staring at him, brandishing his sword almost prepared to attack on the spot. Nora and Ren clung tightly to each other, Nora pressing her face against Ren's shoulder as Ren grimaced, holding onto her for dear life. Sun hugged Blake protectively as she trembled against him, her hands over the cat ears concealed by her bow. Neptune looked almost catatonic, his rifle dangling from his fingers by its grip, on the verge of falling free and dropping to the ground. Coco trained her minigun on Yu, but it rattled in her grip, her hands shaking so badly she could barely keep it level. Beside her, Yatsuhashi had fallen onto one knee, blade raised as though fending off a physical blow. Fox likewise braced himself against the force of that laughter as though he were being physically attacked. Poor Velvet was the worst off, curled in a ball, shuddering, her hands over her head, keeping her rabbit ears pressed down, and shaking like a leaf. Even the teachers were completely repulsed by the sound, their own bodies trembling.

Yu's barks, his guffaws, his laughter, rang out like claps of thunder, making trees rattle and shake and the slopes of Mt. Glenn rumble all over again. His sound even carried all the way back to the walls of Vale, making the defenders feel as though they'd been struck by a premonition of doom.

Ruby hadn't thought it possible that something as simple as laughter could be so expressive, that it could convey, so perfectly and completely, a person's true nature. Yu's Aura was in his laughter... _Yu_ was in his laughter. The realization shook her to her core, and Ruby was, for the first time, struck by absolute terror of this person.

Finally, Yu's laughter trailed off and he began to calm. After another moment, he appeared to regain his composure. "Ah," he said with imminent satisfaction, "been a while since I've found something that funny." His grin became savage and he spoke in a mocking imitation of Ruby's tone. " _You monster..._ Oh man, what a riot."

Bending down, he grabbed Ruby roughly by her chin, forcing her eyes up to meet his face. "I'm not a monster, Ruby. I'm something much _worse_. I'm a human being. Hell! I'm the most human human you'll ever meet. Monsters? Feh!" He released Ruby from his hold, the sudden disappearance of his grip causing her to drop, before she forced herself to look up again.

Yu stepped back, spreading his arms wide. "Monsters have nothing on me, my Little Rose. You need to realize that, in this world, there's nothing so terrifying as humanity...unfettered, unrestrained humanity...humanity on the rampage. And, you know what the scariest thing is...? If you want to stop me-and you _will_ want to stop me-the only way you'll ever be able to is if you become as human as I am.

"You see, Ruby, you're my student now. At first, you were nothing but a side-project, annoying even. But you kinda grew on me…like a fungus, really. So I've decided to keep you on. You're in it for the long haul, whether you like it or not. I don't accept withdrawals. There are only two ways out. You can fail out, which means you die...or you can graduate...which you'll only manage over my dead body.

"And, of course, a good teacher knows how to motivate his students. You see, Ruby, you're a protector. It's in the very core of your being. It's to you what my entertainment is to me. Of course, that just makes it all the harsher for you. It means you can't afford to slack; no absences or tardies for you, I'm afraid. If you do, it won't be just you that pays the price, it'll be the ones you care about."

To say that Ruby was shocked by this was an understatement. She was terrified to the point of being unable to think at all, a mindless panic far surpassing what she'd experienced when she'd been faced with the prospect of being forced to tap into the power of her Silver Eyes, with all of Vale riding on whether or not she succeeded. For the first time, she realized that she wanted to kill this man-No!-she _had_ to kill this man. He was a threat to everyone and everything she cared about, a deliberate threat, one he would use continuously, for as long as he was alive. Until he was dead, no one she cared about would be safe.

Standing fully upright, Yu clapped his hands together, the sharp sound making everyone jump. "Right! Lecture time's over. Class dismissed." He paused for dramatic effect. "You kids get to take a nice little break. Who knows how long it will last though...Ta."

Then he was gone, as though he'd never been there. It was a good thing that Yu had killed every single Grimm for miles, as they wouldn't have needed the fallen Dragon's death-cry to find them, for the entire space stank of fear.

* * *

 **And so...We see Yu for what he really is. I still remember, way back, when Gin and Ayumu were "invited" into Ironwood's custody. Some of the responses had been along the lines of suggesting that Yu was going to bust them out, or go berserk over his students being mistreated, to which my response was..."Pffffft! You guys haven't been paying attention, have you?" Yu is the absolute worst kind of Sink or Swim Mentor. Not only will he let you drown if you can't swim, but if he thinks you're having too easy a time, he'll go ahead and strap on some weights to make sure you're _really_ working for it.**

 **This bit at the end, at least in spirit, was inspired by the work of Tamora Pierce in her _Trickster Duet_ series. In that series, the main character is patronized by a god scheming to steal his rightful place back from some major gods, who had kicked him out of it. Said god presents himself as a quirky, almost human-like character, but, later on in the series, the main character realizes that, because he is a _god_ , he possesses an absolutely alien mindset, with no sense of empathy for whoever gets slaughtered along the path to his goal. Ironically enough, it's Yu's _humanity_ that grants him such an alien viewpoint. But that was the kind of image I wanted to present, of Ruby realizing that her mentor just plain does not perceive and engage in the world in the manner that she understands, that he has absolutely _zero_ concern for concepts like right or wrong, and good or evil.**

 **Of course, that makes that last scene the part of the chapter I had the most fun writing.**

 **As for the Silver Eyes, this was written well before Volume 6 clarified the rules they operate under. I based my ideas on how they worked based on what...um...turned them on at the end of Volume 3. I also made the guess that there were some pretty dramatic side effects to using them, seeing as Ruby knocked herself out for at least a few days after the first time, which I had thought may have been the reason why Ozpin and Qrow held off on teaching Ruby more about them. Then came Volume 6, with flashback-Maria and Ruby able to use them without any signs of that first-time backlash. Maybe that was because it was Ruby's first time using them, or she wasn't tapping into them properly. In any case, the rules were a good bit different from what I thought they were, but this information came a little too late for me to revise it in this story, so consider my version to be an AU of sorts. In this story, Ruby's Silver Eyes come with a little extra baggage to using them, which would help explain why there are so few Silver Eyed Warriors left, besides Salem's faction systematically murdering them all.**


	63. Chapter 63

**Chapter 63:**

Ruby didn't remember much after that. Once Yu was gone, she collapsed, like a puppet with its strings cut; the day's exertions, along with all the stress and terror that had come with them, catching up to her. She didn't remember being cradled by her sister as they boarded the bullhead, Gin and Ayumu also needing to be carried. She remembered nothing of the flight back to Beacon.

When her eyes opened, she was in Beacon's infirmary, Yang dozing in the chair next to her bed.

It was a light doze, as Yang woke the moment Ruby began to stir and try to sit up. "Hey..." she said, carefully moving to help Ruby sit up. "...easy..." After Ruby was situated, Yang poured her a glass of water, which Ruby sipped slowly.

"How do you feel?" asked Yang, after Ruby was finished.

"Still a little sleepy," admitted Ruby. Then her stomach rumbled. "Hungry."

Yang giggled. "We'll get you fed in a little bit. The doctor checked you over and said you're just fine. You were a little battered, but you healed up well enough. Mostly, you were just worn out."

"Okay," said Ruby. "What about Ayumu and Gin?"

"They're fine too," said Yang. "They woke up a little earlier. Gin wanted to wait next to you, but I sent him back to the room."

"And he went?" asked Ruby.

"Once I made it clear you weren't going anywhere, and nothing was going to happen to you," she said. "He wasn't really afraid or anything, so I told him he'd be better off waiting to hear from me."

"Okay," said Ruby. Truth be told, she wasn't sure she could face Gin right now anyway...not after what he'd said to her in the forest. She still had to sort her own feelings out.

An uncomfortable silence fell between the two of them, lingering for a long moment before Yang spoke again. "Ruby...what was that?" she asked softly. "Is that really your Master, the guy who taught you all those things?"

Ruby swallowed and nodded slowly.

"Ruby...this is..." Yang wasn't sure what to say. She was angry, afraid, and a number of other emotions she couldn't even identify. What she had seen and heard made Ruby asking Yu to teach her a bad decision that fell on the far end of the concept of 'bad.' This wasn't like taking up drinking or drugs...more like signing away her soul in a pact with a demon.

"I know..." said Ruby, before looking down. "Well...I didn't...when I asked. Ayumu and Gin told me about him, how terrible he was. But...I just didn't realize _how_ bad it really was. Words can't describe him. He was harsh, always pushing me. But I really did become stronger because of him. Now..." Now ,she had no choice but to become strong, strong enough to face him, to fight him, to win, or else...

That's when it struck her. There had been even more to Yu's lesson than she'd realized. It wasn't just about unlocking the power of her Silver Eyes or even about the discoveries she'd made about her Aura during the fight afterwards. Yu had also taught her a lesson about him. For the first time, she'd been confronted by the truth of the terror that was Yu Yuen. He had taught her _himself_.

Yang sighed. "Well...there's nothing we can do now," she admitted. "I hate to say it...but he's completely out of our league. There's no way we can stop him."

Ruby shook her head. "If there's one thing I know, it's that he can make me stronger. I've learned so many amazing things from him."

"You almost sound grateful," said Yang skeptically.

"I am," said Ruby, feeling almost as though she were revealing a shameful secret. "Yang...what Yu's taught me...it's strength, power...He's made me strong."

"But, Ruby! The cost...!" Yang blurted out.

"That's just it," said Ruby. "I've realized that Yu doesn't care _how_ I use that strength. He isn't trying to make me into something like him, a person living just for his own kicks. I can do whatever I want with my strength." She sighed. "He's just figured out how to use who I am and what I care about to motivate me. Yeah, it means that you and everyone and everything I care about are threatened. It means that there's no telling when you or someone...or everyone...might be put in danger, just for the sake of my next lesson. But it means that I can use this power to protect people, to save them. That's the most important thing of all."

"Oh Ruby..." whispered Yang, unsure of what to think about this.

Ruby sighed and shook her head. "Well...no crying over spilt milk, I guess." She looked up at Yang. "What else happened while I was out?"

"Well, after we dropped the three of you off at the infirmary, the rest of us were called to Ozpin's office, including the teachers," explained Yang. "He basically swore everyone to secrecy about Yu, and what he said and did."

"Really? Why?" Ruby blinked in confusion.

Yang groaned and planted her face in her hand. "Geez, Ruby. I'd figure you'd get it easily enough, considering how hard a time you've had with people having a bad view of you. Think about it, if word got out that this whole attack on Vale was just a pop-quiz by your master, just for the sake of testing your skill, how do you think people would react?"

"Oh..." Ruby felt an uneasy quiver in her stomach. The whole issue of her return, and the exposure of Pyrrha and Weiss' crime against her, had certainly caused her no small amount of trouble from other people taking a dim view of her presence at Beacon. The revelation of who her teacher was, not to mention what he was capable of, would make people view her as an outright threat...and Ruby couldn't exactly say that they'd be wrong to think that.

"Were they okay with that?" asked Ruby, not doubting that her team and the rest of JNAR would agree to keep that secret. However, she wasn't certain that CFVY or Sun and Neptune would be as willing, for all that they liked her.

"Yeah," said Yang with a relieved smile. "Coco and Velvet were all for it, and Yatsuhashi and Fox went along easily enough. Sun and Neptune had our backs, through and through."

"Thank goodness," sighed Ruby.

Yang grinned. "So now I guess we should see about getting you some food and then getting back to the dorm. Gin'll be happy to see that you're all right."

Abruptly, Ruby flinched, freezing, her fingers tightly bunching up the fabric of the her sheets as she began to tremble, her face taking on an intense, red shade.

"Ruby? Are you okay?" asked Yang worriedly.

"I...I'm not sure I can see Gin now," said Ruby, the faintest hint of a whimper.

"What's wrong? I thought the two of you were doing fine," said Yang. In all honesty, she was genuinely amazed by how stable the pair's relationship was, how easy and comfortable they were with one another. But now, Ruby suddenly looked to be on the verge of exploding. "Is it because he didn't warn you enough about Yu?"

"That's not it!" exclaimed Ruby. "I don't think he and Ayumu realized how dangerous he can be." It would have seemed odd, considering how many years the two of them had spent as Yu's students. But they weren't like Ruby. They'd never specifically trained with the desire to become people who protected others. That had been something they'd done more out of impulse than anything else. Because of that, Yu had never seen threats to people they might want to protect as any sort of effective motivator. The fact that Yu would go so far, just to motivate someone and test their skills, as he had with this latest "test" of his, had to be almost as much of a shock to them as it was to her, an example of the sheer scope of what Yu was capable of.

"Then what's the problem?" asked Yang.

"It's...well..." Ruby began to fidget, tapping her fingers together, making Yang hide a smile. It'd been a long time since she'd seen Ruby act like her original, shyer self, back before she'd been mentally and physically toughened by her experiences. "When we were in the forest...and we had to kill the Dragon again..."

"Wait! Again?" Yang stared at Ruby in confusion. She hadn't gotten the whole story of how the fight with the Dragon had gone yet. Ayumu and Gin had wanted to wait until Ruby had woken up, so that she could also contribute to the story.

"It's a bit hard to explain," said Ruby. "The Dragon wasn't just powerful, but tricky. Killing it was a lot harder than we thought. Ayumu would have managed it, but Yu stopped him. He wanted us to kill it a different way...a way only I can do."

"What way?" asked Yang with a frown.

"Well...I'll need to tell you that later," said Ruby nervously, looking down. The whole thing about the Silver Eyes had been the one big secret that remained regarding her time on the road with Yu and the boys. She hadn't told her friends a word of what Qrow and Yu had told her about her heritage and latent powers, not to mention the fact that someone had tried to capture her because of them.

"A-anyway..." she continued, "...I was really unsure that I could do it. It's something I hadn't been able to do properly before that. But then Gin told me...he told me..."

"Told you what?" prodded Yang gently, already having a good idea of what Ruby was about to tell her.

"He told me _he loved me!_ " said Ruby, her voice becoming a shrill squeal, ducking her head behind her sheets.

Yang was silent for a moment. Ruby was afraid that Yang was angry, that they were, maybe, about to experience another period where she would do everything she could to get rid of Gin.

Instead, she heard an abrupt snort, followed by sounds that were heavily stifled giggles. Confused, Ruby peaked out from behind the veil of her sheets to see Yang almost doubled over, on the verge of bursting out laughing. "Yang...?"

"S-seriously, Ruby...that's it?" asked Yang, barely able to force the words out without breaking down. "You mean you had _no_ idea?"

"No idea of what?" asked Ruby, affronted that her sister seemed to find this crisis of feelings so amusing.

"I mean...it was as plain as day," said Yang, now grinning widely. "All those times you talked about how Gin needed to be more selfish with you, then he'd say how him wanting to make you happy _was_ him being selfish...that's basically the textbook definition of love right there."

"Huh?" Ruby gaped at Yang, unable to fully process what she was hearing.

Yang closed her eyes and took a few breaths to calm herself down. When she opened them again, she was still smiling, but now it was a warm, affectionate smile. "Ruby, once I got over that whole 'I'm scared my little sister's boyfriend is gonna take her away from me' phase, it was damn obvious that Gin's head-over-heels for you. To be honest, once I got over my own hangups, I was _impressed_."

"B-but...?" Ruby was still confused.

"Look, I can understand you not really realizing it," said Yang. "This is your first romantic relationship, period, and there's a hell of a lot going on in your life. I understand that. I mean, think of how clueless Jaune was."

Ruby nodded shakily. "B-but...I don't know how to answer him."

Yang sighed softly. "Ruby, Gin doesn't expect an answer. He didn't confess because he wanted to know how you felt. He just wanted _you_ to know how _he_ felt. Did he say anything else?"

"Just that he believed in me," she said.

Yang nodded to herself. "I thought so," she said. Reaching over, she brushed her hand through Ruby's bangs. The contact was soothing, though Ruby missed Gin's cool touch, which could soothe the heat of her worry and anxiety away. "The reason he told you that is because he fell in love with the things he saw in you, your desire to protect others, your big heart. He told you that because his belief in you and what you can do are the whole basis for his love in the first place.

"He's not asking that you upgrade your relationship. He doesn't want to take things further. He wanted to give you strength and confidence ,in a moment where you needed those things and sharing that was the best way he could think of."

"Oh..." said Ruby. "Wha-what should I do?"

"Honestly, nothing," said Yang.

"Huh?"

"I mean, unless you're ready to say it back to him," said Yang, prompting a vigorous shake of the head from her little sister. "Thought so. So, in that case, carry on. If there's one thing I can say I really like about your boyfriend, it's how mature he is. He won't hold it against you if you can't respond right away. He'll just continue to be there for you when you need him, because that's the way he shows how much he loves you. He can wait as long as he needs to. You aren't hurting him by taking the slow road. Trust me."

"O-okay," said Ruby, uncertainly.

"Let's make a bet," said Yang with a grin. "I bet that, when we get back to the dorm, Gin will treat you the same as he always has. He won't suddenly try to act as though he thinks you've had some kind of epiphany. He'll just carry on as usual. At most, he'll want to talk with you and try to make sure you don't feel pressured."

Ruby blinked. "Okay," she said. She had to admit, this was a bet her sister was likely to win, which Ruby didn't mind all that much.

* * *

"So...it's gone," said Cinder, staring dully at the floor from where she sat, on her bed.

"Yep," said Mercury. "All the Grimm too. Mountain Glenn's entirely cleared, and now there's nothing to attract them."

Cinder sighed and rested her forehead on her hand. Mercury and Emerald shared uncertain looks. They'd seen many of Cinder's more negative sides. They'd seen her dismissive contempt, her smoldering rage, her cold and uncaring treatment of those she regarded as mere tools (an attitude that was extended to the two of them at times). However, never before had they seen Cinder look so utterly lost and defeated.

Not that it wasn't understandable for her to be so upset. This was a disruption of their plans on a massive scale. Asleep, the Dragon would have continued to attract Grimm into its vicinity, keeping a large mass of them ready for when their plans during the Vytal Festival came to fruition. From there, they would have unleashed it on Vale itself. But now it was gone. Without it to attract Grimm to Mountain Glenn, they were left without a mass of Grimm within easy reach of the Kingdom's walls.

The question was obvious. _What should we do now?_ However, neither Mercury nor Emerald wanted to ask it. At the moment, Cinder apparently did not have an answer, and might take out her frustration at that fact on them.

"We need to kill them, right?" asked Emerald, wondering if getting Cinder to focus on some goal, any goal, might be the best way to get them out of this rut.

Cinder looked up sharply, causing Emerald to flinch back, wondering if she'd just drawn Cinder's ire. However, the cruel smile that appeared on Cinder's face made her relax a little.

" _Yes_ ," purred Cinder. "That's what we need to do. We need to dispose of those meddling children, those three students of the Calamity in particular."

"I can come up with a few ways," said Mercury, a smile appearing on his face.

"I'm sure you can," said Cinder, her more confident demeanor reappearing. "However, we still need to maintain our cover. It will take a lot of work to correct our course for the Festival, but our ultimate success hinges on our ability to blend in until the key moment."

"Right," said Mercury, looking a little crestfallen that he couldn't indulge in his main profession.

"What should we do?" asked Emerald.

"We need to be careful how we approach this," said Cinder. "We can't go after them directly. Ironically, the best way would be the way those two girls tried to kill Ruby before. We'd arrange for them to die on a mission or some-such. But that would attract too much attention, now that everyone knows what she went through."

"Then what?" asked Emerald.

"We take advantage of the lovely atmosphere of hostility surrounding those three," said Cinder. "We'll turn the other students, maybe even the teachers against them."

"How do we do that?" asked Mercury.

"We can start with a simple question that we can get people to asking," said Cinder with a malicious giggle. "Don't you find it odd that, so soon after a dragon-faunus was allowed to enter Beacon, a Grimm Dragon tried to attack Vale?"

After the fight, during the debrief, the entire student population of Beacon, including the visitors, had been debriefed on the attack. They'd been shown footage of the Dragon breaking out of Mountain Glenn, as well as Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu leaving to fight it, taken from the bullhead that had delivered them to Mountain Glenn. Ozpin had shown an impressive degree of skill in anticipating the questions that would have normally arisen, giving those three's absence from the front line during the defense of Vale. Revealing that they'd been occupied with a larger, even more dangerous Grimm had preemptively silenced a lot of criticism that would have fallen on the trio otherwise. He'd also shown footage of the trio's valiant last stand against the Grimm swarm that had pressed the defenders at the wall so hard.

However, Cinder was fully aware that Ozpin had clearly omitted certain information. For example, the footage of the Dragon had been selectively edited to avoid any footage that showed it spawning other Grimm, something that would unquestionably disturb most people who saw it. Also omitted had been the actual death of the Dragon, though that was more due to the fact that there hadn't been any cameras in the vicinity, when the deed had been done, than anything else. In any case, there was little doubt that the trio had vanquished the dread beast, even if its disposal had been considerably more complicated than Ozpin implied.

The important thing was that people would see the Dragon and, with a little help, come to associate it with the very distinctive and unique faunus that had recently enrolled in Beacon. From a logical perspective, the association was ludicrous. For starters, Gin Ueno had been at Beacon for months now. If he really was connected to the Grimm Dragon, then it would have likely awakened much sooner. However, that hardly mattered.

The intensity of the attack had shaken the students that had spearheaded the defense. All of them, from the first-years to the fourth-years had been brought face to face with their limitations. They'd all come to a realization of how close they'd been to being swamped altogether, overrun by the Grimm's endless numbers. With the suddenness and unexpected nature of the attack, they would easily latch on to someone they could blame for their harrowing experience. The negative association would be nudged along by the seemingly instinctive aversion that most faunus appeared to view the boy with, leaving them all too happy to have another reason to rationalize their dislike of him.

"The only other thing we need to do is stoke things from the other side," said Cinder. "I think it's time we gave Neo something to do. This is a chance for her to redeem her and Roman's poor performance during the debacle in Mountain Glenn."

Now Mercury and Emerald smiled at the idea. Roman Torchwick had been an annoyance to them and they'd chafed at the idea of having to work with him, whether during the short or long term.

"What should we have her do?" asked Mercury.

"Oh, I have an idea that suits her particular skills," said Cinder, licking her lips in anticipation.

* * *

Ruby wasn't sure what to expect when she arrived back at the dorm, after a visit to the dining hall. However, the last thing she did expect was to see Blake and Gin sitting in the center of the room, between the two sets of beds. Gin was holding out his right arm, his scales on full display, while Blake slowly and daintily ran her fingers over them, her digits tracing their way along the ridges of Gin's scutes, making their way up his forearm to the elbow, where the scales ended, before running their way back down.

The pair weren't alone either. Sun was seated behind Blake, on her bed, leaning forward, his hands on the top of her head, gently massaging her cat ears within her bow, even as his tail gently draped over her left shoulder, occasionally twitching up to gently stroke her neck.

Ruby was impressed that Blake was doing so well. Her hands were still shaking, but it was a far cry from the trembling they'd exhibited the first time she'd tried this. She didn't look pale and on the verge of fainting either, though a faint sheen of sweat did decorate her forehead.

Upon hearing the door open, Gin turned his head to look up at Ruby, smiling at the sight of her. "Hey," he said.

"Hey," said Ruby, blushing shyly. However, she noticed that there was nothing particularly different about Gin's smile. It was the same smile he'd always greeted her with before. The only thing that had changed was how _Ruby_ saw it, realizing that it wasn't just an affectionate smile, but a loving one.

Just those three words changed the way Ruby saw all the acts of affection Gin had been showing her throughout the course of their relationship. Part of her wondered if she was as dense as Jaune, unable to see what was right in front of her without it being spelled out for her. If that was the case, did that make her and Gin's relationship analogous to Jaune and Pyrrha's?

 _No,_ she thought. _It's_ not _the same._ Pyrrha had shown affection for Jaune, true, in hopes that he would see her feelings and come to realize how she'd felt. But she'd also done things for Jaune with the intent of goading him into returning those feelings, believing that Jaune owed her his love for all that she'd done for him. Gin wasn't anything like that. He simply put his feelings on display for her to see, whether she understood their full import or not, and accepted her not realizing or returning them in full without question. Pyrrha's approach had been manipulative; Gin's was receptive, gentle, and patient.

Seeing her confusion, Gin turned to look at Blake and Sun, then to Yang. "Hey, can I talk to her alone for a minute?"

"S-sure," said Blake, pulling her fingers away from Gin's arm. She got up, Sun with her, and the two of them joined Yang as they all stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind them.

Gin got up and repositioned himself to sit on his and Ruby's bed. He looked at her and Ruby realized he was waiting for her to sit down next to him, though not openly inviting her, simply waiting and letting her make her own decision. After a moment's hesitation, she sat down by him, though her posture was still rigid and she was unable to bring herself to touch him, remaining fully conscious of his proximity without needing to.

Their silence stretched on for a while longer before Gin spoke again. "Sorry," he said.

"Sorry?" Ruby blinked and looked at him in confusion. "What are you sorry about?" What did he need to be sorry about?

"I...I didn't mean to say that to you so soon," said Gin. "I realized you still weren't ready. I didn't want you to feel pressured or uneasy. But..."

"But what?" Ruby wanted to know.

"I was scared," admitted Gin, looking down.

"You were scared?" Ruby had trouble believing that. While Gin had shown that he'd been pressured and uneasy with the course of the battle, the fact remained that he'd pressed on without hesitation.

"Just because I don't show fear doesn't mean I don't _feel_ it," said Gin. "You were taught by Master Yu, same as me. You know that he doesn't teach us to _not_ feel fear, just to not allow it to control us."

Ruby nodded her agreement. "But why would that make you say that you l-l-love...?"

Gin exhaled slowly, breathing streams of mist out through his nostrils. "Because I was scared, I wanted to say it to you at least once. I wasn't sure what the outcome of that day would be. I believed that you would be able to use the Silver Eyes, but that isn't the same as meaning that we would survive the day. I didn't want to risk not being able to tell you how I felt, how much you mean to me...I didn't want that to be the day that I didn't say something that I could have, and missed the chance altogether. I would have regretted that for the rest of my life."

Suddenly, Ruby was reminded of their conversation with Nora during the slumber party and her own repressed feelings for Ren. _It's the same,_ she thought. That had been an overarching lesson of _all_ their experiences, not just their training with Yu. Life was precious, fleeting, and uncertain. She couldn't live with the expectation that everything would just turn out all right. She could fight for that end, work for it with all her might...But she could never allow herself to take it for granted. Gin didn't, which was why he'd said what he had.

A cool hand gently cupped her cheek, turning her to meet Gin's eyes. There was a warmth in his gaze that was at odds with the temperature of his skin. Once again, Ruby realized that that warmth had always been there, she just hadn't seen it for what it was. Gin leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, their touch gentle, lingering, and chaste. He pulled away and looked Ruby in the eyes once more. "You don't have to say or do anything differently," he said. "You can even forget it if you want, if that's what makes you feel the most comfortable."

Ruby sniffled...looking down. "How could I ever forget that?" she wondered. "I've never thought anything could make me so happy. It's just...I'm afraid too...I'm afraid that I can't match them."

"You don't need to match them," said Gin. "You don't need to change anything about what you do or how you do it. I never said those words because of what you could do for me. I said them because what I love is _who_ you are, the things that make you passionate, how deeply you care for everyone, even those you've never met. Those are the things that I love about you. It was never about what I could get out of it."

For a second, Ruby's mind raged with intense turmoil as she struggled to understand what she was feeling. Finally, she slumped with a sigh. "I give up," she said.

"You do?" Gin blinked.

"Yang was right about me thinking too hard about all this," said Ruby.

"That was my problem when we started," said Gin with a chuckle.

Ruby giggled. "I know. Now it's like we've switched places. You're the one who's completely at ease and I'm the one totally out of my depth."

Gin chuckled again. "I'm not completely at ease," he said. "If anything, I think we're both totally out of our depth. Me telling you was me floundering."

Ruby nodded. "I guess...as long as we have each other to hold onto, we won't sink."

"Yeah," agreed Gin.

Abruptly, Ruby threw her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tightly, the force of her lunge knocking them back onto the bed. Gin wrapped his own arms around her and the two of them held each other, taking a moment to simply bask in the sensation of contact between them.

"Thank you," said Ruby.

"You're welcome...and thank you," Gin said back, brushing his fingers through her hair and kissing her cheek.

After another long moment, Ruby sighed. "I guess this means Yang won her bet."

"What bet?"

* * *

Ozpin tapped the holographic keyboard built into the surface of his desk, making the final preparations for the next mission period. This would be the second, and last, opportunity the first-year students would have to take missions and shadow Huntsmen, before the semester ended. After that, the Vytal Festival would cut into the third semester, limiting them to only one mission period, before the final semester started during the winter season.

Normally, there wasn't much to do with regards to missions for the first-year students. But, this time, Ozpin was making special arrangements for a pair of teams that he believed had done exceptionally well, and deserved a special opportunity. It would also give him a chance to prepare and adjust what he told them when they returned.

 _It seems that Yu is correct, as always,_ he thought ruefully. _As horrid as this turn of affairs was, it also served to demonstrate the resolve of Ruby and January. They can be trusted._

A tone sounded from the elevator and Ozpin looked up, dismissing his screens as he did so. He wasn't expecting Glynda right now, seeing as she was handling the aftermath of the battle. The defenders had not gotten through unscathed, though there had been no fatalities. Everyone was expected to make a full recovery. But still, that did leave a small mountain of paperwork and other minutia to wade through.

The doors slid open and Ozpin let out a disappointed sigh as the familiar imposing figure of James Ironwood stepped out, marching across the space to the desk and standing before it. "James," greeted Ozpin, already feeling tired, even though their exchange had not yet even begun.

"Oz," said Ironwood. "Did you finally realize what's at stake yet?"

"I've always known what's at stake," said Ozpin.

"Yet you insist on taking matters too lightly," growled Ironwood. "Dammit Oz! The Grimm nearly overwhelmed your defenses. The Grand Attractor in Mountain Glenn was awakened. Vale was faced with annihilation."

"That much is true," agreed Ozpin. "However, the important thing is that the defenses held. The Huntsmen and students did what was expected of them and performed exceptionally, especially certain students you've expressed reservations about."

"Be serious Oz," protested Ironwood. "Listen. One word from me, and my ships will return. We can institute patrol patterns that will allow them to keep the Grimm under control, while being visible to the population. The citizens of Vale will look up and know that we are doing everything in our power to keep them safe, while our enemies will look up and realize we're doing everything in our power to root them out."

"No," said Ozpin simply.

"But-"

"No," he repeated. "Your ships are _not_ to return, James. The reassurance the people require is that they should have nothing to fear. They do not need reminders of power. They do not need foreign warships occupying their skies, making them question what their leaders and protectors are so _afraid_ of."

"Oz...after everything that just happened, you can't be serious about this," said Ironwood imploringly.

"On the contrary," replied Ozpin. "After everything that's happened, I am more assured of our course than ever."

"You'd put your faith in those criminals?" scoffed Ironwood.

"Indeed I would," said Ozpin. "They have not betrayed my trust yet. In fact, they, and Ms. Rose, are the ones who saw to the Grand Attractor. To the end, they have completely surpassed my expectations."

Ironwood growled, turning away from the desk and heading for the elevator again. "I'm warning you, Oz, the next time something happens-"

"You will do nothing," said Ozpin in a firm, commanding tone, "unless I or the Council ask you to. Your concern is admirable, James. But this is _not_ your Kingdom. You cannot simply come over and do what you like, simply because you think it needs to be done. Call your warships for anything other than to escort your students back to Atlas at the end of the festival, and it will be viewed by Council as an act of war. _That_ is what you need to be mindful of."

Ironwood spun about to face the desk. "Ozpin! The enemy nearly brought your Kingdom to its knees and you want to turn a blind eye?"

"There are several incorrect suppositions about that assertion," said Ozpin, folding his fingers together and resting his elbows on top of the desk. "First, we are not turning a blind eye to this. If anything, what needs to be done has already been done. The Grand Attractor is dead. Were it not for the negative stigma attached to the place, I would even go so far as to say that Mountain Glenn is now legitimately suitable for settlement this time.

"Second, while it is true that the defenses were tested, Vale's walls held firm. The students, the teachers, the Huntsmen from within the Kingdom, and the soldiers on the wall all did what was expected of them, and the day was carried. We cannot afford to fly into a panic and overreact to every single incident, particularly when the situation went the way it needed to.

"Finally, the enemy was _not_ behind this attack."

"What?" grunted Ironwood, taken aback by the revelation.

Ozpin hesitated. He hadn't been certain whether or not Ironwood should know about the true cause of the Dragon's awakening. However, now that Ironwood had confronted him about this, Ozpin knew he shouldn't hide it, knowing that Ironwood's wrath, should he find out later, would be terrible and, worse, disruptive. "The Dragon was awakened by Yu Yuen."

"What?" gasped Ironwood, his eyes going wide. "Yu Yuen did this?"

"He did," said Ozpin. "He awakened the Grand Attractor to serve as a test for his students."

"You're telling me that this man, this...this...demon...awakened one of the, if not the single most dangerous Grimm on the continent, imperiled your entire Kingdom, and he did so for the sake of a mere test?"

"That is correct," said Ozpin.

"And it was a test for his students, students that are now enrolled in your Academy!" added Ironwood.

"Correct," agreed Ozpin.

"Of all the stupid, short-sighted, nonsensical..." Ironwood's voice trailed off as his expression hardened. "Get rid of them, Ozpin."

"James..." said Ozpin in a warning tone.

"You've made it perfectly clear that the three of them are an active threat to the safety of the Kingdom," growled Ironwood. "Two of them are criminals who never should have even been allowed in your Academy in the first place. The third is a girl who should still have been in combat school, whose presence is causing more disruption and discord amongst the students than in any year prior. That's bad enough, but the fact that the three of them are students to a man who would use the entire Kingdom as collateral, for the sake of _teaching them a lesson_ , is reason enough that they shouldn't even be allowed within the Kingdom walls. They don't just need to be removed from the Academy, they need to be expelled from Vale."

"That will not help anything," said Ozpin. "Ms. Rose is a protector by nature, a natural-born guardian. Yu is fully aware of that and it is something that he fully intends to exploit in order to effectively train her. Forcing her out of the Kingdom would not stop Yu from threatening it in order to train her."

Then he smiled. "Besides. Yu has actually done us a favor."

"What?" Ironwood was taken aback by the statement.

"There is no question to my mind that the Grand Attractor was to play an important role in the enemy's plans," said Ozpin. "It was natural to assume that they set up the White Fang's terrorist operation out there to make use of the tunnel connecting Mountain Glenn to Vale. However, it is also clear that their ultimate plan was to rouse the Dragon itself, most likely during the Vytal Festival. Yu awakened it ahead of their plans and, in doing so, disrupted them. Without the Dragon to attract Grimm to Mountain Glenn, there won't be the risk inherent in having such a large population of them close to the Kingdom. The end result is that I believe the plans of our enemy have been severely derailed by Yu's action, possibly even more than the destruction of Torchwick's operation."

"Do you think he honestly cares that he helped us?" growled Ironwood.

"Not that he helped us, no," said Ozpin. "However, he has stated that he enjoys disrupting Her plans. More to the point, I believe his intention is to incite the agents of the enemy in our midst to focus their attentions on his students."

"Why?" gasped Ironwood.

"For their training, of course," said Ozpin. "Yu is just that sort of a man. In any case, I chose to view him as less of a threat and more as an environmental factor, rather like a storm or earthquake."

"Ridiculous," said Ironwood. "That man needs to be stopped."

"I agree," said Ozpin. "But, at the moment, there is no means to stop him. His own students, the ones who have spent the most time with him, and have learned the most about him, have admitted their inability to see the full limit of his ability. We are helped by the fact that, right now, he has no active enmity towards any particular person or Kingdom. This allows us to bide our time."

"Until what?" pressed Ironwood.

"Until he gets what he wants," said Ozpin. "And what he wants are opponents that can stand on his level. I am sure that the three currently in our care will reach that point sooner or later."

"You expect me to consider that a valid strategy?" demanded Ironwood.

"There is _no_ other strategy," said Ozpin. He activated the display on his desk, bringing up the video that had been taken by the bullhead the previous day after bringing reinforcements to Yu's students in the forest outside Mountain Glenn. Rather than archive the video file within the CCT network, it was stored on a private server, completely isolated from the network.

It showed Yu appearing out of nowhere, then the battle ending abruptly as he vanished, and all the Grimm perished, seeming to explode for no reason, only the tiniest flickers on the screen betraying Yu's presence, before he returned to his previous position, behind Ruby.

"In a matter of seconds, he slaughtered hundreds of Grimm, with hardly any effort. He is capable of far more than that. He is not an opponent you can defeat with your armies or your ships, James. His students told you as much, and this makes it clear that they were not lying."

Ironwood stared with narrowed eyes at the screen. "We'll see," he said. "Esoteric and antiquated techniques ultimately cannot stand against the pinnacle of modern technology and human ingenuity. I'll put that man's so-called power to the test."

"Perhaps," said Ozpin. "But not here; not at Beacon, nor in Vale. I, on the other hand, shall put my faith in the Huntsmen and Huntresses that we...and he...have been training."

"You can do that, if you wish," said Ironwood, heading to the elevator once more. "I can only hope that your faith isn't betrayed, Oz."

"I can only hope so as well," said Ozpin, though his eyes were glued to Ironwood's back as he said that.

* * *

After a few more minutes of cuddling, Ruby sighed tiredly.

"What's wrong?" asked Gin.

"We have to tell them about...about my eyes," she said.

"Are you sure?" asked Gin.

Ruby nodded. ""There's no point in keeping it a secret any longer. I feel bad for keeping it from them for as long as I have."

"What about Ciar and Viola? Are we going to talk about them?"

Ruby was silent for a long moment. Reaching up, she pressed her own hand against Gin's, which rested on her forehead, pressing his palm a little bit more firmly against her skin before taking a deep breath. "Yes," she said finally.

"All right," said Gin.

It was a risky decision. Knowing that Qrow had gotten the information he had on the Silver Eyes from Ozpin, and that it was one of the factors influencing her admission to Beacon in the first place, had been the reason they hadn't kept that particular part of Ruby's story from what they'd told Ozpin. Ruby wasn't even sure if Ciar and Viola were connected with anything currently going on in Vale, save for certain insinuations Yu had made. Ozpin certainly hadn't added anything to supplement the context of Ruby's own experiences, though she certainly suspected he was holding something back.

"So I take it our team and January are in," said Gin. "What about the others?"

"Like who?" asked Ruby.

"Well, Sun and Neptune," said Gin. "At this point, they're as much a part of this as your teammates are. Then there's Team Coffee..."

Ruby frowned. That was tricky to answer. Gin was certainly right about the two boys from Haven having a stake in this, even if she still wasn't sure it was actually connected to her own experiences. They had been an active part of the investigation into Torchwick and the White Fang, putting their lives and wellbeing on the line for the sake of Blake and the others. She needed to think about CFVY a bit more. She considered Velvet and Coco friends, more now than ever, and the team as a whole had proven that they'd had her back quite a few times by this point. But that was still extending the knowledge of, potentially dangerous, confidential information to a formidably large body of people.

"Let's add Sun and Neptune," she said finally. "But I need to think about Coffee more."

"Works for me," said Gin.

They sat up and Ruby texted out a message through her scroll, letting the rest of her team know she and Gin were finished with their "alone time" and asking JNAR over.

Yang, Blake, and Sun, as it turned out, were just down the hall in the common room while they waited. Ren and Nora were in JNAR's room. But they wound up waiting for Jaune and Ayumu, who'd been up on the roof, training, as well as Neptune, who'd been back in the visitor dormitory. Ultimately, it took about fifteen minutes to get everyone together, which Ruby spent awkwardly fiddling and fidgeting in front of her own team, while Yang stared at her worriedly.

Finally, Neptune arrived with a surprisingly casual, "Yo! What's up?"

Ruby looked around, then at Gin, who nodded slowly. She took a deep breath and began to explain. "Um...there's something I need to tell you all," she said. "It's something I didn't talk about when I explained what happened to me during those months we spent getting to Vale."

She half-expected Yang to blow up angrily. Instead, Ruby's older sister merely laughed. "Geez! _Another_ secret, Ruby? You're getting to be worse than Uncle Qrow or Ozpin."

Ruby laughed awkwardly, rubbing her fingers through her hair. "It's...uh...funny you should mention them. They're the ones who told me about this secret...well, Uncle Qrow was."

"What is it?" pressed Blake.

Ruby closed her eyes, then slowly opened them. "Well, it goes back to when I met Ozpin after stopping Torchwick's robbery."

"That's what got you into Beacon, right?" asked Sun.

Ruby nodded. "When Ozpin came in the room, this first thing he said was that I had Silver Eyes..."

* * *

 **So, yeah, that's why I chose to keep referring to the Wyvern as a Dragon in this story, even after Volume 6 officially dictated that it was called a Wyvern. I mean, Smaug, as he's depicted in the _Hobbit_ trilogy, is technically a wyvern, but everyone still calls him a dragon. I wanted that particular association to be important to people, that a Grimm Dragon attacked an area a dragon-faunus was staying in, even though, as everyone can see, the connection is rather tenuous.**

 **Once again, my depiction of Ruby and Gin's relationship was meant to do something a little different from so many of the ones I've seen in other stories. In many stories, two characters might not fall in love at the same pace. But, by the time the big-three words come out in dialogue, they've both reached the point where they're ready to say it. With Gin and Ruby, I wanted Ruby to be blindsided by the idea, with the realization that she can't say the same thing back to Gin right away.**

 **And, of course, while he's a jerk, Ironwood technically _does_ have a point. The fact that Yu is all too willing to use Ruby's desire to protect others as a motivating factor in her training, on a borderline apocalyptic scale, does mean that Ruby's mere presence in Beacon and Vale constitutes a pretty serious threat. I imagine some will disagree with the principle or reason for keeping her in Beacon anyway, but Ozpin's made his choice. Needless to say, Ironwood is _not_ happy about it.**

 **On that note, going into Volume 2 canon, does anyone else find it strange that Vale, from the Council down, was apparently totally chill with having a small fleet of foreign warships dominating their skyline? I mean, when Ironwood takes over for the Vytal Festival, it's understandable that they'd be okay with it. But the fact that no one, aside from Ozpin, apparently raised a fuss about the warships being there in the first place, before Ironwood used them to save the day, is...kinda weird.**


	64. Chapter 64

**Chapter 64:**

It took a little while to explain, fortunately not as long as some other explanations Ruby had needed to make. The hard part was when she got to the retelling of the fight with Ciar and Viola, which had Yang a little incensed that Ruby hadn't told her she was being targeted by some mysterious group that was after her because of her eyes. However, she got over that quickly enough.

"This is a lot to take in," muttered Neptune, slumping against the back of the chair he'd borrowed. "I mean...we've been dealing with mysterious conspiracies and wild plots involving weaponizing the Grimm, so we've been through some pretty out-there stuff. But quasi-magical superpowers based on weird eye color-"

He was abruptly cut off by Yang cracking her knuckles. "Are you saying Ruby's eyes are weird?" Her voice was a dangerous growl.

"Uh...I mean...don't get me wrong," Neptune amended quickly, "they look really good, and she really makes them work, I mean, _wow_ -" He cut himself off this time, when Gin silently raised an eyebrow. If there was one thing that could be said about Neptune, it was that he was adept at digging himself into a hole, then leaping out and straight into digging _another_ one. He chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head. "But anyway...it's not like that's exactly a normal eye-color."

Ruby shrugged indifferently to show she wasn't offended. "He's not wrong," she said.

"Anyway, that's a bit hard to swallow," finished Neptune after sighing in relief at Ruby's tension-defusing intervention.

"He's not wrong about the powers too," Jaune pointed out. "I mean, we all know Ruby's good. But this flies in the face of everything we know about Aura."

"Well...technically, so does being able to conjure weapons out of thin air," said Blake.

"Yeah, that too," admitted Jaune. "But even Ruby and her sources...both of them...are saying this is a different thing entirely."

"I know," said Ruby. "I had a hard time swallowing it too."

"Gin and I had fewer problems," said Ayumu, "partly because it explained a certain anomaly that occurred early in our association with Ruby."

"What anomaly?" asked Ren.

"When we were fighting Team Brown outside of Brandywine, Ruby attacked Ms. Schirmer," explained Ayumu. "That was the first time she'd manifested a scythe, which, given her level of instruction at the time, was remarkable in and of itself. However, the other thing we noticed was that the blade had manifested as silver, and that her eyes were simultaneously glowing. At the time, we merely thought it an unusual oddity, though more unusual when Ruby couldn't replicate it later on. It wasn't until Mr. Branwen explained about the Silver Eyes to us that we realized the source of the phenomenon."

"But why would Ruby's powers awaken at that point?" Blake wanted to know.

Gin leaned forward. "Well, when Master Yu tried to teach Ruby how to harness that power, he said that traumatic incidents are often a cause for the power's awakening. At that point, Ruby was still suffering from her amnesia. Something about Whitney, her coincidental resemblance to Weiss we think, was triggering Ruby's repressed memories. That, combined with Ruby's anger over Whitney's explanation for the reasons for what Team Brown was doing in Brandywine, caused her power to begin to awaken."

"Yu said that the reason I wasn't able to tap into those powers later on was because I needed something intense to set me off," said Ruby.

"Which he 'helpfully' provided during this last test of his," said Gin ruefully.

"What are you talking about?" asked Nora.

"We technically had to kill the Dragon twice," said Ruby.

"You told me that," said Yang. "You said that Yu interrupted you the first time."

Ayumu nodded. "Essentially, the first time was a test of the three of us together. The Dragon's nature made defeating it a completely different kind of task from slaying your average Grimm. While it looked like a regular Grimm, albeit a much larger, more dangerous one that could spawn other Grimm...killing it was not so simple a matter."

"You told us about that," said Jaune. "It was like a colony or something..."

"Yes," said Ayumu as he, Ruby, and Gin all nodded.

"Most of its body was the same black gunk that was dripping off to make other Grimm," said Ruby. "Attacking that didn't really do anything, except make it mad."

"But the other parts, the parts we could attack and injure, which looked like the regular parts of a regular Grimm's body, were actually separate Grimm," added Gin.

"Because of that, whenever we killed or severed a certain part of the Dragon's body, it regrew, or respawned rather, a replacement," said Ayumu. "In order to fully kill it, we had to kill all the different Grimm that made up its body within a short enough time-frame that it couldn't spawn any replacement parts, which effectively killed it as a whole."

"That...doesn't make any sense..." said Blake dubiously. "Grimm shouldn't work like that."

"If there's one thing I've noticed over the years of Master Yu using various types of Grimm as training dummies for us, it's that you shouldn't presume that the Grimm work a certain way at all," said Gin darkly. "Certain forms are more common than others, but there are Grimm out there that are just plain alien in shape, and some that appear to completely defy the logic by which we understand other Grimm."

"The Dragon was a perfect example of this," added Ayumu.

"The point is that we figured out what we needed to do to kill it," said Ruby, getting the conversation back on track. "Ayumu was able to come up with the technique we needed and he managed to pull it off."

"Then Master Yu butted in and kept it from working," said Gin. "That basically forced us to start over from scratch."

"Why?" gasped Nora. "That means you passed doesn't it? That's what he wanted."

"We did 'pass,' according to his standards," said Ayumu. "However, Master Yu phrased it as 'extra credit,' because he now wanted Ruby to kill it-"

"By using my Silver Eyes," finished Ruby.

Ren leaned back. "I see," he said. "Considering what we've heard about these eyes of yours, it makes sense."

"It does?" Nora looked at Ren in confusion.

Ren nodded. "If you think about the context of their fight, it makes perfect sense."

"He's right," said Jaune. "They'd just pushed themselves to the limit to try and kill it the first time. I'm guessing that Ayumu's new technique used too much Aura for him to do again, right off the bat."

The three who'd fought the Dragon nodded.

"I get it!" exclaimed Neptune. "So it was about putting your backs up against the wall, creating a situation where Ruby _had_ to use her eyes or the Dragon would go to town, figuratively and literally."

Again, the trio nodded.

"Wow! Harsh," mused Sun, frowning. "But, considering what we saw of that guy, not really all that surprising."

"And...for all that it was a sick, depraved thing to do...it worked," Blake pointed out.

"All true," said Ayumu. "Master Yu is quite...thorough...when planning such lessons or tests for us. Our first attempt at killing the Dragon was about testing our observational and problem-solving skills, by having us fight an extremely powerful foe that didn't operate according to the logic we typically hold others of its kind to. But he used that as a lead-in to the second test, creating a situation where Ruby's desperation to defeat the Dragon, lest it go on to destroy nearly everything she held dear, was sufficient to both activate her Silver Eyes and invoke her nature as a protector to give her sufficient focus to harness those powers effectively."

"That is nuts," said Nora dourly.

"Can we go back to the part where my little sister is apparently being hunted by some freaky people over her eyes?" asked Yang. "Why didn't this come up earlier?"

"Um...well..." Ruby shrugged. "It was hard to bring it up, because I wasn't ready to talk about the Silver Eyes yet and...there was nothing connecting them to what we're going through here."

"You mean that stuff with the White Fang, right?" asked Jaune. At Ruby's nod, he frowned. "I wonder...Junior was talking about that third party, the one that was making the Fang and Torchwick work together..."

"I thought of that too," said Ruby. "But there's nothing to suggest that they're connected to Ciar and Viola. I just have this gut feeling...There was something wrong about those two, but I feel the same kind of 'wrong' from what's going on around Vale. There's no proof, there's not even a logical connection. But I can't shake the feeling..."

"Well, the bad guys, the real bad guys anyway, are apparently big fans of using the Grimm as a weapon," said Jaune. "If that's the case, then somebody like you, with a power that poses a threat to the Grimm specifically, would be a pretty big threat to their plans."

"That makes sense," said Yang darkly. "Right now, I'm thinking we should walk over and demand some answers from Ozpin. If Uncle Qrow found out about the Silver Eyes from him and Ozpin knows more than he's letting on, then he's keeping us in the dark."

"I don't want to press him," said Ruby. "I think he has a reason."

"Of course he has reasons," scoffed Yang. "But that doesn't mean that they're _good_ ones. Even if they are, that gives him no right to leave you in the dark when you're in danger."

"Well, let's not get carried away," said Jaune, resting a hand on top of Yang's. "We've still got the rest of the semester to get through. After the break, we'll have the Vytal Festival. I don't think we want to be adding more to our plate if we don't need to."

"All right," said Yang after a moment's hesitation. "But, if anything else happens, we go straight to Ozpin."

"Works for me," said Ruby, while the others nodded.

"So...you're okay for a while, right?" asked Sun. "Your master said he was giving you a little break."

"Yeah, but his idea of a 'little break' is entirely dependent on his whims," said Gin. "Before we met Ruby, he'd give us 'little breaks' all the time. Sometimes, he'd wander off for months at a time. Others, he'd be back in days...or a matter of hours. Our 'break' could have technically ended the moment Ruby woke up, for all we know."

"The moment you start to make assumptions about Master Yu is the moment he does something completely out of left field, simply for the sake of catching you off-guard," added Ayumu with a sigh. "There's no telling how long this 'break' will last."

"We'll just have to make the most of it," said Ruby. "And we'll just have to keep on our toes."

* * *

As fate would have it, simply keeping an eye out for Yu wasn't the only thing keeping them on their toes. As the days following the attack on the wall passed, there appeared to be a shift in attitude towards Ruby. Apparently, the fact that she'd played a key role in defeating the Dragon had caused many of the students who doubted her to view her in a more positive light. However, she also noticed that, even though the hostility of many students appeared to be shifting away from her, new hostility was being focused on Gin.

Unsurprisingly, the main cause was the faunus population of the Academy. Before now, they'd regarded Gin with guarded fear and hushed whispers. But now they were becoming more overt in demonstrating their dislike of him. It wasn't the way it had been with Ruby, attempts to trip during meals or thrown objects during class. Instead, whenever Gin entered a room, any other faunus present would glare openly at him, their stares persisting until he left. They would keep as far as they physically could from him as well.

The sparring sessions began to change as well. Where, before, many opponents would challenge Ruby, Gin was slowly beginning to receive more challenges. Strangely enough, those challenges were coming from the faunus students who had balked at fighting him earlier on in the semester. In the past, they had avoided any attempt to challenge Gin, unless Glynda herself called one of them down to the match. Furthermore, where they had previously shrunk away from him during matches, they now attacked aggressively, sometimes screaming insults while doing so. Though it wasn't readily apparent, Ruby also got the impression that they weren't aiming to simply win the match, but that they were also aiming to injure Gin, if they thought they could get away with it.

Not that Gin gave them any chance. Whether his opponents shrank away or came on, screaming insults to his face, he fought as cooly, efficiently, and ruthlessly as ever, always taking control of the fight, quickly and bringing down his opponents, while keeping them from being able to fight back properly. Not many students seemed to see it that way though. From her position in the stands, Ruby heard many onlookers condescendingly mutter things about "cheap shots" or calling Gin a "cheater who couldn't win a fair fight."

Still, Gin went on as calmly and blandly as ever, never seeming to take offense at the insults or abuse hurtled his way, letting all the ill will directed at him slide away, like water from the surface of a stone...much to the amazement of his friends, save for Ruby and Ayumu.

"I seriously don't know how you can stand it," commented Sun, leaning away from the table and folding his arms behind his head. "Seriously, I'd lose it if people were glaring at me all the time."

Gin shrugged unconcernedly. "They glare because they don't understand the nature of their own fear. They don't understand the real reason for it, save that it's in reaction to me. It's only natural that fear like that breeds hostility."

"But still, they should be able to do better than that," Blake pointed out.

"Like you?" asked Gin, raising an eyebrow.

"Um...well..." Blake looked down.

"You're able to overcome your fear because you've been accepting continuous exposure to me," said Gin. "You regularly force yourself to look at and touch my scales, even though your instinctive reaction is one of repulsion. You're getting over it, but even after weeks of practice, you still can't stop yourself from flinching whenever I bring my scales out in close proximity to you. And that's on top of constant low-level exposure to me, by virtue of the fact that we're living in the same room."

Gin shifted his gaze to Sun. "And it's not as though many other faunus are the naturally carefree sort, like your boyfriend here."

"Well, this level of awesome isn't something you can get from just anyone," said Sun smugly, before Blake took the wind from his sails by elbowing him in the ribs, causing everyone to laugh.

"But none of them are even trying," Yang pointed out, before taking a bite of her dinner.

Gin shrugged. "Hardly any of them have any reason to. Of all the other faunus currently in this school, the only other one we have regular dealings with is Velvet."

Velvet was something of a sore point for the group. While she remained a good friend to the group as a whole, and Ruby in particular, her normally shy and reserved nature was not much help when it came to dealing with Gin. While she could maintain some semblance of normality around him, if he kept his scales out of sight, their emergence would send her scrambling to the farthest point of the room she could get from him. At the very least, she appeared to be able to keep her fear from evolving into hostility, mainly because Ayumu explained the nature of said fear to her. However, unlike Blake, Velvet hadn't yet had the impetus, much less the opportunity, to practice the same kind of exposure therapy Blake was using.

"I've been hearing some strange things though," said Blake. Her habit of spending time in the library, reading, had yielded some useful results. Groups of students sometimes came into the library to talk about things in a more private setting. As such, it was a place where faunus from different teams across the school sometimes assembled to chat about various things. Lately, the topic of those meetings, which Blake had overheard on more than one occasion, was Gin.

"Like what?" asked Nora, before biting into a roll.

"They've been saying that it's strange that Gin came to the school, then, all of a sudden, a Grimm Dragon attacks Vale," said Blake.

"Pfft" snorted Neptune. "Nice of them to forget that Gin was one of the three fighting the Dragon."

"Well, it's not as though that would make much difference," said Ruby with a sigh. "People will find excuses to justify their thinking, and ignore evidence to the contrary if they want to."

"Not to mention that perception of time is a fluid thing," added Ren with a frown. "Gin was here for the better part of a semester, when the Dragon was roused. But, with enough repetition, it becomes possible for others to perceive that as a relatively short period of time, if it makes it easier for them to associate him with the Grimm Dragon."

"All very true," said Ayumu.

"And all very irrelevant," said Gin dismissively. "There isn't really anything we can do to counter these rumors. People will believe them if they want to believe them, and anything we try to do will just come off as denial. If we go to the teachers, then denial becomes a conspiracy to cover up the truth and so on."

"I want to know why so many faunus are suddenly challenging you during Combat Class," said Jaune with a frown. "Not only that, but they're suddenly coming at you like crazy."

"Screaming insults the whole while," added Nora sourly. "Geez! Some of the things they say...I'm amazed Professor Goodwitch doesn't end the match by sticking a bar of soap in their mouths."

"Psychological warfare is a legitimate strategy," said Ayumu. "It can be quite effective to use taunts or insults to unsettle an opponent to hinder his ability to fight effectively...when it works."

"But it doesn't work on Gin," said Ruby with a giggle.

"Then why keep it up?" asked Yang.

Gin smirked. "Best guess...they're trying to make me flip out in the ring and lose it."

"They're trying to make you angry?" Jaune tilted his head. "Why?"

"Well, the few recorded dragon-faunus in history were quite notorious for their tempers in one way or another," said Ayumu.

"And I had plenty of anger-control issues of my own when I was younger," added Gin.

Ruby, remembering Gin's story about his past, nodded in agreement.

"But wouldn't making you angry make you even more dangerous?" asked Nora. "I mean, why would anyone who fights you want to do that. That's like throwing the match away."

"Because they're trying to make a point," said Gin. "Because of the self-control issues my kind are known for, they figure that, if they can make me lose it in the ring, then they can argue that I can't keep my cool under stress, and that I'm a threat to the other students."

"They want to depict you as some kind of berserker," said Ren, realizing what Gin was getting at.

"Exactly," said Gin. "They think that, if they can make me lose my temper, even if it means courting serious injury, then they can ultimately make the argument that I'm too much of a threat to be kept at Beacon."

"Isn't that...dangerous...for you?" asked Yang. "You don't seem to have any problems with it."

"When I said I _had_ anger problems, I mean it fully in the past tense," said Gin with a smirk. "Considering it was my most glaring flaw as a student, what do you think Master Yu did during the first few months of my training?"

"You mean he beat it out of you?" asked Jaune.

"That's putting it kindly," said Ayumu with a chuckle. "Master Yu has a nature that could make a saint lose their temper. He would constantly incite Gin to lose control, and then hammer his lessons home, while taking full advantage of any lack of coordination or control Gin's outbursts afforded him."

"But it wasn't simply punishment," said Gin. "Master Yu was teaching me effective means to direct my anger, to hone it, to draw upon it."

"And, in the process, come to engage with his anger as another resource available in battle," said Ayumu, picking up where Gin left off. "Just how he taught us to perceive fear, but not be controlled by it, so he taught Gin the same with his anger."

Gin sipped from the glass of lemonade he'd picked up with dinner. "The mistake people make is thinking that I'm calm because I've _suppressed_ my anger, bottled it up, locked it away, or however else you want to put it. They figure that, if they keep pushing me, then, sooner or later, something will become the straw that broke the camel's back and set me off. The more minor the slight that leads to the outburst, the easier it will be to argue their case."

"Why is that a mistake?" asked Sun. "That sounds pretty solid to me."

"Because I don't suppress my anger," said Gin. "Like I said, I disassociate it from affecting my behavior. Suppression is an emotional stopgap. Master Yu would never be satisfied with such a half-assed method. He settles for nothing less than mastery. He didn't teach me to control or suppress my emotions. He taught me to master them. If I have no need of my anger, if there's no point to it, or any way it can be useful, then I let it pass...flow away like water. No amount of insults or crude behavior can break me, because there's nothing there to actually break."

"It's odd though," said Ren with a frown.

"Huh? Why?" asked Nora.

"What Gin is suggesting sounds like an intricate strategy of psychological combat," explained Ren. "But this 'strategy' is being spread out amongst multiple groups of people who don't generally associate with each other regularly, due to being on different teams, even if most of them are faunus."

"Meaning...what?" asked Jaune.

"It almost sounds like the kind of thing that would only be possible if somebody was organizing it in some fashion," said Ren. "It's not something as complex as all the faunus currently at Beacon getting together and working out a solid strategy for attacking Gin in a manner that he can't defend against as easily. But it smacks of there being some kind of guiding will behind this shift in how he's been treated."

"It would seem that someone is saying the same thing into many ears," said Ayumu, "this rumor of Gin's presence being connected with the Grimm Dragon."

"Either way, it smacks of someone else being involved here," said Ren darkly.

Jaune looked down at the table. "You know..." he said, after a moment's pause, "...we never did find out anything about that woman that Pyrrha fought in Beacon Tower."

"You think she has something to do with it?" asked Ruby.

"Maybe," said Jaune. "Things have certainly been changing around here. It's like someone is trying to manipulate things behind the scenes."

"Well, at this point, it's not going to have any real effect," said Gin, "at least not the effect they think it'll have. If anything, it's making people look like idiots for trying to do the same thing over and over again, and hoping it'll have different results."

"Our next mission is coming up," said Ruby. "Let's look for a village out in the settlements. If we put a little space between us and Beacon for a while, it'll give the rumors time to die down."

"She's right," said Yang. "Gossip like that can lose steam real quickly, without the object of it hanging around to be the focus of it all."

"Sometimes," said Blake. "Sometimes it just gets worse."

"Either way, getting a little space sounds nice," said Gin. "Let's go with Ruby's plan for now."

* * *

The dour atmosphere and the hostility towards Gin continued throughout the remainder of the week, though he persisted with a degree of indifference that was remarkable. Granted, their inability to get a rise out of him only seemed to incense his tormentors all the more. However, the weekend came and they were unable to continue to challenge Gin to bouts in the sparring ring.

The weekend passed in relative quiet, RUBY and JNAR keeping to themselves for the most part, Sun and Neptune being their only company most of the time. Fortunately, no incidents occurred over the weekend.

Then came Monday, when the first-years would take their second official missions of the semester.

This time, there was no assembly preceding the mission selection period. Ozpin gave no speeches. They were only to report to the assembly hall within a fixed period of time to pick their missions, and then prepare and set out when the appointed time arrived.

When RUBY and JNAR arrived to select their mission, they found an unusual surprise waiting for them.

* * *

"How about this one?" suggested Jaune. "It's a routine patrol mission at a village by the sea. It's a pretty low-difficulty one, so we shouldn't see much trouble."

"I'm surprised no one took it already," noted Ren.

"Probably because it's out in the settlements," noted Jaune. "I guess, even if the difficulty-level is low, people think it's more likely that something will go wrong."

After the battle with the Grimm at Vale's walls, it seemed that most students weren't all that keen to take on missions of higher difficulty, even if they were shadowing skilled Huntsmen. It appeared that many of them had suffered close calls while fighting that seemingly endless tide of Grimm. Indeed, most of the missions within Vale's walls had been snatched up within first minutes of the selection period.

Outside Vale's walls, even a low-difficulty mission could turn dangerous unexpectedly. The movements of the Grimm were unpredictable at the best of the times, and many were the routine missions that turned into dire, dangerous affairs, when there was a sudden surge of Grimm where none should have been.

"All the better for us, then," said Yang. "Let's take it!"

"Uh...Yang..." Ruby gestured at the missions stats on the screen. "It's a one-team mission."

"Aww..." Yang sagged in disappointment. "And here I was looking forward to hanging out at the beach between patrols."

"Well, you guys could take this mission," offered Jaune. "We could find another one." He pointed at another one on the screen. "Here's one to that village that Ren and Nora were interested in. It's to shadow that sheriff again."

"There aren't many first-year missions that require two teams," Ren pointed out. "We'll just have to make due."

"Yeah...you're right," said Yang with a disappointed sigh. She wanted to spend more time with their sister team (Jaune in particular). However, she supposed that wasn't to be, not for a while yet.

"Well, let's go with that then," said Ruby, already selecting the mission on the screen and putting down the team's name for it.

There was a flash and an discordant tone, before a message flashed up.

"Huh?" Ruby squinted at the screen in confusion. "Unable to select another mission...what?"

"I think that comes up when you've already signed up for a mission," said Jaune.

"But that's not right," said Ruby, confused. "We haven't picked one yet."

"Huh..." Jaune turned and selected the mission he and his team had picked. However, he recoiled when the same message flashed up. "What the-?"

Blake checked her scroll and brought up the mission-log app that was used by Huntsmen and Huntresses, including students, to keep track of their missions. "We do already have a mission," she said. "There's no description though." She opened it up on her scroll to see what it was. "It just says to report to Ozpin's office."

"What's he up to this time?" groaned Yang.

They wasted no more time heading for the tower and taking the elevator up.

* * *

"Maybe it's something related to the White Fang," suggested Ruby as they waited.

"Could be," said Blake, frowning and looking down. "Now that I think about it, it's strange. There's been no activity within the Kingdom, not since Ruby took down Torchwick's operation."

"But that's a good thing, right?" asked Jaune.

"Not really," said Ruby. "If things are too quiet, then it's suspicious."

"We did a lot of damage in terms of people and materiel," Gin pointed out. "They might well have retreated to lick their wounds, metaphorically speaking."

"But then it would be a good idea to root them out before they can make a recovery," said Ren.

"It's hard to find them if there's no activity to track though," Ayumu pointed out.

"Well, we should probably avoid making assumptions anyway," said Ruby with a sigh. "With Professor Ozpin, there's no telling what he's got planned for us."

The doors slid open and the eight of them filed into Ozpin's office.

"Ah, I'm glad you've come," said Ozpin, turning around to smile at them.

"What's going on, Professor?" asked Ruby, blinking in confusion. "What's this mission you have for us?"

"It's a very important mission," said Ozpin. "It's meant to help rekindle trust, and engender a good relationship with the people, people who have lost some of their trust in Huntsmen and Huntresses, as well as what they are supposed to stand for and against. It's a mission that I can entrust only to the two most reliable teams in your year. I am sending you to a settlement whose experience with Huntsmen and Huntresses has been...turbulent...as of late. Your role there will be to interact with the inhabitants, rebuild their trust and goodwill, and keep an eye out for Grimm, of course."

Ruby opened her mouth to ask, but stopped herself. Something Ozpin was saying struck a chord of familiarity with her, as though he were talking about a place she knew about.

"Why us?" asked Jaune.

"Well, you _are_ the two most accomplished teams in your year," said Ozpin. "You've faced down the pinnacle of Atlesian military technology. You've scouted the Grimm-infested streets of Mountain Glenn, stopped the White Fang operation led by Roman Torchwick, captured the mastermind himself, led the defense of Vale's walls during the mass Grimm attack, and brought down the Dragon spawning the attacking Grimm."

"Most of that was Ruby and the boys though," Yang pointed out.

"The rest of your contributions shouldn't be ignored," said Ozpin. "The other main reason is that, though this settlement has had troubled relations with Huntsmen and Huntresses recently, we already have an inroad to improved relations, thanks to Ms. Rose."

Ruby gasped, while Gin and Ayumu shared a look of dawning realization. "So you're sending us to..."

"Yes, Ms. Rose," said Ozpin, his smile widening further. "You are being sent to the village of Brandywine."

"Oh! Thank you! Thank you!" squealed Ruby, jumping up and down, waving her arms excitedly.

Ozpin chuckled at her excitement and happiness. "The reasons I've asked you to go are quite true. After what they have been through at the hands of Team Brown, the residents of Brandywine need to be reassured that Huntsmen and Huntresses are meant to be their protectors, not their oppressors. However, I believe that that is a mission that the eight of you will be able to accomplish without much trouble.

"The actual reason is that I believe you eight have earned a...vacation...of sorts. You have all worked much harder this year than most students would have in two. Ms. Rose, Mr. Ueno, Mr. Ao, you three have worked very hard to match the level of the rest of your year, despite an extended absence, in Ms. Rose's case, and virtually no prior schooling, in the case of you two young men. Your teachers have informed me that you are all doing exceptionally well, and that you've managed to catch up in the time since you've arrived."

"Thank you, Professor," said Ruby, blushing as she looked at the floor. Even Gin and Ayumu looked slightly embarrassed by all he praise being directed their way.

"And the rest of you have performed admirably in supporting them," said Ozpin, directing his gaze to the others in the room. "While those three took the fight to the Dragon itself, the rest of you led the defense of the walls, and held your ground until reinforcements arrived. Your role was unquestionably critical. You deserve this opportunity as much as they do.

"During your stay, all food and lodging costs shall be paid by Beacon. Glynda does ask me to advise you to at least try to maintain some degree of moderation. She also specified that Ms. Xiao Long should avoid imbibing too much liquor."

Yang scowled and blushed, while her friends tittered.

"Otherwise, do enjoy yourselves," said Ozpin.

"It'll be nice to rest up before our finals," admitted Blake.

"Ah...yes...about that," said Ozpin.

"What?" asked Jaune, suddenly getting hit by the sensation that the other shoe was about to drop.

Ozpin's smile widened. "It was decided that, after your performance at the walls and in Mountain Glenn, you have all officially passed your final exams preemptively."

"Huh?" Nora gaped. "Wait! That means...!"

"No finals!" exclaimed Yang. "Awesome!"

"It should be noted that this reward isn't just for you," said Ozpin. "Every student who participated in the defense of the walls has been officially awarded a passing grade on their semester finals," said Ozpin. "Glynda thought it was a tad excessive, but every instructor approved it in the end." His eyes narrowed slightly. "However, we will not be announcing this officially, until right before when the finals would normally commence."

"Why?" asked Ruby.

Ozpin's smile took on a sly quality. "If we announced it too far ahead of time, students might not take the remainder of their classes seriously, if they realized that there are no exams to prepare for. Of course, trusting you with this information means that I also trust you not to reveal this to the rest of the student body. It also means that I trust you to continue to take your classes seriously, as though you still fully expect the final exams to be proceeding as normal."

"O-of course," said Ruby, she and the others being slightly taken aback by the seriousness of Ozpin's tone.

"Very good," said Ozpin. "Then go ready yourselves. Your transport will be waiting at the docks in an hour. Have a good time."

"Thank you, Professor," said Ruby as they all filed back into the elevator. "And thanks for trusting us."

Ozpin nodded to her. When the doors closed, he let out a slow breath. "I will be trusting you with a great deal _more_ , once you return," he said, even though Ruby wasn't around to hear him anymore.

* * *

Pyrrha's eyes traced the path of the bullhead, as it lifted off the pad and arced through the air, its path curving and heading into the distance. Pyrrha frowned, feeling like she had some inkling that she knew the transport's heading. It was harder to tell with her different perspective, down on the ground, but it looked as though the bullhead was going in the same direction they had taken during the mission where she and Weiss had tried to get rid of Ruby.

"Are we following them?" she asked.

"I am afraid not, Ms. Nikos," said Watts as he came to stand beside her, fallen leaves crunching beneath his tread. "You are not yet prepared to face them again. Your rearmament needs to be completed first."

Pyrrha resisted the urge to growl in frustration. At the moment, she was dressed in rather plain clothes, shirt and pants. Their baggy fit concealed the lines of her sculpted figure, which, to her distaste, had gone into decline a little, during the time she'd spent incarcerated. Watts was personally going through the trouble of restoring her outfit and weapons, the former having been confiscated by Beacon, the latter having been destroyed by Ruby.

"Please, try to exercise patience," said Watts. "You must remember, this is not some tournament bout you are preparing for. This is a death-match. For all intents and purposes, the battle has already begun. Preparation is a critical phase, often even _more_ critical than the actual fight itself. As it stands, you are not prepared to face Ms. Rose again, even if you already had your weapons in hand."

Pyrrha growled for real this time, baring her teeth in frustration.

"The fact of the matter is that you will have to recover what you lost during your period of incarceration. Then you will need to improve your skills even further. Ironically, you are now in the position Ms. Rose was in, after she was nearly killed by you. Now it is _you_ who will have to push your limits and improve your abilities, in order to surpass her and take your revenge."

Pyrrha's fingers curled inwards, closing into an angry fist, clenching so hard that her arm began to shake from the strain. From where he stood, Watts couldn't help but smile in amusement at her frustration. Truly it must have galled her to think that she stood in the same position that Ruby Rose once had. _That's for the best,_ he thought. _That frustration shall be the key to spurring her to improve. I am looking forward to the final result._

Watts turned his eyes back towards Beacon. From their position, on a plateau in the Emerald Forest, they had a clear view of the school in the near distance. The location had everything they required to assist in Pyrrha's recovery and training. The distance meant that it was too far away for the sound of gunshots to reach the school grounds. The forest provided a variety of different terrains to work with, and, of course, plenty of Grimm.

Thinking of the Grimm reminded Watts of something he needed to remember. "By the way," he said, turning to look at Pyrrha once more, "there is a condition regarding your battle with Ms. Rose."

"What is it?" asked Pyrrha coldly.

"Defeat her in as humiliating a manner as you like. I am not even adverse to the idea of you crippling or maiming her. However..." Watts' eyes narrowed. "...our Mistress wants her alive."

"Alive?" asked Pyrrha darkly.

"You needn't concern yourself with it too much," said Watts. "However, I assure you that, for Ms. Rose, it will be a fate much worse than death."

Pyrrha looked askance at him, but said nothing, made no protest. She returned her gaze towards Beacon. "Fine. But there's one more thing I want."

"The boy, I suppose," said Watts.

Pyrrha flinched the tiniest bit.

"Don't be overly surprised, I have acquired a great many skills over the years. Studying your history, I learned about your circumstances, as well as the unique nature of your relationship with that young man." Watts chuckled. "Still, it seems unlikely that he has any intention of ever forgiving you for what you've done, or what you plan to do."

"I don't care," said Pyrrha coldly. "None of this would have happened if he he hadn't been blind to the truth. The responsibility for all of this lies in his hands. But that's all right. What matters is that, in the end, he belongs to me."

 _A remarkably impressive degree of self-absorption,_ thought Watts amusedly. _But still, quite suitable. It means she will be easy to please and, subsequently, much easier to control._ "Very well then. Then let us get to work. You must be prepared by the time of the Vytal Festival. Also, there is more information that you should know, a secret that Beacon's beloved Headmaster has been hiding from you, and the world."

The two of them turned around and retreated into the trees, Pyrrha not looking back at Beacon once. As they walked, Watts posed her a strange question. "What is your favorite fairy tale?"

* * *

Ozpin sipped his coffee from his mug as he watched the bullhead carrying RUBY and JNAR soar over the horizon. "So...she's fully awakened her Silver Eyes."

"Yep," said Yu Yuen, as he seemed to almost materialize from the shadows lining the edge of Ozpin's office. "Though she's a long way from mastering them. It's gonna take a good bit of work before she can use that power without it causing a huge strain on the rest of her."

"I had hoped it wouldn't come to this," said Ozpin.

Yu chuckled. "You really expect me to believe that her overflowing potential was the only reason you invited her into Beacon when you did? You're not as soft as you pretend to be. Both she and that power are pieces you've been keeping in reserve. But what good is a power that she has no idea how to use? If you'd had your way, she'd have gone on in blissful ignorance for who knows how long. Her power would've probably only come out when things were at their worst. Given the nature of the Silver Eyes, she'd probably need a trauma on the level of seeing a beloved friend murdered before her eyes to wake them up."

"Fortunately, that was not required," said Ozpin with a sigh.

"Because she awakened them through lesser traumas," said Yu. "After suffering the cruel and bitter betrayal of those she trusted and respected, she locked her memories away. The unlocking of those memories was a traumatic event itself, but it also forced her to relive that previous trauma. The emergence of both of those was enough to push her to the edge of unlocking their power...though not all the way over it."

"So you forced her the rest of the way through instilling fear," noted Ozpin, a slightly bitter note to his voice.

"A skilled instructor makes good use of fear as a motivator," said Yu. "For the Little Rose, there can be nothing more fearsome than the idea of those under her protection coming to harm, because she could not come through at the critical moment. Faced with that fear, she was able to take that final step across the threshold and awakened."

"I wish you hadn't," said Ozpin. "If she becomes too dependent on that power-"

"Pah!" spat Yu, his saliva splattering across the floor. "You really think so little about my skill as an instructor, that I'd allow a student of mine to get away with becoming a one-trick pony. Truth be told, the awakening of those eyes was just a little bonus. I doubt she'll find much use for them, now that she's started knocking at the door of true mastery."

"Then why bother awakening them at all?" asked Ozpin.

"Because the key to mastery is Knowledge," said Yu, with a grin that was positively triumphant as Ozpin flinched at his words. "Remember that, Ozpin? It's one of those Relics you and the hag are obsessing over. For mastery, there is no greater Knowledge than self-knowledge, the ability to face yourself as a whole, to accept and understand yourself, and to improve yourself. Leaving a Silver Eyes-shaped hole in that girl's Knowledge of herself would only hamstring her development in the long run." He chuckled. "And here I thought you fancied yourself a teacher, but it seems that you shy away from teaching the most important lessons of all."

Yu snorted derisively and turned away from Ozpin. "But that's fine, I suppose. You just keep teaching your regular students how to play with their toys and their Dust. Leave Ruby to me, and I'll teach her the truth, teach her _mastery_. She's my student now, whether you like it or not, and your school is just another training ground to me."

"I will not allow you to corrupt her," said Ozpin firmly.

Yu barked out a laugh. "HA! Where'd you pull that line from? You know plenty well that I don't do 'corruption.' The only thing I give my students is strength. Trying to mold them in my image would be counterproductive in the long run. Every person who wishes to become stronger has their own path to power. All I do is help them navigate that path." He turned his head, as though he were looking over his shoulder at Ozpin. "But this is enough for now. I've already laid the groundwork for my students' next lesson, so there's no reason to hang around. I'm gonna amuse myself for a little while. I'll be back when things get interesting. I'll see you around, Ozzy. Try to put on a good show for me."

Then he was gone and Ozpin was alone once again. With a sigh, Ozpin slumped down into his chair, staring into his mug. _Truly, that man cannot be measured._

* * *

 **And now a brief breather arc. As awful as he is, Yu is aware of, and very invested in, the importance of self-determination. A common trope in stories is that Evil Cannot Comprehend Good, so what makes Yu such a scary adversary is that he understands good all too well. He just has no concern for it on a personal level. Good and Evil are concepts that have no personal meaning for him, but he fully understands that they have considerable meaning to others, hence his ability to use them to motivate his students.**


	65. Chapter 65

**Chapter 65:**

The mayor of Brandywine stared uncertainly up, his eyes tracking the path of the approaching bullhead, the sound of its engines building as it soared closer and closer, closing in on the modest dock that was the sole point of entry and egress for any and all long-distance commerce that came through their modest settlement.

"I don't like this," whispered his aide, checking her scroll. "What do the people at Beacon think they're doing, sending their students at a time like this?"

"Ozpin said that it's to help reestablish a positive relationship and reassure the residents," said the mayor with the air of a man who didn't believe the words, even as he said them.

"And you accepted?" asked his aide.

"We're not being charged, and Beacon is covering all the students' expenses during their stay," said the mayor. "So there won't be any freebies this time."

"But...what if it happens again?" worried the aide. "They may just be students, but it's still two whole teams, eight Huntsmen and Huntresses-in-training. There's no telling how much damage they could do."

"As long as we are able to get a call out before that happens," said the mayor with a sigh. "I don't like the idea any more than you do. But, this time, we won't let them take advantage of us."

"I don't suppose you know anything about the two teams that are being assigned to us?" asked the aide.

"No..." said the mayor in distaste. "Ozpin said something about it being a surprise, which I don't like one bit."

His aide nodded. They'd had their fill of unpleasant surprises, enough to last them a lifetime.

The bullhead came into range, its wings rotating into its hovering configuration, the nose tilting back as it played out its momentum, before it lowered down towards the landing pad. It came to a rest, and the passenger-bay doors slowly opened. The mayor's eyes widened and he let out a small gasp as he saw the first of the students within emerge.

* * *

"Refill, please," called a masculine voice from a nearby table.

"Coming right up," Tawny shouted back, placing the drinks she was carrying on the table she was already serving, before going to pick up the mugs at the table that had called for the refill.

It was nearing the end of the dinner-period, one of the busiest periods at the pub, along with the other main meals of the day. More importantly, this was Friday, the day most workers in town got their paychecks. With extra money to spend, plenty of them took advantage of the opportunity to spend their windfall on extra drinks, which worked Tawny harder than probably any other day of the week.

So she already had plenty to deal with, _on top_ of knowing that this would be the day the students from Beacon were due to arrive. Like most of the townspeople, Tawny wasn't too keen on hosting student Hunstmen and Huntresses, not after the debacle with Team BRWN. The fact that Beacon would apparently be paying for everything was probably the only thing that kept the mayor from protesting straight to Vale. Tawny was just glad that their guests wouldn't be expecting any free compensation.

She had just finished distributing mugs to the table that had requested a refill, and was taking a well-deserved breather, when the door to the inn opened and the mayor entered, coughing to get the attention of everyone within.

"Thank you," he said as the chatter fell silent. "I wish to inform you all that our guests from Beacon have arrived."

Tawny gulped, the tension in the room ratcheting up to a considerable degree.

"As you recall, we agreed to be on our best behavior when dealing with our guests," said the mayor. "However, we also agreed to be wary, and show them no generosity beyond what they pay for as customers. However..." A smile slowly spread across his face. "...I now believe that such caution is unnecessary." He stepped aside, allowing the group of students that had been following him to enter into the room.

Tawny barely had the time to register the confusion that occurred at the mayor's sudden change in demeanor. Instead, she gasped, the tray she'd been holding clattering to the floor at the sight of a familiar pair of silver eyes meeting her own. "Ruby!"

"Tawny!" Ruby left a trail of red petals behind her as she shot across the floor to throw herself at the waitress, who caught and swept Ruby up in a tight hug, the two of them laughing and crying at the same time as they held each other tightly.

"It's good to see everyone again," greeted Ayumu pleasantly, as he and Gin stepped apart from the rest of the students.

Ruby and Tawny's voices were drowned out by cheers as the townsfolk swamped the pair, as well as Ayumu and Gin, welcoming them back with an enthusiastic gusto.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" asked Tawny, finally pulling away far enough from Ruby that they could look each other in the eyes.

"I didn't know we were coming until earlier today," said Ruby. "Professor Ozpin sorta sprang this on us at the last minute."

"So he made it a surprise for you too," said Tawny with a laugh. "And here we were, all worried about who was just about to show up on our doorstep."

Ruby giggled. "You don't have to worry. These are my friends. They're the best people I know."

A faint cough, barely audible over the general din, from behind them, caused the two of them to part. Looking in the direction of the sound, Tawny was surprised to see a vibrant young woman with brilliant, blonde hair standing before her. Confidence, warmth, and kindness radiated from her in equal measure, practically saturating her lilac eyes.

"Hey," she said, stepping forward. "My name's Yang Xiao Long. I'm Ruby's older sister."

"Oh!" gasped Tawny. "Ruby's told me about you."

"She's told me about you," said Yang with a smile, stepping forward to take Tawny's hands. "I can't thank you enough for what you did for her."

"It was my pleasure," said Tawny. "She did quite a bit for me as well."

"So I heard," said Yang, reaching up and resting a hand on Tawny's shoulder. "The thing that matters though...is that you were there for her, when I _couldn't_ be. You got through to her, when no one else could, and you helped her through her pain when she got her memories back. That practically makes you family, as far as I'm concerned."

"Thank you," said Tawny, blushing at the genuine affection Yang was showing her. She hesitated, wiping her eyes, not fully prepared for such an emotional event this evening. "Sorry, we'll have to talk later. I've got to get back to work. We'll have to talk after I get off. Go ahead and take a table, and I'll take your orders right away."

"Oh!" said Ruby, practically trembling with excitement. "I'll help!"

"Ruby," said Tawny, "you're here with your friends, and you're a paying customer this time...or, at least Beacon is paying for you."

"Yeah, but we did just drop a big group on you, near the end of your shift," said Ruby. "I don't want to make too much extra work for you."

"We can help as well," added Gin, as he and Ayumu managed to work their way through the crowd of other customers, who were beginning to engage the other members of their teams, warming up to them quite quickly, once they learned that they were all friends of the trio that had saved their town.

Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu reacquainted themselves with the process of working the inn's common room with surprising ease, even as the rest of their teammates settled in at a table. Yang couldn't help but giggle as Ruby worked the tables like an old hand, her cheerful, good-natured personality, and the goodwill resulting from her previous visit, allowing her to cheerfully exchange words with customers, even as she served them.

"You okay?" asked Jaune, taking Yang's hand as a tear ran down her cheek.

"I'm fine," said Yang with a sniff, pausing to wipe the tear off her cheek. "It's just...Ruby looks so happy here."

"I'm a bit surprised," said Ren. "While this place clearly holds pleasant memories, I thought it would also be a place of painful ones as well, seeing as this was where she was forced to confront the trauma of what happened to her."

"Perhaps it is because this is where Ruby's new strength and resolve first began to take root," said Ayumu as he arrived with a few of their drink orders. "After all, this is where Ruby resolved to become stronger and hold true to her ambitions as a Huntress. That, and seeing her efforts be greeted by affirmation from those we worked to protect has probably done her a great deal of good."

"Yeah," said Yang, the word emerging like a sigh from her mouth as Ruby dashed past them, a tray balanced on each hand. "I'm so proud of her."

"There's a lot to be proud of," said Jaune, squeezing Yang's hand, making her giggle.

While they ordered drinks, the group refrained from ordering meals just yet, choosing to wait until most of the other guests had been served already, and most were heading home, allowing Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu to join them at the table, along with Tawny and the innkeeper, who took seats of their own after delivering the group's food.

"I'm so glad you came back," said Tawny, sitting next to Ruby and leaning against her.

"I'm sorry. I should have called when I got to Beacon," said Ruby, feeling a bit embarrassed that the idea of calling her friend over the CCT had dropped from her mind.

"It sounds like a lot happened," said Tawny. "How was your trip to Vale? What happened when you got there? Did you deal with the two who tried to kill you? I want to hear _all_ of it!"

"I'm quite curious as well," said the innkeeper. "Anyone can tell you've been through quite a lot. I imagine you must have plenty of stories to share."

"Oh, a few," demurred Ruby sheepishly. "But I have plenty of time to share them. Professor Ozpin said this was basically an unofficial vacation for us."

"Knowing the kind of girl you are, I'm sure you've earned it," said Tawny with a giggle.

"Boy did we ever," added Yang with a laugh.

"Yeah," agreed Ruby with a soft sigh, leaning over and resting her head against Gin's shoulder. Their actions prompted a surprised squeal from Tawny.

"Wait! Did the two of you...get together?" she asked, her eyes practically sparkling with her eagerness to know.

"Y-yeah," admitted Ruby as she and Gin blushed.

"And they are _so_ cute together," added Yang with a cheeky grin.

Tawny's next squeal was one of joy. "Oh! I'm so happy for you! Congratulations!"

"Thanks," said Ruby, her face turning an even more vivid shade of red as she turned and pressed it into Gin's shoulder while he ran his fingers through her hair.

"I have to know the details," said Tawny. "When did it happen? How? Tell me everything!"

"You don't have an issue with it?" asked Blake warily.

Tawny laughed. "Oh please, anyone could see that Gin was fond of Ruby." She covered her mouth to muffle another giggle. "Of course, who wouldn't become fond of her, after getting to know her?"

 _I can think of at least one person,_ thought Yang, resisting the urge to growl and ruin the moment. She supposed Pyrrha didn't actually count, as it was apparent that Pyrrha's dislike of Ruby stemmed more from their perceived rivalry over Jaune's feelings than anything about Ruby in particular.

"Of course, it wasn't hard to see that Gin was _especially_ fond of her," continued Tawny, much to the couple's embarrassment.

"Yeah, not hard to see at all," agreed Jaune with a chuckle.

"Given how much he obviously cared about her, I couldn't help but wish him the best of luck," said Tawny, throwing a wink Gin's way.

"That's good to know," said Yang.

"In any case, I want to hear everything," said Tawny, resting a hand on Ruby's shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I want to know all the things you've gotten up to."

Ruby took a few deep breaths to recover her composure before sitting up and smiling at Tawny. "Okay," she said. "I guess I should start with what happened after I left..."

* * *

Ruby's story took them late into the night, with the innkeeper and Tawny regularly getting up to refresh everyone's drinks. Ruby had told the story of her journey to Vale plenty of times by this point. However, she was happy to share what had happened to her with Tawny. More to the point, she now got to tell the story of what had happened to her _after_ she returned to Beacon, something she hadn't gotten to do before, seeing as everyone at the table with her, save for their hosts, had lived that part of her story with her.

Tawny had gasped in shock at what had happened to them in Withywindle. She'd cheered when Ruby shared how she and the boys had destroyed Roman Torchwick's terrorist operation. She'd gasped, and then smiled in relief, when Ruby talked about how she'd beaten Weiss and Pyrrha and exposed their crimes to the world. She'd giggled in amusement when Yang jumped in to explain that Ruby had been stuck with a ton of makeup work to compensate for the classes she'd missed over the course of her journey. She was thrilled and shocked, on the edge of her seat, listening to the story of the battle against the Grimm Dragon and the hordes it spawned. Given how close Ruby had gotten to them, she was willing to trust them with the truth behind the Dragon's attack.

"It really is amazing," said the innkeeper, when Ruby finished up. "It's only been a few months, but you've already been through so much."

"Yeah," agreed Ruby. "No wonder Ozpin thought we deserved a break."

"You certainly do," said Tawny, leaning over to kiss the crown of Ruby's head. "You'll get plenty of chances to relax here."

"We can't slack off entirely," said Ren, earning him a groan from Nora. "We do have a set number of duties we need to perform. Officially, this _is_ a mission after all." He gently rubbed Nora's arm. "But they are light duties."

"How long is this mission supposed to last?" asked the innkeeper.

"Just a week," said Jaune.

"We don't want to overstay our welcome," added Blake, "not like Team Brown did."

"Well, I can safely say that I doubt that that will be an issue," said the innkeeper with a laugh. "Beacon is covering all of your expenses, so it's not as though you're making us compensate you the way Team Brown did. More importantly, all of you are more than welcome here. Any friends of young Ms. Rose are friends of ours."

"I couldn't agree more," said Tawny, wrapping Ruby in a one-armed hug, Ruby leaning happily into the embrace.

"This is a good opportunity for us as well," said Ayumu.

"Huh? How so?" Yang wanted to know.

"Well, we've been gifted with a great deal of free time," explained Ayumu. "With the Vytal Festival coming up, this is a good chance for us to do some training away from Beacon, where we can work to solidify our dynamic as teams, and improve our ability to work together during the first rounds of the tournament."

"He's not wrong," Jaune conceded, actually agreeing quite strongly with Ayumu's sentiment.

"There's no telling when Master Yu will show up with another pop-quiz," added Gin ruefully. "Best not to completely let our guard down either."

"I've gotta say, I'm not sure about the idea of you having a jerk like him for a master," said Tawny, looking down at Ruby.

"Well...I accepted, now I'm in it for the long haul," said Ruby. "Master Yu's dangerous and unpredictable...but he knows what he's doing. I wouldn't have gotten nearly strong enough to fight Weiss and Pyrrha, if I hadn't been training under him."

"I guess that's true," said Tawny. "So what about those two? What happened to them?"

Everyone exchanged glances. The details of Weiss and Pyrrha's punishment hadn't been included in the general story.

"They plead guilty," said Blake. "In light of all the evidence that Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu managed to gather, and what her uncle prepared, the case against them was solid enough that the prosecution went ahead and offered a plea bargain to avoid a pointless trial."

"That's good," said Tawny, gently brushing her fingers through Ruby's hair. "From what I've seen on the news and such, that sorta thing becomes an absolute circus."

"Now that you mentioned it, I remember hearing about some kind of big deal involving Beacon students," said the innkeeper. "Granted, not all of us have direct uplinks to the CCT, so we don't follow news in Vale a whole lot, unless it's something that concerns us directly."

"It was a thing for a little while," said Yang. "But Weiss and Pyrrha pleading guilty killed the story fairly quickly. Ruby gave an interview about what happened to her, and that was mostly it."

"Weiss and Pyrrha were incarcerated in Beacon's detention center," said Jaune. "Last I heard, Weiss was still there. But Pyrrha was deported back to Mistral to serve her sentence. Weiss should be going back to Atlas any day now too."

"Actually, it's kinda strange that she's still there," added Nora.

"I agree," said Ren, rubbing his chin. "It took a little while to arrange for a transport to take Pyrrha back to Mistral. But they should have been arranging transport for Weiss at the same time."

"Aw, who cares?" said Yang carelessly, leaning back in her seat. "We don't have to worry about that anymore. Weiss is the justice system's problem now."

"True enough," agreed Jaune.

Tawny opened her mouth to ask about something or other, but cut herself off when she felt Ruby shift against her. Looking down, Tawny saw Ruby covering her mouth in the midst of a huge yawn. "Whoops!" she said, looking to the common room's clock. "We've kept you all up quite a while, on top of all the time you've spent flying here too, no less. We should get you settled for the week. We'll have plenty of time to talk tomorrow, or over the rest of the week."

"I like the sound of that," said Nora, patting her bulging stomach. On Ruby's recommendation, she'd tried the spaghetti with the meat-and-tomato sauce. Nora loved the dish so much that she'd gotten a second helping, then a third. Now her indulgence had her blinking sleepily.

"So, how many rooms will you kids be needing?" asked the innkeeper. "We've got enough that we should be able to accommodate you if you all want your own rooms."

"I think five should be sufficient," said Ayumu cheerfully.

"Five?" Jaune blinked in confusion, wondering where Ayumu had gotten that number from.

"Well, you and Ms. Yang will be wanting your own room, of course," said Ayumu, making Jaune blush. "Then, Ren and Ms. Nora will also be wanting a room of their own."

"You're darn right we will!" cheered Nora as Ren sighed, though he smiled slightly as he glanced sidelong at her.

"And then, Ruby and Gin will want a room of their own as well," finished Ayumu. "I am sure that Ms. Blake would appreciate some peace and quiet, and I'm fine with having my own room."

"Wait!" said Tawny, sitting a bit more upright and looking at Ruby, who'd started to blush again. "You and Gin are sleeping together...already?"

"Um...yeah," said Ruby nervously. "Literally...not metaphorically."

Tawny's eyes went to Yang, who smiled back. "Yeah," she said. "They've been sharing a bed the whole time they've been at Beacon. There's no need to worry."

"We can trust them not to go too far," added Blake with a smile.

"Well, if you say so," said Tawny, giving Gin and Ruby a cautious look.

* * *

It took a few minutes to get the students and their luggage settled into their rooms. Tawny was still a bit leery of the idea of Ruby sharing a room and a bed with her boyfriend, but everyone who knew them reassured her that they wouldn't cross any lines during the night, which Tawny did find an impressive degree of faith in the restraint of the two youngest members of their party.

For the students, it was probably the most restful night they'd had in a while. The tense atmosphere had completely abated, once Brandywine's residents had realized they were friends of the trio that had saved the village from corrupt Huntsmen. Out here, they were far away from the tense atmosphere that had dogged them at Beacon. There were no eyes glaring at Gin or Ruby when neither of them was looking, no rumors connecting Gin with the Grimm Dragon. All things considered, it promised to be a restful week for them.

* * *

Yang should have known better than to think that as she braced her legs and crossed her arms, intercepting a slashing attack from Gin. The metal of her gauntlets screeched as his claws swept across them, not doing any damage to her Aura or her body, but throwing her off her feet, despite her effort to brace, and sending her drifting backwards.

Rather than try to fight it or force herself to a stop, which would waste precious time and energy, when Gin was already closing in again, she instead cut loose with a fiery barrage of shots from her gauntlets, using their recoil to carry herself farther as well as try to trip up her opponent. Gin either ducked them or smacked them aside with seeming ease, closing the distance, despite Yang's best efforts to keep them apart.

 _Fine then..._ If she couldn't gain distance, then her only option was meeting Gin head on. However, she knew that, if she tried to attack, he'd use his mist technique to confuse her and slip into her blind spot. The moment he saw her begin to attack, he was probably already dodging.

 _So, if I know that, then why am I still trying to attack as though he's right in front of me?_ she wondered. Skidding to a stop, Yang fired Ember Celica behind her to launch herself at Gin. As she charged, she focused on him, trying to figure out which way he would go. He could either move to the right or left. Was there any way to tell which way he was going to go?

Closing in, Yang saw Gin's left shoulder drop as his right foot hit the ground. He was shifting his weight to the left. _I've got him!_ Surging forward, Yang punched to Gin's left, trying to aim for where he would be going, rather than where she thought he was. Her hair flashed yellow, and a glowing, gold light enveloped her fist.

Sure enough, her fist threw up a spray of mist as she punched through what seemed to be empty air, Gin's form rippling and warping. Her punch met a hard surface, then skidded upwards, Ember Celica discharging into empty space. Even as he'd shifted left, Gin had also dropped down, lowering his stance and deflecting Yang's punch above his head. Now he stepped in, swinging his other arm down low, and then up, his claws slashing up her stomach and chest. Yang screamed in pain, her Aura negating the actual damage, but still allowing the sensation of the impact and cutting power behind those claws to reach her nerves. The force of the blow blew her off her feet as though she'd been hit by a powerful uppercut.

Yang landed on her back, the air exploding from her lungs as her limbs went numb. "Ooooowwww..."

The villagers that had turned up to watch the pair of them spar outside the walls laughed, cheered, or offered consolation to Yang as she groaned, trying to get her wind back. Their audience were generally lined up on the top of the wall, well out of the line of fire. While the two of them could generally be counted on to restrain and control themselves so that the audience wouldn't get involved, without anything resembling an actual arena's safety barrier, it was better to keep the audience up and away from the fight.

"You're getting better," said Gin, his claws retracting and scales vanishing beneath the skin of his forearms. "You actually read me there at the end."

"But it didn't do any good," grumbled Yang.

"You were so focused on reading my actions that you forgot that it goes both ways," said Gin, offering her a hand up, which Yang accepted, allowing him to pull her to her feet. "Right before your attack, I saw your gaze slip to my left as I was shifting my weight. You shifted your own weight to change your angle of the attack, so I knew that you were aware which way I was dodging, so I ducked. The other thing you need to remember that, even without throwing in all those fancy leaps or recoil-launches, a battle still takes place in three dimensions."

"Okay..." said Yang with a frown.

"You're getting better at using your Semblance," said Gin. "If I hadn't read you, that would have knocked me out of my rhythm, even if I'd blocked you."

"Well, during that big fight at the wall, I realized you were right," said Yang, looking at her fist. "It was a huge help when Jaune was about to be killed by that Deathstalker. I was able to punch right through its armor."

"So you've come up with a finisher of sorts," noted Gin.

"Of sorts...?" Yang raised her eyebrow. "It was a lot more than 'of sorts.'"

"Well, there's no question it's powerful," said Gin. "But I'm willing to bet that it can be more powerful still."

"What's the big deal?" asked Yang.

"Well, if you can improve how you use it further, you can do more with less power," said Gin. "Given the nature of your Semblance, any method that enables you to output more while taking less damage to charge it up will be a significant improvement."

"And how do I improve it?" Yang wanted to know, folding her arms as she gave Gin a look that was almost a glare. _Is he never satisfied?_

"Well, your Semblance aside, how was your punch?" His scales emerged on his left arm as he held up his left hand, palm facing out. "Go ahead and show me how you did it."

Frowning, Yang took her stance, letting her memories go back to that day and that battle. She went into a run, charging straight at Gin, lashing out with a straightforward punch, right as she was in range. Her fist hit his palm and Ember Celica thundered. Gin's hand was pushed back by the bolt, before he suddenly pulled down and outwards, flicking the shot down and out to the side of him, where it exploded harmlessly against the ground.

"Not bad," he said. "With your Semblance behind it, I can see that punching through a Deathstalker...but you can do better."

"How?" asked Yang.

"You know the basics of putting your weight behind a punch," said Gin. "But, with the right practice, you can put _more_ than just your weight behind it."

"How?" asked Yang.

Gin's scales sank into his skin once more, and he held up his hand again, this time extending only his index finger, curling it in most of the way. "Pull my finger," he said.

Hearing Gin, of all people, say that line, with a completely straight face no less, made Yang double over and break down laughing, while Gin stared out her, uncomprehending.

"You have no idea what people are doing when they ask someone to do that, do you?" she asked once she recovered.

"Um...I'm just asking you to pull my finger," said Gin, triggering another snort from her. "Try and pull it out straight."

Seeing that he had no intention of pranking her, or was even aware that asking someone to do that was generally a prank in the first place, Yang decided to humor him. Closing her own fingers around Gin's, she pulled carefully, not wanting to accidentally break it by bending it too far in the wrong direction. However, to her utter shock, his finger wouldn't budge.

Deciding to put more effort into it, Yang grabbed Gin's wrist with her free hand and used that to hold his hand still, so that she could focus more of her strength on his finger. Growling, she pulled at it, finally managing to unbend it. In all honesty, it didn't take a tremendous amount of her strength, but far more than she'd ever thought would be necessary for such a simple task. More importantly, Gin's finger continued to resist her efforts, all the way out to the outermost knuckle. The strength needed to straightened it decreased with each segment she straightened, but that didn't change that she was putting an inordinate amount of her strength into the task.

Finishing, she let go and stepped away. "Okay, so you've got really strong fingers. What does that have to do with what you're telling me?"

Gin flexed his fingers before lowering his hand. "Well, if you think about it, the more you concentrate your power into a smaller area, the more damage it can do," he said. "So why don't you punch people with the tip of your finger."

"Um...because that would break it," said Yang.

"That's right," said Gin. "A fist is meant to concentrate the force of your attack more than you could manage with an openhanded strike, but it also serves the purpose of protecting your fingers from the force of impact. That being the case, what do you think about my primary means of attacking?"

Yang blinked, her eyes widening as she thought about Gin's slashes, which contained so much power. Yet he was striking with his claws, which were essentially extensions of his fingertips. When she thought about it, she could easily see such a movement breaking one's fingers if he wasn't careful.

"My scales protect my limbs from powerful impacts or edged strikes," said Gin. "But, as long as my joints still bend, that's a vulnerability that can be exploited. My scales can't do anything about that. Because of that and how I generally attack, I've had to continuously work to strengthen my fingers, all the way to the tips, to keep them from being bent too far back by the force of my blows, which could break them if I didn't."

"I see," said Yang, still wondering what this had to do with how she used her Semblance.

"However, that muscle-strength serves another purpose," said Gin. "You probably can't tell, even if you're on the receiving end, but, when I slash my targets, I'm not merely swinging my claws in." He sank into a stance and began to go through the motion of one of his attacks, moving very slowly and deliberately. "On the ground, I start by bracing my stance against the earth, that allows me to channel the strength of my lower body up and into my torso, where I begin to rotate, adding centrifugal force. From there, I also bring it up and out through my shoulder, which I also bring around, augmenting that centrifugal force further through the application of what you probably know as the shoulder-whirl."

Yang nodded. It was a basic technique for fist-fighters like her, meant to give power to hooking punches.

"From there, I add additional force by contracting the muscles of my upper and lower arms, bending at the elbow at the peak of my swing to direct all that power down and into my hand," said Gin, bringing his hand around in demonstration. "Finally, at the moment of impact, I curl my fingers inward along the line of my swing to add even more power."

Yang's mouth opened slightly. She'd never thought that Gin's slashes had such complex mechanics behind them.

"My point is that, from beginning to end, when I'm in the right position, I use _all_ the muscles in my body to generate power, from my legs to my torso, even down to the tips of my fingers," said Gin. "Even if their individual contributions to the effective power of my attack are minor, combined together with everything else, it amounts to a tremendous increase. Even the smallest, weakest muscles can contribute in some way. That's another way to think smaller."

"But I thought the advantage of my Semblance was that I could use it to make a regular punch more powerful," said Yang with a frown.

"And, for counterpunching or disruptive attacks meant to break through an enemy's defense or throw off their rhythm, that's fine," said Gin. "But a finisher should allow you to use your Semblance's power to its maximum effectiveness."

"And how do I do that?" asked Yang.

"This way," said Gin, leading her away from the wall to where the forest began. "I checked to make sure that it was okay with the village before we did this. They won't object if we break a few trees."

"A few trees?" Yang blinked in confusion.

"When Master Yu first trained me, he had me start like this," said Gin. His scales and claws emerged on his right hand. He took a stance and then pressed his hand against the tree trunk, sinking his claws into the bark. "Start like this...and then..."

Yang saw Gin's muscles tighten and contract. In fact, she could practically hear them creaking. His claws sank deeper into the wood, then, in a single, sharp movement, with a shout, Gin ripped his claws through the tree, tearing out a massive chunk of it in one go, the force behind his movement seeming to shred much of the wood into sawdust as he pulled his arm around, as though finishing one of his usual slashing attacks. Breathing out slowly, he straightened up and stood to the side as the tree fell with a crash.

"Uh...wow," said Yang, gazing at the tree with wide eyes.

"Without being able to utilize the momentum behind your swing, this forces you to rely on muscle-power alone," said Gin, "and support from your stance, of course. Then, once you've managed to gain control of all your muscle power, you add the swing and, depending on the situation, momentum from your own movement, from a charge say, and then the result..."

Picking another tree, Gin rushed straight for it. As he came into range, he stepped down hard, slamming his foot down with enough force to shatter the earth beneath it as his body rotated around, channeling that force out his shoulder and down his arm as he brought his clawed fingers around. The resulting slash carved effortlessly through the tree trunk, ripping through it so completely that the upper portion of it seemed to hang in the air for a second, before it began to fall, Gin jumping away so that it didn't crush him as it dropped.

"Y-you want me to do that?" asked Yang.

"Well, obviously not with your fingers," said Gin. "In your case, brace your fist against the tree trunk, as though you were already punching it. From there, using nothing but the full strength of your body and your stance...punch _through_ it. Your muscles should have the requisite strength for it. You just need to learn to use them all together." He paused, blinking for a second. "It probably goes without saying, but you can't use your gauntlets for this. That would be cheating."

"Right," said Yang, retracting Ember Celica into its compact form, a pair of bracelets around her wrists.

"For me, slashes generate more power, because it allows me to concentrate all that force into the tips and edges of my claws," said Gin. "For you, a straight punch will better allow you to shift more power behind your blow than a hook."

"All right," said Yang. She went to stand before an intact tree. Taking her stance, she stepped forward and rested her fist against the wood, as though she was mid-punch.

"Now, try and punch through it from that position," said Gin, nodding at her stance. "What works for me doesn't directly translate into what will work for you. The only advice I can give you at this point is that it's not doing everything at the same time, but in sequence. Think of it as a wave passing through your body, going up from the soles of your feet, up your legs, out through your shoulder, then down and out through your arm and fist."

"All right then," said Yang, frowning and narrowing her eyes, staring resolutely at the bark of the tree. "Here goes..."

Her legs shifted, pushing her body towards the tree as she flexed the muscles in her stomach, then shifted her shoulder forward while trying to straighten her arm to punch through the tree. The bark cracked beneath her knuckles, and they sank in a little less than an inch before she was stopped.

"Not bad for your first try," said Gin. "It took me over a week of training just to manage that much when I was learning." _It looks like Ruby isn't the only one in her family with an impressive amount of talent._

"What did I do wrong?" asked Yang. "I was trying to put it all into the punch the way you said I should."

"You didn't do anything wrong, per-say," said Gin. "Right now, you're still breaking down your body's movement into separate steps, executing them in sequence. That's not wrong, it's the starting point. You need to grow accustomed to moving every part of your body in sequence, until you can do it all in a single, smooth motion, transitioning up your body and out through your fist. Just keep going. Don't focus on the objective itself so much as the movements of your own body. Perfect your form, and the power will come."

"My form...right..." said Yang, bracing her feet and fist once more. This was a completely different kind of training from what she was used to, from how her father had taught her. True, he'd taught her how to punch and kick, and how to do each punch right, making her repeat them endlessly, until she could pull them off without thinking. But she'd never been taught to concentrate so minutely on the movement on her body, to turn her attention so completely inwards.

"Even if the area is pretty much clear, there might still be Grimm lurking around," said Gin, settling to lean back against another tree. "I'll keep an eye out. I want you to focus your attention completely inwards. Don't worry about anything going on around you. Keep at it until you're about ready to collapse."

"All right," said Yang, narrowing her eyes and trying to close out all distractions as she concentrated solely on how her body moved, trying to channel all her strength into her fist again.

* * *

Blake grunted as she bounced off the ground, a stinging sensation running along her flesh where Ruby's slash had landed, right across her midsection. "Ow," she said with a grimace, sitting up, rubbing absently at the red line that appeared across her stomach, before fading swiftly. "How do you keep seeing through my shadows?" she asked.

"Well, I'm not really 'seeing' through them," said Ruby, blinking her eyes furiously, almost as though trying to shake herself out of a trance. "It's hard to describe, but when you use your Semblance, you suddenly get really stiff, like you're a statue or something, then that stiff part of you stays put, while you shoot out in another direction."

Blake frowned. That was a somewhat adequate means of describing how her Semblance worked. Simply saying it cloned her body was insufficient. The other aspect of her Semblance was that it displaced her real body when her shadow appeared. With training, she had learned to use it to displace her body in the direction of her choosing, giving her a sudden burst of acceleration. It wasn't as powerful as Ruby's Semblance, but it allowed her to change directions almost instantly, and could even be used as a means of altering her course in midair.

But, as a deceptive measure, it appeared that her Semblance, in its current form, couldn't stand up to someone who wasn't trying to use her eyes to track Blake's movement. Every time Blake had tried to use her Semblance to escape Ruby's attacks, Ruby instantly read her movement, and was able to completely ignore the shadow, striking for Blake directly.

Blake was amazed at how much Ruby had improved as a fighter. Even the whirling, often erratic, and difficult to track motions of Gambol Shroud, in its chain-sickle form, weren't able to confuse her. Ruby had grown adept at dodging between the arcs of the weapon's swings, and even evading when Blake tried to use the pistol recoil, along with her ribbon's length to attack from almost directly behind her. Whenever they had sparred before Ruby's seeming death and disappearance, she'd used her speed as the main means of gaining an edge during their matches, often risking diving straight through the radius of Blake's sickle-swings to strike at her, a method that had won her victory and defeat in equal measure.

But now, Ruby was remarkably evasive, able to read and dodge nearly every swing of Blake's weapon. Blake actually landing a hit was a rare occasion. What was more, her own defensive methods, which relied primarily on her Semblance, were all but useless against Ruby, where they'd manage to utterly confuse her before.

"So...what should I do?" asked Blake. "I can't change my Semblance, but there must be some way of using it that would work better."

"Um...well...that's hard," said Ruby, frowning and pinching her chin in a look that Blake thought (but wouldn't voice out loud) looked utterly adorable, as Ruby's face scrunched up in deep thought. "I haven't been doing this kind of stuff as long as Gin and Ayumu have. But...the one thing they, and Master Yu, always say, when it comes to things like this, is that you need to think smaller."

"Think smaller..." said Blake thoughtfully. She'd heard Ruby use that to describe various improvements to her technique whenever they'd compared notes after a sparring session. When it came to Ruby's Semblance, that often translated in using it solely to accelerate her weapon at the peak of its swing for a burst of extra power that, previously, she'd required the recoil of the rifle built into Crescent Rose to manage. By focusing her Semblance through her weapon and accelerating just that, Ruby was able to do much the same with Shining Rose, but not needing an actual gun built in to do so. She'd also learned to use her Semblance in conjunction with individual steps to suddenly accelerate, without needing to use the amount of Aura needed to accelerate her entire body at once, able to dodge or throw off her opponent's timing to gain a sudden advantage, even if it wouldn't accelerate her as much as using it at full strength on her whole body did. What was more, it allowed her much more control over distance and direction, enabling her to move more freely while using it.

Because they were much harder to anticipate and read, those smaller changes in Ruby's speed and direction threw Blake off far more than Ruby using her Semblance to accelerate her entire body. It helped that Ruby had grown adept at timing them perfectly, knowing _when_ being able to suddenly accelerate off a single step would allow her to close that last bit of distance between her and Blake, leaving the latter unable to adapt to the sudden change, before Ruby's next attack landed.

"Hmm..." Ruby frowned, her gaze suddenly concentrating on Blake's weapon, which she'd sheathed. "What if you used it through Gambol Shroud?" she suggested suddenly. "You know, make a shadow of your weapon, instead of your whole body."

"That isn't possible...is it?" asked Blake frowning.

"Sure, why not?" said Ruby. "I mean, when you use your shadow for your whole body, it has your weapon and your clothes. If it couldn't, your shadow would be naked and unarmed, wouldn't it?"

Blake's cheeks colored at the thought of her producing a naked shadow, but her embarrassment quickly waned as Ruby continued elaborate, Blake becoming enraptured by what the girl suggested next.

"Master Yu says that, most of the time, a person's Semblance will affect what their Aura affects." Stooping down, Ruby picked a fallen leaf off the forest floor and pinched it in her fingers. Suddenly, she flicked it out with her fingers, the leaf shooting through the air like a bullet, leaving a thin line of rose petals in its wake. "So...I can use it to speed up just my weapon, when I swing it, or even the shots I fire from it. The only exceptions are Semblances that can only affect certain things, like Pyrrha's. Her polarity would only work on something that's made of metal." By this point, talking about Pyrrha didn't even make Ruby's face change.

"So...I could use it on just my weapon," said Blake.

"I think so," said Ruby with a grin. "Wanna try it?"

"I think I'd like to," said Blake with a smile as she examined her blade.

* * *

 **So a nice little breather bit, now. Not a lot to say about this chapter.**


	66. Chapter 66

**Chapter 66:**

"There you are," said Ayumu as he slipped through the foliage surrounding the small clearing that Blake and Ruby had been practicing in.

"Oh," said Ruby, perking up from where she was standing, watching over Blake, who had slumped to the ground, panting for breath.

"Is she all right?" asked Ayumu, hefting his left arm, which had a pair of towels draped over it. Pulling one off, he tossed it to Ruby, then walked over to Blake and draped the other one over her shoulders.

"I'm...fine," said Blake between breaths.

"She's been trying new stuff with her Semblance for the past couple hours," said Ruby. "I think she burned up all her Aura."

"I see," said Ayumu, reaching down and taking Blake's hand to help her to her feet, Ruby coming over to brace Blake by slipping under her other arm so that she didn't just collapse again. "We should probably teach them all how to recharge."

"Recharge?" Blake looked between Ayumu and Ruby, wondering what they were talking about.

"Well, Master Yu taught us how to basically recharge our Auras," said Ruby. "From there, you can use it to boost your body so that it's not as tired. When you do that, you can train longer and harder."

Blake blinked, completely flummoxed by the idea. For as long as she'd been trained to fight, whether as a White Fang agent or as a Huntress, the idea that one's Aura was finite; able to be trained and increased like muscles, but still finite; was so completely pervasive that no one questioned it. "You can do that?"

"Why not?" asked Ruby. "I mean, it recharges naturally over time, right? Where does Aura even come from? It's the power of your soul, so it's not like it burns calories when you make more of it."

"That's..." Blake's mouth suddenly hung slack at the idea. When Ruby put it like that, it was a question that was almost earth-shattering in its importance. If Aura was the power of one's soul made manifest, then it wasn't the same as physical energy or stamina. It had to come from somewhere, but...

"How can you ever 'run out of' soul?" Ayumu posed as they walked, tracing Blake's line of thought without her even needing to say anything. "What's more, if Aura can heal injuries, then it is essentially replacing lost cells, mending torn muscles, and so on; but if you treat fatigue as another kind of injury, it can also be used to 'treat' that as well. By drawing forth more of your soul, you can replenish your physical strength without needing to rest as long."

"When we were fighting off the Grimm, after I killed the Dragon, we were all taking turns recharging," said Ruby. "When we did that, we could keep fighting, even though we'd gone all out against the Dragon and were too tired to stand at times." Ruby lost herself in a thoughtful silence. "It actually had me thinking about a few things, things I've been wondering, that I want to try."

"Like what?" asked Blake.

"Like, what if you could recharge while you're still fighting?" said Ruby. "I mean, we had to stop and concentrate to draw out more Aura, but...it gets easier with practice. So...maybe we could learn to do it without having to stop and concentrate."

"I thought of something else as well," added Ayumu. "When we reached that part of the battle, we were hungry, because we hadn't eaten since breakfast. But that almost seemed to make it easier to recharge. It almost felt as though I was filling my stomach with Aura."

"That's right!" agreed Ruby, nodding vigorously. "And, when we did, I still felt hungry, but it didn't bother me. Now I'm wondering..."

"Could a person sustain themselves with their Aura alone?" posed Ayumu, making Ruby nod in agreement. "Is it possible that a person could forgo dependence on food and water...maybe even air itself...so long as they can draw on their Aura?"

"That's...that's insane!" said Blake, unable to even credit the idea. Aura was capable of some fantastic things for sure, but there had to be a limit. Except... _Ruby and Ayumu can use it to create physical, material objects. That's creating matter from nothing...but soul...It practically flies in the face of thermodynamic principles, doesn't it?_ Granted, Blake wasn't a physicist, so perhaps there was some manner of loophole that could explain such an unusual phenomenon.

"It certainly seems so," said Ayumu, frowning and scratching his chin. "But...it makes me think about a few things that I hadn't noticed before."

"What?" asked Ruby.

"Well, we've seen Master Yu eat and drink," said Ayumu. "But he only ever seems to do so purely for pleasure, not because he's in need of actual sustenance. Whenever we were preparing meals out in the wilderness, he never ate any of it himself. I've never seen him drink water whenever we did. I'd never thought of it before, or I just thought he was doing it somewhere else, where we couldn't see. Except..."

"Why would he bother doing that?" posed Ruby. "I mean, I can understand him wanting to look powerful and invincible to his students, but not eating or drinking in front of us..."

"Couldn't he be deceiving you?" asked Blake. "You said he does that sometimes."

"Well, he does occasionally lie through omission," said Ayumu. "Or rather, he leaves out critical information when he tells us something because he wants us to find it on our own...so maybe that doesn't actually count as lying."

"I don't think so," said Ruby. "Teachers do that, don't they?"

Ayumu nodded. "And, if he was deliberately allowing us to see that he doesn't seem to eat or drink unless he wants to, not because he needs to, then it was steer us towards a particular conclusion."

"This is nuts..." said Blake.

"But it makes sense," said Ruby. "Master Yu said that what we did during the end of the fight, when we were taking turns recharging and fighting off all those Grimm, was where we learned more than our whole fight with the Dragon, where we were getting close to mastery."

"He said we were asking the right questions," said Ayumu, "the questions we've just been talking about. He said that the answers to those questions would lead us to mastery."

"But this..." Blake didn't even know where to begin. It reminded her of legends, stories she'd read in her younger years in Menagerie and Mistral, tales of sages meditating on mountaintops until they "achieved enlightenment" or "became one with the universe" and other such esoteric nonsense. But Ayumu and Ruby were talking about this seriously, as though it were something that was actually feasible. It was absolutely ridiculous...utterly impossible...or was it?

The more Blake thought about it, the less absurd it seemed. Ruby and Ayumu's line of logic actually made it seem more feasible. On top of that, what they were already capable of seemed completely beyond the normally-accepted beliefs of what Aura was capable of. But it still seemed beyond the pale that it was capable of what they were suggesting. _There has to be some kind of limit,_ she thought. But then something else occurred to her. _Maybe those limits exist because we believe in them._

After all, it hadn't been so long ago that she'd never believed a person could pull a weapon out of thin air. Yet Ruby and Ayumu could do that with ease. Perhaps Ruby had _stopped_ believing in the limits of what she thought was possible. Maybe that was one of the reasons she'd shot ahead by leaps and bounds.

"Well, it's something to worry about another time," said Ayumu. "Even if we are on the correct path, it's not something we'll be able to accomplish in just a few days."

"Yeah," said Ruby with a sigh. "Since we have the time, we should just work on getting ready for the Vytal Festival."

Blake remained unsure of what to think. Her thoughts remained confused as they emerged from the forest and into the cleared ground leading up to the gate. Gin and Yang were there already, along with Jaune, who was carrying Yang on his back.

"You all right, sis?" asked Ruby, looking worriedly at Yang.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Yang tiredly, her chin resting on Jaune's shoulder. "Your boyfriend is a slavedriver."

Ruby giggled. "He isn't when he's working with me."

"I'm trying," grumbled Gin, blushing and looking away.

"Favoritism," muttered Yang.

"I won't deny it," said Gin plainly.

Ruby and Jaune laughed. It seemed that Gin and Yang got along just fine, a huge improvement from the rocky beginning to their relationship.

They made their way back through the gate, which creaked loudly as it swung closed behind them. They made their way up the streets, exchanging polite greetings with the residents as they walked. It made Ruby smile, considering how different the atmosphere was from the first time she had come to Brandywine. There was no tension hanging in the air, no worried glances, no people cringing and falling back as they passed. She was glad that Brandywine was doing so well.

"So...what was your team doing, Jaune?" asked Ruby as they walked along.

"Well, the teacher of the local schoolhouse figured this would be a good chance for the students to meet Huntsmen and Huntresses," said Jaune. "So we went over to help out, seeing as they didn't have very good experiences with the last team that came through here."

"Uh huh," said Ruby. In her mind's eye, she envisioned Team JNAR interacting with a class full of rowdy children. Jaune was always talking about his seven sisters and Ren was always looking after Nora, while Nora was practically an oversized child herself. Then there was Ayumu with his serene nature and friendly smile. She could easily imagine them getting along with the children and showing them that Huntsmen and Huntresses weren't supposed to be oppressive jerks who threatened the people they were supposed to protect.

"We basically helped them out through the day," continued Jaune with a smile. "The kids loved it. They were all over Ren and Nora."

Ruby giggled, imagining Nora playing with the kids as though she was one of them while Ren supervised. "It must have been fun."

"Yeah," said Jaune fondly, the interaction with the children bringing up memories of playing with his younger sisters.

Approaching the inn, they were happy to see that Tawny was waiting for them. "Welcome back," she said cheerfully. "It looked like you were working hard when I checked up on you earlier. We've got dinner ready for everyone."

"Thank you!" shouted Ruby as she waved cheerfully at the waitress. She couldn't believe how happy she felt. Right now, there was no place she would rather be.

* * *

"So...you've finally deigned to talk to me," said Cinder, lifting the cup of tea to her lips and sipping slowly, drawing the move out, emphasizing the movement of her lips as she pulled the liquid into her mouth. Like many of her actions, it was meant to call attention to her feminine charms, to draw the eyes of people to her, and hold their attention with nothing more than her striking beauty. In many ways, her appearance was the weapon she opened with, the perfect means to get people, particularly men, off-guard, so that she could gain and advantage without even having to resort to threats.

Unfortunately, such skills were wasted on the man in front of her. He did not touch the cup in front of him, remaining in his seat with his arms folded, staring across the table at her. His mouth was set in a stoic line, lips curled in the slightest of frowns. Even with the imitation- Grimm mask covering his eyes, Cinder knew he was glaring at her with an expression loaded with hatred and loathing. To this man, she wasn't a beautiful woman. To this man, she was a disgusting creature, a hideous pest, like a cockroach. This man hated humans with a passion that was utterly fanatical. The horns that curled back over the short, slightly shaggy red hair atop his head indicated why.

Adam Taurus was the leader of the Vale faction of the White Fang, probably the most extreme faction currently in operation. In the underworld, they weren't called the Vale Faction, but the Taurus Faction, because it was his extreme hatred and unyielding drive that drove them to take actions that the White Fang cells in other Kingdoms would have considered excessive.

He was passionate and charismatic, possessing a personality that could sway the faunus who joined him, and incite them to violence and brutality that they would have balked at otherwise. It was those qualities that made him extremely useful to Cinder and her mistress. However, the flip side of that was that he was also proud and willful and, above all else, despised the idea of having to work with a lowly human and work towards her ends. Only his wary regard for the power she'd demonstrated kept him in line and, if she pushed him far enough, even _that_ would only go so far.

Worse still, their relationship, already considerably bitter to begin with, had soured further with the failure of the Mountain Glenn operation.

"Against my better judgment, yes," said Adam, his body tensing. "At the very least, I need a good reason not to strike your head from your shoulders."

"Because you can't," said Cinder calmly. "Because, if you were foolish enough try, you would only end up as ash, with nothing to show for it. That's why you aren't going to kill me Adam Taurus."

"It might be well worth it to try," growled Adam, shifting his body, revealing the handle of his sword, Wilt, sheathed in the second part of his weapon, Blush. The sheath doubled as a rifle, which Adam could fire to accelerate the draw of his sword, making his Iai-based style of combat all the more formidable. However...

"But you won't," said Cinder firmly, her smile fading just the slightest bit to indicate that she was serious, that she wasn't simply taunting him.

"And why should we trust you?" growled Adam. "What reason do we have to keep working with you. Your little plan was a waste of my soldiers, money, and Dust-"

"Are you forgetting where that money, Dust, and all those lovely weapons came from?" asked Cinder, setting her cup down. "You have strength, Taurus, but your little faction was floundering and fragmenting before I came along. If I recall correctly, one of your closest associates abandoned you the day after we talked the first time."

"You had best watch your words," growled Adam.

"Fine then," said Cinder with an indifferent shrug of your shoulders. "So I imagine you have no idea where your little kitten has gone."

"She's in Vale...somewhere," said Adam. "Once we storm the Kingdom, I'll just tear down everything until I find her."

Cinder giggled. "As entertaining as that would be to watch, I believe I can save you some work," she said. "Your precious Blake Belladonna is currently attending Beacon Academy, as a first-year student."

"What?" gasped Adam, flinching back sharply. "It can't be! She'd never join that bastion of human oppression!"

"Then it must be my eyes playing tricks on me," said Cinder, pulling out her scroll and bringing up Blake's profile, which included a picture of her. "I've certainly seen this face a few times in the hallways. Maybe I was mistaken."

While Adam looked at the profile, Cinder could see his brow furrowing, a sure indicator that his eyes were widening beneath his mask. "How could she...?" he growled.

"Well now," said Cinder, calmly picking her scroll back up, "how's that for an incentive for continued cooperation, hmmm? Moving forward, you'll get the perfect opportunity to see your precious Blake again, even take her back if you wish. As you can see, I'm not just about the stick, but the carrot as well."

Adam said nothing, but Cinder knew that he was biting. Now for the final trick that would make her lure irresistible to him. "And...speaking of carrots, there's been one other interesting addition to Beacon's student body as well." Flicking her thumb, Cinder scrolled through the profiles of the different students before bringing up the face of a white-haired faunus-boy with amber, slit-pupilled eyes.

"Who is this?" asked Adam, looking uncomprehendingly at the picture.

"His name is Gin Ueno and..." Cinder paused for dramatic effect, licking sensually at her lips. "...he's a dragon-faunus."

"What?" gasped Adam, lurching forward to stare more closely at the picture. "You're sure?"

"Quite," said Cinder. "The dear boy isn't even shy about showing it. He's caused quite the stir amongst the other faunus present at the Academy. He's also one of the people responsible for the debacle in Mountain Glenn."

"A dragon-faunus..." said Adam, his voice an almost reverent whisper as he stared at the boy's profile. "I'd thought that I'd never get the chance to acquire one in my lifetime. Surely this is a sign of divine providence."

"You seem confident that you can acquire him," said Cinder. "He actually appears to be quite well-adjusted, by any standard."

"It doesn't matter," said Adam. "Within a dragon-faunus slumbers a beast that hungers for blood and death. With the proper treatment, I can drag that out of him, turn him into the ultimate weapon for our cause."

"Yes...well...if you want him, as well as Ms. Belladonna, your cooperation with our plan will be critical," said Cinder. "Right now, they are both within Beacon, a rather difficult place for you to infiltrate. However, if you continue to cooperate with us, we will burn that Academy, and the Kingdom that it shields, to the ground. Your prey will have nowhere to go but into your fold."

Finally, Adam's gaze drifted upwards, his eyes meeting Cinder's. "Fine," he said. "We will continue to collaborate. But you had best keep to your end of the bargain."

"That will be no trouble at all, Adam," said Cinder with a smoldering smile. "It's a pleasure to be working with you once again."

* * *

Ayumu's blade rang as it glanced off the sloped surface of Jaune's shield. Shifting his arm, Jaune turned the slash aside and stepped forward past his shield, leading with a slash of his own blade, his attack coming so smoothly out that Ayumu had no opportunity to take advantage of the sudden shifting of Jaune's defense.

Ayumu danced back away from Jaune's swing, his movements a bit more hurried and awkward than they should have been. It wasn't that Jaune's swing was so fast it had taken him off-guard. Rather, the angle of deflection, combined with the angle of attack had made it difficult for Ayumu to avoid a hit by moving in any other directing but straight back, out of Jaune's range.

Moving his shield back into position, Jaune bulled forward, using his shield like a wall, trying to force Ayumu back farther. However, Ayumu jumped upwards, drifting over Jaune's head, turning his body to strike with his sword as he did so. Jaune reacted instantly, raising his shield over his head to deflect the strike with another ring of impact. Then, to Jaune's surprise, Ayumu spun his body so that he could hook his foot under the edge of Jaune's shield, pulling sharply with his leg. The movement wasn't enough to dislodge Jaune's defense, but it brought Ayumu around and down faster than mere gravity would, without Ayumu needing to use his Semblance to increase his weight. As his body swung down into an upside down position, using Jaune's shield as fulcrum around which to rotate, Ayumu lashed out with his sword again, aiming for Jaune's body.

This time, Jaune met sword with sword, Green Destiny's blade clanging as it met Crocea Mors'. Jaune shifted Ayumu's attack to the side and then stepped forward into a riposting attack. Ayumu's body bent, and his foot detached from the shield, while his other leg swung out, pulling Ayumu's body into a flip that would have put a trained acrobat to shame as he essentially used his leg to pull the rest of his body through the motion.

Touching down, Ayumu rose up into his default resting position, flicking his wrist to reverse his grip on his sword so that the blade ran parallel to his arm, the flat resting against his forearm. "Very well done," said Ayumu. "You're excelling at adjusting to unusual circumstances in the midst of battle."

"Well, it's thanks to you," said Jaune with a relieved sigh, relaxing his posture, though not letting his attention wander off his opponent. A couple of times, Ayumu had abruptly attacked him from such a position, with no warning, in order to teach him not to lower his guard.

"I'm glad that I can be of assistance," said Ayumu. "It helps that you've been quite diligent in your training."

"It's all I've got," admitted Jaune with a sigh. "I've got no talent, so all I can do is keep pushing on as best I can."

"Muddling through is for the best," said Ayumu. "Truth be told, that will get you a lot further than most people with great talent will."

"What do you mean?" asked Jaune. He'd always thought that talent was important. It was the entire reason his father had given up on his training. Lacking it had been what kept him out of Combat School, what had forced him to resort to deception in order to get into Beacon.

"The more talent you have, the easier it is to learn new things," said Ayumu. "There's no disputing that. However, everyone, even the talented, even those so-called geniuses, will hit a wall sooner or later. The more talent one possesses, the longer it will be before they hit that wall. However, at the same time, it also means that they will hit that wall all the harder."

"What do you mean?" asked Jaune.

Ayumu sighed and put Green Destiny away, seeming to slide it into an invisible sheath, the handle vanishing along with the blade when he released it. Leading Jaune to a nearby bench, they settled down onto it. "I know it may be hard for you, but imagine being a talented person."

"Wow..." deadpanned Jaune, "...you really know how to hit where it hurts, huh."

Ayumu laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry," he said. "But bear with me for a moment. Imagine learning everything easily, with the minimal amount of effort. Imagine your teachers and peers praising you for your brilliance time after time."

Jaune frowned, finding himself not having to work that hard to envision what Ayumu was suggesting. While he had no talent to speak of himself, he had spent a great deal of time with one of those "geniuses" as his partner. Pyrrha Nikos seemed exactly that kind of person, someone who could do anything, often without even needing to try, showered with praise by everyone around her at her brilliance in battle.

Of course, it wasn't a perfect analogy. Jaune knew that Pyrrha had worked hard, pushing herself doggedly to reach the level she was at. Even the seeming ease with which she dominated her opponents in the ring had been due to her diligent work to refine her Semblance, and use it on a level that most people couldn't even perceive. In fact, now that he thought about it, Pyrrha's subtle use of her Semblance in battle had been an ideal example of Ayumu and Gin's advice on 'thinking smaller.' There was no question she had talent though, loads more than Jaune did. He tried to imagine himself in her shoes, winning battles with ease and being the apple of everybody's eye.

"Now..." said Ayumu, "...imagine yourself suddenly being confronted with a situation where you are suddenly presented with an obstacle you can't overcome. Perhaps it is a technique you can't seem to get the hang of, where all the ones you learned previously came with ease. Perhaps it is an opponent you can't defeat, even though you effortlessly crushed anyone who stood before you previously. Imagine that moment where you hit your limit and, suddenly, it seems your talent can't take you any further."

"Um...not really working," admitted Jaune.

"Well, it's a bit hard to envision, I suppose," said Ayumu. "The point is that, for people with a lot of talent, encountering an obstacle like that is a moment that can break them, utterly destroy their motivation, undermine their faith in their own abilities. In truth, simply applying effort and diligence would allow them to overcome that obstacle easily, more easily than a person without talent would be able to for sure. However, because they've never had to apply themselves before, a talented person hasn't learned diligence, the importance of perseverance. Moments like that can _break_ a person with talent."

"Oh..." said Jaune.

"I'm not particularly talented," said Ayumu. "Master Yu forced me to be diligent. Gin, on the other hand, is remarkably talented, a true genius. He's a dragon-faunus, possessing a natural combat instinct. Techniques and concepts relating to combat, he can grasp quite easily. Because of that, Master Yu was especially harsh with him."

"How?" asked Jaune.

"Well, to continue with the metaphor of walls, Master Yu made himself into an insurmountable wall in Gin's development," said Ayumu. "He then forced Gin to run headlong into that wall over and over again, breaking him down repeatedly. In practice, Master Yu thrashed Gin in fights. Anytime he noted Gin was gaining confidence, anytime Gin advanced a step, Master Yu would insist on a match, then defeat him decisively."

"That's...cruel," said Jaune.

"It is," admitted Ayumu. "But, by doing so, Master Yu preemptively destroyed Gin's faith in his talent, in his ability, made it so that the only thing Gin could put his faith in was unrelenting effort and the will to forge ahead, no matter what obstacles were in his path."

Jaune gulped. "Did Yu do that to Ruby too?"

"He didn't need to," said Ayumu with a laugh. "Ruby is one of those rare people that Master Yu refers to as a 'perfect prodigy,' a talented person with a natural inclination towards applying themselves. Ruby does not require training to compensate for her impressive talent because her diligence is a talent in and of itself, motivating her to press onwards, over and through obstacles that would balk most people. It was that nature that allowed her to overcome her defeat and near-death at the hands of Ms. Schnee and Ms. Nikos and forge ahead, even enduring Master Yu's training throughout the journey back to Beacon."

"Yeah, she's pretty amazing," said Jaune with a wistful sigh.

"It irked Master Yu to no end," said Ayumu with a chuckle. "He was harsh with Gin because it was, in some sense, necessary for his development. But he also derived pleasure from Gin's frustration."

"Sadistic bastard," growled Jaune.

"There's no disputing that," said Ayumu with unfaltering cheer. "I'm rather glad I didn't follow through on my offer to introduce you to him as a potential student. It never occurred to me that I would ever want to abandon my training. It was the same with Gin. We honestly thought that Yu's teaching Ruby would only last through the journey. We didn't realize he was such a...covetous...teacher."

"Yeah...that's pretty bad. I'm glad you didn't offer me up as a student either." Jaune leaned back, draping his arms over the back of the bench. "Still, thanks for all that you've done. I don't want to be dead weight, dragging you all down during the tournament."

"That won't be an issue," said Ayumu. "Even if your own combat ability is not at the level of your teammates', I have the feeling that you will be anything but dead weight during the team and doubles matches."

"You think so?" asked Jaune.

Ayumu nodded. "The team match is two four-person teams competing against each other, while the doubles match is two pairs fighting. However, a four-on-four match is _not_ four one-on-one battles. By the same logic, a doubles match is not two one-on-one battles. In team matches during Combat Class, I've noticed that many teams tend to view such a match in those terms. Each member will select an opponent from the opposing team and make defeating that opponent their primary objective for the match. Maybe, if they manage to defeat their opponent before their teammates defeat theirs, they will contribute. But, during that fight, they treat it as a one-on-one battle for the duration of their combat.

"You, on the other hand, are able to turn your lack of combat ability into an asset during team matches."

"How so?" asked Jaune, having a hard time imagining that his lack of ability to fight on the level of his teammates could be an asset.

"Where the rest of us forge ahead, you hang behind," said Ayumu. "However, that gives you a clearer and wider view of the battlefield, allows you to broaden your focus and see the battle as a whole, rather than just the single opponent you set for yourself to defeat. Furthermore, your difficulty in winning decisively on your own has given you insight into coordinating us to make up for your own deficiencies."

"You know, you're saying a lot of stuff that gives me mixed feelings," grumbled Jaune.

"My apologies," said Ayumu with a laugh. "My point is that you've already honed your mind. Master Yu is always reminding us to think smaller, but you should never allow yourself to lose sight of the bigger picture, the actual objective you aim to take. With strategy, I suppose it is best to be able to think bigger and smaller at the same time. It sounds tricky, but you are quite capable of it, better than I am, in fact."

"Wow...thanks," said Jaune, genuinely surprised and flattered by the praise.

"You're quite welcome," said Ayumu. "If we keep working, I don't foresee us having any problems during the tournament."

"Okay then," said Jaune, sinking into a crouch and brandishing his weapons once again. "Let's keep going."

Ayumu drew Green Destiny and worked it through a few idle passes, then leveled it at Jaune with another flick that sent out that eerie, ringing sound. "As you wish then."

* * *

"You didn't have to help me with this," said Tawny as she and Ruby walked along, each of them holding a large box of goods that had just been brought in by bullhead.

"It's fine," said Ruby cheerfully. "This way you don't have to make two trips."

"Where are your teammates, by the way?" asked Tawny.

"Yang and Gin are out training again," said Ruby. "Blake's on patrol, keeping an eye out for Grimm."

"And you're here, helping me," said Tawny, earning a giggle from Ruby.

"I'm just trying to do what I can," said Ruby. "This is supposed to be a sort-of-vacation for us, but I don't want to just sit around, being lazy. There's going to be another break at the end of the semester for that."

"You're going home to your family, right?" asked Tawny.

"That's right," said Ruby. "Technically, it's just Dad and Zwei, our dog. But Uncle Qrow might drop by."

"And then the Vytal Festival," said Tawny. "The mayor is getting us set up for that. He's going to get a huge projector, with a CCT uplink that they can set up in the town center so that we can all watch the tournament together. Of course...we'll all be cheering you on."

"Thanks," said Ruby, blushing at the idea. To be honest, it amazed and intimidated her to know that the tournament was being broadcast all around the world. Her performance and that of her friends and teammates would be watched by people in every Kingdom and settlement. And that wasn't even considering what she and Ayumu were planning on doing later on. Granted, she had far more important things to worry about.

 _And then there's the plan,_ thought Ruby. She wondered what would happen when the entire world saw what she and Ayumu could really do...what Aura could really do.

They dropped off the delivery at the inn. Ruby bade Tawny goodbye so that the waitress could get back to work. Then she was off to find her friends, particularly Gin and Yang.

It wasn't that hard to find them. Rather than force the guards to go through the trouble of opening the gates for one person, Ruby vaulted over the wall, earning cheerful shouts of encouragement for the display. From there, she just listened for the sound of cracking and crashing wood.

There it was! There was a crack, followed by a low groan, then a splintering crash as a tree fell over with enough force to send vibrations through her feet. Following the sound, Ruby smiled when she arrived to see Yang standing before the trunk of a felled tree, panting for breath.

"Hey, Sis," said Ruby with a grin as she came over. "Working hard?"

"Yeah," said Yang, shaking her head, sending droplets of sweat scattering around. "I'm starting to get the hang of it."

Gin sidled up next to Ruby as Yang moved on to a new tree. "That's putting it lightly," he whispered to Ruby. "She's already breaking through trees in a couple of tries. At this rate, she should clear the condition by the time we leave."

"My sister's pretty awesome," said Ruby proudly.

"That she is," said Gin. "She has almost as much talent as you do, and I didn't have to work nearly as hard to motivate her as Master Yu did for me."

Considering what Yu's idea of motivation constituted, Ruby wasn't all that surprised.

"I didn't think she was all that motivated at first," said Gin. "But now, she seems to be serious about improving."

Ruby closed her eyes, fond memories coming to the forefront of her mind.

 _"_ _I love you, Ruby."..."Even if Mom's not here, you'll always have me."..."I'll always have your back."..."I'm so proud of you!"_

"I understand," said Ruby, knowing full well the primary reason Yang was so determined.

"No worries here, then, I guess," said Gin.

"Nope," said Ruby with a giggle and a cheerful smile, "none at all."

* * *

Yu Yuen came to a stop in the midst of the forest. Since leaving Vale, he'd wandered north and east into the rugged wilderness of Sanus. He'd passed a few towns and settlements along the way. But, out here, there was virtually no sign of human civilization at all. Out here, the world belonged mainly to the Grimm...well...the Grimm and those possessing strength that even the Grimm feared.

"You've followed me quite a ways, little bird," said Yu, tilting his head slightly. "I was just strolling along, but even my students have a hard time matching that pace."

Behind him, a black raven with gleaming red eyes alighted on a nearby branch and cawed harshly. Yu turned to face it, hands resting calmly on his hips as he regarded the bird.

"Well...you're not the Crow-brat...you definitely have his blood though." Yu tilted his head again. "That's right. The kid had a sister. Would that be you?"

The bird jumped from the branch and spread its wings as it fell to earth. However, it was not a raven's feet that touched the ground, but rather human feet. The woman's legs bent, sinking into a crouch the play out the remaining momentum of her fall before she rose to stand up right.

Her appearance spoke of both beauty and danger. She had a fine figure, a figure that was only further highlighted by red dress she wore, with its short skirt showing off a generous view of her legs. Her black hair streamed behind her head in a tangled mass. Her face was covered by a white mask, not entirely dissimilar from those worn by the White Fang, yet completely covering her face, save for the holes over the eyes, from which a pair of red orbs glared out. Her left hand was closed around the handle of a weighty, mechanical sheath, from which the handle of a sword protruded.

With her right hand, the woman reached up and pulled off her mask, revealing a surprisingly youthful face. Her expression was a dark, disapproving frown.

"Ah, so it is you," said Yu. "Um...what was your name again?"

The tiniest shudder running through the woman's body was the only indicator of her irritation. "It's Raven...Raven Branwen," she said firmly.

"Oh," said Yu. "Raven...right. I can see why Ozzy picked that form for you then."

"You're telling me you don't remember?" asked Raven, her eyes narrowing angrily. "We've crossed paths before."

"You're right...I think we have...Hmm..." Yu frowned, tilting his head downwards, deep in thought. "That's right, you were with your brother at the time. I guess that's why you didn't make much of an impression."

Raven's lips curled back, baring her teeth. "You took more notice of Qrow than you did me?"

"Yep," said Yu. "I honestly can't remember why."

Now Raven growled.

"What are you so upset about?" asked Yu. "I didn't realize my regard was so important to you. Is that the reason you sought me out, Little Birdie?"

"No," said Raven. "I sought you out because of your strength."

"And what of it?" asked Yu. "It doesn't sound like you're offering me a match. I doubt you'd make an impression if you did."

"No, that's not it," said Raven, her teeth flashing once again.

"Well, what is it then?" asked Yu.

"I just wanted to know the secret of your strength," said Raven. "You've become strong enough that Mistral and Vacuo regard you as a natural disaster. Salem herself refers to you as the Calamity, a pure force of nature. You possess the power to change the world in whatever way you see fit. How is it that you came to possess that power?"

"Honest effort," said Yu. Despite the brevity of the response, Yu's tone was anything but terse or dismissive. His answer carried the full weight of his conviction.

"I refuse to believe that's it," said Raven. "You must have found something, some force. You don't seem to care about the Relics or Maidens. That's because you've found an even greater power!"

"You talk about finding power as though it's something you can just trip over, wandering around," said Yu with a snort. "But you're right about it being greater than the Maidens or the Relics. But I wasn't kidding you when I said the source of my power was honest effort. Of course, there's a little bit more to it than that."

"What is it?" asked Raven, leaning in.

Yu grinned. "You have to be willing to risk your life. You have to be willing to throw it away, then claw your way back from the edge of death, over and over again. You have to face down those stronger, wiser, and greater than you, dig down deep and strive to find the path to victory."

"That can't be it," growled Raven.

"That's all there is," said Yu, spreading his arms. "That's all that _Yu Yuen_ is. I don't need fairy tales. I found my own path to power. Of course, I didn't do it alone. Every opponent I defeated, every adversary I felled, every obstacle I overcame, they all became the sources of my strength."

Yu didn't need working eyes to detect Raven's obvious disbelief. "I should have known better than to get an honest answer from you," she growled.

Yu lowered his hands and his grin widened. "No, you didn't want an _honest_ answer. You just wanted to hear what you wanted to hear, not the truth. You're looking for a shortcut, a quick hop, skip, and a jump to strength. What for?"

"Because I have a responsibility to my family," said Raven. "I will do whatever it takes to ensure that we survive."

"Oh..." Yu raised an eyebrow. "Your family, huh? I'm guessing that you're not talking about the Crow-brat."

"Of course not," said Raven. "He's a deserter. He's only important when he might be useful."

"Well, wanting to protect something can be a fine path to power," said Yu, scratching his chin. "I mean, look at Ruby. She's coming along nicely, far better than I ever could have hoped. It's honestly enough to make me overlook the fact that I can't play with her like I do the boys." Yu sniffed the air. "But you don't actually strike me as a protector. Hmm..." He tilted his head back and forth.

"What?" growled Raven.

"I think I remember something now," said Yu. "That's right! You _are_ the Crow-brat's sister. You two were from that bandit tribe, out in Anima." He chuckled. "That's right...The two of you became Ozzy's little birdies, literally. He gave you that power to transform. It's a cute trick. I forgot the how nifty some the things that old man can do are."

"You speak of it as though it's not a curse," said Raven.

"You speak of it as though it is," said Yu. "I mean...come on! You get to be a bird. You can fly, go where others can't, and watch and learn with most people being none the wiser. What could be bad about that? Are there any drawbacks I don't know about?" He leaned forward. "Do you get stuck as a bird if you stay like one too long?"

"No," said Raven plainly.

"The transformation excruciatingly painful?"

"No."

"You get cravings for worms and grubs while you're human?"

"No."

"Too bad," said Yu. "Those can be a right delicacy if you serve 'em right. But, in other words, there doesn't seem to be any bad side to getting that nifty little power, yet you act like Ozpin did you a disservice."

Raven's eyes narrowed.

"Oh...Oh! I see." Yu folded his arms, smirking smugly at Raven. "It's not that he gave you that power, it's _what_ he asked you to do with it."

The fingers of Raven's right hand clenched around her mask.

"I guess Ozpin wanted you and the Crow-brat to help him in his war against the hag," said Yu. "Qrow stuck it out, and is still working for him to this day. But you got cold feet and pulled out."

"Of course not," snarled Raven. "I just realized we were pieces in Ozpin's game."

"Semantics," said Yu waving an idle hand. "I remember now. Qrow's kept on because he had the strength of will to fight for something bigger than himself. I can appreciate that. You, on the other hand, backed out and fled back to the little world of your tribe, where you could go back to playing King of the Trash Heap with your little bandit friends. You talk about Ozzy's gift as a curse and pretend that he did you wrong as a way to make yourself feel better about running away and abandoning the cause your brother embraced, because you're too much of a coward to follow through."

Raven's mask thudded against the ground as her hand went to the hilt of her blade. "I should cut off your wagging tongue," she snarled.

"A blade that dull can't cut anything worthwhile," said Yu with a dismissive wave. "If my words sting so much, it must be because it hits a little too close to home for your liking. I'm bored, but not so bored that I'd play with a bandit like you."

"We have the same philosophy," said Raven. "The strong live, the weak die. That's the way of the world."

"That's just a law of nature," said Yu. "That's the thing, you see. People can do _better_ than nature. What you said isn't my philosophy. My philosophy is _just_ strength. You may seek power, but merely as the means to an end. To me, power _is_ the end I seek.

"And as for your philosophy, it's just so much malarkey, an excuse to do what you want. You're so pathetic that you need to excuse what you do in the first place, rather than just do it. You think your little tribe of bandits are strong? That couldn't be further from the truth. No one who lives simply by preying upon those weaker than them is strong. If you want to get strong, you need to find prey with more teeth."

"I was a fool to expect anything from you," said Raven, drawing her sword. As the single-edged, blood-red blade cleared the sheath, it extended, nearly doubling in length as she held it up in readiness to strike.

"Yes, yes you were," said Yu. "Or...at least...you were a fool to expect me to say what you wanted to hear." He scratched his chin. "That's right, Ruby's sister is your daughter. I just noticed the resemblance, as superficial as it is."

"She's nothing like me," said Raven.

"That's the truth," agreed Yu. "Unlike you, she has _real_ strength. Your 'family' are nothing but thieves who can only live by taking what others produce. You lack the will to make real lives for yourselves, so you only take from others and dress it up as a way of life when, really, you're just being lazy. You think that makes you a predator, but that couldn't be further from the truth. You lot are parasites: mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, leeches...That's why you don't interest me."

"Then maybe this will!" shouted Raven as she surged forward, her sword descending.

Before it could make contact, Raven was suddenly beset by a premonition. In her mind's eye, she saw her torso split in two by the fearsome power of Yu's kick. For the briefest of seconds, she was certain that she had died. Her gaze was swamped by the man in front of her and one thing came to the forefront of her mind. _Death!_

When Raven came back to herself, the world was much larger. She'd shape-shifted without realizing it. Her wings beating furiously, she alighted a branch out of Yu's immediate reach and glared down at him, her voice emerging as a furious caw.

Yu threw back his head and laughed. "Well, you _do_ have some entertainment value after all," he shouted up to her. "Too bad it's as a clown. A little bloodlust, and you suddenly can't advance. Instead you fall back." He walked over to where Raven's discarded mask lay and stomped down on it, shattering it into pieces.

"That's the sad thing about your so-called philosophy," he continued. "You talk about how the strong survive and the weak die, but that's only good for so long as _you're_ the strong. You don't have the will to face down anything more fearsome than you. That's why you ditched Ozzy's war against the hag. Once the tabby cat is set upon by the tiger, your little philosophy will fall apart like a house of cards."

An outraged caw was his only answer.

"Fly away, Little Bird," said Yu. "You won't find what you're looking for here. Look forward to the day your daughter's strength surpasses yours. Once she becomes a Huntress, I wouldn't be surprised if she takes a mission to come after your tribe sometime. Once that happens, you'll see what weakness and strength really are."

Another caw grated against his ears, then Raven was gone, the fierce beating of her wings fading into the distance while Yu stood there, still smiling.

"Well now," he said, "she's a parasite, but she could still be useful. She and Little Sparkler aren't so different...so easily led by the nose." He chuckled. "I guess she's distracted by that fresh, Spring scent of hers."

* * *

 **Yeah...in case you haven't guessed, I don't have the highest opinion of Raven Branwen. Then again, the canon series itself puts quite a lot of work into taking the piss out of her. Granted, revelations in Volume 6 suggest _what_ Raven found out that caused her to come to view the war against Salem as hopeless. But the whole bandit thing...Yeah, that's just her acting tough while actively picking on people weaker than her. She can justify it with bullshit victim-blaming ("If they were stronger, they wouldn't have lost everything to us"), but that's still just her polishing a turd to justify taking from others by force of violence in my view. She's generally the sort who picks fights she's fairly certain she can win. Sure, she might take the occasional risk, but she'll throw other people, her own daughter included, under the bus to get her way. Naturally, Yu views that kind of mindset with absolute contempt.**


	67. Chapter 67

**Chapter 67:**

It was a pleasant, restful week that RUBY and JNAR spent in Brandywine. The two teams trained hard, working to improve their individual skills, as well as their skill at working together. But it was a relaxed sort of training. Without the other students glaring at them (Gin and Ruby in particular) they were able to enjoy themselves. It helped that there were no indicators that Yu was about, arranging another "test" for his students, though Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu kept their guards up all the same.

Aside from that, what time they didn't spend training, or asleep in their rooms, they spent with the townspeople, getting to know the settlement's residents, who made them feel welcome and at home. They also had the token duties assigned to them as a justification for this being a mission, rather than a vacation. Aside from a short patrol for Grimm in the local area, it consisted of assessing the town's state of readiness, if they were caught by a determined attack before a Huntsman team could meet them. That information had already been gathered by the mayor and his staff, in the expectation that they would wait for more extreme situations before calling for assistance next time.

Blake was especially pleasantly surprised. Though Brandywine was occupied only by humans, there seemed to be no signs of ill-will towards the faunus. According to Tawny and the innkeeper, faunus had passed through the town on business before, but none had decided to settle down there. Despite that, there were no signs that Gin or Ayumu, who made no effort to hide their faunus heritage (though Ayumu, as always, didn't usually go out of his way to reveal it, unless someone openly mistook him for a human), were regarded with any hostility by the villagers. That could have been the result of the goodwill they'd earned by taking down Team BRWN. But Blake knew bigots would always find reasons to embrace their hatred, regardless of what the objects of said hatred did for them. In fact, she was tempted to reveal her own faunus heritage, if only to see how the residents reacted to a faunus who _hadn't_ done them a tremendous favor in the past.

Ultimately, the eight of them enjoyed their time in Brandywine so much that they were almost reluctant to leave when the appointed day arrived. They could see how Huntsmen and Huntresses could become accustomed to such warm regard. However, none of them could accept the way Team BRWN had betrayed that regard and taken advantage of it.

At the end of the week, they boarded the bullhead that would take them back to Beacon, with the mayor assuring them that their mission would be reported to Ozpin as a complete success. A few of the Huntsmen of the previous generation had betrayed their trust, but the Huntsmen and Huntresses of the current one had more than earned their trust and regard.

With their hearts and minds rested, the two teams returned to Beacon, feeling ready to tackle whatever obstacles lay before them.

* * *

"I was expecting things to ease up a little," grumbled Yang, the day after their return, when more harsh glares greeted them upon their arrival in the dining hall for breakfast.

"It certainly is jarring," said Ren, frowning darkly.

While they hadn't expected the hostility that had followed them (Gin in particular) to abate completely over the course of the week they'd spent away from Beacon, they'd figured that it would have lessened somewhat. Having the object of their dislike spend an extended time away from them, and having the concerns of their own missions, should have gotten most of the students to focus on more important things...like their education. However, while things certainly weren't worse, it was almost as though they'd never left.

"It certainly smacks of someone working behind the scenes," mused Jaune as they took their seat at the table, any faunus at nearby tables picking up their own trays and pointedly moving away. "They probably kept spreading rumors while we were away."

"There isn't much we can do," said Gin, sounding unconcerned. "If they try to do more than just spread rumors, that'll probably be the opportunity we have to catch them. Once they realize their current strategy isn't working, they'll shift to more overt methods if they want to make anything happen."

"I'm not sure they'll be that foolish," said Blake.

"You never know," said Ayumu. "If this has some connection to the other...troubles...that have been dogging the Kingdom lately, then it's likely the same hand stirring the pot. The plan to cause a breach and lead Grimm into the Kingdom, spearheaded by a White Fang attack force, was rather intricate in its design. A base had to be secured in Mountain Glenn, the collapsed tunnel into Vale had to be cleared, the train and tracks that ran through that tunnel had to be repaired, weapons and personnel had to be acquired and ferried discreetly into that base. In order for that plan to come together, a great many pieces had to be moved with careful attention to detail. While it was built with a certain margin of error in its execution, the preparation phase required a great many moving parts where a single, small thing going wrong could have derailed everything just as effectively as we did.

"The problem is that people who design such careful plans tend to react badly to them going awry. They adapt poorly to unknown variables inserting themselves into their designs. They become vindictive, reckless...and sloppy. While it's nowhere near as intricate as their plan in Mountain Glenn, their plan, here at Beacon, has a certain feel to it, where I believe they will soon be irked when it fails to play out the way they hope."

"And then what?" asked Yang.

"Then they shift to a more direct method," said Gin.

* * *

The tense atmosphere continued to persist as the next few days of class passed. However, when it continued to fail to draw out Gin's anger, the efforts of the school's faunus population to torment him began to fall off. Even if their anger was being stoked artificially, it simply couldn't maintain itself when the object of their anger did not react to it. Gradually, the sense of tension in the air began to drop off, though it never faded completely.

A little over a week after their return from Brandywine, Team RUBY was asleep in their room. Yang and Blake were out cold in their respective beds, Blake with a book set down just beside her pillow, Yang sprawled out haphazardly on her own bed, only partially covered by her sheet. Ruby and Gin were curled against one another in their bed, enjoying their usual position, Ruby spooning up against Gin, while one arm was wrapped around her midriff, his other hand pressed gently against her forehead.

Though the summer was waning, the nights were still warm. Because of that, the window was left open, a gentle breeze wafting through. Thus, there was no obstacle to the silent figure that climbed over the sill and vaulted into the room. Her feet landed soundlessly on the carpet, legs bending as she sank into a crouch, watching and listening for any sign that her entry had been noticed.

When none of the sleepers stirred, the figure rose up from her crouch, then turned to the single bed where Gin and Ruby slept. Silently, carefully, she drew forth a narrow, straight-edged blade and held it up over her head, poised to stab down, the tip angled straight for Gin's skull. One quick thrust and it would all be over.

The figure hesitated the tiniest fraction. Then her arm descended, the blade rushing straight for Gin's head.

The movement was so fast that, in the darkness of the room, illuminated only by the moon outside, she saw little more than a flicker. Suddenly, her ears were assailed by the sound of the metal blade grating against something hard and unyielding, before it came to a stop, not budging an inch, even as the figure shifted her weight and tried to use that to drive it the rest of the way down.

The arm Gin had wrapped around Ruby's midsection had whipped up, the scales emerging to cover it all the way up to the elbow, as his hand closed around the attacker's blade, holding it fast. A second later, Gin's eyes opened. "Huh?"

The attacker's eyes widened as she realized that Gin had blocked her attack _before_ he'd actually woken up. Now she realized that she was in over her head.

Gin's eyes traced their way up to the sword, and to the girl that held it. His eyes blinked as he took in her appearance, noting her reddish-orange hair, the star and rainbow markings decorating her upper arm, as well as the tank-top she wore. His eyes drifted down to see a cat tail lashing behind her body as she strained to pull her blade from his grip.

Then Gin blinked and frowned, his eyes narrowing. "Oh...it's you," he said, a tone of recognition in his voice that sent shivers down his attacker's spine.

"Gin...what-?" Ruby, awakened by the commotion, gasped, waking up fully as she saw the girl, and the blade she'd been trying to drive towards Gin's head. "Who are you?"

"Whazzat?" A sleepy mumble came from Yang and Blake's side of the room, Yang rousing from her place on the upper bunk and sleepily looking over the side of the bed. It took several seconds before the situation clicked in her mind. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Blake had also awakened and was staring silently at the attacking girl, getting out of bed, her fingers curling with the desire to grab her weapon. Sadly, Gambol Shroud and Ember Celica were both in their lockers, in another wing of the school. But it seemed that their awakening alone was enough for the girl, who was now fully outnumbered.

Gin still hadn't released her blade. Instead, he pulled back on it, threatening to drag the girl into his reach. Frowning, she pulled back with all her weight and lashed out with a kick, aimed at Gin's face. The hand Gin had been keeping on Ruby's forehead was pinned by her shoulder, so he was forced to relinquish his grip on the sword to block her kick. However, it proved to be an expertly executed feint, as the girl barely even tapped the palm of his hand before withdrawing, escaping before his fingers could close around her foot.

The sheet covering Gin and Ruby flew into the air, and Ruby rolled out of the bed and onto the floor in a combat crouch, Shining Rose already in her hand, unfolding and the blade extending. In the current space, there was just barely enough room for her to swing it, the shining, red color of the blade carving a line of light through the air. But Gin's attacker had already retreated, her gaping expression showcasing her surprise quite nicely at the realization that Ruby was armed, no doubt thinking that Ruby kept her weapon in her bed.

Still, the girl retreated straight back. With a hop, she alighted on the window sill. Ruby darted forward, but the girl fell backwards and out of sight. When Ruby reached the window and looked out, she saw no sign of the attacker.

Ruby frowned and closed down Shining Rose, before dematerializing it and absorbing it back into her Aura. "She's gone."

"What just happened?" asked Yang, wondering if she'd just dreamed everything up.

"I'm not sure," said Gin. "All I can say is...that was a thing."

* * *

A light tapping on her window signaled to Cinder that her agent had returned. Sliding the window open, Cinder smiled as Neo jumped in.

"So...you did it?" asked Cinder.

Facing the dangerous woman with an expression that, for her, was uncharacteristically neutral, Neo nodded.

"Did you kill him?" asked Cinder.

Neo shook her head.

"A shame," said Cinder, "though not outside our expectations." The air between them suddenly became heavy and hard to breathe...for Neo at least. "Did they see you?"

Neo nodded slowly.

Cinder's lips pulled back in a triumphant grin. "Good."

* * *

"That's her, isn't it?" asked Yang, discreetly pointing to the cat-faunus that entered the dining hall with another member of her team, a young man with black skin, whose more reserved state of dress contrasted sharply with the girl's flashy and colorful appearance.

"It is...but it isn't," said Gin, frowning, observing the girl out of the corner of his eyes.

"What do you mean?" asked Blake in confusion.

"The appearance is the same, but that's where the resemblance ends," said Gin, turning his gaze away from the girl entirely. "Her posture, balance, and movements are completely different from the girl who attacked me last night."

"Huh...but...?"

"I get it," said Ruby with a frown. "It's hard for me to tell from this far, but her Aura feels different, right?"

"That too," said Gin. "Also, did you sense it last night?"

"I think I felt it right before she got away," said Ruby.

"What are you two talking about?" asked Yang, looking back and forth between Ruby and Gin.

"Her appearance matched the girl you pointed out," said Gin. "But beyond that, it was lacking in substance. The person behind that appearance was smaller and lighter."

"Yeah...but it was like she had some kind of...I don't know...shell around her," added Ruby.

"A shell?" asked Jaune as he looked up from his own meal, trying to keep from staring at the girl that Yang had pointed out.

"Yeah," said Ruby, nodding.

"It had a presence, but not a completely solid one," said Gin.

"I see," said Ayumu. "An illusion then."

"An illusion?" Ren frowned. "I can understand changing her appearance to keep from being found later, but why would your attacker want to take on the specific appearance of another student?"

"It's obvious," said Nora proudly. "Whoever did this wants us to think that girl did it."

"But why?" asked Yang.

"'Cause the girl they're trying to frame for it is a faunus," said Nora, earning a nod from Ruby and Gin.

"That's my theory as well," said Gin. "Our mysterious rumor monger apparently isn't satisfied with the fact that she can't make me snap by stirring up the faunus population of Beacon, so she's resorting to using someone to try and trick me into taking more overt action."

"If we fell for it, we'd be accusing an innocent person of attacking Gin," said Blake, cluing in.

"That would easily be enough to reignite and even aggravate the previous animosity," noted Gin.

"Good thing we didn't fall for it though," said Nora with a proud huff.

"What we?" asked Jaune, throwing a wry smile Nora's way. "We weren't there."

"Well, we were part of it," said Nora, resting her fists on her hips and striking a rather prideful pose.

Ayumu chuckled. "Well, we can't deny that we are a part of that."

"Are you sure it isn't her?" asked Yang, still eyeing the cat-faunus across the dining hall warily. Though her manner was happy and clearly quite energetic, almost on the level of Nora's for that matter, it didn't escape their notice that she had given the table occupied by RUBY and JNAR a wide berth, just like every other faunus that entered or left the dining hall.

"Completely," said Gin. "Besides...the weapon our attacker used was familiar."

Ruby blinked, rolling her eyes up thoughtfully. "You're right...Where did I see that sword before?"

"Mountain Glenn," said Gin helpfully.

"Oh!" said Ayumu, his face lighting up. "So it was Ms. Neo then. That makes perfect sense."

"It does?" asked Blake, Yang, and Jaune in unison, turning to regard Ayumu curiously.

"Well, besides Ruby and Gin recognizing the shape of her blade, there's the fact that she took on the appearance of another person. Ms. Neo's Semblance is refraction. She can bend the light around her body, and use it to create illusions. Taking on the appearance of another person would be a natural extension of that."

"It also explains how we got such a clear view of her, despite it being night," said Gin.

"But you're a faunus," Yang pointed out. "You'd see her just fine at night anyway."

"Having good night-vision and seeing better at night doesn't mean we see things the same way we do during the day," said Gin, his gaze going to Blake. "Right?"

Blake nodded. "We can see things more clearly with less light around, but the world and people at night look different than they do during the day." Her eyes widened and she gasped as the realization struck her.

"You get it too," said Gin. "It's the other reason we were able to spot the girl Neo tried to frame for her attack this morning. Even though it was night, and the only light in the room was coming in through the window, we still saw her features clearly, including the particular colors of her outfit and markings, which should have been more muted and harder to discern under the circumstances."

The others nodded. "Well, one thing's for sure," commented Jaune.

"What?" asked Yang.

"If this Neo girl did this, then it confirms that whoever is trying to pit Gin against the faunus here at Beacon is connected to her, Torchwick, and everything that happened in Mountain Glenn...the White Fang too," said Jaune.

"You're right," said Ren. "The third party that your informant mentioned..."

"That's my guess," said Jaune with a frown. "And it means that they're _here_...in Beacon."

A collective shiver went down their spines. They suddenly felt much more vulnerable. Beacon was a school for Huntsmen and Huntresses. The education meant to prepare students for such a risky, dangerous profession was, likewise, risky and dangerous. So safety was a loaded word when connected to the Academy. Yet, at the same time, it also was the feeling it afforded them whenever they were confronted with the strange conspiracy that had been brewing in the heart of the Kingdom.

Whatever risks they took, whatever stunts they got up to in Vale, whatever battles they had against the White Fang or against Torchwick and his allies, all of that was something that took place _out there_ , beyond Beacon's boundaries, in the real, and much more dangerous, world. Coming back from that and returning to Beacon was like returning to a safe haven, a place where they could relax, away from the conspiracies and the dangers that haunted the Kingdom's streets.

But now...they were confronted with evidence that the conspiracy had followed them home. The mysterious enemy they'd been tracking wasn't just out in Vale, but in Beacon as well. They weren't safe, not in class, not in the hallways, not even in sanctity of their own rooms. It was a troubling realization for all but three of them.

"You guys don't seem bothered by this," noted Jaune, his eyes going from Ayumu to Ruby to Gin.

"Well, it'll keep us on our toes," said Gin indifferently. "We've been training to keep our guards up constantly anyway, so this is the best kind of motivator we could ask for."

"Seriously?" asked Nora skeptically.

"Well, look at it this way," said Ayumu, "the situation being what it is, it's less likely that Master Yu will think we're getting lax, and the less likely it is that he'll feel it necessary to come up with another 'test,' like the last one, to keep us on our toes."

Another shudder ran through them, the whole group this time. If they went through the rest of their time at Beacon or, indeed, the rest of their lives without having to endure another "test," like the last one Yu Yuen had arranged, they would be perfectly happy...however vain that hope obviously was.

"Still...it means that Ms. Neo is around here somewhere," said Ayumu, strangely sounding even more cheerful and upbeat than usual.

"You say that like it's a good thing," deadpanned Blake, staring at the avian-faunus with a wan look.

"Ah...yes...well..." Now, despite the fact he was still smiling, Ayumu somehow managed to look crestfallen as well. "I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get to see her last night. I was looking forward to meeting her again."

The silence that fell over the group at that pronouncement was crushing. Even Gin and Ruby were staring at Ayumu with undisguised shock.

"Wha-what?" blurted Gin abruptly, breaking the silence.

"Well...our last fight was...very...um..." Ayumu rubbed his fingers through his ebony hair, his gaze becoming distant as he fought to find the right words. "...invigorating...I suppose. I've been hoping our paths would cross again ever since."

Another awkward silence fell across the table before it was broken by Nora. "Wow. It almost sounds like you have a crush on her."

To their ever-increasing surprise, Ayumu's cheeks were dusted by a rare shade of pink. "Well...um...maybe..."

Jaws hung slack as Ayumu shifted awkwardly at the intense scrutiny he was suddenly under.

"Um...Am I the only one concerned that Ayumu might be falling for a violent criminal?" asked Yang, looking around.

Blake coughed awkwardly and suddenly looked away.

"Speaking as a former violent, homicidal at times, criminal myself, I can't judge him for that," said Gin calmly, while Ruby nodded her agreement.

"Oh, come on!" exclaimed Yang. "You're just as shocked as the rest of us! Don't pretend you weren't!"

"I was shocked to see Ayumu act all awkward like that," admitted Ruby.

"I never thought he'd get a crush on a girl like that," added Gin.

"I've told you I've had crushes before!" protested Ayumu with uncharacteristic frustration.

"Never seen you with a crush before," said Ruby plainly.

"If you've acted this way about your previous crushes, I've missed it," added Gin. "Either you've been very good at hiding them in the past or...this is more serious."

"Um...we're still talking about a dangerous, murderous criminal, who's working for people plotting to do God-knows-what to the Kingdom," protested Yang.

"That's a separate matter," said Gin in an almost disinterested tone. "If she honestly wishes to follow through with those actions, then, yes, it's probably best to just deal with her as an enemy. But...she might have the potential to change her ways. If she can do that, then there's no reason for me, at least, to judge her on who she was."

"Me neither," added Ruby.

"What do you mean?" asked Yang, looking at her younger sister in confusion.

"Gin's a much better person than he was in the past," said Ruby, staring down at her plate. "But he still did terrible things to people, things he can't take back...or really make up for."

Gin nodded gravely.

"If I overlook that and choose to forgive him for that, but not Neo, just because the things Gin did never affected me personally, then that would make me a hypocrite, I think," said Ruby. "So...if Neo could be convinced to become a better person, then...then I wouldn't be able to judge her."

"Okay..." said Yang. It was hard for her to wrap her head around the idea. They'd been told about Gin's past as a bandit, who'd sometimes killed people to get what he wanted. It was hard to reconcile the image of a vindictive, murderous, monstrous child with the image of the much more calm and settled Gin they knew now, having never met or even seen him during that phase of his life. Yang was amazed Ruby was even thinking about things like that.

Finally, Ayumu let out a sigh. "Well, this is merely hypothetical in any case. I personally haven't encountered Ms. Neo again, since our fight in Mountain Glenn. There's no telling if anything could come of this...so it's not really worth agonizing over."

"He's right," said Ren, nodding. "If anything, the important thing we should be drawing from this is that our enemy has agents in Beacon itself. We should let Ozpin know."

"Um...didn't he tell us not to do any investigations without his approval?" asked Yang.

"He was talking about us not pulling another stunt like we did with the White Fang rally and the Paladin," said Jaune. "In this case, the investigation came to us."

"More like we've painted a target on our backs," muttered Blake darkly. "We've interfered too much, so the bad guys have decided they need to do something about us."

"Well...this was bound to happen sooner or later," said Jaune firmly. "These are real bad guys we're talking about. Treating our school life like it's something completely separate from the investigations we've been doing is naive. Of course they'll try to hit us where we're vulnerable."

Ruby grinned wryly and gently elbowed Gin in the side. "Though they were stupid enough to give themselves away by attacking the least-vulnerable person here, the guy who can catch a sword in his sleep."

"True," agreed Gin with a chuckle.

"In any case, we should probably let Ozpin know as soon as we can," said Jaune.

* * *

"Ah, yes, we were aware of that," said Ozpin with surprising calm, despite the severity of the announcement that RUBY and JNAR had just dropped on his lap.

"Wha-but how-?" exclaimed Yang.

"Ohhhhh..." said Jaune, his eyes widening. "The woman in the CCT, right?"

"That's correct," said Ozpin nodding slowly, an indulgent smile appearing on his face. "Granted, it's hard to say where that woman came from. However, we cannot overlook the possibility that she entered as one of the students supposedly here to participate in the Vytal Festival. The fact that she had access to Beacon grounds at a time when outside arrivals were at a minimum, and carefully monitored, is evidence of that."

"Still, I'm glad that you were willing to inform us of this attack," continued Ozpin, his eyes flicking to Blake. "It appears that I no longer need to worry about you abusing my trust."

"Thank you, Professor," said Blake lowering her eyes, both bashfully and guiltily.

"That said, it's just as well that you came here to inform me of this," said Ozpin. "I was planning to call you in sometime soon in any case."

"Why?" asked Ruby.

"After seeing your will and conviction during the battle against the Dragon, I have decided that we can now trust you with knowledge of the larger picture," said Ozpin.

"Really?" gasped Ruby, her eyes widening.

"Well, seeming as you have now become specific targets of the enemy yourselves, keeping you in ignorance would only place you in greater danger," said Ozpin with a sigh. "That said...this is an unprecedented act, bringing in students like yourselves...and so many at once."

"We'll keep your trust," promised Jaune firmly, while the others nodded.

"I hope that you do," said Ozpin. "However, I must warn you...what you are about to learn will completely change the paradigm of your worldview. After this...nothing will be the same. You will see the world with completely different eyes and...I daresay...it will look considerably more dangerous."

"That's still better than not knowing," said Ayumu with his normal good cheer. "Ignorance may be bliss, but that bliss makes it only easier to die from something you don't see coming. However frightening it may be, the threat that you know is less dangerous than the one you don't."

Ozpin chuckled. "Spoken like one with true courage," said Ozpin. "Despite that truth, many would prefer to turn away and refuse to acknowledge that danger, than be willing to accept its existence, much less confront it. I've learned that the hard way."

Yang frowned, almost feeling as though Ozpin's eyes had lingered on her longer than the others when he'd said that.

"Well then," said Ozpin, casting his gaze around the group. "I will ask this only once. Despite the fact that this knowledge is dangerous, will you accept it? By agreeing to do so, you are entering into a secret pact, one that cannot be broken. This information has the potential to completely upend the world we know and shatter the stability of, not just Vale, but all four Kingdoms. It is a matter of that much importance."

The eight students before him exchanged wary glances before turning back to Ozpin. As one, they nodded.

"Very well then," said Ozpin. "We still have some time, so I'll go ahead and get started."

"Time for what?" asked Ruby.

"I've sent notice to two other people about this meeting," explained Ozpin. "They are on their way, but it will be a few more minutes before they arrive. So I shall now begin explaining. After that, I have something to show you."

"All right," said Ruby.

"To start with," said Ozpin, "what's your favorite fairy tale?"

"Um...what?" said Jaune, befuddled by the question.

"Fairy tales," said Ozpin, "fanciful stories and legends. Surely you know some."

"Oh! I like the Tale of the Red Cross Knight!" exclaimed Ruby.

"You made me read that to you every night for a month straight," teased Yang, smirking at Ruby, who blushed.

"Shut up!" she retorted.

"There's The Twins' Game," said Jaune. "My sisters loved that one."

"The Feast of Endless Pancakes!" exclaimed Nora, earning confused looks from everyone else in the room.

"She wrote that one herself," explained Ren.

One by one, they went through the stories they'd heard throughout their childhoods that stood out to them. Even Gin and Ayumu had some that they had heard during their far-off younger days in times when their lives had been more stable.

"I see," said Ozpin after they finished. "What about the Tale of the Seasons?"

"Oh! The one about the Maidens," said Ayumu, clapping his hands. "So this involves the Maidens being real then?"

For the very first time, the students were treated to the sight of Beacon's Headmaster, the ever inscrutable, unruffled Professor Ozpin, looking genuinely taken aback. "You know?" he asked with undisguised amazement.

"Wait! The Maidens are real?" asked Yang abruptly.

"That is the crux of the matter, yes," said Ozpin, rubbing his forehead tiredly.

"Master Yu told us about them," said Gin plainly.

Now they were treated to the uncharacteristic sight of Ozpin almost succumbing to what could only be described as a face-fault, as he lowered his head down to the desk, stopping just shy of smashing his face against the surface. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," he said.

"Master Yu fought one of the Maidens before," said Ayumu. "Fall...I think. It ended the way fights involving Master Yu usually do."

"I...see..." Ozpin frowned. "That actually explains a great deal that even I wasn't aware of. Thank you for filling me in on that."

"Um...a great deal about what?" Ruby wanted to know, looking around in confusion.

"There are some things that need to be explained about the nature of the Maidens' power," said Ozpin. "I assume you are familiar with the story, correct?"

"Yeah, the Maidens show up at the house of this old wizard," said Yang.

"They basically become his friends and help him get out more and stuff," added Ruby.

"So, in thanks, he takes his power and divvies it up between the four of them so that they become the incarnations of the four seasons," continued Yang. "Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall: Voila! The Four Maidens!"

Ozpin stared at the siblings for a long moment. "That is, perhaps, the most...abbreviated...version of the tale that I've ever heard."

"Well...it's boring," Ruby lamented with a groan.

"No fight scenes," Yang stage-whispered, while the rest of their friends giggled.

Jaune blinked. He might've mistaken it, but, for some reason, he thought that Ozpin looked briefly crestfallen. _I guess he really likes that story. Then again...if the Maidens are real, maybe he's upset that they aren't taking it seriously enough._

Ozpin sighed and shook his head slowly. "Well...in any case, it's good enough that you have the gist of how the story goes. Things ended up out of order. However, the crux of the matter is that the Maidens are indeed real. More to the point, the reason I have called you here is because I believe that one of you shall be the next Fall Maiden."

"One of us..." Yang blinked.

"I'm guessing that applies to the girls only," said Jaune, sharing dubious glances with Ren, Ayumu, and Gin.

That drew a chuckle from Ozpin. "Yes, that's right," he said. "Specifically, our primary candidate is Ms. Xiao Long."

"Yang...?" Ruby turned and looked at Yang in confusion. Yang herself was looking quite a bit befuddled by the proclamation as well.

"Perhaps I should explain a bit more," said Ozpin. "You see, the story of the Maidens is indeed referring to real people. However, there are some key details that have been left out. The Maidens are indeed the incarnation of the seasons, able to wield tremendous power...without the assistance of Dust."

The eight students standing in front of him shared confused glances. "You mean...like a Semblance?" asked Jaune.

"Like magic," said Ozpin.

Then Jaune frowned. "Like a certain woman able to pull glass swords out of thin air?"

Ozpin's expression darkened. "Yes...like that...which is an additional factor that needs to be explained."

"Um...You know...that's not as earth-shattering as it might've been...had things not...happened," said Ruby, producing Shining Rose, allowing the weapon to materialize even as she drew it.

Ozpin nodded. "Yes...Yu Yuen has devised techniques that defy our understanding of what Aura is capable of. Of course, that is because none have explored the matter in such complete depth, or devoted themselves to cultivating the essence of their spirits to the same degree he has. Only you three of his students are even aware of how deep Aura can be. That said...it is still a separate matter from that of the Maidens."

"Yeah, Master Yu said that they have the ability to produce enormous power, even without their Auras," said Gin. "The one he fought kept fighting and using her power, even after her Aura was broken."

Ozpin nodded. "Those are mostly small details. The fact of the matter is that the Maidens play an important role in the larger world. Furthermore, their power-"

"Can be passed to someone else," said Jaune with a frown, looking intently at Ozpin as he cut the Headmaster off. "That's what you're getting at. That's why you said that Yang might be the next Fall Maiden."

"That is right," said Ozpin. "The Maidens are...cyclical...in nature, much like the seasons themselves. The current season passes and a new one comes next year. Likewise, when a Maiden passes from this life, her power is passed on to the next eligible candidate.

"To be a valid candidate, one must be a young woman, below a certain age. Furthermore, the last person in the previous Maiden's thoughts is the primary candidate, unless that person does not meet the criteria, in which case the power will seek out a young woman at random."

"Uh...Question," said Yang, raising her hand as though she were in class.

"Yes?" asked Ozpin.

"Well...these are Maidens, right?" began Yang. "Does that mean that your candidate has to be a maiden in the classical sense? 'Cause I'm kinda...not." Her cheeks flushed brilliantly, Jaune's following suit.

To her relief (and embarrassment), Ozpin chuckled and shook his head. "No, fortunately. In this case, the term, 'maiden,' only refers to a young woman. There is no requirement for...chastity."

"Oh," said Yang plainly. "Um...good...I guess."

"Hmm..."

Everyone turned towards the source of the sound in confusion, seeing Nora standing there, frowning intently as she looked down over her folded arms, staring at the floor.

"Um...this is sounding kinda...I don't like it," said Nora, stepping back warily.

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.

"Well...If you're talking about making the Yang the Maiden," said Nora, "and the last person in the last Maiden's thoughts is the first choice then..."

"Please don't worry, Ms. Valkyrie," said Ozpin. "We have no intention of murdering the current Fall Maiden in such a way that Ms. Xiao Long is the last person on her mind."

"Well, that's a relief," said Yang.

"To give you a better idea of what's going on, it's better to show you," said Ozpin. "I believe the others are almost here."

"The others...?" asked Ruby, turning to look towards the elevator, seeing that the indicator was showing that it was coming up.

With a light "ding," the doors slid open to reveal two people, one that the eight students of Beacon were familiar with in only the manner that students of Beacon could be.

"Professor Goodwitch?" asked Yang in confusion, as the severe-looking blonde woman emerged from the elevator.

Her companion was someone that only about half of the students present recognized right away. Jaune and Blake had spoken with him briefly, before the mission to Mountain Glenn had been assigned to their teams. Ayumu and Gin had spent a brief amount of time in his custody.

"Oh, hello, General," said Ayumu cheerfully. "It's good to see you again."

Ironwood stopped his eyes sweeping over the assembled group of students and frowning darkly. His gaze went to Gin and Ayumu specifically. "You can't be serious, Oz," he growled. "It's bad enough you brought this many students in on this. But these two..."

"Are completely trustworthy in my view," said Ozpin blandly. "They have proven themselves to be completely loyal to...if not Beacon itself...then Ms. Rose at the very least."

" _Very_ loyal, in Gin's case," said Yang with a cackle as Ruby and Gin blushed and glared at her.

"In any case, their strength and skill shall make them excellent assets in this matter," said Ozpin.

"This is not how this is supposed to be done," said Ironwood. "This constitutes a massive security risk. You should have contacted Xiao Long and be done with it."

"Excuse me?" growled Yang, glaring at Ironwood, not liking his tone.

"You are suggesting that I call Ms. Xiao Long alone?" asked Ozpin. "That I entrust her with confidential information, and force her to keep a secret, even from her own sister, with whom she is extremely close and devoted to...to say nothing of the rest of her team?"

"Yes," said Ironwood. "That's what this matter requires. We are dealing with secrets _beyond_ the level of national security, secrets that affect the security of the whole world. Not to mention that Xiao Long's sister is the last person that we should trust at the moment."

"Say what?" snapped Yang, her eyes flaring red.

"Because she's Yu's student too," said Gin, his eyes narrowing.

"Exactly," said Ironwood.

"Yu already knows about the Maidens," said Ozpin. "In fact, if what the boys have said is true, then Yu was the one who killed Autumn's predecessor."

"Preposterous!" snapped Ironwood.

"Well, Master Yu doesn't tell those sorts of lies," said Ayumu cheerfully. "He definitely has no need to make up false exploits to impress us."

"This matter is too important to leave in the hands of children," scoffed Ironwood.

"We were _always_ planning to leave it in the hands of one of them," said Glynda with a frown. "In case you didn't remember, unless you think you can make yourself a Maiden, James."

Ironwood huffed and turned his head away.

"What do you mean?" asked Jaune.

"The candidate for the Fall Maiden was always expected to be a student," said Ozpin. "Frankly, that is because a first-year student...and some second-years, are the best candidates within the appropriate range to accept the Maiden's power, while still remaining trustworthy. With this situation being what it is, we must select the next candidate ourselves, and who better to draw upon than the ranks of our highly-trained and skilled students. Although...and I hope you don't take this the wrong way...Ms. Xiao Long was not our first choice."

A silence fell over the group before Ren spoke. "It was Pyrrha, right?"

"Correct," said Ozpin with a nod. "At the time, we believed her to be the ideal candidate."

"Well, I can understand that," said Yang. "Pyrrha was the Golden Girl. She was the best in class, and everyone liked and respected her."

"She was kind and modest," added Ren.

"Or so we thought," finished Jaune.

"That's right," said Ozpin, nodding along with their assessment. "I'm afraid that we were fooled by her as well. From the first time I met her, I was convinced that she was the ideal candidate. However, I did not realize that her pleasant demeanor hid a deeper...instability. In which case..." His eyes narrowed and he directed a look that could almost be called a glare at Ironwood. "...we should be most grateful that Ms. Rose returned to us and exposed Ms. Nikos' true nature."

Ironwood huffed again and glared off to the side.

"Right..." said Yang nervously, not liking the interplay between these two powerful men, who clearly disagreed strongly about this. "I guess the point is that Professor Ozpin was right to call all of us, 'cause there's no way I'd be able to keep this from Ruby. This is a huge deal."

"You'd better not have kept it from the rest of us," said Blake with a smirk, as Gin and JNAR nodded in agreement.

"Y-yeah...of course," said Yang with a sheepish grin. She turned back to Ozpin. "So...I guess there's more about how you're gonna do this, right?"

"Yes," said Ozpin. "However, for the next part, it is best that we show you directly."

"Show us...what?" asked Ruby, feeling a strange sense of foreboding.

Ozpin stood up and walked out from behind his desk. "Come," he said, making his way towards the elevator. "It's time you met the current Fall Maiden."

* * *

 **It's always been my headcanon that Ruby would be bored silly by the _Tale of the Seasons_ , mainly because I imagine her gravitating towards more action-oriented stories of typical heroism, as opposed to stories about an old guy getting talked out of his house by a bunch of nice girls. Likewise, the mental image of _Ozpin_ doing a face-fault is something I find hilarious.**

 **Also...Ayumu _would_ get a crush on the girl who tried to kill him earlier.**


	68. Chapter 68

**Chapter 68:**

In the end, the elevator ride down was both long and awkward, partly because, with the size of their group, they had needed to make two trips. Ozpin accompanied Team RUBY down, while Ironwood and Glynda rode down with JNAR. Ruby was glad for that, not liking the uneasy atmosphere that would have come from having the mistrustful General accompanying them, particularly when he seemed to regard _her_ as untrustworthy in particular.

"I hope you'll forgive James for his tendency towards caution," said Ozpin.

"Paranoia, you mean," growled Yang.

Ozpin didn't contradict her. "He means well, and this _is_ a matter of great secrecy. It is of the utmost importance that no one outside of your teams know of this matter."

"Not even Dad?" asked Yang with a frown.

"I'm afraid not," said Ozpin. "However, your uncle is a different matter."

"Uncle Qrow!" exclaimed Ruby. "He knows about this?"

"Indeed," said Ozpin. "Qrow Branwen is one of my most trusted associates. He has worked tirelessly at my behest. In fact, he was the one who rescued the current Fall Maiden."

"Rescued?" asked Blake with a frown.

Ozpin's expression darkened. "The reason we have this unprecedented opportunity to choose the next Maiden, possibly, is because of a distressing incident."

"What happened?" asked Ruby.

"You will see shortly," said Ozpin, not sounding enthused at all by the prospect.

It was then that RUBY realized that the elevator had been descending considerably longer than needed to reach the ground floor. They had continued past the point of even Beacon's basement levels. Yet the elevator continued to descend farther.

"Uh...How far down does this thing go?" asked Yang.

"Far enough," answered Ozpin cryptically.

The elevator finally came to a stop and the doors slid open to reveal a scene Ruby expected from one of the stories Yang had used to read her as a child. The space was massive, seeming to stretch out endlessly. The doors had opened onto a broad aisle between what seemed to be a forest of rectangular columns. Green flames danced in shallow dishes near the distant roofs, making the column shadows dance at floor level.

"Wow..." gasped Ruby, her eyes wide as she stared at the space around them. "How long has this been here for?"

"Since the beginning," said Ozpin with an amused smile. "The Vault has served many purposes since the founding of the Academies, and been the home of many secrets. And now...it is the final sanctuary of the Maidens."

" _Final_ sanctuary..." Gin pressed his lips together in a tight line.

"Meaning for when there aren't any other sanctuaries remaining," said Blake, seeing where he was going with this.

"Unfortunately...very true," said Ozpin sadly.

"Yeah...that doesn't sound ominous now...at all," said Yang.

"I'm afraid this whole situation is ominous," said Ozpin. "The situation here in Vale, which I know you are aware of...is only the beginning. The ones behind it are mere pieces on the board."

"Meaning we haven't even gotten a lick of the one moving those pieces," said Gin.

"Goddess..."

"Huh?" Blake, Gin, and Yang, even Ozpin, all turned to look at Ruby, whose gaze had become strangely distant.

"What are you talking about, Ruby?" asked Yang warily.

"It was something Viola said...and Ciar," said Ruby. "They had some kind of mistress they were working for."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean what's going on here has anything to do with that," said Yang.

"It does, unfortunately," said Ozpin. "The ones who attacked Ms. Rose on the road to Vale, and the ones behind these incidents in Vale...they all serve the same master."

"Who is it?" asked Blake.

"We should wait for the others before I explain in more detail," said Ozpin.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence as they waited for the elevator to make its long trip back up to Ozpin's office, then back down with JNAR, Glynda, and Ironwood.

The doors slid open and the uncomfortable awkwardness of the situation was not alleviated in the slightest. Ironwood continued to glare about at everyone else, as though personally insulted by their mere presence. Ayumu, Gin, and, to a lesser extent, Ruby were the focus of it in particular, which did not do much to make the others like him.

"So...what's this about the bad guys having a master?" prodded Yang, now that they were all together.

"Oz..." said Ironwood in a warning tone, while even Glynda looked distressed by the fact he was revealing this information.

"There's no point in concealing it," said Ozpin. "As you all know, the Creatures of Grimm exist as a threat to the people of the world. They seek to destroy humans, faunus, and everything that they have built. They are drawn to negative emotions, fear in particular. However...the truth is much worse, a truth that, if it were known, could plunge the world into darkness and bring about the very end we are trying to prevent."

"What's that?" asked Ruby warily.

"The Creatures of Grimm...are weapons," said Ozpin.

"Weapons?" Nora frowned in confusion.

"Implying that they are not born and merely acting upon impulse, but that their behavior is the result of someone specifically directing them to that end," said Ayumu.

"Correct," said Ozpin. "The Grimm have a master. Her name is Salem. She is determined to bring the world as we know it crumbling down. What the end will be after that...we don't know. All we _do_ know is that, if she has her way, what happened at the walls when the Dragon awoke would be dwarfed by an order of magnitude.

Jaune swallowed nervously and moved closer to Yang, who took his hand. He couldn't help but notice that she was trembling as well.

"And what does this have to do with the Fall Maiden?" pressed Ren.

"One of Salem's minions, the woman Ms. Nikos faced up in the tower, attacked the current Fall Maiden," said Ozpin. "Somehow, by a means that we can't determine, this woman stole a portion of her power."

They made their way way along the corridor, lined by columns. Ahead of them, on the far wall from where they had entered via elevator, a strange apparatus was laid out on the floor. It consisted of a pair of human-sized metal caskets, connected by branching tubes and wires. Between them was a glowing control console. One of the caskets was lowered and dark, clearly unoccupied. But the other was not empty.

"This is Amber...the current Fall Maiden," said Ozpin gravely, gesturing to the figure of the woman in the lighted casket.

Yang felt her breath hitch and her stomach rebel as she took a good look at the woman in the casket. Her skin was a darker shade, although lighter than the dark-brown color of her short-cut hair, which was cut down past her ears. The window of the casket was just large enough for them to see her face and upper torso, the latter of which had been clad in a white tube-top. However, that was enough to make Yang and the others feel ill, particularly because of the white, weblike discoloration across the woman's face, like some kind of strange scar. She showed no signs of movement, appearing to be in a deep sleep or coma. However, the frozen grimace on her face indicated that her repose was anything but peaceful.

"I...I really don't know how to feel about this," she said. She looked the machine over before turning to Ozpin. "This was what you meant when you said you wanted to make me the next Fall Maiden. You're going to stick me in this machine, siphon off Amber's power and put it in me."

"We are not going to put you into anything," said Glynda firmly. "We are giving you a choice."

"And it's a bit of an oversimplification," said Ozpin with a sigh. "We cannot channel Amber's powers into you, because the technology we possess cannot manipulate something like magic. We can, however, give you what those powers are bound to."

"Bound to..." Yang's eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?"

"Her Aura, presumably," said Gin, moving up to take a closer look at Amber's casket. "That's what you're talking about, right?"

"Correct," said Ironwood, striding forward, apparently taking some solace in getting to explain his contribution to this affair. "In Atlas, we have been studying the nature of Aura for a long time."

"Not nearly long enough," said Gin with a huff.

Ironwood shot him a glare. "We've been studying its capabilities and, more importantly, how to control it. We've learned how to manipulate it and shift it from one vessel to another."

Gin felt Ruby flinch sharply next to him and glanced over at her, giving her a worried look. She returned it, but shook her head, urging his silence.

"So...you're going to channel Amber's Aura...into Yang," said Nora, sounding rather woozy. "That sounds...gross."

"It sounds wrong," said Blake firmly, glaring at each of the three authority figures in turn.

"I won't deny that," said Ozpin sadly. "However, under the circumstances, it is necessary. Thanks to James and Atlas' technology, the life support systems built into this apparatus have been able to keep Amber in a state of limbo for months. But her time is running out. We cannot keep her like this indefinitely."

"It looks like she's in pain," said Gin. "It's wrong to keep her like this now. If you can't save her, then you should at least let her rest."

Ruby swallowed, but nodded her agreement.

"I wish that we could," said Ozpin. "But this situation makes that prospect...unwise."

"You're worried about what her power will do," observed Ren. "If she dies then..."

"It is not uncommon for their assailant to be the final person on the victim's mind before death," said Ironwood gravely.

"And, even if that is not the case, we do not know that her power will not simply seek out its missing half," added Glynda.

"Either way, the one who did this gets all the power of the Fall Maiden," said Jaune. "Considering what she's done with just the portion she's stolen, that would be bad."

"Uh...what _has_ she done?" asked Nora.

"Forced a racist human criminal to work with the most extreme and violent faction of the White Fang," said Blake. "That's not the kind of thing you bring about just through a little sweet talk."

"An apt observation," said Ozpin. "We suspect that she is indeed the one behind the unprecedented cooperation between Torchwick and the White Fang."

"Okay then," said Yang with a frown. "So...all this doom and gloom talk comes to this. If I agree to be your Fall Maiden and hop in that box...what happens?"

"To be perfectly, frankly, bluntly, _brutally_ honest...we don't know," admitted Ozpin. "We do not know what will result from merging Amber's Aura with your own. We do not know that the process will truly work, or that it will achieve the results we seek. We cannot promise that you will survive the process...or...if you do...that you will emerge from it the person that you were."

With each word he'd spoken, Yang's skin turned lighter and lighter and her breathing came faster. Jaune's hand tightened around her own before he moved his arm up to wrap around her shoulders and pulled her close. "No way," he said, glaring at Ozpin.

"Don't be a fool!" snapped Ironwood. "You must know what is at stake."

"Yeah," said Jaune, transferring his glare to Ironwood. "Yang's soul. As far as I'm concerned, that's too high a price to pay."

"The wellbeing of one person has to take a backseat to the wellbeing of the entire world," insisted Ironwood.

"Because that philosophy has worked so well for you in the past, hasn't it?" asked Ayumu, something about his voice making everyone stare at him in shock and confusion. He was still smiling, but his eyes had narrowed as he looked at Ironwood, giving the expression an edge that no one, not even Gin and Ruby had truly seen before. Likewise, there was an edge to his normally cheerful, serene tone that made everyone's hairs stand on end.

"He's angry," Ruby whispered to Gin.

"He's livid," Gin whispered back. "I've never seen him like this."

"Don't speak about things you don't know about," growled Ironwood.

"I think I know more than you do," said Ayumu, his smile becoming increasingly brittle, "seeing as I've lived the consequences of that 'few vs the many' view you've taken such a liking to."

"What are you babbling about?" growled Ironwood.

"After all," continued Ayumu, "isn't that the excuse you use to turn a blind eye to the SDC's treatments of its laborers?"

"I haven't turned a blind eye to anything," declared Ironwood. "Everything Jacques has done has been completely legal."

"Because you twist the law to suit his wants and your own," said Ayumu. "That is how you can allow him to enslave faunus without using the term, slavery. That's why you enable him to exploit the people who mine your Dust and arm your weapons. After all, what's the wellbeing of a mining town of faunus compared to the needs of the world as a whole? So long as the Atlesian military gets the very best Dust and technology Mr. Schnee has to offer, their lives don't matter."

"Exactly," said Ironwood.

"Except it does matter," said Ayumu. "For all that I hate my Master, I do agree with many of his assessments and one of those definitely applies to you, General. You need to learn to think smaller."

"Nonsense!" scoffed Ironwood.

"You've become so obsessed with the big picture, this so-called 'war' of yours that you've lost sight of those you should be fighting for," pressed Ayumu. "In your ignorance, you allow Jacques Schnee to practically make slaves of his faunus laborers. But nobody cares, because they're just a bunch of animals after all. It's convenient to let the humans who inhabit your Kingdom believe that, because it means fewer problems for your war machine. Except that, now, you've been contributing to the other part of your own larger problem."

"What do you even mean?" growled Ironwood.

"He means the White Fang," said Blake firmly, stepping forward. "Where do you think some of their most fanatically violent recruits come from? I practically grew up in the White Fang. I've met dozens of faunus with stories about families forced to work themselves to death for the sake of satisfying the Schnees' greed. You and the other Kingdoms turn such a blind eye to him, because you all think that the Dust he mines is so important that the lives of a few-thousand faunus doesn't measure up in comparison. But all that's done has made them angry.

"Angry enough to try and engineer a breach and lead an army of Grimm into the heart of Vale," added Gin.

"Criminals need to take responsibility for their own actions," insisted Ironwood. "This just shifts the blame."

"Crimes do not occur within a vacuum," said Ayumu. "They are born in the gulf between the powerful satisfying their own wants and the ones they exploit. The faunus of the White Fang did not simply change their mind and decide to hate humanity out of the blue. They did it because of the anger that has built up over the people who have discriminated against and exploited them...and people like you who have turned a blind eye to it because it suits the needs of your so-called greater purpose.

"Except, that in doing so, you've now been undermining it. The faunus you should have been protecting have turned to become your staunch enemies, that this greater enemy, this Salem is now using as weapons in her war against you. You've become so focused on the larger battle against her that you've already played into her hands and given her potent assets.

"This is why you need to think smaller. The plans of the powerful and mighty most often come apart because of the smallest details. You've built a tower into the sky, but cared so little about how it reached the sky, save that it did, that you've failed to notice that the foundation has been gnawed into holes so that it could topple over at a moment's notice."

"Ayumu..." Ruby was frankly shocked by the intensity of Ayumu's voice. He was still smiling. But his smile was now cold and his eyes practically shimmered with suppressed fury. She could feel it, his desire to strike. Gin had always talked about his own issues with his anger, how it would take control and cause him to lash out violently against whoever became the focus of his ire, whether they deserved it or not. But she'd never felt the unstable sensation of rage held barely in check from Gin, not like she felt from Ayumu now.

Then Ayumu felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning his head, he followed the hand, his eyes tracing the muscular arm, leading to the shoulder of Nora, who smiled softly at him. Before he could say or do anything, she pulled him into a hug. Ayumu hesitated...before slowly returning the gesture. Then he felt another pair of arms wrap around them as Ruby hugged him from behind. Then a third set joined them when Blake entered into the embrace.

"Thank you," he said, his voice barely a whisper.

"Are we finished with these childish outbursts?" asked Ironwood curtly.

"I think they're the furthest thing from childish," said Gin. "You'd just rather bury them, so that you don't have to admit that you're wrong about something, because it's too much of an inconvenience for you to change anything."

Ironwood bristled, but stopped when Ozpin held a hand out in front of him. "However valid Mr. Ao's assessment may be, the unfortunate fact of the situation is that it is too late to effect that kind of change, not in a way that would have any effect on our current problems." He glanced over his shoulder at Ironwood. "However, it is clear that Mr. Ao's words should not be dismissed and his advice should be considered...very seriously...once the current crisis has been dealt with...and no later."

"Returning to the previous issue," said Gin, "you seem very insistent that Yang be your Fall Maiden. Why?"

"Frankly, though I don't wish to put it in such terms, she was our next choice after Ms. Nikos," said Ozpin. "Easily equal in strength, almost equal in skill, and with a kind, supportive, nurturing soul."

"If that's the case," said Yang with a frown, "then why not Ruby? She's stronger than me now, and no one has a kinder, stronger soul than hers."

"Yang..." Ruby blushed furiously at the praise, though she realized that Yang had a legitimate point.

"Unfortunately, Ms. Rose is ineligible for a different reason," said Ozpin.

"It's my eyes, isn't it?" asked Ruby, the fingers of her left hand going up to touch just below her eye.

"Correct," said Ozpin with a slow nod. "Truth be told, while little is known about the Silver Eyes, especially in contrast to the power of the Maidens, the one thing that we are aware of is that the power of the Silver Eyes and the Maidens' powers are in opposition to one another. There is no previous record of anyone with the Silver Eyes also receiving a Maiden's power."

"What would happen?" asked Ruby.

"At best, nothing," said Ozpin. "At worst, your power and the Maiden's power would interact in a volatile manner and tear your body apart."

"Oh..." Ruby paled.

Gin frowned, pressing his hand to the side of the casket. He was silent for a moment, his gaze becoming distant and vacant. Then, after a minute, he blinked and pulled away, looking at Ruby and Ayumu. "Ruby, Ayumu, come here for a second. I need more opinions on this."

Ayumu and Ruby exchanged looks before joining Gin in front of Amber. Closing their eyes, they completely lost themselves in the information provided by their _Shingan_ , focusing all their senses on the casket, and the woman within. Ruby gasped, not only perceiving things her eyes couldn't tell her with her physical senses, but also her sensation of Amber's Aura.

"What do you think you're-?" Ironwood began to demand before Ozpin silenced him with a look. The other students and Glynda all looked on with interest.

"What do you think?" asked Gin.

"It's strange," said Ayumu. "Her Aura is like normal...yet it's failing."

"If her power is bound to her Aura, then I'd thought having it taken would damage her Aura. But it's not..." Ruby frowned.

"Can you feel the remainder of her power, though?" asked Gin.

"I can," said Ayumu, while Ruby nodded along. "It's...I'm not sure how to describe it. The closest thing I can think of is that it's acting almost parasitic in nature. Devoid of a portion of itself, it's drawing Amber's own Aura in, like some kind of vacuum. However, because her Aura isn't the same thing as the remainder of the power, there's no balancing and it just continues to draw off her."

"And it's pulling," said Ruby. "It's pulling...or being pulled maybe...I think Amber's Aura is keeping it in place."

"That matches the Professor's idea that it'll seek out its other half," said Gin. Then he frowned. "But then...the woman who did this...do you think she's in similar condition?"

"Hardly," said Ayumu. "Considering the story of her fight with Ms. Nikos, she appears to be completely hale and hearty. So then..."

"It must be the difference between the one who _took_ and the one who was _taken from_ ," said Gin. "This is magic we're talking about, so we can't be sure of anything. We can't apply the same logic to it that we do our Auras."

"What are you three talking about?" asked Glynda, curiosity, rather than frustration, in her tone.

"We're taking a closer look at Ms. Amber," said Ayumu. "If we can assess her condition properly, perhaps that is a way that we can help her, rather than immediately defaulting to a solution that risks Ms. Yang's life and soul."

That made Yang smile.

"Ridiculous!" scoffed Ironwood. "You children think you know better than us, when we've spent months examining her with the most advanced technology ever seen."

"You put a great deal of trust in your technology, even when dealing with a force that is far removed from it," said Gin.

"We have already developed the means to control Aura-" began Ironwood.

"We're talking about _magic_ ," snapped Gin, cutting Ironwood off. "You've already said you can't do anything about the Maiden power itself. The best you can do is give Yang, or whoever you decide is Amber's successor, Amber's Aura and hope for the best. Stop pretending you're not stumbling around in the dark just as much as anyone else."

Ironwood's rage was a palpable force. His right hand clenched so hard that Ruby could hear the servos of his mechanical muscles whining and straining.

While she'd never voice her thoughts in as bitter terms as Gin would, she didn't disagree with him. Ironwood's posturing and attitude reminded her a little of Weiss, back during the Initiation. Back then, they had gotten lost because Weiss had insisted that she'd known what direction their objective was, and refused to admit she was wrong, until Ruby had practically forced them to take another way. Ironwood was possessed of that same sort of stubbornness, the attitude of a person who could not accept that something was outside his control. It was all the more worrying because, given his position, Ironwood's stubbornness had the potential to put countless lives at risk, whereas Weiss' stubbornness had just been an inconvenience to her and Ruby at the time (though Weiss would have been the last person to admit it...if she ever did).

"Well, setting that aside," said Gin dismissively turning towards Ayumu and Ruby, his unconcerned attitude grating even more on Ironwood's nerves, "you think Master Yu might know something about this?"

Ayumu sighed. "You say that as though he'd give us advice, even if he did."

"Besides, if it's something like magic, Master Yu probably doesn't care about it," said Ruby. Considering what they'd learned about this magic and how it was essentially an instant power-up to whoever inherited it, it was the furthest thing from being of interest to someone like Yu, who believed wholeheartedly in gaining strength through effort and dedication.

Ruby gazed at the grimacing face of Amber. "If only she was conscious," Ruby whispered softly. "We could teach her to recharge." Granted, it probably wouldn't be anything more than a stopgap for Amber. The partial power remaining in her body was draining her continuously. Amber would have to continue recharging constantly to keep it from siphoning off all her Aura eventually and, even then, it wouldn't do much more than buy time.

"Hmm..." Ayumu frowned. "What if we could?"

"Uh..." Ruby blinked and stared at confusion at Ayumu. "What are you saying?"

"Well, we obviously can't teach her to recharge," said Ayumu. "She's not conscious after all. But...in her current state."

"She's practically in the right condition to do it anyway," said Gin. "If we can draw her Aura into recharging itself, maybe we could get it to start doing it automatically."

"It's worth a try," said Ruby. "But how?"

"What are you trying to do?" asked Glynda, watching with interest.

"It's a technique they've been teaching us," explained Jaune. "If you take a moment, you can use breathing exercises and draw more Aura out, and use it to restore your strength, without having to spend a ton of time resting after draining it."

"That's...possible?" Glynda blinked in amazement.

"Well...like they say, Aura is the manifestation of one's soul," said Ren. "How can a person ever run out of soul?"

"Nonsense," scoffed Ironwood.

"It might be best if you try this," said Ayumu, looking at Ruby.

"Why?" asked Ruby.

"Well, your Silver Eyes aside, the power of the Maidens is clearly attuned to women, young women in particular," said Ayumu. "So...you might be able to affect her more easily than either of us can."

"But aren't we working with Aura, not her power?" Ruby asked.

"Well...yes," admitted Ayumu. "Granted, this is just a guess on my part. The thing about this magic we're dealing with...it doesn't operate according to the logic by which we understand Auras or Semblance. However, it does operate according to a logic of its own. If we try to work within that logic, we might get results."

"I get it," said Gin.

Ruby frowned and thought it over. She realized Ayumu was right. While she didn't understand the nature of the magic, and her Shingan hadn't given her much insight into Amber's power itself, save how it was affecting her Aura, she realized that the magic did have a system of logic it abided by. It could only be passed to women below a certain age. It was connected to the power of the season it was named for. Its condition was connected directly to the life force of the person who possessed it. It didn't operate by the rules of the systems that she knew. Instead, it was operating under the rules of a different system.

For some reason, she felt distinctly curious about why Ozpin had said practically nothing while they'd been doing this. Turning her head, she glanced in his direction and saw Ozpin watching the three of them, not with worry or concern, but with keen interest.

She turned back to Ayumu. "So what should I do?" she asked.

"Try to channel your awareness through your Aura," said Ayumu. Then he nodded his head towards Amber. "Send your Aura into her. Follow the flow of her Aura to the wellspring it emerges from, and draw it out."

Ruby gulped and looked at Amber's face. She didn't mind admitting she was worried and very uncertain about this.

Gin rested a hand on hers. "Don't try to bulldoze your way through," he advised her softly. "Let go of your Self and follow the flow."

Swallowing, Ruby slowly nodded.

"Stop this!" snapped Ironwood, stepping towards them. However, he was stopped yet again as Ozpin raised his cane, positioning it across Ironwood's midsection. "Oz! You can't be serious! They're meddling in something they have no idea about."

"On the contrary," said Ozpin, a small smile on his face, a look that could almost be called hopeful in his eyes. "The strides Atlas has taken with its technology truly amaze me. But these three are being taught by someone who has explored the nature of Aura more deeply than anyone else in the world. If there is anyone besides him who might be able to solve this conundrum, it would be them."

Ruby felt a hand rest on her shoulder. Looking back over it, she saw Yang standing behind her with a proud smile. "Go for it, Sis," said Yang.

Ruby's eyes went to the others and they all nodded their encouragement. Feeling braver, with the thought that they believed in her, Ruby found herself smiling as she turned her full attention back to Amber. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and let out her breath slowly. Resting her hand against the casket, Ruby allowed her awareness to fall away completely.

Her physical senses seemed to fall away. All that remained was her Aura. Ruby sent it out from herself, feeling it flow out in a continuous stream. She felt nothing from physical objects with her Aura. It passed through the metal walls of the casket with ease. She didn't feel Amber's flesh and blood through it either. But, when her Aura brushed against Amber's, she felt _that_.

Amber's Aura felt warm, warm in the same way Gin's Aura felt cool to her. It was like basking in the last rays of sunset, during the days of early autumn, before chill of the coming winter had begun to set in. Yet she could also feel that warmth fading. It was in minute increments, but it was gradually dwindling a little more with each passing minute. When the warmth faded completely, when the cold and chill came, death would come. She didn't deduce it so much as comprehend it almost instinctively. Amber's life force was waning, like the changing of the seasons, and she was now in the fall of her own life. How strangely appropriate that was.

But Ruby couldn't leave her in that state. She allowed her Aura to sink slowly and calmly into Amber's Aura. Now she felt it flowing out, a slow, continuous stream, but one that was slowly slackening. Ruby followed that flow, tracing it all the way to its source.

* * *

Outside her awareness, in the physical world, her body began to glow with an outline of, rather appropriately, ruby-red. Within her casket, Amber's body was lined with a warm, orange light. It had been gradual, several minutes passing before the effects were visible to the naked eye. Ironwood had been ready to storm over and pull Ruby away himself, but remained stopped by Ozpin.

Ozpin's eyes went to the control console for the apparatus, noting that Amber's life signs were beginning to fluctuate. There was nothing extreme yet, but her heart-rate was increasing gradually. It could have been a sign of stress...or a sign that her strength was returning.

* * *

Within Amber's Aura, Ruby had found its source, the wellspring from which the incarnated power of Amber's soul flowed forth. She paused, hesitating for a fraction of a second. She was touching into territory that she had never tread before. Ayumu and Gin hadn't done this either. None of them had ever even conceived of sending their awareness through the point of origin, to see the other side...the source of their own souls. Had Yu? Knowing him, probably.

Now Ruby realized, to her amazement, that this was another opportunity. To learn about Amber's Aura was to learn about her own. This was a chance to experience where the soul came from, the source of Aura, the source of life in a sense. Her resolve firming, Ruby sent her Aura streaming through.

The opening was small, tight, like trying to squeeze herself through a hole the size of a drinking straw. It reminded Ruby of a spout pouring water into a basin. The water flowed through, filling up the basin. Using one's Aura drained the basin, but more Aura was always flowing in. The kind of training Huntsmen and Huntresses typically went through to increase their Aura reserves was enlarging the basin, making it so that it could hold more water. But Yu's training had been different. Through teaching them the method of recharging their Auras, by making them rely on it continuously, he had been training them to enlarge the spout, how much water was flowing into the basin. If that was the case, then they could eventually enlarge the spout enough that the amount of water flowing into the basin exceeded the amount they could drain. What happened then? Ruby sensed that the answer awaited on the other side.

When she passed through the wellspring of Amber's Aura and into her soul, Ruby's entire being was rocked to the core.

* * *

Ruby gasped, her eyes snapping open, but unseeing. Her body lurched, her spine bending over backwards, like a jolt of electricity was passing through her, yet, at the same time, she remained in place, as though the hand she was pressing against Amber's casket was being held there by some kind of invisible force.

"Ruby!" shouted Yang, her eyes going wide with worry. She moved to pull her sister away. However, Gin physically interposed himself between the sisters, keeping Yang from doing anything.

"Don't," he said, his tone short and clipped.

"Aren't you worried?" asked Yang, unable to understand how Gin could stand by and watch as someone he was supposed to love went through this.

"Of course I am," said Gin firmly. "That's why I can't let you interrupt her. Ruby's Aura is immersed in Amber's. This might be the result of her passing through the wellspring."

"We have no idea what lies on the other side," said Ayumu.

"Pulling her away in this state...we might harm instead of help her," said Gin.

"What esoteric nonsense is this?" asked Ironwood. "Get her away before she does actual harm."

"This is _magic_ we're dealing with, General," said Ayumu his voice taking on a tone that almost sounded...mocking. "There's no esoteric nonsense more esoteric than that. If you don't realize that, you have no right to say anything."

"I've heard enough," growled Ironwood, moving to shove past Ozpin's cane. However, he was stymied completely when Ozpin moved to stand directly in front of him, resting the tip of his cane against the floor with his hands gently resting atop it. "Get out of my way, Ozpin!"

"Enough, James," said Ozpin firmly. "Mr. Ao is quite right that forcefully separating Ms. Rose will do more harm than good right now...and not just to her."

"Ozpin..." growled Ironwood, glaring past Beacon's Headmaster at Ayumu and Gin.

Gin had moved to wrap his arm around Ruby's shoulders, pressing her back towards the casket and keeping her from lurching further away, before she did damage to her spine. "Keep it together, Ruby," he whispered into her ear. "I know you can do it...even if we're not sure what 'it' is." His other hand he rested against her forehead, letting his Aura flow out through it and brush against hers.

* * *

Ruby was awash. She couldn't even begin to describe what lay on the other side of the wellspring. Words wouldn't have been enough, if she was even capable of thinking them right now. It had been exactly what they had theorized...everything and more. This was the true essence of the human soul. This was where Aura originated. But it was so much _more_ than that. One might say that, if the soul was the sun, then Aura was the rays of light streaming off of it. But the metaphor didn't even begin to do her experience justice. There was probably only one term that could describe this feeling...Infinity.

It swamped her completely. She felt herself drifting farther away, almost as though she was being drawn into a whirlpool, although, strangely, she was being drawn against the flow, rather than towards it. She would have panicked, but she couldn't seem to understand why she should panic. Why was she here again?

 _Come back._

It wasn't so much a voice, but an impulse..not even that really, more like a gentle urge. Immersed in the all-consuming warmth of Amber's soul, Ruby felt a faint, cool sensation. It was familiar, comforting...reassuring. Its touch against her being was lighter than the gentlest brush by the softest feather...yet Ruby felt the urge to follow it, to embrace the sensation.

 _Gin..._

The name came unbidden to her and Ruby felt the urge to return to herself even more strongly. That was right. Gin was calling her back. But that didn't help her figure out why she was here in the first place. Awash in the infinite sensation of Amber's Aura, Ruby fell into the sensation of her own Aura once more, and found the answer.

 _I have to save her._

That was why she was here. There had been reasons why Amber needed to be saved, but Ruby couldn't conceive of them right now. They didn't matter really. It was who Ruby was, all she ever wanted to be. She wanted to help Amber, because Amber _needed_ help. That was all the reason she needed.

So now Ruby followed the flow, flowing with her own Aura, finding the wellspring once again. There, she once again felt like she was squeezing herself through a straw. But now she strained against the constricting sensation, making the opening wider. No...that wasn't enough. What she needed was to increase the draw of Amber's Aura into her body. She needed to pull more water out through the spout into the basin, and that would widen the spout on its own.

Immersing herself in Amber's Aura once again, Ruby now focused on the flow and tried to use her own Aura to direct it. As she moved through the wellspring and back out to where Amber's soul emerged into the world as her Aura, Ruby pulled more of Amber's Aura with her. She continued pulling, even as she emerged, drawing more and more. She could feeling the power flowing out from Amber's soul now. She pulled more...

Then she released, allowing herself to drift apart from Amber's Aura once again. The draw was sustaining itself and Amber's wellspring was growing, more Aura flowing in. Ruby realized that the flow had only increased a little bit compared to what it had been before, but now the flow was increasing on its own. She felt the warmth returning to Amber's Aura, almost as though the sun had reversed directions, and was now ascending back into the sky along the path it had been setting. It was a sensation almost like turning back time.

The flow was stabilizing and, to Ruby's relief, it felt as though the increase of Amber's wellspring was tapering off as well. She could probably widen it more, if she tried, pull out more of Amber's Aura. But she felt that was wrong, like she was going too far and tampering with something she shouldn't. If Amber wanted to draw more Aura herself, then it was up to her to continue this. Things were fine the way they were.

Now Ruby let herself fully emerge from Amber's Aura, like a buoyant float rising up out of the water and up to the surface. As she did, she felt the Fall Maiden's power. Out of curiosity, Ruby allowed her Aura to brush against it, to touch it, not to affect it, but feel it.

The power was in the same state it was before. But now it seemed to be drawing less on Amber's Aura. That was good. Hopefully it meant that it wasn't killing her in its incomplete state. But then Ruby realized something else. The pulling sensation was gradually getting stronger. The Fall Maiden's power wasn't draining Amber's Aura. But now...now it was separating, at almost the same incremental rate it had been draining Amber's Aura before, its hold was loosening.

But that was enough for Ruby. She released her contact with Amber completely, allowing her Aura to be drawn back into herself, flowing naturally to the cool sensation she was beginning to feel she couldn't live without.

* * *

The change had been abrupt. Within the casket, Amber's body jolted sharply, her entire form lurching, her body thudding against the door, her eyes snapping open wide, but, like Ruby's, unseeing, a loud gasp, followed by an equally intense exhalation that fogged the glass of the tiny porthole that showed her face. A warning tone sounded from the console as her heart-rate rose abruptly.

"We're losing her!" shouted Ironwood, attempting to push past Ozpin. "Stop this, now! Get that girl away from her!"

"Not yet," declared Gin firmly. "Ruby's coming back."

Though he hadn't moved, Ozpin wasn't paying any attention to Ironwood. Instead, he was focused completely on Amber's life-signs, riveted to them. His hands were clenched so tightly over the top of his cane that his knuckles had turned white. As such, he barely even reacted when Ironwood stepped around him, shoving him slightly to the side in the process.

"I've had enough of this childish foolishness!" snapped Ironwood, his left hand disappearing into his jacket. "Get away from Amber, now! Do it or I will remove you by force!" He drew his revolver forth and leveled it, not at Gin or Ayumu, but at the back of Ruby's head.

"Stop!" shouted Yang, lifting her foot to take the first step that would allow her to throw herself between Ruby and Ironwood's gun.

Ayumu moved. The change was so smooth and and flowing that the transition had been all but missed by the others. He seemed to flow past Gin and Ruby like a zephyr, a swift breeze, winding his way between them and Ironwood, Green Destiny seeming to be drawn from thin air, before Ayumu brought his arm around, a flick of his wrist allowing him to send the tip of the weapon whipping across Ironwood's face just above his eyes. Perceiving Ayumu's movement barely in time, Ironwood, jerked his head back at the last second. A light sound of metal scraping across metal echoed through the cavernous chamber of the vault.

Ironwood stumbled backwards a few faltering steps before rallying himself. "You-!" he snarled, glaring at Ayumu. "You dare attack me? How did you even get your weapon down here?"

"Well, not really attack," said Ayumu, lowering his sword, so that it pointed down and out slightly. "I just wanted to put you in check."

"In..in check..." hissed Ironwood. "You impu-!" His words were choked off by a sudden shout of pain as a sharp, burning sensation, accompanied by a popping and sparking sound seared into him above his right eye. His revolver clattered to the floor as his left hand reflexively reached for the source of his pain, since his right refused to respond all of a sudden. "What did you...?"

"As I said," said Ayumu calmly, "put you in check."

The rectangular, metal strip over Ironwood's right eye hissed and spat out a spray of minuscule sparks. The movements of his right arm became jerky, his leg on the same side jerking and trembling. Then...he collapsed, his leg folding down, his balance disappearing as his right side dragged the rest of him down towards the floor.

Ayumu's strike had been flawless, not actually aiming for Ironwood's head, but for the metal strip over his eye, the neurotransmitter that controlled the prosthetics that made up the right side of his body. Now his arm and leg were utterly failing to respond to his mental commands to move, going inert and motionless.

Everyone else, save Ozpin, looked on in confusion, unsure of what to do. The rest of RUBY and JNAR had tensed, uncertain of how to intervene in this strange situation, while Glynda had drawn her riding crop, but looked completely at a loss as to who to use it on.

Meanwhile, Gin remained fixated on Ruby, while Ozpin remained fixated on the monitor displaying Amber's life-signs, with the occasional glance at her gasping, staring face in the window.

Then...Ruby's body jolted, more gently this time, and she gasped again. Then her body went slack, her limbs going limp as she collapsed into Gin's arms, the boy holding her close as he gently lowered both of them to the floor, one hand still stoking her forehead as he steadied her back, keeping her just below a sitting position.

Ruby's eyes blinked slowly, staring hazily up into the amber eyes of the boy leaning over her. "G-Gin..."

"It's okay," he said softly, "you're back. I've got you."

Within the casket, Amber's body had jolted at the same time as Ruby's, then stilled, her face lowering down slightly. At the same time, the sudden peaking of her vital signs came to an end, her heart-rate dropping down...before leveling out.

"She's stabilizing," said Ozpin, his head lowering slightly, along with his shoulders, the closest he might ever come to visibly sagging in relief.

Glynda let out a sigh of relief and lowered her riding crop. "You children always seem to be looking for new ways to cause me distress."

"Our apologies," said Ayumu congenially.

Ironwood's mouth worked wordlessly, his gaze flickering between the barely cognizant Ruby and Amber's life-signs.

Then another tone sounded. Amber's heart-rate began to rise again. This time, another gauge on the monitor registered a change, a line that had previously been flat suddenly showcasing jagged peaks and valleys, flickering at different intervals.

"What's going on?" asked Jaune, looking at the monitor in confusion. "Is she in danger again?"

"No," said Ozpin, a relieved happiness in his tone. "Far from it. She's waking up."

* * *

 **Concerning Ruby's Silver Eyes, I remember going through the comments sections of Volume 6 episodes, and noticing that quite a few people _still_ think that Ruby's eyes aren't the reason why Cinder was so...battered...after the events of Volume 3. Seriously! Salem spells it out in the _first few minutes in the first episode_ of Volume 4, the Silver Eyes are basically an anti-Maiden power, on top of being anti-Grimm. It does become more understandable with Volume 6, and the revelation that both the Grimm _and_ magic were created by the God of Darkness, with the Silver Eyes being linked to the God of Light. So yeah, based on that, premise (well, what we learned as of Volume 4 anyway), I advanced the idea that a Maiden having Silver Eyes might _not_ be one of the healthiest combinations out there. Hence why Yang was advanced instead of Ruby, who, by most measures, would be the better candidate in this situation.**

 **And yeah...for some reason, I really enjoy kicking Ironwood around. I can't help it. The guy rubs me all the wrong ways.**


	69. Chapter 69

**Chapter 69:**

Cinder lurched up from where she'd been sitting, standing upright with an abrupt gasp. She froze in place for a fraction of a second before suddenly doubling over, her arms going to wrap around her midsection as she took short, ragged breaths. _The hunger..._

That was the closest she could come to describing the sensation. It was a strange...emptiness...a void of sorts, left in the wake of the incomplete process she'd used to take the Fall Maiden's power. It had been there since that day. Cinder had actually grown rather fond of the sensation. She felt it embodied her...hunger...desperation for power, for control, for the ability to to inspire respect and fear in those who had overlooked her before. And now...that hunger was resonating through her, going from a persisting ache, to sharp pangs...before subsiding again, but now feeling more...desperate than before.

"What...? What happened?" Cinder asked, surprising herself in her willingness to voice her question out loud. More than ever, she was grateful that she had her own room in the visitor dorms. She didn't want Mercury, Emerald, or Neo to see this. She didn't feel vulnerable. But she didn't feel fully in control either. She would die before she allowed those who were supposed to follow her to see her lose control like this.

She wasn't certain what this sensation meant. She couldn't tell whether it was good or bad. All she could tell was that something had changed. She didn't like that. She didn't like that _at all_. Once again, she was struck by the feeling of things slipping out of her control. It was a feeling that had become distressingly familiar as of late.

 _And I bet it's because of them,_ she thought. _Those brats have done something..._

Things weren't going well at all. Despite Neo's work, there was no sign that those children had taken the bait. By all rights, there should have been a brawl when they crossed paths with that cat-faunus from Atlas, whose guise Neo had assumed during her attack on the dragon-faunus. Yet, by all accounts, Gin and his teammates had calmly ignored her. And now this...

 _I have to eliminate them,_ thought Cinder. _Before the festival, before everything is supposed to come together, I have to get rid of them._

The question was, how could she do it? She had to dispose of them without breaking her cover. She needed to take action. But how?

For the first time in a long time, Cinder felt completely at a loss...a sensation that filled her with rage.

* * *

Within the casket, Amber's eyes slowly slid open, then closed again, before opening again, the process repeating in a series of slow blinks, revealing orbs of brown. She took a long, shuddering breath, then a pained groan escaped her.

"Amber..." prompted Ozpin, moving to her casket. "Amber Akiyama...can you hear me?"

Amber blinked a few more times before her eyes fixed on Ozpin and she gave him a slow nod affirmative.

"I imagine you feel quite strange," said Ozpin. "You've been in a coma for the better part of a year."

Amber's eyes widened slightly at that information. She took another breath, then began to cough.

"Please remain calm," said Ozpin. "We will see to your needs momentarily. I will open the pod now. Glynda, please extract her."

"Of course," said Glynda relief filling her voice. Looking over, the students were shocked to see Glynda Goodwitch, the unflinching disciplinarian of Beacon Academy, on the verge of tears, a wobbly smile on her face as she stared at Amber.

"G-Gin...is Amber...?" Ruby was looking as though she'd just woken up herself. Separating her Aura from Amber's, after what she had just done, had left her somewhat out of it, resulting in her missing this most recent development.

Gin brushed his fingers through Ruby's bangs. "She's woken up. I think you saved her."

Ruby let out a sigh, her body relaxing in his arms once more. Then she looked up into his eyes, a peaceful smile on her face. "You called me back."

"I did," said Gin softly, leaning down to place his lips by her ear. "And I always will."

Ruby's arms wound around his neck and she pulled herself up against him, hugging him tightly. Gin returned the gesture with a will, the two of them resting on the floor, holding each other close.

Ozpin spared a fond glance down at the couple, before returning his attention to the console and opening Amber's casket. The door opened with a hiss, revealing that Amber was dressed rather scantily within its confines, a white tube-top covering her chest, with tight, white shorts covering her lower regions. They were barely a step up from typical undergarments in coverage. Within her casket, Amber had also been hooked up to an I.V. drip with a nutrient feed, the needles supplying her with sustenance during her coma slowly withdrawing back into the device.

Glynda waved her riding crop at Amber, and the Maiden's body was lined with violet light as she slowly rose up out of the casket in the gentle grip of Glynda's telekinesis.

"Where are we taking her?" asked Yang. "Are we going to the infirmary?"

"Unfortunately, that is not an option," said Ozpin, "not yet anyway. However, there is no issue. I told you that the Vault, among other things, is a shelter for the Maidens. We've made preparations for a wide variety of scenarios. Glynda..."

Glynda nodded and began walking the back the way the came, Amber bobbing along in her wake.

Gin and Yang helped Ruby to her feet. "I can stand," said Ruby, testing settling her weight onto her legs, making sure they would hold her up before she let go. She took a couple, faltering steps, resting a hand on Gin's arm for balance, but was able to walk on her own after that.

"Oz..." growled Ironwood from his place on the floor. "Are you just leaving me here?"

"For now," said Ozpin, barely even turning his head to look Ironwood's way. "It seems to me that you could use some time to cool your head, James."

Ironwood growled as Ozpin and the students set off after Glynda.

"Will he be okay?" asked Ruby.

"Ruby!" snapped Yang. "That jerk pointed a gun at your head."

"He did?" Ruby blinked in confusion, looking to Gin.

"He did," said Ayumu instead. "However, he won't be going anywhere for a bit now. I damaged his neurotransmitter, so he can't control his prosthetic limbs at the moment."

"Oh..." said Ruby, not sure what to think of this development.

"James brought it on himself," said Ozpin. "Hopefully, this experience will help him better understand that his overwhelming stubbornness will help nobody."

"Doubtful," scoffed Gin. "Guys like that almost never learn to bend. They just end up breaking."

"I continue to hold out hope," said Ozpin with a sad sigh. "James is a good friend. I have to believe that his better qualities will win through in the end."

About halfway back to the elevators, Glynda suddenly turned right, taking Amber down another aisle between the forest of columns. Following this one down to its end brought them to a door set into the wall of the Vault chamber. It was a door of heavy metal, looking, appropriately, like the door to a vault, a bank vault, that is. It was flanked by two biometric scanners, one on either side of it.

Ozpin moved up to stand next to Glynda. They each placed a hand on the hand scanner. Taking off their spectacles, they stared into the lights of retinal scanners as well, the sophisticated security systems within the device verifying their identities. With a low, rumbling groan, accompanied by the clanking noises of locks disengaging, the door slowly swung outwards, revealing itself to be over a foot thick.

"Wow...hardcore," said Nora, a note of excitement in her tone.

On the other side, the students were shocked to see...a living room...an almost perfectly normal-looking living room. It reminded Ruby and Yang of their home on Patch, couches and chairs, all set with thick, plush cushions, arranged around a fireplace set into the wall. There were doors set into the other two walls of the room.

"What is this place?" asked Jaune as they made their way in, careful not to bump into Amber before she was moved through the doorway.

"As I said, a shelter," said Ozpin. "If it became necessary for the Maidens to hide, we built this shelter to accommodate them and, if need be, their families as well."

"It's amazing," said Ren.

"Among other things, it is also equipped with a state-of-the-art medical facility, similar to the ones we have in the infirmary," said Ozpin, he and Glynda taking Amber to one of the doors and opening it to reveal a sterile, white room beyond that did indeed remind them of one of the rooms in Beacon's infirmary. There was an examination table set up on the far side of the room, which was where Ozpin and Glynda laid Amber down.

The table was equipped with another piece of advanced technology, a medical scanner, the latest model from Atlas. With one sweep it would provide a comprehensive analysis of the subject's physical condition. Glynda moved to the controls for the unit and was already starting it up.

In the meantime, Ozpin turned to the students. "This process will take a few minutes, possibly up to an hour," he said. "Please wait for us in the living room. The other door leads to a hallway that includes access to the shelter's kitchen, as well as a bathroom, if you require refreshment."

"All right," said Ruby hesitantly, both curious and worried to learn what Amber's condition was.

They adjourned to the living room, the door to the medical facility closing behind them.

"What time is it?" asked Blake.

Even as they checked their scrolls, Nora's stomach began to growl loudly. "About dinnertime," she said.

"It's too bad we don't have our stuff with us," said Jaune. "We'd be able to get our homework done while we wait."

"That sounds like something Weiss would say," said Yang wryly, making Jaune groan.

"Hopefully it won't take too long," said Ren. "But I'm sure, if it does take some time, they can make arrangements with the teachers for us."

"Right," agreed Ruby.

"Well, Ozpin said there's a kitchen down here," said Jaune, sharing a look and a nod with Ren. "So I think we can take care of the dinner situation."

* * *

"Nothing?" said Cinder, leaning forward from where she sat, on the edge of her bed.

"Not a peep," said Mercury. "They spotted the girl, first thing in the morning, during breakfast. They gave her a few looks, then acted as though nothing happened."

"What were they talking about?" Cinder wanted to know. Her unease after what she'd felt had persisted. Feeling determined to assuage her worries on some level, she'd summoned her subordinates to her room to learn what had passed during the day.

"Damned if I know," said Mercury frankly. "Those three students of Yu's are too sharp. If I tried to get close enough to eavesdrop, they'd mark me for sure. I was on pins and needles just watching them."

Emerald nodded her agreement. Between the two of them, a professional assassin and a professional thief, they had plenty of experience in the art of shadowing and stalking, observing without being noticed. That experience had cultivated an almost instinctive ability to assess their targets' awareness and determine how closely the targets could be observed, before they caught onto the fact that they were _being_ observed. Unfortunately, Ruby Rose, Gin Ueno, and Ayumu Ao were the kind of people who could not be observed closely without being noticed...not at Mercury and Emerald's level.

"So they didn't take the bait," frowned Cinder.

"They probably don't want to cause a scene," said Mercury. "Even if they saw Neo's act, it's still their word against the girl's. And, given that the dragon-faunus is making the accusation, it's not hard to guess which side most people will take."

"Perhaps," said Cinder. "Gin is a remarkably tolerant child. I had expected him to snap quite a while ago."

"He must have some way of venting," said Mercury.

"Perhaps, but even that should have only been of limited help," said Cinder with a frown. "His temper should be worn to a thread, frayed, on the verge of snapping entirely..."

Emerald swallowed, a troubling possibility occurring to her. She remembered her match with Ayumu, how he'd almost effortlessly pierced her Semblance. She hadn't told Cinder, because Emerald's Semblance was the cornerstone of the most critical phase of their operation, during the Vytal Festival. If Cinder had learned that Emerald had forgotten the importance of keeping their cards hidden, and had revealed her Semblance to one of their potential enemies, she would be furious. That anger would be compounded by the fact that Emerald had waited so long to tell her. But, at the same time, the possibility was too likely for Emerald to ignore.

"What if..." she said nervously, "...what if Gin saw through Neo's illusion?"

Cinder frowned and the tension in the room ratcheted up. Her eyes gleamed slightly as they turned to Neo. "Neo, show us the form you took last night." Raising her hand, Cinder snapped her fingers, letting a spark jump into the air to emphasize her command.

Neo, looking quite nervous herself, stood up. A shimmer of light passed its way up her body. In its wake, her appearance had completely changed, her appearance transforming into that of the cat-tailed faunus they had chosen to take the fall for the assassination attempt. The likeness was perfect, not an illusory hair out of place. And yet...

"Something must have been off, if they haven't taken the bait yet," said Cinder, her eyes narrowing critically as she continued to scrutinize Neo.

 _Sorry, Neo,_ thought Emerald, not actually feeling all that apologetic. Not telling Cinder the critical details, that Yu's students might have the skills to pierce illusions, was essentially leaving Cinder to determine whether or not their inability to fall for last night's trick was due to some flaw in Neo's transformation. If that was the case, Emerald was basically throwing Neo under a bus...a flaming, exploding bus.

But that was just too bad for Neo. She might have been on their roster as a member of the team from Haven they were pretending to be, while they were here for the Festival, but the reality didn't change that Neo was an outsider. She was Torchwick's pet, a hired goon's goon. There was no reason for them to hold anymore attachment to her than they did Torchwick, for all that she was handy in a fight, maybe handier than Emerald and Mercury were, even if they'd never admit as much. Right now, she was working with them under the impetus that, if she fulfilled her role well enough, she could gain enough of Cinder's favor to keep Cinder's punishment from falling on Roman for botching the Mountain Glenn operation.

To Emerald's purview, that made Neo disposable. If Cinder decided the failure of last night's attack had been Neo's fault, Emerald wouldn't make a move to disabuse Cinder of the notion.

Finally, the tension began to lessen and Cinder relaxed, leaning back with an indulgent smile on her face. "Well, I see no issue," she said. "I suppose those children are more patient and restrained than we thought. I shall have to see what else we can do to goad them into acting. If nothing else, we may just have to arrange the best circumstances we can manage to dispose of them."

 _Easier said than done,_ thought Emerald warily. She got a bad feeling from those kids, particularly the three students of the one known as Yu Yuen, the man they called the Calamity. Their mere presence had already begun to throw off the balance of their plans. There was no telling how badly things would go askew from now on. Yet eliminating them without jeopardizing their cover bordered on impossible from Emerald and Mercury's viewpoint...and they were usually quite confident in their skill at eliminating troublesome people.

But still...it had to be done...somehow.

* * *

Jaune was surprised to find that the kitchen, like everything else about this shelter, was very well appointed, with many of the latest appliances, some he'd only just read about. It was well stocked too, equipped with highly advanced Atlas-tech food-preservation chambers that went beyond refrigeration, or even freezing, and into the realm of suspended animation, allowing for even the most perishable ingredients to be preserved for years, possibly decades, if the chambers could last that long. Those things cost a fortune, so much that even the highest-end restaurants couldn't afford them. Jaune supposed it paid to have a personal connection to the highest levels of Atlas' government though.

As a result, they had plenty to work with while whipping up a meal. Ayumu joined Jaune and Ren, watching over their shoulders, and helping out as best he could while they cooked. Not wanting to exhaust ingredients that weren't really theirs, and mindful that this was supposed to be for an emergency, they settled on fairly simple dishes that didn't use too much, for all that the shelter's pantry was filled with enough to keep its residents fed for well over a year, probably as many as five, if they were serious about rationing, and depending on the number of people residing there.

The door in the hallway across from the kitchen led to a large dining room, complete with a table of fine maple, which all eight students could seat themselves around, with room to spare. They decided that they might as well make the most of it, taking the prepared food there and setting the table for their friends before calling them in.

"You know," commented Yang as she dug into her meal with a gusto, "this place is place is pretty swank for an emergency shelter."

"I guess they wanted the Maidens to at least be comfortable while they stayed," said Blake.

"No problem with that," declared Nora, who'd spent the time it had taken to make the meal poking about the rest of the shelter to see what was there. "This place has _everything!_ "

"A movie theater?" prodded Ruby.

"Everything," said Nora with a smirk.

"A library?" asked Blake, her ears perking beneath her bow.

"Everything," said Nora, a teasing growl in her voice.

"A gym?" posed Yang.

"Everything," repeated Nora.

"A swimming pool?" pressed Ruby.

"Everything," said Nora, her grin widening as she leaned forward, a spark in her eyes.

Yang slumped back. "Damn! I wanna live down here now."

"It would probably wear thin after a few months," said Ren. "If this place is a shelter, then it means it's meant to be occupied when there's nowhere else for the Maidens to go. There's no telling how long they would have to spend in here. Even if this place has a lot too it, there's still only so much."

"And just think about the commute," added Ruby. "Forget getting across the Vault, that elevator ride takes forever."

"Too bad," said Yang. "This place is seriously nice."

"I'm glad you feel that way," said Ozpin as he ambled into the room. "We don't wish anyone who might need this place to have to suffer in discomfort."

"Professor," said Ayumu, nodding towards him, "we made extra for you and Professor Goodwitch, if you like."

"Thank you," said Ozpin, taking a seat at the table and taking some food for himself. "I must admit that I've been feeling peckish after this ordeal."

"Where's Professor Goodwitch?" asked Yang.

"Seeing to Amber's comfort," said Ozpin. "She may have just woken up from a coma, but she could use some proper rest now. Speaking of her comfort..."

"We used the kitchen's pressure cooker to prepare some broth for her," said Ayumu. "It's the best thing for someone who hasn't eaten in a long time."

"There's a rice cooker too," added Ren. "Some rice porridge is a good source of sustenance, once she's ready to move on to solids."

"Thank you," said Ozpin, nodding at them. "I'm glad you're all so attentive."

"Amber...how is she?" asked Ruby.

"Still weak," said Ozpin, "but already gaining strength. If anything, her recovery appears to be accelerating, thanks to the increased flow of Aura, which I believe we have you to thank for, Ms. Rose."

Ruby blushed and looked down at the table.

"She will need a few weeks of physical therapy to recover from the atrophy caused by her coma," continued Ozpin. "All told, we expect her to make a full and swift recovery. However, that is only on the physical front. Her other condition...is much harder to gauge."

"You mean the Fall Maiden power?" asked Blake.

Ozpin nodded.

"I think...I think she's still going to lose it...at this rate, anyway," said Ruby after a moment's hesitation.

Ozpin looked at her intently. "What makes you say that, Ms. Rose."

"I felt it when I was coming back out of her soul," said Ruby, her gaze growing distant. "That pulling feeling was still there. I think the lost part of Amber's power is pulling at the part that's still in her. But now, the part that's in her is beginning to pull away."

"So...you are suggesting that the magic will separate from her on its own and rejoin its lost portion?" posed Ozpin.

Ruby nodded.

"Do you have any notion of how long that might take?" he pressed.

"I'm...I'm not sure," said Ruby. "I lost all sense of time in there...so I can't really to say."

"I might hazard a guess," said Ayumu carefully.

"What is it?" asked Ozpin.

"Her power is essentially magic," said Ayumu. "I'm guessing that it's no accident that Ms...Akiyama, was it?" At Ozpin's nod, he continued. "...that Ms. Akiyama is the Fall Maiden. In fact, the nature of her power may have a tangible connection with the season itself."

"So, how does that work?" asked Gin.

"We're approaching the end of summer," said Ayumu. "My guess is that Ms. Akiyama's power will reach the critical point at the critical point of the fall season."

"The autumnal equinox," said Gin.

"That's not long after the Vytal Fesitval," noted Blake. "That doesn't give us a lot of time."

"It's also a fair bit of time to work with, for our purposes," said Ayumu, his eyes going back to Ozpin. "I'm assuming that transferring her Aura into Ms. Yang, as you were originally planning, is out now."

"Quite," agreed Ozpin. "It's not a matter of uncertainty over her condition. When we came to that conclusion, we were all but certain of Amber's impending death. Now that it is no longer an issue..."

"But letting the person who did this to her get her hands on the rest of the Fall Maiden's power is still a bad idea," said Jaune.

"Very true," agreed Ozpin.

"That only really leaves us with one main option," said Gin, a strange finality to his tone that made a shiver go down Ruby's spine. "We should find this woman...and kill her."

A deathly silence fell over the group, all eyes going to Gin.

"You can't be serious!" protested Blake. "You can't just...kill someone."

"It's actually very simple," said Ayumu, who, in the strangest of turns, was no longer smiling.

"Are you okay?" asked Nora, meaning to ask more quietly, but, in her natural manner, failing to keep it low enough that everyone else at the table couldn't hear her.

"Yes, I'm fine," said Ayumu, his smile returning.

"You weren't a second ago," said Nora. The others nodded in understanding. Even when he'd been at his most outraged with General Ironwood, Ayumu's smile had never once vanished.

"That's the trouble with habit," said Ayumu. "The more tense or upset I am, the more inclined I am to smile. I was forcing myself not to, because I didn't want to give the sense that I wasn't taking this matter seriously."

"It's okay," said Jaune. "We understand."

"Thank you," said Ayumu. "In any case, back to the original matter..."

"You don't really think we should kill this woman, do you?" asked Yang.

"I don't see any other alternative that ends well for us," said Gin frankly. "If we leave her alive, then, sooner or later, the rest of Amber's power will go to her. If she becomes the Fall Maiden...if that power really is as important and dangerous as the Professors make it sound...it'll probably make everything that's happened, or almost happened so far, look like child's play." He looked to Ozpin. "Am I right?"

"You are," said Ozpin gravely. "There is no question that this woman, to say nothing of her mistress, intend to inflict death and destruction on an unprecedented scale, something they intend to use the powers of the Fall Maiden for. However, the Maiden's power itself is only the beginning of the problem."

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.

"There are many legends in the world," said Ozpin. "There are stories that go back beyond the reach of known history. The Maidens are one example. Your Silver Eyes hail from even older lore. However, beyond that, there is a story about the origins of this world and two brothers."

The others leaned in, uncertain of what Ozpin was getting at.

"Once, long ago, there were two brothers, two gods. One, the eldest, was the brother of light, who represented the powers of creation. The other brother represented darkness and the powers of destruction. For eras untold, the two opposed one another. What the older brother created, his younger brother would try to destroy. The cycle went on endlessly, until the older brother came to the conclusion that conflict between them was futile. Instead, he went to his younger brother and, in order to reconcile, suggested that they collaborate on one last creation, one that would embody the best aspects of both of them.

"So they did...and humanity was born, possessing the four aspects of the power of the two brothers, Creation, Destruction, Knowledge, and Choice. Their creation complete, the brothers withdrew from the world forever more."

"Uh...was there a point to this?" asked Jaune. "I mean...it's a cool story and all, but..."

Ozpin nodded. "To an extent, we know this story is true because the brothers did not leave humanity behind on their own. They left powerful artifacts, Relics, which embody the four powers they gave to mankind. These Relics, representing those powers; Creation, Destruction, Knowledge, and Choice; were separated and hidden...hidden at each of the four Academies."

"So...one of these Relics is here," said Ruby, her eyes widening.

"Indeed," said Ozpin. "If someone were to assemble all four of the Relics, they would gain unprecedented power."

"Sounds like the kind of thing Master Yu would turn his nose up at," said Gin with a wry smirk, while Ayumu chuckled.

"Indeed he did," conceded Ozpin. "And...his assessment may not be far from the truth of the matter. But, for us, it matters little. The issue is that, besides being a potent force in their own right, the power of each Maiden is also a key to open the chamber of a particular Relic."

"And I'm guessing the Fall Maiden's power is what they'd use to get at the Relic here," said Gin.

"Correct," said Ozpin. "That being the case, seizing the Maiden's power is far from our enemy's only goal in this conflict. If they manage to obtain the Relic, then Salem will also gain terrifying power." He looked down at the table. "And, unfortunately, the only way to ensure that this is stopped...for now...is to eliminate the one who has stolen Amber's power."

"You're...asking us to kill someone?" asked Jaune, sounding like he was going to be sick.

"No," said Ozpin, shaking his head slowly. "I could never ask that of you, especially not after all that you've already done...especially you, Ms. Rose. I can't even begin to thank you for what you've done. You took a situation that we saw as hopeless, and made what could only be called a miracle occur. Of all the things we considered, all the possibilities we entertained, what you've accomplished goes far beyond my highest hopes."

Ruby's cheeks reddened a little at Ozpin's praised, but her expression remained pensive and she stared at her plate.

Gin glanced sidelong at her, but said nothing, merely sliding his hand to rest over hers.

"Ruby...is something wrong?" asked Blake.

"...not enough," said Ruby, having muttered most of what she'd said inaudibly, the last two words barely heard by the others.

"What?" asked Yang.

"It's not enough," said Ruby, looking up at them, her silver eyes grave. "I...I can't accept it. Now that we know all of this, we can't just walk away. I...I can't just leave things like that."

"What are you saying, Ms. Rose?" asked Ozpin sounding genuinely confused.

"I...I don't want to kill her, if I don't have to," said Ruby. "I didn't want to become a Huntress to kill people. I want to fight the Grimm, to protect people. But...someone is threatening people, threatening the people I want to protect. We need to stop her. If killing her really is the only way…"

"I'd say it's never the only way," said Gin, his words surprising everyone, even Ruby.

"You? Of all people, you'd say that?" asked Ren, not sounding angry, just confused.

"Who better?" said Gin. "I never killed because it was necessary. I killed because I could. I killed for any number of reasons, but they were merely excuses. None of the people I killed died because they _had_ to, because their deaths were actually necessary. I realized that a long time ago."

"Gin..." said Ruby, her voice barely a whisper. Gin hid it well, but she could sense the bitter guilt in his voice, speaking of actions he regretted, but couldn't take back, no matter how much he wished he could. However, she could also hear his resolve, his acceptance. He couldn't change the past. All he could do was accept it and move forward. That was all any of them could do.

"Killing this woman isn't necessary," said Gin, meeting her eyes. "It never will be. It's simply the most convenient solution, the one that will solve the most problems for us. If you understand that...and still decide to kill her, then..."

Ruby swallowed. She realized what Gin was getting at. Regardless of how detestable the person she killed might be, however many people, now and in the future, she saved with that action, it wouldn't change the fact that it was murder, a deliberate choice to end a life.

"It's easy for people to say that they'll kill only when necessary." The voice was Glynda's, her entrance in the room hardly making an impact, though her words certainly made them feel more pensive. "But, in the end, it's an excuse, an out. The more you indulge it, the easier it becomes to fall back on, the easier it becomes to find the necessity in terrible acts. Many of us have fallen into that trap before."

"Have you killed before, Professor?" asked Nora, the question surprising everyone.

Glynda stared at Nora, their eyes meeting for a long moment before Glynda's closed and she lowered her face. "Yes," she said. "And...I have used those excuses before in the past. It takes true resolve to declare that you won't kill anyone at all. It means holding to that decision, even if you face death or failure. That is not something just anyone can manage."

Ruby swallowed and looked down. "I wish this was some kind of fairy tale, where the hero stays pure and perfect and never does the wrong thing, or where all the bad guys are just inhuman monsters. That would be easy. But the real world isn't that nice."

"Ruby," whispered Blake, remembering how she had once said something similar to Ruby the very first time they had exchanged words, back on that night before the initiation.

"We...we can't let that woman have that kind of power," said Ruby. "If I find her...I'll be fighting to kill her. She'll probably do the same. I won't do it because I think I have to. I'll do it because I choose to, because it's the best way I can think of to protect the people I care about. All I know is that, if I hesitate and worry about finding a better way, then I won't save anybody."

"My father used to say something like that," said Ren softly, surprising everyone. He'd never mentioned much about his family before. "Sometimes the worst action you can take is no action at all."

Ruby nodded her agreement.

"You are very young to sound so very old, Ms. Rose," observed Ozpin gravely. "But, given all that you have been through, I am not so surprised."

"She even prepared her weapon with that possibility in mind," observed Ayumu. "If that's the case, we'll do what we can to help you. We won't let you bear that burden alone."

Gin squeezed her hand again, not needing to say anything.

"I'm in," said Yang firmly. "If Ruby's going to go through with this, I won't let her go ahead alone either."

"My hands are already plenty dirty," said Blake. "I may not have killed anyone myself, but people have died as a consequence of my actions, however indirectly, because of the things I did with the White Fang."

Ruby looked over at Jaune, Ren, and Nora. Ayumu aside, Team JNAR had no reason to follow her through this. They'd done more than enough.

"I'm with you too," said Jaune, giving Ruby a warm, caring smile.

"We've been through too much together to back out now," said Ren.

"That's right," declared Nora.

Ozpin smiled and chuckled. "You are all so very strong. It was right to entrust you with this knowledge. I...I'm grateful."

A silence settled over the table for a long moment, before Ayumu spoke up again. "Well...that conversation certainly killed the mood."

"You think?" Jaune deadpanned rhetorically.

"Professor?" asked Ruby timidly, looking at Ozpin.

"Yes?" inquired Ozpin.

"Amber...can I see her?"

"Glynda?" Ozpin turned to his deputy, who mulled over the information.

"Amber is resting, though conscious," said Glynda. "Having just been comatose, she isn't quite comfortable falling asleep just yet. If anything, having someone to talk to might put her at ease. I put her in one of the bedrooms. You shouldn't have too hard a time finding it."

Ozpin turned to look at Ruby again. "Then I see no issues with you visiting her, Ms. Rose."

"Thank you," said Ruby, getting up from her seat.

Gin got up and followed her, at a distance. Yang moved to join them, but was forestalled by Ayumu, who held up a hand. "We don't want to crowd Ms. Akiyama," he said politely. "More to the point, Gin will probably hang back so that Ruby can talk to her alone."

"Then why did he go at all?" asked Jaune.

"Because, even if they can't see or hear each other, they need that sense of nearness for now," said Ayumu.

The others frowned, wondering what Ayumu was talking about.

* * *

Ruby found the bedroom Amber was in without much trouble. The lights had been dimmed, but not turned off completely. Apparently, Amber wasn't comfortable in the darkness yet. Ruby wondered if she'd ever be, after what she'd been through. She lightly tapped her knuckles against the door as she opened it, leaning around to look through it. "C-can I come in?" she asked.

Laying on her bed, Amber slowly turned to Ruby and her lips turned up in a gentle smile. "Of course," she said, her voice sounding somewhat hoarse, reminding Ruby of how she'd sounded when she'd first woken up after her own ordeal. "I could use the company."

Ruby nodded and entered the room, taking it in. It was rather nicely appointed, reminding her of her team's dorm room back above, albeit without the more personal touches she and her teammates had added to their room. There was a desk with a chair in one corner. Ruby took the chair, setting it next to the end-table set up beside Amber's bed. Ruby noticed that the small table had a pitcher of water and a glass on it. "Would you like some water?" she asked, remembering how thirsty she'd been after waking up.

"Sure," said Amber weakly shifting her body so that she could sit up. Ruby quickly moved to help her, shifting the pillows so that Amber was reclining, rather than laying down.

After that, Ruby filled the cup, then held it out, uncertain if she should just give it to Amber or hold it up to her lips the way Gin had done for her when she'd first awakened. She imagined that, after months of disuse, Amber's limbs were probably a little unfamiliar with motion.

But Amber took the glass in a grip that was surprisingly firm, though it trembled a little. She took it and sipped from it, before lowering it so that it rested on her lap while she looked at Ruby with a careful gaze. Ruby was uncertain what to say, staring back.

"It's you," said Amber finally.

"What?" blurted Ruby.

"You were the one inside of me," said Amber, before blinking. "That...doesn't sound quite right, but it's the closest I can come to describing it. You were the one who brought me back."

"I..." Ruby struggled to figure out what to say. She hadn't been sure why she'd wanted to see Amber, to speak to her. "I...I'm sorry."

"For what?" asked Amber.

"I...I went into your soul," said Ruby, the words tumbling out of her mouth more easily now that she realized what she wanted to say. "I...I went inside of you without asking permission. I...I _violated_ you."

"No," said Amber firmly. "You didn't. You'd never violate me...or anyone...like that. I remember it, now that I think about it. There was no malice, no selfishness. You only wanted to help. That's what probably allowed you to help me in the first place. If you hadn't, you would have probably hurt me instead."

"But...still...it was a really risky thing to do," said Ruby.

"Seeing as I'm here and I can talk to you because of that risk, I'm glad you took it," said Amber. "The truth is, I know what it's like to be violated."

"You do?" asked Ruby.

Amber's gaze hardened. "Yes," she said. "After all, the one who did this to me..." One hand rose up to trace the weblike scar running across her face. "...she violated me. I could see it in her eyes. They..." Amber shuddered and looked away.

"You don't have to talk about it if it upsets you," said Ruby. She didn't want to pry into Amber's past, not if Amber wasn't ready for it.

Granted, there was a great deal they could learn from her, the description of her attackers for one thing. If they could get that from her, then they could identify the woman who'd stolen her power and begin the process of getting it back. But, right now, Amber had to recover, that was the main priority. Ruby didn't want to hurt her again, not after just saving her.

"...it's okay," said Amber. "I wish I could tell you what she looked like, what the others looked like."

"Others?" Ruby's eyes widened.

Amber nodded. "There were three of them," she said. "I was...I was tricked. I thought I saw someone who needed help, but it was a trap. I fought...but they cornered me. Their strategy was perfect. Even with my power, they wore me down, kept me off-balance, overwhelmed me. But...when I try to think of their faces, my memory gets...hazy."

Ruby sympathized. Her own amnesia had been much more comprehensive, but she could see Amber's mind subconsciously shutting out the image of the people who'd hurt her so badly, so terribly.

"But...I remember the eyes of that woman," said Amber. "They beat me down, left me helpless, then she...she looked down on me and I realized what she was planning on doing, though I'm not sure how I knew. I was afraid. I showed it. I asked her not to do it. But she smiled. She enjoyed me being afraid. She liked it. I know I'd never met her before, but she wanted me to suffer, because it gave her pleasure. That's how she violated me. You...what you did can't even come close to that."

"Thank you," said Ruby.

"I should be saying that," said Amber with a throaty giggle, pausing to take another sip of her water. "I...I wish I could describe them, point them out, but..." She frowned, looking ahead and out into space. "Maybe if I saw them or their faces again, I could pick them out."

"We can worry about that later," said Ruby.

Amber nodded. "Ozpin said I'll need to stay down here for a while, at least until I recover."

"It's for the best," said Ruby with a nod, already seeing the sense in that.

In her weakened state, Amber moving about in the open was just begging for the enemy to find her and finish the job, especially when she only had only a portion of the Fall Maiden's power remaining with her. She needed to stay in the Vault, where it was at least marginally secure, until she was able to fend for herself again.

Amber blinked, staring at Ruby for a second. "I just realized...I don't know your name."

"It's Ruby," said Ruby with a happy smile, "Ruby Rose."

"Rose..." Amber blinked again, then her eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly. "Are you...Summer's daughter?"

"You knew my mom?" asked Ruby, a thrill of excitement running through her.

"I met her during the really early phases of my training, before I entered Beacon," Amber explained. "Ozpin introduced her to me. I got to train with her a little. She was so very warm and kind." She looked down. "I'm sorry she's gone."

"I am too," said Ruby. "I...I was so young when it happened, so I don't have a lot of memories of her. It hurt, but Dad and Yang had it harder than me. I wish I could have known her better."

"Well...now that I know, I see a lot of you in her," said Amber, reaching out and brushing a finger against Ruby's cheek. "And I think you're a lot like her, maybe even more. I knew that Summer was a wonderful person...but I feel that you might be even better than her."

Ruby didn't know what to say to that, her cheeks flushing bright-red. "Th-thank you," she said, averting her eyes. "S-so, you went to Beacon?"

Amber nodded. "That wasn't the plan originally. I come from a small settlement over in Mistral. I'm the daughter of a cobbler. I was going to grow up learning how to make shoes of all things."

Ruby giggled. "That's fine. I don't know where any of us would be without the right footwear."

"It's nice of you to say that," said Amber. "Then, one day...when I was about your age...thirteen?"

"Fifteen," said Ruby, feeling a little embarrassed by the implication that she looked younger than she really was.

"Oh...I was thirteen then," amended Amber. "All of a sudden, this orange light came falling out of the sky and landed right on me. I felt this power flood through me. I didn't know what it was or where it came from. All I knew was that I had a choice, I could accept it, or I could reject it and it would move on."

"So you accepted it?" asked Ruby.

Amber nodded. "It felt amazing, like nothing I'd ever experienced. All I knew was that, after the power came, I wasn't an ordinary person anymore. I started to experiment with it, testing how it worked. Its arrival somehow unlocked my Aura, so my parents assumed that it was my Semblance at work. They contacted Haven to have someone come out an examine me. A man named Leo Lionheart showed up and examined me. He was the one who realized what I really was and explained it to me. He told me about my power, about the Maidens. Then he told me that there was an opening at Beacon, that I could attend, learn how to master my powers, become a Huntress, use those powers to help other people."

"Beacon? Not Haven?" Ruby tilted her head in confusion.

"I didn't really understand either," said Amber. "I still accepted. It wasn't until I got to Beacon that I learned about the Relics. Haven already had the Spring Maiden attached to them, and my power was the key to Beacon's Relic chamber.

"I didn't really mind in the end. Since I was thirteen, I spent the next few years taking a crash course in combat and Dust usage."

"Even though you're a Maiden?" asked Ruby. "But what about your powers?"

"Ozpin taught me to be discreet with them," said Amber. "I can't let people know I'm a Maiden, so it's best if they operate under the assumption that what I do comes from Dust, rather than my magic. So I had to know how to use Dust too, and only use my magic when I had no other option."

"So you're a Huntress and a Maiden?" asked Ruby, leaning forward.

"Yes," said Amber. "Going through Beacon was a good way to hone my basic combat and Dust skills. It also allowed me to practice hiding my magic. I had to go through Beacon without anyone knowing, not even my own teammates."

"Your teammates..." said Ruby, her tone a little worried.

"We went our separate ways after graduation," said Amber. "We weren't particularly close, even after four years." She sighed and looked down. "Maybe part of that distance came from the fact I was keeping such an important secret from them...I don't know."

"What happened after that?" asked Ruby, her tone getting excited as she leaned forward a little. "You must have had some incredible adventures."

Amber sighed. "Not for a while," she said. "After I graduated from Beacon, Ozpin sidelined me for...more training."

"More training?" Ruby's eyebrows went up.

Amber nodded. "The years leading up to and through Beacon were about learning to make due without my magic, if I could avoid it. What came after was training me in _how_ to use my magic."

"That sounds amazing!" exclaimed Ruby.

Amber let out a rueful laugh. "It was actually pretty stifling," she said, a dark look passing over her face. "I was forced to train in secret, keeping hidden, rarely ever engaging with other people. More than anything, I wanted to get away from Ozpin, his people, and their constant 'protection.'" Amber sighed. "I guess that came to bite me in the ass. I suppose I left before I was really ready. I'm surprised they even let me go, considering..." She stared down at her sheets. "I was free and out in the world, ready to finally start living my life, using my powers and skills to help people. But...I didn't get to do it for very long before...well...this happened."

"Oh..." said Ruby. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything wrong," said Amber. Her eyelids were beginning to sag a little. "I'm sorry," she said. "I think I'm finally ready to get some sleep. Thank you for keeping me company."

"You're welcome," said Ruby. She fidgeted nervously. "Um...can I...can I...uh..."

"What is it?" pressed Amber.

"Can I talk to you again sometime?" asked Ruby, looking up at Amber again.

"I'd like that," said Amber, settling herself back down into the bed.

"All right," said Ruby, getting up and heading to the door. She turned the lights back down then, at Amber's nod confirming it was all right, she turned them off and left the Maiden to sleep.

* * *

 **It's a bit...tricky...figuring Amber's age. About the only hint we get about it from Qrow is the statement that she was "young and inexperienced." What that means, exactly, could be open to interpretation, particularly since the lore of the show itself has established that eligibility to receive the Maiden's powers doesn't expire until some time in the early-thirties (clearly a loophole meant to explain how Raven could have become the Spring Maiden). In this case, I chose to portray Amber as someone trained as, and mainly masquerading as, a Huntress. Granted, considering the time-periods involved, that is stretching it a little, considering that only puts her a few years behind the likes of Qrow and Taiyang.**

 **Of course, and now we see the crux of what Yu has been guiding his students towards. What this means for them...well, we'll see in the future.**

* * *

 **Edit note: So, not long after this chapter went live, a reviewer pointed out some very serious timeline issues with Amber's story that really don't line up, whether with canon or with the way things work in this story. Reflecting on this, I decided to adjust her timeline considerably in order for it to make more sense. Hopefully this will work better.**


	70. Chapter 70

**Chapter 70:**

"You waited for me," said Ruby, stepping out into the hallway to find Gin.

"Of course I did," said Gin with a small smirk as he stepped away from the wall. "It sounds like you made a friend."

"I didn't mean to," said Ruby, looking down. "I just wanted to make sure she was all right, that she didn't...that she wasn't upset with me, because I was inside her soul."

"You say that like there's some kind of mistake in you hitting it off with her," commented Gin. "I didn't mean to fall in love with you. Do you think I made a mistake?"

" _Never_ ," said Ruby, surprised by the conviction in her own voice.

"You didn't either," said Gin. "You don't need to make excuses."

"Indeed not," said Ozpin, almost seeming to appear before them like a phantom.

"Ah! Professor!" Ruby jumped, startled by his sudden appearance. Even Gin seemed surprised.

"I'm grateful that you've managed to connect with Amber,' said Ozpin. "Although, I imagine you two are quite well-connected already."

Ruby flushed, her mind going back to what she had done. Even if Amber had said it was okay, Ruby couldn't help but be unsettled by the idea that she had delved into another person's soul. To her, it seemed an act of intimacy beyond even what sex could achieve, entering into the core of a person's very being, touching the very essence of what comprised a person's Self. Ruby had even manipulated it to a certain extent.

Another part of her mind was still preoccupied by the wonder of what she had experienced, that sense of infinity that resided just on the other side of the wellspring, the point where a person's soul entered into the physical world as Aura. _Is my soul like that? Is everyone's soul? Does that mean that, if I open the wellspring inside of me wide enough, I could tap into that power? Can Master Yu do that?_

"It seems that this has been quite the experience for you, Ms. Rose," observed Ozpin. "What you have accomplished is beyond even my full understanding. Your Master could probably advise you, when he returns, although he will likely make you find your own answers."

"Probably," grumbled Ruby.

"In any case, it is time for you and the others to return," said Ozpin. "It's getting late, and you still have homework to do, unless I'm mistaken."

Ruby gagged hesitantly.

"As much as I would like to assist you in that respect, if we wish to preserve the secrecy of this place, we can't attract attention to unusual affairs." Ozpin shook his head slowly. "If I helped you by, say, asking the teachers to waive your missing homework, it might attract attention from the other students. It is best that you do your utmost to retain the appearance of normal students as much as possible."

Though it irked her, Ruby noted that Ozpin was right and nodded in agreement. Just as he had trusted her to get back up to speed to make up for the months of class she'd missed during her sojourn, he also trusted her and the others to maintain the front of normal students, despite the weighty matters they'd been entrusted with.

Ruby and Gin walked past Ozpin, heading to the living room, where their friends no doubt waited for them. Ruby paused briefly, turning to face Ozpin.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Can I...can I see Amber again?" asked Ruby.

"The secrecy of the Vault, and what lies within it, is of paramount importance," said Ozpin, adjusting his spectacles. "I cannot have a student, even one such as you, visiting it as a casual affair."

Ruby's face fell.

"However," continued Ozpin, "it will do Amber's recovery no good to completely cut her off from all human contact, particularly from one with whom she appears to have forged such a strong connection. Glynda and I will make arrangements to provide opportunities for you to visit. They will not be regular occurrences, nor will they be frequent. They might even come at times that you find difficult or inconvenient; late at night or early in the morning, for example. It is up to you whether or not to make use of those opportunities."

"I understand," said Ruby. "Thank you."

"At this juncture, I am the one who must thank you, profusely and often," said Ozpin. "I'm afraid that there's no reward I could appropriately provide that would match what you've accomplished."

"It's okay," said Ruby. "I didn't do this for the reward."

Ozpin nodded.

She and Gin returned to the living room, where their friends and Glynda waited. Normally, Ruby would have expected Glynda to be acting somewhat impatient, not wanting students to tarry in this place any longer than necessary, particularly when they had homework to do. However, she smiled gently at Ruby the second they entered.

"Ready to go, Sis?" asked Yang, standing up from where she'd been lounging on a couch and stretching.

"Yep," said Ruby, "though I'm not looking forward to how late we'll be up doing homework."

"I have faith that you'll manage it," said Glynda with a soft chuckle that seemed so uncharacteristic, coming from her. "Let's return."

"Uh...What about the General?" asked Ayumu.

"I shall make arrangements to procure a replacement for the neurotransmitter that you damaged," said Glynda. "In the meantime, I believe it will do James some good to indulge in some self-reflection, though I imagine he's probably spending more time stewing in his anger, if I know him."

Gin let out a slow breath. "He's one of those people, huh?"

"It is important that figures in positions of such authority show a face of confidence in their own decisions, however much they may agonize over the choices they must make in private," said Glynda. "However, some people, like James, allow that air of confidence to leak in and actively color their own attitudes. They gradually lose sight of the ability and the need to question their own decisions. Hopefully, your actions today, and the results of them, will serve as a reminder of that."

They made their way back through the Vault and to the elevator. With just Glynda accompanying them, there was enough room in the elevator for all of them to take the ride up. Checking her scroll during the ride, Ruby blanched when she realized the time. At this rate, they would be up well past their bedtime, working on their homework. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

"Hmm...how interesting," mused Watts, rubbing his chin as he examined the information on his scroll.

"What is it?" asked Pyrrha, lowering her weapon. Sweat shined against her skin, making it glisten in the light from the moon. She was finally decked out in the clothes that made her the most comfortable, a replica of her old outfit, which had been confiscated after her arrest. Likewise, Watts' had also fashioned perfect replacements of the weapons that had been destroyed by Ruby. Pyrrha wielded Milo and Akouo once more.

"It seems that Ms. Rose and her associates, including your old team, spent most of the afternoon and evening ensconced with Ozpin in his office," said Watts, his hand transitioning to absently toy with his mustache. "What they could be discussing that would occupy them for such an extended period of time...the options are intriguing, especially when one considers that General Ironwood joined them shortly thereafter."

Pyrrha frowned darkly. Ruby Rose...just hearing that name irked her. It irked her all the more because it seemed that everyone important around her seemed to obsess over the little brat. Pyrrha hadn't minded much originally, not until Ruby had started trying to steal Jaune away from her. Even if he hadn't been interested in her romantically, Jaune couldn't ever seem to stop talking about how much he admired Ruby and her dedication to being a Huntress, even after Ruby had supposedly been killed.

And that was only the beginning. As Ruby's older sister, it wasn't much of a surprise that Yang obsessed over Ruby's wellbeing constantly. Even Weiss had been obsessed with Ruby, albeit, obsessed with the idea that Ruby had stolen what rightfully belonged to her. Professor Ozpin appeared to think she could do no wrong, having allowed Ruby to attend Beacon two years early in the first place and, now, apparently holding special and important meetings with her and the others.

And now, Pyrrha realized that obsession seemed to extend even to those who were supposed to be the villains of this affair. Watts watched the moves of Ruby and her friends, Pyrrha's former friends, attentively. His master apparently had a vested interest in Ruby as well, wanting her captured, rather than killed. It seemed that, no matter where Pyrrha went, the specter of Ruby Rose was destined to loom over her perpetually.

 _I'm sick of her,_ thought Pyrrha. She remembered Watts' assurance that what awaited Ruby after her capture was a fate worse than death. Pyrrha wondered if even that was enough now.

She kept this to herself, leaving Watts to his own private deliberations. Pyrrha returned her focus to her training. Whatever else, she needed to be ready to face Ruby, the next time they met. It had been years, since before her first tournament, that anyone had ever gotten the better of Pyrrha Nikos in the ring. She'd be damned if she let the same person manage it again.

* * *

"You okay?" asked Gin quietly.

Ruby nodded and pressed her face against Gin's shoulder. After scrambling to finish their homework done in enough time to at least get some sleep, RUBY and JNAR had retired to their rooms for the night. Instead of spooning herself against Gin like she normally did, Ruby instead turned around and was clinging tightly to him. More than that, her eyes would close, but, even with Gin's reassuringly cool touch all wrapped around her, she couldn't seem to let go of the waking world.

"I...I can't stop thinking about it," whispered Ruby.

"What?"

"Amber's soul." Ruby shivered at the memory, not certain what emotion it filled her with.

"What was it like?" asked Gin.

"It...it went on forever," Ruby whispered. "Have you ever been on a boat in the ocean?"

"A couple times," said Gin, remembering the occasion he and Ayumu had taken a ship across the sea to traverse from Anima to Sanus.

"You know how, when you get over deep enough water and you can't see the bottom," began Ruby, "and it's nothing but blue, all the way down..."

Gin nodded slowly. "Yeah."

"It was like that," said Ruby. "Only, I was in the water. It was the light of Amber's soul, going on forever and ever. I wasn't even sure where I'd come from." Since they were talking about Aura, it wasn't as though she could apply directions in the sense that they did from the physical world. Ruby wasn't even sure that the wellspring she'd entered Amber's soul through even corresponded to a specific point in Amber's body.

She pressed on. "It felt so...overwhelming. I almost forgot why I was there. I wasn't sure how to get back. If you hadn't helped me, I might've been swallowed by it."

"I see," said Gin, tightening his arms around Ruby. "But that's not what's keeping you awake, is it?"

"It is, but it isn't," said Ruby. "Ever since then, I've been wondering...are all souls like that? Is your soul like that? Is mine? If our souls are like that, then what we're learning..." She shuddered in both fear and excitement at the prospect of the potentially unlimited power she might be able to tap, if she could access the full extent of her own soul.

"Well, that would certainly explain why Master Yu is so strong," mused Gin.

Ruby shuddered again, feeling a chill that had nothing to do with Gin's touch go down her spine. Imagining someone like Yu Yuen having that unlimited infinity at his disposal was a terrifying proposition...and he wanted them to fight him one day.

Deciding not to torment herself with such frightening thoughts, Ruby's mind turned back to the memory of Amber's soul. "It was so...beautiful." Ruby sniffed. "Just thinking about it makes me tear up. I...Do you think my soul could be that beautiful?"

"Not to talk down about Amber and, I'll admit, I may be biased," said Gin, "but I think your soul is probably even _more_ beautiful."

"You're just saying that," said Ruby, though she couldn't help but smile as her cheeks heated up. She pressed tighter against Gin to cool herself back down.

"Maybe," said Gin, tilting his head to kiss the top of her own. "But that's what I believe."

"Thank you," said Ruby with a soft giggle.

She allowed herself to sink into Gin's embrace, feeling his presence wrap around her, seeming to drain away her anxiety and worry. Even then, where it normally soothed her, Ruby couldn't help but notice that her heart was starting to beat faster. This cool sensation, the presence that had touched her, back when she'd been on the verge of losing herself altogether in the vast endlessness of Amber's soul, it had given her an anchor, a point of reference, something she could follow back home.

 _He's my anchor..._ The thoughts resonated through Ruby. When she had been on the edge of death, thanks to Weiss and Pyrrha's betrayal, it had been Gin who'd called her back and treated her wounds. Every time she'd ended up in a funk or distraught, he was the first to hold out a hand to her, for comfort or whatever else she needed. And now...

Despite Gin's touch, Ruby's cheeks began to heat up again. If anything, they were starting to redden because of his touch. _What's wrong with me?_

Needless to say, sleep was long in coming that night.

* * *

"Soooo tired," groaned Nora, slumping forward onto the table, barely able to find the energy to pick at her food.

"Eat," urged Ren. "It will help build up your energy."

"Come on, guys," urged Jaune, looking quite tired himself. "We're almost through the day."

"How come you look just fine?" growled Nora, glaring at Ayumu, who laughed quietly.

"Well, Master Yu did train us for endurance, even the possibility of going multiple days without sleep," said Ayumu.

"Even without his training, when you're wandering the wilderness and Grimm can, and do, attack at any time. You'd be amazed how little a Beowolf cares about you getting your eight hours," said Gin. Both he and Ayumu looked considerably more at ease than the rest of them, lacking the drooping eyelids of their friends.

"It's a skill that takes time to acquire," said Ayumu. "To an extent, it becomes less like sleep and more like a form of extended meditation. There are apparently some people out there who can rest for a mere two hours with the same benefits most would reap from a full eight."

"Needless to say, we're under the impression that Master Yu doesn't sleep at all," added Gin.

"Good for you," growled Yang, glaring dourly at Ruby's boyfriend.

"You okay?" asked Blake, noticing that Ruby had been strangely quiet since they'd gotten out of class.

"Y-yeah, I'm..." Ruby's response was interrupted by a deep yawn. "...fine," she finished, before beginning to pick at her food.

Gin glanced at her and reached over, his fingers brushing over the top of her knuckles. Ruby squeaked softly, glancing Gin's way, flinching sharply at the contact. Her cheeks turned bright red and she glanced at him only briefly before looking away.

Gin blinked, confused by her reaction. It was characteristic of how Ruby had been behaving around him throughout the day. Gin had grown used to casual gestures of affection shared between them, holding hands, hugging one another from behind, resting his hand against her forehead to help put her at ease. But now...Ruby seemed to be _avoiding_ contact with him for some reason.

He wasn't the only one who'd noticed Ruby's odd behavior. It hadn't taken long for Yang to pick up on the unusual change in how Ruby reacted to her boyfriend. Blake had picked up on it soon after. Naturally, Team JNAR had noticed it fairly quickly, once they'd met for the day. It was confusing. Gin and Ruby had seemed so at ease with their relationship that this sudden change was quite jarring. As far as they could tell, Ruby didn't seem upset or angry with Gin or anything Gin might have done.

Seeing Ruby's cheeks flush yet again, Yang found a smirk forming on her face as she watched the pair. Seeing Gin begin to reach out towards Ruby again, Yang rested a hand on his shoulder, holding him back slightly. "Give her some space for a little bit," she said. "She went through a lot yesterday."

Gin blinked, giving Yang a confused look. She understood. After getting settled with the idea of her little sister having a boyfriend, and a pretty serious one at that, it hadn't been hard to pick up on their habits; the way Ruby turned to Gin and used contact with him to settle and calm herself. If something upset her, then she generally went to Gin, not _away_ from him.

Still, Gin conceded the point to Yang and nodded slowly. Given what Ruby had said about contact with Amber's soul, he imagined that she was still processing it at all, not realizing what Yang really meant by that remark.

"Well, you guys certainly look like you got put through the wringer," observed a familiar young woman sauntering towards their table.

"Hey, Coco," said Yang with a tired wave as Coco Adel and the rest of her team approached the table.

"You look exhausted," added Velvet.

"It was just...a late night," said Ruby. "We went to a movie." That was the excuse the eight of them had settled on to explain the reason for their fatigue to anyone who asked. They couldn't very well say that they'd spent the afternoon and evening learning about magic, Maidens, and plots to destroy Vale after all.

"On a weeknight?" asked Yatsuhashi. "That's rather irresponsible."

Beside him, Fox nodded his agreement.

"Don't we know?" said Jaune wryly, blinking blearily. "We got back later than we thought we would, so it was a bit of a scramble to get our homework done."

"Must've been a helluva movie to be worth this kinda blowback," observed Coco.

"It was a special showing of _The Hidden Arts_ ," said Ren. "Blake was quite keen on going, and the rest of us went along."

Ren and Blake, being the diligent people they were, had looked for exactly the kind of event that would explain their late night, picking one that was plausible and also served as an explanation for why they'd go so far as to spend a weekday evening out in Vale, rather than at school. The movie was a dramatization the of artists of Mantle working, while struggling to hide from the King's oppressive regime prior to the Great War.

"Oh, I heard about that," said Velvet. "I thought it was too bad that it was happening on a weeknight. I would have loved to go myself."

"Too bad," said Coco. "We've got to set a good example for our underclassmen after all. Of course, I suppose you guys are getting a taste of the consequences first-hand."

"You could say that," said Blake wryly.

CFVY took seats at the table. "You're lucky though," said Velvet. "This afternoon is Port's class."

"Otherwise known as nap-time," added Coco with a grin.

That much was true, and it was a rare occasion where the two teams were looking forward to the portly teacher's long, winding, tranquilizing lecture. In all the years Port had taught at Beacon and all the students who had passed through his classroom, bets had been repeatedly made regarding just what people could get away with before Port would actually stop his lecture to address the students about misbehavior. The results were...impressive...to say the least. Stories abounded of minor construction and art projects being developed right under the professor's bushy mustache, students holding card and video game tournaments with nary a twitch of Port's eyebrows. The one reported incident that had gotten him to stop his storytelling had been a brawl incited by a couple of students and, even then, Port had misinterpreted the affair by assuming that the defaulters' actions were motivated by enthusiasm, and had immediately volunteered them to fight an elder Creep he'd managed to secure. Compared to all that, sleeping through his class was a breeze, and they wouldn't be the first students to do that.

"Well, in any case, we've got news that might brighten your day," said Coco.

"Really? What?" asked Ruby, blinking furiously.

"A certain Deputy Headmistress...I'm not gonna name any names...might have informed us that everyone in school got a passing grade on their finals, and that our end-of-semester break will be starting three days early," said Coco mischievously.

The first-year students' eyes widened at that news. This was something they'd known already. But the idea of Glynda Goodwitch, of all people, breaking the news ahead of time to even more students either spoke volumes for Team CFVY's trustworthiness (highly-likely) or that Glynda's normally stiff manner and strict adherence to the rules and regulations of the school she oversaw were loosening (considerably less-likely).

"She said you guys already knew, by the way," added Velvet.

"Yeah," agreed Yang. "So...what does that mean, exactly?"

"Well, since only a chosen few know about this little treat," said Coco, "everyone's travel plans for the end of the semester are based around the date finals _end_. It's going to be too late for most of them to make any changes when it's officially announced, so..."

"Professor Goodwitch suggested we organize another event for the students to look forward to while they're here," said Velvet with a smile.

"Namely, another dance," said Coco.

Yang's eyebrow went up. "I'm wondering if Goodwitch suggested that or if you suggested it," she said wryly. It was common knowledge that being forced to miss the dance they'd been planning to organize was a sore point for Team CFVY, Coco in particular, and that she'd been looking for an opportunity to make up for it ever since.

"Well...I might've been dropping hints over the course of the semester," said Coco with mock-evasiveness. "The point is that we've got the go-ahead and that we're gonna hold the next Beacon Ball during the second evening of the exam period."

"Awesome!" said Yang eagerly. Her eyes flicked to Ruby, then to Gin. Suddenly, her lips began to curl back, baring her teeth in a grin that looked almost predatory. "We wouldn't miss it for the world," she said with an eager intensity.

"Sounds like you're game," said Coco with a chuckle. "We heard guys did a decent job with the first one."

"If it means we can have some say in it without having a certain person obsessing over doilies, then I'm all for it," said Blake with a wry smirk of her own.

"We'll have to go to Vale this weekend," said Yang, turning her grin on Ruby directly. "Someone needs a dress."

"Uh...but...um...I..." Ruby sputtered furiously, leaning back away, waving her hands rapidly. "You don't need to. I mean...a dress is...well...it's a really big expense and..."

"You're getting a dress, Ruby," said Yang firmly, her gaze becoming stern. Since she didn't want to undermine her sister's authority as Team Leader and especially since Ruby had matured considerably over the course of her months-long journey back to Vale, Yang rarely broke out her "big sister" face and tone with Ruby anymore. But now she applied it in full force.

"Okay," said Ruby quietly, her face falling as she turned nervously towards the table and fidgeted, tapping her index fingers together shyly.

"Besides," added Nora, picking up Yang's grin and mimicking it impressively, "it's not as though you're going alone. I'm sure there's a certain someone you could be impressing with the right dress."

Ruby squeaked and her face went bright red before she hid it in her hands. Gin raised a hand towards her again, but Yang gently restrained him, meeting his confused look with a slow shake of her head. Then, she turned to Jaune. "I'm sure Jaune here knows how to outfit a certain boy with a suit and make sure he looks handsome."

"Can do," said Jaune. "Of course, Gin won't be the only one," he grinned sidelong at Ayumu, who sat back with an intrigued smile.

"I've never been to a formal dance before," observed Ayumu. "Neither of us have."

"Not surprised," said Blake flatly.

"We've been to a few informal parties in different settlements," observed Gin. "But neither of us know the first thing about dancing."

"I don't either," admitted Ruby.

"Well, luckily, we have a master here to give you a few pointers," said Yang, once again grinning at her boyfriend. "Jaune here can cut the rug like a pro."

"You're not half-bad yourself," Jaune added with a grin of his own.

"We'll work with you guys so that you can do a few rounds on the floor," said Yang. "It'll be fun."

"Maybe we should invite Neptune," said Jaune. "It might save him some embarrassment this time."

"Not likely," said Blake. "Sun said he's as stubborn as a mule about not needing to learn how to dance."

"His loss," said Jaune with a shrug. "My dad always said that if you can cook and you can dance, you'll never have trouble winning over the ladies."

"Your cooking and your dancing are good, but that isn't what won me over," said Yang with a smirk, reaching across the table and tracing a finger over Jaune's knuckles. "But they certainly help, Lover Boy."

"Sounds like you're all set," said Coco. "We're gonna end this semester with a bang."

"I'm all set to end my semester with a-" Yang was abruptly cut off by a grape, courtesy of Nora, bouncing off her forehead.

"Don't do it, Yang," said Jaune in a warning tone.

"Hey!" protested Yang.

"Reusing old material is in poor comedic taste anyway," added Blake sardonically.

"You guys are no fun," grumbled Yang.

"No...you're just no pun," said Nora, her joke undermined by a snort, but managing to garner the amusement of the others at the table, aside from a grumbling Yang, of course.

* * *

"You left me there the entire night," grumbled Ironwood, folding his arms, seeming, at the moment, more like a petulant child than the Commander in Chief of the Atlesian armed forces, and the holder of two of Atlas' Council seats.

"Hopefully it did you good to spend some time reflecting over your actions," said Ozpin.

Glynda scoffed softly from where she stood, behind Ironwood.

"Do you have any idea of the kind of risk Ruby Rose took?" demanded Ironwood. "She could have killed Autumn, right then and there.

"Everything involving Autumn is a risk, James,' said Ozpin, "including our original plan. We had no idea what the end result would be and were instead simply hoping for the best. There is no point in getting upset over it now, anyway. What's done is done and, more importantly, worked out far better than we could have hoped."

"And wasted an opportunity," grumbled Ironwood.

"I beg your pardon," hissed Glynda from behind the General, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"You two know full well how hard it can be for us to exercise any control over who the next recipient of a Maiden's power is," said Ironwood. "We can never be certain of who is in the previous Maiden's last thoughts in her final moments and, more often than not, we've been forced to seek across Remnant for whoever received the power, only praying that we can find them before She does." He held up his right hand and clenched it into a fist. "But here, we had a golden opportunity, an opportunity to test a means of transferring a Maiden's power from one vessel to another, a vessel of our choosing.

"Success would mean that, from now on, we'd be able to ensure that the Maiden's power only goes to the most fitting candidate, a candidate who can handle the trials that such a life demands of a Maiden. There would be no more uncertainty, no more worry of where a Maiden's power will go when they die."

"That's absurd!" snapped Glynda. "First off, this was merely an emergency measure predicated on Autumn's imminent death."

"The transferral of Aura into a new vessel is the only thing that you've successfully tested," said Ozpin. "But never did we test, nor did we ever consider to test, the prospect of merging one person's Aura with another. Now that we no longer have the necessity to do so, I believe that is a path we should forgo going down, James."

"Ethical concerns aside," said Glynda fiercely, "even though they're more than enough on their own, there's no telling how a person would be warped by having their Aura merged with another, nor if there would ever be consistent results. You could inadvertently create a monster worse than the one who did this to Autumn in the first place."

"We are fighting a WAR!" Ironwood snapped, the last word exiting his mouth in a roar. "Our enemy has struck the first blow, drawn first blood. We can't afford to get bogged down in trivialities or we'll be slaughtered without doing a thing. I refuse to allow the world to fall due to inaction over mere ethics."

"Ethics are hardly 'mere,' James," said Ozpin darkly. "Continue down this path and you will find yourself in a dark place. If we really could win this war with such methods, and I highly doubt that, we would still wind up losing in the end."

"Ridiculous," scoffed Ironwood.

"You just want to be sure that the next Maiden is someone you can control," growled Glynda.

"Is that so wrong?" Ironwood wanted to know. "Just look at what happened over in Haven. The Spring Maiden abandoned her training and ran off to God knows where. She could already be in the enemy's hands for all that we know."

"If that were the case, I'm sure that Mistral would be the Kingdom currently dealing with such subversive problems," said Ozpin.

"The point is that we need to be sure that the one who inherits the Maiden's power is fit to bear it, can handle the responsibility and won't abandon her duties," pressed Ironwood.

"Yet the method you suggest is warped in an even worse manner," said Ozpin. "Think about what it means for the transference process to work. The current Maiden has her Aura siphoned off, killing her, and transferred into a new host. Even assuming the new Maiden isn't warped from having her Aura forcibly merged with another's, she would know that this is the fate planned for her, someday. Who would ever agree to such a craven method? The Maidens would desert at the first possible opportunity. This is not the way to go about it, James."

Ironwood growled and clenched his fists. "But you seem to be fine with doing nothing."

"We are not doing 'nothing,'" retorted Ozpin. "But much damage has been done through grievous missteps made in the name of being 'decisive.' Doing something careless can be even worse than doing nothing at all. Besides, we are indeed taking action. In that respect, I have chosen to place my trust in those who have already saved Autumn's life."

"Those children?" scoffed Ironwood.

"Those children who have accomplished something we thought impossible," said Ozpin. "Those children who thwarted a terrorist attack by the White Fang, those children who defeated the Grand Attractor, those children who found hope in what was supposed to be a hopeless situation...Yes. I do place my trust in those children and I most certainly do not consider it misplaced."

Ironwood's eyes narrowed. "Fine," he scoffed. "But, I hope you're prepared, when this Kingdom is burning down and people are screaming in fear and pain, knowing that you could have done something." He turned around and walked to the elevator without another word.

"Is there no getting through to him?" Glynda wondered.

"Maybe not," said Ozpin. "That makes me worry for the people of Atlas."

"We'll just have to do what we can," said Glynda with a sigh. "Hopefully, we can prove him wrong."

"Perhaps," said Ozpin.

* * *

Over the next few days, Ruby appeared to calm down, enough that Gin's touch didn't cause her to jump. However, there was a sense of unease that seemed perpetually present, as though his touch was no longer as soothing or comforting to her as it had been before. Ruby did her best to distract herself from the conundrum as much as possible, first losing herself in her coursework, then in preparations for the upcoming dance that CFVY, RUBY, and JNAR were working on in secret. Coco had originally been planning for her team to do it alone, but circumstances convinced her to rope the other two teams in on the effort.

WBY had managed to do the lion's share of the work for the first dance by themselves, back when they had taken over the process from CFVY. However, this time around, secrecy was paramount, and the three teams divided up the responsibilities between them in order to better keep their preparations under the radar. It worked, and no one seemed to have any idea of what was coming.

Looking for a dress had been equal parts fun and irritating to Ruby. Yang and Coco had essentially dragged her into a high-end clothing boutique that Coco's family had ties to. There, they put Ruby into dress after dress, seeming to be as interested in having fun shoving Ruby into different looks as they were serious about finding her an actual dress for the dance. Ruby enjoyed how she looked in quite a few of them, but the process of going in and out of the dressing room over and over again was agonizing. By the time they finally settled on the best choice for her, Ruby was exhausted and ready to keel over. Worse, from what she understood, Gin and Ayumu's trip to get suits with Jaune had been far less distressing, boys apparently not finding going through a dozen different outfits as entertaining as girls tended to find it.

After that came the dancing lessons. Yang and Jaune worked to train the three of them in some of the basic dances that they'd go through that night. They didn't try anything fancy, but Ruby found it difficult enough. To her and Gin's surprise, Ayumu seemed to have an affinity for it, commenting that dancing appeared to have some similarities with the martial arts.

* * *

"It sounds like you're having fun," commented Amber with a giggle as she sipped from the tea she'd prepared for the two of them.

"Tell that to my ankles," groused Ruby sourly. "They make me practice in those stupid lady-stilts. I don't know how Weiss could fight in them."

"Practice," said Amber, with another giggle.

Ruby sighed and stared down into her cup. Amber's recovery was proceeding well. In a week, she was already able to move about mostly under her own power, albeit with the assistance of a cane. She'd gotten enough of her strength and manual dexterity back to handle simple, low-stress tasks. She'd insisted on having Ruby sit and wait while she made tea for the both of them, Amber stressing that the task only served to help with her recovery. It seemed that the increase in her Aura flow was the main reason she was recovering so swiftly.

Ruby groaned. "I'm just not sure I can do this," she complained. "It's so hard."

"Truly you suffer so," teased Amber.

Ruby's smile vanished, and the tea in her cup suddenly seemed unpalatably bitter. "I'm sorry," she said in a hoarse whisper.

Amber immediately gasped. "Ruby! No! I didn't mean it like that." Her little tease had backfired. Now Ruby was feeling guilty that the person in front of her was having to work night and day just to regain enough strength to perform basic tasks, while she was complaining about something as mundane as dancing in heels.

"B-but...I'm sitting here whining about stupid things...and you're..." Ruby didn't know what to say.

Amber grunted and forced herself out of her chair, making her way laboriously around the table to Ruby's side. Ruby rose up to help her, but Amber stayed her with a raised hand as she leaned on the edge of the table to support herself as she moved. Reaching Ruby's seat. Amber rested both hands against the back of it, before leaning down and wrapping her arms around Ruby.

"Don't _ever_ feel guilty about that," said Amber. "The only reason I'm able to go through this at all is because of you. It's true that it's been hard, painful even. I was weaker than a child at first. I had to relearn how to walk, how to balance, how to support my own weight. I'm not sure that I'll ever have the strength I used to."

Letting go of Ruby, Amber planted her hands on the chair's back and forced herself up before making her way back around to sit down again. When she did, she was still smiling. "But...the reason I'm going through this is because of you. What I mean by that is...if it weren't for you, I wouldn't even have this chance. I would still be in a coma, stuck in that machine, waiting for my death to come. Don't you ever _dare_ to think you have a reason to feel guilty for what I'm going through now. I can't thank you enough for this."

"Thank you," said Ruby with a sniff, wiping her eyes.

Amber frowned, giving Ruby a scrutinizing look. "That said...you seem troubled by something. Are you all right?"

"I...I'm fine," said Ruby.

"Are you sure?" asked Amber. "What about your boyfriend? Is everything all right with him?"

Her guess was spot on as Ruby's cheeks immediately lit up. "I..." Ruby ducked her head with a nervous squeak. "I don't understand what's going on," she admitted finally. "All of a sudden, things are feeling different."

"What do you mean?" asked Amber.

"When he touches me, it used to be so soothing," said Ruby. "But now...whenever he's near...I can't help but notice it. I feel all dizzy and nervous."

"Oh..." Amber's lips curled back in a smile. "Ooooh..."

"Amber...?" Ruby's eyebrows went up and she felt her cheeks heat up even more. "Amber, what are you thinking? You're giving me the same look Yang's been giving me lately."

"I'm sorry," said Amber with a giggle. "That must mean she's realized the same thing I have, even if you haven't."

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.

"Tell me more about this boy...Gin, right?" said Amber.

"Well...he..." Ruby slowly talked about their relationship, how he made her feel, everything that he had done for her, how he'd told her he loved her.

By the time she was finished, Amber was nodding sagely. "I see..." said Amber. "Your sister and I are right about you."

"Right about what?" asked Ruby.

"Gin's been in love with you for quite some time," said Amber. "That much is clear, from what you've told me. But you hadn't reached that point with him yet."

"No," admitted Ruby.

"There's nothing wrong with that," said Amber. "There's no rule that two people in a relationship have to go through it at the same pace. Your feelings will grow and develop in their own time, not anyone else's. That said...I think you're reaching that point."

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.

"I think you're beginning to fall," said Amber in a teasing tone. "Before now, you've liked Gin, a strong affection, romantic even. But now...you're falling in _love_ with him."

Ruby jolted, feeling as though her heartbeat had suddenly become irregular. She suddenly felt lightheaded. "I...I love...him?"

"Does that seem so odd?" asked Amber. "You said that he's your anchor, the one who can always call you back before you go too far, the one who gives you the strength to reach out and try things you never would before. He's the home you can always return to."

Ruby nodded slowly.

"If that's not love, I don't know what is," said Amber. "You're feeling uncomfortable because your previous relationship was so comfortable. But now you're straying into territory that's new and different, yet also familiar. It's making you nervous."

"Wha-what do I do?" asked Ruby.

"That's up to you," said Amber. "But I don't think it's a very hard decision for you to make, is it?"

Looking down at her tea, Ruby felt a feeling of calm steal over her. "No...I guess not."

"I thought so," said Amber. "In that case, there's nothing to worry about."

"Right," said Ruby.

"Now then, why don't we talk about something else," suggested Amber. "The Vytal Festival is coming up. What are you planning on doing for that?"

Ruby smiled and relaxed again as she went over the plans her team was making for the festival. Beyond the tournament itself, they were also planning out what attractions to see and where to go, when to fit it all in. Even though there would be no classes scheduled, they were going to be plenty busy.

Amber listened to Ruby talk, expressing her hopes that Ruby would be able to tell her what she'd seen and done. She was also looking forward to the tournament, which she'd be able to watch through the monitor installed in the shelter.

Ruby had come to enjoy these conversations with Amber, rare as they were. Having Yang as an older sister was nice, but Amber was older and wiser than Yang, having been through more. In a way, it sort of felt like having someone almost like a mother to talk to. However, Ruby decided to keep that to herself.

Before long, far sooner than Ruby would have liked, their time ran out. She had to get back and join her team to finish up their homework for the evening, as well as studying for the exam they wouldn't have to take. She wished that they could slack off a little. But she also knew they couldn't betray Ozpin and Glynda's trust in them.

There were other reasons not to slack off as well. Ozpin had put it off, when he'd been informing them about the Maidens. But, not too long ago, he'd dropped another bombshell in their laps. The transport that had been taking Pyrrha Nikos back to Mistral had gone down in the wilderness, a catastrophic disaster. While there had been no signs of survivors, Ozpin and Glynda were far too wary to write Pyrrha off so easily, a sentiment that Ruby and her friends could agree with. Still, with everything else that had been taking place, the possible return of Pyrrha seemed almost minor by comparison. If, as Ozpin and Glynda suspected, she had been brought into the fold of their mysterious enemy, then she had merely become an accessory to the larger problem. Either way, Ruby and the others were determined to keep their wits about them, but not let the information drive them into a well of paranoia...which was what they had been doing before then anyway.

Ruby exchanged a fond farewell with Amber, the pair of them exchanging hugs before Ruby set off through the vault and to the elevator. After an extended ride up, she disembarked at the lobby and headed back. As she walked, Ruby stared up at the stars, an uneasy feeling settling into her stomach as she thought about the other matters, beyond those of romance or the upcoming festival, the matter of someone planning something unpleasant.

But there was no real point in worrying overly much about it. They would just have to take things as the came. Ruby sighed and silently hoped that she and the others would be ready for the crisis, when it broke over them.

* * *

 **This chapter, we have more of Ironwood being painfully obstinate. We don't get a lot of information on the deal behind the device that Amber was put in in Volume 3. It seems kind of odd that anyone would be working on that kind of technology with Aura, so it stands to reason that Ironwood would have some rationale behind its development, beyond that one specific situation. That, combined with his paranoid, controlling tendencies led me to the thought that this might have been one of his intended uses for it.**

 **One of the trickiest things for me to figure out in this story was how and when for Ozpin to break out the report that Pyrrha might have escaped. It wasn't meant to be some kind of huge secret, but it also seemed a bit much to dump that on the group, right after the whole thing with Amber. So it wound up being slipped in as sort of a side-note, which is appropriate, in a kind of twisted way.**

 **Oh, and we're officially halfway done. Congrats!**


	71. Chapter 71

**Chapter 71:**

The morning of their first day of exams dawned with a call to assembly, to the confused surprise of the student body, save for a chosen few. Still, having received no special instructions, RUBY and JNAR joined the throng of students making their way into the auditorium to hear the announcement. As they did, they noticed that CFVY was not amongst the number of students assembling before the stage. Instead, they were surprised to see the second-year team instead assembled behind Ozpin and Glynda as they took the stage.

Ozpin stepped forward and tapped the microphone experimentally, the deep, thudding noise echoing throughout the auditorium, also serving as a signal to the students to cease talking and pay attention.

"Good morning," said Ozpin, addressing them with such a normal, neutral tone that it gave absolutely nothing away. "I am sure that you are all understandably confused about why you have been called here so early. Of course, you have your final exams for the semester awaiting you...or you _did_."

That started a wave of quiet, confused muttering throughout the auditorium as his words began to sank in, along with their import.

Ozpin began to smile. "Earlier this year, you all participated in the defense of Vale against a mass Grimm attack, and performed excellently. Considering the success of the defense, your instructors and I have come to agree that your finals for this semester would merely be a formality."

The voices around Ruby and her friends began to grow more excited.

Ozpin chuckled, the sound picked up by the microphone and carried throughout the room. "Thus, it is my pleasure to inform all of you that you have been officially awarded full marks on all your finals for the semester, and that you no longer have any exams to attend."

There was a moment of stunned silence as Ozpin's words registered, everyone having had suspicions before, but now having said suspicions confirmed. The silence lasted a few seconds at most, before the entire audience exploded into cheers. Ozpin remained where he was, watching the crowd of students with an amused smile, before reaching up and tapping the microphone once again. It took a few tries before the level of sound fell enough that students were able to hear Ozpin's subtle attempts to get their attention. He could have allowed Glynda to come up and use her authoritative capabilities to immediately silence them. The impatient look on Glynda's face, and the way she tapped her forearm with an irritated finger, indicated that she very much wanted to. However, she managed to keep herself restrained. Such actions would dampen the celebratory atmosphere, and they certainly weren't hurting for time right now.

Finally, realizing that Ozpin had more to say, the crowd quieted down, eyes once again going to him expectantly. "We realize, of course, that this means you have now found yourself with three days of free time. Many of you have made plans to return to your homes at the end of the exam period, plans that would be difficult to amend at this point in time. Because of that, I have asked Team Coffee to come up with a suitable event to help you enjoy the final days of your semester. Ms. Adel...if you would."

Grinning widely, Coco came strutting up to the microphone, the sway of her hips showing off the kind of confidence towards speaking in public that Ruby could only envy. She certainly never imagined herself standing and speaking in front of such a crowd with so much confidence.

"Hey there," said Coco, greeting her audience with an easy smile. "I know you guys are excited to get out of exams. But, as Professor Ozpin said, that leaves us with three extra days of free time and nothing to do with them...well...it _did_ anyway.

"I have a little confession to make, Professor Goodwitch notified us about this a few days ahead of time, so we knew before most of the rest of you. Sorry about that."

Coco's comment about knowing early got a round of laughter from the rest of the students.

"Anyway," she continued, "we've decided on a nice little event, tomorrow night. Since you all thought the last one was so fun..." She put her hand up to the side of her face, speaking into the microphone in an aside whisper. "...and since we missed out on it last time..." Once again, her comment was greeted with laughter. "...we've decided to hold another dance. It's on...same Beacon ballroom...same Beacon time...but with a fresh, new, Team Coffee style that'll blow that last dance out of the water."

"She says that like we didn't do anything," muttered Nora with only a mild amount of petulance.

"It's their moment," Ren replied, gently prodding her ribs with his elbow. "Hush."

"So I hope you guys have kept those nice clothes and brushed up on some fancy moves," said Coco, finishing her speech. "If you're feeling low 'cause you don't got any exams to hit up, come on over tomorrow night and show us what you've got."

Once again, the audience exploded into cheers as Coco made her way back to the rest of her team. Ozpin moved up to the microphone again. This time, the cacophony died down much more quickly.

"Well then," said Ozpin, "this concludes our morning assembly. Excellent work, all of you. You are dismissed."

With a final round of cheering, the students began to break up, various teams and groups going their respective ways.

"Well, that was a thing," said Yang.

"It sure was," said Jaune with a laugh. "I kinda wondered if they needed to go through the whole assembly deal to announce it."

"It did give them the edge in allowing them to keep the students in the dark until the final moment," said Blake. "I think it was cleverly staged."

"Say what you will, but Professor Ozpin does appear to have some theatrical tendencies," added Ren.

"Does that surprise you?" asked Ozpin, making the entire group jump, as his approached had been masked by the departing crowds.

"Uh...kinda," admitted Nora. "Don't get me wrong, but you're kinda low-key, so I didn't think you liked putting on a show."

That got a chuckle from the Headmaster. "On the contrary," he said, "I do, very much like 'putting on a show,' as you so succinctly put it. In fact, you might say that such theatricality is an important, possibly even _critical_ skill for any Huntsman or Huntress."

"Huh? Why?" asked Ruby.

"You are all aware of the true danger posed by the Grimm," said Ozpin.

"You mean the fact that a Grimm attack inspires fear, which then draws in more Grimm?" asked Ren.

"Correct," said Ozpin. "All too often, when such an attack is repulsed, even though the place in question has been successfully defended, the fear inspired by the initial attack lingers, and can fester. When that happens, additional Grimm can be drawn, often in even greater numbers. Furthermore, the effect compounds itself as the attacks grow more and more relentless."

"Is that where theatricality comes in?" asked Gin.

"Yes," said Ozpin. "It's not simply a matter of consequence that Huntsmen and Huntresses often become such larger-than-life figures. They cultivate that appearance through their actions and behavior, deliberately. Many times, it is not enough to simply kill the Grimm. True Huntsmen and Huntresses must also seek to dispel the fear that the Grimm inspire, to ease the hearts and minds of those under their protection, and inspire hope. As Ms. Adel demonstrated so aptly, being able to project an appearance of confidence and vivacity in any situation is an effective skill, as are the ability to speak to others, to read the mood of the crowd, and gauge what needs to be said and done to help others overcome their fears."

"Ohhhh..." said Ruby.

"It's also something that you will have to consider carefully, Ms. Rose," said Ozpin. "I get the feeling that you have an important performance to put on in the future."

Ruby was taken aback, floored by Ozpin's remarkable insight. _How did he know?_ Neither she, nor anyone else on RUBY and JNAR had mentioned her and Ayumu's plan. Yet he'd apparently taken what he knew about them and put it together to figure out an idea of their overall goals.

She was distracted by a quiet snort from Gin. "Even though you've just dismissed us for the semester, you can't stop holding class, huh?"

"Reminds me of a certain other teacher we know," mused Ayumu playfully.

"Nah, Ozpin's much too nice," countered Gin. "And you know Yu never dismisses us."

"Yeah," agreed Ruby with a sigh, "class is always in session with him."

"I didn't obtain this position by missing out on the opportunities to teach our promising prospects," replied Ozpin. "Even if you are not in class, you never stop learning."

"Too true," said Blake with a slight smile.

Ozpin adjusted his glasses. "Enjoy your break," he said. "I look forward to seeing your performance in the Vytal Festival, when you return."

"We won't disappoint you," promised Jaune.

"At this point, I'm beginning to think that it would impossible for you to do so," said Ozpin, ambling away.

They stared after him for a moment before Yang surged forward, draping her arms over Ruby and Blake's shoulders and hugging them to her. "Come on, you guys!" she said eagerly. "We need to get going. Coco wants some help getting the ballroom ready."

* * *

"Well...that's a bit of a relief," said Emerald. She, Mercury and Cinder were currently making their way down the hall, back to their dorms. "I wasn't looking forward to wasting my time on exams."

"Yep," agreed Mercury, folding his arms lazily behind his head. "Feels like Ozpin did us a favor for a change."

Neither of them had been looking forward to the end-of-semester exams. Unfortunately, in order to effectively play their roles as students visiting from Haven, they would have needed to take the exams, and at least perform competently. Considering that their ultimate goal was to bring this Academy, and everything it represented, crashing to the ground, it irked them that they actually had to work and study for classes that would have no meaning to them, once they were finished with what they came for.

"Is that what you think?" asked Cinder, looking at them sidelong, an edge to her voice that bordered on dangerous, causing Mercury and Emerald to tense up.

"What is it?" asked Emerald.

"Ozpin stole a march on us," said Cinder, her voice now tinged with frustration. "Even with the time that's passed, the students were nicely unsettled by the attack on the walls. But now he's turned it into a reason to celebrate."

"Well, that dragon-faunus wasn't rising to the bait anyway," said Mercury, sounding resigned. "Those students of Yu's are tougher nuts to crack than we thought."

"We'll probably just have to make plans to deal with them during the Vytal Festival," said Emerald.

"It's not like there won't be a chance," said Mercury. "There's still a nice little undercurrent of resentment towards the brat for ruining Pyrrha Nikos' perfect image."

"There is that," admitted Cinder. "Still, it's irksome to have such dangerous variables running around, especially when they've caused so much damage to our plans already." In the end, it just came down to patience. They'd have to bide their time and wait until the perfect moment to strike.

* * *

The unfortunate fact was that there was a lot of last-minute work to do on getting the ballroom ready for the dance...all of it, in fact. The secrecy of their endeavor meant that they couldn't afford to do anything that would raise suspicions before Ozpin made the announcement. Getting caught putting up decorations in the ballroom would have definitely given away that something was up, as people would undoubtedly wonder why students were prepping for a major social event on the eve of the semester finals.

In order to work around that, the three teams had taken care of all the logistics in advance: purchasing decorations, requisitioning equipment, mapping out where it would all go. Everything that could be taken care of ahead of time was taken care of. Fortunately, that meant that it was less of a panicked flurry to get the place set up in time, as Coco and Blake, with help from Ren, had laid out a well-organized plan. The result was that the ballroom took most of the rest of that day to set up. However, by the time the sun went down, and it was time to break for dinner, the heavy lifting had been done. There were only a few final touches waiting to be taken care of the day of.

CFVY would take care of those final preparations themselves, giving RUBY and JNAR most of the day to get ready for the affair. Much to her surprise, Ruby found herself not enjoying the prospect. She'd never gone to an event like this before...much less gone with a boy she liked...a boy she _loved_. From the moment Amber had helped her realize her feelings, Ruby had been mulling over how to tell Gin. Just knowing allowed her to once again adjust to his presence, finding it comforting and placating, instead of exciting and nerve-wracking. However, she didn't feel right simply out and telling Gin. Perhaps he would have been all too happy to accept a confession in any setting, but Ruby wanted her confession to be special, a gesture that reflected her feelings about him, and everything he had done for her.

Initially, Ruby had thought that the free time would allow her to come up with something. However, the realization that she still had no idea of what to do meant she felt as though she was just smacking her head into a wall continuously, with no sign of breaking through.

And so she found herself in the library, having managed to contrive an excuse to keep away from Gin so that he wouldn't catch on to what she was planning...or _trying_ to plan, anyway. Of course, having no one but herself to talk to about this meant that she was going nowhere fast.

"Problems, Sis?"

Ruby bit back a shriek, her entire body jerking as Yang's hand landed on her shoulder, making Ruby realize that, in her effort to figure out how to confess to Gin, she'd completely forgotten to maintain her _Shingan_. "Y-Y-Y-Yang..." she stammered, trying to calm herself down with deep breaths and rein in her thundering heart.

Yang cackled and pulled out the next seat over, slouching down and resting an arm over Ruby's shoulder, pulling her close and hugging her lightly. "Come on, Sis. What's the matter? You can tell me?"

"I...I just needed to think," said Ruby hesitantly.

"Think, huh?" Yang grinned teasingly. "Let me guess what you needed to think about. Does it concern a certain dragon-boy?"

The reddening of Ruby's face gave away the answer to that all too easily.

"So, finally figured out how you feel?" asked Yang, her voice and face softening.

"Yeah," said Ruby. "Amber helped me understand. I...I love him."

She felt the twitch run through Yang's body. Apparently it was one thing to suspect it, but another thing altogether to hear Ruby confirm it so frankly.

"And now...?" prodded Yang.

"And now I'm trying to figure out how to tell him," said Ruby. "I know he'd be fine if I just spit it out, but..."

"But it's your big love confession," said Yang, catching onto Ruby's train of thought easily enough. "You want to make it something special."

"Uh huh," said Ruby, nodding slowly. Then she turned to look at Yang. "How did you tell Jaune that you loved him?"

To Ruby's immense surprise, Yang's face turned bright red, and now her normally confident big sister was the one averting her eyes, staring away. "Not in a way you should imitate," she said simply.

"Oh...You told him during sex, didn't you?" deadpanned Ruby.

"After...but close enough," mumbled Yang.

"Right...not ready to go that far yet," said Ruby, looking away as well.

"You'd better damn well hope not," added Yang firmly.

"But...what do I do then?" Ruby swallowed, staring down at the table. "I really want to let him know how I feel. He's been so good, so patient, and he's done so much for me, made me so happy. I want to be able to tell him all of that."

"I don't think you can," said Yang, recovering from her own embarrassment. "Putting all that stuff into words...you might as well write an essay and hand it to him."

"Right..." grumbled Ruby.

"Well, your timing's not bad," said Yang. "Confessing your love during the big dance...sure, it's a bit cliche, but there's probably no better time or place right now."

"I know," said Ruby.

"Listen, I've got an idea," said Yang. "It's super-simple, so it'll be pretty much impossible to mess up. You know that lullaby I used to sing you when you were little?"

"Uh huh," said Ruby, remembering how much she loved that song.

"Well, that big-name singer, Casey Lee White, and her dad's band, did a cover of it," said Yang. "Now, here's what you do..."

Ruby listened attentively, nodding in response to Yang's instructions as her older sister presented her plan. Ruby figured it wasn't ideal, but she couldn't come up with anything better. In the end, she wound up agreeing.

* * *

With the sun setting, it was time to start getting ready. Their numbers being roughly equal, the boys and girls of RUBY and JNAR opted to separate into rooms by gender to streamline the process of getting dressed. The girls took RUBY's room, while the boys took JNAR's room, across the hall.

Given the overall simplicity of their outfits, and the fact that they had no need to worry about things like makeup, the boys ended up taking much less time. As such, they found themselves standing in the hallway, waiting patiently for the girls to finish. Technically, only three of them were obligated to stay, waiting for their significant others. However, Ayumu chose to wait alongside them, in a display of solidarity. They were soon joined by Sun, who was dragged back into JNAR's room by Jaune for a quick once-over, seeing as Sun had failed to retain any of the formal dressing tips Jaune had given him prior to the first dance.

However, Jaune and Sun were back out before the girls were finished.

"I'm getting deja-vu," said Sun with a nervous chuckle.

"Well, we have a couple new faces," noted Jaune, looking at Ayumu and Gin.

Both boys looked sharp in their new suits. Gin's was a subtle, silver color, not unlike the color of his scales, complete with a burnished appearance that gave the fabric of his jacket and pants a slightly metallic appearance without looking overly shiny. Ayumu's suit was nearly identical in design, but consisted of the same light-blue fabric as his usual outfit, the overall resulting rendering him not too dissimilar from how he usually looked, though his sleeves and pant-legs were tighter-fitting.

"Neptune go on ahead?" asked Jaune, glancing at Sun.

"Yep," said Sun with a smirk. "He's reveling in the joys of being a free man."

"He doesn't know what he's missing out on," said Ren with a chuckle.

"Nope," agreed Sun. "But he _does_ know what he just barely missed on with Weiss, so he's not too eager to find himself in a similar spot all that soon."

"Can't argue with that," said Jaune with a laugh.

After another couple minutes, the door to Team RUBY's room swung open to reveal the girls in all their glory.

Yang, Blake, and Nora emerged first, the three of them beaming proudly in their dresses, pausing a few seconds for dramatic effect, before standing aside to reveal Ruby Rose in all her glory.

With one notable exception, the girls were wearing what they'd worn to the previous dance. Without Weiss to cover their expenses, none of them were exactly keen to splurge on formalwear. It had also struck them as rather wasteful to buy such nice dresses, but only wear them once. Jaune, Ren, and Sun were all wearing the same suits they'd worn during the last dance after all, so it only seemed fair. Besides, the girls looked just as good now as they did back then.

The exception was, of course, Ruby, who hadn't been present for the first Beacon Dance. The other reason the other girls had chosen to go with the same dresses as last time was because they'd pooled their monetary resources to help Ruby buy the dress she'd ultimately settled on for the dance. Coco's connections had gotten them a nice discount, but such a fine dress was still a pricey investment.

And, with the look on Gin's face as he stared at her in unabashed awe, it was worth every single lien they spent...and then some.

While the girls had considered various options for Ruby's dress, including a lovely red gown with black mesh over her shoulders and neck, they had ultimately settled on a more exotic look. Ruby was dressed in a dark-red, sleeveless cheongsam. It was decorated with a black-embroidered rose print, climbing up the length of the skirt, which had been artfully slit up both sides to allow Ruby to fully display the creamy skin of her toned legs with each step she took, the black pattern climbing across her chest. The dress' collar was closed with a small, black bow, before spreading downwards to join with the bodice, leaving an open space just below to display a tantalizing line of her cleavage. Her hands and arms were covered by long, black gloves that ran almost all the way to her shoulders, the upper portion being decorated with a flower-print of silver thread. A flowery hair clip was affixed to the locks on the upper-left side of her head, completing the ensemble.

As dresses went, it was one of the most daring outfits Ruby had worn. From the tense line of her shoulders, it was clear that she was feeling more than a little bereft in the absence of her usual cloak and hood. But there was no denying that the outfit looked absolutely beautiful on her.

"So...what do you think?" asked Yang, grinning at Gin as she moved to rest a pair of encouraging hands on Ruby's shoulders.

Gin blinked furiously, his mouth working slowly, his entire body jolting, as though he was shrugging off some kind of enchantment. Finally, he managed to find the wherewithal to speak. "W-w-w-wow! Ruby...y-you l-l-look...amazing!"

Ruby's cheeks were on fire, and she looked down bashfully, a shivery feeling of delight working its way down her spine to hear her boyfriend praise her appearance so earnestly. Fortunately, the blush on her cheeks was matched by the same color on Gin's as he mirrored her action, also averting his eyes shyly.

"You do look lovely, Ruby," added Ayumu cheerfully. "Seeing you like this is almost enough to make me jealous of Gin."

"A-Ayumu!" stammered Ruby, unsure of how to respond to the declaration. Ayumu's praise was earnest, and it was clear that he wasn't hinting at any real romantic interest. However, it was disconcerting to hear that kind of statement from a person she saw as an older brother of sorts.

"You really do look beautiful," added Jaune affectionately.

Hearing words like that from her former crush only made Ruby even more jittery, which appeared to amuse her friends all the more.

"Come on," said Yang, moving past Ruby to take Jaune's arm. "Let's get going. We don't want to be late."

"Very true," agreed Blake, moving to Sun.

Nora giggled and nodded, before skipping gracefully over to Ren and clinging tightly to his arm.

"Uh...um...r-right," stammered Ruby, moving towards Gin. Unfortunately, even with all the practice she'd put in, she still wasn't used to wearing heels and stumbled slightly. Naturally, Gin was there, putting out his hands and catching her forearms to steady her before Ruby could do more than take a few, hobbling steps.

"You okay?" he asked, looking her in the eyes, which he clearly found much easier than staring at her body in her current outfit.

"Yeah," breathed Ruby. "Thanks." Impulsively, she leaned in and stole a kiss from his lips. "Think you could help keep me steady for a little bit?"

Gin smirked at her. "I think I could keep you steady the whole night."

"Awww!" cooed Nora. "You two are too cute!"

Once again, Ruby and Gin's cheeks burst into furious red and they both looked downward, Gin studiously angling his eyes to keep from staring at Ruby's chest.

"Right, right..." teased Yang, already tugging Jaune's arm and pulling him along down the hallway. "Let's get going...or are you two gonna spend all night staring into each other's eyes."

Blake giggled and began to lead Sun away as well, with Nora and Ren following them. Ayumu favored the couple with one last smile before setting off after the others. Ruby and Gin stared after them for a few seconds, before looking back to each other.

"Maybe we're making too big a deal of this," said Ruby a slight warble of laughter in her voice.

"Maybe," agreed Gin, his smile returning as he moved a hand to brush back a lock of Ruby's hair. "You're always beautiful...but you definitely managed to make that hit home tonight."

"Thank you," said Ruby softly, leaning against him. Gin wrapped his arms around her and, for a moment, they basked in the comfort of each other's touch.

Finally, it was Gin who pulled away. "Come on," he said, taking Ruby's arm and allowing her to lean against him as they walked, "we'd better get going...or we really will spend all night standing around staring at each other."

"Yeah," agreed Ruby with another laugh, trying to maintain her balance so that she wasn't dragging on Gin's arm for the entire evening. Silently, she mused that she probably should have practiced general walking with heels and not just the dancing part.

* * *

The ballroom had been fully decked out in preparation for the dance. Much like the last time, the walls and ceiling were festooned with streamers. Fog machines kept a light mist flowing across the dance floor. Team CFVY's main touch was in the lighting, with strobing, multicolored lasers flashing and crisscrossing through the air above, with more colored lights shining down, illuminating the fog with their glow, giving the entire space an ethereal look.

Already, the music was in full swing and dancers were spinning across the floor, their movements throwing up sprays of mist, looking as though they were dancing on the surface of a fog-covered lake. The music was coming courtesy of Fox, who was seated behind a DJ booth that he and his team had set up, the quiet, white-eyed man apparently having taken up mixing music and tracks as a hobby. Now he had the opportunity to put that hobby to good use, which had probably been another reason CFVY, as a team, had been so keen to put on another dance.

Coco was standing near the booth, an exultant grin on her face as she watched the other students enjoy themselves. She was dressed in a dark-brown, strapless number that showed off her toned physique. Beside her stood Yatsuhashi, wearing a suit of matching tones.

Velvet was already out on the dance floor, clad in a long, crimson dress with a gown that swirled around her legs with her every movement. It was held up by a single strap over her left shoulder, leaving her right shoulder completely bare. Her long tresses of auburn hair were done up into a rather simple bun, tied up behind her rabbit-ears. At the moment, she was waltzing across the floor with a blissful expression on her face, twirling in the arms of none other than Cardin Winchester, clad in a maroon suit.

Ruby paused, blinking at the sight of them. No matter how many times she'd heard about it or seen the two of them acting like a couple (at a distance), it still remained surreal to think of the Cardin she'd once seen pulling on Velvet's ears, in a display of ardent racism, as that very same faunus' boyfriend. Ruby hadn't seen or talked to Cardin all that much since getting back. He was in a few of her classes, but she had been largely consumed by her makeup work for all the time she'd missed. For his part, Cardin had kept a respectful distance, apparently not wanting to bother her.

The song came to an end as RUBY and JNAR (plus Sun) approached the dance floor. Velvet caught a glimpse of them as she and Cardin finished and immediately began to pull him towards the group. "You're here!" she squealed excitedly, coming to stand in front of them. "You all look wonderful. I'm glad I got to see you in your outfits."

"Thanks," said Yang with a grin, before glancing at Cardin. "Hey there, Cardin. Looking sharp."

"Well, yeah," said Cardin with easy confidence and a grin.

"Coco picked his outfit out," Velvet stage-whispered, making Cardin sputter and blush. "She said that any boyfriend of mine had better not embarrass me by dressing like a slob."

"I can pick my own outfits, you know," protested Cardin, his embarrassment making everyone laugh. He groaned and glared at them before his eyes settled on Ruby. "Hey there," he said, giving Ruby a small wave.

"Hi," said Ruby.

"I guess it's a little late to say this, but welcome back."

"A little," conceded Ruby, "but thanks all the same. I hear you've been taking good care of Velvet."

"More like the other way around," said Cardin, sharing a sympathetic smile with Jaune. "I don't think I'd have passed History without her, even with Oobleck giving us a free pass on the exams."

Seeing Velvet blush, Ruby fought down the urge to pinch her cheek to see if she was dreaming. _Yep...still not used to that._

"Anyway," continued Velvet, "you look especially lovely, Ruby."

"Well, I guess that comes from me and Cardin sharing the trial of having Coco help pick our outfits," said Ruby, earning a guffaw from Cardin.

"Well, at least I didn't have to put up with your sister at the same time," said Cardin. "She must be worth, what, two Cocos?"

"Hey!" protested Yang.

"Two-and-a-half, at least," replied Ruby.

"Hey!"

Jaune laughed and patted Yang's shoulder sympathetically. "Come on," he said, pulling her towards the dance floor.

"I'll get you two for that!" Yang called over her shoulder as she followed Jaune out for a round.

"Shall we?" asked Sun with an impish grin, holding Blake's hand in a dramatic, courtly fashion.

Blake smiled and rolled her eyes, though the pink tinge of her cheeks betrayed her enjoyment as she nodded and allowed Sun to lead her onto the floor as well.

"Let's go get into the swing of things, Ren!" cheered Nora, practically dragging Ren after the other two couples.

"I guess that's our cue," said Cardin, grinning as he took Velvet's hand. "Ready for another round?"

"Of course," said Velvet demurely, the two of them also joining the throng of dancers.

Gin and Ruby traded looks, before looking in the direction of Ayumu...only to find that he was already gone. Looking around, Ruby caught a glimpse of Ayumu's blue suit-jacket as he slipped amongst those people still meandering along the sidelines.

"So..." said Gin, looking at her awkwardly, "...did you want to dance or...uh...?"

"Well...I think we should walk around a bit more," said Ruby, glancing down at the black, heeled shoes she was wearing beneath the hem of her dress. "I still need to get used to having these things on."

"Right," said Gin, letting Ruby cling to his arm as they ambled towards the refreshment table.

The table had been artfully stocked with a selection of small finger-snacks, as well as the ever-popular punchbowl. However, the creamy, slightly tan liquid that swirled inside the bowl was hardly the kind of punch Ruby had ever seen before. What was more, instead of ice, she saw several swirling, spherical mounds of...

"Ice cream!" she exclaimed, quickly getting the cup and reaching for a ladle and pouring herself a serving, along with a small, slowly-melting scoop of ice cream. Holding the glass up to eye-level, Ruby gazed at it in fascination, before bringing the rim to her nose and taking a sniff, gasping in surprise as the familiar scent of... "Coffee!" Ruby took a sip and found herself humming blissfully. The punch was creamy and sweet, with the aromatic flavor of coffee, but practically none of the bitterness.

"Pretty good," commented Gin, filling up a glass of his own and taking a sip.

"I see you guys discovered my famous cold-brew coffee-punch recipe," commented Coco, coming up to join them.

"It's delicious," said Ruby, before pausing and then giving Coco a confused look. "Cold-brew...?"

"The best way to make coffee," said Coco proudly. "You steep the grounds overnight, in the fridge. That way you get coffee that's totally smooth and tasty without any bitterness." She fixed Ruby with a teasing grin. "From the sound of things, it might be the kind of coffee that's right up your alley. You wouldn't need obscene amounts of sugar or cream, anyway."

"I'll have to try it," said Ruby, before looking at the punch. "So you use coffee in your punch."

"Yep," said Coco. "Old family recipe. Always a big hit at parties."

"I'll bet," said Ruby. The dance had only just started, yet the punchbowl was already a quarter-empty. She already saw several other students enjoying glasses of their own.

Coco grinned and poured herself another cup, and then pulled a flask from somewhere on her dress. Both Ruby and Gin gaped in surprise, wondering just where her pockets were. Coco quickly unscrewed the flask and added a dash of the liquid within, giving Ruby and Gin a hint of additional coffee scent...along with the sharp note of alcohol, before capping the flask and secreting it away again.

Gin grimaced, wrinkling his nose, making Ruby remember the fact that he despised the smell and taste of alcohol, particularly since it was impossible for him to get drunk. She'd almost forgotten, having not been confronted with that fact since that drinking contest, back in Brandywine.

"Just a dash of coffee liqueur," said Coco with a smirk, taking a sip of her now-spiked drink. "It's my special adults-only version. Too bad I can't do it with the whole bowl, but Goodwitch nixed the idea, even before the fact we had a couple of minors attending came up."

"My...that's just too bad," said Gin, not even trying to hide his insincerity.

"Well, I can still indulge," said Coco, not troubled in the slightest by Gin's obvious distaste. "I've gotta keep an eye on it though. I might like my punch nicely-adulted, but that's because I do it _right_. Gotta keep an eye out for any delinquents who might try to ruin my work with some run-of-the-mill alcohol."

"Yeah, that would certainly ruin it," commented Ruby wryly, taking a sip of her drink, Gin following suit.

"Don't hang out on the sidelines forever," advised Coco, giving the pair a wave before heading back towards Yatsuhashi.

Ruby sighed, looking over at the dance floor, feeling envy well up within her at the sight of Jaune suavely maneuvering Yang around, the pair of them all smiles and laughs, and Jaune led her through dips and flourishes, drawing applause from onlookers. Not far away, she could see Sun and Blake dancing, albeit with more enthusiasm than skill on Sun's part. However, the pair was clearly enjoying themselves as well. On the far side of the floor, Ren and Nora were dancing more slowly, Nora wrapped contentedly in Ren's arms, almost looking asleep against his shoulder as they swayed and stepped in time with the music.

"We'll go when you're ready," said Gin in an easygoing tone.

"Thanks," said Ruby, leaning against him and enjoying another sip of her punch. "We'll get out there, sooner or later. But I just want to kinda...take everything in, I guess."

Gin nodded. "Shall we walk some more?"

"Yeah," agreed Ruby, carefully striding alongside Gin as the pair made their way around the perimeter of the ballroom.

As they walked, she felt eyes drift her and Gin's way, now and again. However, there was almost no malice to be found in those eyes now. It seemed that the celebratory nature of the event, as well as the realization that there were no exams to worry about, had driven most of the negative feelings regarding her and Gin from people's minds, for the time being. Instead, many of the looks felt...appreciative. It seemed Gin wasn't the only one who liked her new outfit.

Ruby was so caught up in looking around that she almost failed to notice the figure in front of her. It wasn't helped that the person in front of her didn't even register as a living thing, at first, until Ruby felt the abrupt presence of a familiar Aura. Luckily, Gin had more situational awareness than she did ,and had already come to a stop, his hold on Ruby's arm keeping her from continuing forward to bump into the person in their path.

Her head snapping around, Ruby's eyes fixated on a pair of green ones, framed by a head of curly, orange hair and freckled cheeks.

"Ruby!"

Letting out a soft gasp, Ruby broke out into an excited smile. "Penny!"

* * *

Neo stared silently down into her punch cup, swirling the last dregs of her drink before downing it. It was good, though she thought it could stand some chocolate or strawberry. Looking up, she took in the surrounding affair, watching students swirl around on the dance floor or chat happily with one another.

At the moment, Neo didn't exactly look like herself. Her normally two-toned hair was completely black, tied into twin-tails with white bows. Her eyes were now a dark-green color. At the moment, she was wearing a silky, black, strapless dress, with a long skirt descending down to her ankles, with the skirt slit on the left side. Her present appearance was so different from her normal one that she was certain no one would be able to tell who she really was...not that there were many people here who knew what she really looked like.

Given her position, Neo felt she should have been filled with contempt for these children, the fact that they were so completely oblivious to the cruelties of the world, and to the fact that those very cruelties were now in their midst, plotting their downfall. Even though she was roughly the same age as most of the younger ones, she felt infinitely older than them.

Yet...she couldn't find it within herself to feel contempt for them. Instead, all she felt was a melancholy sense of envy, a wish that she too could live in blissful ignorance of the doom that was being plotted for them all...herself included. Neo was no fool. She and Roman hadn't gotten as far as they had by being stupid. They knew full well that there would be no profit for them in Cinder's plan. Worse, they knew that the likelihood of them getting through to the other side of this affair alive was...unlikely. No matter how useful she was to Cinder and her compatriots, Neo knew full well that they didn't see her as one of them. She was an outsider, a disposable pawn.

So the fact that she had this evening free had proven a double-edged sword. On one hand, she was free to enjoy the dance as much as she was able, not having any missions or errands to run for Cinder. But, on the other, she couldn't find it in herself to enjoy this, not knowing what was coming down the road.

It made her wish that she had someone to fight. In battle, at least, she could lose herself momentarily and forget about the problems weighing down on her. She could fight to the fullest of her abilities and pretend, for a time, that if she was sufficiently useful, then Cinder would allow her and Roman to live, maybe even allow them to go their separate ways when this was all over.

But that was just wishful thinking. Neo knew that her reality wasn't so kind. She glanced down, her fingers clenching tightly around her cup as she wondered how Roman was doing.

She was so lost in her melancholy thoughts that Neo didn't notice the person approaching behind her until a light hand rested gently on her bare shoulder, the sudden contact of skin against skin making her jump, her mouth opening in a silent yelp she spun around. Neo found herself suddenly inhaling as she took in the face of one of her previous opponents.

"Hello there," said Ayumu, smiling cheerfully as always. "I thought you might be around here somewhere. It's good to see you again, Ms. Neo."

* * *

 **Yep, dance Number 2. Maybe it feels a bit repetitive, but I did want the characters who missed out on the last one to get their chance. Besides, it seems to me like pestering Glynda about setting up a second dance sounds like something CFVY _would_ do. There are gonna be some important occurrences at this dance as well, so stay tuned.**

 **For those of you wondering, Ruby's outfit for this dance, like her alternate outfit, comes from RWBY fan-artist, turned _Chibi_ -concept artist, Mojojoj, from the artist's series of RWBY-girls in Chinese dresses. I gotta say, that was a gorgeous look for Ruby. I thought it a nice departure from her canon prom dress, which did get a mention in this chapter.**

 **And yeah, total shoutout to Casey Lee Williams (who needs no introduction, honestly) in this chapter, though I'm honestly surprised that, while I've seen her referenced in other stories (for writers who want to incorporate her songs into their narratives, but don't want to have Weiss do _all_ the singing), but I don't think I've seen anyone try to come up with a proper Remnant-style name for her. In the end, I went the lazy-route and subbed out her last name...hope no one minds.**


	72. Chapter 72

**Chapter 72:**

"Salutations, Ruby!" said Penny excitedly. "It's sensational to see you again!"

Instead of her usual outfit, Penny was clad in a pale-pink ruffled dress, with a skirt that spread outwards from her waist. It made her a bit more cute than beautiful, but made for a pretty picture regardless.

"Y-you too," said Ruby, startled by suddenly running into Penny, though she also felt giddy to see her friend again.

That feeling waned when Penny abruptly swept her up in a bone-crushing hug, Ruby feeling as though her insides were about to be squeezed out, like toothpaste from a tube. A second later, Penny released her and Ruby stumbled away on her heels, only managing to remain upright because Gin immediately moved to steady her.

"I see you're enthusiastic as ever," he commented wryly.

"It's good to see you too, G-urk!-I mean-Hic!-um...It's nice to meet you, uh..." Penny began to stammer nervously, a slight tremor in her voice, not to mention the sudden hiccup, betraying her anxiety.

"Gin...Gin Ueno," said Gin, realizing that he needed to act as though he was meeting her for the first time. The reason for that became apparent in the form of the two men marching up behind Penny.

The two soldiers were clad in white armor, one with red highlights, the other with blue. Their faces were mostly concealed by the visored helmets they wore, leaving only their chins and mouths visible. The rifles holstered at their hips were a reminder of the danger they represented to anyone who threatened their charge, though, ironically, that danger was exceeded by that represented by their charge herself.

"Penny," said the blue soldier worriedly, "you shouldn't wander off like that."

Gin raised an eyebrow as he examined the two men, noting a certain sincerity in the blue soldier's tone. It appeared he'd been genuinely worried about Penny's whereabouts, although whether it was out of genuine concern for Penny, or worry about being accused of neglecting their duty, he couldn't quite tell yet.

"It's all right," said Penny, beaming cheerfully. "I wouldn't go far. This dance is so much fun! Besides, Ruby's a friend!"

"Right," chirped Ruby happily, though she was still massaging her abused ribs.

"And when did you become friends?" asked the red soldier, his tone inquisitive, instead of interrogative.

"We met in Vale, before the incident at the docks," said Penny.

"Oh...right..." The blue guard sighed and cradled the right side of his helmeted head with his hand. "...that time when you ran off on your own. You realize how worried about you we were, right?"

"Of course," said Penny, looking down, her expression chastised. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause trouble for you. I just wanted to explore Vale a little."

"You need to be more careful," said the red soldier. "Your father would be very upset with us ,if anything happened to you."

"I know..." said Penny, her eyes flicking back and forth between her two escorts. "Um...Can I talk to my friends now?"

"Of course," said the blue guard.

An awkward silence descended over the group for a few seconds as no one moved. Then Penny made the necessary addendum. "Privately...?"

"I'm not sure..." said the red soldier.

"Who wants their chaperones looming over their shoulders when they're trying to talk?" asked Gin rhetorically. "Give us a little space. That's all she's asking." He pointed to a nearby alcove. "If you stay over there, you'll be able to keep her in sight easily. That's a decent compromise, right?"

The guards exchanged looks. "He's not wrong," admitted the red one.

"All right then," said the blue guard, before looking down at Penny. "Please be mindful of your circumstances."

"I will," promised Penny, clasping her hands behind her back and kicking one leg playfully.

The guards moved towards the alcove indicated by Gin, giving the trio their privacy.

Penny let out a relieved sigh. "I'm sorry about them," she said. "They take their jobs very seriously. But they really do care about me."

"That's nice," said Ruby, directing a sidelong glance at the guards, before noticing silver wisps of mist, that were definitely _not_ a product of the fog machines, dancing between the trio and the guards, the air rippling slightly. "Gin...?"

"Just a minor distortion," said Gin. "With the fog machines active, the guards won't notice it. I'm not sure what kind of tech they have, so I whipped this up on the off chance that they have a way of reading lips."

"Oh...good idea," said Ruby, before turning back to Penny. "Do they know about the...you know..."

"Oh! Yeah, they do," said Penny. "They're the only two rank-and-file soldiers who know. Everyone else is in command or involved with Father."

"And I'm guessing that we shouldn't let them know that we know," said Gin.

Penny shook her head vigorously. "No, we shouldn't," she said. "It's top secret information after all. It could get you in a lot of trouble."

"And you," added Ruby worriedly.

"I...I'll be fine," said Penny. "Father wouldn't let them hurt me...though I probably wouldn't be allowed out ever again." In spite of her words, her tone betrayed her uncertainty.

"We won't tell anyone," Ruby promised firmly, while Gin nodded in agreement.

"Thank you," said Penny.

"You didn't tell anyone about running into us?" asked Gin.

"Nope," replied Penny. "I would've gotten in big trouble with General Ironwood, if he knew I'd kept that a secret."

Ruby nodded, her mind going back to her last meeting with Penny...amidst the ruins of Mountain Glenn and the wreckage of the White Fang's terrorist operation...

* * *

How is she tracking me? _wondered Ruby as she ducked around a corner. She, Gin, and Ayumu had been carefully skirting the search zone of WBY and JNPR, aiming to make for the tunnel and make their way into Vale, without the two teams or Dr. Oobleck being any the wiser. Gin and Ayumu had gone to scout ahead, and make sure the tunnel mouth was clear of any White Fang soldiers, while Ruby had hung back to keep an eye on her friends, and former-friends, a little longer. She'd been worried that one of the White Fang soldiers might still be conscious and put the others on her trail._

 _Instead, Ruby found herself on the run. She hadn't expected to see Penny, of all people, amidst her friends. She'd wondered how her bubbly, eccentric friend had come to be with the two teams, also wondering where she had gone after that fight at the docks, where she'd seemingly vanished into thin air._

 _Abruptly, Penny appeared to sense Ruby's presence, and had immediately dashed in her direction, executing an impressive leap up to the roof of one of the ruined subterranean buildings. Ruby had fled, trying to escape out of sight. But Penny followed her with such unerring ease that Ruby was wondering if the strange girl had obtained the_ Shingan _, like her or her traveling companions._

 _To Ruby's distress, the corner she rounded led to a dead end, a pile of rubble, sandwiched between two partially-intact, though crumbling, buildings. Given time, she could easily make her way over the rubble, but not fast enough to escape Penny's sight._

 _"_ _You!"_

 _Penny's shocked gasp and exclamation were, fortunately, relatively quiet. Ruby knew that they had to be wary of loud noises. The acoustics of the cavern could cause echoes to rebound, and carry normally-faint sounds a good bit farther than they normally would._

 _"_ _H-hi, Penny," said Ruby, resolving herself to turn and greet her._

 _"_ _It_ is _you," said Penny. "You are alive. That is wonderful news! The others told me you were dead."_

 _"_ _I figured," said Ruby._

 _"_ _We should tell them immediately!" said Penny. "Your friends will be so happy!" Already, she was turning either to go find the others or call out to them._

 _"_ _Penny! Wait!" Ruby exclaimed, calling as loudly as she dared and injecting as much urgency into her tone as she could. "We can't tell them!"_

 _Penny turned back around, giving Ruby a perplexed stare. "Why not?" she asked. "Your friends are all sad that they thought you were gone."_

Not all of them, _thought Ruby dourly. Out loud, she said, "I know. But I can't let them know I'm alive yet. It's...it's complicated."_

 _"_ _What do you mean?" asked Penny._

 _"_ _There are things I need to do," said Ruby. "Before I can let them know I'm alive, there are things I have to take care of."_

 _"_ _I don't understand," said Penny, canting her head with a bewildered look._

 _"_ _I know," said Ruby sadly, uncertain of how she could explain things to her friend. Penny was...different...from just about anyone else she had ever known. It almost seemed as though Penny processed the world through a different filter than everyone else. So Ruby wondered if Penny would understand, even if Ruby fully explained the situation to her. "But-"_

 _"_ _Ruby?" Gin's voice caused Ruby to start, Gin and Ayumu abruptly emerging from within the ruined building to her right. "The coast is clear, so we should-Who's that?"_

 _Ruby opened her mouth to explain, but was immediately cut off by a whirring noise. Looking to the source of the sound, Ruby felt the bottom drop out of her stomach as several swords abruptly emerged from Penny's backpack, unfolding and spreading out through the air behind her, like the feathers of bladed wings._

 _"_ _Stand down and surrender!" snapped Penny, her voice suddenly carrying a surprising amount of authority, almost sounding foreign to the normally cheerful girl. "I'm warning you, I'm combat-ready."_

 _"_ _Uh...what?" asked Gin, blinking in confusion._

 _"_ _Oh dear," said Ayumu, his expression as serene as always._

 _"_ _Don't worry, Ruby," declared Penny firmly. "I'll take care of these rogues."_

 _For a second, Ruby was baffled by what Penny meant. Then it struck her. Gin and Ayumu were faunus. Given where they were and who had been working down here, Penny had seen two unidentified faunus, and immediately jumped to the flawed conclusion that they were members of the White Fang, even though Gin and Ayumu were dressed nothing like the White Fang soldiers laid out cold by the wreckage of the train._

 _"_ _Penny, wait-!" protested Ruby._

 _Unfortunately, Penny wasn't in a waiting mood. Ruby was forced to lurch to the side as Penny brought her swords down to either side of her, the blades folding over on themselves to resemble guns, which then arranged themselves into rotating formations on either side of Penny's waist. They then produced waves of green energy that propelled Penny across the ground at the boys. Ayumu immediately leapt to the side, while Gin's scales emerged from his forearms._

 _Kicking off the ground, Penny converted her weapons back into their sword forms, allowing her remaining momentum to keep carrying her. Then she went into a spin that allowed her to bring half her swords slashing down at Gin, while a gesture with the arm on her opposite side sent the other half shooting after Ayumu like arrows. Raising one forearm, Gin deflected the series of blades that slashed at him, while Ayumu twirled gracefully between the swords aimed at him._

 _"_ _Hold on!" protested Ruby, her frustration growing, as it became apparent that neither Penny nor the boys were actually listening to her._

 _Gin stepped forward and slammed his right hand right into Penny's midsection as she descended from her jump, his claws piercing into her Aura, throwing up silver and emerald sparks. The force of his blow launched Penny backwards across the alleyway to slam through a portion of the opposite building's wall. Ayumu, in the meantime, landed gracefully atop a piece of the rubble forming the pile that blocked the alley itself._

 _Rather than press the attack, Gin looked to Ruby, and Ruby realized that both he and Ayumu had heard and listened to her. But Gin had defended and counterattacked automatically, largely because...what else could he do under the circumstances? Now he looked to her, waiting for what she had to say on the matter. Then he froze for a second, before looking down in confusion at his right hand._

 _"_ _What was that?" he asked softly._

 _"_ _What was what?" asked Ruby._

 _Gin didn't get a chance to answer, as Penny emerged from wall she'd been blown through, a determined frown on her face. "I won't lose that easily," she said firmly, retracting the swords she'd launched at Ayumu and preparing to charge once more._

 _Ruby was on the verge of panicking. It was bad enough that her friend was fighting her boyfriend and the boy who was practically a brother to her. But continuing the fight increased the risk that the noise would attract the attention of the two teams a short distance away. If that happened and she was discovered, then all of Ruby's hard work would be for naught._

 _Seeing no other alternative, Ruby reached behind herself, Shining Rose materializing in her hand, then unfolding as she drew it forth, the bright, crimson blade igniting with a hiss as Ruby whipped it around, spinning it in an upwards swing that unleashed a red, crescent-shaped wave of Aura slicing through the ground between Penny and Gin, cutting into and disappearing through the pile of rubble blocking the alleyway._

 _"_ _Stop!" Ruby exclaimed as loudly as she dared. "Penny! These are my friends. They're not White Fang!"_

 _Penny froze, going almost unnaturally still for a few seconds. "Oh," she said finally, before standing up and retracting her blades. "I am terribly sorry about that." Her expression was one of perfect, sincere innocence, affirmed by her shyly clasping her hands behind her back, and following it up with a giggle._

 _Gin blinked and relaxed, lowering his arms. "That was almost bad," he said._

 _"_ _I don't think the others noticed," said Ayumu, his eyes drifting in the general direction of where the others were._

 _Ruby let out a relieved sigh. "I'm sorry, Penny," she said. "This is Gin and Ayumu."_

 _"_ _Oh! Hello," said Penny cheerfully. "If you are friends of Ruby's, then does that mean we are friends as well?"_

 _Despite the circumstances, Ruby couldn't quite conceal her amused snort at Penny's inquiry, abrupt as it was. Of course she didn't hesitate to ask the two boys she'd just been attacking a few seconds earlier._

 _"_ _Maybe," said Gin, tilting his head slightly. "But, first...maybe you should tell us_ what _you are."_

 _His question made Penny go silent, her body suddenly tensing._

 _"_ _What do you mean?" asked Ruby._

 _"_ _I thought it was odd," said Ayumu. "We didn't even sense her at first. And, even then, it was primarily through her Aura. Even now...she doesn't register as a living thing."_

 _"_ _Huh?" Ruby blinked and looked at Penny, who looked...worried...frightened even._

 _Gin raised his right hand, staring at it again. "I felt it when I hit her. There's no flesh or blood there. It's not even that she's wearing armor. She's solid, inorganic matter, all the way through." He looked up at Penny. "What are you?"_

 _"_ _Penny...?" Ruby looked intently at her unusual friend._

 _"_ _N-Hic!-Nothing!" said Penny, her entire body twitching nervously. "I'm just an ordinary human-Hic!-Nothing strange to see here! Hic!"_

 _"_ _I'm guessing you hiccup when you lie," said Gin sardonically, raising an eyebrow._

 _"_ _No, I don't-Hic!" Penny's hands flew up to her mouth as her hiccup betrayed her._

 _"_ _Penny...what's wrong?" asked Ruby, moving to her friend. "It's all right. You can trust us."_

 _"_ _I can't!" protested Penny. "I'm not supposed to tell anyone!"_

 _Ruby frowned and moved over to Penny, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Penny. It's okay. You can trust me."_

 _Penny looked plaintively at Ruby. "R-Ruby...you're my friend, right?"_

 _"_ _Of course," said Ruby. "Whatever it is, I promise I won't tell. Gin and Ayumu won't either."_

 _She didn't even need to look to know that the boys were nodding in agreement with her._

 _"_ _A-all right," said Penny, looking down sadly and rubbing her stomach. "The truth is...I...I'm not a real girl."_

 _"_ _What do you mean?" asked Ruby._

 _"_ _An android?" posed Gin._

 _Penny nodded. "I'm the first synthetic person capable of generating Aura. So far, I'm the only one. Because of that...I'm not a real person."_

 _"_ _Yes you are," said Ruby immediately. "Just because you have nuts and bolts instead of squishy guts doesn't make you any less of a person."_

 _"_ _You have Aura," said Ayumu, "so that would mean you have a soul. That would make you real enough to me."_

 _"_ _You're taking this...awfully well," said Penny, her eyes surveying the three of them._

 _"_ _Eh...we've seen weirder," said Gin with an indifferent shrug._

 _"_ _Learning under Master Yu generally acclimates you to the bizarre," added Ayumu with a slight laugh._

 _"_ _No matter what, you're still my friend," said Ruby._

 _"_ _Really?" asked Penny, her eyes shining...literally. Then her gaze went to Gin and Ayumu. "Can I be friends with you too? I'm sorry about attacking earlier."_

 _Gin and Ayumu exchanged looks and shrugged. "Sure, why not," said Gin with a slight smile._

 _"_ _Oh! This is sensational!" exclaimed Penny, hugging Ruby tightly, causing her to croak as Penny swung her around like a ragdoll._

 _"_ _Penny...keep it down..." groaned Ruby, finally managing to extricate herself from the android's grip. "I don't want the others to know I'm here."_

 _"_ _Oh!" said Penny, backing up. "Why not?"_

 _"_ _It's...a long story," said Ruby, her expression souring. "It's also not a happy one. We're on our way to Beacon now. But I can't let the others know I'm alive, not yet."_

 _"_ _Why?" asked Penny._

 _"_ _Because Weiss and Pyrrha are the reason I 'died,'" said Ruby bitterly. "They tried to kill me."_

 _"_ _Oh no!" gasped Penny, her hands going to her mouth. "Don't worry! If I report them-"_

 _"_ _Don't!" Ruby exclaimed, before clamping her hands over her own mouth. "Please don't," she said in a calmer tone. "I don't want them to know I'm alive yet, because I want to deal with them myself. Please..."_

 _"_ _I...I'm not sure I understand," said Penny._

 _"_ _It's...It's a personal thing," said Ruby. "I don't really have time to explain it."_

 _"_ _Well..." Penny looked down at her hands, as though examining them. "If you're keeping my secret..."_

 _"_ _Penny, no," said Ruby firmly. "This has nothing to do with your secret." She rested her hands over Penny's, gently squeezing them, surprised, in spite of herself, to realize she could feel a metal chassis below the coating of artificial skin. "I promise that I won't tell anyone. Even if you decide to tell the others about me, I still won't tell them about you. I promise."_

 _"_ _Ruby, I..." Penny paused, her systems apparently trying to articulate an appropriate response. "Thank you," she said finally. "I...I won't tell anyone about you. I don't understand why, but I'll keep your secret until you're ready."_

 _"_ _Thank you, Penny," said Ruby, throwing her arms around Penny's shoulders and hugging her tightly. Penny returned the embrace, albeit much more gently than last time._

 _"_ _Will I see you again?" asked Ruby as they pulled away._

 _"_ _I'll try," said Penny uncertainly. "General Ironwood doesn't like me to go off on my own, so I might have guards with me."_

 _"_ _Why?" wondered Ruby, remembering how formidable Penny could be. "It's not like you need protection."_

 _"_ _Probably more for discretion," commented Gin, while Ayumu nodded sagely._

 _"_ _I should go," said Penny, stepping back. "I think the others are starting to wonder where I am."_

 _"_ _All right," said Ruby._

 _"_ _Good luck," said Penny. "I really hope we can see each other again."_

 _"_ _Me too," agreed Ruby._

 _Penny turned and ran back the way she came._

 _"_ _Interesting one," noted Ayumu._

 _"_ _Yeah," said Ruby wistfully. Learning that Penny was an android explained a great deal, both about her behavior and her capability. What was more, Ruby realized that, despite her...eccentricities...Penny was a wonderful person, and someone that she was glad to be friends with._

 _"_ _We should go too," said Ayumu. "The others may want to investigate the tunnel, possibly even seal it. If we're going to use it to get into Vale, we should do so now."_

 _"_ _Right," said Ruby with a nod. "Let's go."_

* * *

"So everything went all right, with Weiss and Pyrrha?" asked Penny, her question pulling Ruby back into the present.

"Y-yeah," said Ruby, a bit disconcerted by being knocked so suddenly out of her reverie.

"I heard about what happened on the news," said Penny. "And I saw the interview. I had no idea you'd been through that."

"No one did," said Ruby. "That was kind of the point behind their plan."

"So...why didn't you want me telling anyone?" asked Penny. "I mean, now that we don't have to worry about everyone knowing you're still alive..."

"Well..." Ruby and Gin shared a look before Ruby explained what she had done.

"Wow! So you fought Weiss Schnee and Pyrrha Nikos...at the same time...and beat them?" gasped Penny, her eyes wide.

"Uh huh," said Ruby.

"Sensational!" exclaimed Penny. "You've gotten so strong!"

"Thanks," said Ruby, blushing. It was true that she'd gotten much stronger over the course of her journey back to Vale. However, she supposed that was especially so in Penny's eyes, given that the closest thing Penny had gotten to a view of Ruby's combat capabilities was Ruby taking a bolt from Roman Torchwick at the docks, and not being able to do anything before the fight ended.

"What about you, Penny?" asked Ruby. "What have you been doing?"

"Not much," admitted Penny, looking down, her expression saddening slightly. "General Ironwood usually has me stay close. I don't even get to spend much time with my teammates."

"You're on a team?" asked Ruby, blinking in surprise.

"I'm supposed to be," said Penny, looking away. "But that's just supposed to be for the Vytal Festival. I need teammates to get through the first two rounds of the tournament. General Ironwood says I have to show my power to reassure the people, because, one day, it will be my job to save the world."

"Save the world from what?" asked Ruby, though she had a good idea of what Penny was talking about.

"Actually," said Gin, abruptly cutting off Penny before she could even begin to answer, "we probably should hold off on comparing notes. This isn't exactly the place or time to discuss this sort of thing."

Penny and Ruby looked around, suddenly remembering that they were in the midst of the dance. Gin might have been using his Semblance to keep people from being able to read their lips, but that wouldn't do anything if anyone got close enough to overhear them.

"I don't know when we'll find time to talk again, though," said Penny, looking down. "After the last couple times I went off without supervision, General Ironwood has been keeping a way closer eye on me."

"We'll figure something out," said Gin.

"Right," said Penny, looking up and noticing that her guards were approaching again. "Well, I guess this is goodbye for now. Maybe we'll get to dance together, Ruby."

"I'd like that," said Ruby excitedly.

Penny beamed and trotted off to reassure her chaperones. Gin looked after her, a troubled expression on his face.

"Are you worried about her?" asked Ruby.

"I'm worried _for_ her," said Gin. "I trust Ironwood about as far as a mouse can throw a Goliath."

"Oh..." said Ruby, frowning.

"He's a pretty diehard The Ends Justify the Means sort of guy. He was _way_ too gung-ho to get Yang into that machine earlier." Gin's frown deepened. "If he's willing to do that to someone who's undeniably human so easily, then what would he be willing to do to someone, who he might simply view as another piece of equipment?"

That put an uncomfortable lump into Ruby's stomach. She had to admit that Gin had a point about Ironwood. She also realized that he had a point about Penny too. While she, Gin, and Ayumu were able to recognize Penny as a person, thanks to her having an Aura and a soul, she could also see that others might not think that way. Penny was an android after all, and there were probably people who knew her secret who didn't see her as being anything more than an especially strong and emotive model, not an actual living being. The thought made her mouth go dry.

Then Gin rested a cool hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have brought that up here."

"No, it's all right," said Ruby with a shake of her head, before turning to look at him. "I'm glad we got to talk to Penny. We can worry about other things later."

"Yeah," agreed Gin. "Ready to try some dancing?"

Ruby swallowed and looked out at the dance floor. She figured that she might be able to get into the swing of things if she tried. "All right."

Gin took her hand and began to lead her out amidst all the others.

* * *

Neo blinked. When her eyes opened again, they had gone white, the color only slightly off enough to make her irises distinguishable from her sclera.

"Ah! Your eyes, Ms. Neo," said Ayumu, pointing out the chink in her disguise.

Neo sucked in a sharp breath and closed her eyes. When they opened again, they had returned to their previous shade of green. Normally, she wouldn't have let her control over her Semblance falter so easily. However, the sudden sight of Ayumu, and the fact that he hadn't hesitated to call her by name, had rattled her far more than usual.

"Sorry," said Ayumu cheerfully. "I didn't mean to startle you, Ms. Neo. I figured you wouldn't look like yourself, though I admit that this look is quite pretty for you."

Neo fixed Ayumu with a perplexed look, having no idea what to make of him.

Ayumu's smile remained as inscrutable as ever, and he simply offered a hand out to her. "May I have this dance?"

Neo looked down at his proffered hand, then back up at his face.

"Please don't worry," said Ayumu quickly. "I have no intention of revealing you. I've been looking forward to seeing you again."

Neo blinked in confusion, but took Ayumu's offered hand and allowed him to lead her onto the dance floor, where the two of them began to move to the steps of a rather simple dance. The top of Neo's head barely reached Ayumu's chin, so she found herself resting her other hand gently against his chest, while Ayumu's hand came to rest just below her shoulders.

There was a surreal quality to this situation, as Neo found herself so close to an opponent who had given her one of the most challenging fights she'd ever been through. What was more, he and his two friends had been the ones responsible for the failure at Mountain Glenn, which had resulted in Roman ending up in Vale's custody, and Cinder being _very_ upset. Despite that, Neo couldn't find it in herself to feel any animosity towards the boy in front of her now. Perhaps it was the fact that he himself exuded no animosity. In fact, even when they had been fighting, she hadn't felt any actual hostility from him.

"Have you been well?" asked Ayumu.

Neo frowned and lifted her hand off his chest to give a "so-so" wave, before putting it back against his chest.

"I see," said Ayumu. "I suppose that's as much our fault as anything else."

Neo narrowed her eyes and looked up at Ayumu intently.

"Are you wondering how I knew it was you?" asked Ayumu cheerfully.

Neo nodded.

Ayumu laughed lightly. "Well, your ability is impressive. But your Semblance only deceives the eyes. Master Yu taught us to perceive the world clearly, with all our senses in unison. Because of that, even when you use your illusion to hide your true appearance, I can still 'see through it,' so to speak."

Neo blinked furiously, both amazed and intimidated by the fact that there was someone, multiple someones at that, who could pierce her illusions. It rendered one of her most potent abilities essentially useless.

"By the way, I heard you tried to kill Gin in his sleep a while back," said Ayumu with nonchalance that belied the severity of what he'd just said.

Neo gasped almost inaudibly. However, Ayumu simply laughed again. "Please don't worry," he assured her. "I'm not upset. We're technically enemies, after all. Such things are to be expected. Besides, our Master has attacked us in our sleep plenty of times."

The fact that Ayumu wasn't upset over Neo's attempted assassination of his friend shouldn't have come as such a relief to her. Despite that, she couldn't help but relax a little at his assurance. Strangely, in spite of the caution she should have felt, being so close to someone who was technically an enemy, Neo felt strangely at ease, drifting closer to him, until she was practically leaning her head against his chest.

Something about this boy made her current slate of problems seem so very distant at the moment. Her role in Cinder's plan, Roman's role, whether or not they would live past their intended use; all of that faded into the background, kept at bay by the gentle arm wrapped around her.

Ayumu's smile widened and he tightened his hold ever so slightly. "Are you enjoying yourself?" he asked.

Tilting her head up, Neo looked him in the eyes and reflected on her feelings about what had happened so far, then found herself nodding; feeling grateful that Mercury, Emerald, and Cinder were not at the dance right now. Not having any nefarious deeds to use the dance as cover for, the trio had opted to skip out entirely, apparently eager to get a little extra time off from pretending to be students. The main reason Neo herself had come to the dance had been to get a little distance and time away from them. But now she realized that she liked what she'd experienced so far.

"That's good," said Ayumu.

Neo frowned again and tilted her head.

"I guess you're wondering why I'm doing this," noted Ayumu, prompting a nod from her. To Neo's surprise, his cheeks turned an utterly adorable shade of pink, as he looked away with a bashful expression that even _she_ could tell was uncharacteristic for him. "Um...well...the truth of the matter is...I guess I should be honest. I've developed something of a crush on you."

The straightforward frankness of his admission completely floored her, and Neo fought to keep from gaping at him.

"I apologize for making that sound so awkward," said Ayumu. "But I really enjoyed our fight in Mountain Glenn. You were an exceptional opponent and...well...you're also quite pretty."

Neo hadn't thought to use her Semblance on her skin itself, so it did nothing to mask the blush that emerged across her cheeks at Ayumu's admission. More to the point, there was something about his confession that resonated with her. She had enjoyed their fight too. It had been a long time since she had met an opponent who could truly engage her as an equal, who could force her to put everything she had into a fight. Dueling with Ayumu had been exhilarating, imparting a euphoria that had lingered, even with the realization that she'd failed to stop him and his friends from catching Roman.

"Because of that, I was eager to see you again," said Ayumu. "So I was a little disappointed that you visited Gin instead of me."

That prompted the faintest of giggles from the diminutive girl. The subtle insinuation there was that Ayumu wouldn't have minded if she had tried to kill him instead of his friend. Of course, his confidence was probably warranted, if he was anywhere near as alert as Gin had proven to be. Neo found herself sighing and leaning against Ayumu again, relaxing as they swayed and stepped to the music. Even if she thought she didn't have a crush on Ayumu, the way he did her, she found herself admitting that dancing with him felt nice.

They continued that way as the song wound to a close. Then a much more lively and upbeat song came on, causing them to part slightly. Neo found herself feeling a little disappointed that they couldn't continue. However, Ayumu continued to gently hold her hand, keeping them from separating entirely.

"If you don't mind, would you be willing to step outside?" he asked. "I would like to talk with you more."

Neo's eyes narrowed, her suspicion and caution, held at bay by the music and the feeling of this boy's arm around her, returning in full. Had this been his intent all along, to woo her with a romantic confession, then use that to extract information from her?

"I won't make you," said Ayumu. "I have questions, but you don't need to answer them. I really would like to talk...just a little bit more."

Neo's eyes went to the hand Ayumu was holding. His grip was as light as a feather, and she wouldn't even need to exert herself to pull away. He was allowing her to do what she pleased. She looked up at him again, amazed by the plaintively caring look in his eyes. With a final bit of hesitation, she slowly nodded. She took his arm and allowed Ayumu to lead her out of the ballroom, and into the quiet night, beyond all the noise and excitement of the dance.

They moved out of sight of the ballroom, and into one of Beacon's courtyards. Ayumu guided Neo to a bench situated out in the open. The music had faded into the distant background, barely audible to the pair as they sat. Here, they would be visible to anyone who came even remotely close. But, by the same measure, it meant that nobody would be able to get close enough to hear them without being seen. As a means of ensuring privacy, it was certainly a good choice for a conversation that was occurring on such short notice.

For a moment, they sat in silence. Neo found herself resisting the urge to lean against Ayumu. As strangely reassuring and relaxing as the boy's presence was, she had to remind herself that they were actually enemies. If anything, she had to be extra cautious with him, as he was one of the people directly responsible for her and Roman's tenuous position. If they hadn't wrecked the operation in Mountain Glenn, Roman wouldn't have failed in Cinder's eyes and Neo wouldn't have been in the position of having to make sure that they regained enough of her good graces to stay alive.

"Have you been doing all right?" asked Ayumu.

Neo blinked, not having expected a question like that.

"I'm guessing what we did in Mountain Glenn placed you in an...unpleasant situation," continued Ayumu.

Neo nodded slowly, watching the boy out of the corner of her eye.

"I won't apologize for that," said Ayumu, his smile remaining as he looked down at his hands, which were folded across his lap. "We did what was necessary to protect what was important to us." He turned his eyes to Neo. "Just as I won't hold it against you that you were essentially doing the same."

Neo blinked, twice, her right eye turning brown, her left pink. In the ballroom, she needed to worry about completely maintaining her disguise. But, out here, that wasn't so important. She was surprised by what he'd said, not expecting him to decline to condemn her for being a willing part of a terrorist plot against the Kingdom.

"Still," continued Ayumu, "I would still like to help you, if I could. Your position with your...employer...must be quite tenuous right now. I imagine the same is true for Mr. Torchwick, which is who you're _really_ worried about, aren't you?"

A light squeak emerged from Neo's throat, one of the few vocalizations she was capable of making.

"I realize you must care about him a great deal, and he you," continued Ayumu. "I could tell that there is a very strong bond of trust between the two of you.

"When he told you to remain behind and stall us while he made his escape, most would assume he was abandoning you. But, when he did that, I could tell you were not disturbed in the slightest by that decision. The natural ease with which you assumed the role of distraction and obstacle showed that it was something you're very comfortable with. That decision was actually borne of his faith in your ability to hold your own, and get away on your own. Isn't that the case?"

Neo nodded slowly. She'd never encountered anyone who'd understood the trust between her and Roman so easily.

"And yet, because of me, that failed," pressed Ayumu. "I can't say for sure what the final shape of you or your employer's plan was, but I imagine it didn't involve Mr. Torchwick being taken into custody then and there."

Neo swallowed, unsure of how to respond. Ayumu was right that her and Roman's usual tactic had failed mostly because of him. With the ability to fight her evenly on his own, Ayumu had kept her from distracting all three of Roman's attackers, leaving the remaining two to bring down the much less-reliable White Fang soldiers, and then bring Roman himself down. If Ayumu hadn't been there, she might have been enough to keep the other two busy at least long enough for Roman to get away.

It also unnerved her that Ayumu somehow knew that Roman's part in the plan had involved him being taken into custody at some point. Had things gone as planned, Roman would have been captured after the breach and, hopefully, placed into the custody of the Atlesian forces Ironwood had brought to bolster security for the Vytal Festival. Where things went from there, Neo didn't know for sure, but she did know that Roman was supposed to be in Atlesian custody, not Valean custody.

"And now," said Ayumu, "you are very afraid of what's going to happen in the future."

Neo's body tensed and she glared at Ayumu.

Ayumu merely continued to smile pleasantly at her. "Your fear is not a mark of weakness, Ms. Neo. If anything, it's a sign of how strong you are. You are strong enough, skilled enough, smart enough, to know your limits. Because you are so strong, yet still afraid, it's worrying to consider what could frighten someone as capable as you so badly."

Neo swallowed and looked down at her own lap, her fingers curling, bunching the fabric of her skirt. It hurt to recognize how right Ayumu's observation was. She was afraid. Cinder was bad enough. Sure, her minions were pieces of work, but they were something Neo could understand, something she could fight. But Cinder...Cinder had a power Neo didn't understand, could do things Neo couldn't explain. And that terrified her. What was worse, she knew that Cinder was just the tip of this particular iceberg. There was something more going on, but Neo and Roman were far too low on the ladder to be allowed to know about it, which made them disposable.

"I can't imagine you're going along with this plan willingly," said Ayumu. "Your employer has dire plans for Vale. You and Mr. Torchwick may be criminals, but your motivations have always revolved around profit, haven't they?"

Neo nodded.

"Unless you're an agent of a foreign power, there's no profit to be had in the complete, utter, and systematic destruction of an entire Kingdom," continued Ayumu. "But now you're in too deep. You've seen too much, done too much, to be able to back off. Your employer wouldn't allow it. And, even if you could escape her, you don't believe that there is any hope for you if you did."

Neo nodded and sniffed.

"I'd like to help you, if I could," said Ayumu, resting one of his hands over hers. The touch was feather-light. But there was something about it that made Neo's hands unclench, her fingers relax. "I won't make any promises that I can't keep. Obviously, it would do no good to blunder about without any understanding of your full situation. At the same time, it would also be unwise for me to pry into your affairs with questions, and equally unwise for you to answer them without knowing that you could truly trust me."

Neo pursed her lips and looked straight into Ayumu's eyes. She blinked, her eye colors switching as her eyes opened again.

Ayumu sighed and looked away from her. "It is a lot to ask your trust, isn't it? And I can't even say that it's some altruistic thing, like always recognizing that you needed help. As selfish as it may be to say this; because you weighed so much on my mind, I began to think about what I knew about you, what I'd experienced with you, how you fit into the larger context of the situation; I came to realize how much danger you and Mr. Torchwick are in." He returned his eyes to hers. "So, I won't ask for you to trust me. Instead, I'll ask you to watch me and...in time...assuming we have time...I hope I might prove worthy of your trust."

Neo's mouth opened by the slightest of increments, her equivalent to what would be gaping unashamedly to most people. She'd never met anyone like this before. Ayumu didn't condemn her for her criminal actions. He openly admitted to having a crush on her, yet did not try to leverage that in any fashion. He wasn't trying to rescue her from her plight, like some white knight rescuing the damsel in distress. He wanted to help her, but he also respected her, her strength, her skill, her agency, her ability and right to make her own decisions...and she didn't know what to make of it.

What she did know was that she couldn't dislike this boy. If anything, she was finding herself already growing to like him quite a bit. It wasn't the same level of romantic feeling he'd clearly developed towards her, but Neo couldn't say where these feelings of hers would go.

"I do have one question," said Ayumu, making Neo tense. His smile had vanished, his expression completely and uncharacteristically serious. "Salem...have you heard that name before?"

Neo's eyes widened in surprise. This had not been the kind of question she'd been expecting. Slowly, she shook her head.

"I thought not," said Ayumu. "To be honest, I know next to nothing about her, save that the people you are working for...work for her...and that she controls the Grimm."

Neo abruptly felt as though she'd been dunked in a bucket of ice water. Her entire body trembled at the realization of what Ayumu had just told her. That knowledge was worse than her most pessimistic imaginings about what was going on. She'd known that Cinder intended to employ the Grimm as a weapon of sorts, namely by stoking the negative feelings of the people of Vale, until those feelings reached fever-pitch and brought the Grimm down on the Kingdom in numbers that their defenses could not hope to handle. But this was far worse. The idea that the one Cinder answered to controlled the Grimm was enough to make her go numb with fear.

Ayumu's hand lifted off hers and his arm wrapped around her shoulders, his palm now rubbing up and down her goosebump-covered arm, the warmth of his touch a gentle reassurance. "I'm sorry to frighten you like that, but I was curious if you knew that much, in which case, you might be in even more danger than you thought.

"There's something else," Ayumu continued. "Your employer herself, and we know it's a her, is extremely dangerous. What's more, she can do things you don't understand, use a power that seems unconnected to either a Semblance or Dust. Am I right?"

Neo nodded, wondering how Ayumu knew so much about her situation already. No wonder he hadn't been bothering to interrogate her.

"Your employer is here, at Beacon, somewhere," he added. "She's looking for something."

Again, Neo nodded.

Ayumu looked her square in the eyes. "That is because her power, as strange and frightening as it is now, is still incomplete. She does not have the whole of it. She is here, seeking the remainder of that power. It is somewhere at this Academy and she knows it."

Biting the inside of her lip, Neo wondered why Ayumu was telling her all this. He was basically sharing vital intelligence with her. She understood enough to realize that all this was information that Cinder already had. If what Ayumu said was true, then of course Cinder knew her power was incomplete. Furthermore, if she was at Beacon, it was because she knew that what she was looking for was here somewhere. But simply telling Neo that he and, presumably, his friends and allies knew that much was essentially giving her an edge in information.

"I'm telling you this because it's important that you understand your employer's power is incomplete," said Ayumu. "As dangerous as she is now, the threat she represents will increase by an order of magnitude, should she find what she seeks. If you and Mr. Torchwick hope to escape her with your lives, then your best, maybe only, hope would be to do so while her power is still incomplete...or even to stop her from completing it, if that's possible. Please reflect on that."

Neo's mouth went dry at the realization. But the shiver that ran through her body was not one of fear. It was a happy feeling. Ayumu had given her this information, taken this risk, to help her, not in the overbearing way she might have expected a lovestruck boy to try and help her, but a truly effective way. In spite of her fear, Neo found herself smiling warmly at the boy.

"Ah, you're quite welcome," said Ayumu bashfully, his cheeks turning pink again.

Neo leaned her head against him, finding herself taking solace in the contact. Ayumu's arm tightened its hold around her shoulders and she let out the softest of sighs. She didn't feel like going back to the dance, not anymore. But she was content here, realizing that, with Ayumu at least, she could let her guard down a little, feeling that he wouldn't take advantage of it.

They stayed like that for a few minutes before Ayumu spoke again. "Um...though it's a bit presumptuous of me...might I ask a favor of you, Ms. Neo."

Frowning in confusion, Neo pulled away far enough to look Ayumu in the eyes, her heartbeat picking up nervously as she wondered if she'd dropped her guard too much and the other shoe was about to drop.

Ayumu's expression was still bashful, the color of his cheeks even deeper than before. He scratched one of those cheeks nervously with the hand he wasn't using to hold Neo. "I was wondering if you might...might be willing to drop your disguise for a moment. I was wondering what you might look like in your dress with your real form." He paused. "Oh! Please don't worry about anyone seeing you," he added quickly. "No one is watching us right now. I'd notice if they were."

Neo's jaw did drop this time. A second later, she was doubled over, hugging her stomach as her body was rocked by barely-audible giggles. It was such a simple, silly request, almost exactly the kind of request she'd expect a lovestruck boy like him to make. Her own cheeks coloring, Neo pulled out of his arm, standing up from the bench and coming to stand directly in front of him. She clasped her hands shyly behind her back and dispelled her Semblance, a wave of light crawling from the top of her head and down her body.

Her black hair was replaced by its normal pink and brown color, going from being tied up into two tails to flowing in a curling tail down to the small of her back. Now Neo stood before Ayumu, still wearing the same dress, but appearing before him in her real colors.

"Lovely," said Ayumu happily. Then he cupped his chin. "But I don't think black suits your real appearance as well as it did your disguise."

Giggling silently at his critique, Neo called upon her Semblance again, using it to change the appearance of her dress. The overall design the same, but its color and the look of its fabric changed. The slinky, silky, black fabric was replaced by what appeared to be two layers of fabric, one white and one pink. Their texture was slightly ruffled, the two colors resting side by side over her chest, then descending down in a gentle, clockwise spiral, all the way to the hem of her skirt.

His cheeks turning bright red, Ayumu gaped at her, before applauding happily. "Beautiful," he declared. "That look really does suit you, Ms. Neo."

Neo couldn't keep her own cheeks from flushing furiously, not even trying to use her Semblance to hide it. Instead, she smiled demurely and averted her eyes shyly.

Standing up, Ayumu approached her and gently took Neo's hand in his own. "Thank you for this," he said, raising her hand up and bowing over it, gently brushing his lips across her knuckles in a courtly gesture that made Neo shiver in delight. "Just seeing you like this alone has made this entire night worthwhile."

He let go of her hand and straightened up. But Neo decided she wasn't done yet. Abruptly, she threw herself at Ayumu, surprising him as she threw her arms around his neck and lifted herself up to kiss him on the lips, hard. She held the position, supporting it with her own arm strength. Just as Ayumu's own hands rose up to try and pull her closer, Neo suddenly let go, dropping back down and skipping just out of reach, flashing Ayumu a cheeky, teasing smile, finding the stunned expression and bright-red tone of his cheeks utterly hilarious...and adorable.

Ayumu stood, flummoxed. Then he raised his hand to gently press his fingers to his lips. Neo gave him one last wink, before skipping back and refracting the ambient light around herself completely, causing her to vanish in a flash of light. She skipped away, fully aware that, despite what she'd done, Ayumu knew exactly where she was. He made no effort to pursue though, but merely watched her until she'd broken his line of sight entirely.

Away from him, Neo undid her Semblance again, seeking shelter in an empty hallway for a moment. She leaned against the wall, breathing hard, her own cheeks flushed in shock at her own boldness, her willingness to reciprocate the affection Ayumu had shown her. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. Her feelings were wonderful, but much more than silly flirting had taken place this evening. Ayumu had given her a great deal to think about...

...And Neo meant to think _very_ hard.

* * *

 **So...yeah, Ayumu and Neo. Who would've thought it. I have to admit, when it comes to the show, I am a member of the "I hope Neo defects and becomes a good guy" crowd, however feasible such a defection actually is. Granted, I'll try to keep from projecting my expectations on her future appearances in the show. But we live in hope.**

 **And, with that little flashback at the beginning, we now fully resolve everything that happened in Mountain Glenn. Huzzah!**


	73. Chapter 73

**Chapter 73:**

Ruby had worried that the uncomfortable topic of Ironwood's plans for Penny would put a damper on her and Gin's night. However, she soon felt those worries melt away in his presence, the two of them enjoying themselves a great deal on the dance floor, even if their dancing didn't hold a candle to Yang and Jaune's. Ruby enjoyed the feeling of being wrapped up in her boyfriend's arms, slowly swaying and stepping to the music. When a faster song started playing, they stepped off the floor, and took the time to relax in two of the chairs set along the ballroom wall.

All told, the night was shaping up to be as perfect as she ever could have hoped it would. Right now, she was sipping on another glass of punch and nibbling a few snacks from the refreshment table that Gin had brought her. She leaned against him, savoring the sense of closeness between them. Their dances had been slow and easy, but doing so in heels was still tricky for her. On top of that, it left her ankles feeling sore, which made it a blessing to be able to sit a spell. She figured that, in a few more minutes, she would be good to get up again. Then again, leaning against Gin was so comfortable that she wasn't sure that she'd _ever_ want to get up.

"Hey, you two," greeted Yang, coming to sit down beside Ruby with a tired sigh. "Having fun?"

"Yeah," said Ruby. "Gin and I ran into Penny earlier."

"Really?" Yang blinked in surprise, casting her eyes about until she saw the orange-haired girl in her pink dress, talking and laughing with Nora and Ren, while her "chaperones" looked on warily.

"Yeah," said Ruby. She hadn't told Yang and the others about her, Gin, and Ayumu running into Penny in Mountain Glenn. That meeting was linked to Penny's own secret and, if word of it got back to Ironwood, somehow, Ruby didn't doubt he would react badly. The realization that the android that he might view as little more than a machine was keeping things from him was sure to incense the General, especially if he realized that amongst those things was the fact that there were unauthorized people who had learned her secret.

"Well, at least she's having fun," noted Yang. "Still can't figure why she needs bodyguards. She was tearing through Grimm like they were tissue paper during the mission. I know you told me she was tough before that, but seeing it was a whole 'nother deal entirely."

"Yeah," agreed Ruby with a giggle. "So, taking a break from the dancing?"

"Yeah," said Yang with a laugh. "Jaune's a wiz on the floor. _I'm_ the one who has trouble keeping up, which is pretty nice for a change."

Ruby looked over to see Jaune grabbing punch and snacks from the refreshment table, ladling out the drink from the recently-refilled punchbowl. Coco's recipe was proving as popular as she claimed, and she'd had to make up new batches at least three times already. Ruby also remembered Coco catching a mischievous student trying to spike her brew once, dragging the unfortunate boy away by the ear, and taking him straight to Glynda, who had been standing in one corner of the room, talking with the other teachers. After that, Ruby made it a point to let Gin take the first sip, before partaking herself.

"I'm glad everything's going well," said Ruby.

"Yeah, let's just hope there aren't any disasters," said Yang. Granted, the last dance hadn't been a disaster, but the mysterious intruder in the CCT Tower continued to weigh on their minds and, even now, they could help but wonder if their hidden foe was using this event as a cover for other nefarious deeds.

"Well, I think Ayumu ran into Neo," commented Gin idly.

"What?!" gasped Yang, her head jerking up as she looked frantically around the room, not seeing any sign of Ayumu...or the girl that had tried to murder her teammate (and sister's boyfriend) in the dark of the night.

"They went outside a little while ago," said Gin. "If it was her, she's in disguise, but she was certainly short enough to be Neo and disguising herself. With that Semblance of hers, it wouldn't be hard. Ayumu looked happy while they were dancing too, which probably means it was her."

"Could you tell?" asked Ruby, surprised Gin hadn't mentioned anything earlier.

"I didn't get close enough and I wasn't trying too hard," said Gin. "Like I said, Ayumu looked happy, and he can take care of himself even better than I can. So, he'll be fine."

"You know," said Yang dubiously, "I still can't really get over the idea of Ayumu having a romantic interest in a violent criminal who tried to kill you in your sleep, not to mention how little you seem to mind-not at all."

"Eh, who am I to judge?" asked Gin rhetorically. "Glass houses and all that..." He shrugged. "If Ayumu can turn her around, then more power to him. Considering my history, it's hardly fitting for me to hold hers against her."

"Well...all right," said Yang still feeling uneasy about the idea. She did have to admit that Gin was probably right about Ayumu though. If anyone could take care of himself, it would be him.

Then Jaune returned with their refreshments, and Yang resolved to stop worrying, accepting the small plate Jaune handed her as he sat down next to her. Instead, Yang leaned in closer to Ruby to whisper into her ear. "By the way, Sis, Coco asked me to tell you that Fox is ready whenever you are."

"O-oh, uh...right!" said Ruby, stiffening up slightly, earning a confused look from Gin as she blushed.

"The dance is gonna go on for a couple more hours," Yang pointed out. "So you've got time. But you don't want to put it off until the last minute."

"Okay," said Ruby, hunching her shoulders nervously, prompting a worried look from Gin. She smiled reassuringly at him. Then she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to get that unexpected tension out of her system.

Yang had a point. Ruby needed to put her plan into action sooner, rather than later. It wasn't that it would be particularly time consuming. But the longer she put it off, the harder it would be to find her resolve and actually go through with it.

Silently, Ruby resolved to go through with it as soon as the ache in her ankles faded completely, and she felt up to dancing again. It would be a few more minutes before she felt comfortable enough to try walking and dancing on these accursed lady-stilts again. Until then, she'd sip her punch and munch on her snacks...and enjoy Gin's company.

She enjoyed Yang and Jaune's company as well, the four of them chatting as they rested. Their primary focus was the upcoming Vytal Festival, particularly the tournament. The conversation filled up the time it took Ruby to finish her snacks. Her ankles feeling markedly better, she took another deep breath to keep herself calm. Then she turned and locked eyes with Yang. Ruby gave her sister the smallest of nods and Yang broke into an excited grin.

Standing up, Ruby stretched briefly, before turning around and extending her hand to Gin. "Come on," she said, "I feel up to dancing some more."

"Are you sure?" asked Gin.

"Yeah," said Ruby, taking his hand and pulling him up. "Come on. We don't want to miss this one."

Behind them, Yang had pulled out her scroll and typed a quick text to Coco, sending it before the couple even reached the dance floor.

"What's up?" asked Jaune, looking at Yang in confusion.

 _Oh, right, forgot to tell him,_ thought Yang. "You'll see," she said cheekily. "Come on, we'll want to watch this." _We'll want to record it too. Dad's gonna want to see this. I bet Amber would like it too._

Yang hadn't missed the fact that Ruby was growing closer to Amber over the course of her visits to the infirm Maiden. Yang had only tagged along for one of those visits, mainly out of curiosity. Having not spoken to Amber when she'd first awakened, she only had Ruby's description to go by. Seeing the pair of them interacting had made Yang smile. In a few ways, she noticed that Ruby appeared to see Amber as something of a mother-figure. Yang didn't mind. Her own biological mother probably wasn't a suitable role model, and Summer Rose was already dead. Having someone near that age, who could offer Ruby guidance and, more importantly, affection was good for her. Yang was betting that Amber would be ecstatic to see what Ruby was about to do.

Ruby led Gin out onto the floor, the two of them assuming the traditional position, Gin cradling Ruby's left hand in his right, while his left hand rested on the small of her back and Ruby's right hand rested on his shoulder.

They arrived as the latest song was winding down, getting themselves ready for the next.

When it started, Ruby smiled as she recognized the rising melody, followed shortly by the lyrics.

 _"Hush your cries, close your eyes,_  
 _Stay with me_  
 _Let's just dream_  
 _Quietly_  
 _Of what might be..."_

Ruby sighed blissfully, meshing her fingers with Gin's and leaning her head on his shoulder, pressing herself against him as Gin's hand on her back transitioned to his arm wrapping around her waist, holding her close as the two of them swayed and stepped in time to the music.

This had been the lullaby Yang had used to sing to her, when they were little, a simple song, filled with love, with an equally simple title... _Home_. Right now, it truly expressed how she felt with Gin. With him, she felt as though she really was home, just as much as she did around Yang or her father. Right here, right now, in his arms, everything else seemed to fall away. Her worries about the upcoming tournament, about the mysterious foe plotting against them, even the hostility from other students they'd faced; all of it evaporated.

Ruby could sense her sister's presence nearby, Yang's eyes following their every move intently. She even suspected that Yang was recording the whole thing. Jaune was watching them too. More to the point, she felt her other friends also watching, all of them pausing in their own dancing and assembling at a distance to watch. Despite all that attention on them, neither she nor Gin cared. They were absorbed in each other, in their own little world. This was their time.

With the final lines of the song fading off, Ruby pulled just a little bit away from Gin so that she could look him in the eyes. Gin was watching her intently, an expression of slight curiosity on his face. Ruby hadn't been sure of the plan Yang had given her before, but she now saw that it was the best way.

 _"_ _After the song, give him a kiss,"_ Yang had said. _"Keep it simple. Just put your heart into it."_

Following her sister's instructions, Ruby leaned in and pressed her lips against Gin's in a slow, lingering kiss. She released his hand so that hers could wrap around his shoulder, Gin's now-free arm going to her waist, allowing them to pull each other closer as their kiss deepened, their lips moving slowly, languidly against one another. Ruby almost felt as though she could keep this kiss going forever. But it was just to finish setting the mood. She wasn't done yet. So, with much reluctance, she pulled away, unable to keep from smiling as she saw the dazed, blissful look on Gin's face.

"Gin..."

"Yes?"

Ruby swallowed, her face already crimsoning at the thought of what came next. Her sister's advice made clear what she needed to do now. _"After your kiss, pull back and tell him. That's all there is to it; no flowery speeches, no fancy words. Just say those big three words you've wanted to tell him for days now. Take a deep breath...and let him have it."_

Ruby inhaled, closing her eyes to muster the final bit of courage she needed. Opening them again, she found herself smiling more widely than ever. "I love you."

Gin's jaw dropped ever so slightly, his mouth opening in a silent "Oh!" Then he blinked. For the first time, Ruby saw Gin's eyes glitter as tears began to gather in them. Her heart soared as a look of absolute joy, the most intense expression of happiness she'd ever seen, washed across his face.

Gin's reserved manner meant that even his happy expressions always seemed rather muted, especially in comparison to more expressive people, like Yang or even Ruby herself. Gin's smiles were small, shy things, almost as though he was embarrassed to be caught with his lips curled upward...unless the expression was an amused or confident smirk, in which case he showed no reserve. But now, the smile on his face was wider than any Ruby had ever seen...and it made her exultant to know that _she_ was the one who put it there.

A second later, Gin's arms tightened their hold on her waist, pulling Ruby back in. Ruby let him, pulling herself closer with her own arms as they joined in another kiss, this one much more passionate and heated, their lips opening and tongues mingling. Ruby unconsciously kicked her right leg up as she leaned into the kiss, raising her hands to grip the back of Gin's head, tangling her fingers in his hair. One of Gin's hands rose up to her shoulders to help pull her even closer.

It took them another moment to realize that the music hadn't moved on to the next song. In fact, there was no music playing at the moment. Pulling out of their kiss, the couple realized that they were instead surrounded by the sounds of clapping, cheering, and whistling. Looking around, both their faces crimsoned as they saw that the entire dance had apparently turned into an audience for Ruby's confession.

Yang was grinning and waving her left hand above her head, her right occupied with keeping her scroll's camera steady as she recorded the event for posterity. Beside her, Jaune was grinning and clapping. Not far away, Blake and Sun looked on as well; Blake clapping, while Sun whistled enthusiastically. Sun's whistling was supplemented by Cardin's and Coco's. Velvet's hands were clapping so rapidly, they were practically a blur, her upright ears expressing her excitement as much as the radiant smile on her face. Nora was cheering her heart out, jumping up in down in place, while Ren's reaction was much more subdued, gently smiling at them. Even Ayumu had returned at some point, applauding politely from near the edge of the dance floor, an action mimicked by Yatsuhashi and Fox, the latter clapping from his place behind the DJ booth, having stopped the music to make it easier for Gin to hear Ruby's confession.

It wasn't just their friends either. Other students who were practically strangers to the pair were cheering and clapping as well. A few of them Ruby actually recognized as people who had previously been hostile towards her or Gin (or both of them), some of them even recently. It seemed that everyone had been swept up in the festively heartwarming moment. She could sense anger and disdain from a small number of people. But they were a tiny minority, hovering at the outer fringes of the crowd that had gathered around to cheer them on.

Their faces bright-red, Gin and Ruby leaned in, this time to press their foreheads together, Ruby taking solace in the cool sensation of Gin's skin against hers, his touch soothing away her embarrassment. "I'm gonna kill Yang later," she said.

"I'll help," Gin assured her, the barest hint of a smile on his face. "Maybe we should make ourselves scarce for a little bit."

"That's probably for the best," agreed Ruby.

They made their way off the floor, hand in hand, the crowd parting to let them through, though most of them continued to applaud until the pair escaped out the ballroom. Behind them, Ruby could hear the music start up again. They wandered a little ways away and found a bench beneath a lamp to settle on as they both allowed themselves to calm down from the emotional high of what they'd just done. Ruby leaned against Gin, his arm wrapping around her shoulders so that he could press his hand against her forehead, making her sigh blissfully.

They were silent for a little while, cool of the evening air leeching away heat just as effectively as skin did. After a few minutes, Ruby felt completely relaxed again. Sitting up a little, she shed Gin's hand and turned to look at him. He looked back and both of them sat there, trying to figure out what to say.

Gin looked away, his eyes focusing on the ground in front of them. "So...you planned that, huh?"

"Yeah, it was Yang's idea," admitted Ruby.

"She has some good ones...once in a while," said Gin.

"Rarely," added Ruby.

* * *

" _Achoo!_ "

"You okay?" asked Jaune as Yang straightened after her sneeze.

"I'm fine," said Yang, rubbing her finger under her nose, frowning slightly. _Ruby's talking smack about me. I'll get her for that later._

* * *

"That song's the one Yang used to sing to me when we were little," explained Ruby. "I thought it was a good song for us too."

"That it was," agreed Gin. "So...when did you start, uh...you know...?"

Ruby giggled at Gin's bashfulness. "Well, it was when we were helping Amber. I almost got lost in her soul. But then I felt you, felt your Aura. It was what helped me to come back out." She sighed and looked upward at the starry sky, though their weren't many visible through the light shed by the lamppost. "That was when I realized that I...I'd come to the point where I couldn't imagine life without the feeling of your touch. You'd always been there for me; my anchor, my shelter, a source of courage. As long as I'm with you, I felt like I could go anywhere and do anything."

Looking back at Gin, Ruby found herself beaming. "That's when I realized that I didn't just like you...I _loved_ you. At first, it was really nerve-wracking, 'cause I didn't know how to deal with it."

"Oh...that's why you were so jumpy for a little while," noted Gin, Ruby nodding in answer.

"Yeah," agreed Ruby, leaning her head into his shoulder once more. "Amber talked me through it and helped me realize what was going on. After that, I was trying to figure out when and how to tell you. I'm sorry I made you wait so long."

"I don't mind at all," said Gin, his fingers trailing lightly along the bare skin between Ruby's shoulder and her gloves. "If it was for you, I could wait until the end of time."

"I know," said Ruby. She allowed her eyes to drift closed, basking in Gin's presence and the sense of peace that filled them.

Now she knew that confessing to Gin had been the right choice. The realization of her love had left her feeling nervous and uncertain, even after she'd calmed down from the initial anxiety it had caused. Now that the truth was out, she felt more settled and relaxed than ever.

For the moment, Ruby gave up on thinking altogether. Just being in contact with her boyfriend like this was so relaxing, making her feel so content, that it almost felt like too much effort to even think. All she wanted to do was lean against him and bask in their mutual affection for as long as she could. From the way Gin leaned back against her, she knew he felt the same. They sat, listening to the faint sounds of the music coming from the ballroom.

Finally, Gin spoke. "Feel like going back?" he asked.

Ruby shifted and sighed. "Actually...no," she said. For her, there was nothing that could make this night more perfect than what she'd already done. Rather than go back to the dance, instead... "Let's go home."

"Right," said Gin. "Are your ankles sore?"

Ruby wiggled her feet experimentally. She and Gin had only danced for one song after getting back up. However, she still felt unsteady in heels and what little she'd done had left them aching a bit. The time they'd spent on the bench had helped to alleviate that feeling, but... "A little."

"Here, let me..." Gin slid off the bench and knelt down in front of her. Moving slowly, he slipped Ruby's shoes off, the action making a shiver of excitement run down her body as he set them aside, then began to gently rub her feet, his cool touch soothing away the last of her aches in just a few seconds. He kept going, allowing Ruby to luxuriate in the feeling for a few minutes, before finally stopping.

She was expecting Gin to slip her shoes back on. But instead, he hooked them over the fingers of his left hand, then slipped the same arm under her legs and lifted up, while his right hand and arm went to her back. Gin hoisted Ruby up in a classic bridal carry, causing her to squeak in surprise and delight as her own arms found their way around his shoulders and she hugged herself to him.

"You don't have to-" she protested.

"But I want to," replied Gin, his hold on her tightening.

With a sigh, Ruby leaned her head into his shoulder. "Thank you, then." Raising her head slightly, she put her lips as close as she could manage to his ear. "I love you," she whispered in a soft tone.

Gin's cheeks immediately flushed and his smile widened. "I'll never get tired of hearing that," he said.

* * *

"Looks like your plan worked," commented Jaune, looking askance at Yang as the music resumed.

"Yep," said Yang.

"Not gonna go after them?" asked Jaune.

"Nah," said Yang, pocketing her scroll. "I got what I wanted. Dad's gonna love this. I'll give those two a little privacy. After what she just did, I think Ruby's earned a little alone-time. They probably won't be back tonight."

"You're not worried they're going to get frisky?"

"Nope," said Yang. "I don't think we've got anything to worry about in that department. They know how to restrain themselves. It isn't even all that hard for them."

"So, was all this your idea?" asked Ayumu, approaching them.

Yang grinned at him. "Well, Ruby wanted a good way to confess to Gin, so I helped her with it."

"It seems to have worked out well," noted Ayumu.

"Pretty much perfect," agreed Yang. Her eyes narrowed at Ayumu. "What about you? Was that Neo you were with earlier?"

"It was," said Ayumu cheerfully. "We had a lovely time dancing, then had a productive conversation."

There was an awkward pause, before Jaune spoke again. "Uh...get anything useful out of her?"

"Not really," said Ayumu. "But I wasn't trying to get information from her. Mostly, I sought to put her at ease and let her know that she could trust me."

"You think you can win her over?" asked Yang.

"Possibly..." Ayumu scratched his cheek. "I don't wish to make promises that I cannot keep, so I mostly clarified my intentions towards her, so as to put her mind at ease. Whether or not she'll come around is still up in the air. I did learn a little, though."

"What?" asked Jaune, leading them away from the dance floor and to a more isolated corner of the ballroom, where they had less chance of being overheard.

"Ms. Neo is very afraid," said Ayumu. "And when someone as formidable as her is so frightened, that's generally a bad sign."

"Do you know what's she's afraid of?" asked Yang.

"Her employer for one," said Ayumu, his voice already dropping to just above a whisper, barely loud enough to carry over the music. "It's apparent that her employer is likely the one who attacked Ms. Amber and, thusly, possesses the stolen portion of her power. Furthermore, it seems that the scope of their overall plan is beyond Ms. Neo's comprehension, which is itself frightening."

"What about their plans could frighten someone like her?" asked Yang, frowning. She'd never seen Neo fight and only had Ruby and Ayumu's stories to go on. Yet she had seen the easy confidence that Neo had carried herself with when facing WBY, JNPR, Sun, and Neptune down after their fight with Roman's Paladin. Granted, she had only been there to enable Roman's escape. But having that kind of confidence in the face of so many strong opponents was a sign of some pretty serious strength.

Ayumu glanced out the window. "However skilled and formidable they are, when it comes down to it, Ms. Neo and Mr. Torchwick are thieves, first and foremost. Their actions and goals have always revolved around profit for themselves. If the scope of the enemy's plan unsettles Ms. Neo, then it is because the plan's aims are beyond the concept of profit...most likely because they are purely destructive in nature."

"Are you sure?" asked Jaune, swallowing. He remembered their talk with Ozpin, and the information they'd learned about Salem, of course. However, it was still hard to believe that these mysterious foes would go so far as to plan the complete destruction of Beacon...or Vale.

"Fairly," said Ayumu. "Going over what's been happening lately, I've noticed some disturbing parallels."

"To what?" said Yang.

"To what was happening in Brandywine," said Ayumu, folding his arms, his smile remaining, but his overall expression turning pensive. "Team Brown oppressed the townspeople, not merely to exercise authority over them, but to deliberately produce negative emotions that drew continued pressure from the Grimm. The continuous Grimm attacks wore down the settlement's fixed defenses, little by little. If Gin, Ruby, and I hadn't arrived, Brandywine's fall would have been inevitable."

Both Jaune and Yang swallowed at that, painful lumps forming in their throats. Their visit to Brandywine had been brief, no more than a week. But the people had been kind and friendly, especially people like Tawny or the innkeeper. The thought of those people being massacred by the Grimm was a horrifyingly disturbing one.

"Furthermore, with the right impulse, it would have been possible to trigger a surge of negative emotions that would have brought a corresponding surge in Grimm that would have overwhelmed Brandywine all at once," continued Ayumu. "Just a light nudge, and the settlement would have vanished from the map, with no one the wiser, just another victim of a senseless Grimm rampage."

"What does that have to do with what's going on here?" asked Jaune.

"Because I see many of the same things on a larger scale," said Ayumu. "It began with Mr. Torchwick's Dust thefts, which the White Fang were soon brought into. A crime wave sweeping the Kingdom caused a rise in fear and anxiety. The fact that the White Fang were involved increased tensions between humans and faunus, resulting in growing hostility."

"All plenty negative," noted Yang with a growl.

Ayumu nodded. "Then General Ironwood arrived, bringing heavy firepower with him. While his intentions were clearly benign, such an overt massing of military power from a foreign Kingdom within their own Kingdom did nothing to assuage the worries of the populace, with them wondering just what was happening that made the General feel justified in bringing such a substantial force with him. And so, rather than assuaging the people's fears, the General merely stoked them in a subtle way.

"All of which would have culminated in the breach that Mr. Torchwick and the White Fang were supposed to engineer. Even if it were swiftly contained, the damage done would have resulted in a severe spike of fear and panic, possibly even awakening the Dragon in Mountain Glenn."

Jaune and Yang felt themselves breaking out into a cold sweat.

"Of course, we can't say for sure if that was the full extent of their plan," said Ayumu. "By destroying the Mountain Glenn operation, we've probably knocked it off the rails considerably. But I don't doubt that the enemy's overall intention is to ultimately engineer a scenario where Vale, and Beacon along with it, fall to the Grimm."

"It really is the same thing, on a bigger scale," noted Jaune.

"Yes," said Ayumu with a sigh, looking down, his smile taking on a rueful quality as he lifted his head up to look at them again. "My apologies, I've ruined the mood, haven't I?"

"Well, I'll say that I'm not feeling hunky dory after a chat like that," said Yang with a wry smirk. "But there's nothing wrong with some food for thought. Let's try to put it out of our minds for the time being. Come on, Jaune, let's hit the floor again."

Jaune sighed and smiled wistfully at Yang. "Sure thing." He looked over at Ayumu. "What about you."

Ayumu favored them with a much more genuine smile. "I've already gotten everything I could have asked for out of this evening, and more besides. I think I'll call it a night."

"Okay," said Jaune. "We'll try not to disturb you when we get back."

"I'm afraid I'd notice, no matter how quiet you and Ms. Yang try to be," Ayumu teased.

"I didn't mean it like that!" protested Jaune, both his and Yang's faces going red as Ayumu laughed.

"Come on," said Yang, pulling Jaune away and trying to get her blush under control.

"I guess we left ourselves open to that one," noted Jaune with a chuckle.

"No kidding," agreed Yang, her grin returning.

Returning to the dance floor was a good idea. They could worry about plots and plans tomorrow. Tonight was a night to unwind and enjoy the company of her friends and her lover. The night was still young, to Yang's mind, and she intended to enjoy it to the fullest.

* * *

Arriving at the door to their room, Gin opened the door, Ruby holding up her scroll to unlock it so he didn't have to try and fumble for his while carrying her. He carried her across the threshold, kicking the door closed behind them. Alone and in private, he set Ruby down, but remained holding her, his hands resting gently on her waist, while Ruby's rested on his shoulders.

"Thank you for tonight," said Ruby.

"I'm the one who should be saying that," said Gin. "I knew tonight would be special, but I never imagined it would be _this_ special."

Ruby smiled. "It doesn't have to end just yet," she said, injecting a low purr into her voice. "You know, I don't think the others will be back for a while. We'll have the room to ourselves."

"R-Ruby..." Gin's cheeks quickly colored and he pulled back slightly, but was stopped by the gentle pressure Ruby's hands exerted on his shoulders.

Ruby pulled him in for another kiss, raising her hands to the back of his head to pull his lips flush against hers, prying open his mouth and letting her tongue slip in to mingle with his. Gin moaned softly, the sound muffled by their joined lips, his own tongue beginning to return the favor. His reluctance was fading, as evinced by the tightening hold of his hands on her waist. Gradually, they slipped back, his right wrapping all the way around, while his left trailed up her back to pull her upper half closer as well.

Ruby pressed her body against him. Her figure, which her dress had been chosen to highlight, so that his eyes could appreciate it, was now pressed against his body, allowing him to appreciate her figure through touch as well as sight. His hand slid up and down her back, while his arm tightened around her waist, allowing him to fully feel the toned muscles of her back and sides, while she pressed her modest breasts against his chest.

Wanting to feel even closer, Ruby lifted her leg, sliding out through the slit in her skirt and rubbing it up against the side of Gin's own leg. The fabric of Gin's pants wasn't exactly silky, but it wasn't coarse either, feeling rather stimulating against the bare skin of her thigh, though Ruby was beginning to feel a sense of longing, wanting to rub skin against skin, to feel even more of him.

Reciprocating the gesture, the arm that Gin had wrapped around her waist drifted downwards, his fingers hooking under Ruby's thigh and hiking her leg up a little higher, allowing her to wrap it around him slightly. The shift in balance caused Ruby to tilt backwards, but the arm Gin held around her upper back slid into place to keep her upright, as he used the change in posture to shift the action of their kiss, his tongue pushing Ruby's back and sliding into her mouth to explore with surprising vigor.

The touch of Gin's hand against her bare leg sent an excited shiver along Ruby's body, raising goosebumps. What was more, instead of the cool touch of Gin's body leaching away her heat and soothing her passions, it almost seemed as though his body was drawing in her heat...and heating up as well. His excitement was growing to match hers as their kiss now made her moan as well. They pulled apart for a breath, before diving back in with a will.

The shift of their posture and weight also brought their hips together, the pair unconsciously grinding against one another, the feeling kindling their excitement even further. Ruby's hands tightened their grip on Gin's hair, tugging at his scalp, the slight pain only heightening his excitement. Acting unconsciously, Gin began to slide the fingers of his right hand up the length of her thigh, relishing in the silky sensation of her skin against his, following the line of her thigh through the slit in her skirt...and around to the gentle curve of her toned, pert behind. Gin squeezed, reveling in the sensation of his fingers sinking into the warm flesh of Ruby's butt.

The unexpectedly intimate touch startled Ruby, and her moan increased in pitch, her eyes snapping open, the surprise cutting through the haze of pleasure that had been fogging her senses as she began to realize that things were getting a bit _too_ heated between them. She released Gin's head with her hands and dropped them to his shoulders, leaning back away from him and pulling their lips apart with a light smack, a string of saliva connecting them before that too snapped.

"Gin! Wait!" she gasped, trying to rein in her sensations.

Those two words had a stronger effect than she'd expected. The next thing she knew, the arms supporting her were gone, and Ruby toppled over onto her behind with an undignified squeak. Looking up, her confusion, and her worry, were compounded by the sight of Gin's reaction. Not content with simply letting her go, Gin had backed all the way up against the wall, gasping harshly for breath, looking at her with an expression she had never seen before...panic. For the first time, Ruby saw Gin on the verge of giving into his fear.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." he breathed over and over again. "I didn't mean to...I wouldn't...I..." He slid down into a sitting position, turning his head to the side so that his cheek was flattened against the wall. "Please don't hate me."

"Gin...what...why?" Ruby blinked, feeling tears welling in her eyes. She didn't want to admit it, but she was afraid, not of Gin, but of his reaction. For the first time, she saw Gin on the verge of losing control.

"I...I can't think of you like that!" he said, seeming to be talking as much to himself as her. "It's not right! I can't betray you!"

"Wait! What? Why is it a betrayal?" asked Ruby, blinking her eyes furiously to keep from crying.

"I can't take advantage of you," said Gin firmly.

"You weren't!" protested Ruby. "Gin, you weren't taking advantage of me! We just got a little too excited. That's all. It's nothing to get panicked over."

Appearing to calm slightly, Gin slumped, his breathing slowing. But Ruby couldn't help but notice that he still kept his eyes staunchly away from her.

"I can't think of you like that," said Gin. "I got too into it. I was thinking about your clothes, about how you looked with them off...and..." He shuddered, almost looking sick.

Ruby frowned. She had been thinking about taking his clothes off for a moment there too. In fact, right before his fingers had tightened around her butt, she had been on the verge of dropping her hands down to undo the buttons on his jacket and shirt. But Gin looked...revolted at the idea.

At first, she felt angry. Did the thought of her naked body repel him that much? Then she looked closer, both seeing and feeling that the revulsion Gin was experiencing wasn't directed at her...but at himself. _But why? Why would him thinking of me naked make him hate himself? He's already seen me naked bef-...Oh..._

Then it hit her. "Gin...is this about back when we met?"

The jolt that ran through his body was answer enough for her.

They'd first met at the bottom of that cliff, after Weiss and Pyrrha had nearly killed her. In order to treat her injuries, Gin had removed her clothes, looking at her completely naked body to assess her injuries. It was an action born of necessity, but one he had taken without her permission, because she'd been unable to give it, being unconscious at the time. The subtle guilt behind that had been one of the reasons he'd hesitated during the initial phases of their relationship. And now, she could see that guilt was still there.

Their relationship had progressed over the course of their journey, going from affectionate to loving. Strangely, because they had connected so much on an emotional level, they hadn't put too much thought into exploring their relationship in a more physical manner, keeping their touches largely innocent. Even sleeping together had been no more than cuddling, based around comfort, rather than intimacy.

Except that their growing comfort with their feelings for each other had allowed other feelings to come to the fore now. Gin's thoughts and feelings had been loving before. But there was no getting around it. They had become lustful as well. There was nothing wrong with that. If anything, Ruby was happy at the thought of the boy she loved being sexually attracted to her, in addition to his emotional attachment.

Except that that lust had rekindled the sense of guilt that Gin felt from their first meeting, the guilt that had come from already getting a sneak peek at her naked body, through necessity. Ruby realized that it was probably akin to the guilt that she herself had felt for what she had done to Amber. It had been to save Amber, but Ruby had still entered into Amber's soul without her permission, exercising her will on Amber in a manner that was far more intimate than any sexual contact.

In the excitement of their passions, Gin's mind had reflected back on the memory of Ruby's naked body and triggered that original guilt, that had been long buried away, but never completely faded. He clearly believed that thinking of her in that way would amount to a betrayal of her trust, retroactively at least.

Now, Ruby understood what was to be on Amber's side of the equation. Gin and Ayumu had both completely earned her trust, and she knew full well that neither of them ever had, nor ever would take advantage of her. There was no worry, resentment, or discomfort from the idea of them having seen her naked. She was happy that they'd saved her life. Gin had nothing to feel guilty about. Now...she just needed to communicate that to Gin.

"Gin..." Ruby shifted onto her knees and crawled towards him.

Gin's response was to flinch away, pressing himself harder against the wall, almost as though he were trying to push himself back through it.

Raising her hand, Ruby slid her fingers along the wall, slipping them through to press into the soft, cool skin of Gin's cheek. "Gin...please...it's all right." Applying gentle pressure, she carefully began to pry Gin's face off the wall and turn it towards her. "Please...look at me."

Gin swallowed, but allowed Ruby to guide his eyes back to meet her own. Leaning in, Ruby pressed her lips against his in another kiss, this one gentle and chaste. Holding it for a few seconds, she pulled back, keeping her eyes locked with hers. "It's all right," she said. "It's not wrong. You're not wrong."

"B-but..." Again, Gin's body shuddered.

Ruby sighed and looked down. It occurred to her that, in his own way, Gin had been traumatized by the sight of her naked body, seeing her before he'd even gotten to know her. Throughout their relationship, there was an underlying worry, a guilty suspicion that his feelings for her might have been rooted in that first sight of her unclothed form. It was strange to think that something like that could be a form of trauma, but Ruby supposed it was still trauma all the same.

Ruby swallowed, wondering how she could get around that. Gin was afraid to think of her in a sexual manner, ironically repelled by his body's physical attraction. Thinking about fear made her think of Blake, of all people, of how afraid she'd been of Gin, once she'd learned he was a dragon-faunus. That led Ruby's mind to how Blake was countering that fear, through exposure, essentially confronting her fear by forcing herself to look at and touch Gin's scales.

 _Exposure...That's it!_ Ruby realized she had the answer. Even thinking about it gave her pause though, as she realized what she was planning on doing. But, looking at Gin, she remembered the feelings in her heart. He was her anchor. Now it was her turn to be his.

Pulling back, Ruby took Gin's hands in her own and pulled gently on them, tugging him back onto his feet. Gin watched her with wary confusion, wondering what was coming.

"Gin, close your eyes," said Ruby.

Gin swallowed, and clenched his eyes shut. Ruby let go of his hands and, after a final hesitation, set to work.

Even with his eyes closed, Gin realized what Ruby was doing. His _Shingan_ allowed him to clearly sense the cloth sliding off Ruby's body and he was painfully aware of it sliding down to pool at her feet...soon followed by her undergarments. His mouth went dry and his teeth clenched painfully.

"Gin..." came Ruby's voice, soft and plaintive, "...open your eyes." When he hesitated, she spoke again...in a much more commanding tone. "Look at me."

Unable to disobey her, Gin slowly forced his eyes open. His vision was blurry at first. But the blur in front of him soon came into focus and he was confronted by the sight of Ruby Rose, in all her glory. She stood before him, her arms hanging loosely at her sides, not even bothering to try and cover her modest breasts, giving him a perfect view of her rosy nipples, highlighted nicely against the creamy color of her skin. Her thighs were pressed together, one slightly crossed in front of the other to slightly hide her most intimate region from view, showing just enough to be tantalizing. Her cheeks were furiously flushed, but she kept her posture relaxed and her expression composed as she allowed him to drink in the sight of her.

Confronted with this sight, Gin now found he couldn't pry his eyes away from her. His body went rigid, a certain part going rigid in particular, terrifying him with the realization that there was nothing he could do to stop it. From the downwards glance Ruby's eyes took Gin could tell that she could see his reaction too. But, she merely smiled and stepped closer to his trembling body.

"W-w-w-why?" he stammered, barely able to articulate even that single word.

"To show you that it's okay," said Ruby. "It's all right to think of me that way, to feel that way. There's nothing wrong." She took another step. "It makes me happy to know you feel that way about me. It makes me feel...beautiful."

"You _are_ beautiful," blurted Gin before he could even think to stop himself, the words practically jumping out from his lips.

Ruby merely smiled widely. "I know you feel guilty about seeing me before, that you did it without my permission. But it's all right."

Gin swallowed hard as Ruby stepped closer still. "It's all right," she repeated. "This time, I'm showing you myself. When you think about me, I want you to remember this."

"Remember...this..." repeated Gin absently, his tension beginning to bleed away. _Oh...I see..._ When his sexual urges had begun to rise, his mind had been confronted by the image of her, lying before him, unconscious and helpless, utterly at his mercy. But now, he would have this image, her standing before him, revealing herself willingly, taking complete control. This was not the weak, almost-dead Ruby he'd first met, but the healed Ruby, the strong Ruby, Ruby at her most powerful and beautiful. She had willingly removed her clothes and stood before him naked, not because she planned on taking this further, but to dispel his guilt.

"I love you," said Ruby, coiling her arms around Gin's neck and pulling him close, but not completely flush against her. "You have never betrayed my trust...and I know you never will." With that, she pressed their lips together again in another chaste kiss. Gin's hands slowly rose up to grip her waist, but he made no effort to pull her closer. Instead, the two of them remained where they were, perfectly happy to bask in the comfort of their sincere affection, the last tension and fear draining out of Gin's body.

Their eyes opened and they pulled apart, Gin focusing on Ruby's face, but no longer trembling.

"Better?" asked Ruby.

"A lot," Gin admitted with a ragged sigh. "I'm sorry." He dropped his gaze to the side. "I guess I messed things up."

Ruby's fingers gently caressed his cheek. "There's nothing wrong," she said, sliding her fingers up to the back of his head and pulling him in again. Instead of a kiss, she gently brought their foreheads together, letting the cool sensation of Gin's skin against her own steal away the last of her own anxiety over standing naked before him. "I'm just glad to clear the air. We needed this, even if we didn't know it at first."

"I can't believe how lucky I am to have found you," said Gin blissfully.

"I feel the same," said Ruby.

They stayed like that for several minutes, both of them relaxing. Now that the excitement and fear were gone, they were both left feeling lethargic. Ruby finally broke the contact between their foreheads to pull back and yawn widely.

Gin blinked, realizing that he was feeling very sleepy too. "I guess that took a lot out of us, huh."

"Yeah," agreed Ruby. "Well...we should probably go to bed."

"Yeah," agreed Gin, before averting his eyes, his cheeks flushing yet again. "But...could you put on your pajamas, at least? If Yang comes in and sees you like this, she's gonna get entirely the wrong idea, and I wouldn't blame her."

Ruby squeaked, her arms going up reflexively to cover her breasts, even though she'd been displaying them so openly to Gin just a few seconds earlier. Her face turned beet-red at the thought of Yang seeing her in this compromising situation. "R-right," she agreed. She quickly moved to her dresser to retrieve her pajamas, before darting into the bathroom to shower.

Gin sighed and slumped down on the bed with a soft laugh. "Mastered my emotions," he muttered to himself. "Some master _I_ turned out to be."

* * *

 **The chapter that had to be edited twice, because I stupidly finished my proofreading run, then closed the tab before realizing I'd forgotten to hit "save."**

 **With the song selection, it was a toss-up between _Home_ and _All Our Days_ as the two choices. The latter is actually my favorite of the "slow" Ruby songs, though, story-wise, it speaks more to Yang's feelings about Ruby, so _Home_ proved to be the better choice, thematically, to my mind.**


	74. Chapter 74

**Chapter 74:**

The elevator doors dinged and opened slowly. Ozpin stepped out into his office, his feet passing over the transparent floor and the slowly spinning gears it covered. Approaching his desk, he noticed that someone was already in the room, which didn't surprise him, as the man was expected.

"Enjoy your little shindig, Oz?" asked Qrow, pushing away from the wall. "You sure made me wait."

"The dance was quite enjoyable, though it was hardly my affair," noted Ozpin. "The students enjoyed themselves. I noticed your nieces, in particular, had a wonderful evening."

Qrow snorted. "Must be nice to still be that young and be able to play and without any worries."

"So you say," said Ozpin. "Do you envy them?"

Qrow barked out a harsh laugh. "Do I ever?" he asked rhetorically.

"And yet, in spite of being quite aware of what they are up against, your nieces and their friends have adjusted admirably," observed Ozpin.

"You told 'em, huh," mused Qrow.

"I did," said Ozpin. "They have surpassed my expectations at every turn, and it seems that, thanks to Yu's machinations, they have already been targeted by the enemy, so I figured it was wise to inform them."

Qrow sighed and walked across the office, striding past Ozpin to stare out the window behind the desk, looking over the grounds of Beacon, illuminated by the light of the lamps below. "Well, sticking their necks out without knowing what was in store was just begging to get their heads cut off. At least now they have an idea of where the axe is."

"Indeed," agreed Ozpin. "But they've accomplished more than you realize."

"What's up?"

"Autumn is awake."

Qrow's jaw dropped. "Wha-? Bu-! How?" It was rare to see him so completely shocked.

"Ms. Rose was able to enhance Autumn's Aura-regeneration, which appeared to mitigate the damage caused by having part of her power stolen," explained Ozpin. "She is not completely out of the woods yet. It appears that Autumn's recovery has come at the cost of her magic losing its grip on her soul, which will lead to it eventually returning to the stolen portion. But still..."

"She's not gonna die," said Qrow, sagging in relief. "God! That was weighing on me."

"She'll live," said Ozpin. "By Mr. Ao's estimate, which I deem to be rather accurate, we have until the Autumnal Equinox to find her assailant."

"Well, that's something at least," mused Qrow. "And we know the witch is at Beacon, somewhere. We just need to figure out how to identify her." He looked pointedly at Ozpin. "Does Autumn-?"

"At the moment, no," said Ozpin. "She only has murky memories of the incident itself, and the trauma of it appears to be keeping her from recalling the faces of those who attacked her. Whether or not she'll recover those memories in time remains to be seen."

"So we're still on our own in that respect," muttered Qrow.

"Not quite," said Ozpin. "As I said earlier, they appear to have fixated on Ms. Rose, and Yu's other two students, in particular. Mr. Ueno was even subjected to an assassination attempt."

"In other words, those kids, including Ruby, can be bait," muttered Qrow, not liking the sound of that at all.

"Yes," said Ozpin, deciding not to mince words. "However, Ms. Rose is far stronger than she was at the beginning of the year. I believe they are up to the task."

Ozpin took his seat and folded his hands. "Now then, what about you? Did you find out anything?"

"Yep," said Qrow. "Shade's archives are as big a mess as ever. It was a huge pain, tracking down those records."

"And...?" prodded Ozpin.

Qrow pulled out his scroll and slapped it onto the desk in front of Ozpin. "You were right. A pretty big red flag came up right out the gate, when I checked into Team Brown."

The surface of Ozpin's desk flickered as the holographic projector built into it came to life, projecting the information Qrow had obtained into the air above it. Ozpin frowned as he read Team BRWN's profile. "Whitney Schirmer..."

"Yep," said Qrow in a flat tone. "She, sure as hell, ain't one 'o the original members of that team. The W in their name came from Wanda Kava. She was apparently lost in a solo mission, a few months after the team graduated. Pretty tragic affair, overall."

"Perhaps having something to do with the change in their attitudes," mused Ozpin.

"Maybe," said Qrow with a shrug. "It doesn't matter in the end. The problem is, I can't peg _where_ Whitney Schirmer came from. There's no records of her at Shade. That's for sure."

"Hmm..." hummed Ozpin. "But I'm guessing you at least have _some_ sort of theory."

Qrow reached a finger into the holographic image, manipulating it to bring up a new file. Opening it revealed a pair of pictures of young women, whom Ozpin knew very well. "Weiss and Winter Schnee..."

Qrow brought up the picture of Whitney, and juxtaposed it next to the pictures of the two Schnee Family daughters. "Pretty uncanny, don't you think? If it weren't for the difference in their ages, the three of them could practically be triplets. The resemblance was strong enough that fighting her was enough to break through Ruby's amnesia and jog her memory, back in Brandywine."

"You think that Whitney Schirmer is actually a Schnee?" asked Ozpin, his tone skeptical. "Would Jacques really have concealed the existence of a third daughter?"

"If it suits his plans, I wouldn't put _anything_ past that snake," said Qrow in a deadpan tone. "I mean...look what he did to Weiss. She made her own bed for sure, but to just drop her and throw her to the wolves like that...that's just damn cold."

"Indeed," said Ozpin. "Though I think Willow would still object. As bad as she's gotten, she wouldn't have allowed something that callous."

"Yeah...but we're making a pretty big assumption," said Qrow. "She may be Schnee's daughter, but I don't think she's Willow's."

"You mean Jacques..." Ozpin's voice trailed off.

"That's my guess," said Qrow. "I mean, think about it. Given Whitney's age, it probably happened before he and Willow even tied the knot. Jacques was never the kind of guy to be interested in love or fidelity. No telling what he'd do, or _who_ he'd do to satisfy his urges. He was pretty damn successful, even before he married into the Schnees. A guy like that, all that power and wealth, he could have anything he wants. Give him an impressionable, reasonably attractive girl, like a secretary or maid or something, and-Bam!-one secret liaison, made to order, one illegitimate daughter.

"On top of that, considering how the jerk treats his _legitimate_ daughters, you can bet he'd put a lid on any news of an illegitimate kid and hide her completely. That would explain why there are no records of her at Shade. She probably didn't go there. Hell, she probably wasn't educated at an Academy, period."

"Still...that is quite the leap in logic to make, regardless of how strong her resemblance to the Schnee daughters is," said Ozpin. "Have you found any proof?"

"I haven't even started looking yet," said Qrow. "I just got back from Vacuo after all. I can start sniffing around Atlas, but it ain't gonna be easy. Jacques knows how to cover his tracks. Plus, he'll get nasty, if he catches someone snooping around where he doesn't want them to."

"Perhaps James..." mused Ozpin.

"Yeah, good luck with that," said Qrow. "Jacques has his hand so far up Jimmy's a-"

"Assuming we can find anything," said Ozpin, quickly cutting Qrow off, "Ms. Schirmer's origins may be irrelevant in the long run. You are basing your guess off of mere similarities in appearance after all."

"Maybe," said Qrow. "But my gut tells me she's important in all this. And that appearance of hers, even if she isn't a secret Schnee, with those eyes and that complexion, I'd bet a year's supply of booze that she's Atlesian. Something tells me she's the lynchpin in what Team Brown was up to."

"I agree," said Ozpin, "which is why I had you go to Shade." He manipulated the image controls on his desk, bringing up more of the files Qrow had obtained from Vacuo's Academy. "Team Brown's mission records were relatively unremarkable, until Ms. Kava was lost. Afterwards though...multiple complaints about unnecessary property damage and disorderly behavior… Mr. Grosse, in particular, appeared to have a predilection for picking fights with civilians."

"Yeah, but they never went as far as holding an entire settlement hostage, until after they became a four-person team again," said Qrow. "I can't peg exactly when Schirmer joined them though." His eyes narrowed. "Has anyone tried asking her anything directly?"

"Beyond the basics of interrogation, no," said Ozpin. "Given the nature of their crime, nothing beyond the most cursory of background checks was conducted on Team Brown, and even that was focused on previous instances of criminal behavior. Ms. Schirmer had none reported, and that was as far as the matter went."

"Planning on asking her?"

"Not yet," said Ozpin. "If she does have something to do with all of this, I don't wish to tip our hand too soon."

"Maybe a good idea," said Qrow.

"What are your plans?" asked Ozpin.

"Well, I was gonna head off to Atlas," said Qrow. "But, with the inter-semester break starting up, I figured I'd hang with my nieces for a little while. On top of that, I figure I'd stick around for the Vytal Festival. Sounds like it's gonna be a hell of a show, this year."

"Indeed," agreed Ozpin with a chuckle. "In fact, it might well be an even greater affair than you think. Having you in the vicinity would put me at ease."

"I'm looking forward to it," said Qrow with a dry chuckle.

* * *

Yang's back hit the wall beside her dorm room with a soft thud as Jaune pushed her back against it, his lips practically glued to hers and their tongues tangled together. Reaching down, he hoisted her leg up so that she could wrap it around him, even as she hugged him tightly around the shoulders, desperately pulling him closer.

They separated with a gasp, staring each other in the eyes, panting softly. "So...now what?" asked Jaune, between hot and heavy breaths.

"Well, you could always come in with me...or I could come in with you," said Yang with a sultry smirk.

"Ayumu's already in our room," said Jaune, throwing a glance at JNAR's door. "Ren and Nora might be in there already too."

"And Ruby and Gin are already in our room, I'm sure," said Yang. "Good thing we weren't planning on getting any friskier."

"Yeah," agreed Jaune with a small laugh. "What about Blake?"

"I think she might've gone back with Sun," said Yang. "How frisky they'll get is anyone's guess."

"Probably not too much," said Jaune. "I think Neptune left earlier."

"Yeah," agreed Yang. "I guess we should part for the night."

"That's your call," said Jaune. "We could always just cuddle after all."

"Hmm..." Yang tapped her lower lip with a contemplative finger. "You know...that doesn't sound like a bad idea. Your place or mine?"

"How about yours?" asked Jaune.

"Works for me," said Yang. "Remember to be careful climbing up."

"Roger that," said Jaune. "Let me get ready and I'll join you."

They went to their separate rooms to get changed. Entering his own room, Jaune couldn't keep a smile from his face as he saw the sleeping arrangements. Ayumu was, of course, asleep in his own bed. Interestingly, Nora's bed was empty, mainly because she was in Ren's bed, wrapped around her partner (and presumable boyfriend), who reciprocated the embrace. Looking at the way they held each other, Jaune thought back to Nora's previous denials about how the two of them weren't "together-together" and found himself wondering if Nora would be so quick to deny it, if he asked them now.

After taking a few seconds to savor the tender sight, Jaune went into the bathroom to make his own preparations. Afterwards, he tiptoed out and across the hall to RUBY's room, where Yang had left the door ajar for him. Already, he could hear Yang in the bathroom, still going through her nightly grooming routine.

Slipping inside, Jaune glanced over at Ruby and Gin's bed, not surprised to see that the couple was indeed there. Their positions were a bit different than usual. Normally, they were spooning, with Ruby pressing her back into Gin's front so that he could reach around to rest one hand on her forehead. This time, they were facing one another. Even though the covers were up, Jaune could tell they were holding each other tightly, while Ruby rested her forehead directly against her boyfriend's. They both looked more happy and peaceful than he could ever remember seeing them. _Looks like everything went well,_ he thought.

Stepping further into the room, Jaune froze as his toes brushed against silky fabric. Swallowing, he looked down to see the Ruby's dress carelessly crumpled on the floor, her undergarments resting on top of it. Feeling his face heat up, Jaune looked towards Ruby and Gin again, his worry growing. The position of Ruby's dress suggested she'd just slid it off her while standing practically in the middle of the room. But she wouldn't have done that if Gin was there. From what Yang had told him, despite the fact that they were comfortable enough with their relationship to sleep together, they still observed various proprieties and respected each other's privacy. For Ruby to just shed her dress and leave it there...

Nervously, Jaune tiptoed towards the bed. Bending over slightly, he began to reach towards the covers, wanting to pull them back and make sure. It was the kind of action that would probably have branded him a pervert, but he knew it was better he found out than Yang, if Gin and Ruby had gone beyond just kissing and cuddling.

Then Gin's eyes snapped open, Jaune's fingers freezing inches away from the covers as their gazes met. Gin's eyes narrowed dangerously, making Jaune swallow nervously. Then Jaune tilted his head to glance at Ruby's discarded dress, then back to Gin.

Having followed Jaune's gaze, Gin's cheeks turned red, but he appeared to understand Jaune's intentions. Carefully, so as not to disturb Ruby, Gin lifted the covers up just enough for Jaune to see the straps of Ruby's pajama tops over her shoulders. Gin was in his pajamas too. Relieved, Jaune nodded to Gin and stepped back. Gin lowered the covers and closed his eyes once again, tilting his head back towards Ruby's once more.

Jaune glanced down at Ruby's dress, then to the bathroom door. If Yang had noticed that, she would have made a pretty big commotion. There was still every chance she would notice, so Jaune decided to cover for the couple, and prevent any uncomfortable questions, by gathering up Ruby's dress and undergarments and depositing them in the hamper.

Finished, Jaune carefully climbed up to Yang's bed, having always felt a bit uneasy at the idea of Yang sleeping atop a bed held up by stacks of books. Still, the whole thing seemed steady enough. Jaune settled in and waited for Yang.

She wasn't too much longer, emerging from the bathroom and climbing up herself. Finding Jaune waiting for her made Yang smile, and she quickly crawled in with him, the couple sharing one last kiss before dropping off to sleep.

* * *

Ruby's eyes fluttered sleepily before she slowly opened them, cognizant of the warmth of the morning sun washing in through the window and spreading across the canopy that covered her and Gin's bed. Just that feeling told her that they'd slept in. Normally, she and Gin got up fairly early. But it seemed that the emotionally intense night they had shared had left them more drained than usual. She supposed that was fine though. After all, that had been why they'd planned the dance to take place on what had originally been slated to be the second night of their exam period. It had given them one more full day to rest up before everyone headed out to wherever they planned on going for the break.

The thought of their own travel plans left Ruby feeling giddy. They'd be heading for Patch. She would be bringing Gin back home. In fact, Ayumu would be coming with them. On top of that, Yang was planning on bringing Jaune as well. The sisters were excited at the prospect of showing the boys their home. The last time Jaune had been to Patch had been when he had accompanied Yang to inform Taiyang about Ruby's "death." But now he would be visiting under much more pleasant circumstances.

Turning her head slightly, Ruby found her silver eyes looking directly into Gin's amber ones. Naturally, he had awoken the instant she had begun to stir, once again making Ruby envious at his ability to wake up as easily as flipping on a light switch. It was a skill she had yet to grasp, mostly due to the limited time she'd spent training in the wilderness alongside him and Ayumu.

"Morning," said Gin softly.

"Good morning," Ruby replied, tilting her head forward to peck his lips. "Feeling better?" she asked in a whisper.

Gin's arms tightened their hold around her, as Ruby reflexively slipped her leg around the back of his and tightened. "A lot," he responded.

They stared at each other for a little while longer before they spoke again. "I love you," they whispered in unison, before flinching, startled by suddenly saying the same thing. Then Ruby giggled and pressed her cheek into Gin's collarbone, while he laughed as well, one hand going up to stroke through her hair.

After cuddling for a few moments longer, they reluctantly separated to greet the day. Ruby took the first turn in the bathroom, showering, brushing, and getting dressed. Gin took the second. By the time they finished, they realized they weren't alone. Blake's bed was unoccupied. However, looking up, Ruby could see a familiar leg dangling over the side of Yang's bed, along with a few strands of blonde hair. On top of that, she could see another unmoving form. It seemed that Yang hadn't been sleeping alone either. The realization made her giggle.

"Breakfast?" posed Gin.

Ruby nodded. They could afford just one day to take things easy, at least. As they made their way out of the room, Ruby briefly wondered where Blake was, before deciding that she was probably better off not knowing.

* * *

Blake's eyes slowly slid open and she blinked blearily, before muffling a groan behind her lips and turning away from the light coming in through the window. The downside to faunus night-vision was that her eyes tended to be sensitive, first thing in the morning. Trying to roll though, she froze as she felt her back press up against smooth skin, and the impressive muscles hidden beneath it. It was then that Blake became cognizant of the muscular arms holding her, one wrapped around her stomach, the other pressed up just underneath her breasts.

Regardless of their sensitivity, Blake's eyes snapped wide open as she realized that neither she nor her companion were clothed. Glancing down, Blake swallowed and felt her face begin to burn at the sight of her dress, bra, and panties carelessly tossed the floor, mingling with a shirt and pants she recognized all too easily. A closer look caused Blake to see the bow that normally hid her ears lying atop her discarded dress as well.

For a brief, panicked moment, Blake found herself struggling to remember what happened last night. Fortunately, it was the last remnants of sleepiness, not a drunken haze, that caused her to be slow to remember. Coco had kept a careful watch over the punchbowl the whole evening, and made _absolutely_ sure that no one spiked her concoction, so there was no way that either Blake or her companion had been inebriated.

Now she could remember. She and Sun had practically crashed through the door, locked in a passionate make-out session. She remembered unbuttoning his shirt to run her fingers across his rippling abs, feeling every contour of the muscles beneath his taut skin. His fingers had made their way deftly to the back of her dress, unzipping it and allowing it to fall free, before moving up to undo her bow.

The rest of their clothes were shed even more swiftly, as Blake had practically pushed Sun down onto the bed, keeping their lips connected desperately. Sun's hands explored her body, moving to grip her butt or gently cup her breasts, one or the other often drifting up to gently stroke the velvety fur of her ears. They'd tangled with one another, exploring passionately.

Ultimately, Blake had turned down sex, but that hadn't stopped them from exploring their pleasure in other ways. Sun had proven particularly creative with his tail, sliding it up and down against Blake's lower lips, making her moan into his mouth, until her passion had exploded out of her.

A few minutes later, the pair of them lay, spent and exhausted, but also content. Then she had curled up against him, and that had been it for the night. Now, in the morning, Blake contemplated the lingering aftereffects of last night's passions, and found herself wondering just how far she was prepared to go with Sun. Ever since she'd left the White Fang, left Adam, she'd felt it necessary to keep people at a certain distance.

However, certain people had worn their way through that tendency. Her friends and teammates had been first. But Sun had been a close second. His persistence and constant care for her had gradually won her over, convincing her to open up. Blake had forgotten how nice it was to wake up in the arms of someone who cared for her so deeply.

However, that also caused Blake to remember _why_ she'd forgotten that. The last person she remembered waking up to like this had been Adam. He was still out there. Just the thought of that caused her skin to chill. She still remembered that gradual transition; the happy feeling of waking up, nestled in her lover's embrace, had gradually faded, replaced anxiety. However close they were at night, during the day, Blake hadn't been able to shake the feeling of Adam gradually drifting away from her, his love for her consumed by his passionate hatred for humanity. Adam's arms had lost their warmth. His grip had ceased to become loving, and had instead become possessive.

Waking up in such loving arms had jarred Blake's memory, reminding her of what she'd had...and what she'd lost. It also reminded her what was at stake. _I can't...I can't do this! If Adam finds me..._ Just the thought of it made her sick to her stomach. There was no way she could let Adam find out about this, about Sun, about her feelings for Sun. If he did...

She was jolted out of her fearful reverie by the brush of soft lips against her cat ears. "What's wrong?" Sun asked softly.

Blake blinked and realized she'd begun to breathe faster and harder, her fear causing a physical reaction that Sun hadn't missed.

"Talk to me," Sun whispered softly. "I'm here for you."

"That's...that's exactly the problem," said Blake with a faint whimper in her voice.

"Blake...?"

"We can't...we can't do this," she said. " _I_ can't do this."

"What's the matter?" asked Sun.

Blake bit the inside of her lip. There was no way she could answer him. If she told him, there was no way that Sun would leave it be. She began to pull away. But the powerful arms that held her refused to relinquish her grip.

"Let me go," she said, beginning to struggle.

"Not until you tell me what's wrong," said Sun.

"No," said Blake more forcefully, beginning to writhe in his grip. She began to claw and scratch at his arms, trying to break free, but Sun only tightened his hold on her.

"Blake!"

"Let me go!"

Finally having had enough, Sun shifted, pulling Blake back while lifting himself up. Before Blake could try to squirm her way out, he pulled her back, turning her onto her back and pressing his body down on top of her. Gripping her wrists, he pinned her arms down above her head. Blake stared up with him at wide eyes, opening her mouth to shout. Sun took advantage of that, capturing her in a passionate kiss, sending his tongue diving down her throat.

Blake's struggle spiked for a moment, then began to lag, her movements becoming slower and more lethargic. Her eyes rolled upwards, her lids gradually closing. Muffled shouts were reduced to low moans of pleasure and she began to relax. Sun released her wrists and traced his fingers slowly down her arms, down the sides of her chest, to her torso, before slipping his arms around her back, holding her tight and close. His tail coiled around her thigh, gently rubbing up and down it. Moving automatically, Blake wrapped her own arms around his shoulders, hugging him back.

Finally, Sun pulled away, leaving Blake with her tongue hanging out, her eyes glazed over in a daze of pleasure. Smiling, Sun lifted his right hand to her face and gently cupped her cheek. "Better?" he asked.

Blake blinked, her awareness returning and she glared at him. "I hate you," she growled.

Sun just chuckled. "No you don't," he replied. "Now, are you ready to tell me what's wrong?"

"I...I can't talk-" Blake began, trying to turn her eyes away.

"Yes you can," said Sun, cutting her off, using the pressure of his hand against her cheek to keep her from breaking eye contact. "I know this attitude of yours. It's about the White Fang, isn't it? Whatever you're afraid of, it has to do with them."

"Sun...please..."

"Uh uh," said Sun firmly. "I'm not letting you go. I'm not letting you run away and play martyr. Didn't we nix that the last time we got involved with the White Fang."

"You don't understand-"

"Then help me understand!" snapped Sun, more loudly than he intended. "Blake! I know you're worried. But clamming up and trying to push me away isn't going to help. I can guess what you're afraid of. You're worried that your past is gonna come back to haunt you; that your friends, your teammates, me; we're gonna wind up hurt because of that.

"But don't you remember what I told you last time? How do you think _we'd_ feel if something happened to you? You may think you're helping us by shutting us out, but that hurts way more than anything the bad guys can do to us. So stop it."

"Sun...I..." Blake blinked furiously, tears gathering in her eyes.

Sun leaned down and kissed her tears away. "Are you going to tell me?" he asked.

"I..."

"I'll keep going, if I have to," Sun teased, dropping light kisses along the line of her jaw before rising up to kiss up and down her face, peppering it all over with kisses.

"S-Sun, stop!" protested Blake, laughter boiling up from her throat. She began to struggle again, playfully this time.

"Are you gonna tell me?"

"Y-yes," said Blake finally.

Sun relented in his assault and waited for her. Blake looked up at him and opened her mouth to speak.

A loud snore ripped through the air, causing both of them to snap their heads around and look in the direction of the room's other bed. At some point, Neptune had flopped over and was now snoring uproariously, a small stream of drool spilling out of the corner of his mouth. Blake and Sun both flushed bright red simultaneously embarrassed at what they'd been doing with a potential witness in the room...and amazed at Neptune's capacity to sleep through it all.

"W-we should maybe talk somewhere else," suggested Blake.

"Sounds like a plan," agreed Sun.

* * *

It wound up being a bit more complicated than that. Blake had needed to return to her dorm room to get her clothes. Sun allowed her to go, needing a shower after the night and morning's exertions, but only allowing her after extracting a final promise that she was going to tell him about what was making her so anxious.

Throwing on her dress, though not trying too hard to completely fix up her appearance, Blake tied her bow in place and darted through the halls, back to the primary dormitories, and to her team's room. There, she was greeted by an empty room, with no sign of Ruby, Gin, or Yang, much to her relief. Blake quickly gathered her clothes and went to get showered and changed.

Emerging afterwards, she picked up her scroll, already finding a text from Sun, telling her he would be waiting in the dining hall. As it turned out, he wasn't the only one. Besides him, Neptune, the other members of RUBY, and JNAR were there too, all of them already working on their breakfasts. Blake went to get her own food and, with much reluctance, moved to sit with the rest of them.

"Hey," said Sun softly as Blake took her seat next to him, "feeling better."

"Yes," Blake admitted reluctantly.

"Ready to talk?" he asked.

Blake let her eyes drift across her friends. "But..."

"We're a part of this too, Blake," said Yang. "No way in hell are we letting you go haring off on your own again."

"That's right!" declared Nora with a fierce grin.

"We're already involved anyway," added Jaune.

"But this-"

"Need I remind you that the White Fang is just a part of our larger problem," said Ayumu. "Irrespective of your history of them, they're still a problem we'd have to deal with."

"And I get the feeling that you aren't going to be the only person they target specifically," said Gin idly, toying with his fork.

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby, glancing at her boyfriend.

"You remember how they reacted to me in Mountain Glenn," said Gin sourly. "Even though we rounded up all the members there, I haven't exactly been keeping my status as a dragon-faunus a secret here. I'm willing to bet they know I'm here, and can't wait to have a go at having their own personal Aurelius to sic on their enemies."

"Oh..." said Ruby with a frown.

Blake sighed and looked down at her food, her appetite not exactly cooperating with her at the moment. "In my case, it's a more personal matter. You know what faction of the White Fang we're dealing with, right?"

"The Taurus Faction," said Jaune, remembering what Junior had told him.

Blake sighed. "That name comes from their leader, Adam Taurus. Back when I was still in the White Fang, he and I were partners...and we were...close."

"How close?" asked Sun reflexively. Seeing Blake's cheeks color, he muttered, "Oh..."

Blake took a deep breath. "When Sienna Khan took over the White Fang, I came to Vale to follow Adam. At the time, I thought he was practically the embodiment of justice for our people. No one was more committed to fighting for the faunus than him...or so I thought." Blake sighed forlornly. "The truth, as I began to learn, was that what he really was all about was spite."

"Spite?" Ruby blinked in confusion.

Blake nodded. "He didn't actually care about making things better for faunus. All he really wanted was to hurt the humans in retaliation for how they hurt us. He would find any excuse he could. It started with the the ones who discriminated against us. Then he stopped caring if innocents got caught in the crossfire. Eventually, even faunus who were simply trying to coexist became traitors in his eyes too."

Blake hugged her self tightly, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. "At first...he was affectionate with me. But, as he got worse, he began to get...possessive. He started to scare me. With every mission, I was under more and more pressure to kill. Whenever I started to question him...he..."

"He attacked you?" asked Sun, his voice an angry growl.

Blake shook her head. "No...not at that point. He would shout, accuse me of not believing in our cause, of being weak. He'd scream insults and, sometimes, he'd raise his hand. He'd stop just shy of hitting me, enough to terrify me. Then...at night, he would be in my bed, telling me everything was all right, that he forgave me..." She let out a ragged sob. " _He_ was the one forgiving _me_... that's how bad he got. And I let him...for so long."

Sun reached over and wrapped an arm around Blake, his tail curling slowly around her waist. "It's okay," he whispered, rubbing her arms.

"What scares me isn't that Adam's out _there_ ," said Blake. "It's that he's _here_...in Vale...or near it anyway. This is _his_ faction, representing the White Fang in whatever is going on. He's going to come for me, I know it."

"Well, we're not gonna let him have you," said Sun.

"You can't stop him!" protested Blake.

"We'll just have to see," said Gin, idly examining his fingers. "If he's coming for you, then he'll probably be coming for me as well. If he's that stupid, then more power to him."

"He's not like the others," said Blake. "You have no idea how strong he is."

"Doesn't matter," said Gin dismissively. "Even if he's stronger than us, if what you've described is true, then he's someone who relies on anger. If he's a slave to his anger...then the difference in strength will be meaningless."

"Regardless," interjected Ayumu, fixing a pointed look at Blake, "the fact of the matter is that there is no longer any way for you to try and shoulder this on your own. We've all become targets. Even if you were to try and run off, or somehow distance yourself from us, we would be targeted anyway. At this point, the only feasible solution is to have faith in one another and concentrate our strength."

"In other words, trying to go off on your own would be silly," said Yang, grinning. "Too late Blake. You're stuck with us."

"And we wouldn't have it any other way," added Ruby.

"Ditto, us!" agreed Nora, the rest of JNAR nodding in agreement.

"And I'm not about to let you go, crazy ex or not," promised Sun firmly, giving Blake's arm a squeeze.

"Thank you," whispered Blake softly, before turning her head and quickly pecking Sun on the cheek, the sudden display of public affection from her taking him completely by surprise. After that, everyone broke down laughing at his giddy reaction.

After that, talk turned to what their plans all were for the break. It was going to be a little over a week long. Ruby and Yang were returning to Patch, taking Gin, Ayumu, and Jaune along with them. An invitation was extended to the rest of the group. Even if Taiyang's house didn't have room for them all, there was an inn in Patch's central town that could host everyone for a reasonable price.

After a little discussion, the others agreed to the idea, enjoying the thought of visiting the island where Ruby and Yang had grown up. The only exception was Neptune, who'd opted to take a quick jaunt back to Mistral to visit his family. He intended to return, along with the rest of his and Sun's team. Given how close Patch was, accessible by a ferry, they didn't even need to bother scheduling a departure time, instead opting to gather their luggage and head straight to the ferry.

* * *

Taiyang Xiao Long was in the middle of a rather dull afternoon. At the moment, there wasn't much for him to do. Classes at Signal had just ended for the term, and he didn't have any missions to take at the moment. Right now, the only thing for him to really do was lounge around in the living room, watching the holoscreen, and waiting until he felt like making some dinner. The sense of lethargy seemed to have affected Zwei as well, and the little corgi lounged lazily at Taiyang's feet.

Picking up his coffee mug, Taiyang took a sip of the fragrant brew. It wasn't really the right time for coffee, but it felt nice to have the mug at hand.

Someone knocked at the door, prompting Taiyang to get up off the couch, wondering if he had a package or a visitor. Qrow dropped by occasionally, but was generally gone for months at a time. The last time Taiyang had seen him had been during Ruby's funeral, and the last time Taiyang had spoken to him had been when Qrow had delivered the shocking revelation that Ruby was still alive.

Reaching the door, Taiyang opened it, and his jaw dropped at the sight of who was before him.

"Hey, Dad," said Ruby, smiling shyly.

Yang was standing next to Ruby, grinning hugely, clearly enjoying the look of surprise that washed across her father's face. Behind them, Jaune, Ayumu, and Gin looked on, hanging back a little to avoid disrupting the moving reunion.

Taiyang's voice broke out into a huge grin. "Girls!" he shouted, sweeping them up into a powerful hug, making both of them squawk and croak, Ruby flailing weakly as her bones creaked from the force of her father's embrace. Releasing them, Taiyang watched them stagger woozily for a few seconds, before recovering their bearings. "What's going on? I wasn't expecting you for another day."

"Well, school kinda got out early," said Ruby.

"Basically, the teachers were so impressed with everyone's performance during that big Grimm attack that they gave us passing grades on all our finals," added Yang. "So we didn't have any exams."

"That's incredible! I'm so proud of you!" Looking past them, Taiyang's eyes rested on the boys and he grinned all the more widely. "What am I doing, making you wait outside like this? Come on in!"

They filed in, Taiyang trading a firm arm-clasp with Jaune, before clapping Gin on the shoulder, and trading polite nods with Ayumu. They settled in the living room, Taiyang pouring coffee for all of them, even doctoring Ruby's with her preferred quantity of sugar and cream. All the while, Zwei frolicked between Yang and Ruby, running from one to the other in order to receive head-pats, ear-scratches, or belly-rubs. He also behaved quite familiarly with Jaune. Ayumu and Gin he greeted with curious sniffs and a cautious licking of their fingertips, before returning his attention fully to the girls.

"So everything went well?" asked Taiyang, settling down.

"Yeah," said Ruby. "Things got a little crazy for a bit. I mean...there was that whole kerfuffle after everything went public."

"I saw the interview," said Taiyang. "I'm proud of you, and it makes me feel a lot better to know Beacon has your back.

"I also got to see some of your battle. Ozpin sent me video footage of your fight with the Dragon. That was incredible."

Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu blushed slightly at Taiyang's praise.

"What about your friends?" asked Taiyang. "Did they go back to their families?"

"Actually, they came to Patch with us," said Ruby excitedly. "We kinda split off from them. They're getting settled at the inn."

"I see," said Taiyang. "Got any plans for the evening?"

The five of them exchanged looks. "Um...not really," said Yang cautiously.

"Great!" shouted Taiyang, making them jump. "In that case, I'm taking everyone out to dinner. I'll cover everyone."

"Um...that's nice, Dad, but paying for nine people..." said Ruby warily.

"Nonsense," scoffed Taiyang. "For my daughters' friends and comrades, dinner for one night is the least I can do."

"Well...I know they won't turn you down," said Ruby.

* * *

She was right. While Ren and Blake both expressed a little reluctance to impose, they wound up conceding when everyone else accepted Taiyang's generous offer. He took them to a small diner that he had been bringing his daughters to, ever since they were toddlers. He was old friends with the owner, who was ecstatic to have two of her favorite customers returning, with friends no less.

The food was as delicious as Ruby and Yang remembered. Ruby, in particular, found herself tearing up a little at the thought of how long it had been, and how close she had come to never being able to return to this place at all. Throughout the meal, Taiyang chatted with them, extracting stories about how their semester had gone. He was furious to learn about the treatment Ruby and Gin (and Ayumu, to a lesser extent) had suffered at the hands of some of the students. He was also shocked and extremely worried to learn that the Dragon, and the Grimm attack it had unleashed, had been caused by Yu Yuen, making him understandably worried about his daughter's choice in teachers.

The students had to tread carefully. As easy as Taiyang was to talk to, they knew they couldn't allow themselves to talk about the matters that Ozpin had entrusted them with. Ruby would have liked to talk about her chats and growing friendship with Amber, but knew she needed to keep those conversations under wraps. Naturally, Yang didn't want her father to know that she'd come close to volunteering to have her soul amalgamated with that of another person entirely.

Outside, the sun began to set, dying the sky in oranges, pinks, and reds. It was a beautiful view through the diner's windows, a view that drew everyone's attention when a graceful shadow soared across the sky.

Living in and around Vale, Ruby and the others were accustomed to the sight of the many different kinds of airships that plied the Kingdom's skies, from the transports they regularly took between Beacon and Vale, to the bullheads that delivered them to and from their missions. They'd even had time to grow accustomed to the sight of Ironwood's warships, before the General had withdrawn them at Ozpin's insistence.

This ship was different from all of them. It was a little larger than the average bullhead, but far sleeker in design. The central fuselage was an elongated, almost teardrop-shape, gently curving towards the nose, which displayed the broad, upward-facing windows of the cockpit, while the tail tapered off into a fine point. It was surrounded by a quartet of engine nacelles that were mounted on pylons in an X-configuration, with a small pair of wings extending up and out from the fuselage, just behind the upper pair of nacelles. Each of the nacelles also sported a long, blue pennant, fluttering in the airship's wake as it soared gracefully over the sea, just beyond Patch.

"Ooh! What a pretty airship!" exclaimed Nora, her eyes wide at the sight.

"From the looks and colors, it's probably Atlesian," noted Taiyang.

"Probably just passing through," suggested Jaune.

"Maybe," said Taiyang a little dubiously. "Still, if they were heading to Vale, they're a ways off course."

Patch was west and, just ever-so-slightly, a little to the south of Vale itself. That position put it off of the direct air-routes to and from Atlas. So a flyover by Atlesian vessels was a rarity, unless such vessels were heading to or coming from somewhere else.

As they continued to watch, the airship banked in a graceful arc, before beginning to descend. "They're not passing by," noted Ren.

"They're landing here," added Blake.

"Uh...is there room for a ship to land?" asked Jaune, looking at Taiyang questioningly.

"There's a small air-dock used by Signal," explained Taiyang. "Their landing pads should be just large enough."

That was sufficient to dispel their curiosity, and everyone returned to their meals. By the time they finished, the sun had set completely, and it was time for those who were staying with Taiyang to bid goodnight to their friends and head back to the house. They were about to part ways in front of the entrance to Patch's inn, when everyone's attention was drawn by the familiar sound of clanking, metallic feet. All eyes turned towards the road that led to Signal.

Sure enough, two columns of three white-plated Atlesian Knights, the new 200-models, marched towards them. However, that was not what truly held their attention. Instead, their eyes all focused, with varying degrees of surprise and shock, on the white-haired woman who walked between those columns, mainly because she looked so hauntingly familiar to them.

She came to a stop, standing with a rigid posture, her arms folded behind her back, everything about her demeanor suggesting perfect military decorum, her eyes surveying the group on front of her, before her intense gaze came to rest on Ruby in particular, Ruby herself swallowing and trembling slightly.

"I am Winter Schnee, Atlas Military Specialist," said the woman in a tense, clipped tone. "I wish to speak with you, Ruby Rose, concerning my sister."

* * *

 **For those of you looking to poke holes in Qrow's theory...put away your needles. Don't worry, that will come later.**


	75. Chapter 75

**Chapter 75:**

Ruby swallowed nervously as she took in the taller woman. With her white hair, blue eyes, and fair complexion, it was easy to see the relationship to Weiss. Instead of hanging down in a tail, though, Winter's hair was tied up into a tight bun, with her bangs brushed to hang down over the left side of her face. This, combined with her crisp, white tailcoat over a blue button-down top, along with equally crisp white pants and black garters, gave her a more strict and severe appearance than Weiss. The collar of her coat was fastened with a red brooch, while the long sleeves were open along the upper-arms to bare her skin, before closing again and meeting with black gloves. Apparently, a preference for fencing ran in the family, as Winter carried a saber at her side.

Much like the season she was named for, and the continent she hailed from, Winter's gaze was hard, cold, and severe. It eerily reminded Ruby of the look Weiss had given her, right before attempting to run her through, on that night, so many months ago. Still, there were differences. While Winter's gaze was cold and strict, it spoke of intense discipline to Ruby. She didn't sense any hostility in Winter's gaze at all.

Her friends, with the exception of Gin and Ayumu, tensed, hands straying towards weapons, legs bending, eyes narrowing. Of course, that didn't come as much of a surprise, given the way Winter had announced herself. Ruby herself had barely spared a thought for Weiss in the past few weeks, wanting to move past what happened as much as possible. Winter's announcement made for a jarring reminder of the girl who had changed Ruby's life so profoundly, by trying to end it, ironically enough.

"I apologize for coming so late-" Winter began, her eyes taking in Ruby's friends and father, who were all watching her warily.

But she was cut off before she could finish by a familiar, raspy voice from the road behind her. "Yeah, you'd better apologize, Ice Queen."

Winter's disciplined front faltered visibly, and Ruby could easily register the twinge of frustration that flashed across her face and the uneasy twitch of her arms. "Hello, Qrow," she said, slowly turning to face him.

Qrow Branwen slouched towards the group, his pale-red eyes glaring fiercely at Winter. "You've got a lot of nerve, showing up and accosting my niece," he growled.

"That was not my intention," said Winter stiffly. "I merely wished to talk."

"Oh yeah?" growled Qrow. "What's there to talk about, huh?"

"Uh...Uncle Qrow?" Ruby interjected nervously, not able to recall seeing her uncle act so aggressively.

"It's pretty clear what your little sister did," continued Qrow, either not hearing Ruby, or ignoring her outright. "But I can understand you wanting to protect your sterling reputation, Little Miss Perfect. It's easy to see where Weiss got that attitude from."

"Uncle Qrow, please stop," said Ruby plaintively, not liking where this was going.

"I have no malicious intentions towards Ms. Rose," said Winter firmly, her own eyes narrowing dangerously at Qrow.

"And you think we can trust that," pressed Qrow, once again ignoring her. "Your little sister was happy to stab Ruby in the back, which seems to be something of a trend amongst your kind, Schnee."

"Shut up!" snapped Winter, her fraying temper with Qrow's attitude reaching its limit, despite her obvious attempts to remain civil. "I came here to talk to Ms. Rose, not listen to you make brazen accusations."

"If you want me to shut up, then shut me up," growled Qrow, his hand already reaching for the handle of his sword, "just like your sister tried to shut Ruby up."

"That's enough!" hissed Winter, her hand straying to her own weapon.

Not even needing to look at each other, Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu had already come to an agreement. As Winter and Qrow drew their weapons, the trio blurred into action, even as Winter and Qrow charged each other. Ruby's other friends, and her father, all moved to take action as well, though they weren't sure what action to take.

Qrow's sword was halted with a clash, abruptly stopped by the shaft of Shining Rose, Ruby angling it across her back and bracing her legs to absorb the impact of the large, heavy weapon her uncle wielded. At the same time, Gin's scaled hand closed around the blade of Winter's saber, gripping it near the base, before Winter could even begin a proper swing. Glancing down, she was shocked to see that Gin had apparently judged the action perfectly, gripping the blade of the dagger, sheathed in the saber's hollow fuller, along with the saber itself, preventing her from drawing her main gauche to continue fighting.

Meanwhile, Ayumu only took a couple of steps, before stopping directly in front of the others, his right hand extended out to the side slightly, blocking their way.

"Stop," said Ruby firmly, glaring over her shoulder at Qrow. "She said she just came to talk."

"But Ruby..." protested Qrow.

"No," said Ruby firmly.

Qrow looked up and glared past Ruby and Gin at Winter. "Well, I don't trust her, not after what her sister pulled."

"Weiss is responsible for her own actions," said Ruby firmly. "I'm not going to hold her sister accountable for them, just like Yang isn't responsible for what I do anymore."

"Ruby..." Qrow looked at her, surprised by the firmness of her voice.

"Put your weapon away, Uncle Qrow," said Ruby.

With a worried frown, Qrow did as he was told, re-holstering his blade at his back. Behind Ruby, Gin gave Winter and inquisitive look, and she nodded to him. Gin released his hold on her sword, allowing Winter to sheathe it. He stepped back to stand next to Ruby, who was still staring down her uncle. Still, when she was certain he wouldn't attack, Ruby collapsed Shining Rose and slid it back into its customary place, at the small of her back.

After that, Ruby turned and faced Winter with a smile. "I'm sorry about my uncle," she said.

"I understand," said Winter with a resigned sigh, before glowering over Ruby's head at Qrow, who returned the look with a vigor, "I'm familiar with Qrow Branwen's lack of manners."

"Ya know what, Ice Queen-" Qrow began to growl.

"Uncle Qrow, would you head back with Dad and the others?" asked Ruby politely, keeping him from trying to start another brawl.

"Ruby..."

" _Please_ , Uncle Qrow," said Ruby, even more firmly than before. Ruby looked over her shoulder at him and, seeing that she wasn't going to budge on this, Qrow relented. Slumping and sighing, he walked past Winter, who watched him carefully, going to join the others.

"Please go on ahead," said Ruby, waving to her friends and family. "I'll catch up." She looked at Gin. "You too."

Gin gave Ruby a worried look. "You sure?" he asked.

Ruby nodded once. "I'll be fine," she said.

"Okay," said Gin, heading after the others.

Ruby watched them go, before looking at Winter, who analyzed her with curious eyes.

After a long moment of silence, Winter finally spoke. "I apologize for imposing so late in the evening," she repeated.

"It's okay," said Ruby. "Since you're in the military, I guess you probably don't have a lot of time."

"I don't," agreed Winter. "I was planning to go to Beacon, tomorrow."

"For what?" asked Ruby, canting her head.

Once again, Winter stared at her for a moment. "To see Weiss."

"Oh..." Ruby's voice trailed off and she reflected that this was a bit of an awkward situation. "W-would you like to find somewhere to sit? I mean...it's okay if you just want to talk here."

"Oh, of course," said Winter. "Do you know where we might be able to speak?"

"Yeah," said Ruby, before glancing at the Atlesian Knights that had accompanied Winter. "You...you might want to leave the androids behind."

Winter glanced back at the Knights, hesitating for a second, before nodding. Pulling out her scroll, she tapped a command. In unison, the Knights turned and filed back the way they came, leaving Winter and Ruby standing alone.

"I know where we can go," said Ruby.

* * *

Ruby led Winter over to a quiet cafe, not far from the diner where Ruby had eaten with her friends and family earlier. After getting some coffee for both her and Winter, Ruby settled both of them at a small table in the corner, well away from the other patrons. With her distinctive style of dress, Winter attracted a fair bit of attention, in the form of curious glances. However, everyone else minded their own business, after a few seconds of looking.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, awkwardly sipping from their paper cups as they watched each other. Finally, it was Winter who broke her silence. "I...I'm sorry for what my sister has done to you," she said, looking down at the table.

"Why?" asked Ruby, tilting her head again. "It's like I told Uncle Qrow; _Weiss_ is the one who hurt me, so you're not responsible."

"And yet, I feel as though I am...in some way," said Winter despondently, "or that there might have been something I could have done that would have influenced her to act in such a manner. When Professor Ozpin first contacted me and told me what had happened...I could scarcely believe it. I couldn't believe that Weiss would be capable of something so cold and malicious. At first, I thought it was a hoax, something cooked up to discredit her. But Ozpin forwarded all the gathered evidence to me, including Weiss' own testimony, and...I couldn't deny it."

Winter lifted her eyes to look directly at Ruby. "My sister, Weiss, deliberately attempted to kill her partner and teammate...and for what? Even looking back on it, I still don't understand it." She sighed. "Was it my mistake, for fleeing home and going to the military? Did I allow Father to have too strong an influence on her, by refusing to be there to help guide her? When I did come home, I always emphasized that she had to be strong, self-reliant, that she couldn't simply lean on others to do everything for her. Was I...was I too harsh?"

"I don't know," said Ruby. "I don't know what it was like for Weiss, or you. All I do know is what she did."

"Qrow seems to think otherwise," noted Winter.

"Not really," said Ruby with a wry giggle. "Uncle Qrow...well...he needed to vent. It's too bad that you were the one he vented on."

"Vent?" Winter blinked in confusion.

"It's like what happened with Yang," said Ruby. "When I first got back, she was angry with Weiss and Pyrrha...and me, because I'd kept the fact I was still alive from her for so long. She forgave me for that last bit. But she was still angry with Weiss and Pyrrha."

"Understandable," said Winter.

Ruby nodded. "But I'd already beaten them, and they were imprisoned, so Yang couldn't punish them. So...she wound up venting on my...my boyfriend." Ruby spoke those last two words shyly, averting her gaze as her cheeks colored.

Winter raised an eyebrow, having a few questions, though deciding that it wasn't her place to inquire into Ruby's more personal affairs. "So...what Qrow was doing was the same?"

"I think so," said Ruby. "He's upset, but the people who actually hurt me have already been taken care of, and he doesn't know what to do with that anger."

"I see..." said Winter. Once again, she looked at Ruby intently, her eyes scrutinizing Ruby's every feature.

"Um..." Ruby shifted nervously under Winter's gaze.

"My apologies," said Winter, turning her attention back to the coffee. "I was trying to discern what it is about you that would have made my sister so hostile."

"She accused me of being childish, of being a child," said Ruby.

Winter frowned. "You are only two years younger than her," she noted. "That is not so monumental a difference. I have to admit, when I first laid eyes on you, I thought you somewhat...underwhelming."

"Oh," said Ruby, wilting.

Winter's expression softened. "But now I can definitely say I was mistaken."

"Huh?"

Winter smiled. "To look at you now, one wouldn't think that you had gone through such an ordeal. You have recovered remarkably well, both physically and emotionally."

"It's thanks to my friends," said Ruby. She grimaced, her face contorting as though she'd just bitten down on a lemon. "I guess I should thank Master Yu too."

"Yu...Yu Yuen?" Winter's eyebrows went up.

"Y-yeah," said Ruby. "The two boys who found me and saved me, they were his students. After I decided on what to do, Master Yu offered to teach me, and I accepted."

"You are aware of what kind of person he is?" asked Winter.

Ruby gave the older woman a severe look. "If anything, I think I know _better_ than you, what kind of person he is." Now it was her turn to stare down at her cup. "He's the worst kind of person there is. He only cares about himself. To him, other people are just potential sources of entertainment. He doesn't care who he hurts to get what he wants. But..."

Winter raised an eyebrow.

"But he's strong," continued Ruby. "I don't think there's anyone stronger in the entire world. Training under him, trying to get that strength, that's what's gotten me this far, what allowed me to come back. So he's responsible for me recovering too."

"I...see..." said Winter. "And...may I ask what your thoughts are regarding my sister?"

"I haven't thought about her all that much," confessed Ruby. "Now that I'm back, now that I'm working to become a Huntress again, I haven't had the time or energy to think of Weiss. When I do...I just feel sad."

"Sad...?"

Ruby nodded. "Weiss always seemed to have so much pressure on her. She felt like she had to be the very best at everything she did. She wanted perfect grades, perfect combat ratings, perfect everything. She was afraid...terrified...of making mistakes, of being imperfect. I guess...maybe...that has something to do with what she did.

"And when I think about that, I feel sad. Weiss worked so hard, put so much effort in...and then she just...threw it all away. She tried to kill me so that she could be Team Leader. But was that really something so important that it was worth trying to kill someone over? She tried so hard, put so much on herself, and wound up pushing herself to the point that she lost everything instead."

"That's...a rather astute observation," noted Winter. She closed her eyes, sitting in silence for a moment, before opening them again. "I have one more question."

"What?"

Winter swallowed. "However despicable her crime, however reviled she is for her betrayal, the fact remains...I love my sister. I love her dearly. That's why it pains me so much to think that she's done this...to you and herself."

"I understand," said Ruby. "Even if she did something horrible, I don't think I could ever stop loving Yang."

That brought a small, but genuine, smile to Winter's face. "Because of that...I find myself asking...could you ever find it in yourself to forgive my sister, Ruby Rose?"

"Forgive...Weiss...?" Ruby blinked, momentarily flummoxed by the question. It was something she'd never considered before. Certainly, she had acted on her grudge against Weiss, gotten her revenge. She had been angry at Weiss. She had left that anger behind in order to keep from being tied down by it. She'd moved past what Weiss had done, moved past Weiss herself. But forgiveness...

Ruby was silent for a long moment, Winter waiting, her expression almost anxious. If anything, Winter seemed to think that the future could be decided by Ruby's answer.

Finally, Ruby smiled. It was a soft, warm smile. "I...I think I could," she said.

Winter's eyes went wide. "You could?" she asked, with no small degree of incredulity. "Why?"

Ruby looked up at Winter, still smiling. "My boyfriend is Gin Ueno. Do you know who he is?"

"Yes," said Winter. "General Ironwood briefed me on Beacon's...new arrivals."

"So, you know he used to be a bandit, right?"

Winter nodded.

Ruby's gaze became distant. "I love Gin. But that doesn't change the fact that he did terrible things in the past. In fact, if you look at them, he's objectively worse than Weiss. He's hurt far more people, done much more terrible and selfish things than she ever did.

"But he's not the same kind of person he was back then. Gin's never tried to make excuses for what he did. He's never tried to deny that it was wrong. All he's ever tried to do is be better than he was. Gin doesn't really believe in atonement, in that there's no amount of good deeds he can do to make up for what he did back then. But he still wants to be a better kind of person...and he wants to keep moving forward. Because of that, I can forgive him."

Ruby's eyes once again focused on Winter. "It's easier with Gin, because I didn't know the kind of person he was back then. Nothing he ever did had any effect on my life. So it is easier for me to forgive him. Even so...because of that...if Weiss could show that she understands what she did was wrong, if she commits to trying to be a better person, I think I could, I think I'd _have_ to forgive her...or I'd just be a hypocrite.

"I won't forget what she did. I won't ever forget how she betrayed my trust and my friendship. I don't think I'd ever be able to fully trust her again. But I could forgive her."

After another moment's silence, Winter smiled again. "It seems I was very wrong about you, Ruby Rose. You are anything but underwhelming. As much as it saddens me to think about what Weiss threw away for the sake of her own selfishness; her reputation, her future, her ideals, her goals; it now saddens me more than ever to think that she threw away the opportunity to grow as your friend and partner."

"Thank you," said Ruby.

Winter finished her coffee. "I should go," she said. "I've kept you long enough. Thank you for being so willing to talk with me."

"You're welcome," said Ruby. "Um..."

Winter blinked. "Yes?"

"Well...maybe we could talk again sometime," said Ruby, blushing shyly.

Winter flinched back slightly, surprised by the offer, but then she smiled as well. "I think that would be wonderful," she said. "I don't have all that much freedom to call, but you are free to write me whenever you wish, and I will respond as often I can. If you send the letters to the Atlesian Military, they will be able to forward them to me."

"All right," said Ruby, nodding eagerly.

They stood up. "I look forward to seeing how you grow, Ruby," said Winter.

"Thank you," said Ruby, her blush growing.

"Do you require an escort home?" asked Winter.

"No, I'll be fine," said Ruby.

"Then I will bid you good evening," said Winter.

They left the cafe and went their separate ways. As she took the road that would eventually lead back home, Ruby glanced over her shoulder to see Winter marching away, her arms folded behind her back once again. Thinking about the kind of person Winter had shown herself to be, Ruby felt even more sad that Weiss had thrown away everything in her bid to elevate herself.

* * *

"Is there a reason you called us out here, Watts?" growled Cinder, annoyed at being rousted from her sleep at such a late hour. After spending the final night of the term in their rooms at Beacon, Cinder had made plans for her "team" to disappear, with the excuse being that they'd returned to Mistral to visit family. In actuality, they would be hiding out in Vale itself, working on their preparations for the Vytal Festival.

Instead, their night had been interrupted by Watts, who'd called them out to the edge of Beacon's campus, near the cliffs over the Emerald Forest. It was a place out of range of any of Beacon's security cameras, ensuring their gathering wouldn't be watched. However, Cinder couldn't understand what he wanted to talk about this night, of all nights. If it was something that could have waited until they were safely hidden in Vale she was going to be very upset with him.

"Of course there is, Cinder," said Watts, in that perpetually smug tone of his, which seemed tailor-made to put her teeth on edge and stoke her desire to cremate him on the spot. "We have a new colleague assisting us. I didn't want to risk her being spotted in Vale, so it's best to introduce her, here and now."

"Yaaay...new teammate," said Mercury in his most unenthusiastic tone.

"Now now, don't be like that," chided Watts, his smirk growing. "This new ally of ours shall prove to be an excellent asset. If anything, she has proved her worth quite well before now."

"Oh get on with it," groaned Emerald. "I wanna sleep."

Behind Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury, Neo watched the exchange with wary eyes. Her disguise was still in place, furnishing her with black hair and green eyes. When Cinder had gotten the summons, she'd accompanied them automatically, being careful not to call attention to her presence, in the event she wasn't really welcome.

"Very well then," said Watts, beckoning to a nearby stand of trees.

Pyrrha Nikos stepped forth from the darkness. Nothing really seemed to have changed about her appearance, Watts' contacts furnishing her with clothes that were practically identical to the outfit she'd worn while still a Beacon student. The only real difference was her weapons. Instead of the red and bronze finish that had decorated the original Milo and Akuou, her new weapons, while identical in form, were finished in black and silver. At the moment, those were the only details visible from their positions, resting on Pyrrha's back.

Yes, outwardly, very little had changed. But Pyrrha's eyes spoke differently. There was a hard, cold edge to her gaze, a look of pure determination. The polite smile she'd seemingly almost always worn, when not in battle, was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh...her," said Emerald, underwhelmed by the revelation.

"The Invincible Girl, huh?" said Mercury. "Oh! Sorry! Former-Invincible Girl. Maybe we should be calling you the Beaten Girl now."

Pyrrha's eyes flicked to Mercury and her lips curled up in the slightest suggestion of a smile. She raised her left hand a little. The next thing Mercury knew, he was yelping in surprise and pain, as he was yanked off his feet. A shimmering field of black had wrapped around his legs, from just above the knees to his feet. From within his pants came the low groan of metal under pressure. Mercury was flipped upside down and left dangling in the air from his legs, groaning and shouting in surprise and pain.

Emerald and Cinder's response had been immediate. Emerald's hands blurred to her holstered weapons, pulling out her bronze revolvers and leveling them at Pyrrha. Likewise, Cinder's swords appeared in her hands with a fiery flash, her legs bending, ready to launch herself.

In contrast, Neo sank into a crouch, but kept her weight shifted back, ready to flee at a moment's notice.

"Oh, do calm down," admonished Watts in a casual tone, as though he was completely unsurprised and uninterested with what was going on. "Ms. Nikos, please set Mercury down. I believe you've made your point."

Pyrrha lowered her hand and Mercury dropped to the ground with a thud, and one last shout of pain, as he struck his head and shoulders.

Emerald glowered at Pyrrha for a moment longer, then holstered her weapons again.

Cinder kept her swords out, though her posture relaxed slightly. "And here I thought you had better things to do than pick up strays."

"She is hardly a stray," said Watts with a chuckle. "Ms. Nikos is a highly effective combatant. She has sufficient reason to join with us. I believe she will be a powerful asset."

"Is that so...?" Cinder's eyes focused on Pyrrha. "I have my doubts."

Pyrrha looked at Cinder...and smiled. It was that polite smile that she always wore, the smile of Mistral's Goddess of Victory, the celebrity who appeared on the side of _Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes_. It was a hollow and empty smile.

"You're one to talk about doubts," noted Pyrrha. "I remember you now. We met in the tower."

Cinder's eyes narrowed. "So..."

Pyrrha began to walk towards Cinder, her stride measured and confident, every inch the perfect warrior. "You know, Dr. Watts told me about you. He said you possessed magic. Thinking back about our fight, I understand now." Pyrrha came to a stop right in front of Cinder. "You did things I couldn't explain, things that defy the idea of what's possible through just Dust and Aura. And yet...looking back on it...I can't say I'm impressed."

"You'd best watch your words," growled Cinder.

"I was a match for you in a ballroom dress," said Pyrrha. "Perhaps you should watch your own words."

Cinder's eyes narrowed and orange flames began to stream out from the corner of her left eye. Her blades dissolved into embers, but she raised her right hand, and an orb of flame flickered into being over it, shedding heat in waves. It was a gesture that had cowed the likes of Roman Torchwick easily. Even now, Neo was backing away from Cinder, her eyes glued warily to the woman's shoulders.

Yet Pyrrha _wasn't_ cowed. Her smile remained in place, her eyes not leaving Cinder's, not even glancing at the flame dancing over Cinder's palm. "Truly a grand power," she said. "But...maybe...you aren't the one best suited for it."

"Perhaps you would like to test that," hissed Cinder.

They were interrupted by a sharp clap, Watts bringing his hands together, the sudden sound bringing an abrupt end to the confrontation. "As entertaining as this is to watch, I must remind you that we are all on the same side here," he said. "Our Mistress would take a dim view of us fighting each other. I was merely taking an opportunity to help you all get acquainted with one another. In the future, I imagine we will make a very productive team."

"I doubt that," said Cinder. She glared over Pyrrha's shoulder at Watts. "Whatever else, this operation is _my_ responsibility. So do not interfere, unless _I_ tell you to do something."

"So be it," said Watts with a disappointed sigh and a slow shake of his head. "Come, Ms. Nikos, we have other matters to attend to."

Pyrrha nodded and turned away from Cinder, falling into step behind Watts, the two of them making their way back into the darkness once more.

Cinder threw a glare at Emerald and Mercury, the former helping the latter get back to his feet. She might have done the same to Neo, but the diminutive criminal had already beat a hasty retreat. Huffing softly, Cinder started heading back towards the dorms, her disciples following suit.

* * *

Ruby wasn't surprised to see Gin waiting for her on the path leading to the house.

"Were you worried?" she asked.

"A little," he said. "Winter wasn't hostile, but I felt a little antsy, all the same."

Ruby giggled softly, then took his hand in hers, the two of them heading back together. "Thank you," she said.

"So, how'd it go?" he asked.

"We talked," said Ruby. "Winter isn't angry at me for what happened with Weiss. She's upset and confused. She doesn't get how Weiss could do something like that."

"Well, that's a common sentiment," said Gin. "If she doesn't bear you any ill will, then it's not worth mulling over too much."

"She asked me if I could forgive Weiss," said Ruby abruptly.

"Does she want you to forgive Weiss?" asked Gin.

"She made it sound more like a hypothetical thing," said Ruby. She met Gin's eyes. "I think I could."

Gin's eyes narrowed slightly. "You think you could...or you think you'd have to?"

"Both," said Ruby, looking back at the ground they were walking on. "I think I could forgive her, because, if she really does change for the better, it's the right thing to do. I think I'd have to because I don't want to betray my feelings for you."

"For me?" Gin raised an eyebrow.

"Because loving you means accepting you, including all the things you've done," said Ruby, giving Gin's hand a squeeze. "If I love you, then it means I'm looking past who you were. It shouldn't matter that I never saw the person you used to be, never met your victims, was never your victim...I still need to accept that that was a part of your life, just like you have. I need to accept it and accept you, because you aren't the person you were back then. You're moving forward, being the best person you can be. If Weiss tries that much, then I need to accept her too."

"I won't argue," said Gin with a chuckle. "Though I think that Yang might take issue."

"Yeah,' agreed Ruby. "But that's fine."

They reached the house and went inside. Taiyang and Qrow were waiting there, along with Yang, Jaune, and Ayumu.

"The Ice Queen better have been scraping and bowing to you," growled Qrow sardonically.

"Stop that," Ruby admonished him gently. "It's not her fault, and you shouldn't take your frustration out on her. Winter and I talked about me, and about Weiss. That's all."

"I take it things went well," said Taiyang.

"They did," agreed Ruby. "Winter's going to talk to Weiss tomorrow."

Qrow snorted. "Heh! I'd pay money to see that talk go down."

"Qrow..." admonished Tai, before shaking his head. "Still, I'm glad things went well."

Ruby nodded. "Winter's nice...interesting. She and I are going to try and talk more, maybe send letters."

"Making friends wherever you go," commented Ayumu with a laugh.

"True," agreed Jaune.

"She wouldn't be Ruby otherwise," added Yang.

Ruby growled, puffing out her cheeks, only serving to amuse her friends and family even more.

"So, any special plans for your break?" asked Taiyang.

"Not any in particular," said Yang. "I figured we'd hang around the island, maybe spend some time practicing team tactics and formations for the festival. We've got to be ready for the tournament, after all."

"True," agreed Jaune. He smirked at Yang. "No hard feelings if we beat you guys?"

"None at all," Yang retorted, "particularly 'cause you ain't got a snowball's chance in hell."

"I'm just hoping our teams don't meet during the qualifiers or doubles rounds," said Gin. "It would lessen the impact of the plan if Ruby and Ayumu didn't both make it to the finals."

"Plan? What plan?" Qrow perked up, frowning in confusion.

"Oh...whoops," said Ruby sharing a look with the others. While Qrow knew about the nature of her and Ayumu's weapons, they hadn't gotten the chance to tell him about their plan for the Vytal Festival Tournament.

Qrow listened to their idea with rapt interest, looking surprisingly engaged. "I gotta say, that's a pretty grand ambition for you kids. There's no doubt it's gonna change the world, if you can pull if off. Plus, you'll be knocking Jacques down a few pegs, and I'm always up for seeing that."

"Do you think it'll work?" asked Jaune.

"Well, it'll count for something," said Qrow. "It's best not to get your hopes up. What you're gonna show the world is gonna be a game changer for sure, especially for us Huntsmen. But, at the same time, the fact that you can create weapons from your Aura ain't gonna be easy to accept. Even some of your fellow Huntsmen and Huntresses aren't gonna be on-board right away. If she hadn't sank her chances of being a Huntress, I kinda wonder how the mini-Ice Queen would've taken a concept like that."

Ruby, Yang, and Jaune shared uneasy glances. "Probably not well," said Ruby, imagining it.

Weiss, while not happy with the direction her father had taken the SDC, was still proud of her company's history and was dedicated to its legacy. The idea of her own teammates trying to undermine the importance of Dust, which she had invested a great deal of time and energy into mastering the use of, was not likely to have sat well with her.

"The same might be true for any heavy-duty Dust wielders out there," said Qrow. "There are more than a few of them who'll resist anything that might undermine the industry that supports their style.

"You can expect people to try and downplay it, talk about it as though it doesn't matter. Schnee has a lot of people in his pocket. I wouldn't be surprised if, somehow, someone tried to undermine the legitimacy of your victories in the tournament through creative interpretation of the rules."

"There's also the fact that what you're advocating isn't easy," said Taiyang. His eyes drifted to Yang and Jaune. "I mean...even knowing what she can do, you two aren't thinking about trying to create weapons that way, are you?"

"Um...well...not really," said Yang, looking down at the bracelets on her wrists.

"I mean, it would be awesome, but..." Jaune frowned.

"It would be a lot of work," said Gin. "Ruby devoted herself to practicing and envisioning her weapon, every day, to the point of obsession basically. She's exceptionally talented and dedicated. Even then, it took her months. Our trip back to Beacon was as much about giving her the time to develop her materialization as it was for general training."

"It's also a method that generally favors simpler designs," noted Ayumu. "Ruby is exceptional in her ability to envision a weapon with so many moving parts and maintain a consistent form in her mind. I imagine very few people would be able to reliably envision a weapon of that complexity, much less in the same timeframe that she has."

Taiyang nodded. "In other words, in order to do it, students or Huntsmen with weapons of their own would have to give up a great deal of time to the creation of new weapons through a method that requires a substantial investment of both time and effort, almost to the exclusion of anything else.

"While we could definitely work with students at Combat School level, ones who haven't made weapons of their own yet, and adjust the curriculum around that kind of development, for people who've already established weapons and styles of their own, it's not an easy change, one that many of them won't want to make."

"As a result, change ain't gonna happen overnight," said Qrow. "There'll be resistance at first. People with a vested interest in keeping the status quo, like Jacques, are gonna fight tooth and nail to keep you from making headway. On top of that, it's gonna put a target on your backs. People are gonna try and take you down, either through ruining your reputations and making you irrelevant, or in the same manner that those girls tried to take you down, Ruby."

Ruby swallowed nervously, sweat beading on her brow.

"But, if you keep pushing through, you might just be able to make it happen," said Qrow, with a wry chuckle. "And, if that's the case, you might just be able to cut Jacques' legs out from under him, and gain the leverage to make real change."

"We can only hope so," said Ayumu.

Taiyang stifled a yawn. "Well, we've probably kicked that topic around enough for one night."

"Yeah," agreed Ruby.

Taiyang smiled at her indulgently. "Of course, now that you're all off school, you're free to stay up as long as you want, but an old man like me needs his sleep. Before I head off to bed, I think we should discuss sleeping arrangements."

"Well, I don't think we need to worry about where Gin and Ruby will sleep," said Yang, directing a sly grin at the couple, who blushed.

"And will you be sharing the room with them?" asked Taiyang, giving his eldest daughter a raised eyebrow. His own smile took on a teasing quality. "Or do you and your boyfriend want the guest-room...on the off chance you're feeling frisky?"

Now it was Jaune and Yang's turn to blush, while Ruby tittered in the background, glad that turnabout was fair play.

"W-well, it's up to you, Yang," said Jaune. "I mean, I don't mind sharing your bed in your and Ruby's room."

"Oh? And you're assuming we're gonna sleep together, huh?" asked Yang, tilting her head and resting a hand on her hip as she smirked at him.

"Uh...well...I mean...I know Gin and Ruby are on the same team, but..." Jaune's voice trailed off as he fished for a justification.

Before he could, Yang burst out laughing. "Of course I'm gonna share a bed with you," she said, after she recovered. "We did in Brandywine."

"True," agreed Jaune, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish grin.

"So...yeah, I guess we'll take the guest-room," said Yang, smiling back at her father, glad that Taiyang hadn't questioned their right to sleep alone together, with all the possible activities that might follow.

"All right then," said Taiyang. "I trust the two of you, especially you, Jaune."

"Thank you, Sir," said Jaune.

"Hey!" protested Yang, affecting a faux-affronted tone. "You trust my boyfriend more than me? What kind of father are you?"

"The kind that has Yang Xiao Long for a daughter," replied Taiyang, as though it explained everything (which it did).

"He's not wrong," commented Qrow with a dry chuckle. From the sounds of their stifled laughter, it was clear that Ruby, Gin, Ayumu, and Jaune agreed.

"That being said, I'm sure you've taken reasonable precautions," said Taiyang.

"Yes," said Yang, blushing slightly at having to confirm to her father that she was indeed using birth control.

"In that case, would you object if I took your bed then, Ms. Yang?" asked Ayumu politely.

"Nope, it's all yours," said Yang with a shrug. "Gin, Ruby, are you two going to be okay having him in the room with you?"

"Yeah, we'll be fine," said Ruby.

"It's not much different from our sleeping arrangements on the road," added Gin.

"That's good," said Taiyang.

"Indeed," agreed Ayumu. "And it's probably for the best. As stable as their relationship has been up to this point, Ruby and Gin have just recently broken new ground. So it's probably for the best to ensure they have some degree of supervision...for a little while, at least."

Gin and Ruby blushed furiously at the implication of Ayumu's statement, remembering how...involved...their last make out session had gotten before Ruby had regained the presence of mind to end things before they went too far...and Gin had succumbed to a panic-attack. His gaze focusing on Ayumu, Gin found himself wondering if the older boy had sensed at least some of what had taken place between him and Ruby last night, particularly the emotional turmoil Gin himself had gone through.

However, his train of thought was derailed by Taiyang's question. "New ground?"

"Oh! Right!" Yang's face lit up, even as Gin and Ruby's turned crimson. "I almost forgot! I've got something to show you, Dad!"

"Yaaaaang!" wailed Ruby, her complexion beginning to match the shade of her cloak.

Yang merely grinned and pulled out her scroll, pulling up the video from the dance the previous evening. Unfolding it into its tablet mode, she handed it over to Taiyang, who watched the recording, while Qrow observed from over his shoulder. In the meantime, Ruby squealed and pulled her hood all the way over her head, before turning and pressing her face against Gin's shoulder. Gin held her stoically, though his own embarrassment was betrayed by the red spreading across his face. Meanwhile, Ayumu and Jaune chuckled sympathetically in the background.

When the video ended, Qrow let out an impressed whistle. "Well well, you've got quite the suave moves, Rosebud. I'm impressed."

"I'm going to die of embarrassment," Ruby squeaked into Gin's shoulder.

"I won't be long after you," he promised.

Taiyang chuckled and handed the scroll back to Yang, whose sadistic grin was on the verge of matching the one usually worn by Yu Yuen. "I'm proud of you, Ruby. It takes a lot of courage to confess like that."

"Y-you're okay with it?" asked Ruby, carefully pulling her face away from Gin's shoulder, though she didn't completely separate from him and kept her hood up.

"Of course I am," said Taiyang. "I could see the way Gin felt about you during my visit. It's good to see that the two of you have become so close." There was a glint of mischief in his eyes. "But...after seeing that, I can understand Ayumu thinking you might need a chaperone."

"Daaaaaaaaad!" wailed Ruby, hiding her face beneath her hood and against Gin's shoulder again.

"You ain't got any reason to be embarrassed, Rosebud," said Qrow with a laugh. "Your confession is miles better than Tai's." He grinned at Taiyang. "Remember how you proposed to Summer?"

"Yes, but I'd rather you not bring that up," said Taiyang, now joining his youngest daughter and her boyfriend in the Crimson-Face Club. Qrow merely chuckled.

 _If it weren't for the fact that she's a taboo subject 'round here, I'd bring up how he and Raven hooked up,_ thought Qrow, remembering the memory fondly. _Now there was a disaster of romantic proportions._ Sadly, as fond as the memory itself was, Raven Branwen was a bitter topic for Taiyang, and with good reason.

He stretched. "As for me, I'm good crashing on the couch. I've done that plenty of times before."

"Yeah, even when the guest-room was empty," deadpanned Taiyang.

"What can I say, I'm economical when it comes to space," said Qrow.

"How long are you staying in Vale, Uncle Qrow?" asked Ruby, calming down a little, now that the topic had shifted away from her relationship.

"Eh, I'm sticking around for the festival," said Qrow. "With what you kids are planning, it promises to be a hell of a show."

"I agree," said Taiyang. "I'm looking forward to seeing how well you do in the tournament." He stood up. "I'm heading up to bed. Try not to stay up too late."

"Okay," chorused Yang and Ruby in unison. Truth be told, they weren't likely to be far behind their father. It had been a long enough day already, especially for Ruby.

Taiyang headed out of the living room and up the stairs, the sound of the others following him, his heart lifting. It seemed a lifetime ago that he'd once believed Ruby to be dead and lost to him forever. Having her back at home, even for a short time, was an uplifting experience for him.

* * *

Weiss went through her morning routine in the usual manner. She started with sliding out of her cot with a bored yawn. After that, she bathed in her cell's built-in, and cramped, shower. Then she changed into a fresh prison uniform and brushed her teeth, before being allowed out of her cell to eat the Detention Center's bland breakfast.

After that, she had only a few choices for what to do in her day. She could return to her cell and read one of the books she'd checked out from Beacon's library, maybe head to the exercise room to keep herself in shape. If she distracted herself sufficiently, she might even be able to keep from wasting her designated hour of television time until the evening. Things always got almost intolerable if she used it too early in the day.

There was no changing the fact that prison life was boring, especially as the only other inmate she had to interact with was someone she wanted as little to do with as possible. Of course, that was the point. Prison was a punishment after all. Weiss could only hope she wasn't kept in near-solitary confinement the entire time. Left like this, she had little to do but stew in her anger and frustration at her situation. Dreams of breaking out and enacting vicious, cathartic retaliation against Ruby could only get her through so much of the day, before even they became bland and boring to her.

Fortunately, Roman was either not awake or not in a talkative mood, when Weiss signaled the guards that she was ready to head for breakfast. If there was one advantage to Beacon's Detention Center, it was that Weiss had more control over her personal schedule than she would at a regular prison. So she attached her Aura-suppressing collar, and allowed the guard to escort her to the mess hall, where she could pick up her tray of utterly plebeian food.

When she'd finished her meal, she stood up, still debating internally whether to head back to her cell or the exercise room, when the guard watching over her tilted his head slightly, his fingers going to the side of his helmet, and the earpiece built into it, indicating that he was listening to something. When he finished listening, he fixed his gaze on Weiss.

"You have a visitor, Ms. Schnee," he said.

"A visitor?" Weiss blinked, wondering who was coming to see her. Her former teammates wanted nothing to do with her, of course. Her former teachers had no reason to see her. She couldn't imagine Ozpin coming down to visit her, unless he had something to notify her about, like she was finally being transferred, although she doubted he would come as a visitor to inform her of that.

She was shown to a room that reminded her of the kind of room she'd seen on holo-dramas in the past, a sheet of safety glass dividing it, with seats on either side. Settling into her seat, Weiss swallowed as she watched the door on the other side of the glass. After a moment of waiting, it opened, and Weiss gasped at the sight of the person who marched through.

"Winter!"

Winter Schnee's eyes narrowed as she gazed down at her disgraced younger sister. "Hello, Weiss."

* * *

 **I wonder if anyone honestly thought Winter was going to try and avenge Weiss. Otherwise, I bet everyone's looking forward to the exchange that's coming in the next chapter.**


	76. Chapter 76

**Chapter 76:**

Weiss sat there for a moment, dumbstruck, before she caught on to the fact that she was gaping at her older sister. She blinked, snapped her mouth shut, then immediately remembered to fix her posture, sitting upright, keeping her back straight, resting her hands on her lap, trying to appear as composed as she could in a prison uniform.

Then it occurred to her that Winter had said nothing. Critiquing Weiss' posture and composure had practically become a trademark greeting for Winter. Yet she hadn't said anything, appearing completely content to stand there and watch Weiss gawk at her like some...bumpkin.

Winter's stern gaze betrayed nothing. After a long moment, she availed herself of the other chair and sat down.

"W-Winter...?" prodded Weiss, deeply worried by her older sister's silence.

Winter closed her eyes and sighed. The sound was more melancholy than anything Weiss could remember hearing her utter. "Of all the things I thought you might possibly get up to, I never thought I would meet you under these circumstances, Weiss."

"Winter...what took you so long?" asked Weiss, unable to think of anything else to say under these strange circumstances.

"My position comes with duties and responsibilities that I am beholden to," said Winter firmly. "They are not the sort of things that I can just up and drop, simply because my little sister has gotten herself into trouble."

"But Winter, I-!" Weiss began to protest.

"You what?" snapped Winter sharply, cutting Weiss off.

"I've been imprisoned!" Weiss protested. "I've been rotting in a cell underneath Beacon Academy! I thought you were going to help me!"

"How?" asked Winter.

"B-by getting me out," said Weiss. "You were going to...I..."

"You took the plea bargain," said Winter.

"Of course I did!" exclaimed Weiss. "You told me to."

"Do you know why I told you to do that?" asked Winter.

"You wanted me to get deported to Atlas," said Weiss. "At least there, you'd have the influence to get me out."

"Is that what you thought?" asked Winter, her eyes narrowing. "You thought I advised you to plead guilty to the crime of attempted murder, because you thought I was setting you up to go free?"

"I don't belong here!" protested Weiss.

"Do you dispute the evidence brought against you?" snapped Winter, her tone sharp and commanding, demanding an answer.

"I...I...I..." Weiss' initial impulse was to insist she did. However, that impulse died as she realized that Winter wouldn't believe her for a second. They also knew that any attempt Weiss made would be groundless. "No..."

"Do you deny that you attempted to murder your partner and team leader in cold blood?" pressed Winter.

"N-no..."

"Do you deny that you and Pyrrha Nikos planned out your actions well in advance?"

"No..."

"Then it seems to me that you _do_ belong in prison," said Winter, her tone icy-cold. "By your own admission, you attempted to murder your own teammate, your team leader, your partner. The evidence against you was almost completely airtight. Your bold statements to Professor Ozpin after your arrest were practically a confession in their own right."

"Then...why did you tell me to take the plea bargain?" demanded Weiss. "I thought you would help me?"

"You think I didn't?" asked Winter. "I advised you to take that bargain to avoid the drawn out experience of a trial against you, to avoid having your life made a spectacle for the media and public; the Trial of Weiss Schnee, former-heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. If you thought yourself humiliated now, you have no idea how bad it would be if your case had gone to trial. That's how I helped you. That...and I made sure you would be kept _here_."

"What?" gasped Weiss. "Why wouldn't you let me be sent back to Atlas? At least there-"

"Keeping you in Beacon's Detention Center is helping you," said Winter. "Firstly, let's go over what would happen if you were deported to Atlas. Even if my intention had been to get you to a place, where I would have the influence to get you out, you probably wouldn't have survived long enough for me to use it. Have you forgotten what, or rather _who_ , would be waiting for you in an Atlesian prison?"

Weiss swallowed, her already pale complexion lightening even further. _Faunus!_ That was who would be waiting for her in an Atlesian prison. The Atlesian prison system was full of incarcerated faunus, many of them there at the behest of her father, whether directly or indirectly. There was no shortage of other people in those prisons with reasons to hate the Schnees.

"Most likely, you would have been found in your cell, hanging from the neck, before a full day had passed," said Winter firmly. "Deporting you to Atlas would have turned your Life sentence into a Death sentence. Your situation would be similar, even if you were sent to one of Vale's regular prisons. Having someone of your background living amongst them would have led to endless harassment of the worst kind. You'd likely have to fight for your life, every day. You may be lonely, up here in Beacon, but at least you're safe."

"But, Winter..." Weiss' voice trailed off, unable to comprehend how her own sister could condemn her to a life of imprisonment.

"Let me be perfectly clear," said Winter. "You've disappointed me in the past."

Weiss felt the bottom drop out of her stomach.

"That is not terrible in and of itself," said Winter, her voice filling with a warmth that Weiss could remember her using only rarely. "Weiss, when you disappoint me, it's not because you're not good enough. It's because I _know_ you can do better. You can _be_ better. What you did to Ruby Rose did not disappoint me..."

For the briefest of instants, Weiss felt hope flare within her heart.

"...It disgusted me."

And, just like that, the hope was gone, snuffed out like a candle. Unbidden, tears began to spill from Weiss' eyes, as the words she'd never imagined her sister would say to her, in any context, now hung in the air between them.

"What you did honestly fills me with loathing," continued Winter. "I can scarcely comprehend how you would be so cold, so malicious, so selfish. What in God's name were you thinking, trying to kill your own teammate?"

"I was doing what had to be done!" shouted Weiss, her fraying temper causing her to explode. Not even the fact that it was Winter in front of her could keep her feelings in check. "If I allowed myself to be the subordinate of a child, someone who got in because of some stupid favor from Ozpin, I would be a laughingstock! I needed prestige! I needed respect! Something had to be done!"

"That's your excuse, is it?" asked Winter rhetorically. "That's your justification...You were enrolled in the most prestigious Hunstman Academy on Remnant. You'd proved your mettle through the initiation. But, not being made team leader, that was worth killing over, was it?"

"It wasn't just that," snarled Weiss. "It was the insult of having that brat here in the first place. It's not just me. All of us worked hard, whether through personal training or Combat School. We invested years of our lives into that training for the right to come here. And that brat gets a free pass, just because she impressed Ozpin with a few fancy moves? Her very existence is an insult to our entire class."

If Weiss expected her words to move her sister, she was destined for disappointment, the dark look on Winter's face didn't soften any. "So...you're proud of what you did?" she asked.

"My only mistake was failing to make sure the job was done," growled Weiss.

"If that's how you really feel, then why did you hide it?" asked Winter, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "If you're that proud of what you thought you did, why didn't you announce it from the rooftop? Surely your classmates would shower you with accolades for your bold actions."

"Obviously, because the dolt's sister was on my team," said Weiss. "Blake would have come around eventually, I'm sure. But that blonde lummox will always think the world of that little red runt. She'd have gone straight to Ozpin."

"So you were worried about Ozpin knowing," noted Winter. "Surely he would have applauded your decisiveness."

"Of course not," scoffed Weiss. "Ruby was his pet to begin with. He's the reason she was here in the first place."

"And...would you have told me?" asked Winter. "If you were so proud of this course of action, shouldn't you have been bragging to me in your letters about how you got rid of that child?"

Weiss' mouth went dry.

Winter's smile was mocking. "It's odd...I remember your letters during that period. You boasted so proudly about how you'd taken charge in the wake of a 'horrific tragedy.' You went on about how 'unfortunate' Ruby's passing was, how 'saddening' it was that the burden of leading your team had fallen onto your shoulders.

"But I don't recall you mentioning how _proud_ you were of your decision to _murder_ her. I don't remember seeing any passages describing the fierce battle you fought to claim your leadership over her _corpse_. Strange...maybe that letter just didn't make it to me. I know couriers can't always get through." Winter's eyes pierced Weiss like daggers. "Did you send any such letter, Weiss?"

"N-no..." Weiss replied weakly.

"Well, why not?" asked Winter. "Obviously, you were so very proud about what you did. Even allowing for secrecy while at Beacon, would you have, someday, told me, to my face, just what you'd done to gain leadership of your team?"

The lump in Weiss' throat kept her from speaking.

"It seems not," said Winter, after a moment's pause. "The fact that you were even reluctant to say so is telling. It means you know what you did was wrong, that it was something you could not admit to, not even to me. It seems to me that you were already fully aware that I would not laud you for this, Weiss. And now look where it has gotten you."

"That's-"

"And now you have the audacity to be upset because your misdeeds were exposed," growled Winter, the anger in her voice making Weiss' voice die out completely, "as though your victim was in the wrong for exposing _your_ crime. Once again, Wiess, that attitude disgusts me. You refuse to take responsibility for your own actions. The one responsible for you being here is none other than _you_. You are here because of the choices you made, because you somehow believed that you had the right to kill someone, simply because they inconvenienced you."

Weiss tried to rally, her anger rising up within her. "I have a responsibility to the Schnee name! I couldn't afford to let it be sullied by such humiliation."

"You seem to have done the Schnee name a great deal of good now," noted Winter dryly. "Tell me, when you went crawling to Father, begging him to get you out of this mess, did he criticize _what_ you did...or the fact that you _failed_ to do it?"

Once again, words failed Weiss and her mouth worked silently.

"That's what I thought," said Winter, her voice laden with scorn. "I thought you wanted to be better than Father, Weiss, to raise our family, our company, up from the mess he's made of it. But, when push comes to shove, you resort to the kind of tactics that he would use, play the same games he does. I thought you came to Beacon to escape that, to rise above it. Some rising you've done."

Winter's harsh words completely lanced the last boil of resistance bubbling up within Weiss. She slumped, unable to look her sister in the face anymore, now that she'd been hit with the harsh truth that she was just as bad as their father.

"You know...I talked to Ruby before coming here," said Winter, her voice softening.

"What?" gasped Weiss, looking up at her sister incredulously.

"I stopped by to see her," said Winter. "I wanted a look at the girl at the center of all this, to see what about her could possibly be so galling to you that you took such extreme actions. And, after meeting her and talking with her, I find it harder than ever to understand what you did."

Weiss' jaw dropped yet again.

"Granted, I don't know what Ruby was like before you betrayed her," said Winter. "I'm certain that her experiences have matured her considerably. However, I can say, with the utmost certainty is, however she was, I am in _awe_ of her now."

"In awe..." said Weiss incredulously.

This was Winter Schnee, Specialist in the Atlesian Military, personal adjutant to General Ironwood, his most trusted agent, practically his right-hand. This was the woman who'd pushed Weiss relentlessly during her training, whose every visit had been filled with endless criticism and critique, never letting a single missed strike pass unremarked, pointing out every fault and flaw. This was the woman whose standards were so absurdly high that Weiss had worked herself to the bone, just to hear a single word of praise. And this woman had just admitted that she was in awe of Ruby Rose.

Ruby Rose: the insufferable brat who talked a mile a minute about the most inane topics; who obsessed over comic books, movies, and video games; who scarfed cookies by the plateful; that was the girl that Winter was apparently in awe of? Weiss couldn't comprehend it. Sure, Ruby had been decently capable on the battlefield. Sure, her combat skills were surprisingly advanced for someone her age. Sure, she'd had flashes of insight and decisiveness that sometimes surprised Weiss. But awe...?

"If someone had done to me what you had done to her," said Winter, apparently understanding Weiss' confusion, "if I had been betrayed like she was, I'll admit that I would not hesitate to respond in kind. In fact, I would probably make it my first goal to make sure that the person who betrayed me was left a rotting corpse, regardless of the consequences that followed.

"But Ruby had you at her mercy. I saw the recording of her fight against you. She had every opportunity and reason to want you dead for what you did to her. But, instead, she spared you. Instead of dwelling on what happened to her, she used her experiences as an opportunity to grow and improve, the become even firmer in her convictions than ever before. Someone with that strength of will is someone I cannot help but admire."

"No..." whimpered Weiss, horrified. She had strived, struggled, and pushed herself past every limit to win Winter's approval. And now she heard Winter expressing, not merely approval, but admiration for the girl who'd put Weiss in this position...

"You know," continued Winter, "I asked Ruby if she could ever find it in herself to forgive you."

An angry heat rose in Weiss' stomach, betraying itself in the reddening of her face.

"When she thought about it, she said she could," continued Winter.

And, just like that, the heat and anger were gone. "What?" gasped Weiss.

"She's not some naive child who would forgive you out of some saintly disposition," said Winter. "She would forgive you because it's an affirmation of her convictions and her beliefs. She left that possibility open, because it's a part of who she is and what she stands for.

"And...one day, I hope you'll seek that forgiveness."

Winter stood up. "That's all I have to say, Weiss."

"Winter...please..." Weiss leaned forward, rising out of her seat, almost pressing her face against the glass that divided them. "Please! Don't leave me here!"

"This is what needs to be done, Weiss," said Winter. "I promise that I'll visit whenever I can. But you need to reflect on _why_ you are here, what you've done wrong. This is more than just your prison, Weiss. It's your new classroom...and there are lessons you need to learn."

"Winter...please forgive me!" gasped Weiss, unable to think of anything else to ask.

To her shock, Winter smiled, the simple expression filled with warm affection that Weiss could almost never recall seeing. "I forgive you," she said simply. Seeing Weiss slump with relief, Winter's smile faded. "But that's easy. I'll _always_ forgive you, Weiss, because you're my sister, and I love you. I'll always love you. Perhaps it was my mistake for not making that clear enough." She sighed. "But it's easy for me to forgive you. You have my forgiveness, Weiss, but not my _respect_. You've lost all my respect. If you want to win it back...you need to think long and hard about why you are here, and whose forgiveness you truly need to ask."

With that, Winter turned on her heel and left, her military bearing returning to her stride and posture, leaving the room and closing the door behind her without another word, leaving Weiss, who slumped in her seat, her expression dazed. She would remain like that until the guard came to collect her.

* * *

Roman Torchwick looked up from his newspaper, having heard the sound of the cell door adjacent to his open, then close. He heard faint footsteps over the hard floor on the other side, through the vent between their cells. Then he heard the sound of a lithe body slumping onto the mattress. "Welcome back, Ice Queen," he called cheerily. "I heard you got a visit. Anyone I know?"

There was no response. That made Roman frown. He was accustomed to angry barbs and dismissals. To have the girl on the other side of the wall flat out ignore him was almost inconceivable. "What's wrong, Princess? Cat got your tongue?" He chuckled. "That 'cause the Kitty Cat was your visitor?"

Again, there was no response. Instead, much to his shock, Roman heard a wet, sniffling, from the other side. She was crying. That was such an uncharacteristic behavior, something so unexpected, that Roman couldn't help but feel something he rarely felt for anyone other than Neo...concern.

"Weiss...?" he asked, using her actual name for the first time in their association.

"Please..." Her voice was soft, plaintive, completely lacking the edge it normally held.

Roman's eyebrows went up.

"Please...just...just stop," said Weiss, her tone verging on begging. "I...I need to think."

Roman's frown deepened. His first impulse was to jump on the opening to prod her again. But he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He'd heard Weiss go through practically every flavor of angry and annoyed under the sun. But this was completely different. She sounded despondent. More than that...she sounded _broken_.

"All right then..." said Roman, laying back on his mattress, silently cursing himself for letting a moment of weakness rob him of some potential entertainment. Still, something kept him from changing his mind.

 _Well...when you only have one person to talk to for weeks on end, I guess they grow on you,_ he thought ruefully, settling back and trying to ignore the twinges in his gut, as Weiss' barely-audible sobs reached his ears.

* * *

"You know, for such a small island, there sure is a lot here," observed Gin, looking around as he and Ruby wandered the streets of Patch.

It was an astute, if obvious observation. Considering the size of the island, and the fact that the town that shared its name occupied barely a quarter of it, the place seemed much more busy and lively than it should have. Particularly odd was the number of social hangouts and entertainment venues lining the street on both sides.

"Well, it's small, but it grew up around Signal," said Ruby. "Combat School students need things to do after classes and on weekends too. Because they're younger, the faculty doesn't want them going into Vale too often, so they've tried to bring in businesses that give the students places to hang out. It's a pretty good scene."

"So you didn't go into Vale while you were in Combat School?" asked Gin.

"Of course I did!" protested Ruby. "Vale has all the best weapon and Dust shops after all. I just needed permission."

While the town of Patch had always been there, since the first days of the island's settlement, it hadn't been until Signal had been established that the town had really grown more prominent, businesses and infrastructure rising up to support the school that, in many ways, had become the cornerstone of the island. Huntsmen and Huntresses, looking to retire after years of dangerous work, settled on the island to teach at the school, raising children of their own in the process. The various businesses that supported the school naturally grew up around it.

"Are you gonna tell me what it was like?" asked Gin.

"Well, I could, but..." Ruby's voice trailed off playfully. "...you'll find out when we go visit later."

As part of their preparation for the tournament, RUBY and JNAR had wanted to hold team battles against each other. Once he'd learned about that, Taiyang had offered to allow them to use the sparring rings at Signal, where they could spar in a controlled environment. Granted, the sparring rings at Signal (or the ones at Beacon, for that matter) were a far cry from the tournament ring of the Vytal Festival, which possessed the capability to generate a wide variety of biomes to change up the fighting circumstances, but it was still a good opportunity for them. Ruby and Yang considered it especially so, since it gave them the chance to show off their old school to their new friends.

"That should be interesting," noted Gin. "How is a Combat School different from an Academy anyway?"

"Um...Combat School is a lot more practical focused," said Ruby. "The Academy handles all the, uh...nitty-gritty, complicated stuff about being a Huntsman or Huntress. Combat Schools are where you learn the basics of fighting and develop your physical abilities, for the most part."

"So it's more like a boot camp?" asked Gin.

"Um...partly," said Ruby. "Don't get me wrong. Up to a certain point, it's sorta like a regular school. You do have to take all the basic academic classes; reading, writing, and arithmetic; that stuff. But it's where you learn the basics of using a weapon and Dust. There's also a lot of physical conditioning, so that we can do our awesome moves."

"Interesting..." mused Gin. With his own, unique training, he was more than a little curious about how most other prospective Huntsmen and Huntresses were trained.

Ruby nodded. "It's nothing like what Master Yu put us through, though."

"Well, I wouldn't wish that on anyone," said Gin, which had Ruby nodding in agreement.

They walked a while longer, passing the outdoor patio of a small cafe, different from the one where Ruby had taken Winter. They paused when a loud voice hailed them from within.

"Hey! Ruby!"

Ruby froze, the familiar voice, one she hadn't heard since before she'd left for Beacon. "Cobalt?" She turned around and gasped at the sight of the boy with black, spiky hair, waving at her from one of the tables, seated next to a girl with long, braided, dark-green hair.

"Who are they?" asked Gin.

"That's Cobalt," said Ruby, grinning and waving back, already making her way towards their table. "The girl next to him is Chloe. They're Signal students. They were my friends, from back before I left for Beacon."

"Oh."

Cobalt, despite his name, didn't seem to have anything really evocative of the color blue. His black hair stood up in thick spikes, seeming to lean perpetually to the left, giving him a slightly lopsided appearance that made it look like his head should be tilting over constantly. He possessed a pair of lively brown eyes on a rounded, still slightly boyish face. He was dressed in a black vest over a short-sleeved white shirt, his hands covered in black, fingerless gloves. As they approached, they caught a glimpse of his legs, below the table, which were covered by black jeans.

Chloe, by contrast, seemed a much more settled and tranquil person. Her dark-green hair was tied into a thick braid, which dangled behind her head, just barely down past the level of her shoulders. Her skin was slightly tanned, which nicely complimented her dark-blue eyes. She favored Ruby with a much more serene and composed smile than her friend. She was clad in a dark-green, long-sleeved, button-down blouse over a royal-blue miniskirt, showing off a small portion of her thighs and calves, the latter of which were mostly covered by long, black boots.

"You're finally back," said Cobalt eagerly, watching Ruby as she and Gin took two of the unclaimed seats at the table.

"What are you two doing here?" asked Ruby, looking between her old Combat School friends.

"Uh...We live here," deadpanned Chloe with a wry smile. "Did you forget that?"

"Yeah, I kinda did," admitted Ruby, blushing as she rubbed the back of her head, while Gin sighed in amusement next to her. "That why you two are out here together?"

"Yep," said Cobalt. "We Patch natives gotta stick together, after all." He affected a look of mock disapproval. "And then _someone_ went on to go to Beacon without us."

"Sorry!" squealed Ruby, ducking her head.

"Stop teasing her, Cobalt," admonished Chloe, picking up her teacup and sipping from it.

"It's her fault for worrying us like that," Cobalt protested good-naturedly. "I thought you'd just plain forgotten about us, when the letters stopped coming."

"But then we heard what happened, and got invited to the funeral and everything," said Chloe, giving Ruby a worried look. "That must have been awful!"

"It was," admitted Ruby with a sigh. "I'm sorry. I should've written you after I got back. But I had a ton of makeup work to do, since I was out for months."

"It's all right," said Chloe, smiling peacefully. "We were shocked, when we saw the interview and heard what happened. The whole school was talking about it."

"I bet they were," muttered Ruby morosely.

"I can't believe Pyrrha Nikos, of all people, would do something like that," said Chloe. "She always seemed so nice in all her public appearances."

"Well, that's celebrities for you," said Cobalt in a dismissive tone. "The entire reason they get popular is 'cause they excel at putting on a nice face. There's no telling what's going on behind the scenes, though."

"True," agreed Chloe.

Gin and Ruby shared a slightly uneasy look, mutually deciding that they were content to leave Cobalt and Chloe's thoughts on the matter where they currently were. As always, it was best not to bring up the _real_ reason Pyrrha had been a part of the attack on Ruby.

"Whatever the case, it's good to have you back," said Cobalt cheerfully. "You've got to tell us what Beacon's like."

"Yeah! I'd love a sneak peek," added Chloe, finally seeming to grow excited as well.

"Um...Sure," said Ruby, looking at Gin again. He gave her an amused smile and shrugged.

There was an abrupt pause, as Chloe and Cobalt apparently finally took notice of Ruby's companion, having seemingly overlooked his presence the entire time. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" said Chloe, her eyes wide. "We were so excited to see Ruby again, we forgot all about you." She bowed her head towards Gin, who held up a placating hand.

"It's all right," said Gin.

"Ruby, this isn't one of the teammates you wrote us about," said Cobalt, staring at Gin a little more intently than was comfortable. "Is he one of the guys that...?" There was something a bit more defensive about Cobalt's demeanor than before.

"Yeah, he's one of the boys that saved me," said Ruby. "This is Gin Ueno. He's my new partner and..." Her cheeks flushed brilliantly and her voice dropped to nearly a whisper. "...he's my boyfriend."

For some reason, three people at the table thought they suddenly heard a sound, like glass breaking. Cobalt froze, his mouth hanging open, as though he'd been about to say something. However, his body had completely locked up. Even his coffee mug, which he'd been raising to sip from, was frozen in place. It was as though he'd become a statue.

Ruby and Gin both twitched nervously at Cobalt's reaction. However, they were quickly distracted by Chloe, who squealed loudly. "That's incredible, Ruby! I'm so jealous!"

"Th-thank you," said Ruby, still a bit unnerved by Cobalt's…unusual…reaction to her announcement.

"So he rescued you and you fell in love with him?" asked Chloe, her question prompting an inarticulate grunt from Cobalt, who twitched enough that the coffee in his mug splashed out a little.

"N-not exactly," said Ruby. "That's just how we met. It was a bit more complicated than that."

"A _lot_ more complicated," suggested Gin.

"Only because you made it that way," Ruby teased him.

"I admit that," said Gin with a sigh.

"Um...Maybe we should talk about something else," suggested Ruby, noting that Cobalt's eyelid was beginning to twitch.

"All right," said Chloe. "So tell us what Beacon's like. You mentioned your classes and stuff in your letters, but..."

"All right," said Ruby. "Um...It's not completely like you'd expect."

Gin went in and ordered drinks for himself and Ruby, figuring it was only polite, since they were using the cafe's patio. In the meantime, Ruby filled Chloe and a barely-articulate Cobalt in on what Beacon's classes were like. The two of them were surprised to learn that there was so much focus on academics, particularly subjects that they might have dismissed, like history.

"I'd thought you'd go on a ton of awesome missions," said Cobalt, finally managing to regain the use of his conversational skills.

"We've only been on a couple of official missions so far," said Ruby. "Well...I've only really been on one. There was that early training mission, but that was actually a setup by Weiss and Pyrrha."

"But the other ones?" asked Chloe.

"Well, I wasn't on the mission to Mountain Glenn," said Ruby. "Actually, we sorta crossed paths with my team and our sister team at the time, but Gin, Ayumu, and I hid from them, 'cause we were still working on a plan to bring Weiss and Pyrrha down."

"And then you stopped that terrorist attack," added Cobalt.

"Yeah," said Ruby. "We got pretty lucky with that. It could've gone really badly if we'd done something wrong."

"Doesn't that make you skilled, not lucky?" teased Chloe playfully.

"Um...I guess..." said Ruby tapping her fingers together and glancing down shyly.

"Same old Ruby," sighed Chloe, a hint of laughter in her voice. "Honestly, can't you just take credit for being good, at least once in a while?"

"I...I just don't want people to think I'm full of myself," said Ruby.

Beside her, Gin chuckled. "Well, that was a bit of a problem after the interview," he added.

"Yeah, it was," agreed Ruby.

"So what were you doing, while you were traveling back to the Kingdom?" asked Chloe, before throwing a smirk Gin's way. "Besides hooking up?"

Once again, Cobalt's body seized up and his posture went rigid, making Ruby and Gin flinch slightly, wondering if Chloe was doing it on purpose.

Ruby decided to answer the question, which might help ease the atmosphere. "W-well...I was training. Gin and Ayumu saved me and I decided to head back to Vale on foot, so that I could use the time to get strong enough to face Weiss and Pyrrha. Then Gin and Ayumu's master showed up and started to teach me."

"Master...?" Cobalt blinked, glancing at Gin speculatively. Now Gin could detect the faintest sense of hostility in the other boy's gaze. "You mean like a teacher?"

"Yeah," said Ruby. "Master Yu is...well...he's insane."

"Like crazy scary or crazy awesome?" asked Cobalt, leaning forward a little.

"Both," said Ruby with a sigh. "He's got no morals. He's a complete jerk, who doesn't care about anything but having fun, and he uses his training to act out his sadistic tendencies." Beside her, Gin was nodding sagely.

"Why would you want to be trained by someone like that?" asked Chloe, aghast at the idea.

"Well...he's strong," said Ruby, staring into her cup, "probably stronger than anyone else in the whole world. What's more, for all that it's harsh, his training really works. It's incredible. I learned more from him, in just those few months, than I did in all my time at Signal and Beacon combined."

"That's good...I guess," said Chloe, frowning a little. "It makes me feel a little inadequate though." Cobalt nodded his agreement.

"Sorry," said Ruby, bowing her head.

"I kinda wanna learn from this guy now," said Cobalt.

"No you don't," said Gin plainly, drawing incredulous looks from the two Signal students.

"Why not?" asked Chloe. "It sounds like he's made you really strong."

"Oh, he has," said Gin, his eyes narrowing. "But there's a price that comes with being his student. It's a price even I didn't fully understand, until he started training Ruby. Once you become a student in Master Yu's eyes-although he doesn't have working eyes-that's _all_ you are, as far as he's concerned. From his perspective, once you're his student, that's all that matters. So it doesn't matter if you're a son or a daughter, a brother, a sister, an aspiring Huntsman or Huntress, anything like that. The things you value, your connections, he just sees them as incentives to make you stronger, and he has no qualms about threatening the things or people you care about for the sake of motivation."

Ruby nodded gravely.

"Ayumu and I had it easy, because we were orphaned and had no personal connections for him to take advantage of," continued Gin. "But ever since he took on Ruby, we've learned there's no lengths he won't go to in order to teach a lesson. He doesn't hesitate to threaten her friends and family, or even her Kingdom and Academy."

"Gin..." said Ruby, glancing at him warily. Gin was on the verge of saying a little _too_ much. The fact that Yu had engineered the Dragon's awakening and the Grimm attack on Vale's walls was a secret, after all.

"That's...scary," admitted Chloe, her skin lightening noticeably.

"The really scary thing is that you never get to stop being Master Yu's student," pressed Gin. "Once he takes you on, unless he gives up or releases you, there's no getting out of it. The only way the three of us will ever be free of him is by learning his lessons, and growing strong enough to kill him ourselves."

"That's...freaky," said Cobalt worriedly, looking at Ruby. "Are you really okay with this?"

"Well, no going back now," said Ruby resignedly. "Besides, his training really does work. I was strong enough to beat Weiss and Pyrrha at the same time."

"Wow!" gasped Chloe. "So you really beat the Goddess of Victory...and the Schnee heiress...at the same time?"

"Yep," said Ruby.

"They didn't even land a scratch on her," added Gin with no small amount of pride in his voice. "Of course, we put a good bit of work into unsettling them earlier, so they weren't exactly fighting at their best."

"It's a legitimate tactic, though," noted Chloe. "I'd love to see how good you've gotten, Ruby."

"Well, we're holding team spars at Signal, either tomorrow or the day after," said Ruby. "You could come and watch."

"I'd like to do more than just watch," said Cobalt. There was a slight hint of an angry growl in his voice, his hand clenching beneath the table. Instead of Ruby, his eyes were fixed on Gin...who made a show of having no visible reaction to the sudden hostility.

"Well...maybe we could spar," suggested Ruby, not missing the change in Cobalt's demeanor. "I don't think there'd be a problem with it."

"Sure," agreed Chloe, also not missing the change in Cobalt's attitude.

They sipped their drinks in an awkward silence for a little while longer. Then Ruby finally found it in herself to break the ice again. "So...how's Nina doing?"

"Fine," said Chloe, smiling as the conversation turned to her sister. "She still goes on about how annoying it's gonna be to have you as her senior, once she gets to Beacon."

"Sorry!" squeaked Ruby, somewhat discomfited herself at the idea of being an upperclassman to someone who was actually older than her, though that was going to be the case with next year's entire freshman class...barring any special cases like herself. It was strange to even think about being a second-year at Beacon, while the girl who'd once helped her with the early stages of her training was a first-year.

Chloe just laughed. "She doesn't mean it, Ruby. She was just as excited as the rest of us to learn you were gonna be at Beacon two years early." Then she gave Ruby a teasing grin. "But she says you're gonna have to repay the favor for all the help she gave you at Signal."

"Right," said Ruby, laughing at the idea of her and Nina's positions being reversed.

Chloe leaned back with a sigh, her eyes rolling upward thoughtfully. "Wow! It's really weird when I think about it. By the time the rest of us get to Beacon, you're gonna be a third-year. That's just so bizarre, when you think about it."

"It is," admitted Ruby, having sometimes wondered about it herself.

They conversed about other things, particularly the upcoming Vytal Festival. Chloe and Cobalt were both eager to see Ruby participate in the tournament. The whole time, however, they tiptoed around anymore references to Ruby's relationship with Gin. Gin largely kept quiet, leaving the conversation to Ruby, not wanting to draw extra attention to himself, particularly from Cobalt.

Finally, realizing it was about time to head home for dinner, the four of them said their farewells and went their separate ways. Chloe and Cobalt were next-door neighbors, and went in the same direction.

Once they'd parted with her old friends, Ruby looked at Gin worriedly. "Gin...do you think Cobalt...does he...?" She almost felt incredibly presumptuous even floating the idea.

"Yeah, I think he has a crush on you," said Gin with a sigh, making Ruby squeak and duck her head. "And he's not happy about us being together."

"I'm sorry," said Ruby.

"It's not your fault," said Gin, reaching over and taking her hand. "I don't blame him for liking you...not when you're...well...you."

Ruby giggled and leaned against him.

"It's a bit sad," said Gin. "If you hadn't gone to Beacon...or if Weiss and Pyrrha hadn't done what they did...you might've ended up with him."

"W-well..." said Ruby, nervously recalling her crush on Jaune. If she'd found the courage to tell him how she felt, it might have been her and Jaune having an awkward conversation with her old friends from Signal. Of course, had Pyrrha been the one to confess first, instead of attempting murder, maybe there would still have been a chance for something between her and Cobalt.

"Don't bother dwelling on 'what ifs,'" said Gin. "We both know it's no good."

"Yeah," agreed Ruby with a sigh. "I feel a little bad. If he has a crush on me, it must have started back while we were in Signal...and I never noticed."

"Well, no more than Jaune noticed your crush on him," said Gin. "Even without training your _Shingan_ , the fact of the matter is that, as a Huntress, your training has always been centered around sensing hostility and other negative emotions, the signs that allow you to tell when and how you'll be attacked. Positive emotions, like affection and love...they don't draw attention that way, don't broadcast a threat, so they're a lot easier to overlook."

Ruby nodded. "I still feel bad," she said.

"It can't be helped," replied Gin. "As inexperienced as I am, even I know that, when it comes to love, there are winners and losers. We've seen that before. Yang won over Pyrrha, when it came to Jaune."

Ruby nodded slowly. "But...for the person that ends up losing, it must hurt so much."

"Yeah," agreed Gin with a frown. "But it's something they have to accept. If they can't, then they wind up like Pyrrha, doing monstrous things and hurting everyone involved because of it."

"I know..." said Ruby. "But Cobalt..."

She squeaked as Gin stopped and stepped behind her, abruptly hugging her tightly from behind and nuzzling his cheek against hers. "Sorry," he said. "I know he's your friend, but I'm not sharing you. You're _my_ girlfriend now." He grinned wryly. "Consider this me being selfish."

Ruby couldn't help but laugh. "Stop that! I wasn't thinking that."

"Then don't worry about it," said Gin. "Unfortunately, there's no way that this was gonna play out without someone getting hurt. Just do what makes you happy."

Ruby sighed. "You're right," she said, turning to kiss his cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too," said Gin, letting her go so that they could continue back up to the house.

* * *

"I _told_ you you should have told her," said Chloe with a sigh, glancing sidelong at a crestfallen Cobalt.

"I didn't know she was going to go to Beacon!" protested Cobalt. "We didn't find out she was going, until the end of the school year, last year."

"But you had the whole year before that," said Chloe. "You spent so much time nursing that crush, but you didn't do a thing about it. Just a few words and that could be you, walking off with her, not some random guy she met."

"She probably still would have met him," muttered Cobalt petulantly.

"Maybe..." admitted Chloe. After all, it wasn't like having a boyfriend back at Signal was going to protect Ruby from being attacked the way she had been. She sighed. "Still, she might not have fallen for him if she already had you. At this point, all you can really do is say 'that's too bad' and move on."

"Yeah, but..." Cobalt frowned down at his feet. "I want to be sure that he's actually right for her."

"You don't exactly get to be the judge of that," said Chloe. Then her eyes narrowed. "Cobalt...does this have something to do with what your dad is always going on about?"

"No!" said Cobalt in a sharp tone. "How many times do I have to say I don't share Dad's hangups?!"

Cobalt's father was something of a sore point for him. His father possessed certain conservative viewpoints, which he was sometimes very vocal about in public. Chief amongst those viewpoints was the belief that humans and faunus should not participate in mixed relationships. While his father didn't oppose the notion of faunus equality, he was one of those slightly traditional thinkers, who believed that humans and faunus should keep to their own, when it came to relationships.

"Then why are you being so pushy?" asked Chloe. "If it's not the fact that Ruby's dating a faunus, then it's just your inability to let go. If you keep that up, you're just going to come off as one of those obsessive, creepy stalkers."

"That's not it either!" protested Cobalt. "There's something weird about that Gin guy. There's something about him that I just don't like-and, no, it's not because he's a faunus."

Chloe sighed and lowered her head. "Geez...you're not gonna let go of this, are you?"

"Nope," said Cobalt firmly.

"Well...whatever you do, just be upfront about it. Don't get all sneaky or you really will be a stalker."

"Oh, I'll be upfront about it," muttered Cobalt.

* * *

 **Part of the fun of a breather arc like this is it gives me a chance to throw some speculation about Ruby's history. She mentions "the gang, at Signal," all the way back in Volume 1...and then they never come up again. So this was a chance to explore some of the friendships and acquaintances Ruby might have had back then...as well as bring up a little bit of the weirdness she must feel at the idea of being an upperclassman to someone older than her. And, of course, there's the guy who had a crush on her, but missed out on his chance to confess.**

 **Cobalt: Cobalt's name, is, of course, a shade of blue. He's got that quintessential anime-boy spiky hairstyle, the kind that makes it look like his head should be ridiculously overbalanced.**

 **Chloe: Meaning _green shoot_ in Greek, it refers to new plant growth in Spring. Fun fact, Chloe was originally my intended name for Ciel (Penny's partner), back before we knew her name was Ciel, back when all we had of her was a picture, next to Penny's, in the third episode of Volume 3. Aside from that, she's mostly here to be the foil to Cobalt.**


	77. Chapter 77

**Chapter 77:**

"So...what do you think?" asked Ozpin.

Winter frowned, staring at the holographic image in front of her. After her meeting with Weiss, Ozpin had asked to speak with her in his office. Coming up, she had been confronted with the information concerning Team BRWN, whom Ruby and her friends had subdued in Brandywine. Now Winter found herself staring at the image of one Whitney Schirmer.

"The resemblance truly _is_ uncanny," said Winter, frowning, a sickly feeling rising in her gut at the sight of the unfamiliar woman. There was something about her, something that kindled faint, distant memories...that she couldn't fully recall, idle thoughts that danced at the back of her mind, just out of reach.

"Do you have any knowledge that might support or contradict Qrow's theory?" asked Ozpin.

"What he's suggesting isn't so outrageous," said Winter. "I wouldn't put it past Father to have sired a number of illegitimate children. However, at her age, Schirmer would have been born before me and Weiss, before he and Mother had even been married. That being said, even then, Father would not have been above using his influence to satisfy himself carnally, outside of marriage."

"So it is possible?" asked Ozpin.

Winter's frown deepened, her brow creasing as she tried to drag vague, distant memories into sharper focus. "Well, there is one serious issue with Qrow's theory."

"And that is...?"

"Father's natural hair color is black," said Winter. "It only changed due to his age and stress. So, unless the mother was someone with the same hair color as our family, then..."

"It is unlikely that she is your half-sister," said Ozpin.

"It is...through Father, at least," said Winter gravely, sweat breaking out across her brow.

Ozpin leaned forward. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

"I do not have any proof," said Winter uneasily. "This is nothing other than supposition. But, a while back, I remember going through our records of family employees, going back to before I was born. I didn't think much of it at the time. But...our family once employed a gardener...by the name of Garrick Schirmer."

"A most...unsettling coincidence," said Ozpin, "if it even is one."

Winter nodded shakily. "He left our employ, again, before I was born, shortly before my parents' betrothal was announced, in fact. I would have thought nothing of it, but I found it odd."

"Found what odd?" inquired Ozpin.

Winter sighed, looking away. "At Weiss' tenth birthday party, it came out that Father had only married Mother for her money, and control of the SDC. After that, Mother began to drink. The problem grew progressively worse. Nowadays, she spends the majority of her time drinking...in the garden."

"The garden..." said Ozpin, picking up on what Winter was suggesting.

"Of course, our estate has a rather substantial set of gardens, overseen by many gardeners. What struck me as odd was that the section of the family gardens, where Mother prefers to do her drinking, was the section that was once in the charge of this Garrick Schirmer. While other sections of the garden have changed, going through various styles and arrangements of ornamentals, Mother insists that particular section remain the same, every year..."

"That is a disturbing notion," said Ozpin, easily understanding what Winter was hinting at. "Do you find it plausible?"

"I would have to check," said Winter. "I'd need to be discrete. If there is reason to believe that Mother had a child from an affair, then I would not want to risk drawing attention to the idea. If true, that would mean that Schirmer is a Schnee by blood, which raises some very unpleasant issues."

"Such as having a claim to the Company?" asked Ozpin.

"Not officially," said Winter. "Unless Father were to acknowledge her, which he never would, she'd have no real claim. It would, however, be a scandal of monumental proportions for our family. Even what Weiss has done would seem minor, from the view of the news, at least."

"Although, I would think that, if she truly _was_ a Schnee, she would have declared it by now," said Ozpin. "Besides, the Schnee Semblance is supposed to be hereditary, is it not?"

Winter nodded.

"According to Mr. Ao and Mr. Ueno, her Semblance was a low-power telekinesis, which she used to manipulate her weapons," said Ozpin. "Perhaps there is nothing to worry about."

"Nonetheless, I still intend to investigate." Winter once again found herself staring at the holographic picture of Whitney. "The resemblance is too strong to overlook. I will contact you with my findings."

"Very well. Thank you for your assistance, Specialist." Ozpin smiled politely at her. "I hope your sister takes your words to heart."

"As do I," said Winter.

Turning on her heel, she headed out the door. Ozpin watched her go, sighing after the elevator doors closed. "I had hoped that this situation would not become more complicated than it already is," he said to himself softly.

* * *

"All right, give me a minute to get everything set up," said Taiyang as he worked the controls for Signal's largest sparring ring. Unlike Beacon's, which could be controlled by teachers, through their scrolls, the sparring rings at Signal were a bit more old-fashioned, being controlled by a terminal over in one section of the room.

"This is gonna be awesome!" cheered Yang, pumping her arm enthusiastically. "Finally! We're gonna get our revenge for the food fight."

"Food fight?" gasped Ruby, her eyes going wide. "You guys had a food fight?"

"Yeah, right before the semester started," said Jaune with a chuckle. "Then Yang took me out with a turkey to the gut."

"I got revenge for you though," said Nora with a fierce grin. "Remember, I put Yang through the roof with my pole-mounted watermelon."

"Things got rather...heated," said Ren, by way of explanation.

"Aww man, I can't believed I missed something so cool!" wailed Ruby.

"It's your own fault for taking so long to come back to us," Blake admonished her playfully.

"I guess," groaned Ruby, feeling a little crestfallen at the realization.

"I'd say we'd do it again sometime, but I don't think Professor Goodwitch would let us off the hook a second time," said Yang with a small laugh.

"Don't worry," Nora assured her. "This is gonna be even better!" She hefted her hammer. "But you guys are still going down!"

"Don't bet on it!" Yang shot back.

"All right," Taiyang called from the control terminal. "I've got everything set up. Get ready!"

"Go for it; Ruby, Yang!" Chloe shouted from where she and Cobalt were watching from the stands.

"Signal pride!" added Cobalt, waving his hand eagerly.

Chloe and Cobalt weren't the only Signal students sitting in on the match. There was a smattering of other students looking on eagerly. Once Chloe and Cobalt had learned about the match's time, they'd passed it around to any other Signal students staying on Patch through their break. The Combat School was the main institution for young student Huntsmen and Huntresses throughout all of Vale's territories, and hosted students from a number of different settlements. Actual residents of Patch were a minority of the student body, but made up the majority of watchers today.

Qrow was there too, lurking in the back, as far from the ring as the boundaries of the room would allow him to be.

Besides Cobalt and Chloe, there was Chloe's older sister, Nina, who was taller and more willowy than her sister. She shared Chloe's eye and skin-color, but was in possession of a head of fiery, orange hair, trimmed into a simple bowl-cut. She grinned and waved at Ruby and Yang, who waved back.

"Go get 'em, Blake!" Sun shouted, from over where Taiyang was standing.

"Aww...everyone's on Ruby's side," groaned Nora .

"It does feel a bit like an away game of sorts," said Ayumu with a chuckle.

"Even so, we're still gonna win this," declared Jaune.

"You bet!" shouted Nora.

The two teams assembled, facing each other across the ring, readying their weapons.

Taiyang began the countdown. "Three...two...one...Begin!"

Ruby levered back her scythe, but remained where she was. "Ladybug!"

Gin and Yang charged forward, Yang surging ahead with the aid of her gauntlets' recoil. Ren, Nora, and Ayumu all rushed forward to meet them, while Jaune followed from the back. At the same time, Blake jumped backwards, planting her feet on the edge of Ruby's scythe. To the surprise of the onlookers, the blade didn't cut into Blake, and she was able to balance on it easily. With a powerful shout, Ruby surged forward, petals exploding out from the wing at the back of her scythe's head. The explosive acceleration allowed her to launch Blake across the battlefield in an ebony streak.

"Ren! Nora! Step up!"

As soon as Blake had landed on Ruby's scythe, Jaune had realized what was going to happen. At that second, he was already giving his order. When Ruby launched Blake, Ren had already jumped. Nora raised her hammer, holding the shaft above her head, poised to swing downward at Yang, who was closing in. However, it was also in the perfect position for Ren to use it as a platform and stepping stone to leap up and intercept Blake.

Ren met Blake, swinging the blades of his StormFlower to intercept her. They cut into Blake's chest. But Ren felt no actual contact. His eyes widened as he realized he'd only caught Blake's shadow. Blake herself had used the creation of her shadow to abruptly change the direction of her movement, allowing her to dodge above the line of Ren's attack.

Blake had already drawn her sword out from its cleaver-shaped sheathe. Raising it, the blade folded over on itself, collapsing into its sickle form. Blake fired the revolver at the same time as she threw, the recoil of the shot accelerating the sickle on its ribbon, which allowed it to arc towards Ren from the side. Since Blake's initial dodge had taken her around to Ren's backside, he was out of position to even see her attack coming, much less defend. Still, he shifted his weight, desperately trying to mount some kind of defense or counterattack.

"I beg your pardon."

Ayumu was suddenly there, having risen up to the level of Ren. With his apology, Ayumu planted a foot on Ren's back and pushed off. At the same time, he invoked his Semblance, making his already lightened body lighter still...while making Ren's much heavier. Ayumu shot up towards Blake, while Ren dropped like a stone, out of the way of Blake's sickle. The instant he lost contact with Ayumu's foot, Ren's weight returned to normal, but the velocity imparted by his initial acceleration remained, allowing him to descend quickly towards the melee that was developing below.

Yang had charged forward first, meeting with Nora head-on, the curly, orange-haired girl swinging her hammer with a gusto to meet Yang's fist. The head of her hammer collided straight on with Yang's swinging gauntlet, the two girls triggering their weapons at almost the exact same instant. Simultaneous explosions of pink and orange thundered out, blowing the two girls apart. Both Yang and Nora had been set back on their heels by the explosion. But Gin slid smoothly out from behind Yang, neatly dodging her backwards stumble without losing any of his forward momentum, closing in on Nora, claws raised to strike before she could recover her balance.

A shower of magenta bolts rained from above. They seemed to strike Gin's unprotected body, but his body instead warped and distorted, Ren's shots throwing up sprays of silver mist where they struck. In the cover of the mist, Gin had sidestepped Ren's attack. However, as he'd seen (so to speak) the attack coming, Gin had managed to dodge without losing any of his forward momentum and closed with Nora, who was still trying to find her balance.

Desperately raising her hammer, Nora managed to fend off the first slash of Gin's claws with the shaft. Instead of trying to brace against the attack, she didn't resist at all, allowing the force behind Gin's blow to knock her back off her feet, a move that knocked her back out of his range. That was all the time she needed, as Ren touched down behind Gin, immediately kicking off the floor and going into a spinning lunge that brought the blades of his weapons slashing at Gin's back.

Though he'd still been stepping forward to pursue Nora, Gin turned his body and raised his left arm, using the scales to deflect Ren's blade. Gin hadn't even looked in Ren's direction as he'd defended. Ren's initial thought was that Gin was going to continue his pursuit of Nora, while continuing to block attacks. He was proved wrong when Gin planted a foot down and completed his turn, reversing direction and lunging directly for Ren. Why became apparent a second later as Ren's ears caught the sound of another heavy step behind him, and a clicked of armed gauntlets, prepped to discharge. Having recovered from the explosion herself, Yang had returned to the fray, launching herself at Ren's back, while Gin had turned around so that the two of them could catch Ren in a perfect pincer maneuver.

Above them, the aerial battle heated up. Ayumu, having kicked off Ren's back, rushed at Blake, his sword swinging for her. Blake raised Gambol Shroud's bladed sheath, using it to ward off Ayumu's slash. At the same time, she pulled on the ribbon attached to her sickle. Ayumu's eyes widened at the distinctive crack of the pistol built into the sickle firing. What he sensed was the weapon behind him suddenly changing directions and launching itself right at him from behind, in a way that should have been extremely difficult for Blake to manage.

What was more unusual was that, for a brief second, Ayumu thought he sensed Blake's weapon in two places at once. Kicking off the air, he launched himself over the sickle. Blake caught the weapon in her hand and fired the pistol at Ayumu. Dancing on the air itself, Ayumu skipped back, his blade flashing, bullets pinging off its surface. Blake smiled and, to Ayumu's amazement, flew after him.

 _How?_ One second, Blake had been at the apex of her previous jump, knocked a little bit higher by having to block Ayumu's attacks, but still on the verge of falling. The next second, she was shooting right at him. Ayumu raised Green Destiny to block the swing of the cleaver-like sheath as Blake closed in. Her weapon had unfolded into its katana form and Ayumu found himself working his blade furiously to fend off attacks from both the sword and sheath .

Managing to see an opening, he darted in, his sword leading, threatening to pierce Blake through the chest. But Blake abruptly shot upwards, the sudden change in her movement making Ayumu blink in surprise. He shifted his weight, twisting his body to try and catch Blake, assuming she would be coming at him from above. But two things happened at once.

Blake abruptly accelerated and changed direction again, shooting down and around to Ayumu's back.

Ruby shot upwards from below, a burst of red petals exploding out from where she'd been standing, and trailing behind her as she shot at Ayumu. She zipped past Blake, swinging her scythe for Ayumu in a fairly straightforward attack. Rather than try to block the blow from the heavier weapon, Ayumu skipped off the air again, twisting and flipping over the glowing blade of Shining Rose. He was forced to shift his weight and kick off the air yet again in order to avoid Blake's sickle, which she threw at Ayumu, even as he was busy dodging Ruby's attack.

The sickle flew past Ayumu and up towards Ruby, who turned and grabbed it. Ruby pulled on Blake's weapon at the same time that Blake pulled on the connecting ribbon in her right hand. There was a burst of red petals from the soles of Ruby's feet and a flash of black...something...from Blake's, and the two girls hurtled at Ayumu from opposite directions, Ruby swinging her scythe again, while Blake led with her sheath.

Ayumu blocked and dodged, the strength behind the girls' blows making his body spin dizzily in the air as they repeated the action, using Blake's ribbon as a tether between them, enabling them to trade back and forth, keeping Ayumu pressed from both sides, while all three of them used different techniques to remain airborne.

Down below, Ren raised his guns, pointing them at each of his closing opponents and fired bursts at them. The shots aimed at Gin seemed to pierce through his skull, only for Gin's head to warp in a spray of mist, while Gin himself had actually ducked down below the line of fire. In contrast, Yang simply barreled through the barrage, forgoing defense to set up a powerful punch.

Ren swallowed nervously as Yang's hair began to shine; the accumulated energy she'd absorbed from her initial clash with Nora, combined with the hits she'd just taken; indicating that she was about to unleash an explosive blow with her Semblance. Ren had heard about the training Yang had been going through to refine the use of her ability, and had seen Jaune on the receiving end of it during his sparring bouts with Yang recently. Ren definitely didn't want to be on the receiving end of that. His Aura reserves weren't the greatest and, if he took that kind of hit, even while guarding, it might be enough to knock him out of the fight on its own. Even if it didn't, Ren wouldn't have been surprised if he ended up sailing out of the boundary of the ring.

What was worse, Gin was still closing in from the other side, having sunk down low, claws poised to deliver an upward sweep to knock Ren off his feet, probably just to set him up to be launched out of the ring by Yang.

Then Gin stopped once again, pivoting in place so that he could bring his right arm up to block the slash from Jaune's sword, as JNAR's leader charged past Nora, who'd just regained her footing, and brought his blade down with a yell. Such a move would have been painfully obvious to Gin, who'd been able to sense Ren's attack from behind, and defend without even needing to look. But that was the entire point. The attack was loud, obvious, and packed a lot of power. Jaune's technique had improved a lot in that regard. So Gin reacted automatically, shifting to defend.

That freed Ren up from the worry about Gin attacking opposite from Yang. Now he shifted away from Yang's fist, aiming to bend away from the line of her punch. He caught sight of the bright grin on Yang's face. It was the grin of someone who'd clearly seen things go exactly as planned. Yang had been mid-step, her left hand raised to deliver a crushing haymaker. Abruptly, she brought her left foot down and stepped forward quickly with her right; the blow coming, not in the form of a hooking haymaker from her left, but from a sharp jab from below with her right, catching Ren right in the side of his abdomen.

Of course, a "light" jab from Yang was still more than enough to lift Ren from his feet, the force only further augmented by the discharge of Ember Celica, which brought a shout of pain from Ren as the bolt of fire Dust seared into his torso in conjunction with the impact of Yang's fist. Against someone like Jaune or Nora, it would have been a blow they could shrug off with relative ease. Against Ren, it was enough to knock a healthy chunk off his Aura and sent him sprawling back past Nora, almost sending him sliding out of the ring, before friction caught up with him, and stopped him barely before the edge.

"Ow..." he grunted, having to make an effort to force himself up onto his feet again.

* * *

From his position at the back of the room, Qrow couldn't quite keep a proud grin from his face at the sight of Yang's blow landing. _Heh, Tai didn't teach her that. Firecracker's got herself some good friends._

His eyes dipped to Taiyang, who, upon finishing setting up the ring and starting the match, had climbed up to join Sun and the Signal students in the stands. Sure enough, Taiyang was gaping slightly at what Yang had just done.

* * *

 _Incredible!_ thought Taiyang, pride surging through him at the sight of Yang's inventiveness. In all the time he'd spent coaching and training his eldest daughter, he'd always been worried about Yang's reliance on her Semblance. Never in his life had he imagined that she would be so inventive as to use it as a feint of all things.

It had been perfectly set up too. Instead of falling victim to the fact that her friends were fully aware of how her Semblance worked, Yang had used their knowledge of her power to her advantage, winding up for an obvious power-blow, letting the visible aspects of her Semblance show in order to draw her opponent's attention, drawing Ren's focus towards dodging the obvious attack, only to catch him off-guard with a swift strike from an angle he hadn't been expecting.

A flash of red drew Taiyang's eyes up above the melee to see how his youngest daughter was faring. He was left breathless by the sight of Ruby and Blake engaging Ayumu, all three of them using different means of remaining airborne to participate in a complex, three-dimensional, aerial ballet. _My God! How far have these kids come?_

It wasn't just the spectacular techniques on display either. What truly impressed Taiyang was the seamless teamwork all eight fighters were displaying, shifting between attack and defense, supporting one another without hardly ever needing to shout commands or even use signals. It was a level of coordination well beyond the ken of the average first-year team.

"Holy cow!" exclaimed Chloe from beside him. "That's what Beacon students can do?" She was leaning forward, completely engrossed in the fight, unable to tear her eyes away.

Taiyang chuckled. "Actually...this is well above what I'd expect from Beacon students at their age. They've all improved far more than I'd ever thought possible."

"Phew..." sighed Cobalt, who was sitting just down the row, on Chloe's other side. "And here I was beginning to worry that Beacon was some kind of monster school that trains you like crazy."

"Well, it's not the school that's the monster," mused Taiyang, his eyes drifting between Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu, the three students of Yu Yuen. They'd all studied thoroughly under a man who understood both combat and Aura better than anyone else on the planet. More importantly, it was clear that they'd been disseminating the fruits of their training amongst their friends. While they couldn't teach on the same level as Yu himself, they were able to advise their teammates and help them improve more than would have been possible otherwise.

"So they're better than average?" asked Nina, who was sitting in the row in front of them.

" _Much_ better than average," Taiyang assured her. He couldn't stop from grinning. "At this rate, those kids are going to clean up at the tournament this year."

"I knew Ruby was good, but this is awesome," said Chloe breathlessly. "No wonder she got invited into Beacon early."

"A lot of this is what she learned afterwards though," said Taiyang.

"From her master?" asked Cobalt.

Taiyang nodded. "He's dangerous and untrustworthy, but there's no question he knows what he's talking about." That much was clear, simply on the basis of how Ruby and her two former traveling companions were fighting, the incredible refinement and creativity of the techniques they knew. There was no need to bring up the esoteric skills Ruby had shown him that bordered on the outright supernatural, from Taiyang's own worldview.

There was no doubt in his mind as he watched them fight. _These kids are going to change the world._

* * *

Even as Ren had been sent flying back, Jaune had bulled forward, leading, not with his sword, but with his shield. Gin had turned to face him, swinging the clawed hand he hadn't blocked Jaune's attack with around in a sweeping slash, which glanced off the angled surface of the shield. Jaune lunged forward and Gin fell back a step, just as Ren had come flying by him and Jaune.

Abruptly, Jaune dropped down onto one knee, keeping the shield firmly interposed between him and Gin. From behind, Nora leapt up into the air, her weapon transforming into its grenade launcher form, which she used to launch several grenades, leaving arcing trails of pink smoke as they descended on Gin and Yang. Gin and Yang fell back, dodging back from the explosive rounds, which cratered the ring where they'd been standing. Yang was forced to retreat even farther when Nora switched her weapon back to hammer-mode and brought it down in conjunction with her landing, slamming it down where Yang had been standing and triggering another thunderous explosion.

Stopping after dodging Nora's initial barrage, Gin raised his left arm to block a slash from Jaune, who followed up on Nora's attack by lunging forward, out from behind the cover of his shield, trying to catch Gin while he was off-balance. Then, instead of going after Yang, Nora pivoted on the spot and spun about, bringing her hammer around to swing at Gin's head.

Gin raised his opposite arm to intercept. Even though the unbreakable scales that covered it protected him from damage, the sheer force of the blow knocked him off his feet. Using Jaune's sword, which was still pressed up against the scales of his left arm, as a lever, Gin allowed himself to be knocked into a spin that allowed him to play out the momentum imparted by Nora's attack, without being sent flying towards the edge of the ring. Landing on his feet, Gin sank into a slight crouch, prepared to go on the attack.

Abruptly, he flung himself away, a line of searing pain etching into his side as the blade of Ren's weapon connected. Gin grimaced, more in frustration than pain, as he landed awkwardly and wasted precious seconds to go into a roll to come back up on his feet. _He got me._ It had been remiss of him to forget about Ren's Semblance.

Ren smiled, about as wide as he ever did (the equivalent of a face-splitting grin on anyone else), lining up his guns and squeezing off several bursts at Gin, who darted to the side to avoid the shots. _I'll need to thank Ayumu for helping,_ he thought, while continuing to pressure his opponent.

Ren had originally only thought of his Semblance, the ability to hide his emotions, as a tool to escape the Grimm. Before Ayumu had brought it up, it had never occurred to him how his Semblance could be used to hide himself from people as well, particularly skilled fighters, like Gin and Ayumu, who responded as much to their sense of their opponents' intent as they did to any physical signs. Ren's ability essentially induced a temporary state similar to that which master martial artists spent lifetimes trying to achieve. It didn't merely conceal his emotions, it concealed his presence, the sense of his Aura itself.

The end result was that even someone like Gin, able to react to attacks without even needing to look in their direction, was caught off-guard.

In the time it had taken for Ren's attack to play out, Nora had continued her hammer's spin, whirling it around her body with a speed the belied its bulk, already coming around to face Yang as she recovered from Nora's initial barrage and attacking again. Yang punched, the angle of her attack abruptly bending upwards to punch the head of Nora's hammer from below, knocking it up so that its swing carried it over her head, which was helped by Yang sinking into a crouch below it. While Nora fought to bring the hammer back around, Yang stepped in, bringing her inside the reach of the head, making it much more difficult for Nora to land an effective blow.

Seeing Yang approaching with another punch, Nora instead brought her weapon in close so that she could interpose the shaft to block Yang's attack. Then her eyes widened as, at the last second, Yang's hair lightened, motes of light dancing off it, her attacking fist shining gold. The furious explosive power behind what had looked, otherwise, like a perfectly normal punch, blasted Nora off her feet.

Flying back, Nora slammed bodily into Ren, who'd been about to join Jaune in pressing the attack against Gin, doing hardly any damage, but knocking both of them over, and leaving Jaune to face the dragon-faunus alone.

Well above them, in the air over the ring, Ayumu, Ruby, and Blake continued their bizarre aerial ballet. Ayumu twisted and spun, continually kicking off the air to change the axis and rotation of his body, barely managing to whirl out of the way of Blake's attacks or deflect Ruby's.

 _Ms. Blake's method really is quite ingenious,_ thought Ayumu as he saw Blake change direction in midair again. _Rather than using her Semblance to create a shadow with her entire body, she instead uses it to create a shadow of her feet, just enough to allow her to change direction in midair. While it's not something she could use for an extended period, for traveling over distance, it minimizes the expenditure of her Aura to give her complete control of her movement in the air. I see...so this is how she's chosen to think smaller._

Abruptly, she and Ruby changed tactics. Blake used her new technique to shoot upwards. At the same time, Ruby utilized her own Semblance to propel herself in the same direction. Ayumu was confused until he abruptly felt the ribbon joining the sickle, still held in Ruby's hand, to Blake's own hand. The ribbon pressed against his back, threatening to pull him up with the girls. Not wanting to get caught in whatever trap they had planned, Ayumu reversed his own Semblance, making himself heavier to keep from being pulled around...only to discover that it was exactly what his opponents wanted.

The ribbon went taut, the girls on either end of it swinging together, crossing each other in midair. Ayumu barely caught a glimpse of the triumphant smirk shared between them, before they used their Semblances to shoot down at him, the elasticity of Blake's ribbon lending speed and practically pulling them towards their target Ruby raised Shining Rose in her left hand, while Blake did the same with her sheath. Closing in on Ayumu, they brought their weapons down.

Yet, the whole time since he'd realized what they were up to, Ayumu's smile had not faltered. Raising Green Destiny, he braced the flat of his blade against the first two fingers of his left hand, interposing it so as to intercept both of the girls' slashes simultaneously. With a flash of green, his opponents were launched backwards and away from him, and each other, by the rebounded force of their own attacks...except, yet again, he found that he was doing exactly what they'd wanted him to do.

By crossing with each other before closing, Blake and Ruby had created a loop in the ribbon. And now, as they were blown back, the loop closed, tightening around Ayumu, trapping his arms at his sides. With his skill, it would have been a simple matter to maneuver his sword and cut the ribbon. Blake might not have been happy to have her weapon damaged like that, but it was definitely not against the rules, and this was a serious spar after all. However, Ruby and Blake didn't give Ayumu time to react, utilizing their Semblances again. This time, they didn't charge at Ayumu, but past him.

Both girls landed on the ground before Ayumu had time to react. That wasn't the end though, as they put their downwards momentum into a powerful yank on both ends of the ribbon, dropping down to one knee and pulling their end all the way to the ground. More importantly, Ayumu hadn't yet stopped using his Semblance to make himself heavier, so their pull downwards was even more effective than it would have been otherwise, accelerating him even further.

Ayumu slammed down to earth with enough force to shatter the surface of the ring, the air exiting his lungs in a pained gasp. He stopped using his Semblance automatically, causing his body to actually bounce up from the impact, hanging in the air for a brief few seconds. In that instant, Blake and Ruby took advantage of their final opening, charging at him from opposing sides, their weapons flashing. They passed each other, their attacks hitting home and cutting away the last vestiges of Ayumu's Aura.

Dropping back to the floor, Ayumu wheezed and lay still, unable to move for the time being, his breathing ragged as he fought to remain conscious. _It's been a while since I ended up like this against anyone other than Master Yu,_ he thought wryly.

Ruby and Blake took a few seconds to get their wind back, Blake unwrapping her ribbon from around Ayumu, before turning to join the fray once more.

While Ayumu had been dragged back down to earth, Jaune backpedaled against Gin, the younger boy's silver claws leaving flashing trails through the air and screeching and scraping against the shield over and over again. Besides their speed, Gin's blows packed quite the punch too, their frequency making it difficult for Jaune to find an opportunity to counterattack. At this point, shifting his shield aside in order to try and hit back would wind up with him letting Gin's claws past his defense.

Matters only got worse for him when Yang, taking advantage of the tangle of limbs that Nora and Ren had become, came charging in to assault Jaune's shield, forcing him to grunt as he struggled to survive the double onslaught.

Of course, now that Yang had joined in on the attack, Gin wasn't about to waste time assaulting Jaune from the same direction as Yang. Jaune blinked, wondering if he'd managed to get his brain rattled, even though he'd blocked all his opponents' attacks so far. Gin's appearance suddenly began to warp and swim. It took Jaune a fraction of a second to realize that Gin was using his technique, _Suigetsu_ , to distort his movements, acting to flank Jaune ,while Yang continued to press him to the front.

With a frustrated grimace, Jaune flung his sword out to the side. He knew better than to bother trying to track Gin's movements with his eyes. Instead, he tried to feel the surge of air to his side as Gin circled around. He was rewarded by the sensation of his sword striking hard and skidding off a textured surface, Gin reeling back, eyes wide with surprise as his mist fell away to reveal that he'd blocked Jaune's somewhat wild attack with his arm.

Even as he attacked Gin, Jaune kept his eyes on Yang's, locking eyes with her and trying to track her movements with his peripheral vision, just as Ayumu had taught him. His careful observation was rewarded when he saw Yang's hair lighten again, her fist shining out of the corner of his eye as it approached his shield, alerting Jaune to her using her Semblance in the same way that she'd blasted back Nora earlier.

Despite that, Jaune grinned and focused. The surface of his shield began to shine with white light, flaring brightly as Yang's fist struck home. Now it was Yang's turn to widen her eyes in shock as she was blown backwards with the force of her own attack. The recoil completely knocked her off-balance, and she was left wide-open as Jaune, throwing caution to the winds, stepped forward, putting everything he had into his next swing. The blade of his sword shined with the same light his shield had a second earlier, tracing a line of pure white as Jaune brought it down in an arcing slash that bit into Yang's shoulder, then down her torso, causing her to scream in surprise and pain.

Sent reeling back, Yang grimaced, her hand going to her shoulder. No actual damage had been done to her body, but the pain hurt all the same. Gritting her teeth, she tried to rally. But her opponents weren't about to allow her respite that easily.

Having recovered from the pile Yang had made of them earlier, Ren and Nora had gotten to their feet. Nora immediately moved in, unleashing a massive swing from her hammer and a mighty battlecry. She slammed it right into Yang's side, putting all her strength into the blow, and triggering the hammer's explosive charge for good measure. The resulting impact blasted Yang off her feet and sent her sailing straight out of the ring before she had time to recover.

Unfortunately for Jaune, Gin was not the sort of opponent to allow such a reckless move pass without a response. Even as Jaune finished delivering his slash, he pitched forward as Gin leapt onto his back, sinking his claws into Jaune's Aura and hacking away at it ferociously.

While Nora had gone after Yang, Ren had immediately moved to aid Jaune, hoping to get Gin off his leader, before Jaune's Aura-loss disqualified him. Ren activated his Semblance, his presence disappearing, causing notice of him to slip the minds of the people around him. Unfortunately, the result of that was that the two unoccupied fighters of Team RUBY had no qualms about focusing their efforts on Nora.

A crimson bullet of Aura flashed past Yang on her way out of the ring, streaking in the opposite direction to slam right into Nora's temple, causing her head to lurch sharply to the side and make her reel. A out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ruby, who had sunk into a crouch, Shining Rose having folded up into its rifle mode. Ruby's shot had been fired right as Nora had finished landing her hit on Yang.

But it wasn't Ruby who delivered the finishing blow. Blake dashed forward, in the wake of Ruby's shot, attacking with Gambol Shroud in its katana-form, along with it sheath, she unleashed a flurry of slashes against Nora, forcing her back away. In a final move, Blake slammed her weapon back into its sheath, holding its combined form by the handle and swinging it like the giant cleaver it resembled, creating a violet crescent-wave of Aura that slammed into the still-reeling Nora and blasted her out of the ring almost as quickly as she'd knocked Yang out.

Blake's senses cried out a warning to her at the last second and she spun about, automatically raising Gambol shroud, though not drawing it, bracing it with her left hand, gripping the handle built into the sheath. She managed to catch the descending blades of Ren's StormFlower just in time. Her first instinct was to immediately draw her sword and attack, while Ren's blades were hooked over the edge of her sheath. However, she was thrown off as Ren put all his weight and strength into pulling her weapon down, not threatening to strike her with the blades, but instead lining up her head with the barrels of his guns.

Ren squeezed the trigger, pumping several magenta rounds right into Blake's forehead, making her head snap backwards and her arms lose strength as she staggered from the shots. Before she recovered, Ren unhooked his blades from her weapon and dropped, going into a rapid spin at the same time, slashing her repeatedly until the buzzer announced that she had been disqualified.

Sensing the rapid approach of someone behind him, Ren spun about to see Ruby already practically upon him, her scythe poised for a straight-downwards stroke that would threaten to cut him in two, were it not for his Aura. His eyes tracking the blade's descent, Ren raised his arms, bringing his weapons together so that the blades were crossed in front of him, flaring with purple light as he channeled his Aura through them to create a shield that would, hopefully, delay Ruby's strike long enough for him to escape. This defense was strong enough to hold back the bulk and muscle-power of a striking King Taijitu, but Ruby's scythe-stroke would be much more refined and probably wouldn't be stalled for even a full second. But that would be enough for Ren to fall back out of her range.

Except that Shining Rose's blade seemed to pass through Ren's defense without resistance, etching a line of pain down along the center of his body and sending him falling backwards. _What?_

His head pitching backwards, Ren caught a glimpse of a burst of petals emerging from the wing on the back of Shining Rose's head. It took him a second to process what had happened. Ruby's attack hadn't passed through his defense. At the last second, she'd used her Semblance to produce an abrupt acceleration that allowed her blow to land before Ren had actually managed to put his barrier up. The sudden change in velocity had deceived his eyes, briefly making him think that her weapon had passed right through it instead.

Ren's back hit the floor, the buzzer announcing his defeat. A second later, another buzzer sounded as Gin's claws finished raking away the last vestiges of Aura protecting a prone Jaune.

"And that's the match!" shouted Taiyang, getting to his feet. "Team Ruby wins!"

The audience broke into cheers, whooping and clapping excitedly as Taiyang headed down to lower the barrier.

"Phew," said Ruby, bracing her scythe against the floor and leaning against it tiredly extinguishing Shining Rose's blade. "That was intense." Looking down at Ren, she smiled and held out her hand to him. "Good fight."

"Likewise," said Ren, accepting her proffered hand and allowing her to pull him to his feet. "That last trick was especially inspired."

"Thanks," said Ruby with a grin, before looking over at Gin, seeing him helping Jaune to his feet.

"I guess that was a mistake," said Jaune, groaning as he bent his back, still feeling the aftereffects of Gin's claws raking across it.

"It depends," said Gin. "I imagine that, when you turned to focus on Yang, you knew I'd take you down from behind."

"Yeah," said Jaune, grinning sheepishly and rubbing the back of his head. "I was kinda counting on Ren to bail me out. I guess I shouldn't have presumed."

"You weren't entirely wrong," admitted Ren as he and Ruby made their way over. "It was probably my mistake to fixate on Blake after she took out Nora. If I'd gotten Gin off of you, we could have coordinated against the three of them."

"We'll just have to keep it in mind for next time," said Jaune. Then he grinned a bit more confidently. "Still, unless we wind up going against each other, I don't think any of us will have any trouble making it through the qualifiers in the tournament."

"You got that right," said Ruby. Having recovered, she put her weapon away and moved to help Ayumu, who was still lying where Ruby and Blake had left him. "Feel okay?" she asked, helping him up.

"Yes," said Ayumu cheerfully. "I'm impressed that you and Ms. Blake brought me down. That was quite inspired."

"Thanks," said Ruby.

A short distance away, Nora and Blake helped each other over to where Yang was being helped to her feet by Gin and Jaune. Ruby grinned at Ayumu and the two of them headed over as well.

Any further attempt at conversation was quickly drowned out though, as Taiyang brought the barrier down and the two teams were swarmed by curious and excited Signal students.

* * *

 **And so RUBY vs JNAR concludes. It was fun writing a match between those two teams. Back when it happened, I didn't want to do a retread of the food fight in Beacon's cafeteria. Setting up this situation gave me an opportunity to pit the two teams against each other in a new context, and give them a chance to show off their development, and show how each of them is learning a little more about how they refine their techniques and Semblances.**

 **Garrick: The name was originally derived from "oak tree grove," meant to invoke green and brown, color-wise.**

 **Nina: Means "fire" in a couple of the languages of the native peoples of South America.**


	78. Chapter 78

**Chapter 78:**

"That was awesome!" exclaimed Cobalt from where he walked, alongside Ruby.

"Thank you," said Ruby blushing at the praise.

Following their match, the two teams had decided to go out for a late lunch. Ruby ended up inviting Chloe, Cobalt, and Nina along with them, which, with the inclusion of Sun, made it a rather large party. They ended up visiting the same diner they'd eaten at their first evening in Patch. Qrow and Taiyang had both opted out, indicating that they had other things to do for the remainder of the day, though Ruby suspected they were attempting to keep the group size from getting even more unwieldy.

"I can't believe you've gotten so _good_ , girl," teased Nina with a wink. "And to think I still remember that tiny first-year who had no idea what weapon she wanted to use."

"Nina!" squealed Ruby.

"She's not wrong," said Yang with a smirk, sharing a fist-bump with Nina.

"Still, gotta be weird, being on the same team as your sister," noted Nina, looking back and forth between Yang and Ruby.

"Nope," said the sisters in unison.

"So you're okay with having your team leader be your younger sister?" asked Nina, looking askance at Yang.

"Totally," said Yang, her expression then morphing into a scowl, "unlike a certain white-haired witch, who shall not be named."

Ruby grimaced at the mention of Weiss, but refrained from saying anything about her.

Nina wisely kept from asking after the heiress. Instead, it was Chloe who broached the next topic. "What about that _thing_ you guys were doing?" she asked, looking between all of them.

"What thing?" asked Ruby, blinking in confusion.

"You know..." said Chloe, waving her hands vaguely in a fairly decent Nora-impression, "...that whole thing where you were all fighting together, like you were all on the same page."

"That was pretty cool," agreed Cobalt, smiling and nodding in agreement.

"That...?" Ruby blinked and looked around.

"I mean, there was almost no talking or signaling," said Chloe. "You all always acted like you knew what you needed to do to help your teammates out."

"Except for me," Ren muttered softly, no doubt thinking about his decision to attack Blake for taking Nora out of the match, which could be taken as putting his wants before what he knew his team needed, which had ended up costing them the match in the end.

"Oh...that," said Ruby, blinking, before rolling up her eyes thoughtfully.

"It comes with practice," said Ayumu helpfully.

"Practice...that's your answer?" asked Nina skeptically, eying Ayumu with a raised eyebrow.

Ayumu beamed. "Well, prior to the match, we've been sparring with one another individually, sparring with our teammates that is. Besides that, the continual amassing of experience ultimately cultivates the skill of reading others' movements in combat, anticipating their next move and so on...

"In a team battle, you can apply another layer of that skill, and use it to read your allies in much the same manner you'd read your opponents. Anticipate your allies' movements, determine whether they need you to support their efforts or cover their weaknesses, then follow through. When you do, and your allies do the same, you can fight as a cohesive group without the need for words and signals."

"Cool," said Chloe, her eyes wide. "So you guys must have been through a lot."

Jaune coughed. "You...you could say that," he said, unable to completely hide the nervous edge to his voice. It was understandable; the last thing they wanted was for Ruby's old Signal classmates to learn all about RUBY and JNAR's extracurricular activities.

"Yeah, you get a lot more practical experience fighting Grimm, and stuff like that," added Ruby.

"I'm more curious about that awesome weapon of yours," said Cobalt, focusing on Ruby, his eyes shining excitedly. "That blade is so cool! Just what kind of Dust do you use to make it?"

"Um...uh..." Ruby found herself scrabbling awkwardly for an answer. Needing to make up false nuances to explain her materialized weapon's capabilities had been something she'd never thought of doing. Not that she thought Cobalt was untrustworthy, but it was in their best interests to keep the secret of her and Ayumu's weapons between as few people as possible, until the time was right. Cobalt's enthusiasm for weapons nearly matched her own, which may have been the connection that had resulted in a crush developing in the first place.

"It's a secret," said Gin, a slight smirk decorating his face.

Ruby jolted in surprise. Gin had been fairly quiet, hardly speaking a word since the end of the match. She'd assumed that was to keep from drawing attention to himself, specifically Cobalt's attention, which would put a sour note on the proceedings. But now he was speaking up, and in a manner that was practically calculated to make Cobalt unhappy, insinuating he had access to information about Ruby that Cobalt did not, mainly because of Gin and Ruby's relationship.

To her utter lack of surprise, Cobalt's expression morphed into a scowl.

She glanced at Gin, uncertain if he was baiting Cobalt or not. As it was, it was about as effective a response to the question about her weapon as she could hope to give without trying to (clumsily) make something up on the spot, or spill her secret.

"That's right," she said after a second. "Sorry, but it's something I've been working on for a while. I'm keeping it under wraps until the tournament."

"Totally understandable," said Nina with a grin, bumping Cobalt aside so that she could wrap a friendly arm around Ruby's shoulders. "A secret trick, huh...I love it."

"Thanks," said Ruby with a giggle, grateful her old friends had accepted that explanation.

It wasn't that hard, she supposed. It was practically a given for Huntsmen and Huntresses, even students like themselves, to modify and adapt their weapons over the course of their careers. Given the looming prospect of the Vytal Festival Tournament, several other participants were likely going over their own weapons, refining them, adapting them, adding new tricks to throw off opponents who might already know how things worked, as-is. That kind of secrecy was practically the default attitude, and would continue to be in the days leading up to the tournament itself.

"I'm sure you'll put on a good show," said Nina.

They arrived at the diner and began to file in the door. Ruby carefully disengaged from under Nina's arm and hesitated, reaching out to gently pull Gin aside, so that they would be the last ones through the door. She didn't fail to notice the agitated look on Cobalt's face as Chloe led him inside.

"What was that about?" she asked, looking intently at Gin.

"What about?" Gin asked back, hovering between confused and worried.

"You know how Cobalt feels about me," she said. "Why are you pushing his buttons?"

Gin frowned. "Am I just supposed to not talk at all, whenever he's around?"

"That's not it!" protested Ruby. "I'm talking about you deliberately irritating him."

"By bailing you out?" asked Gin. "I thought you wanted to keep your weapon a secret."

"I do," said Ruby. "But you made it sound like you knew something Cobalt didn't, because you were my boyfriend."

"I _am_ your boyfriend," Gin pointed out. "Am I supposed to tiptoe around that because someone from your old school can't get over his crush?"

"No!" exclaimed Ruby. "But I don't want to hurt him!"

"If he can't get over it, then _he's_ the one hurting _himself_ ," Gin snapped back, growing more agitated.

Ruby blinked, her eyes going wide. _He's getting_ angry. Gin was proud of his mastery of his emotions, and it seemed well-deserved. Other faunus coming at him, screaming the worst insults she'd ever heard...he could shrug it off like it was nothing. Someone trying to kill him while he slept, in their own dorm room...he was perfectly fine with Ayumu pursuing a romantic relationship with her. But now, here he was, raising his voice in an argument about one of Ruby's old classmates.

 _An argument..._ Ruby's eyes blinked and she found herself floored by the realization.

It seemed to strike Gin at the same time, his mouth opening, as though he were about to say something else, but stopping mid-thought, as the realization of what was going on went through his head.

"Did we just...?" he asked.

"We had an argument," agreed Ruby, feeling just as surprised as Gin looked at the moment.

"Wow...our first argument," said Gin, the tension leaving his body almost immediately, leaving Ruby a little envious as it took a little longer to dismiss hers. "I...I wasn't expecting that."

"M-me neither," said Ruby, her body quaking as she tried to hold it in. She failed. A second later, she spasmed as she began to laugh helplessly. A few seconds later, Gin joined her, chuckling in that soft manner of his that she'd grown to love so much, along with almost everything else he did.

Gin took her in his arms and pulled her close, Ruby not resisting as he planted a lingering, chaste kiss on her lips. Pulling apart, they rested their foreheads together, Ruby relishing the cool feeling of his skin against hers. They stayed like that for a moment, letting the last of the tension and ill-feeling of the argument before bleed out of them.

"Of all the things to consider a milestone," said Gin wryly, fixing his eyes on hers.

"Yeah," Ruby agreed. She closed her eyes and took a deep, relaxing breath, then opened them again. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't expect you to just stay quiet because I know Cobalt still has a crush on me."

"I'm sorry too," said Gin. "I didn't think about it at the time, but I do think I was enjoying making him peeved. I...I got a little defensive and...maybe...I felt a little threatened."

"Threatened..." Ruby found herself blinking dazedly at the idea. "...by Cobalt?"

"Something like that," said Gin. "If you get down to it, he's known you longer than I have. The idea of you reconnecting with an old flame, maybe discovering feelings you didn't know about before...the idea did scare me a little."

"Cobalt's not an old flame," said Ruby plainly. "We never had anything like that between us. Maybe if I hadn't gone to Beacon..." she shrugged in his arms. "But we can't let ourselves get hung up on maybes, can we?"

"Nope," agreed Gin.

They brought their foreheads together again. "I love you," Ruby whispered. "Cobalt's crush doesn't change that in the slightest."

"I love you too," said Gin.

They stayed silent for a while, before Ruby started giggling again. "Our first argument, over and done with already," she noted dryly.

"Never let be said that we can't talk things out between us," Gin added with a dry chuckle. "Now...what are we gonna do?"

"About...?"

"About Cobalt," said Gin. "I know you don't want to hurt his feelings too much, especially since it's clear he's still carrying a torch for you."

"And I don't want you to feel you have to be quiet around him just to keep from causing trouble," said Ruby. She sighed and dipped her head down, now resting it against Gin's collarbone. "I don't know..." she admitted. "I have no idea what to do in a situation like this."

"I guess we'll just have to play it by ear then," said Gin.

"I guess so," said Ruby. "Well, ready to head in?"

"I think so," said Gin. "If we hang out here much longer, Yang's liable to come out and drag us in by the scruff of our necks."

Letting go of each other, they entered the diner. The rest of their friends had already made arrangements for a table, as three smaller tables had needed to be combined to make room for all of them to sit together.

Ruby noticed that they'd arranged themselves so that Ruby and Gin could sit together, between Yang and Blake. Cobalt was sitting directly across from them, the tiniest droop in his lips the only sign that he was upset he couldn't sit next to Ruby. Taking the seat next to Yang, Ruby felt Yang shift to whisper into her ear.

"You two patch things up?"

"Yeah," said Ruby, wondering how Yang had even realized they'd been arguing.

"Good," said Yang. "I figured that you two were a little too on each other's wavelength to stay at odds for long."

"I guess..." admitted Ruby.

"Figured out what you're going to do about Cobalt?"

"No," said Ruby, before starting and shooting a surprised glance at Yang. "How-?"

Yang rolled her eyes. "I'm starting to get the feeling that these crushes are way more obvious to outsiders than they are to the people involved in them. It's like looking at you, Jaune, and Pyrrha all over again...only without the murder attempt."

"Hopefully there won't be a murder attempt," said Ruby warily.

"I doubt it," said Yang with a grin. "Cobalt's a good guy. Under different circumstances, I'd be fine with you dating him."

That wasn't a bad assessment, but not a definitive one either. Yang was right about Cobalt being a good person. But, then again, Pyrrha had seemed like a good person too. Ruby suddenly found herself wondering if Pyrrha would have stayed a good person, had she just competed earnestly for Jaune's affections, or even simply told him how she felt.

 _But she didn't,_ thought Ruby. That was the crux of the matter with Pyrrha after all. The fact that she'd considered violence, much less murder, as a solution to the question of who would end up with Jaune, was the telling aspect of her.

Still, she supposed that she and Gin couldn't tiptoe around the issue, like she'd originally wanted to. Despite what Yang said, this wasn't like what had been between Ruby, Jaune, and Pyrrha. Ruby and Gin were fully aware of Cobalt's feelings. They were also aware of the fact that tangible demonstrations of their relationship were clearly stinging to him. This wasn't something they should or could ignore. At the very least, as his friend, Ruby owed it to Cobalt to let him down properly, and make it clear that there wouldn't be anything more between them.

Still, that could be later. The last thing she wanted to do was publicly embarrass Cobalt, especially in front of his own classmates at Signal.

Instead, they talked about other matters at dinner, mostly about the basis for the techniques they'd used throughout the team battle, earlier that day. Not even Cobalt could keep scowling as he listened to Gin explaining the logic of "thinking smaller," the mantra that Yu Yuen had drilled into his students' heads, which they, subsequently, had passed on to their friends.

"So that's what you were doing with your Semblance," said Nina, looking at Yang with a grin. "Usually, you're all about going BOOM! and wrecking some poor schmuck. I wasn't expecting you to be so...sneaky about using it."

"Thanks," said Yang with a grin.

"Ruby's finishing move was pretty cool too," added Chloe.

"Thank you," said Ruby, ducking her head slightly. "It's not exactly a finisher, though."

"It isn't?" Chloe blinked. "I thought it took out your friend pretty quickly."

"I was already weakened by that point," Ren pointed out.

"In a sense, it's Ruby's trump card," said Gin.

"Trump card...?" Chloe gave Gin a questioning stare, while Cobalt scowled again.

"It's a smaller application of her Semblance," explained Gin. "Using it just a little bit, she sharply accelerates her weapon mid-swing. By timing it right, when her opponent has already read her attack's path and anticipated defending or evading, she can cause her attack to arrive ahead of her opponent's expectations, essentially catching them before they can defend or escape."

"How does that...work exactly?" asked Nina.

"It has to do with skilled defense and evasion," said Ayumu, jumping in. "When you see an opponent attacking and read the path of their weapon, you anticipate defending. However, your defense is timed according to intercept your opponent's swing. A skilled defender will block neither too soon, nor too late. If you block too soon, your opponent will see and change the course of their attack. Block too late and...well...the attack will land before you block."

"Yeah..." said Cobalt, leaning forward expectantly, seemingly not as agitated, now that someone other than Gin was doing the explaining.

"By applying her Semblance, after her attack has been read, Ruby accelerates the weapon abruptly, before the opponent can react," said Ayumu. "As a result, even, or _especially_ rather, for skilled opponents, her attack will always arrive too soon, and their defense will be too late."

"Oh! Wow!" Chloe and the other Signal students gaped at Ruby, who was now blushing fiercely.

"So that's how that thinking smaller thing works," noted Nina. "I'm gonna have to think about it."

"It's worth thinking about," said Gin, in between bites of his food. "Big, powerful moves are all well and good. But in a battle between opponents of equal skill, more often than not, the fight is decided in the smallest of increments. Within an inch, less than a second, the space between two breaths; what you do within those increments will change the course of the battle. If you learn to operate at that level, you can bring down foes who might be even stronger or faster than you, so long as you can think smaller than them."

"Huh..." Cobalt looked down pensively. Interestingly, he seemed more absorbed by what Gin said than annoyed by the fact that _Gin_ was the one who said it.

Ruby found herself smiling as she sat back and enjoyed the meal she shared with all her friends. It was strange, now that she thought about it. Back when she'd first gone to Beacon, she'd been upset that she'd have to leave her friends at Signal behind. What was more, she'd been afraid that she wouldn't be able to make any friends at her new school. But now she had so many of them. Here they were now, so many of her friends, both new and old, all together. It made her so happy that she'd found the strength to come home.

Which was why she needed to find the strength to tell one of her friends a very hard truth.

* * *

"Cobalt...can we talk for a bit?" asked Ruby after lunch, just outside the door to the diner.

"Uh...s-sure..." said Cobalt, spots of pink appearing on his cheeks.

Some of the others appeared to notice, but were polite enough to give the pair some privacy. Gin, along with Ayumu, Yang, and Jaune, headed back to the house, Gin flashing Ruby a small smile of encouragement as he went. Ren and Blake carefully shepherded Nora and Sun, the two most likely to be curious about what Ruby and Cobalt were doing, back towards the inn. Chloe and Nina appeared to understand as well, and went on their way.

Ruby led Cobalt a short distance away, taking a seat on a bench. Cobalt sat next to her, fidgeting awkwardly. They occupied separate ends of the bench, the space between them a clear divide. Cobalt found himself wondering if he should try to scoot closer. However, before he could decide, Ruby spoke again.

"Cobalt...I..." Ruby sighed and looked at him. "I know."

"Know...know what?" asked Cobalt, swallowing hard, not sure whether to be afraid or excited about what Ruby was about to say.

"I...I know about your feelings," said Ruby. "I'm sorry I didn't notice them sooner, back when we were at Signal together."

"Oh..." said Cobalt, his face flushing red. It had always seemed nerve-wracking to even consider the idea of working up the courage to tell Ruby how he felt. But, now that she'd brought it up, the embarrassment he felt was even worse than his most pessimistic imaginings. "So...um...now what?"

"I'm sorry," said Ruby with a sigh, closing her eyes and lowering her head.

"S-sorry..." No Cobalt felt an ache in his chest. "You don't mean..."

"I'm sorry, Cobalt," Ruby repeated. "I'm really flattered to know you feel that way about me, but...I already have someone."

"Y-yeah, but..." Cobalt began to protest.

"No," said Ruby, giving Cobalt a serious look that made him freeze in place. "I won't consider dumping Gin, trading him for you."

"B-but what if-?" Cobalt began, a note of desperation entering his voice.

"No," said Ruby firmly, her gaze hardening. "I'll be honest, Cobalt. I _love_ Gin. Along with Yang and Dad, he's the person dearest to me, and I don't even want to think about leaving him. I won't get hung up on 'what ifs' or 'maybes.' Maybe, if I'd stayed at Signal, instead of going to Beacon two years early, we could have had something. Maybe, if Weiss and Pyrrha hadn't tried to murder me, I wouldn't have met Gin and Ayumu. But those things _did_ happen and this is the life I have now, the feelings I have now. I won't compromise them over what could have been."

"Oh..." Cobalt slumped, unable to look Ruby in the eye. "But...what am I supposed to do with these feelings I have? I still feel that way about you. It still makes me mad, every time I see you with him, and think about what we could have. I can't just...get rid of them."

"I don't know," said Ruby. "But you need to try." She closed her eyes again. This was the truly difficult part of this conversation, the admission of a secret she wanted to keep between as small a number of people as possible. Finally, she resolved to go through with it.

"Listen. I was betrayed by Weiss and Pyrrha. Weiss did it because of her pride, because she thought I had taken something she thought was rightfully hers. But Pyrrha...she had different reasons."

"What reasons?" asked Cobalt, wondering where this was going.

"You saw Jaune, right?" asked Ruby.

Cobalt nodded, remembering Yang's boyfriend, and the leader of Team JNAR.

"Well, Jaune was my first friend at Beacon." Ruby's cheeks darkened. "I'm not sure when it happened, but...at some point...I ended up getting a crush on him."

"Huh!?" Cobalt's jaw dropped, not sure how to process the realization that, not only had Ruby gotten a boyfriend that wasn't him, but had also developed a crush on some other guy at some point.

"I was sorta like you," Ruby continued. "I was too afraid to tell Jaune how I felt about him. So I did a bunch of things to try and get his attention, win his interest. Of course, he was about as good as I was at spotting the signs, so he had no clue.

"The problem was, I wasn't the only one who had a crush on him. Pyrrha had a crush on Jaune too. It was a classic love triangle. We both wanted him, we both realized how the other felt about him, neither of us wanted to give up on him. I was fine with the idea of Jaune choosing Pyrrha, if it came to that. But Pyrrha..."

"You're saying...she tried to kill you, 'cause you were her rival?" asked Cobalt, realizing where this was going.

"Uh huh," said Ruby. "That's how Weiss was able to talk her into helping to try and kill me.

"But it gets worse. Because everyone thought I was dead, after they moved on, Jaune ended up with Yang instead of Pyrrha. Pyrrha...didn't take that well. By the time I got back, she was seriously planning to kill Yang too. There's no telling where she would have stopped, which is the really scary thing."

Ruby looked at Cobalt again. "I know it's hard for me to just ask you to let go of the feelings you have. But...if you just hold onto them, if you can't let go, they can become a poison that drives you to do terrible things. I don't think you'd go so far as to try and kill Gin or something. You're not like Pyrrha. I know that much. But...if you don't let go, you'll just keep hurting yourself."

"I...I understand," said Cobalt, looking down. "I'll try. That's all I can say."

"That's all I can ask," said Ruby with a relieved smile. "Also...uh...about that whole love triangle thing..."

"Yeah, I'll keep it to myself," said Cobalt with a chuckle. "It's too bad, Nina and Chloe would eat that bit of gossip right up."

"Uh huh," agreed Ruby, "which is exactly _why_ they're not going to hear it...Right?"

"Right," agreed Cobalt.

After a second's pause, they both broke down laughing.

"Thank you," said Ruby, wiping tears of from her eyes after she recovered.

"Thank you for taking me seriously," said Cobalt. "I know it would have been a lot easier to ignore me and pretend you didn't notice, but..."

"That wouldn't be right," said Ruby firmly. "You deserved an answer."

Cobalt smiled. "Well, whatever else, we're still friends, right?"

"Of course," said Ruby, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. The touch was still enough to make Cobalt blush, but that was the end of it.

They went their separate ways. Cobalt made his way up towards his home, only to find Chloe waiting for him.

"Hey," she said, giving him a curious look. "You clear the air?"

"More like she did," said Cobalt with a sigh. "Well, you told me so."

"So I did," she agreed. She patted him on the shoulder. "You'll find someone, someday. Don't worry."

"Probably," admitted Cobalt. "Still...It's hard. Ruby's someone special. I really messed up, missing my chance with her."

"Can't disagree with that," agreed Chloe. "But you still get to be her friend, so it's not all bad."

"Yeah yeah," groaned Cobalt, "fixate on what I've got, not what I can't have. I'll get over it, somehow."

"That's the spirit!" cheered Chloe, slapping Cobalt across the back. "Now let's get home."

* * *

The next day was a fairly quiet one. RUBY and JNAR had no particular activities planned, instead deciding to take a break from the planning and preparing. Seeing as the weather was nice, Ruby decided that this was the perfect chance to take Gin somewhere special.

"Where are we going?" Gin asked, as Ruby led him along a path that wound through the forest that blanketed much of the island.

"Somewhere special," was all Ruby said in response.

Finally, they emerged from the woods and into a grassy clearing that ran all the way up to a cliff, overlooking the sea. It was a wonderful view, waves of golden stalks giving way to a vast expanse of dark blue, which gradually rose up to meet another expanse of lighter blue. But that view was not what held their attention. Rather, it was the single object that rested near the edge of the cliff, almost in the center, overlooking the sea.

It was a block of gray stone with sloped sides. Approaching it, Gin could see the words engraved on the landward side.

 _Summer Rose_ , the name read. _Thus Kindly I Scatter_ , was the epitaph.

"Is this...?" asked Gin, looking warily at Ruby for confirmation.

"Yeah," she said softly. "This is Mom's grave. I guess it's more a memorial, really. They never found her body and all."

Gin nodded slowly. Glancing to the right of the grave, he saw a rectangular section of the ground where the grass was just a little bit shorter. "Is that where your grave was?"

Seeing what Gin was looking at, Ruby nodded. "I think so," she said.

Taiyang had removed Ruby's grave as soon as she had returned to Beacon. In the months that had passed since then, nature had almost completely finished reclaiming the spot, barely leaving a visible difference to indicate where the other grave had been. Now, Summer's grave stood alone once more.

"Do you...do you want to be alone?" asked Gin, wondering if this was something he should be here for. He felt like an intruder of sorts.

"No," said Ruby firmly, turning to look at him, the gleam in her silver eyes making him shiver. "I brought you here because I wanted you to meet Mom. I know she can't exactly talk or give her approval to us, but...I still want you here for this."

"All right," said Gin.

Ruby stepped forward and clasped her hands in front of her, bowing her head slightly. "Hey, Mom," she said. "I'm back. I'm sorry if I worried you. I know that my grave was here, next to yours, for a while. I almost _did_ end up dying. I'm sorry that I worried everyone by taking so long to come back. I'm sorry that I didn't come to talk to you sooner.

"So much has happened. I've been through so much and...well...I've changed. I think I've grown up a little. I hope you agree. I still miss you. I miss the smell of your cookies baking. Dad tries his best, but...he's just not you. I know you're watching over us, and I hope you're happy with the choices I've made.

"There's so much I want to tell you, all the things I've been through, all the things I've done, what I've learned. But...most of all, I want you to meet someone..."

Ruby reached over and took Gin's hand, pulling him forward to stand next to her. "This is Gin Ueno. He's the boy I love. We met when he saved me after...after what happened. Since then, he's become one of the most important people in my life, someone I couldn't imagine my life without. He's the reason I came here today. I wanted you to meet him."

Ruby looked to Gin and he realized that she wanted him to say something. He stepped forward and looked at the grave, uncertain of what to say...or even think. He had never thought to pray over someone's grave. All his life, he'd never truly spared a thought for the dead. Once they left the world, they were gone, gone from his mind, remaining only as a source of guilt, the weight of his past actions dragging him down.

But Ruby spoke to her mother as though she was actually here, as though someone was listening to her words, and that person's feelings on what she said mattered. Gin had never imagined that he would be doing something like this.

 _Well...if that's how Ruby thinks of her...then I should think the same,_ thought Gin.

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Rose," said Gin crouching in front of the grave, looking at it thoughtfully. "When Ruby told me you passed, I never expected to meet you and talk to you. But she manages to surprise me all the time."

Behind him, he heard Ruby giggle.

"I...I love your daughter, with all my heart," said Gin firmly. "I can't imagine my life without her either, not anymore. She's given me something to live for, beyond my own selfish needs. And, while she's learned a great deal from me, Ayumu, and especially our Master...she's taught me so many precious things in return.

"Yesterday, we had an argument. It's the first time we've really had a disagreement, and the first time we've gotten truly upset with each other. For the first time in a long time, I actually felt my anger getting out of control, making me say and do things that I should have known better than to say or do. Compared to what used to happen when I get angry, it's pretty mild, but it revealed that my mastery of my temper wasn't complete as I thought it was.

"But that's not a bad thing. I learned something right then, something about my strengths and weaknesses, about my complacency. I learned and was able to grow from that. Even before that, not long after Ruby confessed she loved me...I...we..."

Gin's cheeks flushed. The idea of telling this to Ruby's mother, even if she was in her grave, was definitely and awkward one. Behind him, he could sense that Ruby shared that sentiment and figured that her face was as red as his.

"We got a little excited," he continued. "We didn't take it too far. She stopped us before we could. But...I lost control in a different way. I panicked. I nearly ran away from her. The feelings she stirred up in me filled me with an almost uncontrollable fear, fear born of guilt, because I thought and felt a certain way about our first meeting. Ruby was the one who helped me past that. Yet again, I realized that I didn't know myself nearly as well as I thought I did, that there were aspects of myself that I didn't understand, that I hadn't mastered. I learned and grew from that as well.

"Ruby is the one who taught me those things, the one who shined a light into my soul, and revealed the truth about myself. She has helped me grow into a better person, just as I hope I've helped her become stronger. We don't merely complete each other, we lift one another up, we become capable of doing things we never dreamed of before. And, because of that, I truly love Ruby. And so..."

Gin bowed his head towards the grave. "...I pray you will entrust her to me."

"Gin..." whispered Ruby with a sniff, her eyes spilling over with tears.

"Thank you for listening," said Gin, standing up.

Turning to face Ruby, he rocked back on his heels as she threw herself at him. He smiled and wrapped her in a tight hug, Ruby pressing her face into his shoulder. They held each other for several minutes, trembling with emotion. Finally, Ruby lifted her face away from Gin's shoulder and leaned back in to kiss him. They lingered for a moment, before pulling away.

"Let's go home," she said.

"Right."

As they headed away from the grave, still holding hands, Gin found himself thinking about what they had just done. He'd never thought anything would come from speaking someone who was no longer among the living. It was just a chunk of stone with a name carved on it...nothing more. So it felt strange that, as he walked away from that memorial with Ruby, Gin felt a sense of fulfillment that he'd never experienced before, a feeling that his words had been heard...and that whoever was listening had given their approval.

* * *

Gin fell back onto the bed, his head hitting the pillow, Ruby atop him, her lips glued to his, tongue extending down into his mouth to wrestle with his own. Her hands slid beneath the fabric of his shirt, her deceptively delicate-looking fingertips tracing across the muscles of his abdomen, rising up to gently caress his chest. Gin reciprocated by reaching around behind her, slipping his hands up underneath the fabric of her tank-top to caress the skin of her back, feeling the gentle line of bumps of her spine. He felt Ruby moan into his mouth as her legs rubbed against his own, tangling together. Her body seemed to radiate heat and excitement, which he almost felt as though he was absorbing into himself, feeling his own temperature rise in accord.

Finally, they separated, gasping as their mouths parted. Ruby's silver eyes shined with longing as she gazed down at him. Gin looked up, entranced by her beauty.

"G-Gin..." said Ruby nervously, looking away slightly.

"What?" asked Gin expectantly.

"Could you...could you..." Ruby squeaked and uttered something he couldn't understand.

"What was that?"

Ruby lowered her lips almost all the way to his ear, whispering nervously. "C-could you k-kiss my neck?"

"Your neck?" Gin blinked in confusion.

"Y-yeah," said Ruby, pulling back up, her cheeks coloring, her eyes drifting away from his. "Um...Y-Yang said it feels good."

"Does it?" asked Gin. For some reason, seeing her act so bashful, considering what they'd already been doing, was both amusing and enthralling. When it came to indulging the more physical aspects of their relationship, she was usually the more confident one. "Been getting tips from her?"

"Um...Maybe," said Ruby. "I...I read Blake's books on the sly too."

"I didn't notice," said Gin earnestly, trying to think back on when Ruby might have read those books...and what those books had been about.

"Okay," said Gin softly, pulling Ruby down, leaning in to press his lips to the side of her neck. He felt his cheeks heat up as Ruby let out a soft "Ah!" of pleasure, prompting him to smile against her skin.

"You liked that?" he asked.

"Y-yeah," said Ruby trembling.

"What about here?" asked Gin, moving to kiss further down her neck, where it met her shoulders.

Hearing her light exclamations encouraged him to go further. He moved out from her neck, tracing kisses all the way out to the curve of her shoulder itself. The small sounds of pleasure she made were music to his ears. The way her body shivered and shuddered against his was unbelievably tantalizing. It made him want to explore further, to discover more things about what pleasured her.

The memory rose up in a flash; that sight of her naked body before him, helpless and unmoving, the realization he could do anything he wanted, and she had no way of resisting. He couldn't allow himself to feel anything from that or...

 _No!_ Gin clamped down on the memory the sense of fear and guilt that threatened to strangle him. Instead he called forth the more recent memory, the memory of her standing before him, shedding her clothes of her own free will, showing herself to him. She trusted and believed in him. She didn't reject his feelings or fear them.

"...right? Gin? _Gin!?_ "

"Huh?" Gin jolted in surprise, realizing that Ruby was talking to him.

"I said, are you all right?" asked Ruby worriedly, staring down at him, her expression worried. "You froze and just...stopped."

"I...I'm sorry," said Gin, letting out the breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding, letting his entire body go limp, his arms slipping away from Ruby's back to fall on the bed beside him. "I...I'm still not over it yet."

Ruby smiled. "It's okay," she said softly, lowering herself down atop him, not to kiss this time, but to simply curl up against him and rest her head on his collarbone. "It's not something you can get over all at once. That's fine. We should be taking things slowly anyway."

"Right," said Gin, wrapping her in his arms once again. This made him feel much more comfortable, to just be able to hold her and soak in her warmth. "I'm sorry...I guess I ruined the mood. And after Ayumu gave us our privacy too."

After returning from visiting Summer's grave, Ruby and Gin had joined everyone else for dinner. Something about what they had done that day appeared to have ignited her more passionate side. It had come as a surprise when she'd asked Ayumu if she and Gin could have the bedroom to themselves for a couple hours, before he entered. Ayumu had granted them that time easily enough, his amiable decision infused with the trust he had in their restraint.

"It's fine," said Ruby. "We'll be okay. We'll make our moments when we need them."

"Okay," said Gin.

They were silent for a little while longer, taking the time they needed to come down from the emotional high of their intense make-out session. Finally, Ruby spoke again. "G-Gin...there's one more thing I want."

"What is it?" asked Gin, wondering if Ruby was trying to re-establish the previous, amorous mood.

"I want you to come inside me," said Ruby.

"What!?" Gin exclaimed, his entire body going rigid.

A second later, Ruby squeaked and her entire face turned red. "I...! Oops!" She laughed sheepishly, pulling away from him and giving Gin a perfect view of her adorably mortified face. "That came out wrong!" she said quickly.

"Ya think?" asked Gin raising an eyebrow, a bubble of mirth rising up in him as Ruby hid her face and groaned. Pushing her back a little, he sat both of them up in bed. "What did you mean?"

"W-well...uh...Y-you know what I did with Amber?" asked Ruby.

Gin nodded slowly, remembering what Ruby had done.

"I...I wanted you to do that to me," said Ruby. "I...I want you to see...I want you to come into my soul."

Gin's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Y-you want me to do that?"

Ruby nodded. "I want you to see my soul. I want you to understand what it's like."

"Yeah, but-"

"Gin!" Ruby's voice grew a bit more excited. "I think...I think this is the key to what Master Yu's been trying to teach us. Just telling you isn't enough. You need to see it for yourself...what a soul is."

"That makes sense," said Gin. "But this...Ruby...what you're asking..."

It was daunting to say the least...and for multiple reasons. She was suggesting that Gin enter through the wellspring that generated her Aura, and immerse himself in her soul, the very essence of what made Ruby herself. She'd been able to do that with Amber because Amber had been comatose, unable to respond, much less accept or reject what Ruby had done to her. More importantly, it struck Gin as being an act of intimacy _far_ beyond mere sexual intercourse. This would be the mingling of the very essence of their beings, touching that which could not ordinarily be seen or touched.

And there was more to it than the question of intimacy. Amber had been incapable of response when Ruby had interacted with her soul. But Ruby was in no such state. If such an act were so easy, Yu would have probably had his students investigating each other's souls at the first opportunity. That meant that there was something not-so-simple about it. Gin suspected that, if there was the slightest degree of hesitance, mistrust, or unease about it, the whole thing would fail...if not do serious harm to one or both of them. What Ruby was asking was far beyond mere sex.

Ruby looked away. "I understand if you think we're not ready," she said. "B-but...I trust you. I trust you completely, Gin. I know you would never hurt me. I want to show you that."

"Are you really sure?" asked Gin, cupping her cheek and forcing her gaze back to his.

Ruby's eyes were less silver now...and more steel, with determination. "I am," she said.

Gin let out a long sigh and looked down. "Well...I can't argue with that. But..." He frowned. "I still remember what almost happened to you."

Ruby had nearly lost herself in the infinite expanse of Amber's soul. It had taken the touch of Gin's own Aura to anchor her and pull her back. But, if it was just the two of them, Gin could easily see himself getting lost and unable to come back. He wasn't sure if Ruby would be in a position to anchor him to himself when it was _her_ soul he was entering.

"Th-that's true," admitted Ruby warily. "I guess...if we do this...we should have someone else, someone who can pull you back if you can't do it yourself."

"I guess that means..." Gin rolled his eyes upward thoughtfully, scarcely able to believe what he was contemplating.

* * *

 **So the whole love triangle between Ruby, Gin, and Cobalt was something I debated while writing this. I came up with the idea of one of Ruby's Signal friends having a crush on her to give a little extra dimension to some of their interactions, but wasn't sure if I wanted it to become a full-blown subplot. In the end, I opted to see it resolved rather benignly, rather than having Cobalt do something...unwise. Likewise, that bit about Cobalt's father, last chapter, was primarily to add some additional flavor, not really to have any bearing on the plot, or his interactions with the main cast.**

 **However, having Cobalt also gave me the chance to put some conflict into Gin and Ruby's relationship, something for them to fight about, however briefly. Given the nature of their connection, it'd be hard for them to keep a serious conflict going, so it winds up being resolved rather quickly. But the fact that it happened at all is rather telling. Once again, we see Ruby's quirk of being a little too nice, her desire to not want anyone to get hurt working against her a little bit. On top of that, we get to see that Gin's control of his emotions isn't as perfect as he thinks it is. Meeting new people and interacting with them in new ways open new avenues into emotional experiences, which means things he's never dealt with before.**

 **Of course, if you write a story where Ruby gets a boyfriend, it's pretty much inevitable that you're going to write the "visiting Summer's grave" scene. It's practically a requirement. I rather hope I handled that gracefully enough.**


	79. Chapter 79

**Chapter 79:**

"You want me to _watch?!_ " Ayumu's smile had dropped from his face in an uncharacteristic expression of pure shock, such was the unexpected nature of what Ruby and Gin were asking of him.

Ruby nodded. "In case Gin needs help getting out of my soul...we uh...we want you close and, maybe, you could help him."

"Yes, well..." Ayumu scratched his head, before idly twirling a lock of his black hair around his finger. "Are you two really sure about this?"

"Yes," said Ruby, a remarkable degree of conviction in her voice. "I want Gin to see my soul. I trust him completely."

"And you...?" Ayumu fixed Gin with a more skeptical look.

"I...I had a few doubts," Gin admitted. "But...I can't deny that Ruby believes in me. If I have her trust, then there's no way I could ever betray that."

Ayumu sighed out a long breath. "If you're both certain," he said. "I'll standby. However..." He frowned. "I suppose we'll have to think carefully about telling the others you've done this."

"That's true," agreed Gin as both his and Ruby's faces turned red.

"If that's the case then, we should probably begin," said Ayumu. "How do we do this."

"Um...well..." Ruby blinked and frowned for a moment, before getting an idea. Then she snapped her head up to look at Gin. "Cross your legs."

"Like this?" asked Gin, arranging himself into a crosslegged position on the bed.

"Perfect," said Ruby, crawling over and, to Gin's amazement, seating herself right on his lap, facing him, wrapping both her legs and arms around his back and hugging him tightly. Reflexively, Gin's arms rose up to return the embrace, pulling her close.

"That's it," breathed Ruby, staring into Gin's eyes. Then she leaned in and they shared a long, slow kiss. Pulling back, she leaned her head forward to rest her forehead against his. "I'm ready."

"Okay..." said Gin, taking a deep breath, without breaking the contact between their foreheads.

Ruby closed her eyes, Gin following suit a beat behind her. The two of them went completely still, their breathing slowing and evening out, their bodies pressed together.

Ayumu settled back on the bed, watching them closely, unable to help but feel his own cheeks heating up. _I can understand the need for supervision,_ he thought wryly, _but this really does leave me feeling like a voyeur._

His eyes widened a little as he saw Gin's body begin to glow, outlined by the silvery light of his Aura. A few seconds later, Ruby's Aura began to glow that intense red of her own. Ayumu swallowed, still feeling uneasy watching something like this, yet unable to pull his eyes away.

* * *

Letting his Aura flow into Ruby's body, Gin relinquished his will and allowed his awareness to drift, automatically moving upstream against the flow of Ruby's Aura. Just the sensation of mingling his Aura with hers was blissful, a warm caress against him. Just this was more than enough for him. Yet, at the same time, he felt himself pulled inward, towards the source of her Aura, towards the wellspring. It took him a moment (if time was quantifiable in this state) to realize that it wasn't his will that was guiding him in, but hers. Her Aura was drawing him in, pulling at him, beckoning him.

So Gin followed her will, accepting her trust, letting his Self drift deeper within her. There it was...the wellspring, the stream of Aura, the power of her soul forever flowing out into the world. The flow was gentle, yet also powerful. Even if he'd never perceived her wellspring before now, Gin could tell that it had widened considerably since her training had started. Comparison seemed like a moot point in this state, however.

Feeling her will pulling at him again, Gin allowed himself to be drawn inward, flowing through the wellspring. Ruby had told him that passing through Amber's wellspring had been like trying to fit her body through a hole the size of a drinking straw (a difficult concept to grasp in this state where physical measurements had no real meaning). Ruby's wellspring didn't feel nearly that constricting to Gin, but it was still a snug fit.

Yet he passed through unimpeded; the warm, welcoming, accepting feeling of Ruby's trust allowing him to enter. When he passed through, Gin's very being was rocked to the core by what he found on the other side. Even having Ruby describe it to him before hadn't truly prepared him. It was so shocking and amazing, that the sensation traveled back along his Aura, and to his physical body, prompting a surprised gasp.

Not that he was aware of that. Gin had no care or concern for his physical body at the moment. Right now, he was swept up in the endless, utter majesty that was Ruby Rose's soul.

Ruby had described Amber's soul in terms of temperature, the warmth of a perfect autumn day. But Gin's awareness of Ruby's soul was more textured. It was like being enveloped in a blizzard of those red petals that she emitted, when she used her Semblance. They were so thick that, if he had a mouth and lungs, he'd probably choke on them if he tried to breathe. They danced against him, brushing against his Aura with feather-light touches, dancing and tickling. It was so all-encompassing that Gin momentarily lost awareness of the sheer scope.

It was boundless, endless, utterly without limit. This was the human soul. More than that, this was Ruby's soul. The mere physical beauty of her body, as wonderful as it was, didn't even come close to comparing. Had he been physically conscious, Gin might have found himself weeping. The experience filled him with a sense of wonder. Unable to stop himself, Gin let a single thought slip in, three words that echoed endlessly. _I love you._

The response was gratifying, the essence of Ruby's soul, those endless, swirling petals, wrapping around him, enfolding him, embracing him. In a flash, that same thought came back at Gin. In that one perfect moment, the two of them mingled and became one in a way that physical intercourse could never match, the union of the Self and the soul.

Time had no meaning. Gin honestly felt that he could stay like this forever. He and Ruby could remain in this state until the end of time. Their bodies were meaningless. They could wrap themselves in this embrace and hold each other until the end of the world. Their bodies could turn to dust, but their love would continue on...

 _No..._ It was a simple thought, not born of any fear or worry, just a simple realization. However wonderful this state was, they couldn't stay this way forever. As sorrowful as this parting would be, they had things yet to do, lives to live, friends and loved ones they couldn't leave behind, even if the bonds between all of them couldn't reach the level of this.

Slowly, Gin allowed his Aura to be swept away by the flow of Ruby's soul, washing gently back out through the wellspring and out into her physical body, before retreating into his own. As the awareness of his flesh and blood returned and he inhaled sharply, his eyes opening.

At first, a blurry image appeared before him. However, gradually, it resolved into a pair of silver eyes staring back into his own, Ruby awakening at the same time he had. They pulled each other in close and held on. It wasn't as effective as the connection they had experienced before, but it was more than sufficient. Gin had felt her love and trust for him, the warmth of her absolute, uncompromising acceptance.

"Thank you," he whispered softly into her ears.

Ruby merely tucked her head against his own, sighing softly.

They weren't certain how long they'd held each other, much less how long their previous union had taken. However, finally, a soft cough from the other bed drew their attention to Ayumu, who was watching them with his usual, ever-present smile. However, his cheeks had been tinged slightly pink by the continued feeling that watching the pair bordered on voyeurism.

"So...I'm guessing it was a success then," he said, not surprised to see red explode across the couple's faces.

"Y-yeah," said Gin, quickly averting his eyes, while Ruby ducked her head with an embarrassed whine.

"And...um...uh..." Ayumu scratched his chin nervously. "I'd ask how it was...but that feels a bit personal...but...uh...did you...did you understand anything?"

"Oh..." Gin blinked and thought back. He'd been transfixed by the beauty of Ruby's soul, but had not forgotten how endless it seemed. "She's right. It really is infinite. There's no limit." He frowned, turning his head down, blush fading as he began mulling over the implications of what he'd just experienced. "If we can learn to fully tap into that, then...functionally, our Auras."

"Power without limits then," said Ayumu pensively. "That certainly explains Master Yu's capability."

Gin looked at Ruby. "Your wellspring...I...well...I never...um..." He groaned and rubbed his hands through his hair. "God! There's no way to phrase this so that it doesn't sound awkward is there?"

"So...it's...uh...wider?" asked Ruby.

"I think so," said Gin. "I don't know what it was like before you started training with Yu, but it's not as small as you described Amber's as being...I think."

"You weren't kidding," said Ayumu. "That is indeed awkward to say."

"Yeah," sighed Gin.

"So we expand the wellspring," said Ayumu. "That must be the real point of the recharging technique that Master Yu has taught us. If we continue to cultivate that, then..."

"Then we could reach his level," said Gin. "Strength, stamina; all of that would become meaningless, if we can supplement it with an endless supply of Aura. No wonder he has such an absurd level of power."

"I have the feeling we shouldn't ignore the cultivation of our bodies though," said Ayumu cheerfully.

"Well, why don't we do both then?" said Ruby.

"What are you suggesting?" asked Gin, looking at her.

Ruby smiled. "Remember the rotation strategy we used before?" At the boys' nods, her smile widened. "Well, why don't we try doing that tomorrow. Instead of fighting against the Grimm, we'll do it as a sparring thing."

"It could work," mused Ayumu, sharing a look with Gin. "Let's give it a try."

They settled back. Then Ruby noticed the time. "It's late," she said. "Did we really take that long?"

"Well, I'm guessing that you had very little reference for time in that state," said Ayumu. "There didn't seem any reason to rush the two of you through it, unlike the situation with Amber, so I figured that there was little reason to interrupt unless we wound up staying up too late. Everyone else is probably already asleep though."

"Yeah," said Ruby with a giggle. "We probably shouldn't tell the others about this just yet. I get the feeling that they'd think of it a little too much like sex."

"Is that wrong?" asked Gin. "I mean...if you ask me, it's _way_ more intimate. Plus, it's kinda hard to describe what we did without making it sound like...um...you know..."

"Yeah," admitted Ruby. "Let's keep it to ourselves for now."

"It's probably for the best," said Ayumu with a sigh of his own, looking down. His smile faded slightly.

"What's wrong?" asked Gin, looking at him intently. Ayumu seemed a bit more...melancholy than usual.

"Well, I'm a little jealous," Ayumu admitted. "The two of you were able to do this because you're so close. I feel like it is something quite precious. But, at the same time, I'd also like to see the nature of the soul for myself, to experience it. I feel like it would be a source of inspiration, a catalyst for growth. More than just bonding further with each other, I feel the two of you have been spurred to greater heights by this experience."

"Well...why not try?" asked Gin, drawing surprised looks from Ayumu and Ruby.

"Try...but..." Ayumu gaped, confused.

"Try it with me," said Gin, holding a hand out to Ayumu. "Whatever else we might be, we're family now. You've been my brother, my companion, for years now. Before I met Ruby, you alone held my absolute trust. If there's anyone besides Ruby I could trust to enter my soul, it would be you."

"A-are you sure?" asked Ayumu, his eyes going to Ruby.

"He's right," said Ruby, beaming at the older boy. "I mean, it really was something special for Gin and me. But you're my brother too now. We can't leave you out of this."

"If you're sure," said Ayumu a tad warily.

Gin nodded and let go of Ruby, disentangling himself from her and heading over to Ayumu's bed. Crawling up on it, he settled onto his knees, while Ayumu turned and mirrored the position, the two of them facing each other. Gin blinked and hesitated. "I'm not sure physical contact is necessary, but I'm guessing it helps."

"Probably," agreed Ayumu with a soft chuckle. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against Gin's. With the difference in their heights, it was a bit awkward. But they managed the position without feeling too uncomfortable.

Closing their eyes, Gin opened himself up, washing every trace of nervousness and hesitation from his Aura, leaving only his acceptance, while Ayumu allowed his own Aura to drift in.

Ruby looked on, fascinated, as this was her first time observing this from the outside. She saw the faint, greenish light of Ayumu's Aura emerge and mingle with the silver of Gin's. Opening her awareness, drawing upon her _Shingan_ , she got a sense of what was happening as Ayumu's Aura drifted into the midst of Gin's, like a gentle breeze winding through a pool of liquid metal. She sensed the exact instant that Ayumu's Aura entered the wellspring, not that she needed her _Shingan_ to sense that. The physical jolt of Ayumu's body, and the soft gasp he released, were sufficient enough for that.

Unlike her and Gin, it appeared that Ayumu and Gin didn't feel the need to mingle for very long. After just a few minutes, Ayumu's Aura emerged from within Gin's soul, pulling back from the wellspring and returning to his body. Their eyes opened and the boys pulled away from each other.

"So that's what it's like," mused Ayumu, staring contemplatively at his knees. "I'm glad we did this. I never would have imagined that the soul is like that. Experiencing it for myself truly is inspiring."

"Yeah," agreed Gin. "At some point, we'll need to bring the others up to speed about this, but..."

"But it's something they might not have the reference of understand fully," said Ayumu, finishing Gin's thought, while looking at Ruby.

"Yeah," agreed Ruby. "It's a lot easier for us to understand, 'cause we've been through Master Yu's training."

"Well, there's no rush," said Gin. "Let's get through the Vytal Festival first. Then we can worry about bringing our friends all the way up to speed. We'd have to work on developing this anyway."

"That's true," admitted Ruby with a giggle.

After all, if they intended to disseminate the Aura-techniques they'd learned from Yu amongst future students, they needed to find a means of communicating and developing those techniques that regular students could follow, preferably ones that didn't rely on the brutal methods Yu Yuen preferred.

"Well, let's think on it later," said Ayumu. "Let's followthrough with our plan for tomorrow."

"That's a good idea," said Ruby. Stretching her arms up over her head, she yawned. "Let's get to bed then. We've got a heck of a day, tomorrow."

* * *

With a loud crunch, the tree trunk shattered, bark exploding outwards, followed by a burst of the lighter-colored wood within spurting out, practically pulverized into sawdust. Yang retracted her arm and stepped aside as the tree lurched, then dropped with an echoing crash.

"Wow," said Taiyang, his eyes wide. He was leaning against another, nearly identical tree, watching in amazement. "That's really something else."

"Isn't it?" asked Yang with a grin, staring at her fist. _And to think I thought this was so stupid when I first started._

"So that's what Gin taught you," said Taiyang.

"That's right," said Yang. "Turns out that 'thinking smaller' works pretty damn well."

"Considering your performance in yesterday's match, I'd say so," said Taiyang with a smile. "I was always worried about your Semblance and how much you rely on it. But I never thought of an idea like this."

Yang nodded. "Me neither," she admitted.

Taiyang's expression turned pensive. Had it been up to him, coaching Yang further would have been mostly about teaching her to not get overly reliant on her Semblance, that it was something for use in a serious pinch. It had always worried him to see Yang favoring a rather reckless style that relied on a reckless offense, and deliberate tanking of hits to power her Semblance. But it had never occurred to him to suggest she use her Semblance in smaller, more tactical bursts, which would allow her to use it without needing to stock up so much power and, consequently, take so much damage.

With this, if Yang balanced out her overall technique, building a proper defense, then she could fight effectively, while taking less damage. An opponent capable of doing damage would subsequently find that skill turned against them at the most inopportune time. And, unlike Yang's previous application of her Semblance, this was far less predictable.

He'd seen it in the previous day's sparring match. There was no telling when that extra burst of power might come. Sure, there were visible indicators. But they were far more subtle when she didn't unleash all her power in a single, explosive burst. What was more, Yang had also shown that she could use those indicators to set up a feint, turning her opponent's knowledge of her ability against them.

 _This'll take her a lot further,_ Taiyang thought proudly. It made him chuckle. "I guess Ruby's boyfriend is a good influence on you."

"You could say that," said Yang with a laugh of her own. "It's not just him. Ayumu...and Ruby too...what they've learned completely changes the way you think about fighting."

Taiyang nodded. "It's certainly going to make a huge splash at the tournament. That's for sure."

Yang nodded.

Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu had gotten up early. By the time Yang and Jaune had made it down into the kitchen, they were already gone, Taiyang explaining that they'd had an early, and surprisingly small, breakfast, before heading out to train together, something they apparently hadn't done in a while. Given that there were only a couple of days left before their break ended, the rest of the group, when they'd all met up, had decided to split up to focus on their own training.

After lunch, Taiyang had come out to observe Yang as she practiced the punching exercise that Gin had taught her. Now she was proving able to smash her way through the trunk of a good-sized tree, even with her fist already pressed against the trunk. While she had yet to try pairing it with her Semblance, Yang figured this was going to work as a finisher.

"Speaking of Ruby and her friends...do you know where they are?" asked Taiyang. "They never came back for lunch."

"I...I don't know," admitted Yang. "I figure they're out practicing somewhere. I don't know why they wouldn't stop for lunch though."

Granted, there could have been any number of reasons why that was the case. The trio could have taken their own lunches with them. They could have gone into town to get food. But, for some reason, Yang didn't think that either of those answers was quite correct. Frowning pensively, she tried to figure out how to find where they'd gone. Then it occurred to her.

"I know!" she said, heading off through the forest, her father following along behind her.

Yang led them to a path, which in turn led towards a small clearing. It was a place that Yang and Ruby knew well, as both had used it to practice, when they weren't at Signal. Yang still remembered that one harrowing encounter with a larger and more powerful-than-expected Ursa, during one of those session shortly before Yang herself had been about to leave for Beacon (and before Yang had been aware that Ruby would be joining her there). The Ursa had caught them off-guard, Ruby in particular, as she hadn't brought Crescent Rose, Yang making her leave it behind with the intention of working on Ruby's unarmed fighting skills. Fortunately, Yang had prevailed, but not before receiving a serious scare, when the Ursa had nearly mauled Ruby, who'd frozen up at the prospect of facing the beast unarmed.

As they approached the clearing, they heard the familiar sounds of metal against metal, striking a rapid tempo. Entering the clearing, Yang's eyes widened and her mouth dropped slightly.

Ayumu and Ruby were facing off against each other, their weapons flashing, the metal of their weapons catching the light. The crimson blade of manifested Aura on Ruby's scythe clashed against the green metal of Ayumu's Green Destiny. The weapons parted, but then came together again just as quickly as before, the pair of fighters dancing around each other, their weapons weaving complex patterns through the air, red and green sparks dancing between them where they struck.

Ruby's movements were incredibly swift, her Semblance propelling her off of individual footsteps, resulting in small bursts of petals dancing in her wake at ground-level, her movements flowing and smooth, even though they were so swift that, at times, it made Yang think that Ruby had somehow copied Blake's Semblance, sometimes seeming to appear in multiple places at once.

Ayumu's movements were graceful and economical, appearing to glide through the air as though he didn't weigh a thing. Yet, when he needed to, he could drop as though he weighed a metric ton. He wasn't as fast as Ruby, yet he could still manage to respond to her movements, his sword dancing around him like it had a mind of its own.

The strange thing was that neither of them seemed to be fighting to win. Yang noticed that Ruby was not particularly aggressive in her attacks. Nor did Ayumu seem keen to try and slip in a counter of any kind. If anything, they simply appeared to be trading blows at a rapid pace, without any expectation of those blows hitting their opponent. Instead, they appeared to be making an effort to keep a continuous exchange going.

Then there was Gin. He crouched at the edge of the clearing, his eyes closed and his head bowed, taking long, deep breaths. Yang frowned as she watched him, noting that there was something familiar about this situation.

Gin's eyes abruptly shot open, and he stood up. Shooting forward, he inserted himself into the fight, turning to catch the blade of Ruby's scythe against the scales that covered his forearms. Behind him, Ayumu lowered his sword and jumped back away, while Gin took over his role in the exchange, Ruby not even breaking stride at the sudden change in her opponents. Then their exchange continued as Ayumu backed away to the edge of the clearing, then settled into the same crouch that Gin had earlier, closing his eyes and breathing deep, slow breaths.

"That's..." Yang gasped softly, beginning to recognize the pattern. Neither she nor Taiyang tried to intervene, instead finding themselves entranced as Ruby and Gin continued to dance around one another, exchanging blows at a rapid clip, yet not actually trying to beat each other.

Yang's suspicions were confirmed when Ayumu's eyes opened and he stood up. Gliding back into the fray, he struck out at Gin, who blocked his sword. At the same time, it was now Ruby who stepped back and sank into a meditative crouch at the edge of the clearing, planting the butt of her scythe, the blade and wing retracting back into the head, bowing her head and closing her eyes.

 _It is,_ thought Yang, now realizing where she had seen this pattern before. During the Grimm attack on the walls, Yang remembered watching a video feed of Ruby, Ayumu, and Gin fighting against the Grimm that had been summoned by the defeated dragon, two fighting at a time, while the third rested in the center of their formation, before moving out to replace one of the others; a continuous cycle of rotation that had allowed them to keep fighting well throughout the entire time it had taken their friends to arrive.

Now they were using that pattern again. But instead of holding off a host of oncoming Grimm, they were maintaining a continuous exchange, an ongoing sparring session, with the participants rotating in and out to keep it going.

Now that she looked at it, Yang couldn't help but think how strange it was. She hadn't tried to time how long Ruby or the boys rested for, but, considering how hard they were exerting themselves, it seemed like there was no way that just the short period they spent resting could allow them to continue fighting at that level. On top of that... _How long have they been doing this for?_

At first, she thought it unlikely that they had been at this for the entire day, especially since they'd left the house early. But then she remembered Taiyang's statement that Ruby and the boys hadn't been back for lunch, and she found herself wondering if they really had been going all day.

Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu had taught the other members of RUBY and JNAR how to recharge their Auras. At first, it had seemed strange and silly. But it really seemed to have merit. However, as tricks went, it had always struck Yang as a stopgap at best. A minute or so of deep breathing, like she was trying to blow dying embers back up into a full flame, was able to allow her to keep going for a few more minutes. But to use that same trick to keep a running exchange going for the whole day seemed ludicrous.

 _But it seems to be working for them,_ thought Yang with a thoughtful frown as she watched Ruby re-enter the fray, swapping out with Gin and continuing the fight with Ayumu, bringing them back around to the situation that Yang and Taiyang had found them in.

"This is incredible," said Taiyang, watching them.

Yang nodded. If the three of them had been going all day like this, then it really was incredible. How long could they keep this going?

"They really weren't kidding," said Blake, making Yang jump, barely able to stop herself from shrieking in surprise at her partner seeming to materialize out of nowhere. It took her an extra second to notice that Sun had arrived along with her.

"About what?" asked Yang, after calming herself back down and shooting an annoyed glare at Blake, who merely smirked back at her.

"Ayumu and Ruby were talking about something like this," said Blake. "The more they practice recharging, the easier it gets. More importantly, they were talking about how it might lead to even greater things."

"What sort of things?" asked Taiyang.

"Ruby thinks that Aura can be used to deal with even things like fatigue and hunger," said Blake. "If Aura is used to supply the body with energy in place of food, then, technically..."

"You wouldn't need to eat," said Yang, her eyes going wide. "Wait! Then maybe they really haven't eaten at all since breakfast."

Blake nodded. "If they're keeping the fight going like this, then it's probably to create a situation where they have to keep recharging their Auras. The more they practice it, the less time they have to spend recharging. From what Ayumu and Ruby told me, I think they're trying to work it down to the point where they don't even have to stop fighting in order to recharge."

"If that's the case...if they can really manage that..." said Sun, his voice tinged with awe, "...then they could keep fighting forever."

"Is that even possible?" wondered Taiyang, stunned by the very notion.

"I...I don't know," admitted Yang, pulling out her scroll. She couldn't use it to track Ayumu's Aura. But Ruby and Gin were on her team, so she could see their Aura gauges. Right now, they were all hovering at about half. But Gin's Aura was slowly and steadily rising, far faster than it would from simply resting. Far faster than it should have, it reached almost full strength.

At that point, Gin stood up and swapped out with Ayumu again, the match continuing. Monitoring Ruby's Aura, Yang saw it steadily dropping with each use of her Semblance. However, after a few more minutes of sparring with Gin, she switched with Ayumu and took the same stance, her gauge refilling almost as quickly as Gin's had.

"Do you think they've been at this all day?" asked Blake.

"I think they have," said Yang. "Unless I miss my guess, they probably haven't stopped since they first started, not even to take a break."

"Think we should stop them?" asked Sun.

"Um...Maybe," said Yang. "But..." At the same time, she didn't want to stop them. For some reason, Yang found it impossible to doubt that they had been continuing this exercise the whole day through. If that was the case, then they were probably aiming to keep it up for as long as they possibly could, just to see how far they could push themselves. The fact that they'd gone on this long was nothing short of spectacular...and flew in the face of how the world at large currently understood the nature of Aura.

"Well, it's getting close to dinner," said Taiyang. "So we probably ought to go ahead and let them know." In truth, dinnertime was just a convenient excuse to intervene. Maybe he was being a bit overprotective, but, as Ruby's father, he couldn't quite bring himself to simply stand back and watch her exert herself to such extremes. Considering the scare she'd put him through, when he, and everyone else, thought she'd died, he figured he was within his rights.

Going over, Taiyang rested a hand on Ruby's shoulder, startling her out of her meditation.

"Dad?" she asked, staring up at him in confusion.

"Hey," said Taiyang, with a fond smile, "I think it's time for you and your friends to call it a day. It's almost time for dinner."

"Awww..." groaned Ruby. "But I'm really getting the hang of this."

"I know, honey," said Taiyang with a chuckle. "But it's time for you to join everyone else. I think doing this all day is enough for now."

"All right," said Ruby, still sounding slightly miffed at having been interrupted. Standing up, she straightened, then bent her spine back with a groan. After that, she rapped the butt-end of her scythe against the ground, the sharp sound of impact apparently a signal to her friends that it was time to bring the exercise to an end.

Gin and Ayumu slowed to a stop, stepping back from each other. Ayumu reabsorbed his materialized Aura, while Gin's scales and claws retracted.

"Time's up, already?" asked Gin, tilting his head, even as he panted softly.

"So it would seem," said Ayumu, trying to even out his breathing. "I suppose time flies when you're having fun."

All three of them were breathing hard. On top of that, their clothes were stained with sweat.

Taiyang frowned, looking them over. "Wait a minute. Were you three not drinking anything either."

"N-nope," said Ruby, sagging slightly.

"So...you've been pushing yourselves like this all day...without food or water?" pressed Taiyang.

"That's right," said Gin. "From the look of things, it seems to have been working."

"Well, I don't care whether it seems to work or not, you three need water, now," said Taiyang firmly, reaching into his satchel. He'd brought extra water for Yang. But he'd never dreamed that he'd be needing it for Ruby and her friends too. Fortunately, he had a bottle for each of them, which he tossed to them.

Ruby barely managed to catch hers. Unscrewing the cap with trembling fingers, she drank deeply, draining the entire thing in one go. Gin and Ayumu weren't far behind her.

"This is unbelievably reckless," commented Taiyang disapprovingly. "You could do serious harm to yourselves like this."

"Well, the point of this training is to avoid serious harm in the future," said Gin, staring at the palm of his hand, curling his fingers inward. "It looks like the theory is sound."

"Theory?" asked Blake.

"The more we practiced recharging, the easier it became," noted Ayumu. "Despite that, it still takes time at this point, because the Aura we regain is also going towards easing our physical strain and fatigue."

"Afterwards, it went to supplementing our stamina, once we'd finished digesting breakfast," said Gin.

"We figured it might work with hydration too," added Ruby.

"But, of course, that meant that compensating for not eating and drinking meant that we had to produce extra Aura to make up for what our bodies were consuming," said Ayumu. "So, we had reached a state where, even without fighting, our bodies were continually consuming our Aura in lieu of food in water."

"To properly compensate, we have to get to a point where we can constantly produce Aura as well," said Gin. "And we have to produce it at a higher rate than we consume it."

"All things considering, it seems feasible," said Ayumu. "But it's also going to require a lot of hard work and practice to reach the point where we can continually recharge our Auras, even while in motion."

The others listened in surprise and amazement. Ayumu, Gin, and Ruby seemed to be talking to themselves as much as the rest of the group. reasoning out their idea, even as they explained it.

"It really is starting to sound like those old legends I read," mused Blake.

"Still, even if that's the case, you're only going to hurt yourselves if you try to push towards that, all at once," said Taiyang firmly. "So it's time for you three to call it a day. Let's head home and get dinner going."

"All right," said Ruby sounding a little resigned, but smiling all the same.

* * *

The rest of the students' break was blissfully uneventful. Qrow wound up leaving a day early, saying something about helping with the setup for the Vytal Festival. Taiyang spent the last days of the break encouraging them to have fun and enjoy themselves a little more, ostensibly to give them the opportunity to rest up before the Vytal Festival Tournament. Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu didn't get another chance to try the rotation spar that they'd come up with. Ruby came to suspect that her father had gone out of his way to ensure that the trio wouldn't have the chance to start another session like that. While she might have chafed at her father's interference, Ruby couldn't help but appreciate his genuine concern for her.

To ease Taiyang's worry, Ruby took Gin with her to meet up with her friends from Signal, spending their last days hanging out together and talking about the upcoming tournament with a great deal of excitement. Things were still awkward between her and Cobalt. But at least he didn't react with irritation whenever Gin reminded the group of his existence by talking...though he did sometimes flinch whenever Gin and Ruby said or did something that reminded people they were a couple.

At the end of their break, the students assembled to take the ferry back to Vale. Taiyang and Ruby's Signal friends were there to see them off. After a protracted goodbye, Ruby and the others boarded the ferry, enjoying the brief trip across the calm waters to Vale.

As they did, they noticed an increase of traffic. The docks around where their ferry arrived were crowded with more ships than usual, many of them large passenger vessels, several of said vessels armed to fend off the aquatic Grimm that prowled the deeper waters, out away from Vale. The sky above the Kingdom was in a similar state, with several airships, large and small, flying into the Kingdom, seemingly from every direction. Making their way through Vale itself, they found the streets choked with more people than they could ever imagine seeing at one time.

The sheer volume of people was a surefire indicator that the Vytal Festival was just around the corner. The excitement in the air was palpable. However, the most exciting sight only became fully visible after they boarded their airship back to Beacon.

* * *

"Look!" said Ruby excitedly, pointing out the window.

Her exclamation was hardly needed, as hardly anyone could have missed the massive structure hovering over the water, just a short distance away from Beacon. Amity Coliseum, the site of the Vytal Festival Tournament, was a sight to behold. The massive structure was an inverted, conical shape, with a single large Dust crystal extending down to a point from the bottom. Above the landing platforms that ringed the lower hemisphere, broad windows would give anyone in the outer areas of the coliseum panoramic views of Beacon, Vale, and the rest of the surrounding area. Above the windows, the gray metal of the building's lip marked the top, which overlooked the arena within.

"So that's the place," said Yang, grinning eagerly. "It looks even bigger than I thought it would be."

"We're gonna be fighting in there, huh?" said Nora. "I can't wait!"

"I wonder if we'll get to explore it before the tournament starts," mused Jaune.

"Even if we can't, there will be plenty of opportunities, during the festival," said Ren.

"It feels...strange...to imagine that we'll be fighting in there," said Blake. "The seating will be in the thousands, and the fights will be broadcast to millions."

"Way to put on the pressure," teased Sun.

Ruby looked over at Ayumu, seeing him smile back. Blake's words had turned their minds to the plan they'd made. Once they demonstrated what they were capable of, hopefully, the entire world would see the potential of Aura in a different light and, more importantly, people throughout the world would begin to question the overwhelming importance of Dust, and whether or not it was really worth allowing the likes of Jacques Schnee to get away with exploiting thousands of people for it.

 _If we do this right,_ thought Ruby, staring at the floating structure, _we can begin changing the world before we even graduate._

* * *

The excitement didn't even stop as their airship touched down on one of the landing pads at Beacon's docks. Getting off the airship, RUBY and JNAR (and Sun) saw that it wasn't just the streets of Vale that were clogged. The grounds of Beacon itself were swarming with extra students, the new arrivals who had come to participate in the tournament having come flooding in during the break. On top of that, workers swarmed over the grounds of every lawn and courtyard, busily setting up shops, stalls, and attractions of every kind imaginable.

"I can't wait to see what kind of goodies they have for sale here," said Yang, rubbing her hands together eagerly.

"Just don't blow your stipend on a shopping trip," Blake admonished her partner gently. She flashed Yang a teasing smile. "And don't expect me to bail you out if you _do_ spend all your money."

"Hey, I can be responsible," protested Yang.

"Only when you don't have someone else around to be responsible for you," added Jaune, drawing laughs from the others, while Yang gave him a jab in the arm for his trouble.

A tone sounded from Sun's scroll, prompting him to pull it out. "Hey, Neptune's here," he announced. "So's the rest of our team. Sorry, guys, I gotta split."

"That's fine," said Blake. "We'll see you again, later, I'm sure." Then, to everyone's surprise, she leaned over and planted a kiss on Sun's cheek, eliciting a giddy smile from him. The sight of Blake being openly affectionate, in such a public situation, was nothing short of stunning.

Still grinning, and massaging his cheek for good measure, Sun waved goodbye to the rest of the group and trotted off to meet with his team.

"Looks like you've got it bad," teased Yang, her lips pulled back in a face-splitting grin.

Blake blushed. "Quiet," she muttered somewhat irritably.

They all laughed, making their way back to the dorms to get settled back in, talking excitedly about all the things they would see and do at the festival.

* * *

"HEEEEEEY! NEPTUNE!"

Neptune looked up from his scroll and waved a greeting at Sun, who arrived at a run. "How was your vacation?" he asked. "Get anywhere with Blake?"

"It was great," said Sun with a cheerful grin. "So...where are the others."

"Right here," rumbled a familiar voice behind Sun, turning around to see a dark-skinned young man who towered over him. Sage Ayana was certainly an intimidating sight to behold. Tall, with powerfully-built muscles, he was more than suited to wield the massive, angular sword slung over his back. He was dressed in a white coat over dark pants, the coat left open to display his chiseled chest, decorated with black wing tattoos, complemented by roman numeral tattoos around his neck. He observed Sun with calm, gold-colored eyes.

"We were beginning to think you'd forgotten about us," added the second boy, who was standing next to his towering partner.

They were a study in contrasts. The shorter man was lightly built, with light skin and dark-red hair, which was combed down over his right eye. He was dressed in a sleeveless white shirt, similarly-colored pants. His most distinctive clothing choice was the elaborate, red coat that he wore, draped over one shoulder.

"Hey, Sage, Scarlet," said Sun with a laugh. "Good to see you guys made it. It's too bad you didn't join us for the exchange. This place is happening."

"Yeah, Neptune told us what we missed," said Sage, with a small grin.

"He told us you bagged yourself a girlfriend," added Scarlet with a toss of his hair.

"Uh...yeah, you could say that," said Sun, his grin wavering a little as his cheeks turned slightly pink.

"Uh oh. He's not posing or bragging about it," noted Sage, folding his arms, smug grin widening. "He must be serious."

"Yeah, he's pretty serious about this one," said Neptune, nodding in agreement.

Sun sighed and slumped in resignation.

"Not even going to try and fight it?" asked Scarlet.

"Nah," said Sun. "It's like you guys say. I've got it bad for her. The best part is...she likes me back."

"Enough to let you spend the break with her, and _not_ tape your mouth shut," added Neptune.

"All right, all right! Enough with the ribbing!" exclaimed Sun, reaching his limit. "Anyway, what about the homework I gave you, Neptune?"

"Geez, giving your partner homework over the break," groused Neptune good-naturedly. "What kind of team leader are you?"

"The kind who worries about his friends," replied Sun. "So...where's our mark?"

"Right over there," said Neptune, jerking his thumb in the direction of a nearby airship, which had just arrived, bearing a cargo of Haven students. "They just got here a few minutes ago."

"Right," said Sun, staring at the indicated airship. "There he is."

His gaze immediately found the spiky, white hair of Liu Bai, the boy's gaze as intense as always, as he disembarked from the ship, slinging a single duffle-bag over his left shoulder, his right occupied by what looked like a sheathed longsword. Liu slowly cast his gaze around, taking in the scenery of Beacon. Sun quickly averted his own eyes to keep Liu from knowing that he was being watched. Behind him, the other three members of his team stepped off the ship as well.

"Well, he hasn't changed," muttered Sun softly.

"Yeah," agreed Sage. "So we're gonna keep tabs on him then?"

"We'll try," said Sun. "I want to have at least a general idea of where he is, if only so we can keep Ruby from running into him."

"Well, if they're matched up during the tournament, that'll be a moot point," said Scarlet.

"Yeah, but at least there, there'll be a few thousand witnesses, not to mention all kinds of security measures, if he tries anything. Liu's batty, but not stupid." Sun frowned. "Our best hope is that he and his team get knocked out before they have a chance to get matched up with Team Ruby."

"Yeah...that's gonna be a long shot," said Scarlet, swallowing. "Liu's seriously upped his game over the last semester. I think finding out what happened to Pyrrha made him even more determined. His teammates are no slouches either, especially Irving."

Sun sighed, scratching his head. "Well, we'll do what we can."

* * *

Liu's icy-blue eyes slowly wandered across the scenery of the Academy. "So...this is Beacon," he said softly. "I'd expected...more...from the school that Pyrrha Nikos chose to attend."

Compared to the average Huntsman or Huntress, even aspiring ones, LIu's state of dress seemed rather plain, consisting of a dark-blue tank-top that hugged his frame, showing off the well-defined musculature of his chest and abdomen. His legs were hidden within baggy, white pants, held up by a red sash. Even the sword slung over his shoulder looked rather plain. The sole, interesting note to his appearance was the armguards he wore, covering the taut muscles of the lower portion of his forearms. They were broad and cylindrical, forged from dark-gray metal, each one housing several smaller cylinders within, each chamber showing a different color of the visible spectrum, indicating the presence of various types of Dust.

"Well, her decision probably had as much to do with getting away from her fame in Mistral as it did with the Academy's prestige," commented the boy getting off the ship behind him.

Liu's gaze slid back to his partner, Irving Yamashita. He was fairly short, the tip of his head barely reaching past Liu's chin. Wavy, extremely pale-blonde hair streamed down to the level of his shoulders, framing a youthful face with slightly-angled eyes of sea-green, giving him something of a sly, calculating look. His build was hidden beneath a black, slightly baggy shinobi shizoku, complete with black socks over his feet and black gloves over his hands. His wrists were covered with what looked like black cylinders, slightly similar in appearance to Liu's armguards, but each holding what looked like spools of wire within them. Both the front and back ends of the cylinder were decorated with small chambers, each one housing a different color of powdered Dust.

Liu sighed, the dip of his head indicating that it was more for dramatic emphasis than anything else. "Yet, it was coming here that resulted in her being ruined," he moaned. "To think that our glorious Goddess of Victory would be subjected to such indignities, when these barbarian monkeys should have been worshiping the ground she walked upon...truly, there is no justice in this world."

Irving merely shrugged indifferently, seeming to tolerate Liu's words, rather than agree with them. He offered no further comment.

Reaching up, Liu gently adjusted the spectacles that rested on the bridge of his nose. "I will find her...the witch that subjected my goddess to such humiliation...and I shall make her regret her apostasy."

Behind him, Irving merely closed his eyes, shaking his head with a resigned expression. _There's no getting through to him when he's like this,_ he thought. _Oh well. So long as we do our part to win the tournament, I suspect that Professor Lionheart can overlook an "unfortunate accident" or two._

Glancing over his shoulder, Irving saw that the other two members of their team were now filing off the airship. He traded nods with them and, together, the four of them made their way towards guest dorms of Beacon.

* * *

Pale-blue eyes watched the clouds stream past the airship window, taking in the endless vista of blue and white with a bored expression. Turning his head, the young man brought his attention back to the lavish interior of the high-class, intercontinental airship. With a sigh, he leaned back, allowing the plush leather cushions of his seat to embrace his thin frame, covered by a white dress-shirt, over which was worn a grayish-blue vest. He stretched his legs, which were covered by crisp, white pants.

"How long until we reach Vale?" he asked in a smooth voice.

"We will arrive in Vale in approximately eighteen more hours, Master Whitley," his pilot replied over the intercom.

"I see," said Whitley Schnee, resting the pale skin of one of his slightly-rounded cheeks against the knuckles of delicate-looking fingers. _It's a pity we can't go any faster,_ he thought.

Despite the fact that this airship, one of a number available for the private use of the members of the Schnee family, was outfitted with numerous amenities to see to its passenger, Whitley was bored. Traveling any significant distance by oneself generally wound up becoming dreary, with even the most engaging of distractions losing their allure after a while. Still, it wasn't as though there was any worthwhile company to be had.

 _But that might change,_ thought Whitley. _If my "negotiations" are successful, I might find myself returning to Atlas with some_ very _pleasant company._

Tapping an interface built into the arm of his seat, Whitley brought up a holographic projection in front of him, showcasing the image of a girl with black hair, gradating to red at the tips, and a pair of captivating silver eyes. This was the girl who had changed everything, who, without even meeting him, or probably even knowing he existed, had both opened and paved Whitley's way to the Schnee Family inheritance. _I suppose a proper "thank you" is in order,_ he thought as he took in her features yet again, having found himself enthralled by the mere sight of her. _Ruby Rose...I am so very looking forward to meeting you._

* * *

 **Brace yourselves, Whitley is coming.**

 **...**

 **Wait...that's not how it's supposed to go, is it?**

 **Anyway...**

 **When it comes to writing about characters venturing into one another's souls, I looked at what I was writing, and considered what I was depicting...and said, "Yeah, there's no way to write this that _doesn't_ come off as at least slightly sexual," at least in a phrasing sense. I don't think I really need to point out how talking about how "wide" certain characters' wellsprings are could sound like they're talking about something completely different. So I just decided to roll with it. In a sense, it's something way more intimate, super-sex, you could say...which only makes it _more_ awkward, I suppose.**

 **I've had reviewers asking about when I'm going write a lemon involving Gin and Ruby...I wonder if this counts.**


	80. Chapter 80

**Chapter 80:**

With a yelp, Bolin fell back, bringing up his staff to ward off a blow from Ruby's scythe. However, he misjudged the distance...or, rather, was thrown off as Ruby's approaching weapon abruptly accelerated mid-swing. The result was the gentle arc of Shining Rose's blade slipping behind the raised staff, not to cut into its wielder, but hook around the defending weapon. Bolin blinked in surprise, jolting as his staff slid along the inward edge of the blade to strike the head.

His hesitation proved to be his undoing. It gave Ruby time to brace her feet, firing another burst of her Semblance from Shining Rose's wing, allowing her to yank against Bolin's staff as she pulled back and around. Trying to avoid being disarmed, Bolin clung grimly to his staff. However, that only allowed him to be pulled off his feet and thrown back behind Ruby, the blade of her scythe vanishing, and allowing Bolin to fly free...face-first into Yang's fist.

Yang grinned, stepping into the hard-left she'd just slammed into the tanned skin of the boy's face, his wavy, black hair flying forward as the rest of his body's momentum continued to pull it along. Yang's fist acted as a lever, pushing Bolin over backwards so that he wound up lying horizontal in midair. In a swift move, Yang slid her right leg along the ground, following up her punch with a spin that allowed her to bring up her right arm, which she raised above the level of her shoulder, only to bring her fist back down...right into Bolin's stomach, hammering him straight into the metal surface of the ring, smashing it.

Coughing in pain, Bolin folded slightly from the punch to his gut. Yang, seeing he wasn't quite down for the count yet, finished him off by punching down with her left gauntlet again, discharging a bolt of fire Dust right into his face, slamming the back of his head back down into the floor, and causing him to go limp with a pained groan.

" _And, with that devastating combination, Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long deal Bolin Hori a smashing defeat,_ " declared Professor Port over the loudspeaker.

" _Quite,_ " agreed Oobleck somewhat curtly. " _Team Ruby cements their advantage over Team Auburn, after taking the early lead in the match. We are now down to two against four._ "

Yang shared a grin with Ruby, the sisters trading a swift high-five.

"Double Dragon and Ladybug," declared Ruby decisively.

"On it!" replied Yang.

The two of them separated to go support their respective teammates. Ruby dashed towards Blake, who was dueling the hoverboard-wielding Reese Chloris; while Yang went to join Gin, who was facing off against ABRN's leader, Arslan Altan.

* * *

In the meantime, Oobleck and Port, who were commentating on the Vytal Festival Tournament matches launched into a recap of the tournament, and how it operated, laying out the basic rules. The qualifying rounds were team matches, each taking place with two four-man teams. The winning team then selected two of its members to continue on to the doubles rounds, before the winning teams of those matches selected a single representative to go on to the finals, which consisted of three rounds of individual matches. The matchups were chosen at random at each level, meaning there was no way the participating teams could anticipate who they would be up against, until right before the match.

The last important aspect of the tournament was the ring. The Amity Coliseum was a technological marvel, both inside and out. The flying structure was capable of seating thousands of spectators, also hosting the amenities to support those spectators, such as concession booths and bathrooms. However, the greatest marvel of the coliseum was the ring itself.

Designed as a large octagon, the ring was centered around a smaller, central octagon of plain, yet durable, metal. The sections bordering the central part of the ring opened up to reveal special biomes, unique terrains that could be used by the participants to gain an advantage on the competition. Several different biomes even included varying forms of Dust, in its natural form, which could be employed by those skilled and creative enough to make effective use of it.

The qualifying rounds featured two available biomes each. Right now, Team RUBY and their opponents, Team ABRN of Haven Academy, were fighting amidst environments of opposing extremes. On one side, the ground was cracked, with fire and lava spewing forth into the air. The other side was smooth ice and jutting formations of the same.

Given all the unknown factors in play, it seemed that putting a cohesive strategy together ahead of time was all but impossible. However, Ruby had ensured that she and her team would fall into the "all but" part of that statement, building a strategy that was flexible and adaptable, enabling her to adjust it to the needs of their environment, and the opponents they were faced. Fortunately, Team ABRN was about as perfectly suited to her team's strategy as she could have ever hoped.

Thus, the match had opened with a lightning-fast blitz by Ruby and Gin, slipping past ABRN's three main frontline fighters and concentrating their efforts on eliminating the fourth member of the opposing team, concentrating their efforts to knock him out of the match before he had a chance to fully contribute. The result of their efforts was a depressed Nadir Shiko, the pink-haired boy sitting dejectedly at the edge of the ring, after being forcefully ejected by the swift and powerful attack he hadn't seen coming.

Thus, with their opening move, Team RUBY had immediately tilted the match in their advantage, making it a game of numbers. Furthermore, whatever strategy and tactics ABRN had settled on for their match ended up thrown out the window by the loss of Nadir, who'd apparently remained back to act as ranged support. On top of that, their own offensive was disrupted as Arslan and Bolin, who'd planned on moving forward to engage, instead turned back in a desperate, and ultimately futile, attempt to save Nadir. After dealing with Nadir, Gin had turned to counter Arslan, engaging the dark-skinned, platinum-blonde in a furious melee, while Ruby handled Bolin, who soon found himself subjected to a pincer attack between Ruby and Yang, which resulted in his defeat soon after. Reese found herself tied up by Blake, who used her evasive and mobile fighting style to move her opponent farther away from her teammates.

* * *

Blake's fight was currently proving to be the hardest of the match. It was debatable whether or not Reese was the strongest member of her team. However, what was indisputable was that her fighting style was definitely the most erratic and unpredictable. With her messy, green hair, black facial markings, and purple hoody, she seemed less like an aspiring Huntress and more like an extreme-sports enthusiast, who had wandered into the match by accident (The question of whether or not the work of Huntsmen and Huntresses constituted a form of "extreme sports" remained a matter of debate).

The unpredictable part of Reese's fighting style came in the form of her hoverboard, an object that served simultaneously as a mode of transportation, weapon, and shield all at once. Black, with glowing, green panels, the weapon sported curved blades extending from both sides of either end, almost like sets of pincers. It enabled Reese to attack, quite literally, on the fly, using flip tricks to slash with the blades. If she wanted more precision and power, she could wield it with her hands, almost like a broad, flat, bladed version of Bolin's weapon.

Blake had guided their battle onto the icy portion of the arena, away from Gin and Arslan, whose melee had led into the volcanic wasteland on the opposite portion. At the moment, she and Reese were engaged in a fierce melee of their own. Blake intercepted a thrust from the leading blades of the hoverboard with the broad flat of her bladed sheath. Kicking her board, Reese sent it into a rapid spin that used both sets of blades to slash at Blake in rapid succession.

The blades split effortlessly through Blake's torso, revealing it to be a shadow, as Blake's decoy propelled her up and over Reese's hovering head. Going into a spinning flip allowed Blake to bring her black katana around to slash at Reese's head. Planting her front foot down on her board, Reese tilted the hovering contraption forward, allowing her to duck her head out of the line of Blake's slash. Following suit, Reese kicked her board up, once again thrusting its blades up at Blake, who blocked with her sheath again.

This time, instead of landing back on her board, Reese went into a forward flip to land on the ice, her feet skidding slightly on the low-friction surface. Reaching up, she caught her board as it rebounded from Blake's deflection, whirling it around her back to bring it around, slashing at Blake as she landed. Blake fended off the opening strike with her katana, and another fierce exchange ensued.

Katana and sheath clashed against both sets of the hoverboard's blades, Blake dancing around Reese, even as Reese whirled the hoverboard around her body, using its broad surface to block incoming attacks, before transitioning seamlessly to another spinning slash. For a few seconds, they appeared to be perfectly stalemated.

Then Blake allowed herself to be pushed back by Reese's attack by a pair of steps, opening up the range before casting her sword, which folded over into its sickle form in the same movement. Reese immediately brought up her board to block, but was surprised by the lack of impact. Instead, the sickle that she'd been tracking with her eyes was just a shadow. The shadow displaced the actual sickle, which went shooting off at an angle, before Blake triggered the revolver in the handle, the bullet narrowly missing Reese's head, zipping through the air almost right in front of her nose. The recoil pulled the ribbon taut and sent the sickle whipping around behind Reese, threatening to wrap her up with the ribbon.

Reese spun, her eyes trying to track the sickle, seeing it swinging around her in her peripheral vision, raising an arm to fend off the ribbon and, hopefully, duck under it to avoid entrapment. Then she screeched as she felt the bladed tip of the sickle punch into her Aura from behind, and slightly to the side, striking just below her right shoulder. The sickle she'd tracked with her eyes had been another shadow, which, in the same instant it had distracted her eyes, had abruptly changed the direction of the sickle's movement in a manner that should have been physically impossible, turning its arcing swing into a sharp-angled turn.

Reese tumbled away from the unexpected hit, rolling to get her feet back under her, but nearly pitching over again as her shoes lost purchase against the smooth ice. Instead, as her feet skidded out from under her, Reese sank down to one knee, anchoring the blades of one end of her hoverboard into the ice, simultaneously stopping her slide and anchoring herself to block the powerful slash from Gambol Shroud's bladed sheath, as Blake attempted to follow up on her previous hit.

Pulling her board free, Reese desperately threw herself forward, pushing the board over so that it lay down flat against the ice, Reese rolling across it and underneath a slash from the Blake's katana, Blake having flipped over Reese after her last attack to try and flank her again. This time, Reese had been prepared for the strategy. Tucking her legs in tightly she was able to finish her roll without leaving the board, planting her feet on what had been the far end of the board when she started. The shift in weight lifted up the opposite end, allowing Reese to hook a toe beneath her weapon and kick it up higher, sending the blades thrusting right up at Blake's chin.

Blake threw herself into a backflip in order to evade the attack, firing her revolver as she righted herself again, before her feet even touched the ground. However, Reese's kick enabled her to continue to bring the board up and use it as a shield to ward off the bullets.

It was then that Ruby entered the fray, seeming to glide as she used careful applications of her Semblance through her feet to practically skate across the ice, bending her knees and dropping down to come in low, with a slash aimed at Reese's unsteady legs and sliding feet. Reese jumped up over the slash, barely managing to escape having her legs cut out from under her. Not wanting to lose her balance to the ice again, Reese quickly engaged her board's hovering capability, and positioned it beneath her feet before she could come down, allowing her to hover above the ground once more.

Turning to engage this new threat, Reese instead found her eyes following a trail of red petals at ground level, leading to a brief glimpse of Ruby's cloak as Ruby anchored Shining Rose's blade into a large column of ice, using that to abruptly turn her course and slide around the other side of it.

With an angry growl, Reese kicked her board up again to intercept another strike from Blake's sickle, directing herself away from Blake in the same movement. She watched the ice column, expecting Ruby to come streaking around from the other side of it, or reverse her course and appear from the side she'd vanished behind. Instead, she was alerted by a dimming of the light above her, causing Reese to look up and gasp, as she saw that Ruby had instead ascended the back side of the column and leapt off the top to dive at her, the glowing blade of her scythe levered back to deliver a devastating slash.

Twisting her body, Reese brought her board up and around, barely managing to get it into place in time to deflect Ruby's slash. The impact nearly jolted her off her ride, but Reese managed to maintain her balance, righting herself as Ruby flashed past. But Blake was already rushing up from below, using her newly-minted _Shadowstep_ to ascend and attack, before Reese could fully recover.

Reese kicked her board into a spin, using it to deflect Blake's katana. Touching back down on it, she saw that Ruby had landed and was preparing to launch herself up. With a growl, Reese used her board's lifters to launch herself higher, before kicking off. This time, the board divided, the two halves folding in on themselves to transform into a pair of bladed revolvers, which Reese caught in her hands. Directing them down, she opened fire at her opponents.

Blake and Ruby's weapons flashed, deflecting the shots. Reaching the apex of her leap, Reese continued to fire all the way down. However, in her flustered state at having to fight two opponents, she forgot the state of her footing. When she landed, her feet slid out from under her again, dumping Reese onto her behind, causing her to land on her tailbone, the impact jarring her and causing her to lose her grip on her weapons, which clattered off in separate directions, out of her reach.

Groaning, Reese barely heard the clicking sounds of Shining Rose folding in on itself. When she opened them, she found herself staring down the barrel of Ruby's weapon in its rifle mode. Her eyes widening, Reese barely managed to blurt out a startled "Crap!" before Ruby fired, the shot striking her straight in the forehead and flinging her down against the ice, the buzzer announcing the critical damage to her Aura.

" _Ouch! No mercy from Ruby Rose._ " declared Oobleck. " _Reese has been removed from the match. Team leader, Arslan is the only member of Auburn remaining._ "

* * *

On the other side of the ring, Gin and Arslan had engaged in a furious melee. Much to Gin's surprise, Arslan had proved to be a match for him in pure hand-to-hand combat. She deflected his strikes with smooth, circular motions that diverted their power, without having to take any impact from the blows on her defending arms. Then, at one point, she showed that she wasn't a slacker in the power department either. As ethereal, silver coils wound about Gin's striking arm, Arslan planted a firm foot and struck straight ahead, their attacks meeting with explosive force, causing the ground between them to shatter, the shockwave driving them away from each other.

 _She's no slouch,_ thought Gin, closing in again, the silver coils of his manifestation winding their way around his arms and weaving in his wake. Arslan slid to the side of his first strike, which barely missed her head, the wind of its passage making her platinum-blonde hair dance. Gin followed through with slash from his opposite hand, but Arslan evaded again, this time by jumping and flipping over it. Landing, she whipped her right arm at Gin, a silvery dagger attached to a bandage flying out from the loose sleeve of the yellow robe she wore.

The dagger flew down towards Gin's ankle, threatening to wrap the bandage around it, which Arslan could then use to trip him. However, when it struck, it merely threw up sprays of mist as Gin's body abruptly warped and distorted from his swift backwards step. _There it is,_ he thought. The fact that Arslan's asymmetrical robe only had one sleeve had raised his suspicions regarding a hidden weapon. In the course of their fight, he'd picked up signs of something weighing down her right arm by the tiniest of degrees, keen ears picking up the faintest sound of air being divided by a sharp edge. His other senses filled in the blanks by degrees, the overall gestalt of his _Shingan_ building up an image of the dagger hidden in her sleeve.

What he hadn't expected or picked up on was that Arslan's weapon was actually a rope-dart.

Seeing that her attempt to trip him had failed, Arslan pulled back on the bandage, grabbing it in both hands and whirling the blade around in a circular motion. Gin lunged in again, prompting her to whip the blade around and send it darting at him like a striking snake. Raising one arm, Gin easily caught and deflected the attack with his scales.

Once again, Arslan spun and flipped over and around Gin's slashes. In the course of her dodges, she wound her rope-dart's tether around her body, before using the same spinning motions to launch it out again. Using different wraps allowed her to finely control the length of the tether, controlling the rope-dart's range, ensuring that she could use it close, or from a distance. At one point, she prompted the weapon to wrap around her shin, before launching it with a kick, nearly impaling Gin between the eyes with it.

In the process, Gin noticed Arslan retrieve something from the red sash she wore with her left hand. Despite not being able to see it, he could sense the temperature of Arslan's hand and the air around it rise promptly. _Fire-Dust._

His suspicions were confirmed when Arslan tightened her fist, the sound of something cracking and breaking accompanying it. Abruptly, the hand itself turned bright-orange, then burst into flames. Punching out, Arslan launched a fireball at Gin's face. It struck him head on, but merely threw out another spray of mist, with an angry hissing noise. In the meantime, Gin's actual head warped into view as he ducked down below the elemental attack, before stepping in with another slash, sinking in low and rising up.

Leaping back, Arslan went into a backflip, gripping the bandage that served as the tether to her rope-dart with her flaming left hand, the flames igniting the bandage, before traveling up its length to engulf the blade. Landing, Arslan whirled her fiery weapon around her body, using it to try and push Gin back, and keep him at a distance.

The flexible nature of her weapon actually made it quite difficult for Gin to close in. His scales could deflect the flames of Arslan's rope-dart/dagger just as easily as its edge. But, when trying to close the distance with her, Gin noted that the flexible tether meant the weapon could be wrapped around to attack from unexpected angles, similar to the threat Blake's sickle represented. Arslan's skill at using wraps to adjust its length enabled her to use it freely at any range, whilst Gin's claws were only truly effective up-close. Compared to that, Yang's straightforward fire-Dust rounds from her gauntlets were much easier to handle.

Fortunately, he wasn't alone. The crunch of a heavier tread against the rocky, sometimes molten, ground behind Arslan alerted her to the approach of another opponent. Releasing her weapon's tether with her left hand, using the release to send it striking straight out at Gin again to thwart another attempt to close, she turned to face the incoming threat, her still-burning hand closing into a fist once again, flames condensing and concentrating. Stepping down hard with her left foot, she shifted, putting all the strength of her body into the flaming punch she launched, channeling her Aura through the blow to intensify the Dust-generated flames in the process.

Arslan's flaming fist met Ember Celica head on, flames clashing against the fiery burst from the gauntlet's shotguns. The two attacks meeting head-on resulted in another explosive burst, driving the combatants back away from each other. This time, the explosion was more fiery in nature, flames spinning away through the air around Arslan and Yang. Realizing she was being pushed back towards Gin, Arslan jumped off the ground, allowing the momentum imparted by the shockwave to be put into a flying kick.

Gin ducked underneath the kick, stepping in and rising up again. Silver coils wound round his clawed hand as he struck upwards at Arslan's airborne body. In this state, Arslan's ability to block was limited. Her hand-to-hand combat style relied heavily on support from the earth, with her weapon meant to cover for those weaknesses, and give her a more flexible style. Her rope-dart was still extended from her earlier attack, and she wasn't able to shift her position in midair. Still, she interposed her left arm between herself and Gin's upward lunge, grunting as his claws scored her Aura and knocked her up and away on a new course.

Unlike Arslan, Yang had no other opponents to try and take advantage of her airborne condition, landing unmolested. Instead, she allowed herself to slide to a stop, before punching behind herself, using her gauntlets to rocket right back into the fray. Ahead of her, Arslan managed to flip, getting her legs back under herself again. Landing, she sank into a crouch, slamming her left hand into the ground, digging her fingers in and etching fiery channels through the volcanic dirt as she slid to a stop.

Despite finding herself suddenly facing two opponents, Arslan betrayed no signs of worry, her stoic, determined expression unflinching. Instead, she leaned down, putting more weight onto her planted hand, driving it further through the rock crust, and into the magma hidden beneath.

In an _actual_ volcanic environment, such an act would have been unthinkable. Plunging one's hand into molten rock would sear away even strong Aura in a matter of seconds, before charring skin black, then scorching it, and everything beneath it, off entirely. However, the volcano biome produced by the Amity Coliseum's technology was a Dust-fueled construct. Everything, from the fiery geysers erupting around them, to the lava that flowed beneath the rocky crust they stood upon, was produced by way of Dust. Beyond the orange, glowing crystals that jutted up around this section of the ring, practically everything present was a product of Dust and, to a skilled Dust-user, a potential weapon.

And so, as Yang and Gin closed in, Arslan pulled her left arm free of the ground, now encased in a shell of black and red lava, with flames surrounding it. Yang reached her first, and Arslan met her with a fiery, rocky punch, which actually detached a portion of the molten rock, launching it at Yang like a projectile. Yang quickly punched out, meeting the incoming projectile with a shot from her own gauntlet. However, instead of the two attacks canceling each other out, Yang's attack shattered Arslan's bullet, but the momentum behind Arlsan's attack won out, resulting in Yang being battered by fiery shrapnel. Yang fell back, trying to ward off the worst of it with her gauntlets.

In the meantime, Gin charged in, sidestepping another thrust of the rope-dart and closing in. Arslan turned to meet him, sweeping up her left arm in a wide, circular motion, producing a wave in flame. As Gin closed in, the water vapor his Semblance controlled, and that he used to produce his _Suigetsu_ , dispersed with an angry hiss. The intense heat produced by Arslan's Dust techniques would make it difficult to condense the mist around his body, and use that to distort his position and movements. At this point, a more straightforward fight was the only option.

Despite that, he advanced without hesitation, claws flashing and whirling, his scales unaffected by the heat produced by Arslan's lava-clad fist. The rocky mass enclosing it shattered against his scutes, exposing Arslan's skin again. Working his arms in circular movements, Gin attempted to move Arslan's defending arms aside to open her up to a strike at her body. However, when he lunged forward, striking with both hands simultaneously, Arslan managed to quickly bring her arms back to block and was simply knocked back again, with minimum damage to her Aura.

Landing yet again, Arslan saw that Yang had recovered from the shower of lava shrapnel, and was charging in again. She was joined by Gin, the two of them advancing together to attack in tandem. Arslan closed her left hand into a fist, then drove it straight down into the fiery earth at her feet again. This time, instead of enclosing it with lava, she channeled her Aura into the blow, projecting it outwards from the point of impact. As a result, Yang and Gin were balked, when a fiery geyser erupted in their path, forcing the two of them to fall back.

" _The battle between team leader, Aslan, Gin Ueno, and Yang Xiao Long is really starting to heat up,_ " Port commented from above, drawing a fair number of groans from the audience.

" _By using her Aura to forcefully agitate the Dust-infused lava on her section of the stage, Arslan is able to produce controlled explosions from the ring itself, giving a whole new meaning to the concept of 'terrain warfare,'_ " added Oobleck.

"Huh...reminds me of Bruno," muttered Gin, remembering the Huntsman from Team BRWN he'd faced back at Brandywine.

Still, if that similarity held true, there was a weakness he and Yang could exploit. While Arslan might be able to use the Dust in the lava to control it, even meld it to portions of her body, those explosions were more uncontrolled, which meant her ability to prevent harm to herself would be severely limited. More than that, it betrayed her unease with letting him and Yang close in for melee combat simultaneously. Arslan's newest move came with plenty of risks. If she messed up, she could wind up setting off an explosion underneath her own feet. Risking such meant that she was getting desperate to keep him and Yang away from her.

Gin settled himself, planting his feet firmly in place. In the meantime, Yang, noticing what he was up to, launched herself straight at Arslan again. Gin sucked in a deep breath, lowering his arms, his Aura manifesting and swirling around them in silvery, scaled coils; their appearance starting out as ethereal and nearly completely transparent, to slowly solidifying and becoming more real-looking.

Seeing that Gin wasn't closing in, while Yang was, Arslan decided to forgo setting off another flame geyser, instead meeting Yang's offense directly. She pulled her rope-dart back into her sleeve and proceeded to meet Yang in a pure hand-to-hand exchange, using circular movements of her arms to deflect and redirect the raw force of Yang's punches, and keep Yang from lining up Ember Celica's barrels to land a shot. However, even as she fought defensively to keep Yang at bay, much of Arslan's focus was on Gin, easily understanding that he was preparing something powerful, some deciding move that would tilt the balance of the fight, if she wasn't ready for it.

Except that that divided attention had been Gin and Yang's true goal. Driving forward with several rapid jabs, Yang forced Arslan to cross her arms to shield herself. As the manifested Aura winding around Gin solidified, the coils winding around his right arm, merging with it and surrounding it, she focused on him even more intently, determined to block or dodge his attack, ensuring that he wouldn't catch her by surprise. As a consequence, her determination to not let Gin take her by surprise ensured that _Yang_ did.

Yang's hair abruptly lightened in shade, turning a shining, gold color, light of the same color condensing around the fist she brought through a powerful uppercut aimed, not at Arslan's body, but her blocking arms. The burst of Semblance-enhanced fire-Dust that blasted out from Yang's gauntlet blew Arslan's arms out to the sides, and continued up to clip her chin, utterly ruining her defense. Following through, Yang drove forward with a straight punch from her other arm, driving her fist and gauntlet into Arslan's now-exposed stomach, and blasting her back with the resulting shot.

At the same time, the Aura winding down Gin's right arm condensed and solidified, forming the maned head and fanged maw of a silvery dragon. Stepping forward, Gin swung his arm in a tight arc, ending with a flick of his wrist that sent the silver dragon flying and winding through the air, its undulating motion allowing it to wind around Yang without touching her. The dragon closed in on the reeling and flying Arslan, its jaws closing around her body, and carrying her back farther, as the power infused into the manifested Aura continued to propel the construct. Behind it, Gin moved his right arm in tight, circular motions, directing the dragon's movements, seemingly by remote, controlling it to carry Arslan out past the edge of the ring, before allowing the manifested Aura to disperse, as Arslan's remaining momentum carried her into the safety barrier around the arena.

Arslan slumped to the floor, and the buzzer rang.

" _And with that, Arslan Altan is defeated by ring-out,_ " declared Port enthusiastically. " _Team Ruby concludes their qualifier match with a decisive victory!_ "

" _Gin Ueno's technique at the end was an incredible demonstration of skill,_ " added Oobleck. " _I'm not completely certain as to the nature of that technique, but there's no questioning its effectiveness._ "

"Gotta say," said Yang, turning to give Gin an amused smile, "I wasn't expecting you to do that."

Gin stared at his clawed hand. "Well, I wouldn't have considered it if you weren't here," he said. "I don't like using that technique, most of the time. It uses up a lot of Aura, and I haven't refined it enough to be able to use it without a pretty serious windup. Ranged combat is still my biggest weakness."

"Sure looked impressive as heck though," said Yang with a laugh. "It's the perfect way to end a match in the Vytal Festival Tournament."

"I suppose so," conceded Gin with a small smile of his own.

"We did it!" squealed Ruby, suddenly appearing behind him in a shower of red petals, throwing her arms around his shoulders and hanging off of him from behind.

"That we did," agreed Blake, joining them at a more sedate pace.

"Nice strategy, Sis," said Yang, grinning. "Everything pretty much went as planned."

"Yeah," agreed Ruby.

"Now we just have to get through the post-match interview," said Blake, sounding slightly wary.

"Oh...yeah," said Ruby, her demeanor becoming noticeably more nervous.

"Don't worry, Sis," said Yang. "Compared to the fight, a few words with the press is nothing to worry about."

"We'll see," said Ruby, frowning slightly.

Given her previous involvement with the media, thanks to the scandal surrounding Weiss and Pyrrha's attempt to murder her, Ruby figured that she was probably in for some heavier, and more pointed, questioning than the average participant in the Vytal Festival Tournament. Fortunately, Professor Goodwitch had taken her aside before the tournament had begun to inform her that she wasn't required to answer any questions, particularly questions that didn't pertain directly to the match or the larger tournament itself.

They did a quick check to make sure that the members of ABRN didn't need assistance getting up. Bolin and Reese were both dazed and unbalanced by the attacks that had knocked them out of the match, but were uninjured otherwise, with Arslan and Nadir being in good enough shape to help them out of the ring. Arslan fended off Ruby's concern with a grateful smile, indicating that she didn't hold the result of the match against Team RUBY, even congratulating Ruby herself on a well-executed strategy.

Their worries assuaged, RUBY made their way out of the ring, and into their designated ready-room to get cleaned up a little. Ruby and Blake were relatively unscathed, just sweaty; but Gin and Yang were both smoldering a little from their prolonged fight in the lava field, on the opposite side of the ring. The ready-room was rather well-appointed, with plush chairs and couches, a drink-cooler holding a selection of water and sports drinks, lockers for holding spare sets of clothes, towels, and full bath and shower facilities, with private shower rooms for each team member.

Ruby and Blake contented themselves with toweling off, while Yang and Gin retrieved some spare clothes, and hit the showers to wash the soot off. While they cleaned themselves, Blake and Ruby settled into their seats to wait.

"Good to see you in your old outfit again," commented Blake, taking in Ruby's blouse and leggings, which she'd taken to wearing again, now that summer was past, and the autumn chill was beginning to settle in.

"Thanks," said Ruby, taking a sip from the bottle of water she'd taken from the cooler. "This place is pretty nice."

"It is," agreed Blake. "It's too bad we can't stay for too long."

The ready-room, as nice as it was, wasn't exactly exclusive. Each participating team in the tournament had access to it for an hour before, and two hours after, their match. After that time, they were required to leave so that the rooms could be cleaned, and the cooler and toiletries restocked for the team that would use it in the next match.

With a tired sigh, Ruby leaned back in her seat, then pulled out her scroll, using it to interface with the room's controls and activate the large, high-definition projector on one side, which brought up the coverage of their match. At the moment, Port and Oobleck were going through a post-fight analysis.

* * *

" _So, Bart, what do you think contributed the most to Team Ruby's victory in the ring today?_ " asked Port, glancing at his co-host.

" _There are several factors that can be identified,_ " noted Oobleck. " _Team Ruby's members have definitely polished their skills and techniques to an exceptional degree. Furthermore, they've shown an impressive degree of coordination. However, the biggest contributor to their victory, and its overall decisiveness, in today's match was, without a doubt, a solid strategy._ "

" _How so?_ " asked Port.

Oobleck adjusted his glasses, before delivering his analysis at his usual, rapid clip. " _The systems behind the tournament matchups, as well as the selection of the biomes accompanying the match itself, are designed to present as many unknowns as possible. Therefore, strategizing for an upcoming match is dependent on being as flexible as possible, and being able to adjust one's plan on the fly. Different teams will have different strengths and weaknesses, and will be able to take advantage of different kinds of terrain in different ways. Because of that, it might seem that strategizing is a waste of time, and that it's better to improvise with the match itself. However, the presence of a proper strategy can overcome a variety of unfavorable factors._

" _In this case, Team Ruby leveraged the fact that this was a team battle to their advantage. Their first goal was to shift the numbers in their favor by prioritizing the elimination of a member of Team Auburn as quickly as possible. Upon observation, it was fairly easy to see that Nadir Shiko, with his prominent ranged weapon, would most likely start out the match by hanging back and providing ranged support, Team Ruby chose to focus on him first._

" _A fighter holding the rear-line generally does not expect to be targeted by the opposing team's frontline fighters right at the start of the match. Team Ruby's fastest fighter, and their most evasive fighter, threw off their opponents by bypassing the frontline entirely, and going straight for Nadir, aiming to drive him out of the ring before the rest of his team could come to his aid._ "

While Oobleck spoke, the image shifted from the commentators to a slow motion replay of the event in question, showing Gin seeming to collide head-on with Arslan, before his body warped and rippled around her, the impact of her body and extended fist throwing up sprays of mist. Alongside Gin, Ruby employed her Semblance off a step of her foot to suddenly accelerate around and past Bolin, causing him to hesitate, holding his staff in preparation to attack, but having no one to swing it at anymore.

The two of them carried on, heading straight for Nadir, who was clearly panicking as he switched his rifle into its sword mode, swinging his blade clumsily at the two closing opponents. Ruby checked his sword with her scythe, while Gin stepped in and drove his clawed hand right into Nadir's midsection, the silver coils of his manifested Aura flowing in conjunction with the attack, giving it enough power to send Nadir flying straight out of the ring.

In the meantime, Oobleck continued. " _From there, the match simply became a matter of leveraging the advantage Team Ruby had gained with their opening move. Bolin Hori was brought down shortly thereafter by a coordinated attack from Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long, after which they moved to support their teammates, and turn the remaining fights into two-against-one exchanges._ "

" _A most impressive display,_ " said Port. " _It probably didn't help that Reese Chloris was clearly hampered by the terrain on the ice-side of the arena. She lost her footing on multiple occasions, the final time resulting in her elimination._ "

Oobleck picked up the thread of the commentary from there. " _Meanwhile, Arslan Altan was definitely better situated. She held out well against a coordinated assault from Gin Ueno and Yang Xiao Long. However, their teamwork outmatched her in the end, demonstrating how a solid strategy can overcomea powerful terrain advantage._ "

" _That's all for this match,_ " said Port, finishing the commentary. " _Please stay tuned for the post-match interviews, before we find out which teams will be competing in the next match._ "

The broadcast shifted to the usual litany of advertisements, as the network played for time until the interviews could be conducted. With a disgusted sigh, Weiss put the projector on mute, and sagged back in her seat.

Amongst other things, Beacon's detention center had a lounge of sorts. The amenities were plenty sparing for a room with such a designation. The chairs had stiff cushions. The couch was worn and threadbare, clearly a piece of secondhand furniture. The projector was an older model, with the images being somewhat blurry and low-resolution, the sound system producing and noticeable buzz the whole time it was running.

"Gotta say, I can't say I expected you to want to watch the tournament," said Roman Torchwick, leaning back into the couch cushions, where he'd been sitting, next to Weiss. "I'm starting to wonder if you have a masochistic streak, Weiss."

Weiss stifled a groan, though it was less a response to Roman's words, and more her feelings towards the overall situation, much like her disgusted sigh earlier. _That should be_ me _out there,_ she thought, staring at the screen, thinking back to the match she'd just watched.

She'd been surprised, when her request to be allowed to watch her former team's matches in the tournament had been accepted, with the guards promising to notify her when Team RUBY was selected to participate. She wasn't sure what motivated them to accept her request...as unsure as she was what motivated her to make it in the first place.

On some level, there was hope, hope for the vindication she might feel, should she watch her former team stumble and falter in her absence. Many a time, she had entertained the fantasy of watching Team RUBY fail spectacularly, because of some boneheaded strategy that Ruby implemented, or because she got too caught up in showing off, or through some other display of immaturity. She dreamed of Yang or Blake tripping up without her to guide them. She hadn't spared much of a thought towards the silver-haired faunus who'd taken her place on the team, save to link him with her enmity towards her former team as a whole. Silently, she'd hoped that something would happen, to serve as a sort of karmic punishment for her former friends, for choosing Ozpin's pet brat over her.

Before her crimes had been exposed, Weiss had dreamed of her own debut in the tournament. She'd fantasized about leading Yang and Blake to victory, triumphing over stacked odds, and overcoming the adversity of being a member short. Regardless of what followed, she imagined leading her team to victory in the tournament as a whole, then basking in the accolades afterwards.

Seeing Team RUBY not only win their match, but triumph decisively, left a bitter taste in her mouth, but not as intense a one as she'd expected. Truth be told, there had been times when she'd been at the edge of her seat, gasping when she saw Ruby's daring ploy to take Nadir out early, gluing her eyes to Blake's fight against Reese, watching with baited breath as Yang helped the boy who had replaced Weiss fight Arslan. Watching the blow that ended the match, once and for all, had caused a familiar sensation to well up inside of her, jubilation. At that moment, Weiss had nearly surrendered to the impulse to jump up and cheer.

But then reality had come crashing back down on her, as the post-match analysis and commentary began. It wasn't _her_ team that had triumphed. It wasn't Team WBY, or even Team RWBY. It was Team _RUBY_ , the new team, with Ruby Rose once again at the helm, with an unfamiliar faunus boy standing beside her as a partner, instead of Weiss. That was when it had truly begun to sink in that her former team wasn't merely getting along without her...they were _thriving_. That had become especially apparent as she thought back on the match itself, seeing a level of coordination and skill from her lost friends that they hadn't remotely reached, back when Weiss had been running the show.

Team RUBY and Ruby herself were just fine without her...and that was what made Weiss feel truly disgusted; not just with Ruby, but with herself as well. Her memory dredged up Winter's painful admonishment that, ultimately, it was her fault she was in this detention center...her fault and no one else's. Weiss didn't want to believe that. She would have been happy to continue to blame Ruby for not dying when she was supposed to, and coming back to ruin everything.

But Winter had made it clear that that logic wouldn't fly. She held Weiss responsible, condemned her for the act of killing Ruby and, at some point, Weiss realized that certain things, points Winter had made, were true, like the fact that Weiss would have never owned up to what she had done to Winter.

What she'd been forced to confront the most was the realization of how wrong she might have been about Ruby Rose. Weiss had always seen her as an immature brat who could wield a weapon competently, and occasionally showed some degree of insight and intelligence. But the Ruby on the screen had been a dynamic leader, executing a well-planned strategy, designed to work around the numerous unknowns that had filled the match. She'd demonstrated remarkable skill and brilliant teamwork, even with the teammates who weren't her partner.

Granted, part of that was thanks to how Ruby had matured on her journey back to Vale. Part of Weiss figured that _she_ deserved accolades for putting Ruby in a position to grow so much...except that that hadn't been her intention at all. Ruby should have _never_ come back to Vale, never should have learned a thing, or grown a single bit. She should have been a rotting corpse on the forest floor, savaged by Grimm, and gradually forgotten by the world, while Weiss herself marched forward to greatness. No, Weiss didn't deserve any praise for Ruby's growth.

"You okay?" asked Roman, noticing Weiss hadn't said anything in response to his previous words.

"Not really," admitted Weiss, feeling a little miffed at how easily it had gotten to talk to the thief.

Granted, as her only real conversation partner, Weiss had little choice, as she was hardly able to talk to anyone else. There were the guards, who restricted their interactions with her to the bare minimum. No one except Winter was apparently inclined to visit her and, now that her father had cut her off, Weiss didn't exactly have anyone she could call over the CCT either.

Of course, part of the reason was that Roman's behavior towards her had changed somewhat. When he'd first shown up in the cell next to hers, his only conversational interest appeared to be needling her for the sake of getting a reaction. However, lately, he'd actually provided more substantive conversation. He'd even stopped calling her "Ice Queen," most of the time. And now, here they were, sitting on the couch, watching the tournament together, like...friends, almost.

"So why do you watch this?" asked Roman, gesturing to the screen, where a reporter was now taking in audience reactions to the match.

"Part of me was hoping I'd get to see them lose," Weiss admitted. "The other part of me..." She shrugged.

"Starting to feel that guilt a bit more, eh?" asked Roman.

"Of-" Weiss cut herself off, mid-denial. Was that what this was, this strange, ill feeling swimming around in her gut that she hadn't been able to put a name to before? Was she feeling guilt over what she'd done?

Granted, she had felt _some_ guilt before Ruby's return, namely guilt at the realization that she'd deliberately placed her teammates in danger in order to cement her chance to take Ruby's life. But that had been incidental to an action she'd felt was the right one to take in the first place. But now...was she beginning to feel guilty for the act itself?

Weiss shook her head furiously, trying to fight down that feeling. She didn't deserve this: the disgrace of being imprisoned, disowned by her own family, being punished for having the spine to do what was necessary to cement her future as the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. And it was all Ruby Rose's fault.

Everyone loved Ruby, it seemed. Everyone praised her, admired her, respected her...for no reason that Weiss would admit. Ruby Rose was a naive, privileged, impulsive child; who'd had what other people had worked themselves to the bone to achieve handed to her on a silver platter. Everyone seemed to think she could do no wrong, including Winter, it now seemed. She'd even stolen the respect and regard of Weiss' own sister.

Except that Weiss was beginning to realize that this silent fuming was no more than the mental equivalent of blowing hot air (ironic, considering her most popular nickname). But she didn't know what else to do. She'd done all she could to mitigate her sentence. She would be stuck in this detention center for years. When she finally emerged, she would have nothing: no family, no inheritance, no friends, no respect...no future. She'd trained as a Huntress, but her conviction would ensure that she would never be permitted to possess, much less hold or wield, a weapon for the rest of her life. She'd gained some fame for her singing. But no one was likely to attend the concerts of a woman convicted for attempted murder. Right now...it seemed that all she had was her hatred. If she gave that up...what else would there be for her?

 _Maybe...that's what I need to figure out,_ mused Weiss, staring up at the screen.

* * *

 **And so begins the Vytal Festival Tournament, the longest arc of the story, taking up nearly half of the story on its own. Naturally, I looked at this as an opportunity to expand upon what we see of both the festival and the tournament in the show. However, my biggest influence for this arc is College Fool's _A Knight of Lancaster or Something_. While my storyline doesn't involve a succession struggle for the throne of Vale (something that doesn't exist in my setting), what I _did_ take away from College Fool's work was the idea of the Vytal Festival as an extremely _public_ affair, something that doesn't really come up in the show itself, except near the end of Volume 3, when Cinder's plan kicks into gear and that aspect becomes weaponized against our heroes.**

 **We're talking about students performing in a tournament, in front of an audience of thousands, that is being broadcast across the entire world after all. So it stands to reason that actions in the ring would have consequences outside of it. As they advance through the tournament, participating students can wind up as minor celebrities. So my story has quite a bit of focus on public reactions and media coverage, amongst other things. Since that also goes hand-in-hand with Cinder's overall plan as well, it's important.**

 **While I'll be expanding on the tournament as a whole, you don't have to worry about being bogged down by a recounting of every single match. I'll only be focusing on the ones that have a direct impact on the storyline. On top of that, in order to, hopefully, avert arc-fatigue, this arc is broken down into smaller arcs, namely one for each round of the tournament.**

 **And, of course, the meta-plot is gonna be kicking into gear. So there's gonna be action, intrigue, and even a pair of shrimp for good measure. Look forward to it.**

 **Until next chapter...**


	81. Chapter 81

**Chapter 81:**

"Ms. Rose, how do you feel about your first victory in the Vytal Festival Tournament?" asked Lisa Lavender, who, much to Ruby's relief, had been the reporter to enter their ready room to perform the post-match interview.

The interview itself was largely meant to be an informal thing, with Lisa intending to get a basic idea of the participants' takes on the match. Ironically, it was probably the losers of the match who would provide the more interesting interview, as Ruby's response to Lisa's question demonstrated.

"Uh...Pretty good," she said, scratching her head, trying to keep a polite smile on her face. Unfortunately, Ruby was not Pyrrha Nikos, undisputed master of the polite smile, which had fooled countless people into believing that former champion enjoyed being on stage, and at the center of everyone's attention.

"And what are your thoughts about the match?" pressed Lisa.

Ruby blinked. "Well...everything went pretty much as planned. I wanted our strategy to be fairly basic, so that it could be flexible. It essentially boiled down to taking someone on the other team out as fast as possible and then overwhelming the rest with numbers."

"When we interviewed members of the audience, a few people thought that such an approach was somewhat...underhanded," noted Lisa.

Ruby nodded, remembering watching those brief impressions while she and Blake had waited for Gin and Yang to finish their showers (Gin was in and out in about five minutes, but Yang had taken a solid twenty). "I can understand them thinking that. But the important thing to remember is that this is a team battle. A friend of mine once said that a four-on-four battle isn't the same thing as having four one-on-one battles. If we're going to take the field as a team, then it's to show how well we can fight together, _as_ a team, not how each of us can can handle an individual opponent."

"Very true," said Lisa. "And...what are your thoughts on the other team and their performance?"

Ruby's eyebrow twitched. It was a tricky question. It meant picking apart how the other team had lost the battle, versus how her own had won it. It was a potential minefield of remarks that could be taken as unsportsmanlike, if she gave anything that could be interpreted as looking down on the other team. Had it been anyone _but_ Lisa (who had gracefully informed Ruby in advance that this would be one of the questions), Ruby would have assumed she was being baited in an effort to make her trash-talk the opposition.

"Well...there's not a lot to say about Nadir and Bolin. I feel sorry that we didn't give them a chance to show what they could do. That was part of the point, to _not_ give our opponents a chance to fight in their comfort zones. When I saw that the primary mode of Nadir's weapon was a rifle, I figured he'd hang back and provide support-fire from the rear, which was why we made him our first target. After that, Yang and I ganged up on Bolin and didn't give him much of a chance either."

"Reese definitely has one of the more creative weapons I've ever seen," added Blake, speaking for the first time in the interview, which came as something of a surprise to Ruby, given that Blake liked the limelight even less than she did, and for even more legitimate reasons than Ruby's own. "I think that worked both for and against her."

"What do you mean?" asked Lisa.

"Her weapon is fairly unique," explained Blake. "And she was very skilled in all the ways she wielded it, which shows she trained hard to master it. Fighting it was...difficult.

"But, at the same time, I think that relying on such an unusual weapon caused Reese to neglect things, like the nature of her environment, and how that would affect how she'd have to move and fight. On top of that, even though she could practically fly, she seemed to forget to think in three dimensions at times."

Ruby nodded, remembering how she'd gotten the drop on Reese, by attacking from above.

"I see," said Lisa, turning towards Gin and Yang. "And what about your fight with Team Auburn's leader?"

"She's seriously tough," said Yang. "I would've been pretty hard-pressed on my own."

"She had good command, both of her unarmed technique and her weapon," added Gin. "When she added her Dust-manipulation skills to the mix, she's a formidable fighter. It didn't help that the terrain really worked in her favor, and that she made really good use of it."

"And what factors enabled your victory?" asked Lisa.

"Divide and conquer, basically," said Gin. "Although, in this case, I'm referring to Arslan's attention. By falling back and setting up for a big move, I focused her attention on me. She was so intent on not getting caught by my attack that she didn't spare enough focus on Yang, which set her up to get knocked off-balance. After that, it became a matter of getting her out of the ring."

"Most impressive," commented Lisa. "So you believe Auburn performed commendably?"

"I think they did the best they could, under the circumstances," said Ruby, who decided not to say that it had looked like ABRN hadn't put much thought into a strategy of their own, instead deciding to play things almost completely by ear. She suspected that was a default approach for many of the teams participating. Likely, ABRN would clue in to that particular fact, without needing her, or anyone else, to point that out to them.

"And what of your future matches, now that you're advancing?" asked Lisa.

"Well...we haven't decided who were sending on to the doubles round yet," said Ruby. "Our strategy will depend on who we pick."

"We might wait until the team matches are over, so that we know our full pool of potential opponents," added Yang.

"I see," said Lisa. "That being said, do you know who you intend to send on to the finals?"

"Ruby, of course," said Blake.

"Well then, I wish you luck during your future matches," said Lisa.

The cameraman stopped recording. "That's a wrap," he said.

Ruby sighed and slumped down in relief.

"You did wonderfully," Lisa encouraged her with a warm smile. Already, the crew were packing up and getting ready to move on with their interview of Team ABRN in the other ready-room.

"Thanks for not asking about...you know..." said Ruby, tapping her index fingers together nervously.

"Of course I wouldn't," said Lisa. "That's a separate matter. Covering your performance in the tournament is far more important now."

"Thank you," said Ruby, beaming.

"I know it's a little unprofessional and biased of me," said Lisa, "but I really do wish you the best."

With that, she and her crew left.

"Well, we've still got some time before we have to turn the ready-room over," said Yang. "Want to hang for a bit and watch what Auburn says about us?"

"I just hope they aren't bad sports," said Blake.

"Nah, they seem pretty chill," said Yang with a laugh.

"I wonder when January will get to fight," mused Ruby, settling back onto the couch, Gin sitting next to her.

"No telling," said Blake with a shrug. "The matches are set at random. There are supposed to be four today."

Unlike most of their sparring matches during Combat Class, matches in the Vytal Festival Tournament had no set time-limit. Ideally, there would be four matches a day, thus ending the first round of the tournament in four days, as the thirty-two participating teams were narrowed down to sixteen for the next round. However, depending on how long matches dragged on for, and accounting for the time needed to set things for the next match, it might not be possible to get through all four matches in a single day. When she'd been reading up on the history of the tournament, Ruby had read about one match that had gone on for a whole _six hours_ , before finally being resolved.

There was a knock at the door. With a tired groan, Yang got up to answer it, wondering who was bothering them during the precious downtime they had to enjoy the ready-room's amenities.

However, her irritation vanished when she saw who was at the door. Jaune and Sun stood there, both of them bearing bouquets of flowers.

"A gift for the victorious maidens," said Jaune, giving Yang a bundle of yellow roses.

"Awwwww, thanks," cooed Yang, accepting her gift with a giggle, giving Jaune a peck on the lips.

In the meantime, Sun went and knelt dramatically before Blake, holding up his gift of beautiful belladonna lilies. "To my dark and broody goddess," he intoned with all dramatic flair.

"Dork," grunted Blake, rolling her eyes. The blush on her cheeks indicated that she was actually pleased with Sun's overtures. Taking the flowers, she smelled them and held onto the bouquet as her boyfriend settled in at her side.

"Wow," said Ruby, giving Gin a sidelong glance and a teasing smile, "if only my boyfriend could be so romantic."

Gin merely smirked. "But I already have the most lovely rose in the Kingdom right at my side," he replied, wrapping an arm around Ruby's shoulders and pulling her close. Giggling, Ruby leaned her head onto his shoulder.

Yang squealed. "Where'd you learn to sweet-talk like that?" she asked.

"Your boyfriend's been giving me tips," said Gin, pointing lazily at Jaune, who grinned proudly.

"Sweet-talk advice from Jaune..." said Blake skeptically. "...and it worked. Color me impressed."

"Hey, don't talk down about my boyfriend's silver tongue," Yang protested jokingly. "He says some pretty nice things, sometimes."

"But mostly stuff so cheesy, it makes me want to reach for a bowl of macaroni," Blake countered.

Yang looked at Jaune, who was clearly hoping she would keep defending his ladykiller skills. Instead, she sighed in defeat. "She's not wrong."

"My heart," groaned Jaune, slumping, while the others laughed.

"You guys just wanted to use the boyfriend excuse to spend more time in the ready-room," accused Ruby, pointing a finger at Jaune, before moving it to Sun...and then back to Jaune. "Admit it!"

"Well, this place is pretty swank," said Sun, folding his arms behind his head and leaning back. "Who _wouldn't_ want to find an opportunity to spend more time here?"

"Well, I'm not gonna complain," said Yang, leaning into Jaune, who wrapped his arms around her.

"Loved your interview by the way," said Jaune, rubbing one hand up and down Yang's forearm.

"I was a bit surprised you said anything," said Sun, looking directly at Blake, even as he trailed his fingers through her ebony locks. "I'd figure you'd want to keep a low profile, given...you know..." He waved his free hand in a vague gesture.

Blake sighed and tucked her head up against Sun's shoulder. "I thought about it," she said. "But it seems a moot point, really. I _am_ fighting in the Vytal Festival Tournament after all. Even if I didn't say anything during the interview, I fought for an audience of millions, if we include those watching the broadcasts. My name and face were plastered across the screens in the arena. Port and Oobleck must have said it half a dozen times over the course of this match alone. Keeping a low profile is pretty much hopeless at this point."

"You think...Adam...saw it?" asked Sun warily.

"Oh, I _know_ he did," said Blake. "And he's probably furious too."

"Yeah, well he can choke on it," said Yang with a derisive snort. "From what you told us, he's a total jerk."

"A jerk commanding an army of fanatical faunus-supremacists," said Gin. "Granted, if seeing you in the tournament were to goad him into doing something, it would definitely be running against whatever overall plan they're a part of, so it would probably be to our advantage."

"It'll be fine," said Ruby, smiling at Blake. "We're all standing by you."

"Of course," agreed Blake, relaxing in Sun's embrace.

* * *

They chatted a while longer, then tuned in when the interview between Lisa and the members of Team ABRN ran. As they'd hoped, ABRN appeared to be taking their defeat well enough, without too much bitterness. Arslan, in particular, had nothing but praise for RUBY and their well-laid strategy, as well as the individual skills of her two opponents. She'd even noted that a major failure of her team was not having a more proactive strategy of their own, beyond establishing their basic formation. The two boys of the team, Nadir in particular, were despondent that they'd been taken out so early on.

Reese was the only one who seemed particularly incensed, mainly with what Blake had said about her. _"That broody chick is dissing my style...!"_ She was swiftly silenced by a swat to the back of her head from Arslan, who did concede that Reese's work on mastering her highly unconventional weapon had left her somewhat hamstrung in terms of more general skills.

All told, there were no ill feelings between ABRN and RUBY, with the former not begrudging the latter their victory. Arslan even went so far as to wish RUBY luck in their future matches.

By the time the interview had concluded, the time RUBY had to use the ready-room was nearly up. They began to gather their things to vacate, when another knock sounded at the door. Wondering if the cleanup crew had come earlier than they'd expected, Ruby opened the door a little hesitantly. "Hello?"

It wasn't the coliseum staff. Instead, it was an older gentleman of slender build, with graying hair combed towards one side of his head, and his nose decorated with a thick mustache, its ends stretching out past his lips and curled slightly upwards. He was dressed in a black suit, with silver lining along the hems, looking immaculate and perfectly clean, as though he'd just walked out of a dry-cleaner. Everything about the man's look practically screamed "butler."

"Greetings," said the man in a reedy voice, bowing politely as Ruby opened the door a little wider. "I have come in search of Ms. Ruby Rose."

"Th-that's me," said Ruby, a bit nervous at being addressed so formally, especially by someone she'd never seen before.

"Ah," said the butler, his grayish-blue eyes (nearly the same shade as Ayumu's) widened slightly, before returning to their normal state. "I apologize for intruding. I have been asked to convey my Young Master's compliments to you, Ms. Rose...and to deliver an invitation."

"Invitation...?" Ruby blinked in confusion.

The butler reached into his suit-jacket with a white-gloved hand, withdrawing an envelope, bearing a very familiar-looking snowflake sigil on the back of it. "Young Master Whitley sends his regards to you, and hopes that you will join him for a pleasant dinner. He hopes that it will, at least partly, serve as redress for the wrongs his sister has done you."

"His sister...?" Ruby blinked again, more furiously this time as she began to line up the things the butler had been saying. "Wait! This Whitley-person is Weiss' brother?"

That provoked startled exclamations from her friends, who had been listening from further in the room. Yang began to move forward, preparing to tell the butler _where_ he could stick his invitation, only to be restrained by Gin, Sun, and Jaune, the latter clamping his hand firmly across Yang's mouth. Before she could struggle free, Blake quickly wrapped Yang in Gambol Shroud's ribbon to further bind her.

"That is correct," said the butler, inclining his head in the smallest of nods. "Master Whitley wishes to assure you that he bears no ill will towards you, and that he holds the deepest of sympathies and regrets for what his sister has done to you. This gesture, while rather small, is in hope of making at least partial amends for that."

"I...see..." said Ruby, taking the envelope from the butler with a pensive frown, not sure what to think...or do, for that matter. "I don't think that's really necessary. I know that...um...Whitley isn't responsible for what Weiss did. He doesn't have to make up for it."

"Even so, he wishes to meet you all the same," said the butler. "He understands that you have a great many claims to your time, and he has no wish to infringe upon your time to enjoy the festival with your friends and family. As such, he has proposed dinner for this Saturday evening, if such a time is acceptable for you."

"C-can I think about it?" asked Ruby.

"Of course," said the butler. "Master Whitley did understand that receiving such an unexpected invitation would require some time for thought, another reason why he has scheduled it for Saturday evening. He has expressed his hopes that you will accept, but also sends his understanding, should you choose to decline. The written invitation includes a scroll contact you can use to inform us of your decision."

"All right," said Ruby, bobbing her head at the butler. "Thank you."

"You are quite welcome, Ms. Rose," said the butler, crossing his right arm over his chest and bowing formally. "Again, I apologize for intruding, and bid you good day."

With that, he turned and walked away, his posture straight and his stride measured. Ruby watched him go, before turning her gaze back down to the envelope.

"You okay?" asked Gin, resting light fingers against Ruby's arm, gently drawing her back into the ready-room.

"Y-yeah," said Ruby.

"You look a little shaken," said Blake, unbinding a livid Yang, who was still shouting through Jaune's hand over her mouth.

"I _feel_ a little shaken," said Ruby, still staring at the envelope. "I really wasn't expecting something like this." She was barely conscious of Gin guiding her back to her seat. Making her sit down, he moved behind her and rested a cool hand over her forehead, making her sigh and relax.

"Who is this Whitley guy anyway?" demanded Yang, finally released by Blake, Jaune, and Sun.

"I remember him from that press conference Weiss' father held," said Blake. "Whitley Schnee is the current heir to the Schnee Dust Company. Weiss' father gave him that position after Weiss' crimes became public...and she was disowned."

"Wow...no love lost in that family, huh?" mused Sun.

"The Schnees are cold," said Blake, a bitter tone to her voice. "They're calculating and scheming, and would throw their own blood to the wolves, if it would profit them."

"That's not entirely true!" interrupted Ruby quickly, startling everyone by speaking up so suddenly. "Winter was really nice."

"She also got disinherited first, by going into the military," said Blake. "That's how Weiss ended up as the heiress, before she blew it."

"Sounds like their _dad_ is the real jerk," said Jaune. "I mean...aside from the whole Weiss trying to murder Ruby thing," he added quickly, when Yang growled at his previous statement. "But it looks like he won't hesitate to cut people out if they can't be useful to him."

"That pressure might have been a factor behind why Weiss did what she did," mused Gin. "Not that it matters."

"What should I do?" asked Ruby, looking down in the envelope.

Gin shrugged. "Well, no harm in reading the invitation," said Gin. "You have time to think it over, and decide whether or not to accept it."

"All right," said Ruby, tucking the invitation away into a pocket. "I guess we should make ourselves scarce, before the staff evict us."

"That would be a good idea," said Blake.

They gathered their things and took their leave of the ready-room. Heading down the coliseum's hallways, Ruby's mind kept going back to the envelope and its contents, wondering why Weiss' brother, of all people, would want anything to do with her.

* * *

"Ooh! That last one looked like it hurt!" declared Oobleck, wincing as the match-ending blow was delivered. "With that, Team Crimson will be moving onto the next round."

"Hmm..." mused Ayumu, watching the victorious team striding out of the ring.

"Hey, isn't that the girl you fought during your combat assessment?" asked Nora, pointing at the green-haired Emerald.

"It is," agreed Ayumu. However, he barely even glanced at Emerald. Instead, his eyes were fixed upon the fourth member of the team, a black-haired girl, with said hair tied into twin-tails. She was wearing a black, gothic-looking dress, and sported a pair of green eyes. Most notably, her stature was considerably shorter than the other members of her team. Ayumu's eyes would leave her occasionally, gliding to look at the silver-haired Mercury and the raven-haired Cinder, before returning to the shorter girl again.

Ayumu abruptly stood up from his seat. "Excuse me, I need to go see to something," he said.

"Of course," said Ren.

"We'll catch ya later," added Nora.

Ayumu chuckled as he headed away from the pair. No one could really quite their finger on when it had happened, but, at some point, the balance had most assuredly tipped in Ren and Nora's relationship. They had finally become a couple, "Together-together," as Nora had helpfully put it. They had settled into their relationship so calmly and naturally that, to all but the most-detailed observation, it would seem that almost nothing had changed. It was generally the little things that gave them away: the way their hands gravitated towards one another's more frequently, the way Nora's manner calmed around Ren, the way Ren seemed ever-so-slightly more passionate in Nora's vicinity, and the fact that they continually looked for excuses to be alone together. Ayumu generally didn't begrudge them that last one and, on this occasion, was glad to give them said excuse.

He descended a few levels of the coliseum's structure, down into the areas that were open only to the staff and the tournament participants. At the same time, he mused that he probably should have had more of a plan.

It hadn't been hard to recognize Neo in her disguise, not after meeting her in said disguise at the dance. More importantly, seeing her in the company of her team had given Ayumu critical information. He now knew who Neo's "compatriots," the people she worked with and for at Beacon, were...in part at least. There was no telling if it was limited to just this one team, or if there were other infiltrators amongst the visiting students.

It didn't surprise Ayumu in the slightest to see Emerald Sustrai amongst those who were now the prime suspects. When he'd been fighting her during the Combat Assessment, Ayumu had gotten the impression that Emerald had been fighting primarily to assess his capability. In light about what they had learned about the mysterious enemy plotting against Beacon, it seemed apparent that Ruby Rose, and those close to her, would be of particular interest to the enemy, especially after they had derailed the White Fang operation in Mountain Glenn.

Before, besides Neo, the identity of those enemies had been unknown. But now Ayumu now had both names and faces. _Cinder Fall...Mercury Black...Emerald Sustrai..._ The question was _what_ to do with this information.

The wisest course, he supposed, was to go to Ozpin. He wasn't sure how much he could say, before he wound up breaching Neo's trust. But knowledge of who the primary conspirators in Beacon might be was priceless, considering what could very well be in the works. That was the main reason why he wanted to see if he could speak to Neo again. Perhaps there might be a way to convince her to come with him to deliver this information to Ozpin, the beginnings to helping her and, by proxy, Roman Torcwhick out of this mess.

And so, Ayumu stepped around into a hallway, where he had a clear view of the ready-room that Team CMSN was using at the end of the match. He could be waiting for a while, depending on how long it took before they began the post-match interview, and how long the team decided to enjoy the ready-room's amenities before they left.

Ayumu found a cross-corridor, presumably leading out of the stadium, and settled behind the corner of it, letting the awareness of his _Shingan_ extend out to remain aware of what was happening around the ready-room door, without even needing to actually look at the room in question. From there, he took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. With it, he allowed his awareness to bleed away, along with his sense of self, reducing his presence down to next to nothing. In this state, he was virtually unnoticeable. Of course, it would have helped if he'd had something to conceal himself visually, like Gin's _Shingetsu_. But this was the next-best thing.

In a little less than an hour, Lisa Lavender and her crew arrived to conduct the interview. Emerald greeted them at the door. The interview itself must have been fairly brisk, as Lisa and her people were out in less than half an hour. Another few minutes passed, before the door opened again.

Emerald and Mercury left together, chatting somewhat smugly about the looks on their opponents' faces. After another minute, the door opened again, and Cinder stepped out. As she made contact with Ayumu's awareness, her presence brushing against the reach of his _Shingan_ , Ayumu bit back a gasp, barely managing to maintain his subdued presence.

There, embedded in Cinder's Aura, was a familiar presence, a sort of energy, something that Ayumu could only define because he had encountered it before...magic...specifically, the magic of the Fall Maiden. This woman, then, was the one who had attacked Amber before. More than that, there was something about her that made the hairs on the back of Ayumu's neck stand on end. There was a strange darkness clinging to the Maiden's magic within Cinder, something Ayumu couldn't quite place...something familiar.

Ayumu monitored Cinder with his senses as she walked away, tracking her until he was certain she had left. Finally, Ayumu carefully made his way to the ready-room, and gently knocked on the door. After a moment of silence, it opened with a click, and he found himself staring into the green eyes of Neo, in her disguise.

"Hello," said Ayumu cheerfully as Neo blinked up at him, her mouth hanging open in unspoken shock, "I came to congratulate you on your match. Would you care to spend some time with me?"

Neo glanced back and forth down the corridor with a nervous gaze. Then she quickly grabbed Ayumu's forearm and yanked him into the ready-room, shutting the door behind them.

"Is everything all right?" asked Ayumu, a bit worried by Neo's furtive behavior, as she leaned against the door, panting from what might have been a minor panic attack.

Finally, she swallowed and pulled out her scroll, tapping at it for a few seconds. Finally, she turned it around so that Ayumu could see what she had typed on the screen. " _Have to be careful. Cameras can see us._ "

"Meaning that someone is able to use the security cameras, _besides_ the ones meant to be using them," said Ayumu.

Neo nodded.

"Meaning that there are others, aside from your teammates."

Once again, Neo nodded.

"I see," said Ayumu. "Do you think they saw me?"

Neo shook her head. She tapped at her scroll again. " _As long as I do my job, they don't think about me._ "

"Well, that's advantageous," said Ayumu. "And I presume the woman, who looks considerably older than the others, with the orange eyes and black hair, is the employer of both you and Mr. Torchwick."

Neo's eyes widened. But, after a moment's hesitation, she nodded again.

"That makes sense," said Ayumu. "Now we have names and faces to put to them." He paused. "But that's a matter for later. I have a question for you, Ms. Neo."

Neo swallowed visibly.

Ayumu smiled and rested a light hand on her shoulder. "How have you been?" he asked.

Blinking, Neo inhaled sharply, producing an audible gasp. Just that one, simple question, a sincere expression of concern for her wellbeing, in the midst of these horrible circumstances, was enough to shake her to her core. She'd been raised and taught to believe that kindness and compassion were weaknesses to be exploited. Not so long ago, there would have been only one person whose concern could move her. But that person was out of reach now. Looking up at Ayumu, she saw nothing but care and warmth in his eyes.

Unable to restrain herself, Neo threw herself at the boy, who caught her in his arms, and wrapped her in a tight hug, settling onto the couch with Neo on his lap. A flickering line of light climbed Neo's body, her disguise dissolving and leaving her usual look in its place. Ayumu merely held her, combing his fingers through her hair.

"You've held it in for a long time, haven't you?" he asked.

Neo nodded against him.

On impulse, Ayumu tilted his face down, and kissed the crown of Neo's head, making her twitch, before she relaxed against him with an almost soundless sigh. They sat there in silence for a while, marking the time until the staff came to clean out the ready-room, wanting to make the best use of it they could.

Finally, Ayumu reluctantly brought the tender moment to an end. "Ms. Neo, I'm afraid I have to broach an unpleasant topic."

He felt Neo tense in his arms, before she looked up at him with her mismatched gaze, pink and brown irises switching with a blink.

"I know the names and faces of at least some of those responsible for what is happening in Vale now," said Ayumu. "And the reason I know them is because I know you, your disguise. Before long, I will need to take this information to Ozpin."

Neo blinked again. This time, when her eyes opened, the irises had turned a pale, off-white color, going wide with fear at the same time.

"Unfortunately, we have to fight this battle," said Ayumu. "We won't let those people have their way with Vale, whatever that way may be. The real question is where that leaves you."

Neo shivered, prompting Ayumu to run a hand up and down her arm.

"There are any number of options you could take," said Ayumu. "If you truly fear that woman, and whoever else might be with her, it might well be in your best interests to try and stop me. You have a better chance than most."

Once again, Neo's jaw hung slack, the girl dumbfounded by Ayumu's blithe acknowledgement of that possibility.

"Another option is to simply run," said Ayumu. "While I imagine that option has its appeal, it would entail abandoning Mr. Torchwick to his fate, which would most definitely be final, in the wake of your abandonment."

Neo's skin paled considerably at the idea.

"A third option...is to help me...help us," continued Ayumu. "Come with me to deliver this information to Ozpin. Let us turn things on their head, and put a stop to your employer's plans."

Neo went rigid at the suggestion.

"I know it sounds farfetched," admitted Ayumu. "I can't even assure you that we will succeed. Should we fail, then your betrayal would be the final nail in Mr. Torchwick's coffin. Furthermore, even if you cooperate, I can't guarantee that it would help Mr. Torchwick's current situation, save for the fact that it would ensure that your employer would not kill him."

Neo's gaze lowered and she stared at her lap for a long moment.

"I imagine that there are still a number of blanks, concerning the when and how of your employer's operation," said Ayumu. "However, I can guess that, whatever they aim to do, they will implement it during the festival, likely while the tournament is still in progress."

Not looking up at him, Neo nodded.

"Given the nature of what they've done so far, I'm guessing that they will want to put their plan into effect when it will have the greatest impact," continued Ayumu. "So that would imply that, whatever they are up to, it will most likely take place during the tournament finals, when the audience's engagement is at its highest."

Again, Neo nodded.

"I thought so," said Ayumu. "Then...I will take a risk for you, Ms. Neo."

That brought a surprised look from her.

Ayumu beamed back at her. "I will defer going to Ozpin, until the end of the doubles matches. After that, I will take what I know, and what I might learn in the meantime, to him, regardless. If you choose to, you can accompany me. Or you can avail yourself of one of the other two options...or even an option I haven't considered, if one occurs to you. The choice will be yours."

Neo's mouth worked silently.

"I would do that for you," said Ayumu, tracing his fingers over her cheek. "I see in you someone worth helping...and not merely because I have a crush on you."

Neo's cheeks turned pink. Then she tilted her head down and sniffed.

"We don't have long left," said Ayumu, carefully dislodging her from his lap before standing up. "Before we part ways, I want to share something with you, a gesture of trust."

Neo looked up at him expectantly as Ayumu stepped back. "You fear your employer because she can do things you don't understand, invoke power that appears to be akin to...magic."

Neo nodded vigorously.

"We know the nature of her power, and how she came by it," explained Ayumu. "I'll show you something that you'll find similarly inexplicable, something that might change your mind over whether or not Ms. Fall really is too dangerous to oppose."

Clapping his hands together, Ayumu materialized his sword, drawing it slowly and deliberately, allowing Neo to see it form from his Aura, seeming to appear from thin air, as though drawn from an invisible sheath. Neo gaped unashamedly at the green blade as Ayumu whirled it through a few passes, before snapping it out to produce the sword's trademark ringing noise.

"This is _not_ magic," explained Ayumu. "It's not the same as Ms. Fall's power. This is an art of Aura, called materialization, that I was taught and have mastered for myself. Even _you_ could learn it, given time and dedication."

Neo gasped softly.

Ayumu brought the sword back to his hand, as though slipping it back into that invisible sheath again, causing it to vanish. "This is our trump card...in many senses. We have plans for unveiling the existence of this skill during the festival. However, it also serves as a secret weapon of sorts. Even when I am unarmed...I am never truly unarmed. The knowledge of that secret may well mean the difference between life or death, in this situation. If you turned this knowledge over to Ms. Fall, it might well be the sort of thing that could ensure her victory...and secure Mr. Torchwick's safety."

Neo's hands went to her mouth.

"I shared this with you...because I trust you," said Ayumu, smiling fondly at her, "but also to show you that, maybe, opposing this woman, Cinder Fall, is not the hopeless endeavor you might think it is. Please...consider your answer carefully...and contact me by the end of the last doubles match, on Thursday. I'll give you my contact information, if you want to do so by scroll." He tilted his head inquisitively. "Will you at least think it over?"

Neo nodded.

"All right then," said Ayumu. "I hope you agree, Ms. Neo."

He turned and headed to the door, opening it and stepping out, letting it close behind him, leaving Neo to her thoughts once again.

* * *

"I'm starving," groaned Ruby, ambling along with her team, accompanied by Jaune and Sun.

"Well, given where we are, I don't think we'll have any trouble finding a place to eat," commented Blake wryly.

"There's a great noodle stall a little ways down," said Yang.

"Awesome! Let's stuff ourselves!" said Ruby, bouncing up and down excitedly.

"You gonna join us?" asked Yang, looking between Jaune and Sun.

"Sure," said Jaune. "There's still one more match today, and no telling who'll be called, so we'll have to eat light."

"That's for sure," said Sun. "I don't want to end up puking in the middle of the match. That would ruin my dignity."

"You're assuming you had dignity to ruin," teased Blake.

"Hey!" protested Sun in mock-indignation.

The others laughed as they made their way towards the food stall in question. It was a noodle stand, run by a rather familiar-looking man who, nonetheless, proved to be a master of his craft, quickly supplying them with food. After a swift, but delicious meal; RUBY, Sun, and Jaune continued along to see more of the festival grounds. The matchups for the final match of the day were announced. Fortunately, neither JNAR nor SSSN were called, allowing the girls to spend the rest of the day with their significant others.

Ruby was contemplating where to go for dinner, wondering if they ought to head back and use the dining hall, so that they didn't spend more money. It wasn't a major decision. One of the perks of fighting entirely with Aura was that she wasn't spending her money on Dust or ammunition. As a result, the money supplied by her stipend had been piling up considerably, meaning that she had plenty to spend for the festival. The same was true of Gin, who'd had even fewer things to spend his money on than Ruby did (he _did_ just borrow the comics she bought after all).

She was distracted from her conundrum by a spike of bloodlust...aimed directly at her. Immediately, her senses went on alert, and Ruby extended her _Shingan_ to its limit, allowing her awareness to fill the space around her. Through that gestalt of her senses, she traced that sense of malice back to its source, finding that someone was lingering around the corner of a stall, several meters back...watching her intently.

Carefully, she edged a little closer to her boyfriend. "Gin..."

"I feel him too," Gin whispered back to her. "Just keep acting normal, for now. He's angry, but he doesn't seem committed. He might just back off."

Ruby inclined her head by the barest of increments, barely enough to be called a nod.

They walked a little farther, tracking Ruby's stalker as he shadowed them. Their other teammates and friends were distracted by their surroundings, though Ruby noticed a slightly tense set to Blake's shoulders that suggested that she was picking up on something as well.

For whatever reason, despite the fact that he seemed to have a serious grudge against her, Ruby's stalker remained at a distance, apparently hesitating to act on that grudge. Ruby frowned, considering her options. Whoever this person was, they were indecisive at the moment. Ignoring him until he tried something was the option they were currently practicing. However, Ruby was worried about what would happen, if they allowed him to follow her for too long.

They could start heading back towards Beacon. From the way he moved, Ruby could tell that this person had zero training as a Huntsman, which suggested he had no idea how to really fight. If that was the case, then he certainly wasn't a student. While the grounds were open to the public for the Vytal Festival, most of the Academy buildings were off limits. He wouldn't be able to follow Ruby into them. If he tried, then they could just call Beacon's security and let them handle it.

That seemed like the best option. Ruby was just about to start turning their group back towards the Academy, planning to suggest they have dinner in the dining hall that night, when she suddenly found herself in the center of a whirlwind.

Not a literal one, mind; rather, they were suddenly swarmed by a gaggle of excited people gathering around the group, Ruby herself in particular, shouting excitedly.

"It's her!"

"Ruby! Your match was awesome!"

"Where'd you learn those moves!?"

"Can I get your autograph!?"

Yang laughed loudly. "Whoa! You're a celebrity, Ruby!"

"Ah...Um...Uh..." Ruby hemmed and hawed, turning one way, then the other, trying to figure out how to respond to all the people suddenly crowding around her. Even under better circumstances, she would have been hard pressed to respond to all this excitement, centered on her. However, a feeling of worried panic welled up within her as, amongst all that excitement, she felt her stalker's animosity ratcheting up. Apparently, the sight of her being swarmed by fans, like a celebrity, was pushing him to the breaking point. Had it just been Ruby and her teammates (along with Jaune and Sun), she wouldn't have been worried. This person wasn't actually a threat to her. But with all these bystanders around...

She worriedly looked to Gin, wondering what he might think to do, only to see that he'd been pushed back by the crowd and was now at the edge, watching her. For only the briefest of seconds, Ruby wondered if she'd been abandoned, only to realize what he'd really done. That realization prompted her to calm, the bubble of panic welling up inside of her fading.

Her stalker's restraint was hanging by a thread. She wasn't sure what might set him off. However, she soon found out.

"I heard you beat Pyrrha Nikos!" someone shouted, opening his mouth to continue...except that appeared to be the trigger that set her stalker off.

"DIE, YOU BITCH!" screamed a man a few years older than her and her friends, in his mid-twenties, at least. Reaching inside his jacket, he drew out a pistol. It was a relatively cheap, low-level model, sold to civilians for self-defense. The rounds it fired were small-caliber at best. Of course, there was no telling just what kind of Dust-rounds had been loaded into that bullet. More importantly...

 _If he fires at me here,_ thought Ruby, her _Shingan_ taking in the position of all the civilians around her, _there's no telling who might get hit._ With such a crowd, landing a hit on her without harming any of the bystanders would have been a difficult accomplishment for even a skilled marksman. From the way the man's hand shook and the crooked manner he leveled his gun, not at her, but in her general direction, told her that he was anything but. He was going to fire wildly.

Or he would have, had Gin not planted his hand, silver scales already spreading over his palm like a metallic rash, right over the end of the barrel, blocking it completely. Gin's hand had warped and bent, seeming to refract and stretch through the air, before emerging in its true form from a spray of mist. Gin had looked like he was a good distance away. But Ruby's _Shingan_ had revealed the truth. Gin had actually positioned himself directly between her and the gunman, but used his _Suigetsu_ to make it look as though he was farther away. When the man had charged and drawn, all Gin had needed to do was reach out.

The man's eyes widened in surprise and panic...which only prompted him to squeeze the trigger anyway. It was likely he might not have even realized how strong Gin's scales were. There was a muffled pop, then an explosive crack. Red flames exploded from the action at the back of the gun, before several more similar explosions shredded the magazine in the pistol's grip. Unfortunately, that meant that the man's hand and fingers were burned by the Dust-generated flames, and shredded by the shrapnel from the bullets and the metal of his own weapon.

With an incoherent scream, the wild-eyed man released his grip on the pistol, his fingers crooked and bloody. The pistol itself fell to pieces, Gin releasing the shattered barrel. Not pausing, Gin stepped forward, his hand still smoking from the Dust discharge. He closed it around the wrist of the gunman's injured hand, stepping past him, then turning, wrenching the man's arm around behind his back painfully, and using his other hand to force the gunman to the ground in a submission hold.

At the same time the man had attacked, the people crowding around Ruby had tried to scatter, a few knocking themselves over in the panic. Fortunately, no one seemed to have been injured and, as soon as they realized that they weren't about to be caught in some madman's barrage, they calmed and began to approach again, but keeping a wary distance this time.

Ruby blinked, staring down at the man. It was hard to get a good look, pinned face-down like he was. But she could take in a few of his features. His black hair was long and unkempt, not from a conscious style choice, but because he clearly hadn't cared to take care of it recently. Likewise, there was a substantial stubble on his chin and cheeks. His jacket and pants looked relatively new, with only a little wear, but were stained and dirty.

Most importantly of all... "I don't know you," said Ruby, looking down at him.

That appeared to be enough to jar the man out of his agonized haze, and he twisted his head around as far as his neck around so that he could glare at her out of one eye. "D-damn, bitch!" he yelped, clearly being a hair's breadth away from breaking down in pained sobs. "H-how dare you destroy my goddess...my salvation...I'll make you pay!"

* * *

 **Well...that was a thing.**

 **The idea for a post-match interview came, quite naturally, from seeing similar things in relation to real-world sporting events. Granted, as someone who has pretty much zero-interest in professional sports, I've never really watched any of those, and actually find it annoying when they intrude onto regular news segments. I mean, you have a segment of your news broadcast dedicated entirely to sports, quit sticking that crap in where the important stuff is supposed to go. But I digress...**

 **Mostly, it gives me the opportunity to add additional unpacking, and reinforce the idea of the tournament as a major event, with the participants becoming more and more famous, as they advance through the rounds. You won't have to worry about a full interview after every match, but I did put them in where I thought they fit.**

 **And, of course, since at least _some_ of Ruby's fame is of the more-dubious kind, it's only natural that not all of the attention she attracts is good.**


	82. Chapter 82

**Chapter 82:**

"Dunstan Lin," said Glynda, tapping the interface on Ozpin's desk, bringing up a holographic profile of the man who'd just tried to shoot Ruby. "Age, twenty-four; resident of Mistral's lower-south district; occupation, retail associate at a local department store..."

Following the attack, Gin had kept the man subdued, while Ruby had asked her friends to manage the crowds to try and keep the disturbance to a minimum. Beacon security had arrived about three minutes later, along with medical personnel, who'd immediately moved to treat the man's hand, even as they restrained him. Dunstan had continued to writhe and scream, vacillating between incoherent cries of agony and threats of brutal retaliation, along with more than a few choice words about Gin, "faunus rat" being about the most charitable thing Dunstan had called him, before being carted away.

In the meantime, Team RUBY, along with Jaune and Sun, had been called to Ozpin's office to give their account of events. By the time they had arrived, Ozpin already had all the information available about Ruby's would-be assailant.

"Never mind that," groused Yang. "What made the bastard pull a gun on Ruby?"

"It sounded like he was a Pyrrha Nikos fanboy," said Sun. "Just another jerk violently upset that Ruby beat her, and exposed her for what she really is."

"Not entirely," said Glynda, not seeming too disturbed by the interruption. "He has a previous record in Mistral, mostly minor crimes. However, it was noted that he has a gambling addiction."

"So...he bet on Pyrrha to win the Vytal Festival Tournament or something?" asked Jaune.

"That's correct," said Glynda. "Actually, there's a bit more to it than that. It didn't take us long to get his history, because he'd caused a disturbance in Mistral, before leaving and reappearing in Vale. It appears that his gambling addiction had left him in serious debt. He'd been served a notice to settle, or his equivalent possessions, including his home, would be seized."

Ozpin picked up the thread of the story. "Various gambling establishments have been betting on the outcome of the Vytal Festival Tournament well in advance. Even several months prior to the tournament itself, several-million lien worth of bets have already been made regarding the champion and the placement. Already in debt, Mr. Lin decided to put everything he had on Pyrrha Nikos, betting on her to become the tournament champion."

"But then Ruby happened," said Blake.

"Correct," said Ozpin. "How such an unforeseen circumstance is processed depends on the establishment, including the degree to which they abide by the law or how much skill they have in _circumventing_ the law. At best, the bet is negated, and the wagered funds are returned to the bettors. At worst, it is treated as a losing wager, and claimed by the house. Even in the former case, that was of little help to Mr. Lin, as it did nothing to assuage his present indebted state."

"So he used what little money he had left to get a ticket to Vale, get himself a weapon, crash the Vytal Festival, and try to shoot Ruby because he held her responsible for his loss," said Gin.

"At present, that would seem to be the case," said Glynda.

"Disappointing really," said Ozpin. "After all, before her crimes were exposed, Ms. Nikos was one of the safest of safe bets for winning the tournament. With such odds, it was highly unlikely that he would have realized enough profit to eliminate his debts, even if he had won."

"That's just pathetic," groaned Yang.

"It's disgusting," grumbled Gin. "That gun was crap, and the rounds it had weren't anything to write home about. Even if he'd emptied the entire magazine into Ruby at point-blank range, it would have hardly made a dent in her Aura. But just whipping it out like that, there's no telling who might have been hit."

"Which is why we are most grateful to you, Mr. Ueno," said Ozpin firmly. "I'm glad that you acted to stop him in such a way that none of the rounds were actually fully discharged."

"Mr. Lin's hand is likely permanently injured from the blowback and the detonation of the rounds in his magazine," said Glynda. "But that is a fitting consequence, considering the harm he could have potentially done."

Ozpin noticed that Ruby's expression was pensive, sad even, as she stared at Dunstan's picture. "Ms. Rose...?"

Ruby blinked and shook her head. "Sorry," she said quickly. "It's just...it makes me a little sad."

"Sad?" asked Ozpin.

"Yeah," said Ruby. "His clothes were dirty, and he hadn't been taking care of himself. I think he spent the last of the money he had just getting here and getting that gun. He must have been sleeping on the streets. He probably hasn't eaten recently either. It's just...sad." She couldn't really think of another way to describe it.

"It is," agreed Ozpin. "People like him are not at their most rational, when backed into a corner, even if it was through submission to their own habits. Mr. Lin was not merely financially, but also emotionally invested in the outcome of Ms. Nikos' tournament performance. He most likely _did_ view her as a goddess of salvation, who could lift the burden of his debts from him. The fact that he is from Mistral probably means that part of that emotional investment comes from the adulation and status Ms. Nikos enjoyed as a celebrity. A slave to his addiction, and unable to rescue himself through conventional means, he transferred all his frustration and anger at his situation to you, however unfairly."

"Geez," muttered Yang. "I wonder how many more people are going to come after Ruby for that."

"Probably not many," said Ozpin, "if anymore at all. It might well be a different story, if the festival was being held in Mistral this year. However, even if they are angry, not many people would be so driven as to make the journey to a foreign Kingdom, simply to settle a grudge. We are still working out Mr. Lin's point of entry, and it might well be that he arrived illegally, as a stowaway, perhaps."

Sun coughed nervously, and affected a look of strained innocence, while Blake glanced at him sidelong with a deadpan expression.

"Ms. Nikos' conviction was months ago," continued Ozpin. "Such anger generally burns out in short order. As such, even if others were murderously enraged by the destruction of her reputation, it is unlikely that many, if any at all, would be able to maintain that anger long enough to go through the trouble of arranging a trip to Vale to act on that anger."

"In other words, even if they hate her, it's too inconvenient for them to go after her," commented Blake ruefully.

"Correct," said Glynda with a sigh. "I suppose we should be grateful for that, however idiotic these grudges might be."

"Is there anything else?" asked Ruby. They had already given Ozpin and Glynda their account of events.

"Nothing of great importance," said Ozpin, dismissing the hologram. "There was a request from the VPD, for Mr. Ueno to submit to questioning, regarding his handling of the situation. They expressed concerns about...excessive force."

"Excessive force, my ass!" exclaimed Yang, he hair lightening a shade, before a cough sounded, and her fury wilted beneath the force of Glynda's stern gaze.

"Probably because I'm a faunus," mused Gin, "and a dragon-faunus at that."

"Most likely," replied Ozpin with a disappointed sigh. "We've rejected their request, of course, along with an expression of our confidence in the veracity of your statement of events. Your status as Beacon students grants you provisional license to take action in the event of an emergency, like this one. The Vale Police Department is charged with handling the perpetrator in this case, but they do not have the authority to bring you in for questioning."

"Almost makes me wonder why they bothered," mused Gin idly.

Ozpin shrugged. "It isn't the first time they've tried something like this, to my disappointment. In her first year, Ms. Scarletina was accosted by hoodlums in Vale itself, and defended herself. Even though she made an effort to minimize injury to her attackers, she was still held in questioning for four hours, without being charged, before Ms. Adel retrieved her, threatening to bring down the entire station in the process."

"Oh..." Ruby blinked, thinking back to that day in the dining hall, where they'd seen Velvet set upon by Team CRDL. It had always been a question of _why_ she didn't fight back, even though she was obviously more than able to handle all four of the boys in a fight. But now Ruby could understand Velvet's reluctance to defend herself a bit better.

"That's awful," said Jaune.

"It is one of the issues that we continue to strive against," admitted Ozpin. "Unfortunately, as Headmaster of Beacon, I have little pull over how the Vale Police Department handles its own affairs, save for when said affairs involve my students.

"But that is a past matter. At this point, you need not worry about the police in Vale, Mr. Ueno. They shall have to content themselves with what they have, regarding the incident. I should warn you, however, that it is likely to make the news and bring you back into the spotlight for reasons other than your tournament performance, Ms. Rose."

"I was afraid of that," grumbled Ruby.

"While Beacon's grounds may be open for the purposes of the festival, reporters will be forced to leave, if they are disruptive," said Ozpin. "So that means you shouldn't have to be worried about being mobbed by questions. However, I suspect there might be a number of photographers looking to get pictures of you. Please be mindful of that, and try to be certain you aren't doing anything you wouldn't want the public to see on the front page."

"All right," said Ruby, shivering nervously at the idea.

"The rest of you are dismissed for the time being," said Ozpin. "Ms. Rose, I would like to talk with you a little more."

"A-all right," said Ruby, nodding politely.

It looked as though the others, Gin in particular, were wondering what else there was for Ozpin to grill Ruby about. However, Ruby sent them on ahead with a word.

After the elevator doors closed, Ruby looked back to Ozpin, who was smiling warmly at her. "What else is there, Professor?"

"Nothing at all, actually," admitted Ozpin. "But, since you were here already, I figured this would make a fine excuse to arrange for another opportunity for you to visit Amber. You haven't been able to see her since before you left for your break, have you?"

"No," said Ruby, immediately brightening up.

"Then, once your friends disembark down below, I will call up the elevator and take you to her."

"Thank you," said Ruby eagerly.

* * *

"So, what was that all about?" asked Sun as the group stepped off the elevator.

"Um...I'm not sure," admitted Blake, casting a worried look upwards.

"I don't think it's anything to be concerned over," said Gin, a sly smile on his face. "I think the professors wanted to talk to Ruby about seasonal matters."

"Seasonal...Oh!" Yang clapped her hands together. "Okay, I get it. No need to worry then."

"Um...Am I missing something?" asked Sun, looking between Blake and Jaune in confusion, getting the distinct impression that he was the only one here out of the loop.

"Don't worry about it," said Blake, patting Sun's shoulder.

"It's not a big deal," added Jaune.

"It's not a big deal, but I'm starting to get that it's something you can't tell me," muttered Sun.

"Sorry," said Blake. "It's something Professor Ozpin entrusted us with that we _aren't_ allowed to talk about."

"Well...I won't pry then," said Sun, with a sigh of resignation.

Blake kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

They were approaching the doors to the lobby, when they burst open to admit a flustered Nora, who nearly bowled Jaune over in her excitement. "Are you okay?!" she exclaimed, quickly grabbing Jaune and shaking him vigorously. "We heard what happened! It must have been so scary!"

"I-I-I-I'm fine," stammered Jaune, too busy trying to keep from ending up with whiplash to speak coherently.

"Calm down, Nora," said Ren, who'd arrived in his partner's wake. Ayumu was just a few seconds behind him.

Nora dropped Jaune, who had to lean against Yang to steady himself. "But where's Ruby? Don't tell me she's hurt!"

"She's fine," said Gin. "Ozpin and Goodwitch wanted to talk to her a little more."

"Oh! Okay," said Nora, relaxing immediately.

"Your partner never ceases to amaze me," Ayumu muttered to Ren, bemused by the sudden turn in Nora's emotions.

"That makes two of us," replied Ren, watching her with a fond smile.

"Come on," said Yang, pulling Jaune along behind her as she walked, "let's go get dinner."

* * *

Ruby joined her friends back in the dorms. Sun had returned to his team for the evening. Fortunately, Ruby had eaten with Amber, down in the Vault. Amber's recovery was coming along rapidly, and she looked ever more healthy and vibrant with each successive visit. It turned out she had watched Team RUBY's tournament match, and was ecstatic at their victory, praising Ruby for her accomplishment.

After that, Amber had begun to inquire into the state of affairs between Ruby and Gin, eager to learn if she'd made any progress. Reluctantly, Ruby showed Amber the video Yang had taken of her and Gin during the dance. For a second, she was worried that the resulting squeal on Amber's part would be audible aboveground.

Following on that, they mostly talked about mundane topics, such as what was on display during the Vytal Festival, and what Ruby could expect from future matches. Amber had participated in the tournament both times it had come around during her tenure at Beacon, though she and her team had never made it past the doubles round.

Amber clearly chafed at being stuck in this empty, underground shelter, while the festival took place over her head. Ruby could understand Amber's frustration, just as she could also understand the necessity. Vytal Festival or no, having Amber moving around in the open, with her attacker most likely somewhere in the vicinity of Beacon, was just asking for trouble.

Finally, with much reluctance, Ruby talked about the attempt on her life early that evening, which, ironically enough, had been what had enabled her to make this visit at all. Amber was appalled that someone would try to kill Ruby like that, and glad that Ruby had made it through the attack without being hurt, even if Ruby herself hadn't really been at risk.

After finishing her meal with Amber, Ruby had parted with her for the night, sharing one last hug with the Maiden, before taking the elevator back up.

* * *

"Well, now that we are all here, I have some news to deliver," said Ayumu cheerfully.

"What is it?" asked Ruby, looking up from where she was, on her bed, cuddled against Gin.

"I have discovered the identities of the main infiltrators," said Ayumu.

"WHAT?!" Everyone in the room, even Gin, was shocked by this revelation.

"How?" asked Jaune.

Ayumu beamed. "Well, knowing what Ms. Neo looks like in disguise, I noticed it when she acted as a member of a team from Haven, in the last match of the day, Team Crimson."

Pulling up his scroll, Ayumu brought up the team's profile.

"Hey, I recognize them, "said Yang.

"Emerald's the one that fought you during the Combat Assessment," noted Gin.

"That's what I noticed too," said Ayumu. "It appears that we were on their radar, even that far back."

"Well, with you coming fresh off stopping Torchwick in Mountain Glenn, I'm not surprised," said Blake.

"Agreed," said Ren.

"However, I believe the person of importance is this," said Ayumu, tapping the portrait of the team leader. "This is Cinder Fall, their team leader. She is, without a doubt, the one responsible for the attack on Ms. Amber."

"What?" gasped Ruby, horrified.

"How do you know?" Yang asked.

"I could sense the Maiden magic in her, when I investigated them after their match," answered Ayumu. "After sensing Ms. Amber's magic myself, there was no mistaking it. There was something else there as well, something unnatural, even allowing for things like magic."

"We've got to tell Professor Ozpin right away!" said Blake, shooting to her feet. "We can't allow them to get away with this for any longer than they already have."

"Ah...about that," said Ayumu, his smile now taking on a sheepish quality. "I am hoping that we could hold off on telling him a little while longer."

"Why?" gasped Blake. "This will change everything! There's no telling what these people might be up to, and we need to stop them right away!"

Her answer came, not from Ayumu, but from Gin, who sighed. "You're trying to win over Neo, aren't you?"

"Um...well...yes," said Ayumu, his cheeks coloring.

"H-how..." Blake, blinked, staring at Ayumu incredulously. "How could you be so selfish? There are thousands, if not millions of lives at risk, and you want to hold off on this...for some kind of twisted courtship."

"I wouldn't call it twisted," said Ayumu weakly.

"It's pretty twisted," countered Gin wryly.

"That's not good enough," said Blake, glaring at Ayumu. "This isn't something we can't afford to hesitate on. Professor Ozpin and the others _need_ to know about this _now_."

" _That's enough,_ " said Ruby firmly, the surprisingly commanding tone of her voice quickly draining the wind from Blake's sails.

"But-" protested Blake weakly.

"You're not wrong," said Ruby, smiling at Blake. "But Ayumu's not stupid. He knows that what he's suggesting is risky. But, even if he likes Neo, he wouldn't put the entire Kingdom in jeopardy, just for her."

"I would like to think not," said Ayumu.

"Then why?" asked Blake.

"Well, I'll admit that me wanting to provide Ms. Neo with a way out of her predicament is a definitive motivator," said Ayumu with a sigh. "But there's more to it than that. If we take this information to Professor Ozpin and the other members of his inner circle, I have little doubt that they will act upon it-"

"Particularly if Ironwood gets wind of it," groused Gin.

Ayumu nodded. "If they act now, there's every chance they might net those four, three of whom are likely core members of the conspiracy against the Kingdom. However, those four would be the _only_ ones caught in the subsequent net, I have no doubt."

"Are there more than them?" asked Jaune.

"Quite a few more," said Ayumu. "After all, depending on where they figure in the plan, they could be key conspirators, or merely ground-level agents. In either case, they aren't likely to lead us to other people in their operation, such as connections to the White Fang, or even how they might be connected to this...Salem...individual, who appears to be the ultimate mastermind."

"So you think that Neo will be able to provide that information?" asked Ren.

"Not all of it," said Ayumu. "She doesn't even have a definitive idea of their final plans. However, with her help, I believe we can cast our net a good bit wider, and do far more damage to the enemy in the process."

"I thought you didn't want to use her," Nora pointed out. "This sounds like using her to me."

"Well, I like to think it's a little different from that," said Ayumu. "After all, she will need some form of leverage to help avoid the official consequences of her previous actions, as well as possibly earn some leniency for Mr. Torchwick. This would be the primary means she could do that. It is also an effective means of guaranteeing Mr. Torchwick's safety. I believe that we could uphold whatever bargain we strike regarding that. But I get the distinct impression that Ms. Fall feels nowhere near as obligated to keep her word, particularly when it pertains to someone who has failed her in the past. I admit that it's probably splitting hairs at this point, but I don't really believe I am trying to use Ms. Neo.

"I gave her until the final day of the doubles round to make her decision. Afterwards, I will go to Professor Ozpin, regardless. I'm hoping she might come to a decision before then."

"Are you sure that's wise?" asked Jaune. "Who knows what those people could do between now and then."

"Probably very little," said Gin, drawing surprised looks from everyone except Ayumu, who he looked at pointedly. "Right?"

"I believe so," said Ayumu. "From what I learned from Ms. Neo, the other members of her team will not be putting their plan in action until sometime during the tournament finals."

"Why?" Ruby wanted to know.

"It makes sense," said Gin. "The finals are basically going to be the high point of the tournament. It'll be when people are paying the most attention, and have the biggest emotional investment in the outcome. If these people are aiming to cause a major incident, particularly when it involves in emotionally manipulating the populace for the purpose of drawing the Grimm, that would be the time when whatever they're up to would have the most impact."

"Precisely," said Ayumu.

"So we're still operating off the theory that their ultimate aim is to build up negative emotions to draw the Grimm," observed Jaune.

"I think so," said Ruby.

"But, if we wait until then, that gives us less time to act," said Jaune.

"But that works both ways," explained Ayumu. "The closer they are to enacting their plan, the smaller their margin of error, and the less time they have to make corrections or adjustments, if something goes wrong. If, on the very cusp of them pulling it off, we can send it off the rails, we could potentially keep them from recovering."

"That makes sense," said Ruby. "Professor Ozpin would probably go along with it, if we went to him. But if this info gets to Ironwood, he'd probably move on it from the get-go."

"The guy does not have much of a concept of restraint," added Gin.

Silence fell across the room. Then Nora spoke up. "Well, I'm all for it!"

"I think we can handle this," said Jaune.

"I'm on board," added Yang.

"Like you have to ask," said Gin with a smirk, while Ruby nodded from her place next to him.

That left Ren and Blake, the two most cautious members of the group. They were silent a good bit longer. It was Ren who spoke first. "I will go along with it," he said. "But we have to be on our toes. There's always the chance we could have misread the situation."

Blake hesitated longer still. _I'm beginning to understand what had Weiss so frustrated during our big investigation,_ she thought, remembering Weiss' own urgings for Blake to take what she knew to Ozpin, before acquiescing. Now Blake found herself in a similar situation. She was not liking the comparison. But still...

"All right," she said reluctantly. "But remember, Professor Ozpin has invested a great deal of trust in us, trust that I have no wish to abuse." _Not after the last time I abused his trust,_ she thought, remembering her conversation with the Headmaster, after the battle against the Paladin. "If I get the slightest hint that something's wrong, I will go _straight_ to him. You have my word on that."

"That's about all I could ask for," said Ayumu with a sheepish grin. "Thank you so much for indulging my selfish request.

"On that note, I advise everyone not to try and observe or follow Team Crimson. They are likely highly experienced and aware of their surroundings. People like that are extremely sensitive to scrutiny, especially when it comes from someone they don't expect to be scrutinized by. We don't want to tip our hand before we're ready. For the time being, we should act as normal."

"Of course," said Gin, the others nodding in agreement. With that, the last of the tension drained from the room.

"Well, that should be about it for the day," said Ruby.

"A lot certainly happened," said Yang.

"I could've gone without the 'someone trying to shoot me' part," Ruby said with a rueful giggle.

"Yeah, I could'a done without that too," said Yang. "Almost gave me a heart attack."

"What about your invitation from Weiss' brother?" asked Gin. His query got the attention of Ren, Nora, and Ayumu, who hadn't been present for its delivery.

"What's this about Weiss' brother?" asked Ren.

"Weiss has a brother?" followed up Nora.

"Yeah, and he wants to meet me," said Ruby.

"He invited Ruby to dinner," said Yang.

"What, like a date?" asked Nora, making everyone flinch, cautious eyes going to Gin, who didn't seem troubled by the question.

"I don't know," said Ruby. "The butler who delivered it made it sound like it was an apology thing."

"Well, if you read it, you're sure to find out more," said Gin.

"Right..." said Ruby, pulling out the envelope. Fortunately, it hadn't been damaged, or even creased, by the day's activities. Opening it up, she began to read it.

 _To the lovely Ms. Ruby Rose;_

 _My name is Whitley Schnee. You would probably know me best as the younger brother of your former-partner. I wish to inform you, on the behalf of our family and the Schnee Dust Company, that we are appalled and disappointed by her behavior. As the newly-appointed heir to the company, it is my responsibility to make amends for my sister's actions. Setting that aside, I very much wish to meet and speak with you in person._

 _To that end, it is my hope that you would be willing to join me for a pleasant dinner, this Saturday evening, at_ Le Cerf Blanc _. Dinner will be at 6:00, sharp. Please do not consider this an obligation on your part. From what I have learned, I have found myself quite curious about you, Ms. Rose, and I desire to know you better. Below is the contact information you can use to pass your answer along to me. It is my hope that you will accept this request of mine, and I await your answer._

 _Sincerely;_

 _Whitley Schnee_

"Well, that doesn't really tell us all that much new information," noted Gin, who'd been reading over Ruby's shoulder.

Ruby mulled over the letter, humming softly. "I still don't get it," she said finally. "I mean, I've never blamed Weiss' family, or her company, for what she did. What would we talk about?"

"Most likely, it's for publicity purposes," said Blake, folding her arms and glaring at the letter, as though it were a Schnee itself. "After Weiss' actions became public, the SDC's stock prices dropped abruptly. A scandal tends to have that effect. It wasn't a huge loss, in terms of their overall worth, but still worth several-million lien."

Ruby squeaked, going pale. Blake's words meant that she'd essentially cost the SDC more money than she'd probably ever even _see_ in her lifetime.

"Relax," said Yang, patting Ruby's shoulder. "It's not like they can hold you personally responsible for that."

"If they could hold anyone responsible for that, it would be Weiss," added Jaune.

"Technically they did," said Blake. "That's why she was disowned, and this Whitley appointed heir instead. Jacques' announcement, and his decision to not interfere with the prosecution of Weiss, helped the company recoup their losses to a certain extent. Seeing the current heir interacting congenially with you in person would further improve their image."

"So it all comes down to the SDC's public face," observed Ren.

"Huh?" Nora blinked slightly. "I don't know...about that."

"What do you mean?" asked Ayumu, as he and the others looked at Nora curiously.

"Well...maybe I'm wrong..." demurred Nora, "...but the way he worded that letter. It really does almost sound like he's asking Ruby on a date."

Dead silence greeted Nora's observation. It took approximately thirty seconds for her words to sink in for Ruby. Abruptly, Ruby's cheeks turned bright-red. "Wha-wha-wha-whaaaaat?!" she exclaimed, the letter fluttering through the air as she began to flail in a panic.

"What makes you say that?" asked Ayumu, sounding as cheerfully blithe as ever.

"Well, first, he called Ruby lovely," said Nora.

"He's not wrong," said Gin, earning a shy giggle and a kiss on the cheek from the girl in question.

"And then he's asking Ruby to go to a fancy dinner with him, and talks about 'wanting to get to know her better,'" continued Nora. "I mean, if this was just a publicity stunt for the SDC, wouldn't he want some big thing, where everyone can see him with Ruby."

"That's true," noted Blake. " _Le Cerf Blanc_ is a pretty exclusive restaurant."

" _Pretty_ exclusive!" scoffed Yang. "How about _the_ most exclusive restaurant in Vale? I've heard about that place. They're supposed to be booked solid for up to a year in advance. The average cost of a meal there can run from three-hundred to over five-hundred lien."

"Th-that much..." whimpered Ruby, feeling faint at the mere idea of eating food that was so costly. That kind of money could have kept her fed for a month, maybe even two, with her usual eating habits.

"In other words, it's not the kind of place the press would be allowed to enter," said Blake. "So meeting you there wouldn't net him as much publicity."

"So he wants to go on a date with Ruby...why?" asked Gin, before smiling warmly at her. "Besides the obvious, of course."

Ruby giggled and leaned against him.

"Who knows," said Blake. "Maybe getting Ruby as a girlfriend would be the perfect public image booster for the SDC. Nothing says 'no hard feelings' like dating the brother of the girl who tried to murder you."

"That sounds just weird," commented Ruby.

"And creepy," added Jaune.

"Maybe he just thinks Ruby's really pretty," suggested Nora, making Ruby blush again.

"I can't fault him for that," said Gin, earning himself a punch on his upper arm, and another kiss on the cheek.

"It's quite possible that the answer is 'all of the above,'" said Ayumu.

"Huh?" Ruby gave him a confused look.

Ayumu chuckled. "It seems to me that this Whitley fellow might well be sincere about wanting to get to know you better. However, at the same time, it allows him to do something that can further mend the tarnished image of the Schnee Dust Company. It's hard to truly get a feel for him from such a short letter, but what little we have to go on makes me suspect that he is a person who does not do things for just one reason."

"True enough," agreed Gin. "He might well be adept at mixing business with pleasure."

"In the end, the only way to find out for sure would be to accept his invitation," Ayumu pointed out. "So long as all we have to go on are these few words on paper, we'll never be truly sure of his intentions."

"Not like there's anything you need to know," said Yang dismissively. "If this Whitley guy wants Ruby as a girlfriend, it's too bad. She's already taken."

"Yeah!" said Nora, pumping her fist into the air.

"At the same time, that's no reason to turn him down," said Gin.

Everyone swore they could hear the sound of tires screeching, as their mental processes ground to a halt for a moment.

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Yang, gaping at Gin in astonishment.

"Y-you think I should go?" asked Ruby, looking at him nervously.

"It's not a question of what I think," said Gin, taking her hand. "Even if he said you shouldn't feel obligated to meet him, you can't _help_ but feel obligated, can you?"

"Th-that's true," said Ruby, staring at her lap. "I mean, he went through the trouble of setting all this up, booking such a fancy restaurant."

"It isn't all that much trouble," commented Blake. "The Schnee family probably have their own table permanently on reserve at that place."

"Even if I don't think he needs to apologize for what Weiss did, I still feel like I should hear what he has to say," continued Ruby.

"Then you might as well accept," said Gin.

"How can you be so calm about this?" demanded Yang. "Some rich guy is trying to steal your girl!"

"Because I know Ruby wouldn't leave me like that," replied Gin simply, Ruby nodding in firm agreement. "Ruby isn't the kind of girl who can be won over just by throwing some money around."

"That's right," said Ruby proudly.

"Are you sure?" asked Yang. "I mean we are talking about the heir of the SDC here. Just think about how much he's worth. He could buy you a ton of weapons and parts-Heck!-he could buy you all the weapons and parts."

"Weapons...?" Ruby's eyes rolled upwards thoughtfully as she began to imagine the kind of instruments of Grimm-murder that she could design, if she had access to the SDC's resources. Even if she no longer needed to actually do such a thing, there was no denying the appeal to the weapon-obsessed part of her personality.

"And don't forget that the SDC is on the cutting edge of technology," added Blake in a playful tone. "You could get your hands on tech that isn't even available to the public, at _any_ price, yet."

A strand of drool descended from the corner of Ruby's mouth.

"And don't forget how many cookies he could probably buy you," added Jaune with a snicker. "Heck! He could probably get you your own cookie-butler."

"A cookie butler..." gasped Ruby wistfully, drooling a lot more freely now.

"You know...I'm beginning to wonder whose side you guys are on," observed Gin wryly, sounding amused, rather than annoyed.

"Ah!" Ruby blinked and snapped out of her trance, shaking her head vigorously, prompting Gin to raise an arm to block some of the drool that went flying. "S-stop that!" she said, glaring with flushed cheeks at her friends, who laughed.

"Just testing your willpower, sis," teased Yang.

"No need to worry," said Gin. "I believe in Ruby and our feelings, no matter what."

"Thank you," said Ruby, relaxing and leaning against Gin again.

"Gah!" grunted Yang, leaning away from the couple, and raising her arm to shield her eyes as though trying to block a blinding light. "You two are too damn mature! You're two years younger than me, dammit!"

"You're just more childish," Ruby teased back. Then she looked to Gin again. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure about you," Gin replied. "You should do what you _feel_ you should do. That's all there is to it."

"Thank you," said Ruby, kissing him on the lips. "I guess I have a call to make."

Ruby stepped out into the hall to make the call, while the others waited. As she did, Gin frowned pensively and picked up the invitation, reading it over again.

"Second thoughts?" asked Yang.

"Not really," said Gin. _Ruby has a strong sense of obligation,_ he thought. _It's her nature to go above and beyond, not being satisfied with just a "good enough," when it comes to helping people. It makes me wonder if Whitley is aware of that. By asking her not to to think of it as an obligation, he all but ensured that she_ would _think of it that way. Did he slip that phrase into the invitation intentionally, knowing it would make her feel that way?_

In the end, it didn't matter. Ruby might not have been the most canny person, when it came to stuff like this (Gin himself wasn't, for that matter), but Gin knew that attempting to manipulate her would only go so far. Ruby wouldn't betray herself or him. Of that, he was sure.

After a couple of minutes, Ruby re-entered the room, slipping her scroll back into her pocket. "Well, it's all set," she said.

"You talked to him?" asked Blake, her cat-ears perking beneath her bow.

Ruby shook her head. "I talked to one of his butlers...It might have been the one from earlier today. He said I'll need formal attire."

"That makes sense," said Ren. " _Le Cerf Blanc_ is the most exclusive restaurant in Vale. You obviously couldn't just show up in your combat skirt."

"So he expects you to buy a dress, just to have dinner with him?" asked Nora, affronted by the idea.

"Well, the butler said they would cover it," said Ruby. "He said to just bring my receipt, and they would handle it."

"You don't sound too excited about that," noted Blake.

"'Cause I don't want to go through all that stuff again," grumbled Ruby, her mind flashing back to the ordeal that had been trying on dress after dress for the dance, at the insistence of both her sister and Coco.

"Why not wear the dress you got for the dance?" asked Yang. "You still have it."

"W-well...I got that dress for...for Gin," said Ruby, her cheeks flushing once again, turning an even deeper shade of red than before.

"True," said Yang with a teasing grin, guessing exactly what Ruby meant by that. "Yeah, we'll need to get you a different dress. Showing up in a sexy little number like that is sure to give this Whitley-guy the wrong idea."

Ruby squeaked, her blush spreading across her face, even as she began to resign herself to the misery of another fitting session.

"Hey, it's okay," said Yang, settling onto the bunk next to her, opposite Gin. "I already know just the dress for you. You tried it on when we went shopping for the dance. We can just get that fitted for you, and you'll be fine. It isn't even too expensive, so it won't be like you're taking advantage of his generosity either."

"O-okay," said Ruby.

"All right then," said Yang, clapping her hands together. "Let's get out there and help Ruby cheat on her boyfriend."

"HEY!"

* * *

The butler shut off his scroll and pocketed it. Making his way through the lavishly outfitted living rooms of the _Vale Imperial_ 's presidential suite, he politely knocked on a set of rich, mahogany doors, before opening them and stepping through.

Occupying the entire penthouse floor of the hotel, the presidential suite was outfitted with the rooms and amenities that befitted the stature of the people who generally booked it; from a dining room suitable for hosting up to sixteen people, a fully-equipped kitchen, an enormous master bedroom, no fewer than _three_ other bedrooms, a sitting room, a truly massive bath, and a variety of other rooms as well. One of those other rooms was an office, fitted with a desk and leather chairs for use by prominent businessmen.

That office was seeing use now. Whitley was seated in the plush, leather chair behind the desk, his portable workstation in front of him. However, at the moment, he was paying it no mind, his attention focused on the scroll held against his ear.

"Yes, of course, Mr. Raptis...No, I assure you that Father has _always_ been grateful for our partnership...I am disappointed in Weiss' behavior too...I'm afraid there's nothing to be done on that front. I hope our relations will continue to be cordial. Would you, perhaps, care to discuss this further, during lunch tomorrow, perhaps?...Oh?...Well, how about in the coliseum skybox? We'll have a wonderful view of the matches from there...Yes, I'm looking forward to seeing how he performs too. I'll speak to you tomorrow then. Good evening."

Whitley hung up, and set his scroll down on the desk with a sigh. "What an insufferable man," he grumbled. "Perhaps we ought to simply buy him out, and take over local distribution ourselves."

"You might bring that up to your father," suggested the butler.

"Perhaps," agreed Whitely. "So, what do you have for me, Delft?"

"Ms. Rose just called," said Delft. "She has accepted your invitation."

Whitley's face lit up with genuine excitement. "Oh! Wonderful! I'm looking forward to it."

"Do you truly intend to court her?" asked Whitley's butler.

"That is an option," said Whitley. "From what information I've gathered on her, she may be romantically-attached already."

"And if she is?"

"Then that's just too bad," said Whitley with a sigh. "But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"If things go forward, your father might object," said Delft.

"Then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it too," said Whitley. "But I fully intend to have my own way with my marriage. I will not allow Father to simply turn it into another of his business transactions. That's what cost him Winter, in the first place."

"He won't like that," mused Delft.

"He'll have to live with it," said Whitley. "I have leverage that Weiss and Winter did not, namely that I am the _last_ available heir that he has. Father won't be so quick to disown me, provided I do not go and cause a scandal the way Weiss did."

"Speaking of Ms. Weiss, has Klein been to see her yet?"

"Not to my knowledge," said Whitley. "He did agree to come with us for that purpose. However, I believe he might be hesitating."

"I can understand," said Delft. "If anything, he was more of a father to Ms. Weiss than Master Jacques."

"Which may well be _why_ Klein is hesitating to see her," said Whitley. "There is precious little he can do for her, so they would most certainly make one another miserable. That said, I do think it would be best for both of them."

"Hopefully he can manage to do so before we have to leave," said Delft.

"Hopefully," agreed Whitley.

"And what of your most recent call?" asked Delft.

"Mr. Raptis wants assurances that the scandal with my sister will not affect our relationship," said Whitley. "Seeing as I had cause to be in Vale myself, I opted to reassure him personally."

"If I remember correctly, he was advancing his son as a suitor for Ms. Weiss," said Delft.

Whitley chuckled wryly. "That's right." He smirked out the window. "Of course, now I'm free to say to him that his son would have been Father's _first_ choice...the same as everyone else's son." He turned back to Delft. "Is there anything else?"

"At the moment, no," said Delft. "So far, Master Jacques seems satisfied with the current state of affairs in Vale. He trusts you to take care of things here."

"Well, of course he does," replied Whitely, a small measure of bitterness in his voice. "Of the three of us, I take after him the most. I suppose these are the burdens of the favored son."

"Will you be requiring anything else tonight, Master Whitley?" asked Delft.

"No, thank you," said Whitley. "You are dismissed for the night, Delft. Sleep well."

"You as well, Young Master," said Delft, bowing formally to Whitley, before taking his leave.

Whitley sighed and stared out the window behind the desk, looking down at the glittering skyline of Vale. His eyes traced along it until he was able to see the distant tower of Beacon. Looking out at it, he thought ahead to his imminent meeting with Ruby Rose, wondering what it would bring.

* * *

 **So, that whole being detained by the police thing struck me as a plausible reason for why Velvet might have been afraid to stand up for herself, back in Volume 1. Perhaps some people won't like me getting political, and it isn't a perfect parallel, but I did kinda draw on the concept of racial profiling by police in the real-world, particularly with the slew of recent controversies surrounding unarmed black people being accosted/shot by white police officers. I'll admit I haven't done all that much research on the topic, but it struck me as likely that a member of an already-persecuted minority wouldn't be granted as much leeway, when it comes to the concept of self-defense vs excessive force from the law.**

 **Aside from that, I tried to set up a decent reaction from everyone finding out that Ayumu's figured out who the bad guys are, but isn't planning to move on it, because Neo...Given her personality, and what she's done already, I figured Blake wouldn't take it too well. It certainly isn't the smartest course of action...but I wouldn't exactly call Ayumu the smartest guy either. Oh, he's smart, smarter than most for sure. But he's just as prone as anyone to allowing his feelings to cloud or inform his judgment. Whether that will work for or against him remains to be seen.**

 **Character time...**

 **Delft: Delft is a town in the Netherlands, primarily known for its production of earthenware, and a trademark color known as Delft-Blue (also a name for its pottery). When it comes to associations conforming with Monty's color-rule for character names, Weiss' butler, Klein is one of the more...indirect...ones, so I decided that, if I was giving Whitley a butler of his own, I'd give him a name that was similarly indirect.**


	83. Chapter 83

**Chapter 83:**

To Ruby's dismay, Ozpin's prediction about the attack on her making the news proved to be plenty accurate. Checking first thing the next morning, she found a headline over a picture of Dunstan being led away by Beacon security, surrounded by spectators, including Ruby herself. The picture caught a shot of her face in profile, as she spoke with one of the other security guards, giving her account of events. The picture was juxtaposed with another picture, this one of her straight on, most likely from her tournament profile. All of that was was under the headline, which read, _Ruby Rose Subjected to Revenge Attempt_.

"Well, they _could_ have phrased that more sensationally," noted Gin, as he sat next to her, while Ruby read.

"It's bad enough they gave her name," said Yang. "Why didn't they call her a Beacon Student or a Vytal Tournament Participant?"

"Because she's already been in the news as an individual," said Blake. "Besides, it's obvious that this attack had nothing to do with either her tournament performance, or her status as a Beacon Student, and everything to do with what happened with Weiss and Pyrrha."

"They don't have all the details though," said Ruby, continuing through the article. "I guess the police haven't released more information about Dunstan yet."

"He's probably still being interrogated, unless he hasn't been released by the hospital," said Ren, "in which case, questioning might not have even started yet. Professor Ozpin and Goodwitch's assessment of why he attacked you is the most likely reason. But it remains conjecture, until it's confirmed by the police."

"So...now what?" asked Jaune, from where he sat, next to Yang.

"What else can we do about this?" asked Ruby, setting down the paper.

"Well, that wasn't my worry," said Jaune. "Remember what Ozpin said about reporters."

"He said that they wouldn't be able to mob her," said Yang. "If they do, they'll be considered disruptive, and get thrown out of the festival."

"That probably won't discourage them completely," said Blake. "They'll most likely attempt a more discreet approach. Besides, Ozpin also warned us that there are probably plenty of paparazzi looking to get Ruby's picture now."

"Well...there isn't a whole lot I can do about that, except be on my best behavior," said Ruby. "We'll just take things as they come."

"Works for me," said Nora, grinning.

"She means _no_ leg-breaking," advised Ren.

"Oh..." Nora wilted, while the others laughed.

"So...in that case, what should we do first?" asked Blake.

"Well, we need to go into town at some point," said Yang. "We'll need to get that dress for Ruby."

"That'll probably have to wait a couple of days," said Blake. "Reporters won't feel nearly as much need to hold back in Vale, like they would on the festival grounds. We'll want to let this blow over a little."

"Let's just hang out then," said Ruby. "We can wander until the matches start. I wonder who's gonna fight today!"

"Well, we haven't been called yet," said Jaune, looking around at the members of his team.

"Team Sun hasn't been called yet either," added Blake.

"Are there any other teams we wanna watch?" asked Yang.

"Coffee and Cardinal haven't gone yet," noted Ruby. "Um..."

"I can think of a team you guys might want to watch," said Sun, seeming to pop up out of nowhere, behind Blake, making her jump, her ears shooting up and making her bow twitch furiously.

"Stop that!" she admonished him, swatting his arm as Sun settled in next to her. The other members of SSSN joined them, taking their own seats farther along the benches.

"Who?" asked Ruby, watching Sun curiously.

"Team Beryl," replied Sun. "That's the team Liu's on."

"You mean the crazy Pyrrha Nikos fanboy you warned us about?" asked Yang.

"Yeah," said Sun. "They haven't gone yet either. They're damn good, so it'll be a good idea to watch and see what they can do for yourselves."

"You think we'd have to fight them?" asked Ruby.

"Well, with Liu, I'd say it's a definite possibility," said Neptune. "His teammates...uh..." Raising a level hand, he shook it vaguely. "They're hard to predict...real wild cards, those guys. The problem is that they never really object to anything Liu does, so it's just up in the air as to whether or not they'll go along with it."

"They're definitely the shady type though," said Scarlet softly. "We've heard some unpleasant rumors, but never seen anything definite."

"We'll keep an eye on them," promised Blake, the others nodding.

"We might want to watch Team Charcoal too," said Gin. "Ajax appears to be the only one with a grudge against Ruby, but it'll be good to see him in action more, just in case he becomes a problem later on too."

"Okay, so we know who we want to watch," said Yang. "Of course, we won't know until the next matchup is listed."

"Well, let's have fun until then," cheered Ruby.

* * *

They spent the morning wandering amongst the stalls, trying to visit the ones they hadn't gotten to see the previous day. As they went, Ruby found herself sensing the photographers around her. Their focus couldn't be called murderous intent, but it was an intent of a sort all the same. Picking up on it, she found herself able to determine their locations...and even the exact moment they were going to snap a picture. It was distracting to be sure. Being the center of their attention made it a bit hard to fully enjoy herself. Still, she supposed that, so long as she kept her awareness about her, she wouldn't have to worry about anyone catching a picture of anything that could show her in a bad light.

She was approached by reporters too. They generally came singly, as mobbing her with numbers was sure to attract the attention of Beacon's security. If she was lucky, the reporter approaching her would politely ask if she had time to answer a few questions. Ruby would then turn him or her down equally politely. If she was even luckier, said reporter would accept her declination and leave. A few were more persistent, asking her if she would have time for an interview later, pressing her for openings in her schedule, or trying to convince her to make one, right on the spot. Those ones took a bit more persuasion to leave her alone, usually a quiet suggestion from Gin that their presence was being disruptive, and Beacon's security might be called...or a menacing cracking of the knuckles from Yang...was enough to ward them off.

If Ruby was unlucky, she would get rushed by the eager reporter. The same _Shingan_ that enabled her to track the photographers around her also made her aware of when someone was about to ambush her. Unfortunately, there wasn't much she could do to stop them. They would jump out from behind corners, shoving a microphone in her face, or with pen and notepad at the ready, and simply start bombarding her with questions, often asking several before she would have even had a chance to answer one.

In that situation, Ruby would carefully step around them, avoiding them with ease that often startled the aggressive interviewer into a brief silence, before one of Ruby's friends would move to cut him off, usually pushing him off. Those that persisted were dealt with by Gin, who kept his scroll at the ready, in order to call security, the ever-present threat of which was usually enough to drive them off. If that didn't work, the sight of Yang, often being restrained by Jaune or Blake, was able to frighten the remainder away.

It went on like that until the first match of the day was announced.

* * *

"This is so tiring," sighed Ruby, biting into a cookie, a bag of which she'd bought at a stall in passing. Her eyelid twitched as she caught the flicker of light out of the corner of her eye, a camera-flash. Fortunately, she'd sensed it coming and had angled her gaze in order to avoid being dazzled by it. However, she was sure that whatever lucky photographer had just snapped that picture now had a lovely image of Beacon's most-controversial student stuffing her face with sweets.

"Let me at 'em," growled Yang. "Those jerks'll leave you alone after I'm done with them." She cast a glare at the photographer in question and cracked her knuckles for dramatic emphasis.

"And let you cause another scandal for assaulting the press?" asked Blake rhetorically. "I don't think so."

"Aww...come on," groaned Yang.

"They'll probably lose interest, once the matches start," said Jaune. "The tournament is the main story. Ruby's just a sideshow."

"Hey!" snapped Yang, rounding on her boyfriend. "Did you just call my sister a sideshow?"

Jaune yelped and fell back from her. "I could've phrased that better," he whimpered.

"Well, he's not wrong," said Ruby with a giggle. "Come on, Yang, calm down."

Yang sighed and slumped, her arms dangling limply. "I'm sorry," she said. "These assholes are causing you so much trouble, and I can't do anything about them."

"It's all right," said Ruby. "Like Jaune said, I'm a minor story, compared to the tournament. Once the next match starts, I'm sure all these people will remember what story they should _really_ be covering."

Abruptly, the scrolls of Team JNAR buzzed. Jaune pulled it out and looked at the screen. "Speak of the devil," he said. "The first match is ours."

"Awesome!" yelled Nora, leaping high into the air. "I've been itching for some action! I can't wait to find out who our opponents are."

Teams were notified of their upcoming match an hour ahead of time. However, they were not informed of who they would be facing, until they stepped out into the arena for the match itself. There were even specific procedures in place, designating which air-bus dock to head to, that ensured the participating teams wouldn't encounter one another prior to the match.

"Well, let's go," said Jaune, smiling at JNAR's sister-team. "We'll catch you guys later."

"We'll be cheering you on!" Ruby announced gleefully.

"Hold on," said Yang, just as Jaune and the others were about to head off.

"What's up?" asked Jaune, turning back to face her again.

He got his answer when Yang hooked her fingers around the edges of his chestplate, and hauled him in for a passionate kiss that caused Jaune's eyes to shoot wide open, his surprised exclamation muffled by Yang's lips as she used them to pry open his own to tangle her tongue with his. After a few seconds, Jaune began to relax, his hands rising up to grip Yang by her waist and pull her closer.

Just about the time Ren or Ayumu would have suggested they needed to get going, Yang pulled away, her lips separating from Jaune's with an audible smack. Jaune was left standing in a half-aware daze. "Whoa..." he exhaled softly.

"And that's just a sneak preview," teased Yang. "Win, and I'll be sure to rock your world."

Jaune blinked...blinked again...then straightened up and saluted Yang smartly. "Yes, Ma'am!"

"Then get going, Lover Boy," said Yang, gently pushing Jaune away and back towards his team.

Still slightly off-balance from the intense kiss, Jaune stumbled, and actually needed Ayumu's amused help to stay upright, as he joined the rest of his team in heading for the air-bus.

"That was fun," said Yang with a laugh, resting her hands on her hips.

"Are you going to need the dorm for yourselves tonight?" asked Blake with a smirk.

"If it's okay with you guys," said Yang turning to her team, a plaintive note in her voice. "With the festival going on, there aren't any hotel rooms left to book."

"So long as you don't expect it to last _all_ night," replied Ruby firmly. "We need to use that room too."

"I promise," said Yang.

"We'll work out the details later," said Gin, "assuming, of course, that January actually wins their match."

"Hah! They'll be fine," boasted Yang.

"Probably," said Ruby. "Of course, that depends on who they're matched against."

Just like the participants, the spectators wouldn't be aware of who was fighting until right before the match itself. It served to keep the participants from finding out who they were fighting ahead of time, by watching the news feed. However, it also provided dramatic tension, and increased anticipation of the match as the spectators wondered who among the dwindling pool of participating teams would be competing.

It wasn't a perfect system, of course. The teams that fought first were the most affected by the unknown variables. With thirty-two teams participating, it was virtually impossible to research them all prior to the match itself. Even the final roster of participants wasn't announced, until immediately before the tournament's commencement, which made it difficult to investigate teams before the tournament and festival. However, the later on in the first round teams were matched up, the easier it was for participants to anticipate who they would be matched against, simply needing to examine who hadn't yet been matched in order to figure out who the might go up against. Naturally, this meant that the teams who fought in the final match would have the biggest advantage, knowing who they would be up against by mere process of elimination.

Team RUBY had fought on the second day of the first round. Now it was the third day, exactly halfway through the roster of matches slated to take place, which left JNAR with a whole fifteen possible opposing teams they could conceivably be up against.

"I hope Jaune has a good strategy," mused Ruby as she and her teammates began to head to the coliseum.

"He'll be fine," said Yang. "He'll probably copy your idea."

"I'd be fine with that," said Ruby.

* * *

"So, I've decided we're gonna copy Ruby's idea," said Jaune.

Ayumu laughed. "I figured you'd say that."

"I suppose a good leader needs to know when to plagiarize," observed Ren wryly.

"Jaune can cheat with the best of them," added Nora.

"Hey! It's not cheating," protested Jaune. "It's a legitimate strategy...that just happens to be Ruby's."

"Whatever you say, Boss," teased Nora.

"So...that having been decided, have you worked out how to implement it?" asked Ayumu.

"Implement it...?" Jaune blinked.

"We'll need to set a target from the beginning, so that we'll know who to focus our efforts on," said Ayumu. "Depending on the attributes of the opposing team, that could be easier or harder than we might think. Ruby had it easy, considering that they were up against a team with a single member, who obviously favored using ranged attacks, making it simpler to isolate and eliminate him. However, we could wind up against a team consisting entirely of melee focused fighters.

"Even if we are faced with a situation similar to Ruby's, we need to consider how we'll reach our target. No one on our team can match Ruby's speed. I can be almost as evasive as Gin, but I lack the ability to misdirect that his _Suigetsu_ provides, not to mention that, after Ruby pulled that move earlier, it would be an obvious approach. If our opponents have a similar arrangement to Team Auburn, they'll know to protect their ranged support."

"That's true..." mused Jaune. "Well...what if we used that to our advantage?"

"Oh...?" Ayumu perked up and leaned forward. "How so?"

* * *

"Pyrrha, your former team is about to have their first match," announced Watts from the door to his airship. "Would you care to watch?"

Pyrrha paused, taking a moment to wipe the sweat from her brow. Standing upright, she turned to look at Watts. As usual, he was watching her with the smirk he seemed to wear habitually. It had irked her at first, until she realized that it was his default expression. She'd seen his much more derisive smile, when he'd interacted with Cinder.

The tournament hadn't held much interest to her, overall. All she cared about was checking on the progress of two teams in particular. She had watched the match between RUBY and ABRN yesterday. Now the other team she wished to observe was about to take the stage.

"I would," she said, wiping some more sweat off.

Watts nodded and held up a towel for her. Pyrrha accepted gratefully.

It was difficult, getting in proper training in this environment. By herself, there was only so much she could do, except work to get back in shape after her stint in prison. Fortunately, the fact that she and Watts were hiding outside the Kingdom's borders meant that there was a steady supply of Grimm for her to hone her combat skills against. It wouldn't help her refine her Semblance (Grimm that knew how to make and wield metal weapons still seemed nonexistent), but that hardly mattered. Her Semblance couldn't affect Ruby's weapon anyway.

If anything, putting more practice in against the Grimm themselves had helped Pyrrha realize just how much she'd relied on her Semblance in fights. Her dependence on it had limited her ability to develop herself. That was fine for a tournament fighter. But for a Huntress, it was a potentially fatal oversight...not that Pyrrha had any intention of becoming a Huntress any longer...not that she _could_ , if she wanted to. Still, it also awakened herself to the realization that she had to reconsider her reliance on her Semblance, and _how_ she relied on it.

Entering the airship, Pyrrha relished in the cool sensation of the ice-Dust-powered air conditioning that made a blissful contrast to the heat of the late-morning air outside. Following Watts through the interior, she joined him on the plush couch that extended along one wall of the narrow cabin, facing a large projector-screen that dominated the opposite wall. Already, it was showing an image from inside Amity Coliseum, people filing to their seats, while the camera drone circled above, panning around the ring at the interior.

Then Professor Port's voice sounded from the interior. " _Hello, all...and welcome to this, the third day of the Vytal Festival Tournament! I am Professor Peter Port of Beacon Academy and, together with my colleague, Dr. Bartholomew Oobleck, we will be providing the commentary for today's matches. We're looking forward to another day of action-packed matches. Isn't that right, Bart?_ "

" _Of course,_ " answered Oobleck, cutting in as the slot-machine image on the right side of the screen began to spin, a blur of different team designations speeding across. Technically, the match selection had been made an hour earlier. But the graphic, which would also be playing on the massive hologram hovering over the ring itself, served to heighten anticipation for the match, reinforcing the knowledge that the matches were being selected randomly. The wheels slowed down, before finally coming to a stop, revealing the two teams designated to take part in the first match of the day.

Oobleck continued. " _The first match today will pit one of Beacon's most-promising first-year teams, Team January, against a team seasoned by the harsh environment surrounding Shade Academy, Team Bronze._ "

The video feed showed the members of the two teams entering from opposite sides of the arena. Pyrrha's eyes narrowed as the camera-feed split, showing close-ups of both teams approaching the center. Her eyes focused on her old team...and the blonde-haired boy leading them, her heart still fluttering at the sight of the nervous smile on his face.

* * *

Jaune tried his hardest to keep a grin on his face as his stomach churned uneasily. He was beginning to regret eating so much at breakfast. Maybe it had been silly, but he hadn't expected that his team would be up first, today. His eyes took in the stadium, which was already almost filled to capacity, the roaring crowd almost drowning out the voices of the two commentating teachers on the loudspeakers. He'd been confident, when laying out his strategy in the ready room. But now...on this stage, in front of such a massive audience, the pressure he felt was several-times what he'd expected. He and his team were at the center of attention. Millions of people around the world were watching him now. If he made a mistake here...

A hand rested on his shoulder, the feather-light touch soothing some of his anxiety. "You'll be fine," said Ayumu. "Remember, this pressure can't compare to putting your life on the line against the Grimm. Think back to what you experienced, during the attack on the walls. Compared to that, this tournament seems like such a small thing, no?"

Jaune closed his eyes, remembering the feeling, the fear, of standing before that endless tide, fighting with no end in sight, realizing that failing meant the end of his life. "You're right," he said, his stomach quieting, and his confidence returning.

"Also, don't forget what Ms. Yang promised you, in return for victory," added Ayumu wryly.

Jaune's cheeks turned pink and he cast his gaze around, until he caught sight of a flash of long, blonde hair from the red-section, the ringside seats open only to other tournament participants, and special guests. There was Yang, sitting with the other members of her team, cupping her hands around her mouth as she shouted encouragement at him. Jaune couldn't pick her voice out from the general din of the crowd, but he understood the gist of what she was shouting. Raising a hand, he waved to her and his smile brightened as Yang waved back, grinning like crazy.

"Wow!" exclaimed Nora, before giving her partner a sidelong smirk. "Maybe I should promise you something special if we win...Ren."

Rather than acting embarrassed about it, Ren merely smiled back. "Then should I make the same offer?"

"Ooh! How about a foursome then?" she suggested.

"NORA!" exclaimed Ren and Jaune in unison, both of them whirling about to gape at her as Nora beamed innocently back at them, as though she hadn't just suggested...what she'd just suggested.

Finally, Ren groaned and rubbed his forehead. "You've been borrowing Blake's books again, haven't you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," replied Nora with perfectly-feigned innocence.

Meanwhile, Ayumu merely laughed lightly.

Jaune sighed. "All right, all jokes aside, let's get focused." He turned his attention to the opposing team.

They were an interesting batch, to be sure. Coming from the hot deserts of Western Saunus, it was understandable that they were lightly dressed. With the exception of just one of their members, their complexion was darkened, skin tanned by the sun and wind of the harsh, desert environment they hailed from.

Jaune's eyes took in their leader, Brawnz Ni, with his sleeveless shirt and purple scarf, focusing primarily on the wicked-looking claws that adorned his hands, with a larger, curved blade extending back, almost like a shark's dorsal fin. From there, he took in the next member, Roy Stallion, with his green vest over a black T-shirt, wielding a pair of wrist-mounted circular saws, which extended out over his fists. Then came Nolan Porfirio, wearing a light-blue jacket, and holding what looked like a light baton of some kind. Finally, Jaune noticed the fourth member of the team, standing behind the boys.

May Zedong already stood out from the others, by virtue of being the only girl on the team. That alone wasn't so remarkable, as Team JNAR sported the same makeup. However, her appearance was rather distinctive, with her white and red jacket, and the black beanie that covered her left eye, allowing strand of dusky-rose colored hair to run down the side of her face. However, what really drew Jaune's attention was the unmistakable shape of a rifle cradled in her arms...a rifle with a scope. The boys were all melee focused, but May was undoubtedly a sniper, who would fall back to cover her teammates from the rear.

Jaune's eyes narrowed and he felt the corners of his mouth tug upwards in the beginnings of a smile. _We got lucky, this time,_ he thought, noting the obvious target.

The problem appeared to be that May was such an obvious target that her teammates were well aware of that fact too. Already, she was standing behind them, ready to retreat the moment the buzzer sounded. Furthermore, Brawnz, Roy, and Nolan were positioning themselves to block for her. They'd clearly seen RUBY's match with ABRN, and weren't about to repeat the same mistakes.

Another set of wheels appeared on the holographic screens over the arena, this time displaying symbols for the different terrain types that could be selected. The first selection was a forest biome, which rose up behind BRNZ, making Jaune tense slightly. If May could make it into those trees, she would be set for sniping. Behind JNAR, a mountainous biome rose up.

Jaune drew his sword. At the same time, he heard the trademark eerie ring of Ayumu's Green Destiny, while Nora pulled out her hammer. Ren's own guns snapped out of his sleeves, and slid right into his hands. They sank into ready crouches as Team BRNZ did the same in front of them. They hear Port's voice perform the countdown to the match.

" _Three...two...one...Begin!_ "

"Here we go!" shouted Jaune, not leaping forward, but jumping back a pair of steps. He sank down into one knee, raising and bracing his shield over his head. In the same movement, Ayumu leapt into the air, conducting a cartwheeling flip that allowed him to land, balancing easily atop the surface of Jaune's shield.

The boys on the opposing team immediately clued into Jaune's intentions, realizing that, if Jaune and his teammates couldn't break through the enemy front line, then Jaune intended to send Ayumu flying over it. Roy responded first, punching out with his arms in succession, the spinning, gold-colored circular saws he mounted at his wrists went flying for Jaune. But Ren stepped in smoothly, crouching down and sweeping the blades of his weapons around in circular slashes to deflect Roy's attack. The saws went arcing around, before their course bent back, and they returned to Roy's bracers.

Brawnz and Nolan charged, trying to close the distance, figuring that they could catch Jaune and Ayumu before the former launched the latter. Even then, May was already sprinting for the forest behind them. If she got to the trees, she'd be able to conceal herself in the foliage, while firing at will. But, with Brawnz and Nolan closing in, it was a race against time to get Ayumu airborne...or so it seemed.

Jaune wasn't the only one who'd fallen back. Nora fell back even farther, spinning her hammer in her grip, the handle folding away, as the weapon converted into its other form, a grenade launcher, which Nora leveled at the incoming boys with a fierce grin. The sight of the weapon caused all three of them to balk...which was what Nora had been hoping for. Then, instead of pulling the trigger right away, she first raised the angle of the barrel.

As a result, the grenades she fired drew streaks of pink smoke through the air over the heads of the three boys, arcing above them to descend directly in front of May, prompting her to cry in surprise, aborting her run and throwing herself back as the grenades exploded. In the meantime, Jaune yelled, pushing up with all his strength, while Ayumu used his Semblance to lighten himself, allowing Jaune to easily launch him into the air.

Brawnz growled in frustration, pivoting around to pursue Ayumu, who would land well behind him. Even with his actions being anticipated, Ayumu would have a decent head-start, and would likely close in on May before Brawnz could catch up with him.

Except that, when Ayumu touched down, he instead immediately turned around as well, turning to face Brawnz head-on, catching Team BRNZ's leader by surprise as Ayumu advanced on him, his green sword flashing. Brawnz worked his arms furiously, deflecting Ayumu's attacks. Behind him, he heard the clangs as the battle with the others was joined. Nora unfolded her weapon out into its hammer form, lunging for Nolan, while Ren exchanged slashing blows with Roy, occasionally trying to line up a shot with his gun barrels.

Then Brawnz heard a shout behind him and turned to see that Jaune had barreled past the other two members of BRNZ, and had come up right behind Brawnz, his sword swinging straight down for Brawnz's head.

With a startled yelp, Brawnz threw up a claw to guard and managed to catch Jaune's sword between its prongs. However, Jaune merely pulled back with surprising strength, levering Brawnz's arm down and out of the way, before stepping forward and slamming the face of his shield into Brawnz's side.

At the same time, Ayumu struck from Brawnz's other flank. The disorientation of being attacked from two directions at once, along with the hit from Jaune's shield, threw Brawnz off his game and he stumbled, allowing Ayumu's sword to flicker past his defense and bite into his Aura.

"Agh!" Brawnz grunted, stumbling. Doing so caused him to lose his hold on Jaune's sword, which he'd trapped with his claws.

Pulling his weapon free, Jaune stepped forward, slashing with his sword once again. Brawnz dodged it, but found himself threatened by Ayumu's blade, flickering at him from the opposite side. Grimacing, he turned to face Ayumu, trying to counter the lightning-fast movements of Ayumu's sword, but was forced to divert to face Jaune again. Jaune charged forward with his shield leading, forcing Brawnz back towards Ayumu.

Then Green Destiny flickered, green light trailing from the edge of the blade. Ayumu appeared to cut right through Brawnz at the waist. However, instead of splitting in two, Brawnz's Aura flickered and dissolved, the buzzer announcing his defeat.

" _And with a sublime attack, Ayumu brings Brawnz's Aura down to zero!_ " declared Oobleck.

"When did you come up with that?" asked Jaune as he and Ayumu stood over their defeated foe for a second.

"I snuck in some training of my own, here and there," said Ayumu. "Sharpness is a state of mind."

"Best get moving, I guess," said Jaune.

"Of course," replied Ayumu.

The two of them parted ways, Jaune returning to the melee, where Ren and Nora continued to face off against Roy and Nolan. Ayumu went in the opposite direction, in pursuit of May. May had been stymied by the grenades Nora had fired earlier. But with Nora engaged in combat with Nolan, there were no opportunities for her to continue firing. Ayumu and Jaune had moved to take down Brawnz as fast as possible ,to keep May from getting far enough ahead for her sniping to turn the tide of the battle.

* * *

In the time it had taken Ayumu and Jaune to beat Brawnz, May had already reached the forest biome. Jumping up, she turned her weapon in her grip, an axe-blade unfolding out of the rifle's stock. Sinking the blade into the trunk of one of the trees, May used it to lever herself up to find a vantage point. Crouching on a branch, she raised her gun up, sighting through the scope, ready to start shooting.

She caught a blue blur at the edge of her vision, and rapidly adjusted, trying to sight on the target, only to gasp as she saw Ayumu heading for her, his body almost seeming to glide across the ground. Quickly, May adjusted her aim and started taking shots at the most immediate threat.

Ayumu bobbed and weaved gracefully, jumping and ducking over, under, and around shots as they came, steadily moving closer, no matter how many rounds May fired at him. She kept firing, even as Ayumu reached the grassy ground of the forest biome. She kept firing, lowering her barrel further to track her target, even as Ayumu approached the trunk of her tree.

Arriving at the tree, Ayumu spun in place, reaching out with Green Destiny, slicing around and up with his sword. The blade seemed to pass harmlessly through the wood, the movement so smooth that there was no tremor of impact running through the trunk to alert May to what had just happened. Instead, her first warning was when the tree suddenly began to topple over. Her footing suddenly giving out beneath her, May squeaked in surprise, and threw herself clear, switching her weapon to its axe-mode once again. Reaching out with it, she hooked the bottom of the blade over the top of the branch of a neighboring tree, allowing her to swing clear, and land on another branch.

Turning and trying to draw a bead on Ayumu again, May found herself almost face-to-face with him. Ayumu had jumped, using the very branch May had originally been standing on as a platform to leap after her, skipping across branches, and even twigs so small that they shouldn't have held his weight, before arriving right in front of May, before she could settle herself to take the next shot.

Crying out with surprise, May swung her axe, which Ayumu deflected deftly with Green Destiny. Not prepared for melee combat, especially not under her current circumstances, May lost her balance and tumbled off her perch, falling the ground with a thud that caused many in the audience to wince in sympathy.

"Owwwww..." groaned May, rolling slightly to ease the pain in her back. Her hand went to the back of her head to massage the spot where it had hit the ground. It was then she realized something.

Her beanie was gone. With a sharp gasp, May sat up, her hands frantically feeling her head, desperate to confirm the presence of her hat. But there was no sign of it. She looked around, desperately searching for any sign of it, her movements frantic and panicked. She was so distracted that she missed the fact that Ayumu had dropped down to land right next to her, his feet touching down almost soundlessly on the ground.

Noticing May's state, Ayumu immediately realized what she was looking for. He found it much more quickly, as it had landed near his own feet. Bending down, he picked the piece of clothing up. "Are you looking for this?" he asked politely, holding it out for May.

May gasped and whipped her head round to face him, showing Ayumu exactly why she was so panicked.

There was no left eye. What the beanie covered instead was a ragged mass of scar-tissue. May's left eye was gone...and what remained was horrifying to look at. Realizing that Ayumu had an up-close look at her disfigurement, May shrieked and backed away from him, scooting across the ground to press her back up against the tree she'd been in only a moment earlier.

Ayumu's smile didn't waver in the slightest. Instead, he crouched down in front of May and slipped her beanie back over her head, pulling it down so that her scar was covered once more. Having her trademark garment back in place caused May to sigh and slump down, the tension draining completely from her body, so that her arms lay limp.

"I think you're done for the day," said Ayumu.

May nodded weakly.

Getting up, Ayumu turned around and headed towards the two remaining members of Team BRNZ, leaving May, who raised a hand in surrender, drawing a confused reaction from the audience. Glancing up, she saw a replay of events from the screen. Her hair had initially screened her scar from view. However, Ayumu had loomed over her so that his body had blocked out the audience's view of it, until her beanie was back in place. With a small groan, May leaned back and rested her head against the tree trunk.

* * *

Ren jumped, going into a flip that carried him over the spinning blades of Roy's saws. Coming back down, Ren danced in, spinning and slashing with StormFlower's blades. Roy parried, jumping back slightly, before going into a spinning leap of his own that allowed him to put his weight and momentum behind the next slashes, which drove Ren back. The two were stalemated, dancing back and forth, neither seeming able to gain a definitive advantage. Roy kept the fight close, in order to keep Ren from using his guns, shifting his body continuously to keep Ren from lining up a shot.

Then Jaune entered the fray, attacking Roy from behind, forcing him to split his attention, the same tactic that had worked so well against Brawnz. Roy was apparently able to adapt better though, jumping to kick Jaune's shield and drive him back, using the same movement to whip out an arm to slash at Ren, keeping them both at a distance. However, with Jaune to deal with, Roy didn't have as easy a time keeping close to Ren, who hopped back and leveled his guns, opening fire. Roy jumped to the side, hoping that Ren would shoot Jaune in the confusion. However, Ren's shots rapped harmlessly against the surface of Jaune's shield.

With an angry growl, Roy whirled like a dervish, striking out at Jaune, trying to batter down his defenses. Jaune gave ground, working to keep the shield between him and Roy, the other boy's arms battering the shield endlessly, the shock of which was making Jaune's arm sore. Still, Jaune was able to keep his and Ren's opponent from landing a blow.

In the meantime, Ren fired another burst from his guns, prompting Roy to dodge once more, leaving Ren's shots bouncing harmlessly off Jaune's shield. Whirling around, Roy launched his saws once more, sending them shooting straight for Ren, who deflected them away. In that moment, Jaune attacked, lunging out from behind his defense to strike with his sword. Roy turned to meet him, blocking Jaune's sword strokes with the bracers his saws were mounted on.

After Ren's deflection, the saws arced back, curving around to return to their bracers. Roy fell back away from Jaune, extending his arms out to catch the saws. However, a whirling, green shape intercepted each of the projectiles. Ren had thrown his own weapons, the whirling blades of his StormFlower guns intercepting Roy's saws and knocking them away again. Roy turned to face Ren, only to find the green-clad boy charging straight at him.

Instinctively, Roy backed up, but was stopped by the presence of Jaune's shield. Stymied by the sudden obstacle, Roy left himself open as Ren stepped forward, slamming his lead food down onto the ring, using that step to channel the force of his entire body into the palm-strike he launched right into the center of Roy's chest, projecting his Aura out through the motion. The impact slammed Roy back into Jaune's shield, the air exploding out of his lungs, his feet lifted off the ground from the force of the blow.

Slumping forward, Roy was left wide-open as Jaune struck from behind, slashing his sword across Roy's back, the blow carving off what remained of Roy's Aura and throwing him onto his face. Ren stepped back and caught StormFlower, the guns returning to his hands with flawless precision.

" _Effectively double-teamed, Roy Mustang has been eliminated,_ " announced Oobleck.

Nearby, Nora whirled Magnhild about, whipping the hammer's head through a surprisingly tight arc, threatening to smack it into Nolan's side. With his much lighter weapon, the only defense Nolan had was evasion, jumping, spinning, and ducking. He tried to strike back, but found his baton continuously thwarted by the spinning shaft of Nora's hammer as she wielded her weapon with a speed that belied its bulk.

As a fighter, Nora's forte was definitely her raw strength. That said, it was easy to underestimate her speed and finesse. At her best, Nora was able to keep up with Yang in close combat. She frequently used her body as a fulcrum, allowing her to effectively control her hammer's reach to use it in close, where most would assume she couldn't.

But she wasn't perfect. At one point, Nora slipped slightly, her foot skidding out of place across the smooth surface of the arena. Grinning, Nolan saw his chance and lunged forward. Nora squeaked and jerked to the side, barely managing to shift her midriff out of the way of Nolan's thrusting baton. As she did, she heard the click of Nolan pressing a trigger of some kind and saw the head of his baton spark angrily. Nolan's weapon was electrified.

Nora's face broke out in an excited grin even more intense than the one she'd been wearing earlier. Recovering from her slip, she whipped her hammer around the small of her back, tugging up so that the hammer's sweep arced up, threatening to catch Nolan in the chin. Nolan jumped back out of range, his eyes widening as he saw Nora adjust her grip, bringing the hammer back around in a downward strike, putting all her strength into the motion. She triggered her weapon's explosive charge right as the head struck the ground, the explosion throwing up chunks of the ring, along with a sizable amount of smoke.

Her vision blocked, Nora didn't see Nolan dodge by sidestepping her strike, and circle around so that he was now behind her. her only hint was when he drove his baton right into the bottom of her ribcage, drawing a pained cry from her. Then Nolan grinned and triggered his weapon again. This time, Nora's body spasmed as the voltage of his baton coursed through her. Keeping the trigger depressed, Nolan channeled more electricity into her, planning not to let up until he'd brought her down...which made it all the more disconcerting when Nora suddenly met his eyes with her own...sporting a triumphant grin on her face.

" _Aha!_ " Nolan's ears picked up Port's voice over the general din of battle and the crackling of his own weapon. " _It looks like my favorite student is charging up._ "

" _That's right,_ " added Oobleck. " _Nora Valkyrie's Semblance allows her to generate and channel electricity straight into her muscles, producing explosive power. In this case, she will absorb the shocks from Nolan's baton and use it to send the young man flying._ "

Nolan's mouth went dry, his own body spasming, as though he'd just been jolted with his own weapon. "Wait! What?" He took a hesitant step back, seeing Nora straighten up, then flex her muscles dramatically, pink arcs dancing around her hands as she closed them into fists.

Gripping her hammer in both hands, she took a step forward. "FOOOOOOOOORE!" She swung her hammer in an upwards arc that slammed it into Nolan's stomach, the explosive charge adding to the power of the impact, launching Nolan up into the air, and out of the ring.

" _And Nolan is eliminated by ring-out,_ " announced Port. " _With that, the match goes to Team January!_ "

The crowd roared its approval, and Jaune sighed, relaxing, now that the fight was over.

"Well, it seems I wasn't needed over here," observed Ayumu, arriving on the scene, only to find that the rest of the match had ended without him.

"Thanks for doing what you did," said Jaune. "Their sniper would've had us, if you hadn't taken her on."

"Yes, well, it appears your strategy was the biggest contributor to today's success," said Ayumu. "Everything worked out the way we hoped it would. It was a good call to turn Ruby's strategy on its head, and use Bronze's anticipation of it to our advantage."

"I'm just glad it worked out," said Jaune.

Ren rested a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "You did well," he said.

"That's our leader!" agreed Nora, hugging Jaune by the shoulders with a cheerful grin.

Jaune looked over to where Roy and Brawnz were sprawled out, groaning and trying to get up. Trading nods with his teammates, they moved to help their opponents to their feet. Ren went to Roy, while Jaune took Brawnz. Nora jogged out of the ring to see to Nolan, and Ayumu went over to check on May. Ignoring Port and Oobleck's praise for their sportsmanship, JNAR helped BRNZ to get back to their ready room.

The three boys on the team were battered to various degrees, but May was mostly unhurt, save for a sore back and behind, from her fall out of the tree. Despite that, she was dazed and unbalanced, needing to lean on Ayumu's arm as he walked her back to the ready-room. By the time they arrived, she seemed more coherent though.

The boys' comfort seen to, Ayumu moved to settle May into a chair. He was about to leave when May reached out and caught the sleeve of his kimono. Looking at her, Ayumu saw that her eye was lowered to the floor.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"You're welcome," said Ayumu, gently patting her hand. "I apologize for earlier. It wasn't my intention to knock your hat off, and expose you like that."

"No...It's all right," said May, sounding ashamed. "I'm not much of a Huntress, if losing a hat can make me lose it like that."

"Not at the moment," conceded Ayumu. "Did that happen recently?"

May nodded wordlessly.

"You may not be fully recovered then," said Ayumu. "Perhaps entering the Vytal Festival this year was a bit premature on your part. But I'm sure you'll be able to overcome your need to keep that hidden. Next time, you'll be able to do much better, I'm sure."

May gave him a halfhearted smile and nodded. She released her hold on Ayumu's sleeve, allowing him to leave. Ayumu gave her one last nod before following the rest of his team out of BRNZ's ready-room.

JNAR returned to the arena to find that the audience was still cheering for them. Jaune, blushing furiously, led the team back across and into their own ready room. Glancing over to where Yang was, Jaune saw her waving excitedly, grinning in a manner that was almost predatory, with a fierce gaze that held a promise of what was to come that night.

The thought of that made Jaune smile, the promise of advancing in the tournament eclipsed by his anticipation of Yang's reward for a job well-done.

* * *

 **Oh yeah, Jaune's gonna get some. Good for him. Sorry, no lemon this time though.**

 **It's a bit tricky, trying to figure out an overall response to what happened to Ruby, two chapters ago. I figured that, if something like that happened during the festival, it's only natural that the press would be all over it, for a little bit, at least. She's got no shortage of people out for her head, whether metaphorically or literally.**

 **As for JNAR vs BRNZ, just as I did with RUBY vs ABRN, I wanted to go with something different from what happened in Volume 3. Showing how Jaune's grown as a fighter and a strategist was a good approach. As for May...**

 **I'm definitely not the first person to suggest that her beanie is there to hide something. There're quite a few stories out there that feature May having some kind of scar or disfigurement underneath that hat. As a means of prompting her to drop out of the match, I suppose it comes off as a little contrived, particularly since it's a one-time thing that doesn't have any bearing on the rest of the story. But I thought it would add a little extra flavor to this particular match. We likely won't learn the truth for a while, assuming we ever do, when it comes to the actual show, seeing as it's gonna probably be a few more Volumes, before our heroes make their way around to Vacuo. It's a tossup as to whether or not BRNZ will make an appearance at all. If they do, and if me, and other writers, are right, it would certainly continue the trend of RWBY's character-designers' vendetta against people's left eyes, as evinced by Weiss, Cinder, and now Adam.**


	84. Chapter 84

**Chapter 84:**

"Well...that was dull," grumbled Mercury, watching as JNAR helped their opponents off the field, in the wake of their victory. Looking over, he expected Cinder to be amused by the outcome. Team BRNZ had gone down almost comically easily after all. Their sniper hadn't even put up a fight, once her hat had come off.

"I was expecting...more," admitted Cinder, sounding worried, rather than amused. "It seems that they have improved more than I expected."

"That good or bad?" asked Emerald.

"Irrelevant right now," said Cinder. "It doesn't change what's coming. The higher they rise, the farther they'll fall."

* * *

"Well...that was suitably entertaining," mused Watts, getting off the couch and heading back. "I had expected the opposing team to put up more of a fight. However, I can see why that boy warrants such interest from you."

Pyrrha said nothing, her eyes fixed on the screen, on Jaune's face. Occasionally, her gaze darted to the black-haired boy that had fought beside him, the boy that had taken her place as his partner. _That should be me down there...with him,_ she thought bitterly. The bitter feeling grew even stronger when she saw JNAR make their way back to their own ready room, Jaune trading a triumphant hand-clasp with his new partner. Pyrrha ground her teeth, her simmering anger approaching a boil.

"Patience," said Watts, helping himself to the liquor cabinet. "You must learn to fully control that anger of yours, my dear. Act impulsively, and you will wind up having everything snatched away from you. Our plan will be put into action soon. Once it does, you will be more than free to take what you want...so long as the Silver-Eyed child is taken alive."

 _We'll see about that,_ thought Pyrrha grimly.

 _My my,_ thought Watts, watching her as he sipped from his glass. _She bears close observation, this one. Obedient on the surface...but her murderous intent towards Ruby Rose is still uninhibited._

Not the for the first time, he found himself hoping that he hadn't made a mistake, bringing her into the fold. It was a gamble, to be sure. If she could be kept under control, Pyrrha Nikos would be a powerful asset, but only if she _remained_ under control.

 _This will will have to be handled with the utmost care._

* * *

"Hail the victorious heroes!" called Ruby, waving as JNAR stepped off the air-bus. "You guys were awesome!"

"You could've waited at the coliseum for us," said Jaune.

"Nah," replied Yang dismissively, "there's lots of better stuff to do than sit around and wait for you guys to finish up in the ready room. Saw your interview though."

"What'd you think?" asked Nora.

"Gracious, even in victory," observed Blake wryly. "You're a sterling example to aspiring Huntsmen and Huntresses everywhere."

"There wasn't all that much to say," said Ren. "Even I was surprised by how well things went according to plan."

"I'm afraid we missed the other team's interview," said Ayumu. "Is Ms. Zedong all right?"

"She looked okay," said Gin. "Although she was pretty ashamed of how she gave up without a fight like that."

"Why did she, though?" asked Ruby.

"She freaked out the moment her beanie slipped off," added Yang.

"Yes...well...it's a personal matter," said Ayumu, sounding a tad uneasy. "It's not something I would talk about, if she is unwilling to."

"That makes sense," said Ruby.

"But still," said Blake, "If she gets so distraught, just because of a piece of clothing, she's more likely to be a hinderance than a help on the battlefield."

"I think she'll be fine," said Ayumu. "It's something that I believe she can overcome."

"If you say so," said Blake warily.

"If Ayumu says so, then he's probably right," said Gin.

"In any case, let's not worry about it too much," said Jaune. "Bronze has their own issues. I'm sure they can tackle it as a team. In the meantime, let's just keep enjoying the festival. We've got plenty of time, until the next match is announced."

"That's right," agreed Yang, adopting a sultry tone. "So...if you don't mind, why don't I give you the first part of your reward now?"

That made Jaune smile. "I won't complain at all," he replied.

Moving slowly and deliberately, Yang draped her arms over his shoulders, pulling Jaune into a deep kiss, which he reciprocated with all enthusiasm, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling their bodies together.

Seeing that as their cue, the other members of RUBY and JNAR parted ways as they saw fit. Ruby and Gin wound their way through the stalls, enjoying the absence of the reporters and photographers that had been dogging her through the first part of the morning. Nora dragged Ren in the direction of a nearby game booth. Blake and Ayumu both set off on their own.

Jaune and Yang pulled apart from each other, noticing that their friends had all gone their own ways.

"Well...now what?" asked Jaune.

Yang grinned and used a finger to delicately trace a circle across his chest. "Well, they won't be back to our dorm for a while. We could go back and I could give you your full reward right now."

"Let's wait on that," said Jaune, managing to only sound a trifle reluctant. "I _do_ want to watch the other matches today, and I get the feeling we'd be busy for quite a while."

"You're not wrong," admitted Yang with a giggle. "Of course, if we wait until evening, we'll have to deal with the time limit of how long my teammates are willing to allow us to use the room."

"That's okay," said Jaune, switching to hold Yang's hand as the two of them began to walk.

They wandered amidst the festival stalls, looking over all the wares on sale, and helping themselves to the occasional treat. JNAR hadn't even used their ready room for the full two hours allotted to their post-match schedule, so they had plenty of time until the next match was announced.

They were looking over a stall that sold leather goods, when they heard something that caused Jaune to stiffen nervously...his own name.

"Jaune!"

The voice that called out was a deep baritone that sent shivers of fear and anger down Jaune's spine. Yang noticed his unease immediately, frowning and watching him as he stiffly turned to face the source of that voice.

He found himself looking at a familiar man, the sight of whom made his stomach clench nervously. The man looked like he could have been Jaune himself, had he been some thirty years younger. Still, there was no way that anyone looking at him would have dared to call him old. His blonde hair had lightened a little, the color fading with age, but no actual white or gray coming in. His deep, blue eyes were as bright and clear as Jaune's were, albeit narrowed a little, set into a face with surprisingly taut skin, and very few wrinkles. A thick, blonde beard decorated the man's chin and chiseled cheeks.

The body below that head seemed to be almost nothing but muscle, the product of a lifetime of hard work, from his powerful, thick neck, to the heavy muscles on his arms and legs. The leather jerkin and the cream-colored shirt underneath it hid a chest and abdomen that were probably just as powerfully-built as the rest of him.

"Jaune...is that...?" asked Yang warily.

"Yep," replied Jaune in a resigned tone, straightening up and facing the man. "Hey, Dad."

* * *

"Penny!" squealed Ruby, throwing herself at her friend.

"Ruby!" Penny yelled back, the two girls meeting in a tight embrace.

Unfortunately, Penny's much heavier frame knocked Ruby right onto her back.

"Whyyyyy?" groaned Ruby, while Gin looked on with an amused smile.

Looking back up, Gin noticed the girl who'd been with Penny. She was dark-skinned, with short, navy-blue hair, cut in an asymmetric style not too dissimilar from Ruby's, albeit styled to be much neater and straighter. She observed the reunion with intense, blue eyes, and a somewhat impassive expression. Her hair was partially hidden under a blue beret. A simple, light-gray, button-down shirt with short sleeves hid a petite frame. The cuffs of the sleeves were gold, leaving a small portion of visible skin, before it was concealed again by a set of long, black, fingerless gloves that covered most of her arms. Her shirt was tucked into a blue combat skirt, with long, white boots that ran up her legs past the knees. Her most prominent accessory was the gold jewel that was affixed in the center of her forehead.

"Hello," said Gin, bobbing his head towards the girl politely.

"Greetings," she said back, her tone clipped and formal.

Penny was helping a somewhat-squashed Ruby back onto her feet when Ruby suddenly noticed Penny's companion. "Penny? Is this your partner?" she asked.

"She is," replied Penny brightly. "Ruby, this is-"

"Ciel Soleil," said the dark-skinned girl quickly, cutting Penny off.

"Oh...um..." Ruby was momentarily taken aback by Ciel's sudden interjection. "It's...um...nice to meet you. I'm-"

"Ruby Rose, first-year student at Beacon Academy, leader of Team Ruby," said Ciel, once again interrupting.

"Not one for manners, is she?" asked Gin to Penny in an aside voice.

"She's a little...um..." Penny fished for a word that would describe Ciel's manner appropriately.

Ciel frowned, her eyes fixing on Gin. "And you are Gin Ueno, wanted in Mistral's territories for banditry, murder, and manslaughter; currently attending Beacon Academy, but also a student of Yu Yuen, possibly the worst criminal in the world."

"Straight to the point," noted Gin, folding his arms.

Ciel looked at Penny, who seemed suitably abashed by her brusque behavior. "Ma'am, these two are friends of yours?"

"Of course they are," said Penny. "Please stop calling me that." Then she smiled. "Let me talk to them for a minute."

"Very well," said Ciel, stepping back, raising her left arm so that she could stare at the blue screen of the wristwatch she wore on it.

Gin reached over and interposed his hand between Ciel's gaze and the watch's screen. "She didn't mean that literally," said Gin firmly.

"Oh," said Ciel, blinking and lowering her arm.

 _She's more like a machine than the actual android,_ mused Gin ruefully. He nodded to Ruby, who smiled back at him and began to converse with Penny in soft tones. "You're her partner, aren't you?" he asked, turning back to Ciel.

"I am," replied Ciel.

"You don't seem like partners," noted Gin.

Ciel met his gaze squarely. "I am Ms. Penny's partner. General Ironwood gave me my orders, and I intend to fulfill them. Personal sentiment is not a matter of concern for me."

"So you're approaching this as a soldier, rather than a student," observed Gin.

"Correct," replied Ciel. "It is my duty to accompany Ms. Penny, and ensure that all schedule requirements are observed. She is an extremely important personage, and I must ensure that there are no unnecessary distractions to detract from her performance."

 _Important personage, huh...?_ thought Gin. _Is she aware that Penny's an android, and covering for that...or is she one of the people not in the know?_ He glanced over at Penny and Ruby, who were chatting and giggling with each other. "I'm guessing you have a set schedule then."

"We do," said Ciel firmly.

"But, if you're wandering around here, I'm guessing that your schedule has _some_ flexibility built in, for at least this part of the day," he observed.

"Y-yes," admitted Ciel, apparently not liking the idea.

 _She must be the sort of person who feels more comfortable if she knows exactly what she should be doing at any given time,_ thought Gin.

"Then come with me," suggested Gin, gesturing towards a nearby booth. "Let's give those two some time to themselves."

"But I was ordered to remain in Ms. Penny's proximity at all times," said Ciel warily.

"And you will," replied Gin, with a small smile. "We're just going over there." He gestured to the booth again. "Penny will be in sight the whole time. There's nothing to worry about."

Gently applying a hand to Ciel's elbow, he steered her away from Ruby and Penny, seeing Ruby look up and flash him a grateful smile. He led Ciel to a booth that sold cold drinks to ward off the heat of the day. It was autumn, but fairly early in the season, so the chill of the oncoming winter was only really beginning to make itself felt well after the sun had gone down for the day. Ciel ordered an iced coffee, while Gin got himself an iced chai.

"S-so now what?" asked Ciel, continuously glancing nervously over at Penny.

Gin wondered what made Ciel more uncomfortable; the fact that she was away from Penny, the fact that she was doing something that was almost certainly unscheduled, the fact that she was being forced to interact with a former bandit, or the fact that she was being forced to engage in in unscripted social interaction at all. It was a source of dry amusement to him that he'd actually encountered someone with less casual social experience than him. He'd gotten a lot more of that since joining Beacon and Ruby's team.

"We could talk," he suggested.

"About what?" asked Ciel, her tone suddenly growing sharp. "What could a criminal like you have to talk about with me?" It was clear that she'd meant it to be harsher than it was. However, her discomfort with the situation had robbed her statement of much of its intended edge, which amused Gin quite a bit.

"We could talk about any number of things," said Gin with a shrug. "Is life at Atlas Academy really so heavily regimented that nearly every minute has to be accounted for?"

"N-no," replied Ciel, her nervous unease reasserting itself. "I just find that making and keeping to a schedule has always made my life easier."

"Oh?" Gin raised an eyebrow.

"It's better that way," said Ciel. "I'm able to make sure I get the optimal amount of sleep, have enough time for my meals, and whatever tasks I have. I always know what I need to do, and when it needs to be done."

"That's nice," said Gin. "I come from a bit more along from the other end of the spectrum. It can be handy to have things scheduled, but if you don't have some flexibility built in, you're liable to miss out."

"Miss out on what?" asked Ciel.

"Various things," replied Gin. "When we were training, our master kept us to a schedule of sorts. But it only goes so far. More often than not, life won't happen in such a way as to neatly fit into your time-slot."

"What do you mean?"

Gin shrugged. "Grimm don't keep to a schedule," he pointed out. "They can attack anytime. You have to be able to bend, to acknowledge that you can't script out everything, because the ones you're training to fight don't have a script."

"That's...true," admitted Ciel.

"And when you're forced to give up a schedule you keep so rigidly, you only find it harder to adjust," continued Gin.

Ciel frowned, feeling a bit conflicted about Gin's words. Most people, when confronted with her philosophy regarding time, expressed it as an issue of freedom. They felt better because they lived their lives more "freely," or something to that end. That had only made her more determined to stick to her itinerary. She felt she had the results to show for it as well. But Gin actually made it into a practical concern.

"So it's about flexibility then?" she asked.

"It is," said Gin, before smiling at her. "Likewise, if you're going to be spending so much time around your partner, you might want to make more of an effort to get to know her. She's not just a person you've been ordered to hang around with. She's someone who might well be your comrade in battle someday. Isn't that why you're here, to fight together to advance in the tournament?"

Ciel sighed, looking down. "No," she said.

"You're not?" asked Gin.

"Ms. Penny is," said Ciel. "I am here...our other teammates are here...so that we can assure her continued advancement. But the purpose of our being here is for Ms. Penny to demonstrate her power to the people of the world."

 _In other words, they're there to fill out the roster,_ thought Gin. That seemed like a shame to him. Undoubtedly, Ciel, along with whoever else was on the team with her and Penny, had trained long and hard, first to get into Atlas Academy, then to qualify for the tournament itself. The Vytal Festival Tournament was supposed to be a chance for students to showcase their skills and fight for the pride of their Kingdoms. Yet Ciel and the other members of her team were simply being used as placeholders, so that Penny could look good on her own. He imagined that Penny had no such interests, save for following through on the task she had been assigned. But Gin got the feeling that Ironwood didn't care all that much about his students' pride, so long as they fulfilled the role he wanted them to.

"And what does that mean for you?" asked Gin. "Are you happy with that kind of lot."

"It's not my place to question orders," said Ciel firmly, "only to obey."

"Maybe not your orders," said Gin. "But you can question Penny, can't you?"

"About what?" asked Ciel.

"If you ask me, it sounds as though your purpose in this tournament is to support her," said Gin. "So why not ask Penny what you can do to fulfill that end. Even if she doesn't actually need help, it doesn't mean that she doesn't _want_ it. If you're here to support her, then nothing would make her happier than to fight alongside her comrades."

Ciel blinked and looked down, staring into the cup of her half-finished coffee, pondering what Gin suggested.

* * *

"So...does your partner know...about...you know...?" Ruby began to mime robotic movements. "Beep-boop...Does not compute."

"No," said Penny. "Ciel hasn't been informed."

"Isn't she your friend?" asked Ruby.

"Sort of..." said Penny. "She's a bit like...like Blake...but if Blake was ordered to spend time around you."

"Oh..." said Ruby, trying to figure out what that would be like. "So...like Weiss then." After all, before she had decided to stop being a friend and become an enemy, Weiss had only really been a "friend" to Ruby and the other members of the team because she _had_ to spend time with them.

"I suppose," said Penny. "I've had a few close calls. Earlier...there was this incident with a magnet...but it worked out."

Ruby giggled at the mental image of Penny having a magnet stuck to her metal body, and having to hide it from her partner. Evidently, Penny's memory was just as humorous as Ruby's imagination, and the two of them giggled together.

"Did you have your match already?" asked Ruby.

"I did," said Penny. "It was on the first day."

"I'm sorry I missed it," said Ruby earnestly.

"That's okay," said Penny. "I saw your match though. You were amazing, Ruby!"

"Thank you," said Ruby, beaming at her friend's praise.

"And I can't wait to meet you later on in the tournament," said Penny. "I hope we get to meet in the finals."

"Me too," agreed Ruby, before glancing over at Ciel, who was still being occupied by Gin. "Is Ciel going to go to the next round with you?"

"She is," said Penny, her smile fading slightly.

"Is something wrong?" asked Ruby.

Penny looked down. "It's just...I don't feel right."

"About the tournament?" asked Ruby.

"About what I'm doing in the tournament," said Penny.

"Winning?"

"Winning by myself," said Penny, looking up at Ruby again. "I know General Ironwood wants me to show my power, and reassure the people. But it doesn't feel right to use Ciel and my other teammates for that. During the last round...they didn't even bother bringing their weapons into the arena."

"So you fought on your own?" asked Ruby.

Penny nodded. "I won. But it feels like...like I'm taking something away from them. Ciel and the others worked hard to get to the tournament and...they're just...there."

"Oh..." said Ruby, catching onto Penny's concern. She could imagine how bitter it must have been for her teammates as well, to polish their skills so thoroughly, yet just be made to stand aside, so that only one of them could get the glory and the prestige of actually fighting and winning in the tournament. "Have you told Ciel about that?"

"I...I'm not sure if I should," said Penny. "Ciel takes her orders from General Ironwood very seriously, and she doesn't like to deviate from them."

"Well, it never hurts to talk about it," said Ruby. "Besides, it's important to have partners and teammates for things, even if they're things that you could normally do on your own."

"I guess that's true," said Penny.

"You said that Ciel is basically your friend, if she was ordered to be friends with you," said Ruby, "so why not try and make her a friend who _wants_ to be friends with you."

"Okay," said Penny, her resolve firming. "I'll try."

"That's about all you can do," said Ruby.

* * *

Yang wasn't sure what she'd expected to see in the reunion between father and son. Jaune's response was resigned and somewhat bitter, apparently seeing this as something he didn't want to deal with, yet had acknowledged as inevitable all the same. In sharp contrast, Jaune's father burst out into a fierce grin at the sight of his son.

"So here you are," declared Jaune's father, one Blaine Arc, "still at Beacon, somehow. I imagine you're hanging on by the skin of your teeth."

Yang grit her teeth, not liking Blaine's insinuation. Jaune was doing a fair bit better than "by the skin of his teeth." In the past few months, his ranking had risen considerably.

"Yeah, I'm still here," replied Jaune, keeping his cool, though, from the way his jaw was clenched, Yang could see that Blaine's dismissive attitude rankled Jaune as well.

Blaine merely laughed boisterously and strode forward, clapping Jaune on the back with a blow that nearly sent Jaune pitching forward onto his face. "Geez, you're such a stubborn kid. I'd have thought that you'd get tired of this after a month or so, assuming you even managed to get in."

"I told you I was committed," said Jaune.

Blaine barked out a laugh. "That's a good one, son," he said cheerfully. Then his voice lowered and took on a sympathetic air. "Listen, Jaune, I know you might not feel like it, but no one will think less of you for coming back home."

"You mean they _couldn't_ think less of me," muttered Jaune under his breath.

Blaine sighed. "You know it's not like that," he said. "But you also know that the truth is that you just don't have what it takes. I still remember how clumsy you were with that sword, when we were training."

That made Yang stifle a growl. _Just who does this jerk think he is? Jaune doesn't have what it takes because he didn't pick up a sword and just...magically know how to use it or something?_

"Did you actually give me a chance to get better, to improve myself?" growled Jaune.

"I spared you the opportunities to embarrass yourself," said Blaine, his voice growing harsher. "And what did I tell you about talking back to me?"

"At this point, I don't care," said Jaune. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"I came to talk sense into you," said Blaine. "Your mother and sisters are waiting for you at home, and it's well past time you came back. I'd hope to at least convince you to pull out, before you did something completely harebrained, like try and enter the tournament."

"I'm guessing you weren't watching the last match then," interjected Yang wryly, "'Cause Jaune's team was just in it."

Blaine groaned and rubbed his face. "Please tell me they didn't lose too badly."

"Uh...They won, actually," said Yang flashing Jaune an incredulous look. He'd told her his family hadn't had much faith in him...but this was approaching the level of complete denial.

"What?" gasped Blaine. "You're kidding!" He glared at Jaune. "Please tell me you, at least, weren't total dead weight to your teammates."

"Okay, I wasn't total dead weight to my teammates," replied Jaune sardonically, returning Yang's incredulous look with one of resignation.

"If anything, he was pretty key to their strategy," said Yang feeling a trifle smug to point it out. "It was his strategy that won the match too."

"I thought it was Ruby's strategy," Jaune pointed out.

"Hey, if it works, no one can blame you for borrowing it," said Yang with a grin. "It's not like Ruby copyrighted it or anything. Plus, you put your own wrinkle on it."

"True enough," agreed Jaune.

Blaine blinked and looked curiously at Yang, as though he'd just noticed that she was a part of this conversation too. "Wait...who are you? You're not his partner, are you?"

"No, I'm not his partner..." Yang paused, thinking that over. "Well...I'm not his team partner anyway."

"This is Yang Xiao Long from Team Ruby," said Jaune. "They're sort of our sister-team."

"I'm his girlfriend," added Yang, hugging herself to Jaune's arm.

Blaine stared at the pair, his gaze darting back and forth, looking at them as though they'd merged into some kind of two-headed abomination. "You can't be serious," he declared after a moment. "There's no way that son of mine could have hooked up with a girl like you. You're clearly out his league."

"Well, I can't argue with the latter part," said Jaune with a chuckle, making Yang blush. "But she picked me anyways."

Once again, Blaine looked flummoxed, seemingly unable to understand what he was seeing. Finally, he sighed and adopted a resigned look and rested a patronizing hand on Yang's shoulder. "Listen, Miss. I can understand Jaune wanting to be seen around you to raise his clout. I don't know what he's paying you, but-"

Yang's eyes widened, her mouth opening slightly in a soft gasp at the mere idea that Jaune was paying her to pretend to be his girlfriend. Did this man really think so little of his own son? Did he think that Yang was some bimbo, who could be bribed into acting as a man's ornament? A flash of fury caused her temperature to rise and her eyes to turn red.

However, before she could act, Jaune took the initiative, his fist crashing into Blaine's jaw, the force of his punch knocking the man to the ground. Yang blinked, so surprised by the sudden burst of aggression from Jaune that her anger wilted completely, and she found herself staring at him in surprise, even as he glared down at his father's prone form.

"I don't care what you say about me," growled Jaune, his voice positively seething with rage. "You can insult and belittle me all you want. But don't you _dare_ say something like that about Yang. Even if she wasn't my girlfriend, she's still one of the best people I know, and she doesn't deserve having you suggest that she'd sink that low."

Blaine's mouth worked silently, his expression changing by the second washing between surprise and anger.

"I'm sorry you wasted your time," said Jaune. "But I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay at Beacon for as long as they'll have me. Go back home and tell Mom and the others that I'm not going to be coming back anytime soon."

With that, he turned, Yang taking his arm as the pair of them walked away, leaving Blaine laying there, massaging his bruised jaw, trying to process what just happened.

"The nerve of that guy," growled Yang.

"Well...that's the way he is," said Jaune with a sigh.

"I don't get it though," said Yang. "He said you didn't have what it took because you were so clumsy with a sword when you first picked up. What does he think a beginner is?"

Jaune sighed. "Well...Dad's standards are a little skewed. You see, he was pretty talented. I heard that it only took him a couple rounds of training, before he was swinging a sword like he was born to it. Two of my older sisters, who decided they wanted to be Huntresses, were like that too."

"But not you," noted Yang.

Jaune shook his head. "Whatever it is that Dad and my sisters have...I don't. I guess that's why he assumed I couldn't manage at Beacon, and tried his best to discourage me."

Yang frowned, wondering just what Jaune's father would have been like at Beacon. If he was so talented, did he work even half as hard as Jaune did now? Did he assume that all other Beacon students were similarly talented? Whatever the case, she agreed with Jaune that Blaine's standards were skewed. Considering how much Jaune had improved in the months since he'd arrived at Beacon, how willing he was to work and apply himself, Yang couldn't help but wonder how much better Jaune would have been, if he'd been able to apply himself before coming to Beacon, if he'd been encouraged and supported by his family, rather than belittled and dismissed.

It was a moot point anyway, she assumed. "Well, there's no point bothering over it, I suppose," she said. "You're here, and that's what counts. I wouldn't have you anywhere else."

"Thanks," said Jaune.

Yang merely smiled and leaned her head into Jaune's shoulder, prompting him to lean back against her. They decided to get lost in the festival grounds, hoping that, this time, Jaune's father _wouldn't_ find them.

* * *

As the time for the next match of the tournament approached, everyone made their way back into the stadium. As tournament participants, JNAR and RUBY didn't have to worry about finding seats, given that they had priority access to the red-section ringside seats. That was just as well. The general spectator seats, with the exception of a few small sections, were open seating, where anyone could take a seat at anytime. Because of that, people were often jockeying to get the best seats, some taking their seats hours before an upcoming match, in order to ensure that they had claim to them.

As it was, the two teams reunited with each other and took their own seats, mere minutes before the match was to begin, even having the time to fetch concessions from the vendors in the coliseum. Settling themselves they eagerly talked about the upcoming battle.

"So, who do you think it's going to be?" asked Yang.

"Well..." said Blake, looking around. "I wasn't able to find Sun...and I don't see his team anywhere either."

Yang blinked and looked around, confirming that Blake was right. Granted, as large as the coliseum was, it was difficult to be certain. But Sun was generally the one who dropped in on them, bringing his team along for the ride on occasion. But if Blake hadn't been able to meet up with her boyfriend before the match, then...

Sure enough, their suspicions were confirmed when the Port and Oobleck announced the next matchup.

" _First up,_ " declared Oobleck after their general introduction of the match, " _we have the lovely ladies of Team Indigo, renowned as the idols of Shade Academy from Vacuo._ "

A wave of enthusiastic cheers rose up from the spectators as the four girls of Team NDGO entered the field, accompanied by more than a few catcalls and wolf-whistles from some of the boys in the audience. The girls took it all in stride, waving and smiling at the audience.

" _Team Indigo certainly is a crowd favorite,_ " said Port. " _And today, they'll be going up against one of the manliest, most testosterone-filled teams of the tournament, Team Sun, of Haven Academy!_ "

A new round of cheers swept the stadium, this one consisting more of females than males this time as the boys of SSSN arrived, also waving and posturing for the crowd.

"Lookin good, boys!" Yang shouted, waving to them.

"Go get them, Sun!" cheered Blake, her voice much more subdued than Yang, though it was clear that she was making an effort to be more visibly enthusiastic.

* * *

Sun, Neptune, Sage, and Scarlet all looked across the stage at their opponents.

It was easy to see why NDGO were such a favorite of the crowd, considering that the team consisted entirely of attractive-looking young women.

There was Nebula Violette, the team's leader, with short, dark-indigo hair that was brushed over the left side of her head. She looked back at Sun and his team, analyzing them with olive-green eyes and an easygoing smile. The tight-fitting, high-collared gray shirt she wore showed off her petite figure, even with the the blue, short-sleeved jacket she wore over it. Unlike her teammates, who favored various types of combat skirts, Nebula opted for gray pants. Her right shoulder was protected by a gray, metal spaulder, which appeared to also serve as a holster for her crossbow.

Next to her was Dew Gayle. Dew was easily the most statuesque member of the team, with dark-blonde hair and a set of violet eyes, which were half-lidded in a look that seemed slightly bored, giving the impression that she was unimpressed with the boys standing in front of her. She wore a sleeveless, green dress, accompanied by a sarong of lighter green that complimented her combat skirt. Her chest, neck, and left arm were protected by scale-armor, the color of burnished gold. Her right hand was closed around the shaft of a large spear, with a spearhead that resembled a ship's anchor in shape. Sun eyed the large, green wind-Dust crystal set into the spearhead warily.

After that came Gwen Darcy, her olive skin giving her the darkest complexion out of her team, the rest of whom were merely lightly tanned. Her curly, black hair was tied into ringlets at the back of her head, framing a set of wary, brown eyes. She was wearing a black corset dress with a dark-gray front. The portion of the dress covering her shoulders and upper arms was a light gray. It was tied around her waist with a purple ribbon that served as a belt, which was also used to hold the armored tassets, with slots that Sun was willing to guess held whatever her weapon was.

Finally, there was Octavia Ember. Her long hair was a dark, brick-red color that ran down to the small of her back. Like Nebula, sported eyes of olive-green. Her top consisted of a blue waistcoat, and she wore a combat skirt that consisted of two layers, the inner one cream, while the outer one was a dark-orange that opened at the front. Her shoulders were covered by silver spaulders. In her right hand, she gripped a long-bladed dagger with a strangely wavy profile, with lines of dark orange running up its center.

Sun smiled confidently. As attractive as these girls were, they didn't have anything on Blake, to his mind. Besides, the fact that they were here meant that he owed them respect as opponents, and not merely as a quartet of _very_ pretty faces. These girls most likely wanted to be taken seriously and not merely ogled.

Which was why he couldn't keep his palm from his face when he heard Neptune, next to him...say something very...Neptune. "Ladies..." he greeted in his suavest tone, flashing them his trademark grin.

The response was coy giggles from Nebula and Dew, while Gwen rolled her eyes. Finally, Octavia gave no real response at all, appearing to ignore Neptune entirely.

"Just remember..." said Neptune, "...hands above the waist."

Sun groaned and gave the girls an apologetic look. "Yeah, ignore him for he...Yeah, he's dumb."

That got an actual laugh from Nebula and Dew, while even Gwen and Octavia cracked smiles. Neptune glowered at his partner, while Sun looked completely unapologetic.

"Dude," Neptune complained, "why you gotta undermine me in front of the ladies?"

"You do plenty of undermining yourself," Sun retorted. "Besides, I think they'd be more offended if they thought you aren't taking them seriously as opponents. Fight now, flirt later."

Neptune sighed heavily. "Roger that," he groaned.

Up above the screen scrolled through the various available biomes. On NDGO's side of the field, the floor opened up to reveal a sandy desert, with jutting rock faces emerging from the sand. An intensely bright, Dust-fueled sun ignited above, its heat flooding the entire arena and prompting the members of the audience on that side of the coliseum to don sunglasses.

"All right!" cheered Nebula. "Home field advantage!"

"Don't get too cocky," Sun countered confidently. "That's my home turf too."

Unfortunately, the bubble of confidence within him was quickly lanced as Dew made an observation about the biome that rose up behind SSSN. "Look! The ocean!"

"Huh!" Neptune's body abruptly went rigid, his pupils shrinking down into pinpricks.

* * *

"Oh no..." moaned Blake, lowering her head, her bow sagging as the ears hidden beneath it drooped.

"What's wrong with Neptune?" asked Ruby.

"Neptune's...afraid of the water," explained Blake, never realizing the amusing little tidbit Sun had shared with her once would come back to bite his team like this.

All they could do was watch, as a semicircle of water, dotted with small, sandy islands, that even sported palm trees, rose up. There was even an artificial shipwreck, serving as the centerpiece for the whole scene. Rather than a battleground, it looked like someone's ideal vacation getaway. But one wouldn't think that by looking at Neptune, who'd gone so rigid that his entire body tilted when Sun prodded his shoulder.

"I'm sure they'll manage," said Jaune, sounding as though he didn't quite believe his own words.

To their surprise, Blake smiled slyly. "Sun might have a few tricks up his sleeve," she confided.

"Tricks?" asked Yang, raising an eyebrow.

Blake giggled. "We didn't spend our time on Patch just canoodling, you know," she said.

"Only most of it," teased Nora.

Blake ignored her. "Sun's been doing some special training of his own," she said. "I told him what Ayumu, Gin, and Ruby have been saying about thinking smaller, and he decided to try it for himself."

"Really now?" Ayumu raised an eager eyebrow. "We also walked him through the basics of manifestation, although...come to think of it...the way his Semblance works is already a form of manifestation in its own right. If he's refined that..."

"Could definitely be something worth seeing," mused Gin.

Meanwhile, Port had begun the countdown.

* * *

" _Begin!_ "

With Port's announcement, the first fighter to spring into motion was Neptune as he...zipped right past all four members of NDGO with a speed that would have done Ruby proud, climbing all the way up to the highest bluff on the desert side of the ring.

"I didn't know he could move that fast," Scarlet muttered.

"Neptune! What are you doing?" yelled Sage as the rest of SSSN stared after Neptune in shock and amazement.

"Oh...You know...just taking the high ground," Neptune shouted back sheepishly.

"On the _enemy's_ side?" Sun exclaimed.

"They'll never expect it," Neptune replied.

The girls of NDGO shared a look with one another.

"He's not wrong," said Dew.

Nebula's eyes narrowed and she fixed her gaze on Neptune, making him flinch...before smiling eagerly. "Open fire!"

* * *

 **Why hello, Jaune's father. This particular story arc is where I made my big attempt to fill in at least some of the blanks concerning Jaune's situation, and why he had no training, prior to coming to Beacon.**

 **So, the beginning of Team SSSN's match is pretty much the same as Volume 3, but what follows _definitely_ won't be a retread, I assure you.**

 **And now...  
**

 **Blaine Arc: Blaine, of course, is derived from the Gaelic word for "yellow." Design-wise, he's basically and older version of Jaune, rocking a sweet beard. He's the kind of person who looks awesome, but, as you can see, when it comes to his son, his personality tends to detract from that considerably.**


	85. Chapter 85

**Chapter 85:**

All seven other fighters burst into motion immediately. The girls retreated back into the desert terrain, with the boys giving chase. Neptune, however unwittingly, had just handed NDGO an early advantage, by retreating to what was not only NDGO's side of the field, but also to the biome where the Vacuo-based team would have the biggest advantage, Sun being the only member of SSSN with experience fighting in a desert environment. As it was, if the remaining three boys pulled back to the other side of the field, they were abandoning Neptune to be eliminated by the combined strength of all four of NDGO's members.

Not wanting to hand an even bigger advantage to their opponents, Sun, Sage, and Scarlet pursued them into the desert. Sage paired off against Dew, drawing his weapon, a large, broad, sword. Scarlet, brandishing a cutlass and pistol, squared off against Octavia. Sun, in the meantime, stood against Nebula and Gwen.

Sage roared bringing his sword down in a mighty, sweeping swing. Dew countered with a shout, whirling her spear, the weapons colliding with a flash of green, their Auras clashing against each other, causing them to slide away. Sage grunted, slipping as he struggled to recover. Dew was a lot stronger than she looked, nearly Sage's equal, by his estimation. However, any advantage he had was canceled out by the terrain. The soft, sandy ground had given way beneath his feet when their weapons had collided, absorbing some of the force that would have gone into the blow otherwise. In contrast, Dew clearly knew better how to keep her footing, resulting in their meeting of blows being pretty much equal.

And now, Sage began to feel uneasy as he saw a glint of triumph in Dew's eyes, accompanied by an equally confident smirk as she held her spear out towards the ground and moved it in a circular motion. The green jewel set into the spearhead flickered to life and a whirlwind rose up before her, picking up the sand at its base and turning it into a dust devil that began to sweep towards Sage.

Sinking into a crouch, Sage grunted, before pushing off, triggering his Semblance, which his teammates had dubbed "springboard." It produced a shockwave, of sorts, that launched him upwards into the air, allowing him to execute incredible leaps. Combined with the weight of his weapon, it was a Semblance that allowed him to set up some incredibly powerful blows from above.

His aim had been to leap over the dust devil, and descend on Dew directly. However, the sandy ground and unstable footing had, once again, undermined his power, causing his leap to carry him just above the top of the dust devil itself. At this rate, he would drop right down into the center of it and wind up swept up by it.

 _Fine then!_ With a growl, Sage raised his sword and brought it down with all his strength, a wave of green extending out from the edge to complement the slash. Descending, Sage's sword split the vortex in two, scattering the sand it had gathered up. He landed with a crash that actually caused a ripple to run across the sand and make Dew falter where she stood. Looking up, she gasped as she saw Sage lunging at her, swinging his sword down at her again. Whirling her spear, she swung to counter.

Abruptly, another green shockwave burst out from Sage's feet, launching him up. This time, he only went up about half his own body height. Rather than jump, he'd relied solely upon his Semblance to propel him. While not enough to give his attack the same devastating power it had when he'd split Dew's whirlwind, it did lend additional strength to Sage's swing as he descended. More importantly, striking downwards from above was a position Sage was far more comfortable with than attacking on shifting sand.

This time, Dew was thrown backwards from the clash. However, even as she was knocked back, she swept her spear up, sweeping the blade through a slashing motion that unleashed another wave of wind at Sage. Impromptu as the motion was, it didn't carry nearly as much power as her whirlwind, but it did halt Sage, and drive him back slightly, keeping him from pressing his advantage and allowing Dew to right herself.

* * *

Nearby, Scarlet tried to counter Octavia. The redhead was proving an elusive opponent. Scarlet couldn't tell whether it was her Semblance, or a skill developed in the deserts of Vacuo. All he _did_ know was that her ability to slide across the sand with minimal movement of her feet was proving difficult to counter. Octavia was fast. Scarlet tried to tag her with a shot from his pistol, but every shot seemed to miss its mark.

When Octavia did come to a stop, it was because she had put her momentum into a spin, putting it into the swing of her kris, producing a wave of flame aimed, not at Scarlet, but at the sand near his feet, throwing up a wave of sand and sending it flying into his face. Desperately, Scarlet raised his arms, trying to ward it off, even as he coughed and spat sand out his mouth. Unfortunately, the attack served its purpose, and he was so distracted that he was unable to react, when Octavia's charge allowed her to slam her foot into his chest in a flying kick that launched him back and away.

Octavia smirked in triumph, only to wince as the foot she'd just kicked Scarlet with wasn't coming down. In fact, her foot was pulled towards the boy she'd just kicked, yanking Octavia off her feet, and making her slide across the sand on her back. Looking down at her foot, she saw a curved hook of gray metal hooked around her ankle. What had originally appeared to be a decorative hand-guard on Scarlet's pistol was, in fact, a grappling hook. Now it was pulling Octavia towards him.

Scarlet, had gotten his feet back under him and jumped up, bringing his Cutlass down at Octavia's head. Raising her kris, she blocked his slash, gritting her teeth as she strained to keep Scarlet's blade from falling the rest of the way towards her body. Working her trapped leg furiously, Octavia managed to unhook it, then curled both legs up and planted her feet against his stomach and shoved with all her might, throwing Scarlet off of her. This time, she paid attention to his pistol and its grappling hook, not wanting to get her ankle caught again. In the same movement, she disengaged her kris with Scarlet's cutlass, launching another wave of flame to scorch him as he was thrown away.

* * *

Sun cartwheeled out of the way of a crossbow bolt from Nebula, only to go into a jumping flip to evade a trio of throwing knives that Gwen hurled at him from behind. Growling, Sun reached behind him and pulled out his staff, unfolding it to its full length. Whirling it around, he spun it to deflect another arrow, right before he jumped over another set of throwing knives. Coming back down, Sun's staff divided into his hands into a pair of chain-linked shotguns that also served as nunchucks. His first move was to level one of the guns to fire it at Gwen, who executed a spinning jump of her own to evade, swinging one leg out to counterbalance herself, and giving the movement a dancelike quality, even as it allowed her to swing her arm out to launch another barrage of knives Sun's way.

Spinning his nunchucks on their chains, Sun was easily able to deflect the knives, using the set in his opposite hand to block another bolt from Nebula in the same manner. Both projectiles unleashed explosive bursts of energy that would have wrought havoc on Sun, had they struck him directly.

Turning towards Gwen, Sun leapt at her, aiming to close in. However, he was stopped when he was forced to turn aside another arrow and another trio of knives at the same time. Both girls circled him, respecting his melee capabilities, and coordinating their attacks to keep him from closing the distance with any single one of them.

"Neptune! Wanna help out for a change?" asked Sun, throwing a glare up at his partner, who'd remained where he was, even as the battle below heated up.

"Uh...right," said Neptune, grinning sheepishly, before dropping off the side of the rocky outcropping and landing near a startled Nebula, who, honestly, had forgotten Neptune was even part of the match. She definitely didn't forget him when Neptune leveled his rifle at her and fired a bolt of blue-white energy at her.

The lath of Nebula's crossbow folded in, and a blade extended up from the stock, the weapon converting into a sword and allowing Nebula to counter the incoming bolt with a slash, managing to disperse the energy. However, doing so allowed Neptune to close into melee range, his rifle shifting, extending a long handle, while the barrel unfolded to become a broad, curved blade, which sported an edge that shimmered with blue-white electrical energy.

Neptune spun his halberd to bring the blade slashing around. Nebula gasped and parried, yelping as the electrified edge of the blade jolted her through her own weapon. Drawing back, Nebula tried to gain distance to return the fight to a ranged battle, but Neptune remained close, launching a series of slashes at her. Rather than parry, and receive another shock, Nebula tried to dodge instead. She managed to slip away from several slashes in succession. However, she was caught by surprise when Neptune's weapon transformed again, the blade dividing into three prongs, becoming a trident, with electricity arcing between the prongs, Neptune abruptly transitioning from slashes to a rapid thrust that Nebula was forced to block.

This time, Neptune grinned in triumph, twisting his weapon so that Nebula's blocking sword was trapped between the prongs of his trident. Nebula screamed as electricity arced along the blade of her own weapon, then up her arms, running all over her body.

Meanwhile, Gwen was having troubles of her own. Now that she was no longer able to coordinate with Nebula, she wasn't able to keep Sun at a distance anymore. Instead, she found herself dancing, spinning, flipping, and dodging, her acrobatic movements just barely able to keep herself out the swings of Sun's whirling nunchucks, and away from the line of fire of the shotguns built into them. She used her spins to add speed to her throws, sending more knives flying Sun's way. But Sun expertly blended offense with defense, spinning his nunchucks to deflect the knives, lining up his shotguns to fire in the same movements.

It was a furious battle, the tide of which abruptly turned when Sun rejoined his nunchucks and transformed his weapon back into its staff form, the sudden extending of his reach allowing him to catch Gwen by surprise. Her choice of weapons primarily being ranged, Gwen's small throwing knives offered no real defense against Sun's staff, and she was unable to stop it as it slammed into her side. Before she could recover, Sun closed in, whirling his weapon to launch a barrage of blows that struck her on the head, legs, and stomach, before he thrust out, slamming one end right into her forehead and blowing Gwen back, and leaving her sprawled out on the sand. The buzzer sounded, announcing her elimination from the round.

" _And that's one down,_ " announced Port. " _Team Sun manages to gain the lead._ "

* * *

Sage wasn't faring as well. With the distance she'd gained, Dew once again began to move her spear in a swirling, circular motion, creating, not one, but _three_ new whirlwinds, which spread out to approach Sage from different directions. Uncertain of which way to dodge, Sage's hesitation cost him dearly. At the last second, he aimed to use his Semblance to jump clear, but the uncertain footing betrayed him yet again. Before he could escape, the dust devils closed in around him, merging into a single large one, even larger than the one he'd split earlier.

The winds picked him up off the ground, the sand buffeting his body and disrupted his concentration. In the confusion, he lost his grip on his sword. Sage rode the winds up to the peak of the dust devil before he was thrown clear...and all the way out of the ring, landing with a pained grunt, his sword embedding itself into the ground nearby. The buzzer sounded.

" _And with that, the match has become three-on-three,_ " declared Oobleck.

* * *

"Well, it looks like Team Sun didn't have much of a strategy," said Jaune.

"I think whatever strategy they might have had went to pieces, once Neptune saw water," said Blake.

Because of his phobia, Neptune had been prompted to flee to the desert biome, giving Team NDGO an early advantage, by enabling them to fight on terrain they were familiar with. While Sun managed to defeat Gwen, Dew had quickly balanced the scales by taking out Sage. Even now, as they watched, Dew was moving to assist Nebula, who was being pinned down and electrocuted by Neptune.

* * *

Neptune yelped and jumped back, barely evading the spear that Dew thrust down at him. The blade pierced the sand and threw up a wall of the stuff, as wind exploded from the Dust crystal mounted in the spearhead. Neptune was driven back, hacking and spitting.

"Aw man...I think I got sand up my nose," he groaned.

"Stay focused!" yelled Sun, using his staff to vault over Neptune and land in front of Dew and Nebula. His staff clashed against Dew's spear, before he was forced to evade by a shot from Nebula's crossbow. Nebula loaded a bolt with a blue tip and fired it at Sun's feet. Sun jumped back, barely managing to escape the the ice that exploded out from where the bolt made contact with the sand.

In the meantime, Neptune shifted his own weapon back into its rifle mode and fired on Nebula and Dew, hoping to drive them apart from each other. Dew ducked a shot aimed at her, but used her spear to conjure another whirlwind, which she sent sweeping along towards Neptune, who yelped and tried to escape. However, he was abruptly caught by Scarlet, who'd been thrown back by Octavia, knocking the two of them sprawling. Before either of them could recover, they were picked up by the winds and hurled skyward.

Neptune was slammed into the rocky face of a cliff, impacting with enough force to shatter it, before dropping to the ground with a groan. A second later, the buzzer sounded as his Aura level fell down into the red.

"Crud," grumbled Sun.

* * *

In the meantime, Scarlet recovered his balance, and managed to ride the winds, even cracking a smile as he did so. He allowed the winds to carry him across to the other side of the arena, landing on the mast of the wrecked ship that formed the centerpiece of the ocean biome. Down below, he saw Nebula take up pursuit, while Sun faced off against both Dew and Octavia.

Nebula fired a bolt into the mast below, before jumping and using its shaft as a springboard to launch herself onto the crossbeam Scarlet was standing on, folding in the lath of her weapon and extending the sword blade once more. The two of them fenced back and forth across the narrow section of wood, struggling to maintain their footing, even as they tried to outmatch each other.

Scarlet backed away, falling back along the crossbeam, until he reached the mast itself, which prevented him from going any farther. A smirk spread across Scarlet's face, seeing Nebula swinging her blade at him from the side. Dodging back, he hooked his left arm around the mast itself, swinging around to the other side, just in time for Nebula's blade to bite into the wood where his head had been a second later, embedding itself in. Nebula tugged on it to free it, but the blade was lodged too deeply for her to pull it out in time. Scarlet swung around the other side of the mast and kicked her in the stomach, causing Nebula to lose her grip on her sword and fall from the mast, crashing through the wooden deck of the ship below with crunch that made Scarlet wince in sympathy.

Nebula's Aura, already weakened by her electrocution at Neptune's hands, fell below the critical level, knocking her out of the fight. Scarlet glanced down, then at the sword, still lodged in the mast, then sheathed his cutlass so that he could pull Nebula's weapon free. Dropping down, he fell down through the opening she'd made in the deck, and landed next to her, where Nebula lay, still stunned by the impact.

"Here you go," said Scarlet, laying Nebula's weapon next to her, before firing his grappling hook up and using it to pull himself out of the ship.

* * *

"Phew," breathed Sun, hearing Oobleck announce Nebula's elimination, which meant that the numbers were even once more.

Dealing with Octavia and Dew at the same time was quite the chore, the pair of girls proving adept at using their Dust-based attacks to keep him pressed. Sun reverted his weapons into nunchucks once more, spinning them about and firing at Dew and Octavia, forcing the girls to abort attacks in order to block or evade his shotguns. Still, it was a stopgap at best. Sun needed to close with one of them and eliminate her, before the other could help out. Fortunately, he new that Scarlet was on the way, now that Nebula had been beaten.

Then he heard footsteps across the metal surface of the ring's center, and knew that Scarlet was almost there. He grinned at the two girls, feeling much better about facing them with equal numbers. However, to his unease, he saw that his grin was shared by Octavia and Dew, who had maneuvered to stand next to each other. The girls looked at each other and nodded.

Dew swirled her spear, creating another tornado. Then Octavia raised her kris into a vertical orientation in front of her face. The blade ignited, the red Dust-channels bursting into furious flames. Octavia then lowered her weapon and slashed upwards, firing a larger burst of flame than usual...straight into Dew's tornado. In a flash, the flames were swept into the vortex, intensifying and becoming a column of fire that rushed right at Sun.

"Crap!" yelped Sun, dodging to the side.

The pillar of flames charged past him, but Sun's relief was short-lived, when he realized that he _hadn't_ been the target of the devastating combo-attack. Looking behind him, his jaw dropped as he saw an unfortunate Scarlet get caught by the fiery tornado head-on, the winds pulling him in and the flames searing away his Aura. Scarlet screamed, then dropped to the ground as the attack dissipated, his clothes and skin smoldering from the residual heat.

"Just one left," said Dew confidently.

Octavia, meanwhile, merely sighed in relief and wiped her forehead. "I was worried I put too much Dust into that. Glad we didn't actually hurt him."

Sun frowned, realizing that he was the only member of his team left. Looking past Dew and Octavia, he could see Neptune pulling Gwen's arm over his shoulder, and helping her hobble out of the ring, where Sage waited, looking frustrated at being unable to do anything, having been thrown out before he lost too much Aura.

"Ready to end this?" asked Dew, drawing Sun's attention to her again and leveling her spear at him.

Sun looked down for a second, thinking things over. _I didn't want to show this off until the finals, but...it doesn't matter if I don't get to the finals. Besides, if there was a situation I came up with these tricks for, it would be this one._

Looking back up, Sun grinned at the girls. "Sure," he said. "But I think these numbers are a bit unfair."

"That's the way the cookie crumbles," said Octavia. "This is a team battle, after all."

"Oh, I know that," said Sun, his grin widening. "So I'm gonna make numbers unfair to my advantage."

"What are you talking about?" asked Dew.

Sun answered with action, casually tossing his staff into the air and clasping his hands together. With a flash of light, his Aura manifested into two copies of himself, both armed with copies of his staff, standing by his side. Releasing his hands, Sun reached up and caught his falling staff with a spinning flourish, leveling it at them.

"Now I feel better," said Sun.

In unison, all three Suns charged at the gobsmacked girls. Dew and Octavia barely remembered that the fight was still ongoing, managing to raise their weapons at the last second, meeting the trio of opponents with a crash.

* * *

"Wait a second!" protested Yang. "I thought Sun needed to keep that pose to use his clones!"

"He used to," said Blake. "If he makes more than two, then he still has to keep his hands together and focus on maintaining and controlling them. But if he sticks to two, then he can fight alongside them himself."

"An excellent way to think smaller," noted Ayumu. "Rather than focus on expanding the scope of his Semblance, and using it to create more clones, he instead focused on maintaining a smaller number, without needing to remain still to keep his concentration."

"That's not the _only_ thing he came up with," said Blake, smiling fondly.

* * *

Dew backpedaled, spinning her spear, slashing with its broad head. One of Sun's clones intercepted the slash, stopping it cold. At the same moment, the real Sun stepped forward, thrusting the end of his staff straight at her midsection. Dew's breath left her in an explosive gasp when Sun's staff struck her right in the diaphragm, blowing her backwards.

Hitting the sand, the soft ground that had given her such a big advantage over Sage now betrayed her, absorbing her momentum as Dew's body sank into it, keeping her from using the ground to ride out the impact and come back to her feet. Instead, Dew was forced to plant the butt-end of her spear, and use it to lever herself back up, even as she fought to regain her breath. Looking over, she saw Octavia working her kris furiously to keep the other Sun-clone at bay.

Dew had expected Sun and his first clone to come after her and press the attack. Instead, she saw them both turn and round on Octavia, forcing her into a three-against-one fight. Fortunately for her, Octavia wasn't such a slouch as to be brought down by sheer numbers so easily. Instead, she jumped back, executing a wide slash with her kris, directing another wave of flame at the sand in front of her, throwing it up and forcing Sun back, coughing. Furthermore, it disrupted his concentration and the two clones fighting alongside him flickered, before exploding with a loud, bursting sound.

The resulting explosions took Octavia by surprise, and she was knocked back, but not out. It gave Dew more than enough time to recover, and come charging at Sun's back. She activated her wind-Dust crystal once again. This time, instead of creating a vertical tornado to launch out ahead of her, she brought the winds in, directing them to condense around the blade of her spear, spinning around it and creating a miniature vortex of intense power that enhanced her thrusts with a drill-like force. With a shout, Dew thrust for Sun's back.

Picking up on her approach, Sun sidestepped and deflected her thrust with a swift move of his staff. But the roaring winds surrounding Dew's spear pulled at Sun's weapon and wrenched it from his grip, sending it spinning off where, to his dismay, it landed outside of the ring.

It was to Sun's credit that he didn't freeze and instead jumped into a flying kick that caught Dew in the jaw and knocked her over. Dew was sent sprawling, but got back up. Her Aura was getting low, but she was still hovering just above the point where she'd be disqualified. It would only take a couple more hits to remove her from the fight, but getting those hits in would be quite the task. What was more, it had allowed Octavia time to recover. Now the two of them were facing off against a disarmed Sun.

* * *

"Oh dear," said Ayumu. "It looks like it's not quite complete yet. It doesn't take much to disrupt his concentration, and cause his clones to dissipate."

"It's true," agreed Blake with a sigh, though she was still smiling.

"It doesn't seem like you think he's out of luck just yet," noted Gin.

"Because he isn't," said Blake. "If Sun had spent the whole time working on just his Semblance, he probably would be able to keep his clones up, even if they were disrupted like that. But that was a last-minute thing he came up with, while we were on Patch. He's been working on something else though."

"Something else..." mused Ruby, staring down into the ring, before she gasp. "You don't mean he...!"

"He did," said Blake.

"Did what?" asked Yang, looking between her friends in confusion. Jaune, Ren, and Nora looked just as baffled as she did, while she could see dawning realization in the eyes of Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu.

"So he hasn't been disarmed yet," said Gin with a chuckle.

* * *

Dew and Octavia charged in, Dew raising her spear up to bring the head down in a slash, aiming to catch Sun in the shoulder. Meanwhile, Octavia went into another rapid slide, crouching low and bringing her kris around to slash at Sun's shins. Sun grinned fiercely and clasped his hands together, the motion similar to the one he'd used to summon his clones. It was enough to cause both girls to flinch, Dew's charge faltering slightly, even as Octavia began to close the distance.

Sun pulled his hands apart, his right hand seeming to be closed around something. The next thing Dew knew, there was a flash of red and gold, then something slammed right into the center of her forehead, snapping her head back and sending her sprawling on her back again. Octavia continued her slash, but gasped when her dagger was stopped with a metallic clang, the impact sending painful reverberations up her wrist and arm.

The fighters, the audience, even Port and Oobleck, all went silent at the sight. Octavia's dagger had been halted by a new weapon, grasped firmly in Sun's right hand. It superficially resembled the staff he'd just lost, but was shorter, and much simpler in design. Rounded gold caps were joined by a shaft of dark-red. The weapon was about the same length as Octavia's kris. With a twist of his wrist, Sun disengaged, knocking Octavia's weapon back.

Backpedaling, Octavia growled and drove forward, thrusting at Sun, who again parried with his weapon, the two of them trading several blows in succession. Dew, recovering from the hit to her head, rejoined the fray, swinging her spear. Sun quickly brought his new weapon up to parry her spear, before sweeping it down to rapidly counter Octavia's next attack with enough force to send her sliding back. Octavia blinked in confusion. Had Sun's weapon gotten longer?

Now the two girls converged on Sun, who spun and flipped acrobatically, whirling the baton around his body, before gripping one end in two hands and swinging it hard at Octavia, hitting her with enough force to throw her back. What was more, Octavia now knew for sure that Sun's weapon had changed its length, having now become the size of a longsword.

Dew whirled her spear, spinning it in a manner that was not so dissimilar from Sun's staff. Sun slid one hand up the length of his new weapon, which almost seemed to pull its length out, until it was almost the same length as his old staff. Sun braced it diagonally across his back to stop Dew's slash, before whirling it around his body to strike back at her. Octavia dove back in, thrusting her kris and producing a jet of flame, which Sun dispersed by rapidly spinning his staff, before striking at her again. Octavia, wanting to reassess the situation, fell back, but found that she hadn't retreated far enough, when Sun's stance changed and he lunged forward, holding his weapon as though he were thrusting a spear, his staff reaching out to slam into Octavia's sternum and send her flying away, its length more than tripling with just that movement..

"What the hell!?" exclaimed Dew.

Sun grinned, executing a spinning flourish with his new weapon. "You girls have already seen Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang. This is my new baby, Nyoi Bo!"

* * *

"He materialized a weapon!" gasped Ruby, gaping at Sun.

"Amazing!" added Ayumu with a wide smile.

"But it's completely different from Ayumu's and Ruby's," noted Gin. "The Green Destiny is static. Ruby deliberately incorporated moving parts into Shining Rose's design to make it transformable. Sun's staff is able to change length while remaining static in form...how?"

Ayumu frowned, scrutinizing the form of the staff. "I imagine that it has to do with the overall simplicity of the design," he said.

"Simplicity?" asked Ruby, looking at Ayumu in confusion.

"When I taught Sun about manifestation, I told him about materialization," explained Ayumu. "Sun expressed interest in creating a weapon like yours or mine. I figured it was something he could work on over time, so I gave him the same basic primer I did you." His eyes narrowed. "I told him how his vision of the weapon must be consistent. I think he actually exploited that in a way I didn't even think was possible.

"The effectiveness of his design comes from envisioning such a simple shape. The gold caps on the end are the only defining feature. Thus, Sun can envision the simple red of the staff between them at any length, yet still, in essence, be envisioning the same weapon all the time. I'm guessing that's why he can essentially modify his design in the middle of battle to make it any length he requires."

"Still, it's just a staff that can change length," scoffed Nora. "What makes that so special?"

" _Because_ it's a staff that can change its length, it's special," observed Gin, drawing confused looks from everyone except Ayumu.

"In Mistral, the staff is sometimes referred to as the Grandfather of All Weapons," explained Ayumu. "Training for virtually any handheld melee weapon, be it sword, spear, or halberd, often begins with staff-work. Is that not true?" He glanced over to see Ruby, Blake, Nora, Jaune, and Ren nodding in agreement.

Ayumu returned his gaze to the fight in the ring. "Because of that, the staff is often said to have the qualities of all weapons. It can be gripped anywhere along its length, and any part of it can be used as a striking surface. As such, its use can be transformed according to the situation, allowing it to be used as whatever weapon the wielder needs it to be. Traditionally, the only limitation to this is the staff's own length, which limits the full degree to which it can be wielded at different ranges.

"The fact that Sun can change his staff's length at will means that that limitation does not exist for him. Because of that, he can truly use his staff as any weapon, and fight at any range. Nearly all weapons have an optimal range inscribed by their length. Too far and it won't reach. Too close and the power of your blows is hampered. But Sun can change his weapon's length and, consequently, his optimal range to suit his needs in the midst of battle. That means that there is now _no_ range he is weak at. He can make his weapon short enough to use as a dagger, or long enough to use as a pike."

Ayumu beamed, looking down into the arena, and watching as the end-phase of the battle commenced. _Sun might well be as talented as Ruby. His imagination is a match for hers as well. They both conceived of things that Gin and I hadn't ever thought possible, in uniquely different ways no less. If anything, this shows that there's more merit in our plan than even I thought at first._

* * *

Dew attacked first, once again condensing a powerful whirlwind around the blade of her spear, giving it a quality similar to a drill as she launched a series of rapid thrusts. The vortex surrounding the blade pulled at Sun's body, even as the wind itself threatened to tear apart his Aura on contact. Sun twisted and spun to evade, cartwheeling out of the way of another thrust, before backflipping out of Dew's range, landing on his feet, staff raised like a sword. Dew grimaced and fell back, only to see Sun's staff extend, even as he brought it down. Raising her spear, she barely managed to block it with the shaft of her weapon, the force of the blow driving her feet down into the sand.

Octavia slid at Sun from behind, but Sun merely retracted his staff into its smaller form and brought it around to block her kris, before leaping away when Octavia disengaged, and used a slash to launch another wave of flame at him. Dew followed up by conjuring another tornado, trying to sweep Sun up into it and throw him out of the ring. However, Sun planted one end of the staff into the sand and promptly extended it, using it to propel himself upwards, above the level of Dew's tornado.

Retracting the staff again, Sun allowed himself to drop down from above, launching an attack similar to Sage's, concentrating his weight and momentum into a single, powerful, downward strike, adding a spin to his staff to increase its overall power and momentum even more, slamming it into an unprepared Octavia, right where her neck met her shoulder. Octavia gasped in pain, her knees buckling. Sun landed and followed through with a flurry of blurring strikes with his spinning staff, before blowing her back with a hit right to the temple and knocking her down.

Dew charged him from behind, an intense whirlwind engulfing her spearhead again. Sun dropped into a crouch to dodge her first thrust, passing his staff around so that he held it by one end in his right hand, with the other end extended out under his left armpit, pointing it directly at Dew. The staff extended again, this time doing so with speed that matched, or even surpassed, that of a bullet, slamming its gold-capped end right into Dew's forehead again, knocking her onto her back, and draining her Aura the last little bit needed to disqualify her.

Sun stood up, panting and sweating, but grinning triumphantly.

" _What an upset!_ " announced Oobleck. " _In the final phase of the battle, Sun Wukong manages to turn the fight around and secure victory for his team!_ "

Sun relaxed a little and let out a long breath, his staff collapsing in on itself, until it disappeared into his closed hand. When he let the hand open, his new weapon was nowhere to be seen, though hardly anybody was paying attention to it.

Looking up into the crowd, Sun's eyes found Blake's, and he broke out into an exuberant grin, waving at her, almost like a young child.

Looking back down at him, Blake smiled as well, her cheeks warming and coloring.

* * *

The aftermath of the fight was largely rote. With so many members from both teams incapacitated, they required the help from the coliseum staff to move the unconscious members to the ready-rooms to recover. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries beyond bruises, and a few minor burns. The fighters' Auras had taken the brunt of the punishment, and preserved their bodies from more severe injuries. Scarlet recovered his consciousness quickly enough, while Neptune's battered body mended itself over the course of his shower.

The post-fight interviews were interesting to watch. Sun's teammates expressed some depression and dismay over the fact that Sun had essentially carried them through the battle. Of the four members of Team NDGO, Sun had been responsible for knocking out three of them, with only Scarlet claiming another knockout. Sage was disappointed that he'd allowed himself to be knocked out of the battle, before he could make a better contribution, while Neptune was downright despondent over how his phobia had hampered his participation, and how he'd handed NDGO an early advantage by running to their side of the field at the very beginning of the match.

Questions were asked about Sun's new weapon, but he coyly dodged certain particulars, acknowledging its capability to extend and retract, but declining to explain _how_ it did so, calling it a trade secret he intended to keep until the end of the tournament.

NDGO's interview had to wait a little longer, while the girls recovered from the knockouts they'd received. Nebula had been the first to recover, followed by Gwen. Dew and Octavia were up and about a short bit later. But, by the time they were ready to talk, the two hours they had been allotted for the post-match ready-room use were nearly up, making their interview into a slightly more rushed affair.

All in all, the girls took their loss well, proud of the successes they had experienced in the match. If anything, they felt more confident about their performance than the boys of SSSN, aside from Sun, felt about theirs. An especially pleasant surprise came in the form of Nebula thanking Scarlet and Neptune for their help; Scarlet for returning her weapon after incapacitating her, and Neptune for helping Gwen out of the ring during the match, even though he'd been under no obligation to do so. Her thanks was accompanied by a flirtatious smile, and a promise to cheer the boys on in their next match.

* * *

Following the interview, everyone proceeded to go about enjoying the festival once again. Jaune was worried that his father might track him down again, but didn't see any sign of the man, after leaving the coliseum. By this point, with the matches that had taken place, the reporters and paparazzi that had been hounding Ruby throughout the morning had largely been distracted by matters of the tournament itself, and had largely left her alone.

The third match of the day was of little interest to Ruby and her friends, neither of the teams involved being of interest to them. However, the fourth and final match of the day proved to be especially important, as it featured, not one, but both of the two other teams that Ruby and her friends were interested in keeping an eye on. Team CHAR, led by Chrysanthos Floris, and also hosting Ajax Raptis; would be going up against Team BRYL, led by Liu Bai. It was an opportunity for Ruby to get a better measure of two people in particular, who she knew to be potentially seriously antagonistic towards her, making this a match she didn't want to miss out on.

* * *

The sun was dipping towards the horizon, turning the sky, visible through Amity Coliseum's open top, a splendid tapestry of yellow, orange, purple, and pink. Despite that RUBY, JNAR, and SSSN all had their attention focused at the ring in the center, along with the two teams now assembling inside it. Ruby glanced up at the screen, putting names to faces.

Team CHAR, besides Chrys and Ajax, had two young women on their roster. The first was Holly Mistil, a severe-looking, green-haired, red-eyed girl, her hair being tied into a rough ponytail at the back of her head. She was clad in dark-green armor, consisting of bracers, pauldrons, chestplate, along with tassets (like the kind Gwen from NDGO wore) that protected her legs. She carried what looked like a straight, single-edged sword, sheathed at her side.

The second female member of CHAR was Rhea Sylvia, who contrasted starkly with her partner. She was willowy and lithe, possessing slender arms and legs that gave her a dancer's physique, rather than a fighter's. Her slightly curly, pale-blonde hair ended partway down her neck, a little ways above the shoulders. Her bright-green eyes seemed to perpetually sparkle with lively amusement. Of all the students assembled in the arena, she was the one who least looked like an aspiring Huntress, wearing a gown that floated about her body with pleats and ruffles of light gossamer, so fine that it looked as though it might tear in a light breeze. She possessed no visible weapons. However, the faint shimmer of the light off the folds of her dress seemed to suggest that, like Ajax's garish coat, it too was infused with Dust.

It was also the first time that Ruby had seen Chrys decked out for battle. He was wearing the same black outfit he had when he'd first introduced himself to Ruby and her team, but which was supplemented by gold-colored pauldrons on his shoulders, and similarly-colored bracers over his forearms. His weapon, which looked like a large, broad sword, with a blade shaped like an elongated triangle, was sheathed across his back at an angle. It looked far too large and heavy for someone with Chrys' thin build to ever be able to wield properly.

"Well, Ajax aside, the rest of Chrys' team look okay," said Blake, observing them with a contemplative frown.

"Rhea looks like someone who might be nice," said Jaune. "She reminds me of one of my sisters...in a good way." The last phrase was an amendment when Jaune realized that Yang was looking askance at him.

"I get what you were saying about Liu's teammates," said Gin, talking to Sun. "They look like a pretty nasty bunch."

Ruby agreed. True to what Sun had said about Team BRYL's members, Liu's teammates all looked considerably shady in appearance. There was Liu, with his strangely intense gaze and tank-top, displaying the well-developed muscles of his arms and torso, along with his spiky, white hair. Next to him was Irving Yamashita, a shorter, almost effeminate-looking man with platinum-blonde hair, dressed in loose, black garb.

Next in line was Reynard Redhawk. While Irving might have looked effeminate, Reyndard appeared to go the extra mile, wearing lipstick and eyeshadow, even though his face was considerably more masculine in appearance than Irving's. His black hair was tied into three parts. Two tails descended down his back, while a third section was draped down over his left eye, leaving one gray eye staring out to compliment the almost vicious smile of his red-painted lips. He wore a light-blue kimono, with a jagged hem along the bottom, tied with a purple sash around his waist. There was a simple-looking jian-type sword, somewhat similar to Ayumu's, sheathed at his waist, though Reynard's was shorter and a little broader. Finally, there was the strangest accessory to his appearance, a collar that consisted of six, long, jagged-looking spikes, folded and bent slightly so that they spread up across and over his shoulders.

The final member of the team was one Lorcan Argyris. He was a powerfully-built, brutish-looking man, easily matching Liu in height. He was dressed in baggy, camouflage-dyed pants, tucked into a pair of heavy combat boots, with a pair of the straps crossing up his torso to go over his shoulders, displaying the powerful and cut muscles of his chest and abdomen. His brown dreadlocks were held back by a similarly-colored headband, resting over a pair of beady, blue eyes that glared out over a stubby nose that looked as though it might have been broken at some point in the past. He wore a leather belt at his waist, with a number of pouches latched onto it. Finally, his forearms were covered with a pair of silver gauntlets, consisting of overlapping, rounded plates that extended out over the top of his hands.

"Yeah...really not liking the look of those guys," said Nora, sounding almost uncharacteristically wary. Although, considering the mean look of the members of Team BRYL, no one could blame her.

"Wait 'til you see them fight," said Scarlet. "They've got 'nasty' down to an art form."

"Reminds me of Team Cardinal, at their worst...on steroids," said Blake, thinking back to their first semester at Beacon and how CRDL had been a quartet of particularly nasty, and racist, bullies during those days.

"I'd call them bullies," said Sage. "But they aren't...not really. It's hard to say whether they're worse or not, because all we have are rumors, but no proof of the crap that they might actually be getting up to."

"But one thing that's for sure is that they aren't your typical students," said Neptune.

"What do you mean?" asked Ren.

"You'll see," said Sun with uncharacteristic dourness.

Ruby frowned, concentrating on the fight that was about to begin in the ring below, silently wishing Team CHAR the best. Ajax aside, the other three members didn't seem like particularly bad people. She hoped that they would be the ones advancing in the tournament, namely because she would rather not have to go up against Liu Bai at some point in the future.

Still...at this point, all she could do was watch...and hope...and pray. Despite her wishes to the contrary, Ruby got the distinct impression that this fight would be an unpleasant one to see.

* * *

 **And Sun debuts his new weapon. In the end, I decided to with Nyoi Bo, the Japanese name for the weapon wielded by literature's Sun Wukong. I've actually wanted to do a segment like that, mainly because I do like the idea of how something so basic, like a staff that changes length, could actually wind up being so powerful, mainly because it can be used as almost any other type of weapon.**

 **For the match of SSSN vs NDGO, I wanted to do some different things. So Sage and Neptune both go extra chances to contribute, though Neptune's phobia still ended up costing them dearly. Rather than ending it on a comical note, I chose to end it on a bit more of an exciting one, with Sun getting a chance to strut his stuff.**

 **Next up, our new characters from CHAR and BRYL. Chrys and Ajax have been introduced already.**

 **Holly Mistil: Holly's given name, of course, comes from the plant, associated with green and red (the berries), which I worked into her design. Mistil was something I came up, derived from the plant, mistletoe. Appearance-wise, Holly's design is based off of Signum, from _Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha_. Likewise, her weapon will look familiar too.**

 **Rhea Sylvia: Rhea Silvia is known as the mother of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. In this case, I went with the spelling of Sylvia, mainly for difference. Sylvia and Silvia are feminine derivatives of Silvius, meaning "wood" or "forest." Like Holly, Rhea is based off a MGLN character, Shamal, in this case.**

 **As a whole, manga fans might recognize the members of BRYL as four of the Six Comrades from the Jinchu Arc of _Rurouni Kenshin_ , the only one of the manga arcs never to be animated. Both their appearance and weapons take after those characters.**

 **Liu Bai: Liu is derived from the Chinese surname, meaning "kill" or "destroy"...in case you got any ideas about his character being a good guy. Bai means white. As has probably been apparent for a while, Liu's appearance is based of Yukishiro Enishi, from RK. His weapon and fighting style will look familiar too, though I've given them both a proper RWBY twist.**

 **Irving Yamashita: Irving is a Scottish name meaning "green water." I picked Yamashita, mostly just to fill things out. His design is based off of Gein, although, since I obviously couldn't have an Academy student be a creepy old man behind a mask, I went with the more bishi-version of Gein from the _Restoration_ manga.**

 **Reynard Redhawk: Reynard is mostly well known as being carried by the sly hero from medieval fables, Reynard the Fox, which is why the name has become associated with foxes in particular. I picked Redhawk...because I got lazy, and needed to fit his name in the color-rule somehow. This one is based off of Otowa Hyoko, of the Six Comrades.**

 **Lorcan Argyris: Designed, based off of Inui Banjin, Lorcan means "little fierce one," although he isn't so little. Argyris is a Greek surname, meaning "silver."**

 **Phew...that's a lot of character bits to do for one chapter. Stay tuned for the thrilling battle to come.**


	86. Chapter 86

**Chapter 86:**

" _The last match of the day promises to be an intense one,_ " declared Port excitedly.

" _Indeed,_ " agreed Oobleck. " _For the final match of the day, Team Charcoal, one of the highest-ranked second-year teams of Beacon Academy, will be fighting against Team Beryl, from Haven. Team Beryl is led by Liu Bai, a noticeable participant in the Mistral Regional Tournaments, accompanied by a team of...remarkable...characters._ "

Ruby reflected that calling BRYL's members "remarkable characters" was probably the most charitable description Oobleck could give them. She wasn't sure if her _Shingan_ 's perception had improved, or if it was just simple intuition. But she was sure she got a bad feeling from the team from Haven. It was a feeling she probably would have had, even had Sun and Neptune _not_ warned her that Liu probably had it out for her personally.

The stage selection began. On Team CHAR's side of the field, a savannah of golden grass, dotted with a few twisted trees, rose up. On BRYL's side, a small lake, surrounded by short, rock outcroppings appeared. The respective fields were fairly generic, not seeming to offer either side any particular advantage, which likely meant that their individual skills would determine the outcome of the match.

* * *

"Pretty bland little setup we've got here," noted Reynard. "I would have liked something that would give our match a little more panache. Half of us are only going to have one chance to strut our stuff after all."

"I don't care," said Lorcan, rotating his arm through a winding motion, flexing his shoulder. "A nice, even field like this is only going to make it all the more fun to break the faces of those damn fools."

Irving sighed and shrugged indifferently. "Well, it's nice to see that everyone's priorities are in the right place." He looked over at Liu. "Well then, shall we go with the usual?"

"Just do your jobs," said Liu coldly, not even glancing at the other members of his team, the entirety of his focus on Chrysanthos, across from him, his gaze almost murderous in its intensity. "Don't waste our time."

Lorcan clanged his gauntlets together. "Awesome! I call the sword-chick!"

"Then I shall take the lovely lady in green," said Reynard, flicking his hair in an almost arrogant gesture.

"I suppose I know who that leaves," said Irving, fixing his gaze on Ajax.

Across from them, Ajax cracked his knuckles. "Looks like these jerks from Haven are pretty cocky," he growled.

"We shouldn't underestimate them," said Holly.

"I'll do my best," promised Rhea.

"Let's try not to get carried away," said Chrys calmly. "Make sure you keep an eye on each other, in case someone needs support."

"Just don't get in my way," grumbled Ajax.

" _Fighters ready..._ " Port's announcement carried over the intercom, prompting all eight participants to draw their weapons and drop into combat stances.

Reaching over his shoulder, Chrys drew his weapon, the triangular blade actually extending out even further, until it was over half as long as he was tall. Spinning the heavy-looking weapon in his hand, he prompted the handle to extend out behind his back. Two large, bladed cross-guards extended from the base of the massive blade, revealing it to be the head of an enormous spear that dwarfed the one Dew had wielded two matches earlier. The weapon was so large and heavy-looking that, to most people, it looked as though Chrys' thin arms should have snapped simply from the strain of holding it. The blade split slightly longwise, revealing a black channel that ran down the center of it.

Holly drew her sword, before taking up her sheath, holding both weapons in a manner similar to Blake's default stance with Gambol shroud. At the base of her single-edged blade was an apparatus similar to the pump-action of a shotgun. Sinking into a crouch, Holly raised her sword up vertically with her right hand, while keeping the sheath in her left hand low and out to the side.

Rhea spread her arms out to either side of her, adopting a pose that seemed more like a ballerina about to begin her dance than someone about to start a fight. Her hair stirred as faint, green streamers rose up from her dress, making its gossamer folds drift and sway.

Finally, Ajax adopted the same pose he had at the beginning of his match with Ruby, all those months ago, settling into what appeared to be a basic unarmed stance.

Across from them, Liu reached up and grasped the handle of his weapon, pulling it up and over his shoulder. The sheath retracted, folding in on itself and collapsing all the way down into the handle. The weapon was revealed to be a strange hybrid of sorts, something halfway between a tachi and a jian-type sword, like the kind Ayumu wielded. The handle and overall finish definitely showed off the essence of the jian influence, particularly with the outward-sweeping wing design that formed the guard at the base of the blade, as well as the yellow tassel that extended from the pommel. The blade, however, definitely took after the gracefully-curved profile of the tachi, longer than the more-common katana. With a flick of his wrist, Liu manipulated the yellow tassel of his sword to connect with a port in the gauntlet apparatus around his right forearm. He whirled the blade through a few rapid passes, spinning it by the handle in his grip, before settling into an almost casual stance, with the back of the blade running over his right shoulder, left hand held out in front of him, with the first two fingers extended upwards.

Reynard reached down and drew his sword, which was revealed to be a rather mundane-looking, cheap even, blade. It was a simple, double-edged design, slightly tapering down its length, until it reached the abrupt angle at the tip. Beside him, Lorcan enthusiastically crashed his gauntlets together, producing an echoing clang, before settling into a basic unarmed stance, a ferocious grin on his face.

Of all of them, Irving stood out the most...for not taking any stance at all. Instead, he stood there, arms hanging casually at his sides, seeming almost disinterested in the contest that was about to take place. Naturally, such casual ease marked him as the most suspicious of all the combatants.

The tension in the ring ratcheted up as Oobleck began the countdown. " _Three...two...one...Begin!_ "

With a shout, Liu charged straight ahead, his sword rising off his shoulder and slashing at Chrys, who blocked with the shaft of his spear. Their weapons met with a clang, the force of impact so great that there was a visible distortion in the air around them.

But that was only the beginning. With a howl that bordered on the bestial, Lorcan threw himself at Holly, his gauntlet impacting loudly against the sheath she used to block. Irving and Reynard moved forward as well, each closing in on their selected opponent.

* * *

Ruby frowned, watching the fight proceed. As Ayumu had told her, a four-on-four fight wasn't the same thing as four one-on-one fights. Yet it seemed that teamwork was the last thing on the minds of Team BRYL, each one seeking out their marked opponent for a one-on-one match.

 _But, then again..._ she reflected, watching as the individual fights drifted away from each other, _...if each member shows their strength best individually, maybe each fighting separately can be a kind of teamwork._ That idea had some credence in the way that each member of BRYL seemed to be steering their fight away from the others, forcing the members of CHAR away from each other, and keeping them from communicating and cooperating. If their strength was enough to match their opponents individually, then making it so that their opponents couldn't make up the gap with teamwork was also a valid strategy, she supposed.

"Those guys on Beryl are kinda crazy," noted Nora.

"You're one to talk," Yang muttered under her breath, earning a gentle elbow to the ribs from Jaune.

However, Ruby could understand Nora's observation, watching as Liu attacked with a ferocious tenacity, wielding his unusual hybrid blade with an almost perfect combination of power and finesse. For someone so thin and lightly-built, it was hard to imagine Chrys as a power-fighter, but there was nothing weak about the way he wielded that heavy spear. In a manner somewhat similar to that of Sun's materialized staff, Chrys could collapse or extend both the handle and blade, allowing him to control his range, switching from long-distance thrusts to powerful slashes in an instant, the black channel in the center of the spearhead leaving black trails with its every movement, striking with power and speed that completely belied Chrys' slight build.

And yet, Liu kept up with his movements perfectly, and matched blow for blow. Even as Ruby watched, Chrys shortened the shaft of the spear, allowing him to spin it around and bring the blade up and around for a powerful overhead strike at Liu. Liu responded with an upwards slash, enhanced when he kicked the back of his sword with this right foot, increasing the power of the swing sufficiently to negate the force of Chrys' strike, causing the two of them to slide away from each other across the smooth surface of the central part of the arena. There was no pause as they reversed course to come at each other again, neither willing to give up the offensive, and meeting attack with attack.

"Well, Mr. Bai's technical skills are definitely high," noted Ayumu calmly, with his usual serene smile.

"You ain't seen nothing yet," said Neptune.

"Still, it's impressive that second-year can match him in the power-department," said Sage.

"I think it's because he's using gravity-Dust," observed Scarlet.

"Gravity-Dust?" asked Nora.

"It makes sense," said Ren, rubbing his chin. "Gravity-Dust has a lot of uses, though most people use it in cartridge form to give low-caliber shots more impact."

Ruby nodded. "I used to use them a bit," she said. Not only did the Dust increase the power of her shots, but it also increased the kickback, allowing her to make the fullest use of the recoil-style she'd originally relied on, when wielding Crescent Rose.

"Using it for melee weapons is a lot harder though," said Blake. "It takes a lot of skill to activate the Dust at the moment of impact to maximize the force of your blows. Too early, and you wind up with a super-heavy weapon slowing down your swing, if not becoming too heavy to wield altogether. Too late, and it won't make a difference in the impact."

Ruby frowned, narrowing her eyes. "I guess that means' Chrys' weapon is probably made up of super-light alloys, so it only _looks_ heavy, then uses the Dust to make it more powerful when he hits with it."

"Most likely," agreed Scarlet.

"But, dang, that Liu guy is fierce," said Jaune.

"Yeah, but he's got nothing on Lorcan when it comes to ferocity," said Sun.

As if to punctuate Sun's point, an animalistic roar echoed across the coliseum. Heads across the stands swerved to find the source, as Lorcan clashed his gauntlets against Holly's sword and sheath, using their curved surfaces to deflect counterattacks, before following up with fierce punches enhanced by...shotguns hidden just beneath the plates that covered the backs of his hands.

"HEY!" exclaimed Yang, rising to her feet. "That jerk is cribbing my style!"

"Your weapons are certainly similar," said Gin. "But..."

They watched as Holly counterattacked. The pump-action at the base of her blade slid up, then back down, apparently loading a cartridge. However, instead of firing a bullet or shot, the sword instead lit up with intense flames that climbed the length of the blade. She slashed at Lorcan, the flames exploding upon contact with the gauntlet that Lorcan raised to block. However, instead of being blown away, Lorcan instead appeared to deflect the force of the explosion away from him, before stepping in and folding his opposite arm in to swing his elbow around in a vicious blow, aimed at Holly's head. Holly barely managed to stop it with her sheath in time, and, even then, only by falling back a step, which allowed Lorcan to go even more fiercely on the offensive.

"His gauntlets consist of curved and angled surfaces," said Ayumu. "They diffuse and deflect impact, allowing him to defend with a minimal investment of strength and stamina. In a sense, it's a more compact version of the principle behind the surface of Jaune's shield."

"So he's more defensive-minded than Yang," said Jaune.

"Or so it appears," said Gin, frowning.

They watched Lorcan launch himself at Holly, appearing to go for another straightforward punch. Instead, he abruptly launched himself into a forward flip, firing his gauntlets at the ground to accelerate the spin of his body, and allow him to plant the sole of his heavy boot squarely in Holly's face, knocking her back and making several people in the audience wince.

"Actually, it seems that he uses his gauntlets to create opportunities to attack," continued Gin. "He's sufficiently confident in his ability to react and deflect incoming attacks that he's able to throw himself at his opponent with almost complete abandon. It's a kinda weird concept, really."

Still, Holly wasn't giving up easily. She kept herself on her feet, sliding back into the dirt and grass of the savannah-zone. Even as she did, she lowered her blade down and to the side. Abruptly, it appeared to break into pieces. In actuality, it had separated into segments, joined together by a metal cord that ran through it. She swung it out, her weapon now attacking like a bladed whip, the cord extending out from a spool adjacent to the Dust-cartridge mechanism at the base of the blade. Extra segments unfolded along with the extension, ensuring that the entire length of the cord was armed with evenly-interspersed blades.

The strange turn from sword to a more flexible weapon appeared to be enough to rattle Lorcan, who found himself on the defensive, working his arms so quickly that his gauntlets appeared to be in multiple places at once. Against a weapon that could bend and flex around the obstacles he put in their way, Lorcan had a much harder time defending against this kind of attack.

"Now she's got the advantage," said Yang, grinning.

Ruby nodded, though that uneasy feeling remained. She turned her attention to one of the other battles taking place, only to blink in confusion, surprised to see that the battle between Reynard and Rhea was obscured by thick clouds of smoke.

* * *

Compared to the ferocity and energy of the other battles taking place, the fight between Reynard and Rhea was unsettling in its stillness. Reynard hadn't really moved all that much, after using his initial attack to separate Rhea off from her teammates. Afterwards, she had tried to skirt him, and move to support one of her comrades. But then Reynard had tossed a handful of cubes into the water of the lake they'd ended up by. Upon contact with the water, the cubes had sizzled and exploded into a thick pall of dark-gray smoke, which had swept up and enveloped the two combatants.

At first, Rhea had attempted to disperse the smokescreen. With the wind-Dust woven into her dress, and the skill she'd cultivated into wielding it, such an action should have been easy. Yet, the more she tried to sweep the smoke away, the more her winds seemed to only make it billow, filling up more and more of the space around her.

"What do you think of my smoke-Dust?" asked Reynard smugly, a positively malicious grin on his face as he closed in slowly, with deliberate steps. "It's my own special recipe. Fire, wind, and earth-Dust mixed together...Upon contact with water, the fire-Dust generates steam, which the earth-Dust infuses with superfine particles, and the wind-Dust scatters it. Normally, I use water-Dust to activate it. But, with this convenient source of water here, I figured I could conserve a little."

"You sure like to talk," growled Rhea, before coughing.

"Ah! Be careful not to breathe in too much," cautioned Reynard, his lips pulling back to bare his teeth even further. "It may not be as lethal as actual smoke, but those superfine particles can wreak havoc on the lungs in too high a quantity. I'm sure your Aura can handle the damage. But, if you spend too long immersed with it, you'll find your Aura drained down to nothing."

Even as he spoke, he thought, _It's a pity though. The air-quality sensors around the arena are too good. I'll just have to stick with the stuff I made for the tournament._

Rhea glared at him, the humor that had been in her eyes, before the match started, draining away. "You don't seem worried about yourself."

"Of course not," said Reynard. "I control the wind-Dust in the mix. What kind of Dustweaver would I be if I allowed myself to be harmed by my own creation?"

 _It must also be how he's keeping me from dispersing it,_ thought Rhea. _He counters wind with wind, so that all I do is spread the smoke farther._

"Well now, I imagine it must be hard to consider what to do," said Reynard.

"Not really," said Rhea, a hoarse rasp beginning to enter her voice.

She shot forward, streamers of wind circling her legs to propel her just above the ground. Going into a spin, the wind swirled around her body, blurring her movements, allowing her to close in rapidly and lashing out with a kick at Reynard's head. Leaning his head to the side, Reynard dodged the attack with ease, then bent backwards to evade the blade of wind that shot out along the line of Rhea's kick.

Touching back down, Rhea spun about and thrust forward with her hands, projecting a horizontal whirlwind from them, only for it to miss, Reynard having sidestepped her attack.

"Is something the matter?" asked Reynard, easily evading another swift kick. "Your movements seem a little dulled." They separated. "I guess it must be hard for you to fight at your best, if you can't breathe properly.

"No matter what style you practice, what weapon you use, a fighter's strength comes from their breath. The harder you work, the deeper you need to breathe. But ,in my smoke-Dust, you can't breathe deeply, or you'll grind your lungs into hash before long. You can fight with light, shallow breaths, trying to avoid inhaling my smoke as much as possible, but that inhibits your movements, and makes them much easier to evade, even for someone relatively weak, like myself."

Rhea glared at Reynard. "In other words," she ground out, "you can't fight properly, so you resort to petty tricks like this. If you can't face an opponent in a real fight, then you have no place in this tournament."

The barb merely prompted Reynard to throw back his head and bark out a harsh laugh. "My, what a lofty sentiment," he said, bringing his gaze back down to her again. "I don't recall the rules prohibiting anything like this. Besides, in real battle, dirty tricks are a fact of life. Fools who believe that their enemies will always fight by the rules are the first to die! If anything, it speaks of how pathetic your presumed skills are, if they can be so easily thwarted by this mere 'dirty trick.' Won't that be humiliating, being beaten by a weaker combatant who barely even needed to raise a hand against you?"

Rhea glared at him, then closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them again, she kicked off the ground, the wind exploding forth from her skirt and under her feet, lifting her almost straight upwards, allowing her to fly all the way above the low-hanging cloud of smoke. Up in the clear air, she finally took in a much deeper breath, going into a rapid, aerial pirouette, spinning rapidly, drawing her winds about herself, forming them into a massive funnel that reached downwards.

 _He's controlling his smoke with wind-Dust. If I want to supersede his control, I'll just overpower it with my own Dust!_ True to her theory, her tornado vacuumed up the smoke-Dust, pulling it into the whirlwind and dying it black. Before it would reach Rhea herself and invade her lungs once again, she threw her arms out, putting a large amount of power into dispersing her whirlwind and scattering the superfine particles that made up Reynard's smoke across the ring, so that they would no longer be a hazard.

Touching back down, Rhea wasted no time, going into a gliding lunge across the ground at Reynard, who backpedaled fearfully. "Wait!" he exclaimed holding up his left hand as if to ward her off. "I'm sorry! I was just playing around! Honest!"

Rhea ignored him, focusing on his face, preparing to strike him with her real strength this time. Then Reynard's lips curled back into that haughty grin once more.

Rhea was blown back, something exploding right at the center of her collarbone, stopping her breathing, cancelling out her momentum, and knocking her off her feet in one instant. She caught a flash of some kind of violet energy, before landing hard on her back.

"Just kidding," teased Reynard, leering down at her.

Coughing, Rhea forced herself up to her feet, glaring at Reynard, who continued to bare his teeth in that sick, malicious grin of his. _Just what did he do?_ It was hard to gauge what she'd been hit with. Dust made any number of possibilities feasible, and she had no doubt that Dust was involved somehow. She just couldn't work out how he'd delivered that attack. _Coming at him head-on might be a mistake._

Sweeping her arms out, Rhea produced a powerful gale that swept over Reynard, who raised his arm to keep anything from being blown into his eyes. When he lowered it, Rhea had vanished from sight. He caught a flash of green in the corner of his eye and jumped away, just managing to avoid the wind-enhanced kick that Rhea had launched his way. Having avoided her attack, Reynard swung clumsily at her with the simple, rather unimpressive sword in his right hand.

Rhea easily jumped over the slow, easily-read slash, allowing her leap to carry her over Reynard's head, executing a flip to come down on the other side of him. Apparently cluing into her movement, Reynard had already turned around and was slashing at her again. Now it was Rhea's turn to evade his attacks, her graceful, dance-like movements allowing her to evade the flurry of clumsy slashes that Reynard sent her way.

* * *

"Wow...he sucks," said Nora. "That reminds me of how Jaune was when he first got here."

"Thanks," deadpanned Jaune, giving Nora a flat look.

"It seems swordsmanship isn't his forte," said Ayumu.

"But, given what other tricks we've seen him pull, it'd be a bad idea to underestimate him," said Gin. "It looks like those kind of sneaky moves are his bread and butter."

"You've got that right," said Yang. "But, seriously, that guy has a look that just screams 'I'm untrustworthy!' If he's the sort to rely on trickery, don't you think he'd try to look a bit more...normal...you know, to throw people off?"

"Most of the time," said Gin. "It's true that, looking normal makes it more likely that people won't see a dirty trick coming. But that guy chose to approach this from the other direction."

"How so?" asked Blake.

"Like Yang said, the guy looks shifty by nature," explained Gin. "It's natural not to trust your first impression of someone like him. But that lack of trust is exactly the problem. Marking an opponent as untrustworthy means you're never sure if you've read him properly. You can't be certain that you've ever truly got the upper hand, or that you've seen every card he's got to show you. Doubt and hesitation dull the edge of your skill, and wind up leaving you more open to being caught off-guard, even though you think you're more on-guard than ever. It takes supreme confidence in your skills to fight against someone like that, to trust in the instincts and skills you've cultivated to be able to respond, no matter what tricks he shows you."

"Yeah, that makes sense," said Sun. "It describes that guy to a T."

"Have you ever fought him?" asked Ruby.

"Just once," said Sun, shivering. "Just standing in the ring with Reynard gave me the willies. I was so unsure that I basically made a fool of myself. Nobody who goes a round with him in the ring ever tries to fight him twice."

Their conversation was interrupted by an explosion on the side of the lake opposite where Reynard and Rhea were fighting. Immediately, everyone's attention went there. That had been where Ajax and Irving had been fighting. They watched as the smoke from the Dust-fueled explosion cleared, revealing Ajax, resting on one knee, Irving standing across from him, once again looking casually at ease. The ground around them was covered with scorch marks and craters, the boulders and rock outcroppings on their side of the battlefield having been mostly blown away.

Ruby bit the inside of her lip, the uneasy feeling inside of her brewing even more. There was something about Team BRYL that grated on her, something beyond her knowledge of Liu's grudge. There was something wrong about that Huntsman team.

* * *

"I'm terribly sorry about my teammates," said Irving politely. "To a man, they're coarse and ill-mannered, no gift for artistry."

Ajax grunted and forced himself up. "So what?" he asked.

"I just thought I should share my sentiments," said Irving with a shrug. "It won't change the fact that you'll lose here. But I at least hope you might feel better about it."

"You're pretty arrogant, taking the idea that you're going to win as a given," growled Ajax.

Irving's smile took on a lopsided quality that gave his expression a more mocking look. "Yes, well...at this point, none of you have what it takes to defeat us. The outcome is beyond question."

Snarling, Ajax bared his teeth, elemental energy beginning to swirl along the sleeves of his jacket.

Irving chuckled. "Your teammates are going to lose rather unceremoniously, I'm afraid. But, as an artist, I have an obligation to make the moment of your defeat have more impact. Be grateful that you get to fall before me."

"You fall instead!" Ajax shouted, flinging a fireball, condensed around a sphere of molten rock at Irving.

Irving responded by extending a hand out, pointing all five of his fingers at the incoming attack. There was a flicker of gray from the tips of his fingers, and Ajax's Dust attack exploded, splattering lava across the ground between them...or rather, it would have been between them, had Ajax not already moved. The green sections on the back of his coat exploded out into whirlwinds that congealed behind him, like wings, lifting him off the ground, and allowing him to swoop around behind Irving.

However, Irving was already looking at Ajax, having anticipated his move. He threw his opposite hand out at Ajax, and the Dustweaver was repelled by several slashing impacts. At the last second, he managed to harden the sections of his coat reinforced with earth-Dust. But Irving's attacks flexed and bent around at multiple angles to strike him in unprotected portions of his body, biting into his Aura. Ajax clicked his tongue in frustration, seeing the coliseum lights glinting off thin, sinuous shapes.

Ten thin wires, one from the tip of each finger, extended from Irving's hand. They ended in narrowing, dart-shaped tips, weighing the ends so that he could cast them out. Their thinness made them extremely hard to see, while their flexibility made them hard to read. While it seemed that something as innocuous as wires could hardly be called a threat, they bit into Ajax's Aura with the force of real blades. The wires were connected to Irving's hands at the fingertips, but actually passed through the gloves, where they were connected to the spools built into his arm-guards, encapsulated on either end by small Dust-chambers, mounted in a rotary arrangement.

Now Irving wend on the attack, throwing his hands forward to send the wires whipping out at Ajax. Ajax tried to dodge and defend, hardening the flaps of his tailcoat, and whipping trailing ends around to try and deflect Irving's attacks. However, moving his arms, wrists, and fingers in deft movements, Irving manipulated the wires, their forms bending to separate or converge as he needed, causing them to wrap around Ajax, cutting off paths of escape or bending around his defenses.

Still, Ajax wasn't one for playing the defensive game. Even as he dodged and defended, he whipped his right hand around, a glowing orb of fiery energy congealing in his palm. Thrusting it at Irving, he unleashed a beam of fire straight for Irving's chest.

With a series of rapid clicks, the Dust chambers on each end of both arm-guards abruptly shifted, switching from one color to another. Irving brought his arms together, then crossed them in front of his chest, his fingers blurring in rapid movements. The wires spread out, then abruptly curved back inwards towards him, black dots appearing along their lengths that served as anchors for them to abruptly bend around, as though Irving were wrapping them around physical objects. With his incredibly precise direction, the wires then swiftly wrapped around each other, weaving themselves into a spider-web formation that formed between Irving and the incoming attack. There was a flash, and the wires were illuminated with cyan light, generating a barrier that caused Ajax's attack to explode and disperse harmlessly.

Ajax's jaw dropped. "What the hell!?" It wasn't that he couldn't comprehend what Irving had just done. Rather, it was because he _could_ comprehend what Irving had done that he was left so flabbergasted by the results. Irving was a Dustweaver too, but capable of speed and finesse that left Ajax, who was considered the most accomplished Dustweaver at Beacon, astonished. He had rapidly switched between Dust-types to create a barrier in less than a second, weaving his wires to serve as conduits swiftly and effectively. Even if the rotary mechanisms connecting the Dust-chambers to his wire spools sped up the process of switching Dust-types, it still boggled the mind that he was capable of using different types so rapidly to build up an effective defense.

"Now now," tutted Irving, his smile widening, "you don't have time to be shocked. I'm about to create a masterpiece from your defeat, so you must struggle to the best of your ability."

Irving pulled his arms apart, the motion, combined with the minute, rapid movements of his wrist and fingers, prompting his wires to unravel, without tangling. They unraveled from the center of the web-formation outwards, imparting a spiraling movement to the wires as they came shooting at Ajax again.

With speed born of desperation, Ajax swept his left arm upwards, producing a wave of ice that rose up between him and the incoming wires. Because of the ice, he wasn't able to see that Irving's Dust-chambers were switching again, orange and red light climbing the length of his spiraling wires, fiery motes streaming along of along their lengths, swept into the spiral and congealing in the center, becoming a tightly-directed whirlwind of flame that drilled into the ice-wall, and blasted it to pieces when the sharpened tips of Irving's wires connected, the mingling flames and broken shards of ice battering Ajax's body and throwing him back.

Ajax threw himself away from the explosion, swinging one leg up, and kicking a wave of flame at Irving. The black-garbed wire-user easily sidestepped the attack. Even as he dodged, he pulled his left arm back, but kept his right extended, continuing to direct those five wires at his opponent. Those five whipped towards Ajax, while the other five retracted. Ajax, already off-balance from the previous explosion, was unable to stop the pointed tips from striking his body, though they struck his jacket. Two glanced off the harden portions at the collar and flaps, while the others stuck firmly to other portions of his jacket. Yellow lightning crackled down the wires' length, then exploded across Ajax's body, wreathing him in a nimbus of electricity that prompted him to convulse and scream in pain.

Because of that, Ajax failed to notice that the patches of his coat that Irving's wires had connected with glowed faintly.

Ajax jerked his body, freeing himself from Irving's wires. Then, reaching into the pouches at his belt, Ajax pulled out a yellow Dust-crystal in his right hand, and a red one in his left. Crushing them in his grip, he infused his right and left hands with lightning and fire respectively. Punching out sharply with his right hand, Ajax ended the motion by snapping his left finger out to point at Irving, the lightning infusing his hand congealing and lancing out from the tip of his finger, not as a bolt, but as an intense beam of concentrated plasma that still moved at literally lightning-speed.

And yet, Irving wasn't fazed in the slightest. When Ajax had begun the punching motion, Irving had already swept his extended right arm across his chest, bending the wires that Ajax had already pulled free of, electricity still crackling along their lengths, so that they formed a curving path across the space between Irving and Ajax. When Ajax's beam of plasma encountered one of the wires, the lightning streaming through it interacted with the beam's plasma, prompting it to bend along the path of the wire, before flying free, its course having curved so as to miss Irving completely.

Ajax's eyes widened, but he still continued, kicking off the ground and producing another whirlwind at his back to fly at Irving head on, cocking his left fist, which swirled with concentrated flame and heat. He ducked beneath the curving arcs of Irving's wires and closed in, his winds scattering those wires in his wake, ensuring that Irving wouldn't be able to bring them back together and attack before Ajax landed his next blow.

Yet Ajax's fist met empty air. Even as he'd redirected the plasma beam with the wires from his right hand, Irving had extended his left, launching his wires out and anchoring them into the surface of one of the remaining rocks. With a whirring sound, the reels built into the spools retracted, pulling Irving's body out of the way of Ajax's punch. Irving kicked off the ground, so that his momentum carried him to land on top of the stone, his wires pulling free.

Still, Ajax wasn't done. Planting a foot firmly to stop himself, Ajax shifted his stance, then punched straight down into the ground with his left fist. A red, smoldering shockwave flashed out from where his fist made contact. Less than a second later, there was a similar flash the red shockwave appearing at the base of Irving's stone platform, but moving inverse to its previous appearance, the ring of fire converging inwards. Irving jumped straight up, right at the instant the stone he'd been perched on exploded.

Looking down, Irving saw that Ajax had already used his wind-Dust to propel himself upwards, and close the distance between them again. Unfortunately, when Ajax punched out with his right fist, it once again met empty air. Irving abruptly reversed directions, shooting downward even faster than he'd launched himself upwards. When he'd jumped, Irving had snapped his arms down at the same time, anchoring all ten wires into the earth around the rock he'd been standing on. Even Ajax's remote explosion hadn't dislodged them. Now retracting them, Irving pulled himself right back down the way he'd come.

Ajax wasn't giving up though. The orange and red portions across his varicolored jacket glowed as he raised both hands upward, fire and arcs of lightning dancing off his outstretched fingers, converging in the air over his head, building into a formation of flame that resembled a miniature hurricane, with arcs of lightning jumping through the fire, as though it was a red-hot storm cloud. At the center of the formation, a opening formed, the eye of the storm.

The second his feet touched the ground, Irving pulled his wires free and whipped his arms across each other, the rotary system of his Dust-chambers clicking rapidly. His wires wove together into a spiderweb again, flashing Cyan to form another barrier. He completed it just in time. Above him, Ajax swept his arms downward and the eye of his firestorm blazed, ejecting a thick beam of incandescent flame, with lightning weaving through it, downwards in a pure torrent of destructive energy that smashed into Irving's barrier.

This time, Ajax's attack carried far more destructive force than the last time Irving had used his barrier, anticipating that Irving would defend again. Just as he had hoped, there was a crackling sound from the barrier, barely audible through the roar of Ajax's own attack, then the construct shattered and slammed into the ground, scorching and blasting away the earth, throwing smoke, dust, and debris into the air. Light flickered off white fragments, the remnant of Irving's barrier and, presumably, his wires. Landing, Ajax panted, watching the point of impact for any sign of his opponent.

A crack came from the ground below him. Ajax looked down, but had no time to react as all ten of Irving's wires lanced upwards, bursting straight out of the ground, whipping about Ajax quickly, securing his body and limbs, anchoring him in place.

 _Earth-Dust_ , thought Ajax, his eyes widening. While the most common use of earth-Dust was to produce earth, usually in the form of boulders or stone pillars, it could also be used to effectively manipulate earth as well. He knew a few skilled Dustweavers favored earth-Dust for using burrowing attacks to get underneath various Grimm, which were often more vulnerable to attack from below, allowing the Huntsman in question to avoid the difficulties that normally came with coming at a Grimm from below.

Of course, none of that helped him right now. Looking over at the smoke streaming out from where his attack had landed, he took a closer look at the glittering, white motes that were scattered about, interspersed with the smoke. _Ice!_

It made sense now. Irving had used ice-Dust, channeling it through his wires to create a facsimile of his formation between the wires themselves, and the shield they had generated. Then he'd used earth-Dust to escape underground, before the shield had broken. Ajax's attack had shattered the ice, making it look as though he'd broken Irving's wires, prompting Ajax to let his guard down.

Just as he had suspected, Irving emerged from the earth a short distance away, popping out like a mole emerging from its burrow. His arms hung slack, with the wires still trailing down into the ground, no doubt leading to where they had bound Ajax's limbs and body.

"Excellent work," said Irving cheerfully. "You're quite skilled to perform compound weaves like that."

"Save your thanks," growled Ajax. "Are you planning on just holding me here?"

"Oh, not at all," said Irving, raising his hands and pulling at his wires.

Ajax had expected any number of possible ways this could have gone. Irving could have run lightning-Dust through the wires to electrocute his prisoner, as he had before. He could try and immobilize Ajax with more ice-Dust. He might even use earth-Dust to pull Ajax into the ground and restrain him there. What Ajax hadn't expected was for Irving's wires to pull themselves free of the earth, looking as though they'd run just beneath the surface, not in a straight line to Ajax himself, but emerging in a woven formation. Irving had woven another spiderweb while Ajax had been idle. This time, Ajax stood right at the formation's center.

The wires glowed orange, an array forming between the lines of the web, power building, intensifying, being shaped and concentrated. Ajax's eyes widened, and he pulled at the ends of the wires that held him fast, but to no avail. Irving's wires glowed brighter. Then, with a flash, all that energy ran through the wires, washing from the outside inwards, converging on Ajax, restrained tightly at the very center of their formation.

With a roar, a column of flames exploded up from the center of the web, consuming Ajax entirely.

With a relaxed smile, Irving retracted his wires, standing at ease, and waiting for the smoke to clear. Thanks to his wires anchoring the opponent in place, he knew that Ajax hadn't escaped his attack, granting him a measure of security, while he waited for the effects of his explosion to dissipate. With a winding sound, the reels retrieved his wires.

When the smoke and dust cleared, they revealed something surprising. A life-sized statue of Ajax stood right in the epicenter of the explosion. The surface of the statue was cracked and chipped, presumably because of the explosion. However, it was intact overall. After a moment, the stone cracked further, then began to crumble, falling away to reveal that it had congealed around Ajax himself like a shell.

"A stone-skin," observed Irving with a smirk. "That's not bad." He didn't miss the heavy exhale, followed by an equally heavy inhale from Ajax. "Of course, it makes it rather hard to breathe."

"It seems to me that your plan failed," said Ajax, brushing a fleck of stone from his shoulder.

"Hardly," said Irving with a chuckle.

"You still think you can win?"

"I will," said Irving. "Or rather...I already have."

"What?" snarled Ajax.

"From the moment this fight began, I have been weaving the tapestry of your defeat," said Irving, raising his hands in preparation to resume the fight. "However, I wove the pattern for my victory several moves ago. Everything after that is pure embellishment."

"We'll see," growled Ajax, lifting a hand full of flame once more.

"Oh...you will," agreed Irving with a laugh.

* * *

 **If you hadn't guessed, Irving was the most fun for me to write. Taking Gein's wires and applying Dust-tech to them made it both interesting and a challenge to write all the varying ways he can attack and defend. Next chapter, the match's conclusion.**


	87. Chapter 87

**Chapter 87:**

"Okay, so those other guys freak me out pretty badly," said Yang. "But that Irving guy is _damn_ good!"

"He's an incredible Dustweaver," agreed Ren.

"If Weiss were here, she'd be able to tell us all about how good he is," said Ruby. "But I do get the feeling that he's better than Ajax."

"That makes sense," said Gin. "Controlling those wires is no mean feat either. To use them in conjunction with different Dust types, at the same time no less, so smoothly is pretty amazing."

"What do you think?" asked Jaune, glancing at Ayumu, only to see that Ayumu's nearly omnipresent smile had slipped at some point. That on its own was jarring enough. However, what was even more curious was the look of intense concentration Ayumu was directing at the battles going on within the ring.

"Ayumu?" prodded Jaune carefully.

"Hmm..." Ayumu blinked, then jolted out of his reverie, looking at Jaune, his smile returning. "Oh, sorry. I was thinking about something."

"Pretty hard at that," noted Gin.

"I was just struck by something unusual about the fighting styles used by Beryl's members," said Ayumu. "There's something off..."

"Are they cheating?" asked Nora.

"No," said Ayumu. "It's not anything like that. Rather...there's just something that...just doesn't quite make sense about the way they fight."

"What is it?" asked Ren.

"I'm not quite sure yet," said Ayumu, his eyes glancing towards the furious exchange between Chrys and Liu.

It was clear that Team CHAR's leader was anxious about the condition of his teammates. It showed in how furiously he attacked, trying to press Liu and gain an advantage, hopefully before one of his teammates fell. Now it wasn't just the blade of his spear that was producing black streaks. Rather, his entire body seemed to be surrounded by a spherical field of black.

Liu retreated back from a fierce spear strike, the ring of impact still hanging in the air. However, his feet slid on the surface of the ring, and he was drawn right back towards Chrys.

"So it isn't just his weapon that has Dust," said Gin. "It must be woven into his outfit too."

"What's he doing?" asked Yang.

"He's making a gravity-field," said Ruby. "He uses it to pull Liu back into attack range."

Liu blocked Chrys' next strike, and raised his own sword up over his head with one hand. With the palm of his left hand, he struck the back of his sword, accelerating his swing as it descended towards Chrys, who raised his spear shaft to deflect the attack. Sparks exploded from the metal connecting against metal. However, they weren't just the result of the fighters' Auras.

Several of the sparks swelled, before exploding in Chrys' face, causing him to reel back, coughing and sputtering in pain. He quickly tried to counter with a slash from his shortened spear. Liu gripped his sword in both hands, reversing it so that Chrys' attack struck the pommel. At the same time, the rotary system of his gauntlet switched, aligning a new Dust-chamber. The black energy of Chrys' gravity Dust seemed to pass into the handle of Liu's sword on impact, accelerating Liu's weapon as Liu passed it around his back and transitioned to a right-handed thrust, an edge of compressed water enhancing the tip of his blade and piercing deep into the Aura of Chrys' shoulder, knocking him back completely.

"Liu's a Dustweaver too!" exclaimed Ruby, leaning forward.

"What did he just do?" asked Jaune.

"A flowing counter-technique to absorb the force of his opponent's attack, and strike back," said Ayumu. "Not only did he borrow the power of the gravity-Dust being channeled by Mr. Floris' blade, but he also added water-Dust to enhance the cutting power of his attack."

Now that he had Chrys on the backfoot, Liu pressed a fierce offensive, raining slashing attacks on his opponent. Chrys defended as best he could, spinning his weapon to position the shaft between him and the attacks. But Liu's strikes were enhanced by fire, wind, or lightning. What was more, when Liu advanced, he held out his left hand, the first two fingers and thumb extended, while the rotary system of his left armguard switched a new chamber into place. He slid his left foot along the ground towards Chrys, and Chrys' foot was abruptly lifted off the floor of the ring by a sudden small whirlwind, upsetting his balance and resulting in him being blasted off his feet by Liu's next blow.

Chrys landed hard on his back, and moved to try and return to his feet, only to find his limbs abruptly frozen in place, locked with shackles of ice around his legs and ankles, Liu having switched the Dust-type used by his left hand again. Now Liu bore down on his target with another slash.

Abruptly, the field around Chrys seemed to shift. It wasn't easy to describe the change it underwent. But the results were obvious. Liu suddenly reversed directions, flung away.

"So he can repel as well," noted Gin. "Switching between the two gives him complete control of the range. He can pull his target close, or push them away at will."

"Maybe," said Ayumu. "But that looked like a desperation move. He likely hasn't completely mastered the transition, and only did so now because he had to keep Mr. Bai from landing a blow."

Down below, Chrys channeled his Aura through his wrists and ankles, shattering the bonds of ice, and allowing him to regain his footing. He forced himself back up, and shot a worried look at Liu, who'd landed on his feet and was already charging in again. Chrys lowered his spear, leveling the head right at Liu, the edges of the blade lined by the black energy of gravity-Dust. From the growing tension in the air, it was clear that Chrys was readying a powerful attack, probably aiming to strike Liu with a finishing blow, before he had a chance to continue the battle.

Something about Liu...changed. It was subtle. Ayumu, Ruby, and Gin saw it the most clearly. Something appeared to bulge beneath Liu's skin, seeming to crawl across his face, before spreading down to his chest, and across the rest of his body. It was visible for only a second, then the two fighters exchanged their final blows of the match.

Liu switched his blade to his left hand, the tassel disconnecting from his armguard. At the same time, he reversed his grip, so that its flat rested against his arm, while he gripped the handle, with his index and ring fingers extending down it, towards the pommel.

Chrys thrusted forward, an ebony line lancing out from his attack. The gravity-thrust not only threatened to obliterate whatever was in its path, but generated an attractive field that drew its target into its line of attack.

But it didn't touch Liu, who dropped into an extremely low crouch, extending his right leg and bending at the waist, so that his sword now extended over his back horizontally. A plane of black energy appeared below his feet. Liu had used gravity-Dust himself, anchoring himself into place and keeping himself from being drawn into Chrys' attack.

Chrys moved to backpedal, but Liu turned his earlier strategy against him, the black plane extending forward along the floor and under Chrys' feet, the gravity field now anchoring Chrys into place. Liu shifted forward, rising up out of his crouch. In the same motion, he whipped his blade back around, his right hand closing around the handle again as he brought it up in a ferociously powerful, semicircular slash that cut upwards, biting through Chrys' Aura.

The buzzer sounded, and Chrys reeled back, blood spurting from the cut Liu had opened across his chest.

"No!" shouted Ruby, shooting to her feet.

"It's not lethal," said Gin, grabbing her hand. "His Aura took the brunt of it."

"That's a powerful move," observed Ayumu. "Mr. Bai reversed the field at his feet, when he rose to attack, using the gravity-Dust to enhance the power of his blow. No wonder it took down Mr. Floris' Aura with a single blow."

"Yeah, and almost killed him," added Nora bitterly. "He should be disqualified for doing that, right?"

"Unfortunately, it's not that simple," said Ren. "Given the nature of the tournament, it's only natural that there's potential for injury, even with Aura. To disqualify him, the committee would need definitive proof that Liu had inflicted deliberate injury on his opponent."

"Yeah," said Sun glumly. "Right now, all they'd probably be able to say is that Liu put a little too much oomph into that last attack, and accidentally broke through his opponent's Aura."

"Beryl's pretty good at that," added Neptune dourly. "They flirt with the line, and come to a hair of breaking the rules, but stop just shy enough to not get caught."

"Well...it looks like there's one guy who won't be getting his chance to play rule-breaker," said Yang gesturing towards the fight between Lorcan and Holly.

At the moment, Lorcan was working his gauntlets furiously in order to keep Holly's bladed whip-sword at bay. Despite his best efforts, the flexible and unpredictable weapon had landed several stinging blows, and was steadily chipping away at Lorcan's Aura. In the process, Holly had stepped closer and, abruptly, retracted the segments, which linked back together to form a sword once more. The pump-action at the base of her blade slid up, then slammed back down, activating another cartridge, causing flames to race up the length of her weapon, exploding upon contact with Lorcan's gauntlets and blowing him backwards.

Even as he slid back, Lorcan punched out with a gauntlet, firing a white shot at Holly, who raised her sheath and blocked it, the force of impact causing her to slide back as well. Despite that, she didn't hesitate, slamming her sword back into her sheath, the pump action working again, activating another cartridge. Stepping forward, Holly drew her weapon in a movement reminiscent of an Iai-style practitioner. However, her blade was already extending and segmenting into its whip form while she drew, launching it in a spiraling pattern, while an explosive torrent of flame was channeled down the center of the spiral. Lorcan raised and crossed his arms, bracing himself, but could do little else as the explosive attack slammed into and engulfed him.

Up on the screen, Lorcan's Aura-level slid down further and further, over half of it disappearing in just a few seconds. By the time it stopped, less than a quarter of his Aura remained. In the meantime, it was clear that Holly wasn't going to let her guard down, nor let up her attack, now that she'd obtained such a strong advantage.

Retracting her whip into its sword-form, Holly inserted the pommel of her weapon's handle into the sheath. With a rapid clicking noise of shifting mechanisms, both the blade of the sword and the sheath segmented and bent, forming the unmistakable profile of a bow. A black line extended from the tip of the sword to connect it to the end of the sheath, forming the string, though the means by which it functioned, and where it had even come from, couldn't be discerned by the spectators.

Holly reached down, inserting her fingers into one of the slots built into her tassets, which appeared to serve a similar purpose to the ones worn by Gwen, from Team NDGO, in that they housed some of Holly's armaments. In this case, she drew what almost looked like a long, flat, rectangular dagger, without a handle. It had a triangular tip, matching the chevron-shape cut out from the back end, where Holly gripped it with two fingers. Holding it up to the guard of her sword, which now formed the arrow-rest, Holly pulled back, leaving the blade there to become the head of the arrow, the shaft forming from between her fingers as she pulled them back to the string, continuing to form as she pulled the string itself all the way back.

"The shaft must be Dust of some kind," said Ren. "I don't recognize it."

"Whatever it is, it's gonna pack a punch," said Nora. "I can feel it from here."

She wasn't the only one. It wasn't even a matter of feeling at that. Holly held her weapon steady, the air around the head of the bow beginning to shimmer in a concentric, circular pattern, swirling inwards towards the elongated arrowhead, which was starting to glow, almost as though it was white-hot. Ruby gulped, her mouth dry. Even from this distance, she could feel the energy being collected for Holly's shot through her _Shingan._ "That's enough force to punch through a Deathstalker's shell like it's nothing," she said.

"It almost seems like overkill," said Gin. "If it weren't for the fact that I'm not getting an overly hostile vibe from her, I'd say that she's maybe playing tit for tat for what happened to her team leader. But I guess she's just taking her opponent _that_ seriously."

The smoke from Holly's previous attack had cleared. Lorcan was still recovering from the blow he'd just received, his arms crossed. Smoke streamed off several parts of his body, and the camouflage pattern of his baggy pants was now marred by black scorch marks. Growling, he glared fiercely at Holly, not even seeming to notice that she was now about to send an even _more_ powerful attack his way.

Holly's fingers released the string, and the arrow practically howled as it flew forth from the bow, becoming a white comet, leaving a trail of sparks as it streaked towards Holly's target with frightening speed. Despite that, Lorcan didn't flinch. Instead, he uncrossed his arms and, in a movement that was all too familiar to Ruby and her friends, slammed his gauntleted fists together.

The clang that echoed out drowned out the roar of Holly's arrow, which slammed right into Lorcan's unguarded chest, right as his body was abruptly lit from within by an incredible power. Holly's arrow detonated, white flames engulfing Lorcan's body, only to wash off, and reveal that he was unharmed.

"Hey! That jerk is cribbing my style!" exclaimed Yang for the second time, since the fight began.

"I wouldn't say that exactly," said Ayumu, leaning forward. "It looks as though the form is similar, but different in function."

Now that the explosion's effects had dissipated, they could see what Ayumu was talking about. Rather than radiating power outwards, like Yang's did when releasing her Semblance at full power, Lorcan's power seemed to be contained within his body, changing the color of his skin, giving it a metallic sheen, as though he'd been dipped in liquid steel. Now he charged forward with wild abandon.

Holly immediately went on the attack, swinging her weapon in its whip form, the blade segments striking Lorcan's body repeatedly. However, this time, it had no effect, Lorcan's Aura not dropping in the slightest, the blades glancing off as though his skin _really_ had become metal. She retracted her weapon, barely managing to return it to its sword-form in time for Lorcan to close in to melee-range.

Holly swung her blade down to meet Lorcan's fist, activating another cartridge in the process. However, the explosive slash did absolutely nothing, Lorcan's punch powering right through it, with enough force to send Holly's sword-arm rebounding back. Lorcan strode in, raising his other arm up and lunging forward, his fist slamming into the side of Holly's head. The green-haired girl was immediately staggered, her head snapping to the side and her entire body lurching over from the force of the blow. It seemed that, in addition to hardening his body to defend against attack, Lorcan's Semblance enhanced his strength as well.

But he wasn't done. Lunging forward again, Lorcan raised his other arm and, rather than punching, clenched the powerful muscles beneath that steel-hard skin, slamming his upper arm, right where it met the crook of his elbow, into Holly's neck, the impact fierce enough that nearly everyone watching winced at the sight.

It got worse however. When Holly reeled back, Lorcan charged forward yet again. This time, he used her body as a stepping stone, planting one boot on her upper leg, using that to jump and plant a boot on her shoulder. From there, Lorcan went into a rapid forward flip. As his body inverted, he grabbed Holly on both sides of her neck, his fingers pinching deeply into her skin, and twisting hard, using the torque from the movement of his entire body. Holly croaked, blood spurting from her mouth. But the torment had only begun. Lorcan finished his flip by using his full strength and weight to pull Holly up off the ground, wrenching her neck painfully in the process. Planting his feet, Lorcan snapped his upper-body forward, and threw Holly, by her neck, over his head, sending her flying into, and smashing through, one of the small trees that dotted the savannah portion of the field, before flying the rest of the way out of the ring, where she landed, hacking and coughing, clearly having trouble breathing.

Ruby's hands went to her mouth to muffle a cry of dismay at the sheer brutality of what Holly had just endured. "Oh my God!" she whispered. "How could he do that to her?"

"Another case of overkill," grumbled Gin, "and probably another case of plausible deniability. Never mind that it's clear her grabbed her in a way that would deliberately damage her neck."

"Hmm..." mused Ayumu, looking uncharacteristically serious once more.

"That impression of yours getting less vague?" asked Gin, glancing at his old friend.

"I think so," said Ayumu. "Those moves that Mr. Argyris used were clearly designed with a mind to striking a human target, at vital points to inflict critical damage."

"Yeah," agreed Sage. "When it comes down to it, Lorcan's an expert at dismantling the human body. What about it?"

"It's just..." Ayumu looked over at SSSN. "...don't you think it odd for those who aspire to be Huntsmen to specialize in such skills? Take Mr. Redhawk for instance..."

Their eyes went towards the fight between Rhea and Reynard, where the latter was still trying to land a hit against the former.

"I think I get what you're saying," said Sun.

"What do you mean?" asked Scarlet.

"Mr. Redhawk's tricks are all well and good when it comes to fighting _people_ ," said Ayumu. "But what about Grimm? That smoke from earlier likely wouldn't have much effect. Whatever attack he used against Ms. Sylvia after that wouldn't be much of a threat against anything larger than a young Beowolf. And then there's his sword..."

"Oh! I get it," said Neptune.

"You mean that their skills are specialized towards fighting people, rather than Grimm," said Ren .

Ayumu nodded. "If they aspire to become Huntsmen, it seems to me that specializing in such skills would probably defeat the purpose of entering that profession."

"Well...that's _not_ completely unreasonable," said Blake.

"What do you mean?" asked Ayumu.

"There are Huntsmen and Huntresses who specialize in fighting people over Grimm," said Blake. "I don't think the professors have covered Blacklist Huntsmen yet."

"Blacklist Huntsmen?" Ayumu blinked in confusion.

"Bounty hunters, basically," said Yang. "If you and the boys hadn't beaten Team Brown, those would have been the guys that had gone after those bastards."

"They're Huntsmen and Huntresses who forgo polishing skills for fighting against the Grimm, and instead train with the intent of going after those who've broken the law," said Ren.

"Pretty much any Huntsman can try to claim a bounty on a criminal Huntsman," added Sun. "But Blacklist Huntsmen are the ones who really specialize in that sort of thing."

"Is that so bad?" asked Ruby.

"Well...it's not bad on principle," admitted Sage. "After all, rogue Huntsmen who turn criminal still need to be brought to justice, and the best ones suited to bring them down, and bring them in, would be other Huntsmen."

"But it sorta detracts from the purpose of Huntsmen and Huntresses as existing to fight the Grimm," said Yang. "And it sounds bad that Huntsmen and Huntresses going bad is common enough that other Huntsmen are able to make a career out of just hunting the bad apples down."

"That's true," said Ruby, directing her attention back to the fight between Rhea and Reynard, which had not appeared to make any headway.

* * *

 _I've been cautious enough,_ thought Rhea, sidestepping another lazy, clumsy slash from Reynard. _It's clear that he's an amateur, when it comes to swordsmanship._

She'd held back from attacking for a while, watching Reynard's movements carefully, waiting for him to employ some other strange trick, or for his weapon or technique to reveal some kind of hidden dimension, only to see the clumsy flailing of an untrained fighter. It seemed that his focus on dirty tricks had left him unable to fight a straightforward battle. At the moment, she just had to keep an eye out for the mysterious attack he'd hit her with earlier.

He came at Rhea with a sideways slash that was painfully easy to read. Jumping up, Rhea delicately planted her foot on the flat of his blade, then kicked up, launching herself up and over his head, executing a graceful flip in the process of coming back down behind him, preparing to land an attack of her own, one leg already raised up, ready to kick, wind swirling down its length.

To Rhea's shock, she found that Reynard was already looking at her, having apparently anticipated where she'd land, his sick grin not faltering in the slightest, when their eyes met. Rhea had kept her attention on the sword in his right hand, so she didn't notice Reynard's left, until the last second. While he'd been slashing at her with his sword, his left hand had come behind his back, palming something, that he now threw at her as she landed.

Reflexively, Rhea adjusted her attack, aiming her kick at the incoming projectile, aiming to knock it away. She caught a glimpse of a faceted Dust-crystal. It was jet-black, looking like tar-Dust, but possessing a slight sheen to it that made her think it might be something else. When her wind-fueled kick struck it, the crystal shattered into a cloud of particles that scattered through the air and engulfed her body, peppering her skin with the itching sensation of walking through wind-blown sand. Reminded of Reynard's previous smoke-Dust, Rhea held her breath and covered her eyes, in case the attack was meant to blind her as well as asphyxiate her.

"Don't worry," Reynard assured her with that sick smile of his, "this Dust won't cause you any harm on its own. You see...it's a companion to my sword. Now that I've employed this Dust, my weapon is complete, and my sword will take victory in this battle."

 _What?_ That was all Rhea had time to think before Reynard lunged at her, his grin taking on a crazed quality. To Rhea's shock, the speed and ferocity of his attack were several levels above where they had been before. Apparently, his previous clumsy swings had been to lull her into a false sense of security.

And yet...it still wasn't enough. Even though his move was faster than before, she could still read it and react, having dealt with far stronger and more skilled opponents in the past. Rhea easily sidestepped the descending blade, preparing to launch her counterattack...only to gasp when Reynard's swing inexplicably changed course, and came right at her, its edge biting into her Aura. Rhea was knocked back, stumbling away, reeling from the unexpected blow.

"Surprised?" asked Reynard, taking great amusement in Rhea's distress. "This sword of mine is magical. It can transform even an amateur, like me, into an expert. Behold my high-speed, auto-tracking sword."

 _Yeah right,_ Rhea scoffed silently. _There's no such thing as magic. It's obvious that Dust has something to do with his sword. It must guide his attacks towards me._

However, that knowledge seemed largely pointless, when Reynard resumed his assault. For all that the cause was obvious, Rhea still couldn't avoid Reynard's slashes, which changed course, and flew unerringly at her body, no matter how hard she tried to avoid them. The only upside was that Reynard apparently didn't know how to put much strength into his attacks, so each hit that landed only did a little damage. The unfortunate issue was that his previous attacks had taken their toll, and she didn't have much Aura left to defend with. With a fighting style that was focused on light, evasive movements, Rhea had little recourse, when it came to defending against attacks she couldn't avoid.

Desperate to find a way to turn the tables, she jumped back, only to feel her body resist the movement, as though it were tethered to her opponent by some kind of invisible leash, which pulled her right back into his reach. _So it's like Chrys' gravity-field,_ she thought. That was fine. She had sparred against her team leader enough times to know how to deal with that kind of tactic. If she couldn't escape her opponent's range, then she would make him regret pulling her back in. Rhea went on the attack, channeling wind around her hand as she aimed a knife-hand chop at Reynard's incoming sword, targeting the hand he was holding it with.

Sure enough, her attack landed, knocking his blade out of his weak, amateurish grip. The blade tumbled through the air, then was drawn towards her, cutting into her Aura once more, and adhering to her body. However, Rhea ignored the pain, and didn't bother trying to rid herself of the sword, instead focusing on finishing off Reynard right here and now.

Once again, Rhea went into another rapid pirouette, her body becoming a spinning blur, swirling, pale-green wind winding around her form, transforming her into a living whirlwind while she closed in on Reynard. Gasping and gaping, Reynard attempted to backpedal, but now found that _he_ was the one being drawn back in. He found himself helpless, only able to watch while the swirling wind engulfed Rhea's leg as she leapt in to the air, preparing to deliver a kick to the side of his head that would either take his Aura down into the critical zone, or launch him out of the ring entirely.

But then the distraught look on his face morphed into a sickly triumphant grin.

Rhea gasped, then screamed, her spin halted as she felt six pointed objects penetrate her Aura, and almost impale her. Her momentum was completely stopped, and the winds congealing around her attacking leg dissipated entirely. Right as she'd been about to land her blow, the six black spikes extending out from the collar of Reynard's kimono had moved. She'd thought them nothing more than a strange accessory to accent his already devilish appearance, but now those spikes revealed themselves to be, not cloth, but ribbed, edged, and pointed _metal_ spikes, that flexed and bent to thrust out into the air in front of Reynard and attack.

"I really didn't want to use this in public, you know," said Reynard, leering up at Rhea, from where she hung. He sighed and shrugged dramatically, shaking his head. "When you're like me, and your speciality is hidden weapons like this, having them shown off on a stage this big forces me to change things up. I was rather fond of this one too."

Rhea grimaced and glared, bringing up her hands to grip at two of his spikes, trying to pull herself off, so she could attack.

"Ah, I think you've done enough," said Reynard, holding out his left hand to forestall her.

Abruptly, a fireball exploded over Rhea's torso, prompting another scream, and burning away the rest of her protective Aura. Reynard quickly withdrew his spikes, before they could pierce Rhea's skin, now that her body was unprotected. However, the flames of his final attack continued to burn on their own for a little longer. Rhea's thin, light dress, now that it was no longer guarded by her Aura, was consumed in part by the smoldering flames, exposing the upper-left portion of her torso, revealing one of her modest breasts, while what little of her bodice remained was barely enough to hide her right breast from view.

Reynard loomed over her, a hand covering his mouth in a mere token effort to conceal his grin. "Oops," he said, his voice ringing with insincerity. "I'm terribly sorry about that. I didn't think my finisher would deal that much damage. Still, I suppose it's fitting recompense. You exposed one of my favorite toys...so I expose _you_." He began to chuckle maliciously, all while Rhea desperately covered her exposed breast and glared up at him, tears of anger dripping from her eyes.

* * *

"That asshole!" snarled Yang. "He did that on purpose!"

"We should break his legs," said Nora, glaring at the still laughing Reynard.

"But it's still one of those cases where you can't prove that he deliberately did that," said Gin.

"I really have a bad feeling about this fight," said Ruby.

"Do these guys worry you that much?" asked Blake.

"Well...it's not just them," said Ruby, prying her eyes away from the ring and looking around the coliseum. "I don't like this atmosphere."

Her _Shingan_ had made Ruby privy to the shifting mood of the crowd around them. Excitement had been high at the beginning to the match, the audience looking forward to an exhilarating final match of the day. But, with each dubious, unsettling victory their members racked up, Team BRYL was eroding that excitement, and replacing it with an uneasy tension. People were watching...and not liking what they saw. There was now an unpleasant undercurrent to the proceedings.

Oobleck's voice over the speakers didn't help. " _And with that, Rhea Sylvia is out!. Ajax Raptis is the only remaining member of Team Charcoal on the field. With all three of his teammates down, and the damage he's already taken, things are looking grim._ "

* * *

"From the sound of things, you're the last one left," said Irving with a smirk.

"It doesn't matter," growled Ajax. "I'll take all four of you on, by myself, if I have to."

"I assure you that that won't be necessary," said Irving. "The others won't interfere in the creation of my art, and you needn't worry about facing them later on either."

"Awfully confident of that, aren't you?" asked Ajax in a low tone.

"I know it," said Irving. "At this point, your defeat isn't a matter of likelihood. It's already certain."

"We'll see about that," snarled Ajax, summoning his wind, ready to launch himself at Irving once again.

Green wind exploded out from his back, but with far more force than Ajax had intended. He lost his balance as he shot forward. Irving sidestepped him, and flicked his right hand in an idle motion, launching his wires to entangle Ajax's ankles, pulling them taut, tripping, Ajax, and sending him slamming face-first into the ground.

Rather than follow through, like by sending electricity down his wires again, Irving instead released their hold and retracted them. "Oh dear...a misfire? Care to try that again?"

Growling wordlessly, Ajax forced himself to his feet, turning and bringing up his right hand, palm cupped in preparation to generate another fireball. However, there was a ringing sound, and his hand and lower arm were covered with ice instead. "What the-?" he gasped, looking at his arm.

"Your control appears to be flagging," observed Irving idly, cupping his chin, and grinning slyly at his opponent's misfortune. "Are you sure you want to continue?"

"Don't toy with me!" shouted Ajax, striking the ice covering his right arm with his left fist and breaking it. Now he raised both hands over his head, lightning climbing his right, while flames climbed his left, the two elements congealing together overhead, and forming an orb in the center of a complex array.

Irving held out his right hand, then snapped his fingers, following it up by slashing downwards. The orb forming above Ajax's head exploded, channeling its force straight down onto the head of the one who'd produced it. Ajax roared in pain and surprise as his body was engulfed with flames, his limbs spasming from the jolting electricity climbing across them. When the smoke and light cleared, Ajax was still standing, but looking considerably worse for wear, his tailcoat smoldering and scorched, the colorful patches of cloth marred by black marks.

Ajax now stared at Irving in astonishment. "It can't be...You...Dust-hacked me?" He thought back through their various exchanges during the match, his mind latching onto the time Irving had electrocuted him, connecting his wires directly to Ajax's tailcoat, which would have been the time Irving had applied his Aura, and begun to subvert Ajax's control over his own Dust.

Irving chuckled. "What did I tell you? I completed the pattern for my victory several moves ago. And now...the tapestry of your defeat is about to be finished." He held out his hands towards Ajax, spreading out his palms. "I'm impressed. You certainly are skilled at integrating Dust into the fabric of that coat of yours. You used so much already, but there's still plenty left. I wonder what might happen...if I set it off."

Ajax's eyes widened in panic. The fabric of his tailcoat, particularly the red and yellow portions, was beginning to shine. Desperately, he reached for the collar, trying to shrug it off and throw it away, before the Dust woven into it could be activated. The movement merely made Irving grin. There was a flash from the brown portions and, suddenly, Ajax froze, his body covered in a sheath of stone, making it look as though he'd been petrified and turned into a statue.

Then, from within that statue, there was a low banging sound. The statue vibrated and cracked, flames and lightning bursting out through the newly-opened seams. Then, just as quickly as it had happened, it was over. On the screen above, Ajax's Aura-level dropped down to zero. The stone covering him crumbled away, leaving Ajax wearing only tattered remnants of his tailcoat. His skin was blistered and burned. Blood streamed from his nose, and several small lacerations. He coughed, his body jolting with the move, suggesting internal injuries. Then he fell forward, laying face-down on the dirt, and not moving.

Irving merely grinned down at him. "My, there was more Dust in that coat than I thought. Who knew it would cause so much damage. You might want to be more conservative about your amount in the future."

The final buzzer rang, indicating the end of the match and cementing the uneasy feeling amongst the audience.

* * *

" _And, with that, Team Beryl is victorious,_ " declared Port from the commentator's booth. " _Irving Yamashita brings the round to an explosive conclusion with an unprecedented use of Dust-hacking._ "

Oobleck took up the thread of commentary from there. " _Many in the audience are probably unaware of the nature of this skill. Dust-hacking is the art of using one's Aura to interact with the Dust employed by one's opponent, essentially turning the enemy's weapon into your own. It is an extremely difficult skill, requiring refined use of one's Aura. Never before have I seen it employed in a Vytal Festival Tournament match._ "

"Dust-hacking...?" said Ren. "That's an advanced skill."

"And it's one that would only be of use against an enemy who employs Dust," noted Ayumu, "which rules out Grimm."

"So I guess they _are_ out to become Blacklist Huntsmen," said Blake. "I suppose that's their decision to make."

"Yeah," said Yang. "But that doesn't change the fact that their attitude sucks. I mean, just look at how they won."

Everyone nodded. It had nothing to do with underhanded tactics or sneaky strategies. One way or another, each member of BRYL had defeated their opponent in such a manner that either injured and humiliated them, but in such a way that it could be construed as accidental. If it had happened once, it could easily be taken as a mistake. But four times in the same match was a trend. And, while there might be no official repercussions for BRYL's actions, their behavior hadn't won them many fans. The end of the match wasn't greeted with loud cheering, but an uneasy silence.

Not that BRYL seemed to mind. They were standing in the center of the ring, idly chatting with one another, while the tournament staff took charge of the injured from CHAR. One of them brought a blanket for Rhea to cover herself with, and she followed her teammates out of the ring, casting an angry glare at BRYL over her shoulder.

Irving, Lorcan, and Reynard seemed to be enjoying themselves, but Liu's interests clearly lay elsewhere. He wasn't paying attention to the conversation. Instead, his eyes were sweeping across the stands. Ruby figured she knew what he was looking for, and didn't have long to wait before his eyes found her own.

When their gazes met, Liu's eyes narrowed fractionally. His forehead furrowed. From the tightening of his neck muscles, and the tight clenching of his jaw, it was easy to see that he was furious. What was worse, through the _Shingan,_ Ruby could sense his animosity. It was powerful, intense, and focused on her. She hadn't felt this much hatred from a person since that evening, standing before Weiss and Pyrrha, confronting them about their misdeeds. The wild anger of Dunstan was nothing in comparison. Now, this person she'd never met was directing a gaze just like that right at her.

The feeling of Liu's eyes and the hatred he was projecting her way made an icy chill run down Ruby's spine. She barely noticed Gin's hand touch her own. His grip felt positively warm, compared to the chill Liu's look imparted. Still, Ruby refused to look away or back down. She had done nothing wrong. Whatever issue Liu had with her had its roots in him. Ruby refused to let him intimidate her, and refused to accept his hatred.

Finally, Irving caught Liu's attention, and began to discreetly lead him away, presumably before Liu's behavior could draw too much attention. The silent staring contest between them broken, Ruby sighed and slumped in relief.

"You weren't kidding about him," said Gin, looking over at Sun.

"Yeah, he's a piece of work," said Sun. "I hope he gets knocked out of the tournament before he has to fight you guys, but I wouldn't count on it."

"Not with that level of skill," said Gin, looking to Ruby. "You okay?"

"I will be," said Ruby, leaning against him, and resting her head on his shoulder. "He scares me."

Gin nodded and wrapped an arm around Ruby's shoulders, holding her close. The wordless show of support, the gentle assertion that, no matter what, he would be there for her, was enough to drain her anxiety away.

"Well, that's it for the last match of the day," said Yang, looking over at the crowds, who'd begun to file out of the stadium, though a few reporters were moving around, getting people's impressions. "Should we get going?"

"We might want to put it off for a while," said Ayumu, also looking around. "The air-bus port is going to be crowded for a while. We probably should have left earlier, if we wanted to escape the rush."

"True," said Ren. "But we should probably go before BRYL finishes their interview. We don't want to risk running into them."

Ruby nodded. After seeing the way Liu had looked at her, she didn't trust in his self-control to keep him from attacking her on the spot.

* * *

There was only one after-match interview. If anyone was hoping that BRYL would redeem themselves through their conduct during the interview, they were gravely disappointed. Liu seemed disinterested in the whole affair, barely offering more than curt responses to questions directed his way. Lorcan and Reynard were disturbingly eager to talk about how they enjoyed disposing of their opponents, and openly trash-talked the opposition, "weakling" being the most charitable term directed at their opponents on Team CHAR. Only Irving appeared to act with any grace, politely praising Ajax's Dustweaving skills. However, even that came off as dismissive and condescending to most of the audience. None of them offered more than a token expression of concern for the injuries that they had "accidentally" caused.

Team CHAR never gave a post-match interview. Three members of the team were incapacitated, and unable to participate. Rhea was the only one without serious injuries. But she declined to talk without her teammates present, and was clearly too distraught over her humiliation in the ring to speak about it with any interviewer otherwise.

At this point, BRYL were clearly the heels of the tournament, even though the competition _shouldn't_ have had heels. People were certainly starting to ask if the whole thing had been scripted, that BRYL had apparently won in such a way so as to make themselves look bad, while CHAR had been the unfortunate victims of dirty play. It was a sour atmosphere that only promised to abate a little by the next day, the last day of the Round One matches.

* * *

"Fascinating to watch," noted Watts, smiling as he turned off the screen. "Our contact at Haven has been doing good work."

"Liu..." Pyrrha stared at the empty screen.

"You know that boy?" asked Watts. "Oh! That's right. He was one of your previous opponents in the Mistral Regional Tournament."

"I never thought he would make it into an Academy," said Pyrrha. "He's strong, but far too unstable. You should have seen the letters he sent me, after I beat him. Him telling me that he'd been accepted at Haven had been the final straw to convince me to go to Beacon instead." Her frown deepened. "His teammates don't seem right either."

"Yes...well..." Watts chuckled. "Through our efforts, our contact has been helping with admissions at Haven. Aside from providing the means for Cinder and her posse to pose as students, he has also convinced Haven's admissions staff to...relax...their standards over the past few years."

"So you've worked on getting Haven to allow shady and dangerous people into the Academy," said Pyrrha. "Why?"

"Ultimately, the Academies, and the Headmasters that run them, those associated with and controlled by Ozpin, are our enemies," said Watts. "But there are many ways to wage war, my dear. Even as Team Beryl demonstrates their strength, people won't be able to accept them, on the basis of their toxic personalities. People will begin to ask just what the Academies are thinking, allowing people like that to attend them. Their trust will wane. Support will gradually erode. And, of course, the Kingdoms will not stand idly by. They will act.

"There is already plenty of cause for friction. The advancement of technology, the promise of automation; these things already cause people to question the need for Huntsmen and Huntresses. Why should a few individuals, in whom tens of millions of lien are invested in the training of, enjoy so much notoriety, and so little oversight? Why are the Academies granted so much leeway, if this is the quality of the people they choose to represent them? It is just one team, from one school, for now. But, with each batch of bad apples, people are beginning to suspect the entire barrel."

"I see..." said Pyrrha.

"Is there something on your mind?" asked Watts.

"I'd like to speak to Liu," said Pyrrha. "I think I can put a grand spin on your little plan."

"Oh?" Watts eyebrows went up and he folded his hands beneath his chin, smiling slyly at Pyrrha. "Do go on..."

* * *

 **And that wraps up BRYL vs CHAR. I hope everyone liked the characters, and the tweaks I put on their fighting-styles. I certainly had fun writing them.**


	88. Chapter 88

**Chapter 88:**

The fourth and final day of matches for the week held no startling upsets. Ruby and her friends filed into the arena to cheer on their friends on Team CFVY and CRDL in two separate matches, which ended in victory for both of the Beacon teams. Thanks to the relatively unremarkable nature of the four matches that day, there was little controversy to continue to fuel the uneasy mood from the previous day, which allowed the first round of the tournament to end on a positive note.

Team BRYL's startling and controversial win over Team CHAR had an unexpected benefit for Ruby and her friends. With such an unusual event in the spotlight, the press had almost completely lost interest in Ruby herself, leaving her free to head into Vale on Friday, to get a dress for her dinner with Whitley on Saturday.

Yang followed through on her promise to not drag Ruby through another prolonged fitting session, having already settled on what she considered an ideal dress for Ruby, one that Ruby had tried on while looking for a garment for the end-of-semester dance. Remembering what she'd been told, she kept the receipt so that she could be reimbursed for the expense.

Friday came and went, with RUBY, JNAR, and SSSN all exploring Vale. There were no matches, which meant they had the free time to fully enjoy the festival. While the festival grounds were centered around Beacon, plenty of attractions had opened up in Vale, to entertain people within the Kingdom as well. Shops and establishments were putting on special sales, selling commemorative items, or putting on special events to entertain the populace, which helped keep numbers at the festival grounds themselves more manageable.

Saturday was more of the same. The second round of the tournament wouldn't begin until Monday, which ensured that the students had plenty of time to explore and enjoy themselves. Unfortunately, Ruby found enjoying herself to be something of a difficult task. The companionship of her friends, Gin in particular, was enough to drive away the dark clouds Team BRYL's victory, and Liu's wrathful glare, had left hanging over her head. But she now had to deal with her anxiety over what was coming, namely her dinner with Whitley.

Ruby had no idea what the boy was like, only that he was Weiss' younger brother, and the current heir to the Schnee Dust Company. His brief invitation hadn't been enough for her to form a proper impression of him, and all her communications had been handled by the butler, leaving no idea of what Whitley himself was like, much less what to expect. It didn't help that their dinner would be taking place in such a high-class location. Ruby had never partaken of a high-class meal. She'd seen renditions of such meals on some of the shows and cartoons she'd watched before, but those had only left her with the vaguest of ideas of what to expect, save that they apparently required really good manners. Ruby was certain she'd make a complete fool of herself.

Finally, evening arrived, and it was time for Ruby to change into her dress, before making the nerve-wracking walk to the air-dock, where an airship, sent by Whitley, specially for her, would pick her up.

* * *

"Well...how do I look?" asked Ruby shyly, stepping out of the dressing room (ie, their dorm's bathroom).

She felt a shiver of delight as Gin's eyes traced their way up and down her body, taking in the transformation she'd undergone. She was wearing a dark-red, short-skirted dress, with a thick black sash around her waist. The bodice was split vertically, with black lacing holding it together, and a translucent mesh covering her collar and shoulders, leaving her arms bare. It was relatively simple and understated, but suited her beautifully.

"You look amazing," said Gin with complete sincerity, "almost as good as you did at the dance."

"You mean I don't look as good as I did back then?" asked Ruby.

Gin canted his head slightly. "Well...this dress really looks wonderful on you, but..." He stepped forward to place his lips by her ear. "...I liked your last one a lot better."

That caused a warm feeling to bubble up inside Ruby, almost as though the contents of her stomach had turned into fizzy soda, leaving her feeling giddy and excited. "W-well...I did get that dress just for you," she said.

"That might be why I like it better," said Gin.

Ruby's face fell, and she looked down at the reminder that she wasn't wearing this dress for Gin, but for some boy she'd never met, a boy who might very well have romantic designs for her. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

"No!" said Gin, realizing his mistake. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have put it like that." He raised his hands to cup Ruby's face, gently pulling it up so that her eyes could meet his again. "I don't doubt our feelings, and I know this doesn't mean anything."

"I know," said Ruby, leaning forward to kiss him.

Their kiss lingered. Gin's hands dropped slowly, his fingers tracing cool trails along the bare skin of Ruby's shoulders, then along her arms, before transitioning to her waist and pulling her close, allowing Ruby to raise her own arms to rise up and wrap around his shoulders, pulling herself flush against him so that he could feel all the contours of her body with his own.

"I love you," she whispered as she pulled away.

"And I love you," Gin said back.

They would have been content to stay like that. Unfortunately, time moved on without their consent, forcing them to part. Gin turned to their bed and picked up something he'd taken out of the closet while Ruby had been changing.

"It's getting chilly out," he said, holding up his gift. "I got this for you, while you were getting fitted for that dress."

It was a broad, dark-red shawl, woven from plush fabric, the same shade as the majority of Ruby's dress. Yang had sent Gin a picture of Ruby trying the dress on. Seeing that the garment left her arms and shoulders bare, and reflecting that the autumn evenings were getting chilly, Gin decided to get a shawl to compliment Ruby's dress, and help her retain some warmth on the walk to the air-dock. As the season grew colder, he knew his touch would be less of a comfort to her. While that had been discouraging, it had also inspired him to find this gift for her.

Ruby turned around, allowing Gin to drape the shawl over her shoulders so that it covered the skin of her upper arms, wrapping it so that one end trailed down her back a short ways. It served to enhance the look of her dress. On top of that, Ruby relished the warm feeling of the fabric, already gladly anticipating its ability to keep the evening chill at bay.

"Thank you," she said, turning and kissing Gin again.

"Shall we?" asked Gin, holding his arm out to her.

Ruby giggled and took it, allowing him to lead her out onto the grounds.

Even though evening had fallen, the grounds of the Vytal Festival were anything _but_ quiet. Lanterns hung in strings, crisscrossing the air above the stalls. Plenty of students and visitors alike still meandered from one to the next. On a Saturday evening, the festival grounds would be open and running later than ever, taking full advantage of the lazy Sunday to come, before the matches resumed on Monday. Because of that, there were plenty of people to see the couple as they made their way towards the air docks.

Ruby's dress drew numerous looks, more than a few appreciative of how she currently looked. Some looks were confused. It wasn't unexpected for students to dress up for a date, out in the city, especially with the festival in full swing. But it was odd that, of the couple, Ruby was the _only_ one dressed up, while Gin wore his normal clothing. Ruby idly found herself wondering what strange rumors this would give rise to, but decided it wasn't worth her while to agonize over them. The rumors would only get wilder once people saw what was about to happen.

They made it to the air docks with a few minutes to spare, before the appointed time. Whitley's butler had informed her that the airship would arrive promptly at 5:45 that evening, before taking her on the brief flight to the restaurant itself. As befitted such an exclusive establishment, _Le Cerf Blanc_ had its own dedicated landing pad on its roof, to accommodate patrons coming directly by airship. And while Ruby found such extravagance uncomfortable in its own right, it would be distinctly less awkward than taking a regular airship into Vale to meet a ground-car.

As it turned out, their arrival had been perfect, as the airship that Whitley had sent for her was settling onto the landing pad, right as Ruby and Gin had arrived. It was a smaller model, roughly equal in size to a bullhead. Its oval-shaped engine nacelles, instead of being mounted on struts, were flush against the main fuselage. All told, the whole vehicle eschewed straight lines and angles, instead boasting a sleek, rounded profile of gentle curves that gave it an almost organic appearance. As befitting a vessel belonging to the Schnee family, it was a pure, alabaster-white, with only the darkened canopy of the cockpit marring the pristine uniformity of the vehicle's color.

"That's a nice ride," observed Gin.

"Yeah," agreed Ruby, wondering just how much such an airship cost. Its engines were especially amazing, making only the barest whisper of noise, while the vehicle landed.

A hatch on the side of the airship slid open, having melded so completely with the side of the vehicle that the seams appeared to materialize out of nothing, as though by magic. The door projected out slightly, then slid to the side, a short set of steps unfolding to bridge the few feet of distance between the hatch and the ground.

A man emerged from within the airship. Ruby had been expecting the butler who had delivered Whitley's invitation (and who she believed she'd spoken to on her scroll). Instead, she was greeted by the sight of a stocky, slightly portly man, with a balding head of brown hair, and a fairly bushy mustache that was almost a match for Professor Port's. As he stepped off the ship, he donned a dark-brown overcoat over the gray vest and white shirt he wore, setting a similarly-colored fedora on his head.

He halted as he saw Ruby and Gin. "Oh! I beg your pardon," he said, stepping aside quickly.

The taller, leaner figure of the butler Ruby had met before appeared in the doorway of the airship. "Ah, Ms. Rose," he said politely, bowing his head to her. "Right on time. If you would be so kind as to come aboard, we will be underway shortly."

"A-all right," said Ruby, her nerves reasserting themselves. She looked at Gin, who smiled and nodded at her. She released his arm, and made her way to the airship. Gin noted that she appeared to be having an easier time walking in heels now, despite not having practiced wearing them since the dance. She made her way up into the airship with careful steps. As soon as she entered through the door, the stairs folded back up, and the door slid shut, before sinking in to lay flush against the fuselage once more.

After another minute or so, a faint rise in pitch from the barely-audible whine of the engines was the only indicator, before the ship lifted off, banking away from the landing pad and sailing smoothly through the sky, towards the lights of Vale in the distance.

Gin watched the ship recede into the distance, before turning his attention to the passenger who'd disembarked. The man had watched Ruby board the airship, staring at her back until the door had closed. Now he was looking at Gin curiously.

"Can I help you?" asked Gin.

"Ah! My apologies," said the man quickly. "I am Klein Sieben, a butler in the service of the Schnee family."

"Okay," said Gin, raising an eyebrow.

Klein sighed, pulling off his hat, and fiddling with it nervously by its brim in his hands. "I was wondering if I could prevail upon you to guide me. I am paying a visit to Beacon's Detention Center."

"Going to see Weiss?" asked Gin.

Klein shuddered. "Frankly...y-yes," he said, a hitch in his voice. "I have been her caretaker since birth. In many ways, she is like a daughter to me. I...I very much need to see her."

"All right," said Gin, not even hesitating. "I'll take you. Follow me."

He began to walk. Klein quickly fell into step beside him. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Klein spoke again. "So...that was Ruby Rose," he said.

"That was," agreed Gin.

"I...I don't know what to say," said Klein, looking down despondently. "She seemed like such a lovely young lady. I don't know what Weiss could have found so irksome about her."

"It's hard to say," said Gin with a shrug. "You only saw her for a few seconds. Even then, it's hard to say what'll set people off. Of course, you'll be able to put it to her yourself, won't you?"

"Yes...I suppose I will," said Klein in a melancholy tone.

* * *

Ruby shifted nervously against the fine leather of her seat. The inside of the airship was like the interior of a limousine, which she only knew through shows and cartoons. The long, soft couch-like seat started from the edge of the door, and ran all the way down the length of the passenger cabin, before turning around the corner to occupy the back of the cabin as well. The opposite side was occupied by an almost full-size bar ,projected out from the wall, complete with cabinets filled with bottles and glasses. There was a door at the front of the cabin leading to the cockpit...and not much else.

The butler stood a short distance away from Ruby. "Welcome, Ms. Rose. I am Delft Heeren, Master Whitley's butler. Thank you kindly for accepting his invitation."

"Uh...You're-uh...you're welcome," said Ruby hesitantly, still off put by the luxury of her surroundings.

"May I begin by offering you some refreshment?" asked Delft, already turning to the bar. Reaching into one of the chilled drink cases, he pulled forth a bottle, before selecting a champagne flute from another cabinet.

"Oh! Uh...You don't have to," said Ruby, already beginning to panic slightly. The last thing she wanted to do was turn down her host's generosity. But she still wasn't allowed alcohol. "I...I'm uh..."

"Ah, please don't worry," said Delft, showing her a polite smile, even as he began pouring some of the golden liquid into the glass, where it bubbled and fizzed. "This is non-alcoholic. It's simply sparkling cider."

"Oh...uh..." Ruby accepted the glass and looked down at it nervously. "Th-thank you."

"I understand your concerns," said Delft pleasantly. "But you needn't worry. I'm fully aware that Beacon's normal standards concerning the consumption of alcohol don't make allowances for your age, Ms. Rose. As Master Whitley is the same age, he does not partake either."

"Even though he's from such an important family?" asked Ruby, accepting the flute. She took a sip. The drink was wonderfully fizzy, with a crisp, apple taste; light, and not too sweet.

"If anything, it is _because_ he's from such an important family that Master Whitley must mind what he indulges in," explained Delft. "Especially now that he holds an especially public profile as heir to the Schnee name. Considering what happened, we don't need to risk another scandal, even for something as relatively minor as underage drinking."

Ruby didn't exactly consider underage drinking a minor offense. But she supposed that, in comparison to the _last_ scandal the SDC had gone through, it was.

"So please don't worry," said Delft. "Alcohol will not be served during the meal either."

"Um...Thank you," said Ruby.

"By the way, that is a lovely dress," observed Delft. "Did you purchase it for this occasion?"

"Y-yes," said Ruby.

"And did you bring the receipt with you?" asked Delft.

"Yes," said Ruby, fishing around in the small pocket hidden behind her sash for it. She would have preferred her regular outfit, with its assortment of pockets and pouches, with enough space to hold everything she needed (more than enough, now that she no longer needed to worry about carrying Dust or ammunition).

She handed the small slip of paper to Delft, who looked it over and nodded, before pocketing it. "I shall have this taken care of, before the evening is out. If you need anything, I will be up front with the pilot. There is an intercom button by the arm of your seat."

"Um...All right," said Ruby, fidgeting a little nervously.

Delft smiled pleasantly and nodded to her, before stepping through the door of the cockpit, which slid shut behind him. In a sense, Ruby appreciated his tact. He probably typically waited on standby in the cabin, in case the passenger (most likely Whitley, most of the time) had need of him, and probably had cultivated the skill of fading into the background, and practically becoming another piece of furniture, until he was needed. But he appeared to be aware that Ruby would mind his presence constantly, and would find it uncomfortable if he hung around, when he wasn't needed for anything specific.

On the other hand, Ruby would have liked someone to talk to, though she couldn't for the life of her, figure out what to say to Delft. Perhaps she could have asked him about Whitley, perhaps learn why Whitley was so interested in meeting her personally. But she figured that, at best, she'd be met with polite deflections, so that Whitley could do all the talking when they met.

With a sigh, Ruby squirmed a little to try and get a little more comfortable in her seat, sipping carefully at her flute of cider, and settling in for the brief flight to their destination.

* * *

"We have arrived," said Delft, as soon as he emerged from the cockpit.

Ruby looked up at him in surprise. She hadn't even felt the airship touch down, not even the tiniest jolt. Either the pilot was one of the best in the world, or the shock-absorption mechanisms that protected the cabin were some of the most-advanced in the world. Either way, it was remarkable. Quickly, she downed the last sip of her cider and got to her feet, carefully smoothing out her skirt.

Delft opened the door and lowered the stairs, before stepping down ahead of her, so that he could turn and offer Ruby a polite hand as she made her way down the stairs herself. Ruby took the offered hand gratefully. She was starting to get the hang of walking in heels, but the stairs down from the airship's cabin were a little narrower and steeper than most regular sets of stairs, so a little extra support was welcome.

Stepping down on the landing pad, she turned and surveyed her surroundings, a soft gasp escaping her lips as she saw a landscape of lights stretching away in almost every direction. _Le Cerf Blanc_ was situated in one of the tallest skyscrapers in Vale, occupying the topmost floor. Stepping onto the landing pad, Ruby was treated to a view like few others in the Kingdom.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" asked a soft voice off to her side, prompting Ruby to turn and lay her eyes on Whitley Schnee for the first time.

For someone in such an exalted position, heir to the prestigious Schnee Dust Company, Whitley seemed rather...normal-looking...to Ruby. With his white hair, pale skin, and light-blue eyes, she could definitely see the relation between the siblings. However, Whitley's hair was cut much shorter, slightly parted, most of it combed to the left side of his face, with a single cowlick extending slightly over the top of his head. He stood with his arms folded behind his back.

The gray-blue suit he wore over his white shirt and red tie didn't let Ruby see much of his body. But, from the way it fit around his frame, she could see that he was possessed of a rather slender physique. She got the impression that while Whitley might have been fit, mainly for the sake of maintaining an appreciable figure, he wasn't possessed of the musculature that was the product of hard training.

He wore a polite and pleasant smile as he approached her. "It's truly a pleasure to meet you at last, Ms. Rose. I am Whitley Schnee."

"I-it's nice to meet you," said Ruby, turning to face him, keeping a polite smile of her own up. "Please...call me Ruby."

"Of course," said Whitley. "I hope then that you could do me the same favor."

"Right," said Ruby, nodding. She wasn't sure what to do. She didn't know the proper way to greet someone in a situation like this.

She saw Whitley lower his right hand from behind his back. Thinking that he was going to shake hands with her, she held out her own hand, only to find herself in for a surprise, when Whitley took her fingers in a delicate grip, and lifted her hand up, while bowing over it, so that he could plant the lightest of kisses on her knuckles, the kind of greeting she had seen between nobles on fantasy shows she sometimes watched. Rubys cheeks automatically flushed red, and she squeaked.

Whitley looked up, straightening his posture, but still retaining a light hold on her hand. Ruby could see a slight twinkle of mischief in his eyes, a sign that he found her reaction more than a little amusing. "My apologies," he said, sounding anything _but_ apologetic. "I was taken by your beauty, and I couldn't not offer you a greeting appropriate to such."

"Uh...um...Th-thank you," stammered Ruby, realizing that, whatever his aims were, Whitley completely had the upper hand here. At the moment, all she could do was react to what he said and did.

"In any case, shall we head in?" asked Whitley. "I think you'll like what they have to offer here."

"Um...Okay," said Ruby. She wasn't quite sure she agreed with Whitley. This place was a super-high-class restaurant after all. Someone like her probably wouldn't have been allowed to set foot in the lobby, under normal circumstances. She had no idea what kind of food they served here, but got the distinct feeling that it would be so sophisticated she wouldn't know what to think about the taste.

Ruby paused when she faced the door. The moment she'd stepped off the airship, there had been a slight tugging at her nerves, the suggestion that something wasn't what it seemed. Her eyes narrowed, then she tuned her attention, fully vesting her awareness into her _Shingan_ , feeling all the myriad disturbances in her environment, trying to put her finger on what was hiding at the edge of her awareness.

"Is everything all right?" asked Whitley, who'd noticed her hesitation.

"Well..." Ruby closed her eyes, finally getting a clear sense of what was there. Her awareness lit up at the realization that there were two humanoid objects standing on the roof, flanking either side of the door. Cluing in to all the subtle signs and signals, her _Shingan_ provided her with a completed picture of what was there. Her eyes shot open with an excited gasp.

"Oh wow!" she exclaimed, darting across the roof to the door, her previous ineptitude in heels momentarily forgotten in her excitement, almost appearing to be in multiple places at once as she examined the objects of her interest thoroughly. "This is so cool! I didn't know Atlas had perfected optical camouflage! I can barely see the distortion! Are they new models? Are these test-types, or are they ready for full distribution?" Her previous nervousness and unease fell away as the excitement of the weapons geek within her rose to the fore.

Whitley looked on, a bead of cold sweat working its way down from his forehead, momentarily flummoxed by a turn of affairs he hadn't remotely seen coming. _She saw right through the optical camouflage. How? If I hadn't brought them personally, I would have had no idea they were standing there. They followed me in from ground level, but no one in the entire building noticed. There is much more to this girl than I initially thought._

To his credit, Whitley recovered from his shock quickly, almost as quickly as Ruby remembered where she was, and what she was here for, quickly stopping her investigation, straightening up, and bowing her head apologetically to Whitley. "I'm sorry. I got carried away."

"No, it's fine," said Whitley with an easy smile, holding up a hand to reassure her. "It's actually quite remarkable that you noticed they were there. I wasn't expecting that at all. I might be able to answer your questions later, possibly after dinner."

"All right," said Ruby, relaxing a little, glad that Whitley didn't seem offended.

Coming in through the roof entrance, they found members of the restaurant staff waiting for them. They politely relieved Ruby of her shawl. Feeling Whitley's eyes on her, clearly appreciating the way the dress accented her lines and figure, Ruby found herself shivering, in spite of the interior being a perfectly comfortable temperature. She wouldn't go so far as to consider what Whitley was doing "ogling." She supposed she should be glad that he appreciated the effort she'd put into looking good for this meeting, but found it uncomfortable that someone other than Gin was giving her such an appreciative look.

Still, it was only a minor discomfort as a waiter led them to their table, which was in a private room that Whitley had apparently been able to reserve for them. The room was relatively small, holding a single table for two. The walls were decorated with paintings, large ones dominating the two walls that didn't have the door, while the wall with the door in it had two smaller paintings on either side of it. The fourth wall was dominated by a large window, giving them a breathtaking view of Vale's lights, and the wilderness beyond the Kingdom's walls. Above them, a small chandelier, dangling with crystals, provided soft, ambient light.

The waiter pulled Ruby's chair out for her, and she thanked him quietly as she took her seat. Whitley took the seat across from her. Still feeling nervous (a feeling she was sure she wouldn't be able to shed before dinner was over), Ruby turned her attention to the table. She found herself looking down at a tablecloth of elegant, pristine white, the kind of tablecloth that made her loathe to eat off it, sure that she would leave some sort of stain on that alabaster expanse, before the night was over. Fortunately, their places at the table were marked by cream-colored placemats.

Ruby's anxiety rose a notch as she took in the bewildering array of utensils laid out before her. There were three forks, two spoons, and a knife, as well as three separate glasses. Set between the utensils were three plates layered atop one another, so that each one was settled within the rim of the next, with a small bowl and saucer sitting on top of all of them.

"This restaurant specializes in full-course meals," explained Whitley. "I'm sure that it's a unique experience for you."

"Yeah, you could say that," said Ruby hesitantly. The closest she had come to something like this was ordering an appetizer to go with her meal at a much simpler restaurant.

Whitley chuckled. "Depending on the composition, such a meal can run anywhere from five courses to twenty-one."

Ruby swallowed nervously at the thought of having twenty-one different things in a single meal. Whitley clearly picked up on her dismay, and raised a hand to forestall her anxiety. "Please don't worry," he said. "I don't want you to be overwhelmed, so I figured that a five-course meal would be a good place to start."

That still sounded like a lot to Ruby, but she supposed this was one situation where she was best suited to let Whitley make the decisions for her. At least he seemed to be considerate of her inexperience with such high-class dining, without being condescending. At least...if he was being condescending, he was doing a good job hiding it.

"So our meal will start with a soup, followed by the appetizer, then the main-course, then the salad, and finally desert," said Whitley. "The entire meal is planned from start to finish, rather than the dishes being ordered individually. I hope you don't mind, but I already made our selections. Do you have any allergies or foods you particularly dislike?"

"Um...I'm not partial to dill pickles," said Ruby.

Whitley laughed. "Well, I don't think that will be a problem then. I'm glad. The chef will be free to go ahead and display his skill."

"All right," said Ruby.

Whitley nodded to the waiter, who stepped out of the room to inform the chef. Then he returned his attention to Ruby. "I'll walk you through it as we go. Please don't worry about making any mistakes. I won't judge you."

"I'm glad," said Ruby.

Whitley's smile softened slightly. "I figured it might be a good idea for you to experience this in a private setting first. I have to admit, amongst the people I usually have to associate with, faux-passes and mistakes can be minor scandals of their own. You have no idea how much fuss some members of high society can make over something as apparently minor as using the wrong fork for the wrong course."

"I figured as much," said Ruby. There was something a bit odd about what Whitley was saying; talking about "introducing" this way of dining to her, as though it might become something she regularly partook in. Huntresses, when they were sufficiently active, tended to earn plenty of money through bounties. Ruby would probably see a much larger margin of profit than most, seeing as, thanks to her materialization, she could forgo expenses like ammunition and Dust procurement, or weapon maintenance. Even so, she doubted that she would make enough to be able to afford eating like this on a regular, or even semi-regular basis. Maybe the moneyed elite, like Whitley, ate in places like this fairly often, but for people like her, this was the kind of place you went once a year, at best.

In front of her, Whitley folded his hands together, smiling indulgently. "Now then, of course, I should probably start by offering my deepest apologies and regrets for the trials my sister has put you through. When I heard the news, I could scarcely imagine what could drive Weiss to do such a thing."

"I still can't really imagine," said Ruby, "even though I know why Weiss tried to kill me...I can't imagine it being something worth killing over." She gave Whitley a sober look. "But you don't owe me an apology. Weiss' decision was her own. I don't hold you or the rest of your family responsible for it."

"Not even in the sense that we may have created an environment that nurtured such a strong sense of pride and entitlement?" asked Whitley.

Ruby frowned, fidgeting with her napkin a little. "Maybe," she conceded. "But that doesn't change the fact that Weiss made her own decision."

"Very true," agreed Whitley. "Admittedly, I have a very hard time imagining what could be so galling about you. You seem a lovely lady to me. Granted, I can't speak for what you were like, before your experience, but you're hardly the kind of person I could imagine Weiss wanting dead."

"Weiss didn't say anything about me?" asked Ruby.

Obviously, Weiss wouldn't have ever owned up to the attempted murder herself (even back when she'd thought it had been a successful murder). But Ruby had expected Weiss to write home, and at least complain about the "immature brat" she had been "saddled with" for a leader.

Whitley chuckled darkly. "This may come as a surprise to you, but Weiss was not the most communicative person, when she left for Beacon. Our head-butler, Klein, is perhaps the only person she may have spoken or written to on a regular basis. You haven't met Klein, by the way, though you might have seen him in passing, as he took the airship that brought you here to Beacon."

Ruby thought back, remembering the gentle-looking, balding man who'd disembarked right before Delft had brought her on board the airship. "Oh..."

Whitley shrugged. "Mother is rarely lucid enough to even notice us anymore. Father, of course, forced Weiss to take his little 'test,' which left her with that scar over her eye, in order to earn the right to go to Beacon at all. As for me...the last thing you could say about our relationship is that we were on good terms with each other. Weiss and I have cordially detested one another for years now. I'd consider myself flattered, if she'd even mentioned me to you at all."

Ruby pursed her lips. It didn't really surprise her to learn that Weiss and Whitley had some form of enmity between them. After all, until the public announcement that Whitley would be taking Weiss' place as heir to the SDC, Ruby hadn't even known that Weiss had _had_ a brother.

"What about Winter?" Ruby asked.

Whitley shrugged again. "That's a question you're best suited putting to Winter herself. Winter and I are just as badly-disposed to each other as Weiss and I. Besides, Winter has been the black sheep of the family, ever since she went into the military as an Atlesian Specialist. Father was livid and disinherited her. After that, she only ever came home to visit Weiss, and help with her training. She would not share anything Weiss might tell her with us."

It seemed so strange to Ruby. She could scarcely imagine her life without Yang, life without loving and being loved by Yang. Sure, there were times when they were at odds, or even downright furious with each other. Yang's completely justified anger over being kept in the dark about Ruby's survival came to mind. The idea of siblings considering one another enemies seemed almost foreign to her.

The door opened, and the waiters arrived with their soup-course. Ruby was accustomed to having soup as a main course in most places. Seeing the tiny, almost cup-sized bowl that was set out before her made her wonder if it would be sufficient. Then she remembered that this was just the first of five courses, and that she'd probably need all the room in her stomach that she could spare.

Their soup was ladled from a blue-patterned tureen that matched the china on the table. Their small bowls barely managed to hold a full ladle's worth of the vivid, orange-colored, slightly creamy soup that was deposited.

"This is a lobster bisque," explained Whitley, as the waiters wheeled the trolley with the tureen on it out of the room. "I think you'll enjoy it. When eating a meal like this, you start with the utensils on the outside, and work your way inwards. In other words, the outermost spoon on the right is the soup spoon."

"Okay," said Ruby. Even without Whitley's guidance, she might have known what to do. She'd seen and used soup spoons before. But it was nice to have confirmation as she carefully picked up the spoon in question.

He then gave her a brief lecture on the proper way to hold the spoon and eat her soup. Ruby found it amazing that there could be so many intricacies to something as simple as eating. Following Whitley's example, she dipped the spoon into the soup and lifted it to her mouth, sipping the creamy liquid slowly. The soup's flavor was rich and savory. Ruby figured she could have had a full-sized bowl of this on its own as a meal and considered her money well-spent.

Her enjoyment of it must have shown on her face, as Whitley smiled a bit more widely, when she took another spoonful and quickly brought it up to take in another mouthful. "I'm glad to see you like it," he said.

"It's really good," said Ruby.

"It suits the season," said Whitley. "In the summer, the soup-course might be cold, instead of hot."

Ruby blinked, having never considered the possibility of cold soup. She decided to look into it later, if only to satisfy her curiosity. At the moment, she decided to busy herself with finishing the food set out in front of her. Even though she tried to eat slowly, not wanting to be rude, it was only a few minutes before her small bowl was empty, even though Whitley still had a few mouthfuls in his own.

"When you're finished, rest your spoon on the saucer underneath," said Whitley. "That lets the waiter know that you're finished."

Ruby nodded and did as she was told. She waited until Whitley was finished; and the waiters came to clear away the bowl, saucer, and soup spoon; before resuming the conversation from before. "Why didn't you get along with Weiss and Winter?"

She'd known that Weiss admired her older sister a great deal, even before meeting Winter herself. Winter also made it clear that, despite having maintained a certain distance, she loved Weiss dearly. So it was hard to imagine that both of them would detest their younger brother so much.

"It's a mutual grievance," said Whitley, shaking his head sadly. "When it came to their notion of an ideal representative of the Schnee Family, Weiss and Winter looked up to the image of our grandfather, Nicholas."

"Nicholas?"

"The founder of the Schnee Dust Company," said Whitley. "Grandfather was many things: a scholar, an inventor, an entrepreneur, and a warrior. He put in a tremendous amount of work, balancing many aspects of his life, in order to bring the Schnee Dust Company into being, including prospecting many of the quarries that we still mine today, himself, as well as performing the initial excavations on many of them. Grandfather was very much a self-made man, who built the most powerful company in Remnant from the ground up, with his own hands. It's easy to see why Winter and Weiss admire him so much."

"Yeah, that makes sense," agreed Ruby, thinking that such a man must have been quite admirable.

"Of course, then Father married into the family, and took over the company," said Whitley. "Father's head for business is unmatched, even by Grandfather, but it is accompanied by a laxness, when it comes to ethics, that allows him to put profit above all else."

Ruby blinked, having heard both Blake and Weiss comment on the SDC's "underhanded tactics" and "shady business practices." And that was before she'd met Ayumu, the boy who'd had to flee an SDC mine to avoid the prospect of being a slave to debt for his entire life. It was a surprise to hear Whitley, the current heir, admit as much.

"Because Winter and Weiss admired Grandfather so much, they sought to emulate him as best they could," continued Whitley. "Granted, there was only so much they could do. The SDC was already made and awaiting an heir. We have all the scientists and inventors we could ever want on our payroll. As a result, Weiss and Winter decided that the one thing they would seek to emulate, above all else, was Grandfather's strength."

"By learning to fight?" asked Ruby.

Whitley nodded. "By becoming Huntresses, they could achieve the kind of strength that Grandfather was known for. Because Father disdains combat, they fixated on that goal all the more."

"That makes sense," said Ruby. "But not you?"

"I'm afraid not," said Whitley with a slow shake of his head. "I take after Father more than they do. I'm afraid that violence never suited me. I took self-defense and combat lessons under duress...with abysmal results." He frowned, his expression and voice taking on a bitter edge. "Of course, given my nature, that just made me more like Father in their eyes, which prompted them to disdain me...so I disdained them in return."

"Disdained them?"

Whitley shook his head. "I took the stance that Huntsmen and Huntresses were unnecessary, that our military was more than enough to combat the Grimm. I characterized them as barbaric for wasting their time on training to fight, rather than actually learning the intricacies of running the SDC. While they were studying fencing and forging weapons, I was attending board meetings with Father, and building my own connections amongst Atlesian society. When Winter went and got herself disinherited by joining the military, I guessed it would only be a matter of time before Weiss got on Father's bad side in a similar manner, and the position of heir fell to me." He showed Ruby a sardonic smile. "But I have to say I never expected it to happen in quite this manner."

Ruby frowned. "Do you really believe that...that Huntsmen and Huntresses are unnecessary?"

"Not entirely," admitted Whitley. "That was a stance I took verbally, primarily to agitate my sisters. At present, our military is powerful, particularly with the introduction of the Knight-class androids. But there are things that humans with the training of Huntsmen and Huntresses can do that machines cannot...at least, for now."

Ruby looked down, her mind drifting to a certain orange-haired android. Was that what Penny was supposed to be...the next step in replacing Huntsmen and Huntresses with machine-power?

"We are closing the gap, however," continued Whitley. "And the current examples of how far we have come are currently standing guard outside the door."

Ruby had sensed Whitley's hidden guards following them inside, and had also sensed them taking up their stations, so she nodded. "What series of Knights are those?"

"They aren't Knights," said Whitley. "Their official designation is the HK-1000 Jaegers, the first of their kind."

"Jaegers..." Ruby tested the word on her tongue.

"Their combat capability and mobility are far above that of any of the Knight-series," said Whitley. "In fact, I can say with confidence that, in physical specs alone, they are on par with the average Huntsman. On top of that, they have advanced cognitive capabilities, which enable them to adjust and adapt. They are well beyond what the Knights are capable of."

"Are they going to replace the Knights?" asked Ruby.

"Not yet," said Whitley. "At present, they are still in the prototype phase. Officially, the two that I have with me are test-types. We aren't prepared to go public with them quite yet, so I'll ask you not to speak too freely about them."

Ruby nodded slowly.

Whitley continued. "On top of that, the cost of producing them is still prohibitively expensive. One Jaeger is worth more than an entire platoon if Knights. We want to be assured that their performance will match the worth of our monetary investment, and also work towards streamlining and lowering the costs of production."

The door opened and the waiters arrived with the next course, a large mushroom with a savory stuffing. Whitley informed Ruby on which utensils to use and how to eat her appetizer, which she did with as much restraint as she could manage, the mushroom proving as delicious as the soup before had, its flavors actually mingling with the aftertaste of the soup, and becoming even more delicious as a result.

"That's one of the great things about a full-course meal," explained Whitley, "A skilled chef builds each course to compliment and build off of the one that came before it."

Ruby found herself smiling, though her smile was a little bit weak, considering what they'd just been talking about. "So you _don't_ think Huntresses are barbaric?" she asked.

"Well, I find my sister to be quite barbaric," said Whitley sourly. "When we were younger, she and Winter took no small amount of amusement in challenging me to sparring sessions. If I agreed, they defeated me in a thoroughly humiliating manner. If I turned them down, they called me a coward. They also took great pleasure in destroying my toys and possessions, then lambasting me for not having the strength to protect them."

Ruby swallowed. As bad as Weiss had been, she could barely imagine Weiss, of all people, doing something so cruel. She thought it even less-likely of Winter.

"I can see you're skeptical, and I understand," said Whitley. "They did grow out of that phase as they grew older. It's been years since either of my sisters has laid a hand on me. I can't claim to be above it all, as I, for my part, took my revenge in various creative fashions."

"Do I want to know...?" asked Ruby.

"Probably not," said Whitley. "Combat not being my forte, I tended to take my revenge in a more social context, triggering embarrassing outbursts during parties, or at the dinner table, that sort of thing. If you were to ask Weiss, she would call me a scheming, manipulative brat."

"And are you scheming and manipulative?" asked Ruby, raising an eyebrow.

"To a certain degree," said Whitley. "The truth is that there is always a subtle degree of manipulation underlying nearly any social interaction. Even doing something as rote as behaving politely is generally done with the intent of inclining people to be better-disposed towards you. What you say and how you say it can change the way people see and act towards you. I happen to be more cognizant of that reality than most."

To her surprise, Ruby found herself smiling at Whitley's frankness. "And are you manipulating me too?" she asked playfully.

Whitley laughed lightly. "I suppose I am," he admitted. "I do want you to like me. But I also want to have an earnest conversation with you as well."

"Well, thank you for saying so," said Ruby, with a giggle of her own. She had to admit that she was starting to enjoy this. She was certainly learning a lot about Whitley's family.

Now the main course arrived, the waiter rolling in a trolley with a covered platter. He lifted up the platter and Ruby had to fight to keep from drooling at the smell that wafted up from the hefty-looking hunk of meat resting on it. It was a beef tenderloin, beautifully browned on the outside, and a glorious pink on the inside. The meaty smell mingled with that of sage, thyme, and parsley, tickling Ruby's nose, and, despite what she'd eaten already, making her feel as though she'd fasted the whole day through.

"This is the chef's speciality," explained Whitley, as the waiter carved off a generous slice of the roast for each of them. "The meat is cooked inside a salt crust, so that, when it is finished, it is perfectly-seasoned."

"It smells wonderful!" said Ruby, her eyes shining at the lovely piece of meat before her.

Whitley flashed her a grin, and quickly instructed her on how to eat the main course. Ruby soon carved off small slices of meat off her helping, and downed them, having to remind herself to chew before she swallowed. She was glad that she did, as doing so caused savory juices to flood her mouth. She and Whitley put their conversation on hold so that they could turn their full attention to appreciating the gustatory work of art that was the main course.

"Superb," sighed Whitley, dabbing at his mouth with his napkin after finishing his piece.

Ruby nodded. "That was incredible," she agreed.

"I'm glad you liked it," said Whitley. "That makes my investment this evening worthwhile."

"Th-thank you," said Ruby, feeling a bit uncomfortable of being reminded of how expensive this meal must have been for Whitley, while simultaneously feeling guilty for feeling uncomfortable.

She decided to ask the question that had been nagging at her since she'd first received the invitation. "Um...Wh-why did you want me to come?"

"I believe I said as much before," said Whitley. "I wished to apologize for Weiss' actions, and provide at least some small recompense for what you have endured."

"And I...I don't really think it's necessary," said Ruby. "I've already said that it wasn't your fault. Was this for your company's image?"

"Partly," admitted Whitley.

"But wouldn't a press conference or something been better?" Ruby wanted to know. "I mean, it's not like people can see us eating together like this."

"A press conference would not necessarily be the better option," said Whitley. "It's true that it would be a more visible demonstration of goodwill between us. However, in situations like this, people are a bit more perceptive of pageantry. Such an event would be perceived as staged, and seen as nothing more than a farce by many." His smile took on a sly quality. "However, the two of us meeting for a discreet dinner, and greeting each other in a friendly fashion, will not draw as much exposure. Partly because of that, it will provide a much more genuine impression than anything so public as a press conference."

"You think the press will find out about it?" asked Ruby.

"I'm sure of it," said Whitley. "You might not have as many issues with the paparazzi, despite what you've been through, but I can assure you that they follow me constantly. There are probably a round half-dozen photos of varying qualities of our meeting on the roof alone."

Ruby blushed furiously, snapping her head around to look out the window, half-expecting to see a camera flash.

"Ah, don't worry," said Whitley, raising a forestalling hand. "This glass is polarized to be reflective to outside observers. No one will get any pictures of us together like this."

"Oh...okay," said Ruby, settling a little. "So...was that what this was all about, helping with the Schnee Family image?"

"Partly," said Whitley. "However, I truly was being genuine, when I said I wanted to meet you. I wanted to get to know you, and not merely as the girl who brought down my sister, though I'll admit that's what grabbed my attention in the first place."

Ruby canted her head curiously. To her surprise, Whitley, who had been the picture of composure throughout the meal, actually blushed. Goaded by her unspoken prompt, he continued. "I was merely curious about you at first. But, the more that I looked into you, the more I wanted to know you as a person, as more than just a picture and a profile. At some point, I have to admit that I became...fascinated. I was hoping that this meal could become the bridge towards us getting to know each other even better."

Ruby's cheeks had turned crimson now. "Whitley...are you saying you want to...um...that is...uh...w-was this your idea of a f-first date?"

Reaching up, Whitley twirled a lock of his white hair around his finger. "That was my intent, yes," he admitted. "Am I doing all right? I thought you were enjoying yourself. I hope I'm not upsetting you."

"Oh no!" said Ruby quickly. "It's been wonderful, really! I've loved everything we've done so far, and dinner has been incredible. It's just..." Ruby looked down forlornly. "...I already have someone."

"Oh." Whitley's response was somewhat flat. Ruby couldn't tell if he was hurt or upset...or even if he was merely disappointed. There was a complete lack of intonation to his utterance, so as to make it impossible to get even the slightest idea of what he was thinking.

"I'm sorry," said Ruby. "You put a lot into this and...well..."

Quickly, Whitley broke out into a smile and waved his hands placatingly. "Oh! Please don't worry. If anything, it's my fault for presuming. I apologize for overstepping. I had heard that you might have a romantic attachment, but I chose to take a chance anyway."

"I understand," said Ruby.

"Is it your new partner," asked Whitley, "the one who took my sister's place on your team?"

"Yes," said Ruby, smiling warmly.

"I can see he means a great deal to you, just from the look on your face," noted Whitley.

"Um...Th-thank you," said Ruby. "So, um...where do we go from here?"

"Well, if you don't object, I think we could continue to share this meal as friends," suggested Whitley. "Even if I missed out on my opportunity to woo you, I hope we can at least manage to be that much."

"Of course," said Ruby, smiling, though a slight blush still colored her cheek. "So...you were trying to date me, and improve the image of your company?"

Whitley tilted his head quizzically, mirroring Ruby's gesture from earlier. "Does that upset you, that I would attempt to do both?"

"Not really," said Ruby. "A friend of mine suggested that you seemed the kind of person to do things for more than one reason."

"He'd be right then," said Whitley with a chuckle.

"It makes sense," said Ruby. "I'm flattered that you felt that way. So...thank you."

"You're welcome," said Whitley.

The waiter arrived with their salad course. Ruby was used to having salad before the meal, or as a side with the meal. However, Whitley explained that, classically, a full-course meal served the salad after the main course. He also explained that "salad" could also be used to refer to cooked vegetable dishes, though, this time, the salad-course really was a salad.

Finishing their salad, they waited, while the waiter cleared their plates. After he had vacated the room to fetch their dessert, Ruby broached the next topic of conversation on her mind. "Um...So...are you happy with the way your father is running the company?"

Whitley's smile faltered a little. "Not entirely," he admitted. "It's true that Father's gift for turning a profit and exploiting business opportunities is unmatched. However, profit is _all_ he ever seems to care about. I may disagree with Weiss and Winter on the necessity of martial fitness, when it comes to upholding the standard of our Grandfather, however, I do believe we should consider him a standard when it comes to the ethical running of our company."

"What was he like?" asked Ruby.

Whitley sighed. "Sadly, I don't know. None of us do. He died, not long before we were born. You see, because Grandfather did a great deal of the work and mining himself, he was exposed to a variety of substances, rock-dust-the mundane kind-and airborne Dust. Inhaled into the lungs, those can cause substantial damage over time. Such a problem can be countered with the most basic of safety measures, even the relatively cheap masks that Father deigns to supply our workers with today. However, in Grandfather's time, such hazards weren't realized, and measures weren't taken. It was the damage to his body that led to them realizing the need for at least minimal safety standards, the ones that we use today."

"Oh..." said Ruby, feeling struck by a sense of loss, even though she didn't really have a reason for it.

"In any case, Grandfather's condition took a turn for the worst, a year or so before Winter was born. So all we have of him are the histories, and statements of people who knew him." Whitley shook his head. "Of course, it could be that he isn't as I think him to be. All I can do is aspire to the example I believe he set."

"So you would change the Schnee Dust Company?" asked Ruby.

"I plan to," said Whitley. "But it is not such a simple matter, as Weiss or Winter might have made it out to be."

"Huh...?"

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of dessert. Ruby gasped as it was placed before her. It consisted of a small cake, shrouded in a thin layer of fondant. The cake's overall shape was simple. However, its decorations were anything but. A vine of green, sculpted sugar wound its way up the side of the cake in a tight spiral, converging on the top, and rising up slightly, before blooming into a beautiful, red rose.

"It's beautiful!" exclaimed Ruby.

"Thank you," said Whitley. "I made a special arrangement with the chef for these." He scratched his cheek and averted his eyes awkwardly. "Granted, this was supposed to be a romantic gesture so...it's a little awkward now."

"Oh..." Ruby blushed, indeed finding the idea awkward. But that didn't change the fact that the dessert in front of her was gorgeous, almost too beautiful to eat. However, the quality of what she had eaten before convinced her that this dessert's taste would be more than a match, so she carefully used her fork to take a bite.

The cake within was light and airy, sweet, but not overly so, with a simple, yet subtle flavor that danced delightfully on her tongue, mixing with the heavier flavor and texture of the icing, and the sculpted sugar around it. She had expected the flower atop the cake to be made from more sugar, or even frosting, having seen similar frosting decorations in bakeries. However, she was shocked to bite into a few petals to find a fragrant, floral taste rising through her mouth and nose that melded perfectly with the flavors of the cake below. "Are these really...?"

"Yes, they are candied rose petals," said Whitley. "They're actually not that hard to make, although it takes considerable skill for a chef to be able to assemble them like this."

"It's amazing!" exclaimed Ruby. "I never thought I'd be able to eat rose petals."

Whitley chuckled. "I hope you don't find it odd or macabre to eat your namesake. Some people might find that a little awkward."

"No! It's fine," declared Ruby. "I love it." She giggled, still blushing. "I have to admit, if I didn't already have Gin, this might have won me over."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that, at least," said Whitley.

Ruby took her time savoring the flavor of the dessert. Eventually, but far too soon for her liking, the cake was gone and her plate was clear. After the waiter came and took the plates away, he returned with a trolley, carrying a coffee service, Whitley explaining that an after-dinner coffee was a customary aspect of many high-class dinners.

Ruby warily poured herself a cup, and carefully eyed the sugar bowl and creamer pitcher placed at the center of the table. She fought her normal impulse to dump a large amount of sugar and cream into her coffee, figuring that it would be unseemly to do so in a place like this, not with her current company. Still, she saw Whitley's lip quirk in an amused half-smile, which suggested the four spoonfuls of sugar she put in were still more than was considered normal for coffee. However, he kept his thoughts on the matter to himself, instead adding some cream, and a smaller amount of sugar to his own coffee, settling back in his seat, and smiling across the table at Ruby.

"So now...I suppose we should discuss the future of the Schnee Dust Company, since you brought it up before," Whitley said.

* * *

 **I don't know why, but I'm kinda fascinated with the idea of Nice-Guy Whitley; the idea that, behind that scheming front we see in Volume 4, there might actually be a good person lurking. Granted, I wouldn't be surprised to see people call me on this, when I do so much Ironwood-bashing. But I feel like this is a legitimate direction Whitley could take, the idea that the relationship between him and his sisters is so strained because he _does_ come off as so similar to their father, in a lot of respects. I also like the idea of Whitley being the one going, "Yeah, you talk a lot about what you're going to do, when you take over the company. But do you actually know _how_ to run the company?"**

 **I also imagine that a few people will be put off by the fact that this chapter largely consists of a single, continuous, running conversation. And, on top of that, it ran longer than usual for my chapters, by a considerable margin. There was just a lot to be said, literally. That, and I let my inner-foodie take over for a portion of this chapter, as well as my experiences working in the Fine China department of the company I work for, which led me to learning a fair bit about course-meals, seeing as that was what we were trying to sell a lot of China for (emphasis on _trying_ ).**

 **On that note, the salt-crust tenderloin is an actual recipe that you can try. Okay, I guess that's true of everything I just described, but this is the one thing I've actually made, myself. I use the recipe by my culinary guru, the great Alton Brown, which he presented on an entire episode of his show that was devoted to salt. It's absolutely delicious, assuming you can get hold of a whole or partial tenderloin, which is generally the hardest/priciest part, unless you happen to be a member of a discount club, like Sams or Costco (check out Alton's episode on tenderloin for how to dismantle a whole tenderloin). Just make sure you follow the recipe for the salt crust to the letter. Even if I'm working with a partial tenderloin, I make a whole batch of crust (as wasteful as that may be), simply because I want to be sure I get the ratio of salt to other ingredients right. Trust me, make a mistake there, and the results will be _grotesquely_ over-salted. That said, it's a fun piece to make, and big hit at dinner parties. So give it a try, if you get the chance.**


	89. Chapter 89

**Chapter 89:**

Weiss frowned, following the guard who'd summoned her. _A visitor...this late? Who could it be?_

She'd been about to settle in for the evening, do a little reading, before dropping off to sleep, perhaps exchange a few words with Roman, if he was going to be insistent about talking. Recently, she'd actually begun to...dare she say... _enjoy_ the conversations she had with Roman, if only because they alleviated the constant boredom of prison-life, and he was the only person she really had to socialize with, for the time being.

But then a guard had shown up at her door, informing her that she had a visitor. Weiss' first thought was that it might have been Winter. However, that didn't make sense. Winter had visited almost two weeks ago. Odds were against her having the free time to come to visit Weiss again so soon. She probably wasn't even _in_ Vale right now.

Things got even stranger when, instead of being led to the regular visitor's room, with its sheet of glass dividing it in two parts, Weiss was instead taken to a different room, the meeting room, where she'd met with her lawyer. Perhaps she was being visited by her legal counsel once again...though whether that boded well or ill, she couldn't say.

"Wait here," said the guard, stepping out the door, leaving Weiss to huff as the door shut. As though she had any other option.

Then the door at the other end of the room opened to admit a man wearing a brown hat and jacket. His profile was so familiar as to make Weiss' heart shudder in her chest. It almost stopped completely when her visitor doffed his hat, revealing the bald crown and warm, brown eyes that had always brightened up her days back home. "K-Klein...?"

"Weiss," said Klein back, looking worried.

Weiss blinked...then blinked again...then blinked once more. She kept blinking, the movements of her eyes fluttering and rapid. Her efforts were in vain, her eyes spilling over with tears anyway. "Klein!" she sobbed.

Klein removed his jacket, and set it with his hat on the table, then held out his arms to her.

"Oh, Klein!" Restraint left Weiss altogether, and she threw herself at the man who'd raised her, read her bedtime stories, tucked her in at night, provided coffee for those long study sessions, the man she considered a father more than the man who'd actually sired her.

She threw her arms around Klein's shoulders, her faithful butler returning the gesture and holding her tightly as Weiss sobbed against him. Wetness blossomed across the shoulder of her prison clothes, telling Weiss that Klein was crying too.

"Oh, my precious little snowflake," moaned Klein, his voice laden with sorrow. "I'm so sorry."

Weiss felt her legs giving out. She sank into Klein's embrace, and he sank with her, the two of them holding tight to each other, falling to their knees on the floor. Weiss cried until she had no more tears left to shed. Finally, Klein pulled away so that he could plant a kiss on her forehead, the brush of his bushy mustache against her skin making Weiss giggle reflexively, the feeling tickling her as it always had before.

Finally, they parted and took seats at the table. Weiss stared down at the flat, metal surface, avoiding Klein's eyes, practically able to feel the disappointment in his gaze. In some ways, it was even more painful than Winter's.

"My dear little snowflake," said Klein mournfully, "how could you do this to yourself?"

"I didn't," protested Weiss weakly.

"I think you did," said Klein. "I have no idea what Ms. Rose is like. However, regardless of how justified her being assigned leadership of your team was or not, however justified her presence was, to resort to murder...I expected better of you, Weiss."

"What else I could have done?" asked Weiss.

"It hurts to think you even need to ask that question," said Klein reproachfully. "You had any number of choices and paths open to you. Despite what you think, not being assigned leadership of your team was not such a terrible slight, or even a slight at all. But that attitude, that determination, to do whatever it takes to have your way...that is your father's attitude. It represents everything that you detest about him. So to resort to such methods yourself is a betrayal of everything you were striving to achieve. I'm sure Winter has told you the same."

Weiss lowered her head. Winter had.

"What do I do?" she asked somberly.

"You must endure," said Klein. "At this point, that is all you can do. If you manage it, you might secure an early parole."

"And then what?" asked Weiss bitterly. "I have nothing. I've lost _everything_ : my family, my company, my finances, even my future as a Huntress. It's all gone. What kind of life will I have, even if I get out of this place?"

Klein sighed. "That is uncertain," he conceded. "But I am sure you can find a way forward. And I promise that I will do everything I can to support you."

Weiss perked up, looking in surprise at the man across the table from her. "Klein?"

Klein smiled that warm, fatherly smile that she had come to love. "You truly are a daughter to me, my snowflake. I could never abandon you. When you finally get out of this place, I will be waiting for you. Then we can work together to find a future you can be happy with. I know Master Jacques has cut you off, but I'm sure that Master Whitley would be more amicable to helping you find employment, at least."

"Whitley..." growled Weiss, glaring at the table. "As if. He must be laughing his head off, seeing me like this. I'm sure he's thriving, now that he's finally gotten what he's been scheming for."

Klein's eyes flashed, turning a dark-red. "Don't try goin' to put this on your brother," he admonished, slipping into a completely different voice and mode of speech. Then his brown eyes and normal voice returned. "If anything, he's the reason I was able to come here at all."

"What?" gasped Weiss, her head shooting up, her startled gaze meeting Klein's own.

"Master Whitley requested to bring me along to Vale, since he was already planning on heading here, himself," explained Klein.

"Whitley...in Vale...why?" wondered Weiss, blinking slowly.

"Once we arrived, Master Whitley gave me leave from my duties, specifically so that I could visit you," continued Klein. "It took me just this long to work up the nerve to come here, and see you like this."

"But why is Whitley in Vale at all?" asked Weiss.

"There are any number of reasons," said Klein. "But I believe the main reason is that he is curious about Ms. Rose."

"Whitley wants to meet...Ruby?" Weiss blinked, stunned, unable to comprehend it. _It all comes back to her in the end. What is it about her that makes her so special?_ First it had been Ozpin, who'd been willing to invite Ruby to Beacon a full two years ahead of when she should have come. Then it had been Winter, and now Whitley; everyone seemed to think that Ruby was special for some reason...but why?

"Hmm...well..." Klein scratched his head. "I can't say for sure, but I would almost say that young Master Whitley might well be attracted to her."

"Huh?" Weiss blurted.

That seemed even more far-fetched to her mind. She could scarcely imagine Whitley being attracted to a girl. She had even wondered, at times, if he was asexual. Whenever they had been at social events together, high-society girls had approached Whitley, in much the same way potential suitors had approached Weiss. Yet she had never seen Whitley so much as flush from their attentions, even though some of those girls had been remarkably accomplished flirts. The idea that Whitley... _that_ Whitley...would be attracted to a girl, much less be willing to make the journey to another Kingdom to meet her, seemed completely alien to Weiss.

But still..."He's probably just doing this to rub it in my face," she growled.

"You always did have too much enmity towards him," said Klein disapprovingly. "You three used to be such happy siblings. It pains me to see you all at odds like this."

Weiss growled, clenching her fingers hard, remembering all the times, and subtle ways Whitley had used to humiliate her. He had never been even remotely a match for Weiss or Winter in a fight, so he had always resorted to underhanded means to torment them, particularly Weiss herself, after Winter had gone into the military, and started spending most of her time away from home.

Klein could only shake his head and sigh softly, remembering back to the point where relations between the Schnee siblings had soured.

* * *

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine," said Ruby, wondering if it was a subject Whitley even wanted to discuss with her.

"No, I'm happy to discuss it with you," said Whitley. "I'm sure that Weiss has made grandiose statements about how she would reform the company, restore honor to our family name, and so on."

Ruby nodded. Granted, "restoring honor to the family name" had also apparently been part of Weiss' rationale for trying to kill her, Weiss apparently having taken Ruby's appointment to team leader as a slight to the Schnee Family.

"Sadly, Weiss actually has very little idea of what that would _actually_ entail," said Whitley. "While she received an extensive education on the workings of our company, she has had very little experience with the day-to-day running of the company itself. While Weiss was training with her sword, I have sat in on board meetings. While Weiss was dodging social affairs, for understandable reasons admittedly, I attended dutifully, if only to see Father in action."

"Weiss didn't go?" asked Ruby.

"When she could avoid it," said Whitley. "Granted, there were times when Father didn't give her much choice in the matter, or any actually. Even when she had no choice in the matter, she did what she could to excise herself from the proceedings as much as possible. Her reasons I can actually sympathize with, of course. Father often used such affairs as an opportunity to introduce Weiss to prospective suitors for her hand in marriage, many of them having connections that Father would gladly take advantage of to expand the SDC's reach."

"Like Ajax Raptis?" asked Ruby, remembering the member of Team CHAR, and his grudge against her. She also remembered Chrys telling her that Ajax, not merely aspiring to be a suitor, also aspired to do the same thing Jacques had done, and take control of the SDC himself. She got the feeling that many of the suitors Weiss' father had picked out for her harbored similar ambitions, which would have made it all the harder for Weiss to seize the reins of her own inheritance.

"Yes," agreed Whitley. "Though they never got the chance to be formally introduced to each other. Winter was in a similar position, before she entered the military. Father would have similar designs for me, I'm sure, but I do have some leverage Weiss and Winter do not, namely being the last available heir. So Father cannot do anything more than strongly _suggest_ suitable partners for me."

"So that's why you had the freedom to date me," mused Ruby. Now that she thought about it, she could imagine that the choice to court her might well upset Whitley's father. Up and coming Huntress-in-training she might be, Ruby was essentially a nobody, to someone of Whitley's standing. What public presence she _did_ have came from a messy controversy that, for added complications, had involved the previous heir to the SDC, hardly the kind of person a man like Whitley's father, as Whitley had described him, would approve of.

"Yes," replied Whitley. "Granted, I don't think you would be as much of a bane to our reputation as Father might believe...though it's a moot point now."

Ruby nodded.

"In any case, the point I was trying to make was that Weiss had distanced herself from the realities of running the company," said Whitley. "Not having to worry about combat training, I was able to focus more on the business aspect of our family, and gain a more detailed understanding of how the company itself worked.

"For example, though Father is the head of the company, he does not have unilateral power over it."

"He doesn't?" Ruby was taken aback by the notion. The SDC belonged to the Schnee Family didn't it? So why wouldn't the current head have complete control?

"The SDC is overseen by a board of directors, who oversee the many aspects of our company," said Whitley. "Technically, if Father did anything that they felt would damage the company, they have the power to oppose him. In the most extreme situations, they could even initiate a vote of no-confidence, and remove him from power."

"They could do that?" gasped Ruby.

"Theoretically," said Whitley with a sigh. "Of course, while Father's power might not be unilateral, he has gone through a great deal of trouble, ensuring that the board is filled with his toadies and sycophants, who are unlikely to oppose him, no matter what policies he might enact."

"Oh..." said Ruby, her expression falling.

"Of course, that would have made it all the more difficult for Weiss, once she assumed control," continued Whitley. "Simply standing before the board, and demanding that they change the way the SDC does business, especially to the extent necessary to fully reform our image, would be likely to get her in trouble with them, even if they weren't already in Father's pocket.

"You see...there's more to it than giving orders. Companies and corporations are strange entities. They are only considered truly healthy if they continue to grow. A company that does not produce a greater profit each year than the last is in danger of losing the confidence of its consumers and investors, even if they are still actually profitable. That can lead to a downward spiral that has destroyed many powerful businesses over the years. Unfortunately, board members and shareholders are extremely sensitive to changes that reduce a company's profit margin.

"To properly reform the SDC, we would need to change the way our workers, mainly the faunus, are compensated. Besides being a measure that keeps them in virtual slavery, the credit system used by the company, in our mining settlements, also serves to channel monetary resources spent on paying the workers' wages back into the company itself, which is a cost-saving measure on the expense of supporting those workers. We could open our settlements to outside businesses for the workers' supplies; _provide_ the workers with their equipment, rather than making them pay for it out of pocket; provide insurance, medical care, leave, and all those other aspects of a fairly-run workforce; but all of that would result in a greater expense to the company itself, and cut into our bottom line. Unfortunately, to both board members and shareholders, such a notion, no matter how justified, is instinctively abhorrent. Executives are all too happy to give themselves pay-raises. But suggest they take a pay-cut for the people who _actually_ make their business run, and they will quickly dig in their heels."

Ruby swallowed. She'd never imagined that changing the SDC would be such an involved and difficult process. It was easy for her to say that such a way of thinking was wrong. But it was also obvious that, to the people who did the actual decision making within the company, right and wrong didn't matter...not as much as profit. "So...what can you do?"

"It would have to be gradual changes, over time," explained Whitley. "However, in a way, the groundwork has already been laid...and we have our family's greatest enemies to thank for it."

Ruby blinked, realizing there was only one "greatest enemy" that Whitley could be referring to. "The White Fang?"

"Yes," said Whitley. "I'm sure Weiss has brought it up before. The White Fang have done everything in their power to do damage to our company, from attacking our supply trains, to undermining our infrastructure, to kidnapping and even _executing_ members of our board."

Ruby paled at the idea, remembering Weiss mentioning something about that, back when they'd discovered that Blake was a faunus.

"That last one is important," continued Whitley. "You see, there are number of members on the board who have obtained their positions, precisely _because_ said positions were made...vacant...by the actions of the White Fang. More importantly, however much they may have been chosen for their willingness to abide by Father's decisions, these board members are also keenly aware of just _how_ they reached the station they currently hold...which can be used to make them a bit more...pliable."

"How so?" asked Ruby, wondering what Blake would make of all this.

"Well, it's one thing in the board room," said Whitley. "However, in a more private setting, without Father looming over our shoulders, it's a lot easier for me to press the notion that changes in policy that further alienate the faunus, and incite the White Fang, might be worth avoiding. Walking things back purely as a response to White Fang violence would be inconceivable, of course, as it would be taken as cowing to terrorism. However, the White Fang are useful for convincing board members to put a check on some of Father's more...extreme...policies."

"Okay," said Ruby. "But I get the feeling you can't lean on the White Fang to make the real changes that need to be made."

"Your feeling would be correct," said Whitley. "The difficulty lies in that much of what is needed to be done to affect real change is out of our direct hands. The biggest change that needs to happen is that faunus-rights need to gain more ground, both within and without Atlas. The better faunus are viewed by the population as a whole, the greater the negative stigma Father's current policies will attract, and the more detrimental to our company's wellbeing they'll be. That will form the base upon which we can affect real change, change that our investors won't automatically reject because it lowers or profits."

"Oh..." Ruby looked into her coffee cup, thinking things over. Part of her wanted to float the plan she and Ayumu had made, and see what Whitley would make of it. Of course, given that it was a direct attack on the value of his family's chief product, she could see him not responding well to it.

"So, by and large, turning our company around will be a process that is likely to take years," said Whitley. "I hope you understand that it's not something that can be accomplished overnight."

"I guess not," said Ruby.

They sipped down the rest of their coffee. "Well," said Whitley, sounding disappointed by the notion, "it looks as though our meal has come to a close. I guess it's time for you to head back."

"Yeah, I guess," said Ruby, feeling a little reluctant herself. Despite the awkwardness of the situation, Ruby had to admit she'd come to develop something of a liking for Whitley. He wasn't quite like anyone she'd ever met. He was someone Ruby wouldn't mind getting to know better...as a friend, of course.

They got up from the table, and made their way out, the staff returning Ruby's shawl to her, and even draping it around her shoulders for her. They made their way up to the rooftop, where Whitley's airship waited.

"It's been a pleasure, Ruby," said Whitley, bowing politely to her. "I hope that we can meet again sometime. Actually, I wouldn't mind meeting your friends, particularly your partner and boyfriend."

"I'll have to see what I can arrange," said Ruby. "Thank you for dinner, tonight. It was wonderful."

Whitley smiled and watched her aboard the airship, waiting until it began to lift off, before heading back in the building and heading downstairs.

* * *

"Winter told me I should ask Ruby's forgiveness," said Weiss despondently.

"And do you think you should?" inquired Klein.

"I..." Weiss paused, her mouth working for a moment. "I...I can't!"

"Why not?"

Weiss' eyes narrowed. "I can't-I _won't!_ " Her voice became a hoarse snarl. "Ruby would like that, wouldn't she; watching me debase myself, grovel, beg for her mercy?"

"I can't say," said Klein. "I have only seen Ms. Rose in passing, after all. I know very little about her personally. However, I _do_ know that it isn't for _her_ sake that Winter wants you to ask for forgiveness."

"What?" gasped Weiss, looking up at Klein, aghast.

"You need to seek Ms. Rose's forgiveness, because it requires you to face the truth of your actions," said Klein.

"What truth?" asked Weiss.

"That they were wrong," said Klein. "You've been told that by numerous people. Ozpin told you. Winter told you. And now, _I'm_ telling you. Trying to kill that girl for the sake of your pride was the wrong course of action. I know that, deep down, you realize it too. But you still resist that knowledge, fight it, cling to a sense of false righteousness. But that will never bring you absolution or peace. Asking Ms. Rose for forgiveness would mean finally admitting, fully and unreservedly, that you were wrong. And that...Weiss, is the first step to redemption."

"I don't need redemption," growled Weiss.

"Yes you do," Klein replied calmly. "Right now, redemption is all that you have."

"And what good will redemption do me?" asked Weiss.

'Hopefully...it will bring you peace," said Klein. "Beyond that, we'll have to see. But you can't keep doing this, Weiss. Right now, you are simply languishing, clinging desperately to your resentment, even though it hurts you far more than it could ever help. You need to let go of your past...and start moving forward."

Klein stood up. "My time is nearly up," he said. "I'll need to pass on my thanks to Ozpin for arranging this."

"Why would you thank him?" asked Weiss.

"Because I expected a standard visit," said Klein, giving Weiss a warm smile. "I expected to talk to you through a sheet of glass. But, when I informed the front desk who I was, Ozpin, without even me asking, arranged for us to meet like this, so that I could touch you and hold you."

"K-Klein," whimpered Weiss.

Klein merely held out his arms to her. Weiss threw herself into them again. "I love you dearly, my precious little snowflake," Klein whispered softly. "I always will. I will visit you as often as I can manage."

Weiss sniffled. "Probably not all that often," she said.

"You'd be surprised," said Klein. "Master Whitley brought me to Vale for a number of reasons. The main one was to bring about this visit. The other reason was to help me to start looking for potential employment in this Kingdom, so that I can remain close to you."

"You'd do that...for me?" asked Weiss, looking at the kindly butler, her eyes shining with tears.

"Of course," replied Klein. "Master Whitley loves you too, in his own way, which is why he is going through this for me. I hope you'll come to see that someday."

Weiss frowned. She wasn't certain she could ever trust her brother. They had long ago burned whatever bridges they had between them, as far as she was concerned.

"Just try to think about it," said Klein.

Weiss hesitated, then sighed. "I will," she said, her head drooping.

"Thank you," said Klein, releasing her and stepping away. "However hard these circumstances might be, I'm glad to see you again, Weiss."

"So am I," replied Weiss softly.

Klein stepped over to the door, and gently knocked on it, signaling the guard to let him out. The guard did so, and Weiss found herself alone in the room once more, waiting until it was time to go back to her own room. Just as Winter had before him, Klein had given Weiss plenty to think about.

* * *

The flight back to Beacon was just as brief as the flight out to the restaurant. However, it felt even more brief to Ruby, given that she wasn't dealing with the anxiety and uncertainty of what was to come. Once again, Delft had politely offered her a glass of sparkling cider, which she'd accepted gratefully. After a long meal, which, despite the small size of the individual courses, had proved to be quite filling, and combined with the late hour, Ruby was feeling more than little sleepy. Right now, she was looking forward to getting back to her dorm, slipping these stupid lady-stilts off of her feet, and flopping into bed.

So she greeted the news of their arrival with relief. Once again, she hadn't even felt the slightest jolt from the airship touching down. The hatch opened, and she stepped down off the stairs, her relief growing at the sight of Gin waiting for her, along with the man she'd seen getting off the airship, when it had first come to pick her up. Ruby flashed a smile at Gin, then turned her attention to the man, sensing that he had something to say to her.

"Ms. Rose," said the man she assumed to be Klein.

"Yes?" said Ruby.

Klein doffed his hat, holding it in his hands in front of him, as he bowed his head towards her slightly. "I offer my deepest apologies for what Weiss has done to you. Despite all that, I still love her as though she were my own daughter. It is my hope that you, someday, find it in your heart to forgive her…and that she finds it in her heart to ask it of you."

"I hope so too," said Ruby, smiling at him. "If Weiss can show she's become a better person, then I'd be happy to forgive her."

"Thank you very much, Ms. Rose," said Klein. He stepped past her, and boarded the airship, which lifted off a moment later.

Ruby turned to watch it go for a moment, before heading to Gin. For a second, they simply stared at each other. Then he reached out and pulled her into a hug, which Ruby gladly returned, sighing happily at the feeling of his arms around her.

"Long night?" Gin asked over her shoulder.

"Yeah," admitted Ruby. "It wasn't bad. Whitley is nice, but…it was a little awkward."

"I see," said Gin, pulling back so he could look her in the eyes once more. "So he _was_ trying to date you."

"Yeah," said Ruby. "I let him know I wasn't in the market though."

"That puts me at ease," said Gin playfully.

"Yeah right," teased Ruby. "You never doubted me for a minute."

"Well, when you share your soul with someone as literally as we did, you kinda have to believe in them," Gin retorted.

Ruby laughed and leaned forward, resting their foreheads together. She closed her eyes, feeling her breath mingling with Gin's, basking in his presence. On this chilly, autumn night, his embrace and touch weren't as soothing and comforting as they were in the summer. But just him being there was more than enough for her. Finally, she tilted her head so that they could kiss, before breaking the embrace.

"Let's head home," she said.

"Right," agreed Gin. "Want me to carry you again? You're probably sick of walking in those heels."

Ruby looked down at her feet. She still felt more than a little discomfort at the idea of walking in these stupid shoes for any longer than she had to. But, realistically, she hadn't actually spent very long on her feet at all. Most of her evening had been spent sitting at the table with Whitley, with most of the walking involving going from Point A to Point B, which were frequently brief journeys. The longest she'd had to walk in these infernal shoes had been the walk from the dorm to the docks, and now the walk back. Truth be told, Ruby would be able to last a good bit longer like this.

"I think I can walk myself," Ruby replied finally. Not that she minded Gin carrying her, but she felt she'd be fine a little longer.

"Okay," said Gin, taking her hand, the two of them heading back.

They made their way through the festival grounds, which were closing down for the night. There were a few stalls that would be staying open longer. But the majority of them were already closed, and the few left were certain to be closed in time for everyone to make the last flights out of Beacon. Already, the grounds were beginning to look deserted, with fewer people wandering between the stalls.

In passing one such empty swath, Ruby's senses suddenly jolted her, sending her into high alert. Beside her, she felt Gin tense as well, the two of them immediately readying themselves in the face of an impending threat. It wasn't hard to understand what had set their nerves on edge so suddenly, as the sudden surge of hostility emanating from behind one of the stalls ahead of them was so intense and powerful that even a person who hadn't trained in the _Shingan_ wouldn't have had much trouble sensing it.

With her _Shingan_ , Ruby was able to sense the exact position of this hostility's source. She could feel the person, standing just out of view. More importantly, because she had sensed this hostility before, she knew exactly who was waiting up ahead for her. "What do you want, Liu Bai?" she asked.

Called out, the white-haired young man strode out from between the stalls, turning to face her. Ruby was relieved to see that he was unarmed, not even wearing the Dust-equipped wrist-guards he'd used in conjunction with his sword, during the match. Despite that, the intensity of his hatred made Ruby suspect that he wouldn't be above attacking them with his bare hands.

Unconsciously, Ruby's hand strayed to the small of her back, already readying herself to materialize Shining Rose at a moment's notice. However, she held herself back, reminding herself that she couldn't afford to reveal her weapon's secrets here. Had she been wearing her hood, it would have been easy to conceal her weapon's appearance, and make it look as though she'd been carrying it the whole time. With the things mechashift weaponry were capable of, anyone who saw her draw it, under such circumstances, would probably choose from one of many different potential assumptions, rather than even _suspecting_ that she could practically conjure it from thin air. Of course, right now, she wasn't wearing her hood. So drawing Shining Rose would reveal her secret to everyone in view of this confrontation…

…Which was more than just Liu. At the periphery of her senses, Ruby could detect the presence of three other individuals. The unsavory sense she got of each of them made her fairly certain that these were Liu's teammates. She couldn't quite tell why they were here. Were they there to back up Liu if he decided to attack? Were they just trying to prevent outside interference, or keep away potential witnesses? Or were they just watching the show? The best Ruby could manage was a vague impression that they definitely _weren't_ here to stop Liu from doing something violent.

Despite the hatred and hostility that rolled off him in waves Liu was smiling, an expression that was almost innocent in its cheerfulness. He practically beamed as he faced down Ruby and Gin. He answered her question directly. "I merely wished to meet the infamous Ruby Rose for myself," he said. "After all, I've heard so many things about you."

"I'm sure you have," said Ruby, struggling to keep her voice level, to avoid betraying her fear and nervous tension.

Liu reached up to adjust the small glasses that rested on the bridge of his nose. "I've been eager to meet you, Ruby Rose, ever since I learned you were the one responsible for the downfall of my _magnificent goddess._ " His voice devolved, losing its cheerful tone, ending an angry snarl for the last two words. His smile disappeared, falling away as he spoke, until the hatred he emitted through his very presence was now clearly present on his face, his lips drawn back to bare his teeth in an expression of pure fury.

"All I did was bring her to justice for what she did," replied Ruby firmly. "Pyrrha isn't-"

She barely saw Liu's arm move. But she could sense the attack, the object flying through the air, right for her face. She would have dodged it, but instead didn't move, already sensing Gin springing into motion, his hand snapping up, almost lazily, to snatch the thrown object out of the air, a mere inch from her face, Ruby not flinching in the slightest.

"Don't dare speak her name!" growled Liu, practically seething. "An unworthy _bitch_ , like you, isn't fit to lick the dirt my goddess' feet have tread upon, much less speak so freely of her." If he was surprised that his attack had been intercepted, he did a good job of hiding it behind the mask of his anger.

"I'll say what I want," Ruby replied. "Pyrrha isn't a goddess. And she's not _your_ goddess for sure. She deserved what she got, and that's all there is to it."

"Besides," commented Gin, holding up his hand, and bouncing the object Liu had thrown on his palm, revealing it to be a simple coin, "if this is your idea of showing your reverence, I don't think any real goddess would have you." Gin suspected that Liu had impulsively reached into his pocket, and chucked the first thing he'd found at Ruby.

"Shut up!" snapped Liu, glaring at Gin. "This doesn't involve you, trash!"

"You're insulting and threatening my girlfriend," replied Gin. "So…yeah, it does involve me." He stepped forward, positioning himself to stand slightly between Ruby and Liu.

"In other words, you don't think she can fight her own battles," growled Liu.

"In other words, I don't think she should _have_ to fight battles she doesn't need to," replied Gin. "Namely, she doesn't have to answer the delusional grievances of a moron obsessively fixated on a girl who's been revealed as a violent criminal. Any wrongs she's done you are purely the seed of your own imagination."

Gin certainly hadn't been trying to placate Liu, so he wasn't surprised when the other boy's response was one of pure fury, the muscles all across his body tightening, standing out in vivid relief, as though he were physically struggling to hold himself back from attacking. His entire body trembled. What was more, Gin caught sight of blue lines branching out and crawling across his face, particularly from the corner of his eyes. He remembered seeing a brief flash of those lines, during the final portion of Liu's fight with Chrys, during the match the other day.

"The more you talk, the less I'm willing to let you two go for the night," growled Liu.

"That's too bad," said Gin. "You're going to let us go regardless, because you've got no right to do anything."

"I have every right!" shouted Liu. "You tarnished the image of my goddess! In your pathetic jealousy, you've sullied her image with your disgusting allegations! You destroyed her glorious undefeated record! You dragged her down from the peak of success, and ruined her!"

"She did it to herself," replied Ruby. "She decided I was in the way of what she wanted, and she tried to kill me for it."

"As she should have!" snapped Liu. "No one has the right to obstruct her, least of all garbage like you!"

"If she's garbage," Gin retorted, "doesn't that make Pyrrha Nikos less than garbage, seeing as Ruby was able to defeat her…while Pyrrha had backup from Weiss Schnee at the same time, no less?"

"And it's blasphemies like that that make you unworthy of life," growled Liu. "You should not have been permitted to even stand before my goddess, yet you had the temerity to fight her…and win."

Gin tilted his head. "Sounds like sour grapes to me," he said.

"What?" asked Liu, genuinely confused.

Gin smirked at him. "I'm starting to get a feel for what kind of person you are and, honestly, you're pathetic. I heard you lost to Pyrrha during the Mistral Regional Tournament. Acknowledging your loss would, at least in part, mean acknowledging that you hadn't put in enough work, that you could have and should have really worked harder, if you wanted to truly take the top. Instead, you decided to excuse it by raising Pyrrha up on a pedestal, and saying that there's no way she could be defeated, not just by you, but by anyone. If that was true, then you weren't at fault for losing to her.

"But now Ruby not only pulled Pyrrha off her pedestal and revealed to the world what a rotten person she is at her core, she also revealed that Pyrrha isn't some invincible Goddess of Victory, but just another fighter who'd trained and leveraged the skills and abilities she had to their greatest effect. And now you're left with nothing to use to excuse your own inadequacies."

"I've heard enough," snarled Liu. "I was planning to give you a warning. If you were willing to leave the tournament, and ensure that my goddess wasn't disparaged any further by your continued grandstanding, I was considering actually letting you go. But now…now I'll show you no mercy!"

Liu's right hand went into his pants' pocket. He pulled out his scroll, clearly planning to call in his rocket locker and arm up in preparation to attack. However, Ruby calmly stepped past Gin, pulling her hand out from behind the small of her back. Gin opened his mouth to stop her, until he saw that Ruby's hand was indeed empty.

Yet, she still moved as though she held a weapon. Gin caught a swirl of red from the palm, fingers curling around an invisible shaft. But it was a mere flicker, not congealing into anything real or solid. Then, out away from Ruby, Gin saw a brighter, more intense flash of crimson. It cut through Liu's scroll, which split in two, the top half falling to the ground, while the bottom half sparked and fizzled in his hand. Ruby lowered her hand, which was empty once more.

"What-?" gasped Liu.

Around them, Gin and Ruby could sense the rest of Liu's teammates tensing in surprise, none of them expecting Ruby to do what she'd just done. Even Gin was taken aback, mostly because he was actually confused by what Ruby had done.

"That's enough," said Ruby firmly. "I don't care what you think about Pyrrha…or me. If you really feel that strongly about it, then fine. I'll face you, but in the ring. Keep fighting in the tournament, and we're bound to meet each other sooner or later. Then, I'll happily take you on. But I won't make any apologies, now, or in the future."

Liu growled and, for a brief moment, Ruby thought he might go so far as to lunge at her with his bare hands. However, after that moment had passed, he visibly relaxed, the tension draining from his body, though the anger and hatred remained. "Fine," he said, with dark conviction. "I'll withhold your judgment for now. But I _will_ meet you in the tournament. There, in the eyes of the world, I will punish you for what you've done. If you fail before then, I will hunt you down and pass judgment on you."

"Whatever," huffed Ruby. "Now, I'm tired, and I want to go to bed. So get out of our way."

Not waiting for him to oblige her, Ruby strode right past Liu, ignoring the glare he shot her. Gin followed along, keeping his senses fixed on Liu, while monitoring the other members of BRYL, waiting in the shadows. They kept walking, until they had left BRYL behind, and were sure that the quartet wasn't following them.

Ruby stopped and sighed, leaning against a lamp post. "I so didn't need that tonight," she said.

Gin chuckled. "I agree. So, now..."

Ruby let out a small shriek as Gin abruptly swept her off her feet, and hefted her in his arms. Seeing him smirk at her, she sighed in resignation, then leaned her head into his shoulder, allowing Gin to carry her back the rest of the way to their dorm. They caught some odd looks on the way, but neither of them cared. By the time they reached the dorm, Ruby was on the verge of sleeping, barely having the presence of mind to change into her pajamas and brush her teeth. Climbing into bed, she curled up against Gin and sighed contentedly, drifting off in his arms.

* * *

Sunday was a slow day for the Festival, with little to do. Indeed, even many of the stalls wouldn't be opening for the day, their owners taking the day off as well. It was essentially a break in the festivities, an opportunity for people to catch their breath, one that Ruby was grateful for, as it allowed her and Gin to sleep until the sun had risen well up into the sky.

Ruby's eyes slowly drifted open, and she yawned, basking contentedly in the sensation of Gin's hand on her forehead. She supposed that, as winter came on, his lower body temperature might not feel as comfortable as it did during the summer. Still, it wasn't something an extra-heavy comforter couldn't take care of.

Smiling, she pulled Gin's hand off her forehead, and brought his fingers to her mouth, gently kissing the tips of his fingers. She knew that Gin was already awake, that he'd probably woken up before her. As she'd expected, it didn't take him long to respond at all. Ruby giggled as Gin's lips gently pressed against the back of her neck, making her shiver with pleasure. His scales appeared, spreading like a rash across his hand and forearm, allowing her to feel their texture as she traced her fingers along the ridges of his scutes. Rolling over, Ruby wordlessly met Gin's eyes and wrapped herself around him, pulling close and kissing him on the lips. They lay like that for a few minutes, exchanging small gestures of affection, their hands wandering idly.

Finally, Gin took the initiative to speak. "Feeling better?" he asked.

Ruby smiled. She'd managed to keep herself under control until she'd gotten well away from Liu and his teammates. However, the encounter had rattled her nonetheless. "Yeah," she said.

Gin reached up and stroked her cheek. "Remember, he doesn't have any actual claim against you. If you don't want to fight him, we won't let him force the issue."

"Thanks," said Ruby. "But if we don't go up against him in the doubles round, I'll probably end up fighting him sooner or later, in the finals, assuming he doesn't lose to someone before that."

"Well, we can hope," said Gin.

"But it's not all that likely, is it?" asked Ruby.

"Not really," said Gin. "If he went up against us or January...or even Team Sun...he probably wouldn't get any further. We'll just have to see who he winds up against in the tournament."

"Right," agreed Ruby.

"By the way, I wanted to ask you about what you did, last night," said Gin. "Was that a kind of manifestation?"

"Yep," said Ruby, beaming proudly. "Since I can't show off my materialization yet, I came up with some other ideas to allow me to fight, when I can't afford to let people see me materialize Shining Rose."

"I thought so," said Gin. "But...that wasn't a scythe, was it?"

"It was...part of one," said Ruby teasingly.

"Part of one...?" Gin brow furrowed.

"Yeah," said Ruby. "I realized that, technically, if manifestation is just Aura, then I don't have to manifest my whole weapon. Instead, all I really had to do was keep the image of my scythe in my mind...but only manifest the edge of the blade."

"Just the edge..." Gin's eyes widened. He'd never thought of it that way.

The concept of a weapon, whether manifested or materialized, was always about creating it whole. But, now that he thought about it, that was a too-limited way of thinking. A real, physical scythe had a shaft and metal blade, because they were components of the design. In that sense, without those components, without being complete, the scythe couldn't actually exist. But if it was a construct of shaped Aura, there was no need for it to be bound by the same kinds of physical principles that defined physical constructs. So Ruby had instead merely manifested the part of her weapon she actually needed to use.

"It's harder to hold," said Ruby. "Manifesting the whole thing allows me to hold the image, and make it more lasting. Just manifesting the edge is something I can't keep up for longer than a single attack."

"But it's still incredible," said Gin. He chuckled and leaned to press his forehead against Ruby's. "You never cease to amaze me."

"Thank you," said Ruby, closing her eyes and pressing back, the two of them going back to relaxing contentedly against each other.

Ruby wasn't sure how long they would have stayed like that, maybe until lunchtime. However, their peace and quiet was shattered by the door swinging open, and Yang striding in, clearly making no effort to be quiet.

"Hey, Ruby! You awake?" Yang's boots thudded against the floor as she strode to the edge of Ruby and Gin's bed and pulled back the canopy.

"What's up, Yang?" asked Ruby, not even remembering seeing Yang the previous night. She figured that Yang must have either come in after she and Gin were asleep (Blake had already been in bed when Ruby and Gin had arrived), or had spent the night with Jaune instead.

Rolling over, Ruby saw that Blake was with Yang too. The pair suppressed smiles at the sight of Ruby and Gin together. But Yang chuckled and shook her head. "You made the news again, Sis."

Ruby frowned, sitting up. "Again? Is it for what I think it's for?" She had a sinking feeling about the headline she was about to see.

"Yep," said Yang, tossing a copy of the paper onto the bed, allowing Ruby to see it. "This was on the newsstand this morning."

It wasn't one of the major media outlets, something closer to a tabloid, but not completely disreputable.

 _"_ _Vytal Tournament Contestant has Affair with Schnee Company Heir?_ " the headline exclaimed. Beneath it were a pair of pictures, laid out next to each other. The first was one of Ruby and Whitley on the roof of _Le Cerf Blanc_. The picture had been taken at the perfect time, capturing the moment Whitley had kissed Ruby's hand. Next to it was a picture from later that night, of Gin carrying Ruby in his arms while she leaned her head into his shoulder.

"Yeah...I get the feeling it might be a rough day," said Ruby with a groan.

* * *

 **And here we go again, with the expansion of the Vytal Festival as a very public event. Besides being a competitor who's moved up in the tournament brackets, Ruby was also the subject of an assassination attempt, which has only added to the pile of other things she's become famous, or infamous, for. So it's only natural that the press would take an interest in her meeting with Whitley, and start speculating about it. Scandals are big for readership, of course.**

 **I'm sure that Liu is coming off as a bit...one note, as villains go. But he's not meant to be all that much of a character, beyond being one of those mid-size threats Ruby has to deal with, in between bigger threats (like Cinder and Pyrrha-yan). He's also mainly there as a bit of a reminder that, yes, Pyrrha was a big deal, before Ruby took her down. The absurdities that some fans go to in the real world make me think that someone with an obsession like Liu's would actually be fairly tame, compared to some of the things I've heard about crazed fans of some celebrity or another. But that's just me...**

 **In writing Klein's visit to Weiss, the first time through, I forgot all about his...um...multiple personalities (if they even count as that, maybe personas would be better...I dunno). Looking over it, without basically rewriting the entire thing, I only found room to fit in one of his other personalities for a line, which I felt was fine, seeing as he doesn't really have a bigger role than this either.**


	90. Chapter 90

**Chapter 90:**

"How bad is it?" asked Ruby, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.

Yang paged through the paper, finding the article in question. "Well, it's your typical gossip-piece," she said. "They obviously didn't think to interview you, so it's all pointless speculation." Her eyes narrowed. "'Neither Ruby Rose nor Whitley Schnee have commented on the issue at all,'" she read in an annoyed tone.

"Well of course we didn't comment," said Ruby irritably. "It _wasn't_ an issue, until this morning."

"It's a way for the writer to claim more legitimacy," said Blake. "It also provides a kind of pressure to get you to do an interview with them."

"Yeah...not happening," grumbled Ruby.

"They probably weren't the only ones snapping pictures of you and Whitley last night," said Gin. "I thought I'd sensed more photographers at a distance, last night. These ones probably pushed their story first to get a jump on the competition."

"That makes sense," said Blake. "None of the the other papers have a headline like this. If any of them talk about it at all, it's probably buried somewhere near the back."

"Yeah, but it's bad enough that this one portrays you as some kind of gold-digging scammer," growled Yang, waving the tabloid furiously. "They're saying that the fact you met with Gin after meeting with Whitley might as well be proof that you're trying to two-time Whitley, to scam him out of his money."

"Not surprised," said Gin. "Still, the real question is what do we do, if anything?"

"He has a point," said Ruby. "The papers are going to write what they want to write. I'm not interested in giving interviews to clear up a nonexistent issue."

"Maybe," said Yang. "But the papers are probably going to keep trying to make something out of it. Refusing to talk about it is something they can spin to make it look like you have something to hide."

"I know," groaned Ruby. "I'm just sick of this happening. First there was that incident with Dunstan, now this, and it's only a matter of time until someone learns about Liu having it out for me at this rate."

"Can't be helped," said Gin, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and holding her close.

"But, at this rate, it's gonna be impossible to go outside the school buildings," grumbled Yang. "Someone taking a potshot at you was bad enough. But now people think you're having a fling with the Schnee heir...the paparazzi is gonna be all over the place today."

"On the bright side, Sundays are the lazy days of the festival," said Blake. "There isn't much happening, so there's time for you to take it easy, while we wait for this to blow over."

"Except it isn't going to blow over in just a day," said Yang. "Papers, especially gossip rags, are gonna be all over a juicy story like this like dogs with a bone. Not even the tournament is going to keep them distracted all that well."

Ruby sighed. "Well, there's no avoiding it. I guess I'll just have to do what I can to keep myself under control." She looked pointedly at Yang. "So, no matter what happens, no flying off the handle, and beating up the press. Am I clear?"

"Crystal, Sis," said Yang, flinching away from the force of will that Ruby put into her voice.

Ruby sighed and looked to Gin. "I guess it's time to get up."

"You don't have to if you don't want to," replied Gin. "If those people are going to wait around like a bunch of vultures, you're under no obligation to oblige them."

"Yeah, but as nice as it would be to lounge in bed all day, I'd get pretty bored," said Ruby. "Besides, we'll need to eat at some point." She wasn't looking forward to the kind of reception she'd be getting in the dining hall, sure that people were already gossiping about her. If they weren't commenting on her proclivities, then they were likely grousing about how she was hogging the spotlight again.

"We're all with you," said Gin, squeezing her hand.

"I know," said Ruby, smiling at him, before leaning over and giving him a kiss on the cheek. Then she got out of bed to greet the day.

* * *

Things went about as Ruby had expected. She was reminded of all the other periods where she'd become the center of attention for the student body: when she'd first come back, when Ozpin had told everyone why she'd been missing in the first place, after her interview with Lisa Lavender. As soon as she entered the dining hall for brunch, people had begun whispering in low tones, those that hadn't been whispering already. She glimpsed a couple copies of the tabloid featuring her on the tables.

Much of the gossip was a mixed bag of what Ruby had expected to hear. People were calling her loose, even going so far as to call her a slut. Some were speculating that she was cheating on Gin. Others were suggesting that she was stringing Whitley along to bilk him out of his money. And, of course, there were the various insults that floated her way, based on her willingness to date a faunus, much less a dragon-faunus.

Already, Ruby could sense her sister's rage building, and got the feeling that, if they didn't do something, Yang was probably going to explode...and take half the dining hall with her. Still, she had to eat, so she settled for looks and quick whispers, reminding Yang to keep her frustration under control. Ruby herself wasn't feeling all that bothered by it, having gotten used to negative attitudes at this point, only bothering to maintain her awareness for any signs of actual hostility.

Fortunately, it wasn't hard to find the opposite of hostility either. After Ruby and Gin had gotten their food (Blake and Yang having already eaten), they'd found a relatively empty table. It wasn't long before they were joined by their friends on Team JNAR, CFVY, and SSSN, whose cumulative good will produced what could have been considered an insulating bubble against all the negativity being directed Ruby's way, allowing her to relax. It also helped provide Yang with a buffer to keep an explosion at bay, particularly when Jaune sidled up next her, and began combing his fingers gently through her blonde locks.

Much to Ruby's surprise, the group was joined by none other than the girls of Team NDGO, who once again proved that there were no hard feelings about their first-round loss against SSSN. In fact, much to everyone's surprise, Neptune and Nebula seemed to hit it off and, by the time the food had been finished, the pair were actually planning an evening date together. Hearing them talk gave Ruby an idea.

"Hey, Gin," she said, "want to go on a date in Vale?"

"I'd be fine with that," said Gin. "But we'd still have to deal with the press."

"I've got an idea," said Ruby with a sly grin.

"Okay," said Gin. "What's your plan?"

Before Ruby could explain, her scroll began to ring. Answering it, she was surprised by the voice on the other side.

" _Hello, Ruby,_ " said Whitley.

"Hey, Whitley," said Ruby. "I wasn't expecting to hear back from you so soon."

" _Well, I trust you've seen this morning's headline by now,_ " said Whitley, sounding faintly amused.

"Yeah," said Ruby with a sigh. "Sorry about that. We knew people were taking pictures, but I never figured that was the line they'd come up with."

" _I'm not exactly surprised,_ " Whitley replied. " _Outfits like that are always happy to air speculation in place of actual conclusions, if it benefits them. That particular paper hasn't reached out to me, but I have already been approached by other news outlets for comment. Have you?_ "

"Not yet," said Ruby. "But I haven't gone outside yet, and they don't have my scroll number, thank God."

" _You're fortunate then,_ " said Whitley. " _I'm thinking of answering the questions of a reporter from one of the more legitimate outlets that have approached me. If I simply answer their questions, that should help the matter die down faster._ "

"Do you want me to do it too?" asked Ruby.

" _No, I think I can dissuade them from coming after you,_ " said Whitley. " _I can't speak for the tabloids, but the actual legitimate papers should be convinced to leave you alone._ "

"Are you going to pressure them or something?" asked Ruby.

" _Heavens, no!_ " Whitley replied with a laugh. " _If anything, that would convince people that we have something to hide. I will just answer their questions honestly, and that should be enough to take care of the matter...I hope._ "

"All right," said Ruby, smiling. "Thank you."

" _Thank you as well,_ " said Whitley.

"Um...Are...are we still friends?" asked Ruby nervously, somewhat uncertain of where she and the boy stood, despite their amicable parting.

" _Of course we are,_ " said Whitley. " _I'm hoping that we can meet and talk again sometime. I am also open to letters and calls. My scroll's contact information should be accessible on yours, now that you've taken my call._ "

"Oh! Thank you," said Ruby "I'll talk to you later then. Bye."

" _Goodbye._ "

Ruby hung up and sighed, relaxing a little. Then she realized that everyone at the table was staring at her, not to mention that some people at the neighboring tables appeared to have overheard that she'd been talking to Whitley.

"So...I never got to ask...but how did last night go?" asked Yang.

"It went great," said Ruby.

"So was Whitley actually interested in dating you?" pressed Blake.

"He was," said Ruby. She beamed and hugged Gin's arm. "But I told him I was taken."

"From the sound of things, he took it well enough," said Jaune.

"Yeah," said Ruby. "I just wasn't sure where we stood. I mean...no matter how well he took it...it was still kinda awkward, especially after he went through the trouble of setting up a romantic dinner like that."

"I don't think he went through too much trouble," noted Blake wryly. "Indulgences like that are bread and butter for the upperclass. It probably didn't even make a dent in his wallet."

"Still, it seems your ability for making friends remains strong," noted Ayumu. "Now you have Ms. Schnee's sister and brother as your friends."

"Y-yeah..." Ruby blushed and looked down at the table. Then she noticed that Yang was staring at her with an amused smirk. "What?"

Yang grinned. "It's just...I remembered me and Dad saying we were gonna have to beat the boys off with a stick, once you grew up. That was supposed to be hyperbole, of course. But now, you've got Gin, and you've had Cobalt _and_ Whitley crushing on you hard. I'm wondering if I'm actually going to have to get a stick now."

"Yang!" squealed Ruby, flushing red.

"Aw, you don't need a stick," Nora pointed out with a sly grin of her own. "Ruby has a Gin."

"Yeah, but what kinda boy leaves Ruby to beat off her own suitors?" asked Yang, throwing Gin a mock glare.

"The kind who lets me fight my own battles," Ruby grumbled, still blushing furiously.

Her friends all laughed good-naturedly, while the couple blushed. Ruby at least felt some relief that Whitley wasn't having any problems with this issue. It also sounded like he knew how to handle it.

"Anyway," said Gin, after getting his composure back, "you were talking about a date earlier. How are we going to get past the paparazzi."

Ruby grinned. "We sneak past them," she said.

"That's...it?" asked Jaune, staring at Ruby along with the rest of her friends. " _That's_ your great idea?"

"You bet it is," said Ruby. "We can sense them, so we know where they'll be watching and waiting. All we have to do is slip their line of sight, and we can make our getaway."

"When you put it like that, it makes sense," said Gin. "It'll even be good training."

"The tricky part is figuring out where to make our exit from," said Ruby. "You can bet all the regular doors are gonna be watched."

"Well, if it's a matter of getting out through the doors, I have a way," said Gin. "So long as there aren't too many people moving through it, we can manage."

"Oh...?" Ruby paused, her eyes rolling upward as her memory dredged up what Gin was getting at. "Oh!"

* * *

A small side door led out into a space between a lecture hall, and the building that housed the Academy's sparring rings. It was a short ways off of the main path that led to the colonnade that decorated the main approach to Beacon from the docks. Despite Ruby's worry that the paparazzi were watching the entrances, she realized that they weren't that bad.

Most such photographers were freelancers, taking pictures and then selling them directly to the papers for a paycheck. Very few of them would actually be on a given paper's payroll. Because of that, they were almost all essentially in competition with each other, which meant that they weren't going to coordinate their actions, like some kind of special forces' picture-taking team. They were watching the areas where Ruby was most likely to appear, but they weren't coordinating to cover every entrance, and ensure that there was no way she could get out of the Academy unseen. Instead, they were mostly watching the main entrance, the doors to the dining hall, the festival grounds, and the route to the air docks. Such a setup would normally give them a fairly high chance of spotting Ruby, and getting what they had come for.

Unfortunately, they weren't aware of Gin's _Shingetsu_. Much to Ruby's surprise and relief, Gin's control had expanded enough that he was able to veil two people with it. It was tricky for him to maintain his control over his mist enough to completely refract the light around the pair of them, and they had to move slowly to avoid breaking through their own veil. On top of that, they had to move carefully. If someone was unexpectedly on the verge of tripping over them, Gin and Ruby wouldn't be able to correct quickly enough to get out of the way _and_ maintain their cover for anyone moving faster than a lazy amble.

Fortunately, they were able to avoid most of the foot traffic by skirting the festival grounds, and taking a roundabout route towards the air-docks. The trickiest part would be getting aboard the airship. People were passing in and out of the relatively small doors into the vehicles, which would make it difficult for Ruby and Gin to slip aboard with _Shingetsu_ active. On the other hand, if Gin dropped their cover so that they could get aboard faster, then they risked being spotted, probably dragging Ruby's stalking photographers into Vale after them.

In the end, they settled for a compromise, waiting a few minutes at the docks to observe and learn the locations and dispositions of the paparazzi waiting there. In actuality, the situation wasn't as bad as all that. The photographers' attention was focused outward, along the approaches to the docks. Once Gin and Ruby were past them, they were able to duck behind a small maintenance shed, allowing Gin to release his technique without drawing any attention. Then, moving carefully, they were able to merge with the crowd of people boarding the airship out of Beacon.

Of course, with Ruby being the subject of so much gossip, it was only natural that the people around her would take notice of her presence. However, because they were concerned with getting aboard the airship, first and foremost, they didn't start gossiping and pointing, until Ruby and Gin were aboard and the airship was taking off. Naturally, no one was interested in alerting the press to Ruby's location, but she did find herself blinking as a few scrolls turned her way and their cameras flashed.

Nonetheless, she was able to sag against her seat, and let out a sigh of relief, letting Gin lean against her with a tired sigh as he tried to recover from the effects of using _Shingetsu_ , which required the most focus out of all his techniques.

"I guess I need to practice this more, if we're gonna keep having to dodge the fourth estate," he said ruefully.

"The what?" asked Ruby.

"The press," clarified Gin.

"Oh. Where did you read that?"

Gin chuckled. "Can't remember," he admitted. "All I do know is that I learned it was a term for the news media at some point."

Ruby giggled. After having caught up with their classes, Gin and Ayumu had begun to take full advantage of Beacon's library. While they weren't Blake-level bookworms, they were fairly avid readers, devouring books on nearly every topic that caught their fancy. Ruby found herself wishing she could be as enthusiastic about reading as the two of them, but generally found her attention wandering, if she wasn't reading anything more engaging than a good comic book or heroic fantasy.

They relaxed, ignoring the whispers and looks, while the airship completed its flight to Vale. Getting off the airship, they found themselves looking around the streets and Ruby was struck by a sense of deja-vu that went all the way back to her very first date with Gin; the realization that they had gone out on a date, but hadn't actually figured out what they wanted to _do_ on said date.

They spent a moment hesitating. "D-do you want to go see a movie?" asked Ruby after a minute of thought.

"Sure," said Gin. "Did you have one in mind?"

"We can go look and see," said Ruby. "I've been interested in this one horror movie. It's called _Dog Rain_."

Ruby gave Gin a brief synopsis as they walked, which only caused him to raise his eyebrows. "So...wait...how is this a horror movie?"

"She doesn't get to keep the dogs," Ruby replied.

"That doesn't make sense," said Gin. "That's not a horror premise."

"Oh, and how would you do it, smart guy?" asked Ruby sardonically.

"If it were a real horror movie, she'd _have_ to keep the dogs," said Gin. "She'd have to feed them, care for them, train them, clean up after them... _all of them_...and deal with all the associated expenses in the process. _That's_ how you make a horror movie."

Ruby, thinking over what Gin had said, shuddered at the idea. When they had gotten Zwei, Ruby and Yang's father had taken care of him most of the time, and was taking care of him all the time, now. That entailed getting up in the morning to feed him, playing with him to keep him from venting excess energy on breakable household objects; and, worst of all, cleaning up after him, which entailed cleaning dog hair that accumulated on every conceivable surface in the house, and cleaning up Zwei's poop in the yard. Back when they were still living with Taiyang and Zwei, Ruby and Yang had had many arguments with one another over whose turn it was to do the odious task. Now she thought about what it would be like to do it for countless dogs that just happened to fall out of the sky around her. "You're not wrong," she conceded, earning a smirk from her boyfriend.

Just of the sight of him smirking at her made Ruby burst out laughing. She remembered telling Gin to assert himself more in their relationship, to be more selfish. She was glad to see that he'd gained the confidence to rib her and tease her. This might also be considered another argument, of a sort, albeit a playful one. Seeing that Gin was willing to engage with her like that was thrilling to Ruby.

Reaching the theater, they perused the movies on offer. Instead of _Dog Rain_ , they instead settled on a fantasy film about wizards, which Ruby found a tad ironic, seeing as there was a person with genuine magic, granted to her by a long-forgotten wizard, currently living under Beacon Tower. Still, the movie was enjoyable, and the effects were decent.

Upon finishing the film, Ruby and Gin made for the exit, only to pause when they sensed a familiar pressure emanating from the area just outside the doors.

"Feels like we've been found," said Gin, sensing multiple presences monitoring the doors of the theater intently. It seemed the paparazzi had caught up with them.

"Yeah," said Ruby.

"I wonder how," said Gin. "I'm pretty sure we gave them the slip at the docks."

Ruby pursed her lips. "It must've been through social media," she said. She remembered people around them snapping pictures with their scrolls, while on the airship and along the streets. She wasn't surprised that sightings of her had popped up on social media sites and, sooner or later, the various members of the press caught on, or were notified of where she'd been spotted.

"So...now what?" asked Gin.

"Hmm..." Ruby rubbed her chin thoughtfully, staring at the theater doors. While it had side exits, the theater was a lot smaller than Beacon, which meant that it was more likely there were people watching the side exits. They couldn't use the emergency exits without permission and help from the staff, and Ruby didn't want to bother them over something like this. Even with Gin's _Shingetsu_ , slipping out through any set of doors would be a tricky task.

"Maybe we should try and blend in," said Gin, seeing a crowd of people emerging from another movie that had just finished playing. "Take off your cloak."

"Right," said Ruby, undoing the clasps of her signature, eye-catching piece of clothing and bundling it up in her arms.

The pair merged smoothly with the press of people heading out the exit. Ruby knew that, as far as disguises went, it wouldn't fool people for long. But, amidst the crowds entering and leaving the theater, the photographers would be looking for quick, easy-to-spot cues that would enable them to home in on her. Her cloak was just the sort of thing for that, so taking it off was a good way to fool their eyes for at least a few seconds. By the time the waiting paparazzi realized that the black-haired girl in black clothes was actually Ruby Rose, Ruby and Gin had slipped clear of the crowd, disappearing beneath the veil of Gin's _Shingetsu_ once more.

"This is kinda fun," said Ruby, giggling as she and Gin ducked down a less-crowded side street to avoid bumping into someone. "It's like playing tag."

"It is at that," said Gin. "It's instructive too."

It seemed they were learning quite a bit about the gaps in people's awareness. What would fool a photographer out for a money-shot didn't directly correlate to the battlefield, but it helped them realize how easily people could overlook the most subtle things, another example of "thinking small."

After getting a couple blocks down from the theater, Gin shed his _Shingetsu_ , and Ruby was free to don her cloak once more.

"So...where to now?" asked Gin.

* * *

"Man, I hate waiting," groaned Mercury, folding his arms and laying back on the floor. "Can't we get this crap over with already?"

"We can't afford to misstep," said Cinder, staring down at her scroll, going over the roster of students participating in the Vytal Festival. She hissed in frustration. Watts refused to turn over any administrative powers in the CCT system to her, yet insisted that she be the one to decide what matchups would benefit their plan the most. And, even then, he had the gall to stick his nose in with annoying stipulations, insisting that certain teams _not_ be permitted to fight each other.

But there was little that she could do. The margin of error for their plan had shrunk considerably. The Dragon was gone, and Mountain Glenn was no longer a hive of concentrated Grimm. The necessary fear, anger, and other assorted types of negativity that would draw the Grimm would have to be stoked more carefully and thoroughly, in order to draw in Grimm over a longer period of time. It had to be done subtly, otherwise the change in Grimm numbers would be noticed, and Huntsmen would be sent out to exterminate them.

Which made it all the more irksome that Watts' requirements made logical sense, when Cinder examined them, the kind of decisions she would have made herself, had Watts not made butting in his personal hobby. Yet he hadn't actually done anything that would give Cinder a good excuse to go over his head and get Salem to order Watts out.

Speaking of irksome... "What is the word from Adam?" asked Cinder, looking up at Emerald.

"He says that things are going according to plan, so far," replied Emerald. "It took him a while to scrape up the people and materiel that wasn't wiped out in the Mountain Glenn operation."

 _Ah yes...that,_ thought Cinder, an angry growl building in her throat at the reminder of the stinging setback they'd suffered. She felt the impulse to march right down to Beacon's Detention Center and burn Roman Torchwick to a crisp for failing so spectacularly. Yet his continued survival was a condition to Neo's cooperation and, unfortunately, she still had a use for Neo, and had promised Neo that, if she served competently enough, Cinder might forgive Roman's failure. _Not that I need to keep that promise,_ she added to herself. After all, it wasn't like there would be a specific need for Neo after this operation was complete. Her unique abilities and combat skills were a bonus, but not indispensable. If the short-sighted child insisted on her bond with Roman over loyalty to someone so obviously superior to him, then she was only deserving of the consequences. And speaking of Neo...

"Where is Neo?" asked Cinder.

"Who knows," grumbled Mercury, not shifting from his lazy position. "She always wanders off, when she's not needed. At least she shows up when we call for her."

Cinder frowned, but let the matter drop. That was true. Neo remained dependable after all, more dependable than Roman for sure. There was no need to restrict her unnecessarily. After all, Cinder had already made sure to demonstrate why defiance would be...unwise...for Neo.

At least some things were working in their favor. After being such a thorn in their sides, it seemed that Ruby Rose was actually doing them a few favors, albeit unwittingly. First it had been the attempt on her life, after her team's match in the first round, which had prompted concerns that Ruby's participation might put spectators at risk, even as people were stirred up by the sudden and unexpected act of violence in the midst of a festival celebrating world peace. And now, the papers were circulating rumors of an affair with the SDC heir, ironically the younger brother of the very girl that had tried to kill Ruby before. Ruby Rose's history and actions were being scrutinized, and people were being stirred up all the more. It wasn't exactly a storm of fear and anger...but every little bit helped.

"This had better work," said Emerald irritably. "That jerk, Yu, already did so much damage to our operation."

"Oh? Would you like me to do more?"

It took a few seconds for it to sink in. Then Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury all burst into motion at once. Mercury jumped to his feet, falling into an attack stance. Emerald rose from her chair, her hands blurring towards her weapons, the curved blades of her sickles unfolding as she brandished them. Cinder did the same, snapping her arms out to the side, dao blades appearing in her hands with a flash of fiery light.

"Way too slow," said Yu Yuen, covering a yawn with one hand, while the other was braced casually against his hip. "If that's the best you can do, my kiddies are gonna make mincemeat out of you chumps. You jokers have been slacking off, playing student this whole time."

Yu Yuen had appeared in their midst, right in the middle of the room, without preamble. The windows were closed, the door locked; no holes had appeared in the ceiling, floor, or walls. Yet, somehow, Yu was just...there.

"What are you doing here?" demanded Cinder, raising her blades.

"Oh, just paying you guys a visit," said Yu grinning savagely. "I come back and I find that my kids have gone through quite the growth spurt while I was out of town. I don't know what they've been getting up to, while I was away, but they've surpassed all my hopes and expectations. On that front, I couldn't be happier."

There was no visible change to his expression, but something about the tension in the air caused it to suddenly become much more malevolent...and menacing. "Of course, the downside of that is that you chumps are going to have to work all the harder to be a proper threat to them. Even you, Ms. Little Half-Maiden, are gonna have to work to be a threat to them. You better hope you can get your hands on the rest of that magic."

"Then tell me where she is!" demanded Cinder.

"Aw, but that's no fun," said Yu, wagging a finger at Cinder. "You're already chasing stupidly after a cheap power-up, instead of striving to improve yourself. You've got to struggle with something. Even if you manage to lay claim to the rest of that power, there's not much you'll be able to do to those kids to faze 'em. Basically, the way things are, your little plan is sunk. Things won't come together. Your mass-Grimm attack won't happen. Little Amber will stay safely out of your reach, and my kids'll cut you down to get her power back. As a threat to incite growth...you just ain't cutting it anymore."

His grin widened. "Which makes it lucky for you that I've decided to help you out."

"What?" gasped Cinder. "How dare you claim you'll help us, when you won't even say a word about where our objective is?"

"Hey, I said I'd help, not do your job for you," retorted Yu, pulling his right hand away from his hip and holding it out palm up. The motion revealed a black sphere that was too big for Yu to have palmed effectively, to say nothing of the fact that he had no sleeves to hide it in. It was suddenly just...there...just as Yu himself had appeared from nowhere.

The sphere was black, yet not uniformly so. There were deviations in shading, producing swirls and whorls, which shifted sickeningly. There was a faint...pulsing from the sphere. It wasn't exactly a sound, but rather a feeling, almost something that was felt in one's bones, a malign heartbeat.

"What...is that?" asked Cinder, her mouth suddenly dry at the sight of that sphere, which seemed so innocuous, yet so menacing at the same time.

"It's a Grimm," said Yu. "The hag's creations are so lackluster, I thought I'd try my hand at making one. I gotta say, I think the results are pretty good, if I do say so myself. You might call it a replacement for that Dragon I woke up before. It ain't an attractor, but it'll make the Dragon look like a kitten by comparison. Once they see it, the entire Kingdom'll be collectively shitting their pants. This'll give my kids a proper fight."

Cinder's mind had ground to a halt after the first two sentences of Yu's explanation. "You made...a Grimm..." Her eyes widened, and she glared at Yu. "Impossible! Only my Mistress has that power."

"The hag _thinks_ she's the only one who has that power," said Yu. "But the Grimm are older than her, you know. She just coopted them to serve her purposes after all. But the power to _make_ Grimm, that comes from elsewhere."

"Oh? And how did you manage it?" asked Cinder skeptically.

"It's an old story," teased Yu. "Once upon a time, there were these two brothers, you see-"

"The Relic of Creation!" gasped Cinder, her arms falling limp. "You've found and used it?"

"MORON!" snapped Yu, chopping down on Cinder's head with his free hand, sending a painful jolt down her spine, and all the way to the tips of her toes. Her swords dropped from nerveless hands to shatter, then disintegrate, against the floor. The movement had been so swift that her eyes hadn't caught even the faintest blur. Cinder had noticed nothing, until the pain of impact was already passing through her body.

Both Mercury and Emerald tensed, readying to attack, but not knowing how, having missed Yu's movement entirely, the sheer suddenness of his action causing them to lock in place with hesitation...and that was before Yu's malice bore down on them like multi-ton weights, causing their knees to buckle, threatening to drive them down to the floor with the sheer force of his animosity alone.

And, despite that, Yu's grin remained as cheerfully savage as ever. "Geez, you really are an idiot," he scolded Cinder. "How many times have I told you, the Relics are props, cheap crutches to keep you from obtaining _real_ power? You don't get it. Ozzy doesn't get it. The hag _really_ doesn't get it. You're all hopeless." He sighed and shook his head. "Whatever, doesn't matter."

He hefted the orb of dark malevolence in his palm. "The point is, this is a seed. I'm gonna plant this outside, somewhere around where that Dragon was. All it needs is fertilizer...and, given that it's a Grimm, I think you know what that is. Now it's a _real_ competition between you and my kids. If you stoke the atmosphere enough, you'll get an even bigger disaster than you could ever hope for, a calamity to make your original plan look tame by comparison. If you fail, nothing happens, and my kids'll take you and yours to the cleaners. It's all up to how well you stir the pot."

He laughed. "Isn't that nice of me? Your margin of error is so much larger now. You don't have to worry about gradually luring in a large number of Grimm, without attracting the notice of the Huntsmen. So long as you get enough negativity, you'll get something worth a hundred-thousand Grimm, probably more."

Yu closed his hand around the sphere, which shouldn't have been completely enclosed within his fingers, yet seemed to vanish when they contracted completely. "Anyway, that's about all I've got to say to you lot. Make sure you do your best. As pathetic as you are, I doubt it'll amount to much. See you chumps later."

He vanished. One second he was there. The next...he wasn't. There had been no visible movement, not even the faintest stirring of air from his motion, not even an abrupt collapse of air to fill the space he'd just occupied. It was as though the Yu that had just confronted them had been nothing more than a vivid hallucination. Yet they knew that his presence had been all too real.

Cinder trembled with a mix of fear and fury. Yu's presence, his nature, his malice; they all inspired fear within her. But his mockery, his indifference to the power she'd gone through so much trouble to obtain, his condescending dismissal of her strength; that stoked the flames of anger and hatred within her even more.

Both Mercury and Emerald eyed Cinder warily, neither of them wanting to speak, lest they suddenly become the targets of her wrath.

 _I promise you this...Yu Yuen. When the time comes, I will find your precious students, that you take so much pride in, and I will burn them to ashes. I will make you regret making light of me._

* * *

Neo swallowed. It took all her willpower to creep away from the door to Cinder's room without breaking into a full-on sprint. Cinder's wrath had been terrible, but the...person (if he could be called that)...called Yu Yuen was far more terrifying. Cinder had been far more overt, when it came to threats to Neo and Roman's lives. She'd never actually met Yu. But, just by listening at the door to Cinder's room, she had gotten a genuine sense of Yu's menace.

Yu was unlike anyone Neo had ever encountered before...and he was Ayumu's teacher. He had been utterly dismissive of Cinder, chiding and taunting her like a child, completely unfazed by the power she wielded. More to the point, he expressed doubt that Cinder even posed a credible threat to Ayumu and his friends at this stage.

The faint sense of hope that Neo had felt, when Ayumu had revealed the true nature of his weapon to her, had swelled with every instance of frustration that Cinder had expressed. And now, it had solidified into conviction. Ayumu could help her. He was true to his word that he and his friends stood a real chance of defeating Cinder. What was more, she'd felt that Ayumu's care and concern for her had been genuine. Neo couldn't trust Cinder to honor her word. She _knew_ that Ayumu would honor his.

That was more than enough for her.

Ayumu's deadline had been the final day of matches for the doubles round, but Neo didn't need to wait that long. She had made her decision.

What was more...she had some very important news to impart.

* * *

Ayumu flipped another page of his book. As befitted his interest in learning more about cooking, the book he'd borrowed was one that combined cooking recipes with basic explanations about the chemistry and physics that informed the cooking process. According to Jaune, it was by a man who'd run a cooking show in a similar style for several years, before retiring the program. Jaune had promised to show Ayumu where he could watch archived streams of the show in question.

Not far away, Jaune was stretched out on his own bed, calmly perusing a comic. Nora was lying on the next bed over and, in one of her rare quiet moments, indulging in her music, bobbing her head, ears covered with headphones. Nearby, Ren was enjoying the brief interlude of Nora being un-energetic...by napping.

Everyone, except Nora, was roused from their idle activities by a light tapping on the window. Looking up, they spied a girl with long, flowing, magenta hair and violet eyes; dressed in a blue combat-dress not all that dissimilar from Ruby's. She was hanging from their windowsill, having hauled her dainty form up high enough to reach up and rap the window with her knuckles.

Jaune and Ren blinked in confusion. None of them had ever seen this girl before, not even at a distance. However, Ayumu's smile widened considerably, and he happily got up off his bed and opened the window for the girl. "Hello, Ms. Neo. It's good to see you again." _And wise to switch her disguise before coming here,_ he silently added to himself.

Jaune and Ren gasped, falling into combat crouches, and bringing up their hands in preparation to defend themselves. They had only ever seen Neo when she'd intervened, during the altercation with Roman Torchwick and the Atlesian Paladin he'd been piloting. Afterwards, they'd seen her in her disguise, during the tournament, albeit not learning that it was her in disguise until Ayumu had informed them afterwards.

It was at that point that Nora, noticing the breeze from the window, chose to look up. Looking over and seeing the unfamiliar girl looking over the sill into the room, she squawked in surprise, flailing and falling off the bed. "Hey! What the-what!?" she exclaimed, yanking off her headphones, and shooting to her feet.

"It's Neo," said Ren in a soft, but tense tone.

"Oh...You mean the girl Ayumu has a crush on?" asked Nora, prompting Jaune and Ren to forget the seriousness of the situation (having a wanted criminal who belonged to an extremely dangerous enemy faction literally hanging out at their window), and slap their hands to their faces. Ayumu and Neo both blushed at the observation.

"That's what you _would_ remember," grumbled Jaune. "Nora, she's like...Torchwick's right-hand woman." Neo's expression broke into a radiant smile at that observation .

"The one who tried to kill Gin in his sleep," added Ren, causing Neo's expression to fall.

"Which he doesn't hold against her, I remind you," Ayumu said to his teammates, prompting Neo's smile to return.

"Yeah, but I thought we were giving her a chance to not be a bad guy," said Nora, looking between her friends, while Neo glanced at Ayumu in surprise.

"My apologies, Ms. Neo," said Ayumu. "But, they _are_ my friends and comrades...and this is an extremely serious endeavor. So I owed it to them to at least inform them about the situation. They did agree to keep things quiet, until you had made your decision or the deadline had passed. Team Ruby knows too, by the way."

Neo sighed and relaxed a little, before turning her gaze back up at Ayumu, a more serious look on her expression.

Ayumu scratched the back of his head, his smile shrinking a little, the closest he came to outright frowning, most of the time. "I see." He turned to his teammates. "I'm sorry to impose, but might we have the room for a few moments?"

Jaune closed his eyes, then stood up, relaxing his body and rising out of his combat stance. "Sure," he said, giving Ayumu a small smile. Turning to the others, nodded. "Let's give them some time."

"Aww...but I wanna see them be all lovey-dovey," complained Nora, drawing an annoyed pout from Neo, and another blush from the diminutive girl and Ayumu.

"Private conversation first, blackmail material later," said Ren, taking Nora by the shoulders and steering her out through the door Jaune held open for them.

Jaune gave Ayumu one last concerned look, which Ayumu returned with a smile and a nod, before bowing out himself, allowing the door to fall shut with a click.

Ayumu turned back to Neo, and held out a hand to her. "It's probably best for you to come in, before someone sees you."

Neo nodded and accepted Ayumu's hand, allowing him to pull her into the room, though she could have done so herself easily. For a moment, they stood there, staring at each other, Ayumu taking Neo's other hand. A flicker of light climbed up her body, replacing her disguise with her normal appearance.

Finally, Ayumu broke the silence. "I wasn't expecting you to approach me like this. Did something happen?"

Neo blinked in surprise, gazing up at Ayumu with a confused look.

Scratching the back of his head, Ayumu's smile took on a sheepish quality. "I am curious," he admitted. "But it's something of a matter of principle to me. I want to put knowing about your wellbeing first."

Neo blinked, this time to hold back tears, before she threw herself at Ayumu, knocking him back a step and wrapping her arms around his upper back, prompting Ayumu hug her around the shoulders as she leaned into his chest, allowing him to feel her quake against him.

"Something _did_ happen then," observed Ayumu, trailing a hand through the locks of two-toned hair that ran down her back. He stepped back, pulling Neo towards his bed, and sitting the pair of them down. For a moment, Ayumu simply held her, letting Neo rest against his body, relaxing until her tremors began to recede. Finally, she pulled back and looked up at him, blinking her eyes, their colors swapping each time they closed.

Finally, Neo pulled out her scroll ,and began tapping out a message with her finger. It was the work of a moment, before she showed the screen to Ayumu. " _Your teacher visited Cinder and the others._ "

"Master Yu...?" Ayumu leaned back slightly, before cupping his chin thoughtfully. "No. Actually, that doesn't surprise me all that much."

Neo gave him a confused look.

Ayumu sighed. "In order to enhance our training, Master Yu likes to utilize real threats as much as possible. That's part of the reason he's left the three of us-Gin, Ruby, and I-up to our own devices so much, because we get into real trouble well enough on our own. However, he often decides to take action himself to raise the difficulty level, in order to test us further. If anything, I suspect that he has been in touch with Ms. Fall long before you noticed them meeting."

Neo paled.

"It's not that he's actually assisting her," said Ayumu. "Rather, he's more likely inclining her to take stronger actions towards us, to increase the pressure we're under." He chuckled. "In fact, I suspect he might have been an indirect impetus behind you being ordered to attack Gin."

Neo swallowed visibly, then tapped another question on her scroll. " _Will he be upset if I tell you what I heard?_ " The last thing she wanted was to be subjected to the wrath of a man so dangerous that not even Cinder dared to attack him.

Ayumu took a deep breath, raising his free hand to his face, and pulling his fingers along the skin of his cheeks, almost seeming to deliberately mold his face into the serious expression he showed her next. "Of course not. If that were the case, we would not be having this meeting. Master Yu would have killed you before you got here."

Neo's face went white.

"Master Yu knew you were there the entire time. His _Shingan_ is beyond anything we students are capable of. Within a given range, though I couldn't say how far, I would even go so far as to say that Master Yu is functionally omniscient. Capable though you are, there is no way for you to have escaped his notice."

There was a quivering at the corner of Ayumu's lips, then they gradually pulled out into his habitual smile once more, though slightly thinner and wider, making Neo realize that this was how he normally looked, when stressed, and that he'd had to actually exert an effort in order to put on such a serious face for her. "So...that being the case, feel free to say what you think you need to."

Neo nodded and tapped out a longer message on her scroll. " _He won't help Cinder find who she's looking for...the maiden._ "

"I know who that is," said Ayumu, nodding, mostly to himself.

After tapping some more Neo held out the screen again. " _He said he created a Grimm, that he's going to plant it outside the Kingdom. If Cinder's plan goes through, it will appear and attack._ "

"That's...distressing...on multiple levels," said Ayumu, running a hand through his hair, his smile straining. "Master Yu created a Grimm?"

Neo nodded, adopting a dubious expression, as though to say _"That's what he said,"_ in as skeptical a manner as possible.

"It seems absurd, yet...Master Yu delights in such absurdities," said Ayumu with a tired sigh. "Whatever the case, he doesn't make idle threats, even when making them indirectly. I wouldn't doubt his claims regarding the danger the Kingdom is in, if this Grimm he's created awakens."

Neo shivered, hugging herself to the boy, Ayumu holding her close and tight. "Thank you for telling me this," he said. "It must have been frightening. I'm sorry that I probably haven't done much to make you feel better."

Neo shook her head and looked up at Ayumu with a quivering smile, assuring him, in her typically silent manner, that he had done more than enough, probably just by being there for her, as a friend to lean on first and foremost. Even after all of this, he still hadn't pressed her regarding her decision.

She relaxed for a little while longer, wanting to bask in the warmth of this boy's arms just a little more, before getting down to business. She was glad that Ayumu was willing to indulge her, even though he had every reason to press her about more information, or about what choices she had made. He was being silent, being patient, waiting for her to broach the topic herself, when she was ready...or withdraw entirely, if that was what suited her.

Finally, Neo took a deep breath and pulled away from him, looking up at Ayumu with a resolute expression.

"So...you've come to a decision," said Ayumu, still smiling.

Neo nodded and raised her left hand, gently resting it on Ayumu's chest. She gave him a small smile.

Ayumu's hand rose up to cover hers, squeezing it gently. "A-are you sure?" he asked hesitantly. "I don't wish to sound insincere or uncommitted. I fully intend to do everything in my power to ensure you don't regret your decision. However, I am not nearly as powerful as Master Yu. I can make no guarantees. Master Yu does not care for our lives, beyond the time he has invested in training us. This threat he is preparing is truly dangerous, something that we will not be able to handle if we make the slightest mistake or falter slightly. There is still every chance that we might fail. Should that happen..."

Neo curled her fingers, bunching the fabric of Ayumu's kimono slightly, pulling herself slightly closer.

"I see..." said Ayumu, his smile relaxing into a form that seemed more natural, more at ease. "If you're sure then..." He raised his left hand to cup Neo's cheek. "Thank you for trusting me. I promise I will do all that I can to help you and Mr. Torchwick, Ms. Neo."

Neo pulled her hand away from Ayumu's chest, tugging it out of his grip, then rapped him sharply in the collar with a single finger, all while glaring at him with a pout.

Ayumu laughed. "All right. Neo then."

Neo's smile returned. Her right hand brushed up his left arm, until she was able to grip his shoulder. Then the hand she'd been resting on his chest climbed up to cup his cheek, mirroring how his left was cupping hers. Tugging slightly, Neo brought Ayumu's face down towards hers, allowing their lips to meet.

Ayumu's right hand gripped Neo's shoulder and pulled her closer, the two of them relaxing into the kiss. It was gentle and chaste, nothing more than a mutual massaging of their lips against one another. Finally, they pulled away from each other with a soft smacking sound. Their eyes met once more, then Neo leaned against Ayumu again, resting her head against his chest, while he enfolded her with his arms, slowly rocking her back and forth.

Ayumu didn't even need his _Shingan_ to sense Neo's breathing slow, her muscles relaxing, the tension draining from her body, and exhaustion replacing it. "It seems you've been quite stressed lately," he said, looking down at her. "You could probably use some rest."

Neo nodded.

"That being the case, you are more than welcome to sleep here," said Ayumu. Seeing her worried look, he rubbed her arm reassuringly. "You've already trusted me with so much. Compared to that, trusting me with your repose is a small thing now, don't you think?"

Neo giggled almost inaudibly and nodded.

"You can use my bed then," said Ayumu chivalrously.

Neo squinted her eyes slightly and looked at Ayumu suspiciously. Ayumu laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "No, I won't get any ideas. I promise."

Neo nodded. Reaching behind her, Ayumu gently slid her jacket off. She raised her arms to allow him to remove it entirely, revealing the creamy skin of her bare shoulders and exposing more of her cleavage, the rest hidden beneath the brown corset she wore beneath. Then he slipped off her black gloves, followed by carefully removing the multiple necklaces she wore, keeping them from tangling her hair. Finally, he knelt down in front of her. One at a time, Neo lifted her legs, allowing him to slide off her white boots and set them aside. Ayumu finished by pulling off the rather simple black socks that Neo wore, leaving her feet bare.

Feeling more than a little exposed, Neo gently rubbed her upper arms with her hands, blushing as Ayumu folded her jacket, then set it atop his desk, resting the removed accessories atop it as well, setting her boots at the desk's base. Turning back to her, Ayumu rested a hand on Neo's shoulder, gently pushing her back onto the bed, while pulling the covers out from under her. Once she was lying down, Ayumu pulled the covers back over her, tucking her in, almost like she were a child.

Neo's eyes began to slacken and droop. Leaning over her, Ayumu gently kissed her forehead. "Rest," he said. "You're safe here."

Slowly, Neo allowed her eyes to drift closed. Ayumu closed the window, cutting off the cool breeze that swept the room. Then he moved to the door, turning out the lights, before stepping out into the hall to join his team, slowly closing the door behind him to minimize the sound.

The rest of JNAR were waiting for him in the hall. They regarded Ayumu with curious gazes, the obvious question at the tips of their tongues.

"She's decided," said Ayumu with a cheerful smile. "She's resting now...but we go to see Ozpin tomorrow."

* * *

 **I hope the whole "Yu making a Grimm" thing doesn't come too much out of nowhere, though Yu does "out of nowhere" like it's going out of style. It'll make more sense later, I promise. And I _have_ been laying the groundwork for this before. Some of you might realize what he's getting at, if you go back over some of the conversations he's been a part of earlier on.**


	91. Chapter 91

**Chapter 91:**

"So...why not now?" asked Jaune.

"I told you she was resting," replied Ayumu. "This evening has been extremely stressful to her. You'll understand why soon. She's using my bed at the moment."

"Oooh, you move quick," teased Nora.

Ayumu's cheeks turned pink. "I would rather you didn't imply that," he said.

"So, what's the big deal?" asked Jaune.

"It's annoying to find out in such a roundabout way..." said Ayumu with a sigh, feeling quite tired himself. "Master Yu is back."

"That's...not good," said Jaune, paling slightly.

"That's putting it mildly," said Ayumu.

"You found about it in a roundabout manner, which means..." Ren frowned. "Neo told you."

"That she did," said Ayumu. "The circumstances of which I will be happy to share. But I think that Team Ruby should be here as well. I'd just as well avoid the strain of explaining myself twice."

"I sent them all a message as soon as we were out of the room," said Jaune. "I figured Neo showing up like that meant she'd come to some kind of decision. I'm glad it was the right one."

"And I'm certainly glad that your assumption didn't turn out to be premature," said Ayumu.

Jaune was shoved aside with a surprised squawk, replaced by Nora, who pressed her face to within inches of Ayumu's glaring at him with impressive intensity.

"Um...Yes?" asked Ayumu, his smile twitching nervously.

"So..." pressed Nora.

"So...what?"

"Are you?" asked Nora.

"Am I what?"

"Together! Are you two together-together now?"

"Um...Well..." Ayumu blushed, rubbing the back of his head again. "I...uh...I suppose we are."

"She _is_ sleeping in your bed," said Jaune, smirking from behind Nora, after recovering from being tossed aside so unceremoniously.

"I have no intention of sleeping with her," said Ayumu. "That would definitely be...premature...at this phase."

"It worked for Gin and Ruby," Nora pointed out.

"They are a special case," said Ayumu. "At the point where they got together-together, as you would put it, Gin had already fully earned Ruby's trust and, even now, even though they've slept together, they haven't... _slept_ together...if you take my meaning."

"We take it just fine," said Ren, gripping Nora by her shoulders and gently pulling her back. "We'll leave you to take things at your own pace. It's well enough that you've won her over."

"We're happy for you," added Jaune.

"Thank you," said Ayumu. "Now, I suppose all that's left to do is wait for Team Ruby to join us."

"That might take a little while," said Jaune. "Yang and Blake are already on their way. But Ruby and Gin have to get back from Vale first."

"I wonder if they're okay," mused Ren. "They've been having to dodge the paparazzi all day."

"I'm sure they're fine," said Ayumu cheerfully.

* * *

Ruby and Gin were a fair bit better than "fine," by their estimation. What should have been upsetting, and a severe violation of their privacy, had instead turned into a combination of hide-and-seek and tag. After the movie, they went to lunch at the diner Taiyang had taken them to, when he'd visited. Then they had gone to the arcade. Then they'd visited a weapons emporium, so that Ruby could drool over all the parts and mods she no longer needed.

At every turn, the paparazzi eventually caught on and tried to catch up, only for Ruby and Gin to sense them coming, and slyly duck out before any of them could catch a glimpse of her (she made sure to settle her bill at the restaurant first, of course). Finally, when they'd settled on where to have dinner, they allowed the gang of freelance photographers get their pictures, simple pictures of Gin and Ruby enjoying a nice dinner, on the patio of a simple restaurant, occasionally reaching across the table to hold hands. Ruby couldn't hold in her giggles as she sensed the mental and physical exhaustion of the men and women who'd tried so hard to keep up with her and Gin.

Apparently, the paparazzi had had enough of being led around by the nose all day. By the time Ruby and Gin settled their bill at the restaurant and made their way back to the docks to return to Beacon, the nagging sensation of being stalked and watched had all but vanished, the last few photographers being left behind when they boarded the airship.

"Well, that was entertaining," said Gin, letting Ruby lean against him.

"I almost feel sorry for them," Ruby said, giggling softly.

"Eh, they earned it," said Gin. "I can't imagine what the papers are going to say about us ducking around all day."

"Oh, all sorts of scandalous things, I'm sure," said Ruby. "I'm way past caring either way."

Her scroll buzzed, and she pulled it out, frowning as she read the message.

"What is it?" asked Gin.

"It's Neo," said Ruby. "She showed up in January's room, and wanted to talk to Ayumu."

"So she's made her decision then," said Gin.

"Hopefully it's the right one," said Ruby.

"I'm willing to bet Ayumu's won her over," said Gin, leaning back. "Either way, it seems our day isn't over just yet."

* * *

They convened in Team RUBY's room, so as not to disturb the still-sleeping Neo. Ayumu stationed himself at the door, allowing his _Shingan_ to extend his awareness across the hall and keep tabs on Neo. While he was fairly certain that no one but the eight of them knew she was in JNAR's room, he wanted to be sure, just in case. After what they'd just been through, it would be horrifying to go back and return to see an empty bed, with Neo's whereabouts a mystery.

"So...now what?" asked Ruby. "She said yes to your offer, Ayumu. Shouldn't we go to Ozpin?"

"I plan to...tomorrow," said Ayumu. "However, there are other things to discuss first. Mi-er-Neo brought some rather...disturbing...news with her, when she showed up."

"What?" asked Gin.

"Master Yu is back," replied Ayumu.

"He didn't approach us," said Ruby, frowning.

"Weird, you'd think he'd be happy to interrupt our date again," muttered Gin.

"But if Neo knew he was back...and she was the one to tell you, then..." Ruby's eyes widened.

"Yes, Master Yu has been in contact with the enemy," replied Ayumu. "M-Neo was eavesdropping on the rest of her team, when he showed up."

"The fact that she told you means that Master Yu doesn't mind us knowing that he's back," said Gin.

"My thoughts exactly," agreed Ayumu. "The real problem is what Master Yu was doing with our enemies."

"If he was there...was he helping them?" asked Blake.

"For a given definition of the term, yes," said Ayumu.

"He didn't tell them where Amber was, did he?" asked Ruby, her voice almost frantic.

"Fortunately, no," said Ayumu. "I'll have to get more details from Neo, when she wakes up. But what she _did_ tell me was disturbing enough."

"What is it?" asked Ruby.

Ayumu swallowed. "Master Yu made a Grimm."

"Wait!" exclaimed Jaune. "Say that again..."

"Master Yu made a Grimm," Ayumu repeated dutifully.

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Yang, shooting to her feet. "That can't be possible!"

"He seems to delight in doing the impossible," grumbled Gin, while Ruby nodded.

"He's going to plant it outside the Kingdom," said Ayumu. "If Ms. Fall succeeds with her plan to stir up enough negativity amongst the Kingdom's people, it will awaken and attack."

"That has to be a lie!" snapped Blake. "First off, I don't care what madness we've seen before. There's _no_ way your teacher could create a Grimm. It's ludicrous. I refuse to believe that something like that is possible!"

Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu shared resigned looks. "I wouldn't put it past him," said Ruby.

"You actually _believe_ this?" asked Blake, looking between the three of them. "Neo could be lying, for all that you know!"

"If that were the case, wouldn't it be a strange lie to tell?" asks Gin. "I mean, there's no way she knows enough about our master to be able come up with a lie that simultaneously ridiculous and plausible at the same time."

"I can't believe you...this is just..." Blake huffed, panting from her previous outburst, before looking at the other people in the world. "You don't actually believe this is possible, do you?"

"W-well...it is hard to believe," conceded Ren, "...but we've already encountered so many things that are hard to believe."

"Yeah, I mean we've learned that the Maidens are real," said Nora. "And Ozpin told us about those weird relic thingies that these two gods just left lying around."

"Compared to that, the idea that this Yu guy can make Grimm is actually pretty low-key, when you think about it," added Yang with a chuckle. "Even if it's scary enough that I kinda just wanna stick my head in the sand and forget about it."

A hand rested on Blake's shoulder and she looked over to see Jaune giving her a concerned look. "You okay, Blake? You're kinda freaking out about all this."

"I'm sorry," said Blake, slumping. "It's just...this is too much. Every time I think we have a handle on things, they just seem to get more absurd. We look into the White Fang, and find out they're working with some insane woman trying to destroy the entire Kingdom. Ruby comes back from the dead, but she's been trained by a madman who'd wipe out thousands, just to teach her a lesson. We go to Ozpin and he dumps this reality of the Maidens and Relics on us and talks about this Salem person. We learn who the bad guys are, but we won't do anything about it, because Ayumu wants to try and save his crush from them, even though she was working for them to begin with. And now, even when she comes over and promises to help us, she tells us that Yu Yuen has been working with Cinder, and that he's made some kind of Grimm to attack the Kingdom with. It's too much!"

Powerful arms wrapped around Blake's shoulders and pulled her close. Yang held her partner tightly, gently rocking her. "It's okay," she whispered. "Take some deep breaths. I've got you."

Blake listened to Yang's voice, trying to breathe deeper and more slowly.

"Um...Well that derailed things a little," said Ayumu, smiling nervously. "I'm sorry, but things are what they are, Ms. Blake. Ignoring them won't make them go away either."

"You really believe this?" asked Ren.

"I really do," said Ayumu. "More to the point, if Master Yu has gone through the trouble of creating a Grimm, it's highly likely that it's extremely dangerous, more dangerous than the Dragon was."

"But you can fight it, right?" asked Nora worriedly.

"We can," said Ayumu. "But Master Yu would not pull his punches, so to speak. Even if this is another lesson from him, it doesn't mean that it's something designed for us to win against, just by utilizing what we've learned so far. If anything, it's meant to push us beyond our limits to the next level. Whether or not we can do that will mean the difference between life and death."

"On the other hand, Master Yu made it clear that whether or not this Grimm wakes up and attacks at all is up to whether or not Cinder's plan works," said Gin. "If she and her people can stir up enough negativity, this thing attacks. If they can't, it'll just keep sleeping."

"Then we need to stop Cinder," said Ruby firmly. "We do that, and we can just hunt this thing down later."

"That's probably for the best," said Ayumu. "I'm actually a little surprised that he would leave us an out like that."

"Which probably means that stopping Cinder's plan from working is going to be a task on the same level of difficulty," grumbled Gin. "What's more, providing her with this Grimm is probably meant to make her job easier."

"So it would seem," said Ayumu.

"So...I'm sure Ozpin will have a plan, once we tell him what's going on," said Jaune.

"Perhaps, but we should try to come up with something ourselves," said Ayumu. "At the very least, I'm hoping that we can have something approaching a basic plan of action, when we go to him tomorrow."

"Is that so important?" asked Yang, still holding Blake.

"Yes, well..." Ayumu scratched his cheek. "I just believe that the more input we have in how things are done, the better we'll be able to steer the outcome."

 _In other words, it's about Neo again,_ thought Gin, silently tracing Ayumu's line of thought.

They _could_ just go to Ozpin, and let him and the fellow members of his inner circle plan things out for them. That would be the simplest option. But there was every chance that, when Ozpin found out that Neo had switched sides, and was now helping them, that, if they didn't have a plan of their own in place, he would be all too willing to just use Neo as a piece. Creating a plan, giving Neo a role in it, would help them increase her agency, which would give them more leverage, when it came time for Neo's fate to be decided, when her actions were weighed against the crimes she and Torchwick had committed in the past.

Glancing at Blake, seeing her still quivering against Yang, remembering how she'd objected to waiting for Neo's decision and, even now, appeared not to be happy with Neo's inclusion, Gin decided to keep that thought to himself.

"So...what's the plan then?" asked Ruby. "How do we keep Cinder from stirring up so much negativity?"

"That is the question," conceded Ayumu with a tired sigh.

"If it were up to Ironwood, he'd probably want to just swoop in and arrest Cinder and her posse on the spot," said Gin.

"That would be the simplest solution," said Jaune. "But...depending how it happened, that could cause quite the stir on its own. If we're trying to avoid stirring up too much negativity, we don't want to do anything that could rock the boat too much."

"But what about Ruby and Ayumu's plan?" asked Nora. "That was gonna rock the boat on purpose."

"That's true," said Ayumu, trading a worried look with Ruby. If they went forward with their plan, then the concept of the importance of Dust itself would be turned on its head. On the other hand, if they held off...

"No," said Ruby, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "We keep going with it."

"But Ruby..." protested Yang, still holding Blake, who was now watching her leader with worried eyes, "...we're talking about the fate of the Kingdom! I know this is important, but...we can't really afford this now. Maybe next time-"

"And what about next time?" demanded Ruby, her voice rising, much like Blake's had earlier. But instead of fear and denial, her voice was swelling with anger. "It's _always_ next time! There's always bigger fish to fry! There'll always be something else! I'm sick of it!

"It's reasoning like that that made Ironwood let the SDC walk all over their faunus workers, like Ayumu and his family. There's something more important going on, he had a war to fight, so he let Weiss' dad do what he wanted. And where did that get us? The White Fang are practically Cinder's foot soldiers now. They worked to end that kind of exploitation, peacefully, but people like Ironwood ignored them because 'there are more important things.' So they decided that they had to fight, if they were going to get anything done. I won't let reasoning like that be an excuse to not do anything, when there's something I can do. I'm done with playing it safe, not when it's a choice between that and doing what's _right!_ "

Ruby's friends, even Gin and Ayumu, were watching her with wide eyes, never having expected such an intense outburst from her. More importantly, as Ruby's frustration and anger had swelled, her eyes had begun to flash, shimmering, silver light flowing outwards, radiating from their corners.

Then Gin moved behind Ruby, and wrapped one arm around her stomach, pulling her back against him. He rested his opposite hand against her forehead, his cool touch soothing the heat of her anger, as always. Ruby relaxed, her eyes dimming. She leaned back against him with a tired sigh. "Thank you," she said softly.

"Anytime," said Gin with a smile.

"I...I didn't realize you felt so strongly about this," said Ayumu, his smile wavering, then widening in a look of genuine happiness. "Thank you, Ruby."

"I promised I'd use what we learned to make this world a better place," said Ruby. "Fighting Cinder's plan is one way to do that. But it's not the _only_ way."

"Well, if that's how you feel, I'm behind you, Sis," said Yang with a fierce grin.

"I'm not backing down now," said Jaune.

"We're happy to help," said Ren, exchanging a nod with Nora.

"Blake?" asked Yang, turning her eyes to the black-haired girl in her arms.

"I...I need to think," said Blake softly. "This is all just so much..."

"Then think," said Ruby, smiling at her friend. "I know this seems like a lot. But all we can do is keep moving forward."

"All right," said Blake, sighing and leaning into Yang's embrace once more.

* * *

Liu stepped out from the bar, relishing in the slight buzz imparted by the alcohol. His meeting with Ruby the previous night had been aggravating on a level that he'd previously thought impossible, the witch refusing to acknowledge her crimes and crudely dismissing him, all while hiding behind that faunus boyfriend of hers. Even reading about it in the morning, with the papers going so far as to speculate that she was having an affair with or against the heir of the Schnee Dust Company, had been irritating. It was bad enough that Ruby Rose had ruined Pyrrha's reputation. But to think she was capitalizing off of it in this manner...

Sadly, he could not simply dispense the justice Ruby Rose so deserved. Even his teammates would not back him, if he caused an incident outside the ring. Granted, they were all self-absorbed to a fault, concentrating on their own interests, and focusing on what was important than them, instead of the righteous endeavor that Liu had embarked upon.

To him, Pyrrha Nikos represented the pinnacle of skill and power; a true Goddess of Victory, incarnated in human form. After being beaten so soundly by her in the tournament, Liu had absorbed himself in watching videos of her matches. At first, it had been in preparation for facing her again, for obtaining victory for himself. However, every time he watched her, he found himself swept away by her flawless skill, her peerless grace. Every move she made was perfection. He had no hope of measuring up against that. Watching, he had discerned that her Semblance allowed her to interfere with her opponents' weapons in some fashion, though it wasn't until the truth about what she had done to Ruby had been exposed, that the actual mechanism had been revealed. But, to Liu, that was simply more proof that Pyrrha was a goddess, that she'd been granted an ability, by divine favor, that allowed her to claim victory all the more decisively. With that power, what else could she be, but a goddess?

It had been a severe blow to learn that Pyrrha would be going to Beacon, instead of Haven. Still, Liu had realized that, with the Vytal Festival coming, all he had to do was wait, and he would see her again. Whether they met in the festival or the ring, he was certain that Pyrrha would recognize his absolute love for her.

Except that Pyrrha wouldn't be at the festival. Instead, she had been imprisoned, like some kind of common criminal. The mere thought incensed Liu. He'd done all he could to learn about the crime his goddess had been accused of...and the one who had accused her.

It turned out that Pyrrha, along with Weiss Schnee, had attempted to kill Ruby Rose. They had acted for the sake of their prestige, for Beacon's reputation, considering the girl's presence an insult, when she was two years younger than everyone else in her class. Learning more about the girl had only made Liu come to hate her.

Ruby Rose was nothing more than an uppity brat, a little witch with some extra talent. But that was apparently enough to designate her as more important than Pyrrha. Did nobody understand? Pyrrha Nikos, the Goddess of Victory, had decided that Ruby was unworthy, and passed judgment on her. That was not a crime. That was Pyrrha's _right_.

And yet, Ruby had stood up to him so defiantly, showing no remorse. She'd continued to refer to Pyrrha casually, to treat her righteous judgment as though it were the same as a crime committed by an ordinary person. She had no right. When she had survived the justice Pyrrha had dispensed, the right thing to do for Ruby Rose would have been to allow herself to vanish into obscurity, and never allow herself to be seen again.

As such, Liu had turned to drink to keep from exploding. He wanted nothing more than to hunt Ruby down and make her scream and beg forgiveness from Pyrrha. But that would have to wait. As much as it galled him to admit it, she was right about one thing. If they kept moving forward through the tournament, they would meet each other. Then he would make her regret even speaking to Pyrrha Nikos.

"Liu..."

Liu froze at the sound of the soft, feminine voice that issued from behind him. Trembling, he turned towards the source and his eyes widened. "P-P-Pyrrha..."

Pyrrha Nikos was indeed standing before him. Her head of glorious, flowing, red hair was covered by a dark-brown hood, attached to a cloak that wrapped around to conceal her armor and combat outfit. Yet it was unmistakably her. Liu had heard nothing of what had happened to her, following her arrest and conviction. But now, here she was, standing before him, like a figure from a dream. He shook his head, trying to clear it, worried that the alcoholic fog over his mind was tempting him, showing things that weren't really there.

Despite his best attempts, the figure before him remained painfully real. "Y-you're really here," he whimpered.

"I am," agreed Pyrrha, smiling warmly. "I've been wanting to see you, Liu. I've been looking forward to it for the longest time."

"You wanted to see me?" gasped Liu, his legs quaking, threatening to drop him onto his knees.

"Yes," said Pyrrha. "After everything I've been through, I need the love of the one who has always believed in me, no matter what." She held out her hand to him. "Won't you come to me, Liu...come with me?"

"Anywhere!" gasped Liu, sobbing like a drowning man who'd just had the hand of salvation held out to him. He grasped Pyrrha's outstretched hand in both his own.

"Then follow," said Pyrrha softly, leading him through the streets.

Pyrrha took Liu to a small hotel. It was hard to believe that any such place had rooms available now, with the Vytal Festival in full swing. Yet this hotel just so happened to have an available room. Apparently some misfortune had befallen the original bookers, and they had been unable to come. The owner had been happy to rent out the room again, for a premium price, given how scarce lodgings were during the festival.

Everything had been already arranged for her, so Pyrrha took Liu straight to her room and brought him inside.

"What are we doing here?" asked Liu, looking around.

"Liu...I am your goddess, aren't I?" asked Pyrrha, carefully working her hands under her cloak.

"Without a doubt," said Liu.

"That means you are devoted to me," she said.

"Yes," breathed Liu, staring down, gripping his shirt over his chest. "I am more devoted to you than anyone. The entire world may turn their backs on you. But I will _never_ abandon you."

Behind him, he heard a whisper of fabric. Turning around, he saw Pyrrha's cloak come undone and fall to her feet, with the rest of her attire. Reaching up, Pyrrha removed her circlet, then undid her ponytail, leaving her crimson locks to cascade freely down her back. Pyrrha stood before Liu, completely naked.

"Then, as your goddess, I have a reward for my most devoted servant," said Pyrrha, favoring the boy in front of her with a sultry smile.

"My...my goddess," whispered Liu breathlessly.

"Come to me," said Pyrrha, holding out her arms to him.

Liu seemed to be in a daze. He removed his own clothes. Naked, he stood before Pyrrha and walked towards her, hesitating a mere step away. Pyrrha's smile widened and she closed the remaining step, slowly, languidly, coiling her arms about his neck, pulling herself close and pressing her lips to his. Liu responded automatically, moving his lips against hers. Then Pyrrha extended her tongue, prying her paramour's lips open and slithering through them. Liu's teeth parted and his own tongue reached out to meet hers, the two of them twining together.

The intensity of the kiss snapped Liu out of his daze. Swiftly, desperately, his arms reached out and wrapped around Pyrrha's waist, holding tight and pulling her body flush against his own. Pyrrha moaned, relishing in the feeling of her breasts pressing against Liu's chest. She raised her leg and wrapped around behind him, grinding against him, feeling him harden against her.

Leaning back, she withdrew her lips from Liu's, their tongues disengaging with a trail of saliva connecting them. "I'm your goddess, Liu Bai," gasped Pyrrha. "Now...as your goddess, I command you. Worship me! Show me your love and devotion!"

Words were not needed in response. Liu dove forward, sliding one hand up Pyrrha's arching back to bring her chest closer as he laid his tongue upon one breast, licking it, lavishing it with his tongue, before closing his lips on her nipple and sucking, making Pyrrha gasp. After that, he turned his attention to her other breast.

"Yes!" she groaned. "That's it! More!"

Unable to restrain himself anymore, Liu surged forward, driving Pyrrha back, until her legs met the side of the bed. In a single move, he lifted her up, then practically threw her down upon the mattress. In a flash, he was above her, trailing kisses down her neck, to her collar, over her breasts, and down her stomach. They were swift and frantic, as though pleasing Pyrrha was a matter of the utmost urgency. Finally, he crossed the line of her waist. Lifting her leg, he pressed his lips to her thigh and kissed up it, until he reached the moistening vagina. Spreading it apart, Liu paused to kiss the bud of her clitoris, prompting another gasp from Pyrrha, before diving in eagerly, extending his tongue as far as it could go, reaching into the depths of Pyrrha's most intimate area.

Pyrrha gasped and writhed, her hands rising over her head to grip the fabric of her pillow as Liu devoted all his energy to her pleasure. Within moments, her excitement and pleasure reached fever-pitch and, with a scream, she released, the results of her orgasm spreading across Liu's face.

Pyrrha sagged back onto the mattress, panting deeply. Liu rose up, wiping his mouth. "You've blessed me with the flavor of your nectar," he said.

"G-good," said Pyrrha, trying to remain coherent after her release. She took a deep breath, swallowed, then licked her lips. "Now...come...fill me."

Liu's body shuddered, his muscles tensing, his eyes going wide, as though he couldn't believe what he'd heard. Then, with an exultant shout of "YES!" he threw himself on her. He waisted no time, driving himself into Pyrrha with enough force to make her scream. There was no tenderness, no attempting to hold back in preparation for what might well have been Pyrrha's first time. Instead, Liu drove himself into her with wild abandon. Pyrrha screamed, first in pain, then in pleasure, as Liu hammered away at her with enough force to make their bed rock.

For several minutes, Liu pumped in and out of her, while leaning in and alternately kissing Pyrrha or savoring her breasts again. Finally, Pyrrha felt her pleasure nearing its peak again. Reaching up, she pulled Liu against her, wrapping her legs around his waist and pulling him all the way in. Her orgasm struck, causing her passage to tighten around him, triggering Liu's orgasm in turn, his seed pumping into her and filling her with warmth.

They collapsed, gasping, Liu's chin resting between Pyrrha's breasts. "Did I please you?" he asked.

"...You did." In his excitement, Liu missed the minute hesitation in Pyrrha's response, the slightest twitch of her blissful smile. Still, she wrapped herself around him and pulled herself against him, sliding their sweat-soaked bodies against each other. "Liu, our night together has only begun."

"But the tournament," said Liu. "My match could be tomorrow."

"Don't worry," said Pyrrha. "I have powerful friends, with far reach. Your match won't be tomorrow." Her eyes narrowed. "So...as your goddess, I command you: worship me the night through, with all your fervor. Give me everything!"

"Yes!" exclaimed Liu, already pushing into her once more.

Pyrrha was glad that Watts had gone through the trouble of getting her a room with good sound-proofing. Liu made her shriek and scream the whole night through, until her throat was hoarse.

* * *

Ruby and Gin followed Team JNAR out of RUBY's room, Ayumu silently indicating he wanted to speak with them privately. They milled in the hall for a moment, while Ayumu checked on Neo (still sleeping), and asked his teammates to look after her without disturbing her, though Jaune pointed out, with some amusement, that Neo could probably take all three of them, if they were stupid enough to try anything with her. Still; he, Ren, and Nora promised to keep an eye on things, and not disturb Neo if they could help it.

In the meantime, Ayumu led his fellow apprentices up to the vacant roof, where he and Jaune sometimes trained.

"What's up?" asked Ruby.

"This has something to do with Yu making that Grimm, doesn't it?" said Gin.

"It does," said Ayumu, his smile faltering slightly. "Reflecting back on it, I can't help but think about the fact that we were meant to learn that particular bit of information."

"Doesn't he want us to know what's coming?" asked Gin.

"That doesn't seem like him," said Ruby. "He loves blindsiding us with stuff."

"True," agreed Ayumu. "That only makes it all the more unusual that he'd allow us to find out about this Grimm of his."

"Which means that he _wants_ us to know about it..." Gin frowned. "No...he wants us to know that _he_ made it, that he can create something like that."

Ayumu softly clapped his hands together, pulling them apart to reveal the Green Destiny. "We know that the creation of matter and objects from Aura is possible. That being the case..."

"He wants us to know that there's something beyond that," said Ruby. "There's a higher skill, above materialization."

"Higher than materialization? What makes you think that?" asked Gin.

"Because he made a _Grimm_ ," said Ruby, looking at Gin worriedly. "Aura destroys Grimm, there's no way they could ever be born _from_ it. So there's no way Master Yu could have made a Grimm through just materialization."

"My thoughts exactly," said Ayumu. "It isn't just that that he performed some higher level of materialization, something like a more complex object, or even a living thing. He created something whose nature is antithetical to that of Aura, something that could not be created from Aura. He deliberately performed the most extreme action to make us fully aware of its contradictions."

"But what conclusion is that supposed to guide us to?" asked Gin.

"Creation..." whispered Ruby.

"Huh?" Gin and Ayumu looked at her in confusion.

"Remember the story Ozpin told us, the one about the two brothers?" asked Ruby.

"Oh! You mean the Relics," said Ayumu, slapping the palm of his hand with a fist. "Wait! You think Master Yu got his hand on Creation? That was one of the Relics, wasn't it?"

Ruby shook her head. "Master Yu would sneer at something like that," she said.

"He would," Gin agreed. "But I think I get what you're getting at, Ruby. If I remember properly, Ozpin said those Relics are supposed to embody the gifts those gods gave humanity."

"I see...In other words, those Relics embody them, but we peoples of humanity, we were already granted those gifts in the act of our creation." Ayumu's eyes widened. "So that's what Master Yu wanted us to realize."

"If that's the case, then everything he's taught us is leading to us learning to unlock those powers ourselves," said Ruby. "It isn't just Creation. Knowledge, Choice, Destruction; they're what Master Yu is leading us to learn."

Ayumu's sword flashed, his body turning so that he could slash through the space behind him. Immediately following his movement, Yu appeared right behind him, his body flickering so that Ayumu's sword passed through the throat of his afterimage, even as he appeared to simply teleport a step back.

"Got it in one," said Yu, even as he dodged.

Gin and Ruby had already dropped into combat stances, Shining Rose and Gin's claws having appeared in the same second that Ayumu had moved.

"Not bad," said Yu with his typically savage grin. "Your reaction time has improved a tad. Glad to see you didn't slack off, while I was gone."

"I was wondering if you'd show up, Master," said Ayumu turning to face him.

"Eh, isn't that why you came out here to talk all private-like?" asked Yu with a grin. "You wanted to bait me in by making my ears burn, right?"

"True," agreed Ayumu cheerfully. "Still...to think that was the end you were steering us to."

"That's way beyond tapping into the unlimited power of the human soul," said Gin.

"I was originally gonna hold off a while longer on that revelation," confessed Yu. "But you kids came a lot further over your little break than even _I_ anticipated. I'm still working out how you did it."

"If you have those powers, you possess Knowledge," said Ayumu. "Couldn't you simply Know?"

"Powers like that aren't all that different from any other technique," said Yu. "To do it properly, you gotta keep touch with the basics, keep practicing and refining the skills that led you to higher skills. Knowledge is all well and good, but not if I lose touch with the skill of being able to work things out for myself." He chuckled. "Besides, it's fun to figure things out, rather than just Know, right off the bat."

He canted his head. "In any case, I'm still working out how you got so far. I know you guys had reached the right conclusions, after my last pop quiz. You were definitely heading down the right path. But to come so far, this quickly, you..." He tilted his head the other direction. "I see...so you're the ones responsible for little Amber's abrupt recovery. Nice. In order to do that, you...and then you took what you learned from that and...well well...Aren't you kids the bold ones? A little sex of the soul, eh?"

Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu blushed.

"It never occurred to me that you'd do something like that," said Yu. "Love as a catalyst, huh? Maybe it's 'cause I don't have love for anyone but myself."

"That would make sense," muttered Gin.

"Well, to each their own," said Yu with a laugh. "But you managed to impress me, kids. That's why I've gone a few steps ahead of where I originally planned to be. You've convinced me to really raise the bar."

His three students paled at his words. Once again, his praise, rare as it was, contained the implication that their growth only incited him to make things harder and more dangerous.

"Better buckle down and finish your homework kiddos," said Yu. "No slacking off, now. The Dragon was a pop quiz. At best, you could say it was your midterm. But this...this is gonna be your final exam. Don't disappoint me."

Then he vanished, both from sight and the gestalt of their senses represented by the _Shingan_. They stood in silence for a long moment, before Gin sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, we're really in for it now," he said tiredly.

* * *

Liu awoke on a strange bed, staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly. He frowned, remembering passing out with a warm, supple body pressed up against him. There was no pressure on his arm now, no warmth of another person beside him. Looking over, Liu saw that the bed was empty.

 _Was it...was it all a dream?_ That didn't make sense. He was definitely in the hotel room that he remembered Pyrrha taking him to the previous night. His muscles were strained from the intensity of last night's exertions, his body sticky with the drying remnants of their fluids. _Then where is Pyrrha?_

A shadow crossed his line of sight. Turning his head the other way, he saw Pyrrha standing before the room's single window, light seeping through the curtains to illuminate her naked form from behind. She'd apparently gotten up early and taken a shower, as she looked perfectly clean, her hair still glistening with moisture.

"Good morning," she said. "I hope you're rested."

"I am," said Liu, sitting up, sliding the covers off. Swinging his legs out, he stood up in front of Pyrrha. Seeing her, still naked, standing before him so openly, made his hunger for her rise up again. His body moving without thought, Liu stepped forward to take her into his arms again, only to stop when Pyrrha raised a hand to his chest, forestalling him.

"Pyrrha...?"

"No," said Pyrrha simply.

"B-but...last night, you gave yourself to me," pleaded Liu. "Let me please you once more!"

"No," repeated Pyrrha.

Liu shook, tears leaking from his eyes at the thought of being denied. His body twitched and he lurched forward, moving almost automatically to defy her and take her. She'd already given herself to him after all. This was his right-

"Liu," said Pyrrha firmly, frowning now, "am I your goddess?"

"Y-yes," groaned Liu, his body and voice stuttering to a halt, arms only halfway raised .

"Then you will do as I say?" said Pyrrha.

"Yes," said Liu.

With gentle pressure from her hand, she backed him away again. "Then know this, Liu. Last night was a special reward for my most devoted servant. But it was for one night only. If you wish for me to truly be yours, I have a task for you."

"Anything!" Liu exclaimed.

Pyrrha's smile returned. But it wasn't the sultry, sensual smile she'd worn the previous night. It wasn't the polite smile that she wore for the cameras, back during her celebrity days. It was a chilling smile, a cruel smile. "You know the one who has ruined me?" she asked.

"Of course," said Liu. "I have promised retribution upon her."

"Good," said Pyrrha. "Then I don't need to say much. However, you must listen.

"Simply defeating her isn't enough. Ruby Rose has to die. She has to die in pain. She has to die regretting that she ever crossed me. You will face her in the tournament, of that, I assure you. When you do...crush her, torture her before the eyes of the entire world, make her beg for mercy, then give her none. Make her final moments as agonizing as possible."

Liu was silent, staring at Pyrrha, almost as though he didn't recognize the girl standing before him. Noticing his lack of response, Pyrrha narrowed her eyes. "Do this for me, Liu, and I will be yours, completely."

"I...I will," said Liu.

"Yes, you will," said Pyrrha. "I am your goddess, ruined by the blasphemy of that brat. Avenge me, Liu."

"I will," said Liu, his voice growling with the intensity of his conviction.

"Good," said Pyrrha, pulling away from him. "Get a shower. By the time you finish, I will be gone. When you fulfill your promise, I will come to you again."

Liu nodded wordlessly, his posture sagging slightly at the realization that the miraculous night had ended. However, as he headed to the bathroom, his eyes were lit from within by the flames of passion, making a silent promise to himself that he would see his goddess again.

True to her word, when Liu stepped out of the bathroom, towel around his waist, Pyrrha Nikos, and all signs of her presence, had vanished from the room.

* * *

"My, I didn't expect you to have it in you, to use your body like that," commented Watts through the scroll that Pyrrha held to her ear.

"I always refused to indulge myself for the sake of my image," said Pyrrha. "But now that it doesn't matter, I'm free to do what I want." She smiled to herself. "It's a liberating feeling."

"I'm sure that it is," said Watts. "If you don't mind me asking, did you enjoy yourself?"

"No," said Pyrrha coldly. "I'll admit that it felt good, when we were doing it. But Liu is just a tool. I'm not even sure I needed to sleep with him to get him to do what I wanted. He was probably on the verge of doing it anyway."

"So you have no intention on following through with your promise?" asked Watts.

Pyrrha laughed, throwing her head back, catching herself at the last second, and whipping a hand up to catch her hood, before it was thrown off her head entirely. Calming back down, she smirked. "Please," she scoffed. "Liu has no hope of beating Ruby. Even if he could, I'd have no use for him after that."

After all, Liu wasn't the one she wanted. After their intense night of sex, while Liu had laid, passed out from his exertions, Pyrrha had lain awake. She'd been tormented by a feeling of emptiness. It had been her first time. However, even as Liu had filled her up, she'd been left feeling hollow, as though she'd been emptied instead. This wasn't what she wanted. At the peak of their intercourse, Pyrrha hadn't seen Liu's face. Instead, white hair had been blonde. She'd looked into eyes of a much deeper blue. She'd seen a warm and loving smile. It had taken all her willpower to keep from screaming _his_ name, when she'd climaxed.

 _Jaune..._ He was the one Pyrrha belonged with, the one she wanted to truly give herself to. Her night with Liu had been meaningless, devoid of real affection. But it had served its purpose. When Liu faced Ruby in the ring, Pyrrha had no doubt he'd disgrace himself in a desperate effort to kill her. His behavior would do plenty to stir up the negativity that Cinder and Watts needed for their plan. Ultimately, when chaos fell, Pyrrha would take what belonged to her, once and for all...after making all her so-called "friends" regret turning their backs on her. She would start with those two sisters, who'd stolen away what Pyrrha had wanted most.

All her life, Pyrrha had shelved her own wants, for the sake of her image, her reputation, her fame. Time and time again, she'd deferred her desires, forgone indulgences, and strived to maintain an image of perfection before those who admired her. She'd allowed others to dictate what she did, what she said, what she wanted.

But she was done with that. The truly wonderful thing about falling was that, now that she had hit the bottom, there was no need to worry about such superficialities anymore. Pyrrha Nikos: the Invincible Girl was a slave to her image. Pyrrha Nikos: the Criminal was free to do what she wanted, without worrying about how it made her look. She was free to use her body, her beauty, as a tool to control others. She was free to indulge in whatever pleasures she liked, and _take_ what she wanted.

 _God! It's so liberating,_ she thought. Donning one set of shackles had actually removed another, more invisible set. And now...Pyrrha Nikos was free of _all_ shackles, able to do whatever she truly pleased, for the first time in her life. No one could control her...not even Watts...or his mysterious mistress, whoever she might be. She was free.

* * *

 **Pyrrha-yan is on the move. I hope everyone enjoyed the villain-lemon. Yeah, it was a pretty sick and twisted little affair. But then, Pyrrha-yan is more than a little sick and twisted now. Weiss may be fumbling along to the path of redemption, but Pyrrha's skipping joyfully along the path to full-on villainy, with nary a glance back.**

 **Part of writing this chapter was figuring into people's reactions to learning what Yu was doing. When it came to that, Blake struck me as the one to have the most serious reaction. In the canon series, she's always the one who puts way too much pressure on herself. She holds herself responsible for the White Fang, and what they're doing. When Adam cuts off Yang's arm, in Volume 3, she blames herself for that. Volume 4 has her distancing herself from her friends, again, believing that she's responsible for a lot of what they've gone through.**

 **In that sense, Blake would also be the one to most keenly feel all the things that are piling up. There's the White Fang, Cinder's crew, the Maidens, Relics, and Master Yu's Grimm. So, out of everyone, she's the one who's letting the pressure get to her the most.**


	92. Chapter 92

**Chapter 92:**

Monday came all too soon, even considering it was just the next day. It felt almost strange that, after what they'd just learned the previous day, RUBY and JNAR would have to turn their attention back to the Vytal Festival Tournament, as though nothing had happened. It was a bit worrying, not being sure if they would be called to any of the matchups for the first day of the doubles round. The upside was that, of the thirty-two teams that had originally entered the tournament, only sixteen now remained, with the doubles round lasting a mere eight matches. That meant that there would only be two matches each day, two chances that either team would be called to fight.

Ayumu slept on the floor next to his bed, allowing Neo to sleep undisturbed through the night. Afterwards, he fetched breakfast for her from the dining hall, allowing her to eat, without risking being spotted by her supposed allies. In the meantime, Neo brought the group up to speed on all the intelligence concerning their enemy that she'd gathered during her association with them. In the course of the discussion, Neo dropped two significant bombshells. The first was the fact that Pyrrha was still alive (they'd suspected as much, after Ozpin had told them what had happened to her transport) and working with the enemy (a suspicion that Ozpin had also shared with them). The second was that the expert that Ironwood had called in to deal with the virus Cinder had planted in the CCT (which, ironically, had been exposed through her conflict with Pyrrha on the night of the dance) was, in fact, another member of Salem's group, meaning that the network was likely still under their control.

It was some heavy punches to roll with, particularly the revelation that Pyrrha was alive and working with the enemy. Remembering her ferocious, almost mad, look, the final time he'd spoken with her, Jaune had paled and begun to shake, even Yang's arms around him doing only so much to reassure him. Yang herself, along with Ruby, weren't taking that news well either. Yang still remembered the revelation that Pyrrha had been plotting her demise, while Ruby remembered, all too well, Pyrrha's _actual_ attempt at killing her (alongside Weiss). Still, after Ozpin had informed them of Pyrrha's possible escape, they'd mentally armed themselves against the possibility and, by the time they left for the first match of the day, they'd managed to cope.

Assuming his team wasn't called for either match, Ayumu intended to take Neo to see Ozpin, while the second, and last, match of the day was in progress.

However, their plans took a step forward when, while watching the tournament on the projector, Ayumu saw who had been called upon for the first match of the day.

When they didn't receive notice within an hour of the match that they were fighting, Team RUBY and JNAR knew they weren't selected. RUBY, along with the other three members of Ayumu's team, had gone ahead to the coliseum to watch for themselves, while Ayumu stayed in the dorm with Neo to watch on their room's projector screen.

So Ayumu and Neo both gaped slightly, when they saw that the first match of the day would be Coco and Yatsuhashi, of Team CVFY, against Mercury and Emerald, from CMSN.

"Well...what are the odds?" wondered Ayumu, glancing over at Neo, who gave him a mild glare. "Yes, I suppose odds had nothing to do with it. Still...this is an unexpected opportunity for us. Ms. Fall's attention is likely on the match as well. Let's go see Ozpin now."

Neo nodded, while Ayumu pulled out his scroll and tapped a message out to his friends, informing them of the change to their plans. He advised them to stay put and watch the match, and gather what intelligence they could about Cinder's two lackeys.

He looked over at Neo. "You should probably hide yourself," he said. "It's probably safer than any disguise."

Neo nodded. A shimmering line of light climbed her body, and she vanished from sight. Ayumu whistled softly. "So easily...Gin would be jealous." He could feel a trace of smugness from Neo.

With that taken care of, they left the dorm and carefully made their way towards Beacon Tower, where Ayumu hoped he could secure a meeting with Ozpin, before the match could run its course.

He texted ahead, making sure that Ozpin knew he was coming. When he and Neo reached Beacon Tower, they stepped into the elevator, which responded to his scroll, and began to ascend without waiting for him to choose the floor. When the doors opened, he and his invisible companion stepped into the office of Beacon's Headmaster. Once again, Ayumu took in the sight of the massive gears churning all around him. Stepping into the office, Ayumu's _Shingan_ took in the entire room, every hidden corner, which allowed him to realize that Ozpin was not alone. However, he remained relaxed all the same, recognizing the other presence in the room.

Ozpin was seated at his desk, mug of coffee before him. A chair was pulled up in front of the desk, with another mug set in front of it, ready and waiting for Ayumu.

"Please,' said Ozpin, gesturing to the chair. "Have a seat. What is it you wished to discuss with me, Mr. Ao?"

Ayumu nodded, still smiling pleasantly, and strode up to the desk, but did not take the offered seat. "I have good news, Professor," said Ayumu. "We've learned the identities of the ones behind the attack on Am-er-on Autumn." At the last second, Ayumu remembered how they were supposed to refer to Amber, when speaking about her outside the Vault, though it was a rule they hadn't been very good at following, when Ozpin wasn't around.

"Have you now?" asked Ozpin.

"That's quite the claim, kiddo," said a voice from behind one of the pillars that lined the room. Qrow sauntered out from behind it, taking a swig from his flask.

"Oh, it's good to see you, Mr. Branwen," said Ayumu, beaming at Qrow. "I suppose it _is_ quite the claim. However, I assure you that I am certain of their identities."

Ayumu placed his scroll on the desk, allowing it to interface with with the projector built into the furniture. An image of the four members of Team CMSN appeared, hovering over the desk. "This is Team Crimson. Their leader, the woman known as Cinder Fall, is the one behind the attack on Autumn...and the one who stole her power."

"You serious?" asked Qrow, staring at the image with wide eyes.

"Quite," replied Ayumu.

"And I suppose your companion has something to do with how you obtained this information," said Ozpin, his eyes sliding to Ayumu's left.

"Companion?" Qrow blinked, squinting at Ayumu.

Ayumu affected a rare look of surprise, then sighed. "Well...Neo."

There was a flicker of light, then the background on Ayumu's left side appeared to shatter like glass, leaving the girl in question standing, where there had only been empty space before.

"What the Hell?" exclaimed Qrow, his hand flying towards the grip of his weapon.

"Qrow...calm," said Ozpin firmly, forestalling Qrow's movement. He turned an amused smile on Ayumu. "While I have not refined what you call the _Shingan_ to the same level as you and your friends, to say nothing of your teacher, my experience is extensive enough that I am not wholly dependent on my eyes, though I must commend you for your ability to hide your presence, Miss." He tilted his head towards Neo, who relaxed a little at Ozpin's calm acceptance of her.

"This is Neopolitan Capello...publicly appearing as Nyx, of Team Crimson," explained Ayumu. To support his statement, a flash of light climbed up Neo's body, transforming her image into that of the black-haired, green-eyed girl displayed in the projection. She held the illusion long enough for Qrow and Ozpin to get a good look, before allowing it to shatter, leaving her normal self visible once again.

"And what's this midget chick doing with you?" asked Qrow, making Neo scowl.

"I managed to win her over to our cause," said Ayumu. "She has come to see that her current employer is less than trustworthy. More to the point, Neo served her under considerable duress, being quite fearful of Ms. Fall's wrath."

"If what you say about this Cinder being the one who has stolen Autumn's power is true, then I can understand that fear," said Ozpin. He focused his attention on Ayumu. "Forgive me, but I can't help but notice, having become familiar with your verbal mannerisms in the course of our association, that you have dropped your typical formalities when referring to Ms. Capello. Does this mean that the two of you have become...close?"

"Um..." Ayumu and Neo's cheeks turned pink. "Quite."

Ozpin chuckled. "I see. I suppose that's one way to win someone over."

"That's all well and good," grumbled Qrow. "I recognize this girl from some of our intelligence. She's with Torchwick."

"Considering Mr. Torchwick has indicated that he served his employer, Ms. Fall presumably, under duress, I think it's safe to say that their circumstances are mutual," said Ozpin, prompting a nod from Neo.

"Yes," said Ayumu. "Because of our interference with the operation in Mountain Glenn, Mr. Torchwick's position, in particular, is quite tenuous. Neo has been working with Ms. Fall and cooperating to assure his safety."

"So you're basically saying that you got her over on our side by promising to protect Torchwick?" scoffed Qrow.

"In the sense that I said we would protect Mr. Torchwick from Ms. Fall," said Ayumu. "I tried my best to refrain from making promises that I do not have the means to keep. As for matters concerning leniency on behalf of Neo's service, I would request your assistance with that."

"That remains to be seen," said Ozpin. "Considering that you have already established the identities of Ms. Fall and her other teammates as the ones behind the conspiracy against Vale and Beacon, I suspect you knew of that before Ms. Capello made her decision."

"That much is true," said Ayumu. "I first approached Neo during the dance, last semester. I recognized her through her disguise, and we got to know each other a bit better, which did include me inferring some information about her situation."

"You've known who she is for this long?" growled Qrow.

"Yes," said Ayumu simply.

"But you apparently didn't see fit to tell us," Qrow noted, his eyes narrowing. "You've been in touch with this girl for over two weeks, but you didn't share any information she gave you with us."

"She did not give me information, nor did I press her for any," replied Ayumu simply. "I opted to instead gain her trust and convince her that loyalty to her current employer was not the wisest course, for her or Mr. Torchwick."

"Then, recognizing her in disguise, you saw her team's match last week, and put together who her associates were," said Ozpin, picking up on the line of logic.

"That is correct," said Ayumu. "I approached Neo with that knowledge, and gave her the option to shift to our side."

"But you still didn't tell us," growled Qrow.

"I told Team Ruby and my own team," said Ayumu. "I originally gave Neo a deadline of up until the final day of the doubles round to come to a decision, before I came to you, Professor." He inclined his head towards Ozpin. "However, Neo came to a decision over the weekend and so, we come to you now."

"Because her team is now participating in the first match of the doubles round," observed Ozpin.

"Correct."

"I'm still stuck on the part where you had all this info last week, but didn't come out with it," growled Qrow. "We're supposed to be working together here, trusting each other."

"It's a matter of compartmentalization," said Ayumu simply. "At the time, I convinced my friends to hold off on relaying this information to Professor Ozpin, because I couldn't be certain that you wouldn't act on it immediately, and thus eliminate any chance that Neo had to make her own decision on the matter."

"So you held off on this to protect your girlfriend?" growled Qrow. "The fate of the entire Kingdom is at stake, and you decided you'd increase the chances of everything going to Hell so that you could get a girl you have a crush on on your side?"

"Well, I wouldn't put it like that," Ayumu demurred humorously. "But...yes."

"Remind me why you brought this idiot in on this," snarled Qrow, turning to Ozpin.

"Because he has clearer sight than you give him credit for," said Ozpin, smiling at Ayumu. "You've figured out Cinder Fall's plans to some degree."

"Some," said Ayumu. "My choice of deadline was not arbitrary, but because I believe that the key part of her plan will take place during the finals of the tournament. Neo substantiated that belief, which means we are still in a position to affect the outcome and, while we'd have less time if Neo had waited the full week, before arriving at her decision, I still believe that we would have the time we needed."

"And, since you already have Cinder's number, what makes you think this girl will be of any use?" grunted Qrow, jerking a rude thumb at Neo.

Neo's eye narrowed and her hand tightened around her parasol, which she held at her side. However, Ayumu rested a hand lightly on her shoulder, even as he answered Qrow's question. "Because of her considerable talents, Ms. Fall has been making use of Neo as a go-between of sorts, particularly between herself and the White Fang."

"In other words, she knows how to contact members of the White Fang, maybe even where they are based within Vale," said Ozpin, to Neo's eager nod.

Qrow grunted and twitched irritably.

"That's been something weighing on me for a while," said Ozpin.

After the failure in Mountain Glenn, the White Fang had gone quiet. There had been no further thefts, no demonstrations or reprisals. There had been no more attempts at recruitment either. The organization on a whole, within Vale at least, had gone completely silent, not even dropping so much as a pamphlet. Everyone knew that losing so much personnel and materiel at Mountain Glenn had to have made things difficult for the organization, and that they were likely to lay low and lick their wounds. But to go completely silent, without even a token attempt at recruitment, in order to restore their depleted numbers, was beyond suspicious.

"Neo doesn't have their full disposition," said Ayumu. "But she has been gathering information on their locations throughout the Kingdom and has all of their safe-houses identified. They're spread quite thin, so it might be possible to round up the majority of them with the resources the Kingdom has."

"Has she found Taurus?" asked Qrow.

"Unfortunately, no," said Ayumu, while Neo shook her head. "Adam Taurus is far more dangerous than the average member. He is also far more thorough about covering his tracks, so she hasn't been able to locate him."

"Well, it's a start," said Ozpin.

"There's some even more critical information," said Ayumu, sounding genuinely cheerful. "I heard about the infiltration of the CCT Center during the first Beacon Dance, back before the three of us had reached Vale."

"Yes," said Ozpin. "Someone, Cinder Fall we can now presume, infiltrated the tower. We later deduced that she had planted a virus in our network in order to subvert control of it."

"I understand that you called in an expert to handle the matter," said Ayumu.

"James did," said Ozpin. "Seeing as Atlas was behind the construction of the towers, it was logical that he would know best who to consult on the matter."

"And...was the expert that General Ironwood called in to consult a Doctor Arther Watts?" asked Ayumu politely, accepting the scroll that Neo handed him and setting it down by his own. A holographic image appeared alongside the profile of Team CMSN, showing an image of the sharply-dressed doctor meeting with Cinder.

"James' expert was a mole," growled Qrow.

"More than that. From what Neo observed, he appears to be an upper-ranking member of Salem's organization," said Ayumu, "possibly on par, or even superior in rank, to Ms. Fall herself."

"That is...troubling," said Ozpin.

"According to what Neo overheard, he has removed the virus, but left himself several administrative backdoors in the process, enabling him to do what the virus could in its place," explained Ayumu.

"So our networks remained compromised," muttered Ozpin, glad that he'd still kept certain information from being accessible by the CCT.

"There is one more piece of critical information," added Ayumu, tapping Neo's scroll. "I assume this person looks familiar."

A new picture appeared, this time, Watts was meeting with Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury. However, Watts wasn't alone. Standing beside him was a familiar-looking girl.

"Pyrrha Nikos," growled Qrow. "So she _is_ alive."

"And working with them, just as I feared," sighed Ozpin. "To think she had fallen this far."

"Though she hasn't located their exact position, Neo deduced that Dr. Watts and Ms. Nikos are operating out of his personal airship, which she believes to be concealed somewhere within the Emerald Forest," said Ayumu.

Beside him, Neo nodded gravely.

"I notice you have been doing all the speaking on Ms. Capello's behalf," said Ozpin. "Is there some reason she cannot speak for herself?"

"Ah, as far as I can tell, she doesn't speak," said Ayumu. "I haven't pressed her on the matter."

"Then I shall not either," said Ozpin. "We will need to have a more definitive plan before we proceed. Is there anything else to tell?"

Neo gave Ayumu a worried look. He met it and hesitated, his smile faltering for a second. "There is," he admitted. "I'm afraid that Master Yu has returned...and that he has been in contact with Ms. Fall."

"I'm not surprised, somehow," grumbled Qrow.

"Also...he's made a Grimm," said Ayumu.

That caused the tension in the room to ratchet up sharply. Not even Ozpin could hide the shock he felt at the revelation.

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Qrow, his jaw hanging slack. "You've got to be kidding me! Is there anything that bastard _can't_ do?"

"Unfortunately, no," said Ayumu. "And it's for what you'd expect."

"Truly distressing," sighed Ozpin, sinking his head to rest his forehead against his hand.

"I agree," said Ayumu. "He's going to plant it outside the Kingdom. If Cinder's plan is successful in stirring the necessary negativity, then it will awaken and attack. Apparently, it's much worse than the Dragon."

"God! I'd hate to see anything worse than that," groaned Qrow.

"Though I would question how, seeing as it is Yu, I believe that is something of a moot point," observed Ozpin ruefully. "That being the case, do you have any suggestions for how we proceed?"

"For the time being, I advise that we wait," said Ayumu. "Our enemies are more likely to let their guard down, the more convinced they are that things are going to plan."

"That's true," agreed Ozpin. "Now, if only we had some idea of what they have planned for the finals."

"Watts and Taurus aside, the principle members of this conspiracy are participants in the tournament," said Ayumu. "So, depending on how today's match plays out, I imagine that their first objective is to get a member of their team into the finals."

Qrow checked out his scroll. "Well, you'd be right. Emerald and Mercury just won, pretty handily at that."

"Not Cinder..." mused Ozpin.

"She's probably falling back to a control position," said Qrow. "The less she shows her face right now, the better."

"It depends on which member they send to the finals," said Ayumu. "But I do have an idea for turning their plan on its head. However, it _does_ entail a certain degree of risk."

Qrow sighed and shrugged. "What plan doesn't?" he asked rhetorically. His eyes drifted to Neo. "It's not like you aren't gonna take risks if we tell you not to. Might as well give it to us straight."

* * *

Ruby hugged Velvet, sensing that the despondent girl appeared to be taking some comfort from the gesture. She had to admit that she could sympathize with Velvet's sadness. It would be hard to sit in the stands and watch your teammates fall in the ring. Coco and Yatsuhashi had lost badly to Emerald and Mercury. It was all the more galling for Ruby and her friends (not including those not on her team and Team JNAR), as they knew that the match probably hadn't been fair from the beginning.

Emerald and Mercury had been pretending to be students. In all likelihood, they were more skilled and a lot more experienced than any actual student from any of the Academies. Given how well they'd worked with the terrain, Ruby had to wonder if the four biomes that had been selected for the match had been chosen in order to give them an advantage. The biome selection should have been random; but they knew that, through Watts, the enemy still had control over the CCT network, which meant they could potentially subvert control of the system for selecting the arena environments, to say nothing of the match selections themselves. Perhaps Coco and Yatsuhashi had been selected as Emerald and Mercury's opponents because they had weaknesses better suited for the enemy pair to exploit, or it could have been that knowing just who they were going up against had been all the edge Mercury and Emerald needed.

"I'm sorry, Velvet," said Ruby, pulling back.

"So am I," said Velvet, giving Ruby a watery smile. Behind her, Fox patted her shoulder sympathetically, drawing a nod of acknowledgment. "But that's the way things are. They were the better team."

 _That's probably not the case at all,_ thought Ruby bitterly, knowing she couldn't afford to say it out loud. As good friends as Team CFVY were, the fact remained that they were currently out of the loop, concerning the secret war Ozpin and his people were waging ("his people" including RUBY and JNAR now). As painful as it was to leave Velvet and the rest of her team out of that knowledge, it was for the best, for now...or so Ruby hoped.

A heavier tread approached Velvet from behind. Fox removed the hand on her shoulder and stepped aside, allowing a bulkier figure to loom up behind her, powerful arms wrapping around her stomach and pulling her back flush against a familiar layer of armor plate.

"Hey," said Cardin.

"Hi," said Velvet, her tone warming as she leaned back enough to turn and look her boyfriend in they eye.

"Sorry about the match," said Cardin, giving Velvet a calm smile. "Your teammates did good." His words were perfunctory, but his voice rang with sincerity.

"Thank you," said Velvet, leaning her head into the crook of his neck, her ears gently brushing the skin of his chin and cheeks.

"We should go," said Fox.

"You're right," said Velvet reluctantly, pulling out of Cardin's embrace. "We'll want to be there for Coco and Yatsu."

"I guess I'll see you later," said Cardin, sounding just as reluctant as Velvet.

"You come too," said Fox.

"Really?" said Cardin, both his and Velvet's eyes widening in surprise.

"You belong with us," said Fox with a rare smile.

Ruby and her friends giggled at the sight of the normally taciturn Fox inviting Cardin Winchester, once Velvet's bully, to join the rest of Team CFVY. It was a gesture of acceptance, that Velvet's team embraced his presence and relationship with her.

"We'll see you later, Velvet," said Yang, waving as the trio proceeded down the hall, heading for the ready-room. Velvet, smiling a lot more earnestly now, waved back, before they headed off.

Once Velvet, Fox, and Cardin were gone, Jaune let out a sigh and slumped. "Damn, it's hard to just stand there and not say anything about Emerald and Mercury."

"I know, right," grumbled Yang irritably.

"We should break their legs," muttered Nora.

"We're not going to have anything to do with them, until they come to us," Ruby said firmly. "We definitely don't want Cinder's people to know we're onto them."

"It's over for now, anyway," said Ren. "Cinder's people have gotten through, into the finals. We don't have to worry about facing off against them this round."

"Yeah, that'll come next week," said Gin.

"You think whatever plan she has will involve us?" asked Blake, frowning at the idea.

"At this point, I'm all but sure of it," said Gin, Ruby nodding her agreement. "Ruby, Ayumu, and I wrecked the Mountain Glenn operation. We killed the Dragon that was probably going to be a big part of her plans during the festival. If she was aiming to instigate a Grimm attack that would overwhelm Vale's defenses, then we also deprived her of the biggest concentration of Grimm in the entire region. And, before we even got here, you guys were already poking around Torchwick and the White Fang. As a collective group, we've been on her radar for months now."

"It might not even be necessary to involve us," added Ruby pensively. "But I think Cinder has it out for us. She did send Neo after Gin, after all."

"Knowing him, I'm guessing Master Yu has probably been stoking her ire, and practically pointing her our way," added Gin with snort, exhaling streams of mist from his nostrils.

"So, even if Cinder's plan originally didn't have anything to do with us specifically, she's probably tweaked it to involve us," finished Ruby. "And, if she's waiting until the finals, then she wants to hit when it will hurt the most."

"But what would she do?" asked Nora.

"That's what we're going to have to figure out," said Ruby.

They began making their way out of the coliseum, catching an airbus down to Beacon and the festival grounds. To Ruby's relief, the resumption of the tournament had, once again, distracted the media enough to keep most reporters from hounding her directly. She'd been free to move about the grounds for most of the morning, only occasionally being jumped by a reporter with a sudden request for an interview. With the matches, and their aftermath, dominating attention once again, Ruby had the feeling she'd have a lot more freedom to move around.

Yang had been idly surfing on her scroll, when her eyes abruptly lit up. "Oh!" she exclaimed softly.

"What's up?" asked Jaune.

"Good news for Ruby," said Yang with a sly grin, prompting Ruby to look up at her in confusion. "Your not-boyfriend did an interview with Lisa."

"Really?" Ruby leaned over to look at Yang's scroll, which her sister opened up into its tablet form so that they could watch the interview on the larger screen.

The interview began in much the same manner that Ruby's had, with Lisa introducing her guest, then providing a brief explanation of the situation, for the benefit of the audience, before plying him with questions. Given that she was probably setting up the post-match interviews for the participants in this latest match, Ruby figured that this interview must have been recorded ahead of time. It wasn't even being broadcasted on the same subsidiary channel of the VNN that the tournament interviews were playing on.

"What can you tell us about what happened Saturday evening?" asked Lisa.

"Only so much," said Whitley. "I am just doing this to clarify a few things, after all. Both Ruby and I would like to enjoy some measure of privacy."

"I see," said Lisa.

Whitley smiled indulgently. "I was the one who approached Ruby with the invitation. I had first taken notice of her a few months ago, back during the controversy involving my sister. Curious as to what had happened, and how such a dramatic event had taken place, I investigated the matter a little deeper." He chuckled dryly. "I have to admit that I found myself fascinated by and...more than a little taken with Ruby, despite having never met her before. Thus, I took the initiative to get to know her better."

Ruby blushed as her friends chortled around her; save for Gin, who calmly covered her hand with his own, and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"By coming all the way to Vale from Atlas?" pressed Lisa.

"I had planned to come to Vale anyway," explained Whitley. "I don't wish to make this interview about her, but my sister's actions left something of a mess that had to be cleaned up. To put it simply...since I was in the neighborhood, I decided to look her up."

That drew a laugh from Lisa, before she pressed on with her next question. "So, did you invite Ms. Rose to dinner with the intention of starting a romantic relationship with her?"

There it was, the question on the minds of the general public, asked bluntly, straight to Whitley's face. Ruby swallowed, feeling an uncomfortable lump rise in her throat, trying to imagine how she would react if such a question had been directed at her.

"Yes," said Whitley, equally bluntly. "I had intended for our dinner to serve as a first-date, where we could get to know each other, and mark the beginning of what I hoped would be a fulfilling relationship."

"From the sound of things, it didn't work out quite as planned," noted Lisa.

"It did not," admitted Whitley easily. "Once she sussed out my intentions, Ruby turned me down...politely, I should say, but definitively. She made it clear that she was already romantically engaged. It did make things a little awkward, I'll admit."

"You don't seem too down about it," noted Lisa.

"I choose to take solace where I can get it," said Whitley. "Ruby is a remarkable girl, and I would have been quite lucky to be with her. Despite that not being the case, we did pass an enjoyable meal in each other's company, and then we parted on friendly terms. Even if we can't be romantic partners, I hope that we can continue to be friends."

"I see," said Lisa. "So the rumors regarding your relationship-"

"Remain nothing but rumors," said Whitley firmly, cutting her off. "I agreed to take this interview in order to clarify matters, so that the press can move on. Ruby deserves to be left alone, so that she can concentrate on the tournament. I'm looking forward to watching her future matches."

"As we all are," said Lisa.

The interview ended with a perfunctory outro. By that point, Ruby and the others had mostly stopped paying attention.

"Think this'll stop the press?" asked Ren.

"Maybe," said Blake. "Granted, tabloid papers are less likely to let a story like this go. They might simply decide to imply that Whitley is trying to cover up the 'sordid details' of what 'really happened.'"

"More power to them," said Ruby with a sigh. "They can take all the pictures they want. I don't plan on doing anything particularly scandalous in public. Let them try and make something of a picture of me holding hands with Gin."

"Oh, they're doing that already," said Yang with a growl, bringing up another net article. "Thanks to him fighting in the tournament, everyone knows he's a dragon-faunus now. The conservatives are spouting all kinds of crap."

"I thought you didn't look up their stuff," Jaune pointed out.

"Well, yeah..." admitted Yang. "But when you run a general search of news articles with Ruby's name in them, this sort of thing just...comes up."

"I'm actually a little curious about what they're saying," said Gin.

"Well, a bunch of the conservative writers and hosts for the official papers and networks are expressing 'concern,'" said Yang, inflecting quotations around the last word with her tone. "They're saying that Ruby being a featured contender in the tournament, while being in a mixed-relationship with a faunus is damaging to Beacon's image."

"Jerks," grunted Nora petulantly.

"Of course, they've got nothing on the fringe-media," said Yang. "That tub of lard audio-talk host that's always ranting about needing to segregate the faunus...he's been calling Ruby all kinds disgusting names. I've considered going over to his place and punching him into a soprano."

"Ooh! Can I come with you?" asked Nora eagerly. "I'll break his legs."

"No," said Ruby flatly. "No one is doing any punching or leg-breaking, regardless of what crap gets spewed about me."

"I hope you can hold to that," said Blake. "For once, the human bigots are being outdone by the faunus papers," she brought up an article from one of the papers that catered to the faunus, and distributed in the areas of the Kingdom heavily inhabited by them. "Their opinion pieces use a level of profanity I didn't even think would be allowed to go to print. And that was just about Gin being in the tournament at all. Now that they've learned Ruby is in a relationship with him, they're saying that about her too. I'm starting to understand Yang's difficulty holding back."

"Well, we figured it would come with the territory," said Ruby, exchanging a smile with Gin. "We'll have to deal with it as it comes."

"As much as I don't want to interfere too much, we have to keep the state of the people in mind," said Ren. "If this stirs up too much negative emotion..."

"Yeah...apocalyptic Grimm attack," muttered Yang, feeling a cold bead of sweat run down her cheek at the thought.

Ruby sighed. "I guess we should tone it down in public," she said.

"I'll follow your lead," Gin promised with an understanding smile.

The airship touched down. In the meantime, they got a text from Ayumu, explaining that he and Neo had been to see Ozpin.

"That's good," said Jaune, smiling. "Looks like Ozpin's onboard."

"Hopefully that means things will work out for Neo and Torchwick," said Ruby.

"Geez, you're the one who brought the guy down," protested Yang. "Now you're acting like you hope he gets an early release."

"I...I kinda do," Ruby admitted. "At the very least, whatever else he's done, I don't like the idea that Cinder has been forcing him to go along with her plan to destroy Vale. They may have been thieves, but they never would have gone as far as they have, if she wasn't threatening them."

"I guess," said Yang. "But he's still on the hook for everything else he's done. He'd have to do a real earnest job of turning over a new leaf for me to forgive him completely."

"Well, it's not any different than it would be with Weiss," said Ruby. She winced, the flash of a camera catching the corner of her eye, confirming that at least some of the members of the press were still watching her. They lingered at the fringes of her awareness, leaving Ruby wondering if they'd gotten wise to the range of her _Shingan_ , even if they didn't actually know about it.

There was one other person lingering in their vicinity, though Ruby wasn't sure of his intentions. She didn't even think this person was watching her, even though he was shadowing their group. She didn't sense any hostility though.

"We should probably change topics," she said. Then she grinned at Jaune. "So who are you sending to the doubles round? I mean, I know Ayumu's going to be one, but who's his partner going to be?"

Due to the nature of the tournament, one might have expected that the member of a given team, who planned on participating in the finals, would have to participate in the doubles round as well. But that wasn't the case. It was a strategy that other teams had made use of in past tournaments, letting their intended finalist sit out the doubles match to keep his or her skills and unknown a little longer, at least.

But, given the nature of their plan, one of the major objectives was to allow Ruby and Ayumu to demonstrate the capability of their respective weapons as much as possible, so it was imperative that they make the most of each opportunity the tournament afforded them.

"Nora," said Jaune, without the slightest hint of hesitation.

"Really?" asked Yang and Blake in unison, surprised by Jaune's pick. At the same time, Ren smiled cryptically, while Nora preened proudly.

"What made you choose her?" asked Gin, eyeing Nora with a raised eyebrow.

"I figured you'd want to fight in the doubles round," added Yang.

"It'd be nice," said Jaune, grinning sheepishly. "But Ayumu and I are both melee focused sword-users. He's way more mobile than me, so I'd just slow him down.

"Nora, on the other hand, can keep up with Ayumu's movements easily enough. More importantly, she has plenty of raw power to compliment his finesse. On top of that, her grenades give her great wide-area attacks for crowd control."

"That's pretty smart," said Ruby, nodding approvingly.

"You can't be serious!" thundered a voice, making everyone, except for Jaune and Yang, jump. The only reason Jaune and Yang didn't was because they had heard that voice before.

They turned to see the man that Ruby had sensed shadowing their group. She was confused, not having met him before, only to hear an irritated growl from Jaune. "You're still here, Dad?"

Blaine Arc glared at his son, striding towards him with a face filled with righteous indignation. "You mean to tell me that, after all your posturing the other day, you don't have the spine to see this tournament through to the end?"

"I don't recall posturing," said Jaune. "I told you that I wasn't leaving Beacon, and that you've wasted your time trying to bring me back. You really should've taken the hint and gone back home."

"And yet, for all your big talk, you don't have the confidence to stick things out," Blaine growled back. "A real Arc would stick with the tournament, and bring home the gold for the family."

"I'm not doing this for the family, I'm doing it for _me_ ," Jaune retorted. "More to the point, we've got bigger fish to fry. Ayumu has something to do in the finals and, as his team leader, it's my job to do the best I can to ensure that he makes it past the doubles round."

"And you don't think you can do that?" asked Blaine.

"I think that Nora has the best chance of helping him through it," said Jaune. "I won't hesitate to admit that I'm the weakest member of my team. But I'm still the leader, and they accept me as that. This is a decision as the leader of Team January. And that's more important to me than being an Arc right now."

Blaine huffed. "I can't believe you're this disappointing boy. If you're going to back out like a coward, you should at least have the grace to admit it."

"Hey! Jaune's not a coward!" protested Nora, glaring at Blaine. "He's one of the bravest people I know!"

"I agree," added Ren. "Just because he made a tactical decision to not fight in a situation where he considers someone else better suited to the role doesn't make him a coward."

"This doesn't involve you," Blaine growled, glaring at the pair.

"Uh...yeah it _does_ ," said Nora, resting her hands on her hips stubbornly. "We're his teammates. We're gonna stand by him."

"So, you're going to hide behind them?" asked Blaine, returning his attention to Jaune.

"I'm not hiding," said Jaune. "You're just making excuses to talk down to me. If you don't have anything to actually say that's worth listening to, then you should just leave."

"I'm not leaving without you," growled Blaine. "I promised your mother and sisters that I'd talk some sense into you."

"You'd have to talk sense first," Jaune retorted. He turned and started walking away from Blaine. "Come on, guys. This is a waste of our time."

The others moved to follow him, leaving an agitated Blaine standing behind them, gaping. After a few seconds, he snapped out of his surprised daze and shook his head vigorously. "Dammit, Jaune! Get back here! I'm not done with you!"

"But I'm done with you, Dad," Jaune replied over his shoulder. "I don't care what you think right now. I've got better things to do with my time than argue with you."

They left Blaine behind, heading back towards the school, where Jaune felt he'd get at least a modicum of peace from his father.

"Geez, your old man's a piece of work," noted Gin. "That level of denial takes some pretty impressive commitment."

Jaune sighed. "For all his faults, Dad takes family really seriously. He joked about it, when I first left, but that was because he thought I'd be right back in a few days. When I didn't come back, when I told them I made it into Beacon, he started saying it was only a matter of time before I dropped out. When I didn't, I guess he thought that he needed to come and bring me back, like he has an obligation to the rest of the family to bring me home."

"Jerk," growled Nora.

"I know," grumbled Yang. "I'd like to clean his clock for the crap he's saying."

Jaune took Yang's hand in his own and smiled at her. "It's okay," he said. "I can deal with Dad. He can say what he wants, but it doesn't change what we need to do."

"That's right," said Ruby. "Don't worry, Jaune. We've got your back. I know that our friends at Beacon have it too."

"Thanks," said Jaune, smiling warmly at Ruby. "That means a lot to me, a lot more than Dad's approval."

It was strange, now that he thought about it. There was a time when he would have bent over backwards to prove his father's dismissals wrong, when he would have gone to any lengths to win Blaine's approval. But the responsibilities of leading a team, of overcoming the pain of Ruby's "death," helping her with her return, the responsibilities of leading his team in its newest iteration, those things had led him to see beyond the mere need for his father's approval. Blaine's barbs and taunts meant nothing to him now.

They met Ayumu outside the dining hall.

"Where's Neo?" asked Jaune, looking around for any sign of their new ally.

"She's gone back to her room," said Ayumu. "She needs to pick up a few things."

"I take it she's moving in with us then," said Ren.

Ayumu nodded. "I hope that's all right," he said sheepishly. "Now that she's fully committed to changing sides, Neo feels a little...insecure staying near the rest of her team, particularly since she's fulfilled her main purpose to them. She feels much safer with us. She'll continue to use my bed."

"Well, if she can do it without her teammates getting suspicious, then I have no objections," said Jaune.

"I have no issues either," added Ren.

"I'm all for it," said Nora cheerfully. "Now I'll have another girl to hang out with in our room."

"I'm sure she'll be grateful," said Ayumu.

"Does she really think her teammates won't get suspicious?" asked Jaune.

"They contact her by scroll when they need her," explained Ayumu. "Otherwise, they don't deal with her very much, likely because she's mostly an outsider to their plans."

"They're keeping her segregated from important information," said Gin. "Because she's an outsider, they're fully aware that her loyalty is conditional. They probably don't want her to know too much, on the off chance she does...exactly what she just did."

"Fortunately for Neo, she still is quite good at finding out things she's not supposed to know," said Ayumu cheerfully. "Listening in on their conversations has become habitual for her."

"So long as she doesn't get caught," said Ruby.

"She hasn't been yet," said Blake.

"Now we just have to get through the rest of the week," said Jaune. "Of course, that depends on who we get matched up against."

As if on cue, his scroll buzzed. Pulling it out, Jaune swallowed, seeing the notification he'd been expecting. "And it looks like we're the second match today," he said.

* * *

 **I opted to skip over the Coco/Yatsuhashi vs Emerald/Mercury battle, mostly because I saw no reason for it to play out any differently from how it did in canon.**


	93. Chapter 93

**Chapter 93:**

The upside to the doubles round was that there were only two matches a day, which meant they could be spaced out more. It extended the available times the ready-room could be used for, and meant that JNAR had more time between the notification and the match itself. That gave them additional time to prepare. Of course, the same systems were still in place as before, to ensure they wouldn't learn about their opposition, until immediately prior to the match. But that meant little.

Of course, it also drew out the anticipation and nervousness of the approaching match. For Jaune, waiting was nerve-wracking, even more-so for him, because he wouldn't be a direct participant in the day's match. Despite his confident words to his father and teammates, the fact of the matter was that standing back and leaving things to someone else was not the easiest thing in the world. Still, Ayumu and Nora were far more capable than him, and Jaune had confidence in their ability to win.

That confidence was only _slightly_ shaken, when he learned that their opponents were a third-year team from Shade.

"Syren Hyacinth and Naomi Mourvedre," said Jaune nervously, reading through the information on his scroll. "This is bad. They're pretty good."

"They're third-years," said Ren. "They have a great deal more experience than first-years like us."

"Syren participated in the tournament, two-years ago, as a first-year," said Blake, reading through the information as well. "She made it all the way to second-place. Her opponent was a fourth-year, and Syren _still_ gave her a tough match. Now that Pyrrha's not in the tournament, she's favored to make it all the way to the end."

"What about her teammate?" asked Ruby.

"Dustweaver," said Ren. "She possesses a unique Semblance that she can work with her Dust to produce powerful attacks."

"Do you think Ayumu and Nora can do it?" asked Yang, looking at Jaune worriedly.

"I'm sure they can," said Jaune. "They may be third-years, but Nora's got the power to surprise just about anybody. And, even if he's just a first-year, I'm willing to bet that Ayumu has more experience than the two of them put together."

"Not bad," said Gin with a chuckle, folding his arms. "I get the feeling your faith is going to be rewarded."

They watched as Ayumu and Nora walked out into the arena to meet their opponents.

* * *

"Well, our opponents are certainly impressive," said Ayumu, beaming across the ring at the opposing pair.

Syren Hyacinth was imposing, in a rather unusual manner for an aspiring Huntress. Her presence was impressive, but it was overshadowed by her appearance. Bronzed skin practically shined in the sun, the young-woman having dressed as scantily as possible, all while remaining barely on the other side of the line from being "scandalous" or "indecent." Her black top might as well been a bikini-top for all that it was cropped to bare the skin of her stomach and torso, all the way up to just below the rising swell of her breasts. At the same time, it was held up by thinning straps from above, with a plunging neckline that displayed a generous view of her impressive cleavage. Her impressive bust stood in stark, curvy contrast to the tight lines of her toned stomach and taut, muscular arms, though her stomach was covered by metal wrappings that gleamed in the sunlight from above, covering her skin from just above her navel to the waistline of her skirt.

Said skirt was almost as provocative as Syren's top, in its own way. Running down to her ankles, the light, lilac-colored fabric was slit on both sides, starting about midway down the thighs, rising with each strutting step Syren took, threatening to show off too much, with the right (or wrong) movements. Each step further showed off perfectly-manicured feet, visible through brown sandals that were laced up her calves, nearly all the way to her knees.

Above all else, it was clear from Syren's manner, the way she tossed the dark, violet locks of her long hair, tied into a loose tail behind her head, that she was fully aware of how she looked. It was clear in the confident sparkle of her dark-purple eyes; and the confident, sultry smirk her lips sported, stretching her full, rounded cheeks; while she canted her head back slightly, displaying the flowing contours of her neck, while resting the knuckles of her right hand against the metal wrappings around her stomach, bending her spine just slightly enough to push her assets forward prominently.

 _In its own way, her appearance is a weapon in its own right,_ thought Ayumu. _And she knows it._

In contrast, Syren's partner was more conservatively dressed, although only to a degree, having dressed in a dark-red, bedlah outfit, with a loose-fitting top that covered more of her chest than her partner's, down to the sternum, baring a significant portion of her midriff, before transitioning to a pair of of leggings which billowed around her legs. Like Syren, her arms were bared, though seeming thinner, with less-defined musculature than her partner's. Combined with the softer lines of her stomach, Naomi Mourvedre possessed a dancer's build, emphasizing grace and flexibility over power. Her jet-black hair cascaded down to the small of her back in a smooth wave, while her face, and the top of her head, were covered by a veil of lighter-red than the rest of her outfit, the top and bottom portions framing a pair of serious, wine-colored eyes. It was light enough for the faint contours of her face and mouth to be visible through it. Most prominently, the top portion of her veil was curled around a pair of furry, feline ears, which stood up from the top of her head, terminating in loose tufts of soft fur.

While many faunus participants in the tournament didn't balk about showing their traits, it was unusual to see one who had donned a dress to specifically highlight those traits. Naomi's appearance made a powerful statement, that she was proud of her faunus heritage and, more importantly, believed that they were a part of her personal appeal.

Then Ayumu's eyes found what appeared to be her weapon. It was certainly an unusual-looking device. Its handle was hooked over the sash holding up her leggings, resembling a gleaming, bronze-colored oil lamp, the kind that often featured in old Vacuoan folktales. It possessed smooth, flowing lines that tapered into an elongated spout, with a small opening, while the lid featured a quartet of Dust-crystals, representing the four primary elements, set equidistant from each other.

"This is going to be a challenging fight for us, I think," said Ayumu, beaming at Nora.

"Aww, they don't look so tough," said Nora, with a confident smirk.

"It would be best not to underestimate them," Ayumu chided her lightly. "They've probably affected that appearance to specifically make people do that."

"Right," said Nora.

"Well well, aren't you two cute," said Syren in a soft, smooth voice, possessing a lower register, and just the faintest hint of a sultry purr. "No hard feelings about the match, right?"

"None whatsoever," Ayumu replied cheerfully.

"That's good," said Syren, flashing him a sultry smile. "Tell you what, when this is over, we could meet up and have some fun. That'll help sooth the sting of defeat, don't you think?" Her smile quirked a bit more at the tinge of pink that spread across Ayumu's cheeks at her provocative suggestion.

"Th-thank you for the offer," said Ayumu, rubbing the back of his head nervously. _This is going to be harder than I thought._ "However, I'm already attached to someone, so I'll have to turn you down." He took a deep breath to calm himself down, letting it out slowly, letting the heat fade from his cheeks, before allowing a more confident smile the spread across it. "Besides, I doubt I will be in need of consolation when this match is over. Though you might, I, unfortunately, will not be in a position to supply it."

Syren flinched back slightly, before recovering and licking her lips slowly, showing off her tongue for much longer than the action should have taken. "Well well, a feisty one, eh. Perhaps we should see if your confidence really is warranted." Then her gaze alit on Nora. "What about you, Hon? Care for a fun little romp, when this is all over?"

"Nope," said Nora, baring her teeth in an expression that was halfway between an angry grimace and a confident grin. "I've got someone too. Besides, we're gonna win today."

"Oh, I _like_ them," said Syren with a coy chuckle, turning her head to grin at her partner. "What do you say, Naomi? I think they've got a shot."

"If that's the case, then there's no reason to hold back," said Naomi, her voice soft, almost whispery, the breath of her words making veil flutter with each movement of her lips. It seemed that she did not share her partner's sensual nature. Instead, her demeanor seemed firm and businesslike, as she pulled her lamp off her sash and held it in front of her, right hand closed around the handle so that the spout pointed across her body and to her left.

"I suppose so," said Syren, her hand smoothly reaching behind her. "These two might just be first-years, but I get the feeling they're gonna be tough nuts to crack."

Around them, the floors of the outer portion of the arena retracted to reveal the biomes they would be fighting in. The team matches had featured two biomes, covering half the arena each, while the doubles matches featured four biomes, each one taking up a quarter of the whole arena.

Behind Ayumu, a rocky landscape of cooled lava and obsidian rose up, steep ridges of jagged, black glass stretching up, forming deep ravines, and creating a labyrinth of glossy, black stone. Behind Nora, a thick rainforest arose, the branches of broadleaf trees meshing together to form a canopy that cast the space below into a twilight, that was further complicated by the tangle of vines and other foliage stretching across the space between the trunks, with the floor being covered by a crisscrossing network of roots.

Behind Syren, a grassy field rose up. There was nothing remarkable about the field itself. Instead, the truly unusual aspect was the blocky, gray stones that floated in the air overhead, suspended in ebony fields produced by gravity-Dust hovering motionlessly at odd angles to one another. The air between them seemed to warp, twisted by the interaction between different gravitational fields. The space behind Naomi produced the most unremarkable biome, which made it remarkable by its novelty, compared to the others. The entire quarter of the outer arena behind her was covered by the glassy surface of a lake, looking far deeper than the one that had featured in Team BRYL's fight in the previous round, or the shallow waters of the seaside biome Team SSSN had fought in. Indeed, it looked as though this lake might not have any bottom.

Ayumu took in all the biomes with a calm eye. _This will certainly make things interesting,_ he thought, his attention fixing on the multi-gravity biome behind Syren. _That section makes me think of the floating islands of Mistral's inland sea._ He had fond memories of traveling among them, during the early phases of his training with Yu and Gin.

"Well well, looks like we've got a fun little playground here," observed Syren, taking it all in.

Over the speakers, Port and Oobleck had just finished introducing the two pairs facing each other in the ring. Ayumu and Nora drew their weapons, readying them in the face of their opponents. Following that, Oobleck began the countdown to start the match. " _Three...two...one...Begin!_ "

Ayumu heard a ringing sound just off to the left of his head. Sunlight glinted off a surface of smooth, silvery metal, stretching across the distance between him and Syren, a razor-sharp ribbon that curved, so that its triangular point was plunging right towards his ear. The instant Oobleck had given the signal, Syren had pulled from behind her, and the metal wrappings around her stomach had unraveled to reveal a long, flexible, whiplike blade. _An urumi!_

Ayumu's spine flexed automatically, allowing him to bend aside from the thrust of that triangular point. He saw a small twitch of Syren's wrist, creating a ripple that ran down the length of metal. When it reached the end, the tip twisted, abruptly changing course, and plunging downward, towards his thigh. Ayumu jumped back, barely managing to avoid the blade. More ripples traveled down its length, prompting the flexible sword to change directions once again, the tip twisting and lashing at him in a continuous attack, while Ayumu jumped and twirled to escape it.

In the meantime, Nora leveled her grenade launcher, and fired several shots off at Naomi. Her grenades left streams of pink smoke in their wake as they arced towards their target. Naomi closed her fingers about the top of her lamp's lid, twisting it like a dial, so that a green wind-Dust crystal aligned with the spout. A stream of pale-green air extended out from the spout, almost like smoke. Naomi swept her weapon in a circular motion through the air in front of her, the stream of wind weaving together, forming a circular, shield-like construct. Nora's grenades exploded against it with a series of loud bangs, releasing flashes of light and smoke. But the smoke soon cleared to reveal Naomi, completely unharmed.

Her fingers closing around the lid's handle again, Naomi turned it to align the red fire-Dust crystal with the spout. She swept her weapon through a swooping horizontal arc in front of her, the stream of flame congealing, beading together to form a trio of fireballs that launched at Nora. Nora fired more grenades, intercepting the fireballs midway between her and Naomi, producing a series of more powerful explosions between the pair.

The smoke and flames spread to encompass Syren's position as well, creating a veil that cut off her line of sight of Ayumu, who took advantage of the opportunity. "Nora!" he called lightly, flicking his sword, deflecting the tip of Syren's urumi with a deft strike of his blade, and sending it bouncing away from him. He could already see another ripple traveling down the length to correct its course, but Syren wouldn't have a perfect idea of the direction he moved in, while her vision was blocked. This was his chance.

Ayumu jumped into a long, graceful flip, his feet drawing a smooth crescent through the air above him. In the same moment, Nora stepped back, unfolding Magnhild out into its hammer-form, cocking it back and allowing Ayumu to land on the hammer's head.

"Where to?" asked Nora eagerly.

"Ms. Hyacinth, please," said Ayumu politely.

"All right then!" declared Nora. With a whoop, she swung the hammer in the direction of Syren, triggering its explosive shockwave directly beneath Ayumu's feet. At the same instant, Ayumu lightened himself with his Semblance, allowing him to ride the pressure-wave of the explosion towards his opponent. Sweeping Green Destiny in front of him, he parted the air ahead, reducing the wind-resistance, allowing him to accelerate to the point where he was merely a blur.

Plunging through the smoke and dust raised by the explosions, Ayumu emerged from the other side, coming to within striking range of Syren...only to find himself surrounded by a coiling metal ribbon. Syren had spun the hilt in her hand, winding her urumi around in a spiraling pattern, which Ayumu was now flying right down the center of.

"Careless," chided Syren with an amused voice.

She pulled back, the coils of her urumi closing around Ayumu. However, Ayumu's smile didn't falter in the slightest. Flicking one foot down, he stepped off the air itself, changing his course slightly upwards and to the right. At the same time, he flicked his sword out, its blade ringing against the length of Syren's urumi, the flexible weapon bending from his strike, and creating an opening for him to escape through. Preserving his momentum, Ayumu kicked out with his other foot, stepping off the air again, to launch himself downwards at Syren, swinging for her head.

Spinning about with a dancer's grace, Syren swept her weapon through the air above, her, the metal ribbon of her urumi grating against Green Destiny's edge, deflecting Ayumu's slash. Ayumu's flight carried him past her. Catching a flicker of motion out of the corner of his eye, and feeling the air nearby being parted by a sharp object, Ayumu barely managed to tap his foot against the floor, before launching himself off again, the tip of Syren's weapon plunging through the space he'd occupied. Once again, Ayumu found himself dodging and weaving, the tip of the urumi hunting him down with a series of successive strikes.

 _She can control the tip with small movements of the wrist,_ noted Ayumu. _Even a slight flick translates into a large movement, down at the end of the blade. Because of that, she can minimize her actions, and prevent most opponents from reading the path of her next attack._

In perfect demonstration of that realization, another ripple, traveling down the length of the urumi, prompted the tip to circle around and stab at Ayumu from behind. He slipped aside, only to have to duck as he found himself nearly dodging into the edge of the blade, having been lured into a loop by the tip's circling movement. _And, of course, the edges are sharpened along the weapon's_ _whole_ _length as well. That means, even in close, away from where the tip might be, her weapon is still plenty dangerous._

Still, it wasn't as though he was completely helpless against it. After all, Ayumu had the _Shingan_. That was more than enough for him to sense the ripples traversing down the length of Syren's blade, and inform him which way it might attack from, enabling him to dodge. Now he retreated, the path of his movement allowing him to exit the inner section of the arena, and out into the field of floating stones that hovered over short grass.

Once again, Syren lashed her flexible blade like a whip, sending the tip lancing towards Ayumu's chest. Ayumu danced up, jumping just the slightest bit, before he abruptly fell upwards, Syren's urumi passing beneath him. From there, Ayumu rotated to plant his feet on the bottom of one of the floating stones. Pursuing him, Syren, flicked her wrist, producing another ripple that sent the urumi's tip up in pursuit.

Flicking his own sword, Ayumu batted the tip of Syren's urumi aside, before leaning and appearing to fall off the side of the stone he'd landed on, entering another gravitational field that pulled him in a completely different direction. At the same time, the urumi that he'd deflected was pulled into a different gravitational field itself, making it harder for Syren to control it and continue sending it lashing after Ayumu.

Of course, while the urumi was much longer than the average sword, the ultimate fact was that its reach was still limited. Syren had to enter into the multi-gravity field herself, in order to keep Ayumu in range. Winding up her arm, she lashed her weapon like a whip to send the blade after Ayumu with fresh speed. Ayumu danced aside, riding his way through the different gravitational fields, using it to perform feats of acrobatics that would have been utterly impossible, even by his impressive standards. Down below, Syren kicked off the ground, allowing herself to be drawn up as well.

However, Syren couldn't read the fluctuating gravity as easily as Ayumu could. Instead of trying to follow him, she planted herself firmly on the underside of one of the floating stones, and lashed her weapon after him, trying to catch him. Unfortunately for her, Ayumu proved elusive, dancing between the stones with ease, darting in and out of sight. Lashing out with her weapon, she tried to catch Ayumu, but he had turned into a darting shadow amidst the stones, slipping in and out of sight, before Syren's urumi could reach him. What was more, he was gradually getting closer, every time Syren saw him, using the stones as cover to set up his next attack.

"Ooh! Clever boy," cooed Syren eagerly. "It's a shame you're already taken. I'll just have to get as much fun as I can out of this match."

She reached down with her left hand to grasp the handle of her weapon alongside the right. There was a click, then the handles separated. It wasn't just the handle, but the blade became two as well. The two urumi blades peeled away from each other, as though they'd been layered together.

Catching sight of Ayumu again, Syren lashed out with her left-handed blade. Once again, Ayumu darted out of the way, but found his path abruptly cut off by the appearance of her right-handed blade. Kicking off a nearby stone, Ayumu surrendered his body to another shift in the gravitational fields around him, allowing him to go spinning away from the unexpected attack. However, a ripple transitioned down the length of each of the two weapons, another blade separating out from each of them to strike at Ayumu from another pair of directions entirely.

Grabbing the edge of the nearest stone, Ayumu pulled his body around, essentially using its gravity-field to orbit around it, and out of the path of the blades, which sparked against the stone's surface. He heard another ringing sound. This time, it was accompanied by a barely audible hum. From the other side of the stone, Ayumu was able to sense the approach of six blades this time. Furthermore, the reason he was able to sense them so clearly also made it clear that this attack was far more dangerous than just a pair of additional blades.

Pushing away from the stone, Ayumu launched himself back. Six ringing, buzzing blades pierced right through it, then pulled away from each other, their edges slicing through the solid, Dust-infused rock like butter, slicing the stone into individually floating pieces, that were then swept up in the gravity fields of other nearby stones.

Now Ayumu was being hard pressed, forced to dart and dance, trying to circle around Syren to find an approach. But it was becoming more and more unlikely by the second. With each swing of Syren's weapon, the urumi's blades multiplied. One blade had become two, then four, then six. Even now their numbers continued to increase. Finally, Ayumu made the decision to fall back to get a better handle on the situation. With all his experience, he still found himself gasping in amazement as he found himself faced with his opponent's weapon.

Syren Hyacinth now wielded an urumi in each hand, with each sword sporting no fewer than thirty-two blades, for a total of sixty-four. She raised her hands and flicked her wrists, prompting all those razor-edged metal ribbons to rear up like a forest of deadly, steel serpents, writhing and dancing, before lunging at Ayumu from all directions.

* * *

Immediately after launching Ayumu at Syren, Nora turned her full attention to Naomi and charged forward, ready to leap above the dust and smoked released by their colliding attacks to strike from above with her hammer. Magnhild's grenades might have been potent weapons in their own right, but Nora's real strength had always lain in her close-combat prowess. Up close, she could even outclass Yang sometimes.

The problem was that her opponent didn't seem interested in allowing Nora close. Or, more to the point, she was fighting to actively keep Nora at a distance. The smoke in front of Nora parted before a billowing jet of flame, forcing Nora to dig in her heels...which really wasn't possible on the metal surface of the inner ring, skidding to a stop. Then, to her shock, instead of washing over her, the billowing flames condensed, drawing inwards and solidifying into a physical form.

Muscular arms of glowing orange and yellow flexed and bulged, red veins occasionally appearing. They joined with an equally powerfully-built torso, looking as though they belonged to a professional bodybuilder, complete with perfectly-defined pectorals and a six-pack of abs. Upwards, a thick, muscular neck formed, upon which a head emerged. The face sported chiseled cheeks, with dark-red hair forming a goatee beneath the chin, and streaming out in a short tail behind the construct's head. A pair of beady, glowing, blue-white eyes glared out at Nora. Down below, the construct's body ended at the bottom of the torso, instead forming a ghostly tail that was linked to the spout of Naomi's lamp.

"Oooh!" Exclaimed Nora, her eyes wide. "A genie! Can I make a wish?"

Naomi laughed and hefted her weapon. "Sorry. But only the one holding the lamp can do that. Today, my wish is for your defeat."

"Hey! That's not nice!" protested Nora.

But the 'genie' had already begun to move, lunging forward, gliding through the air. It charged straight at Nora, cocking back a massive fist and punching straight at her. Nora dodged with a yelp, jumping up and back. The fist slammed into the ring where she had been standing, triggering a powerful explosion of flames, and sending chunks of the ring flying through the air like shrapnel.

Going into a backflip, Nora dropped back down, landing at the edge of the rainforest biome. She glanced back, wondering if she ought to retreat into the trees for cover. She immediately thought better of it. The mass of vegetation, however moist it might be at the moment, would be kindling for Naomi's fire-Dust construct. The fact that all that vegetation was wet would probably make things worse, flooding the area with smoke, which would put Nora at a real risk of asphyxiation. Instead, she dodged to the side, escaping a downward swinging fist that caused a column of fire to erupt from the ground where she'd been standing, throwing herself amongst the jagged crags of the volcanic landscape. Nora ducked into one of the channels between the sharp-looking obsidian ridges and disappeared from view.

"She's more clever than one might think," mused Naomi. Her construct dissolved into an orange cloud, which was sucked back into the lamp.

Next, Naomi twisted the lid of her lamp, aligning the wind-Dust crystal with the spout, then back to the fire-Dust crystal, then back to wind. A octet of glowing, orange sparks drifted out of the spout, like embers from a campfire. They were followed by streams of wind that wove around them, forming small bodies, complete with feathered wings. In just a few seconds, a flock of eight birds; looking like doves, formed from shimmering, pale-green wind; hovered in the air around Naomi. Each of them harbored one of those glowing, orange ember-sparks in its chest. She simply gestured towards the rocky maze across from her. The birds immediately darted out, weaving amongst each other through the air, before scattering over the black, rocky landscape.

Seeing them come, Nora swallowed. "Oh...that's not good."

With their overhead vantage point, the birds spotted Nora immediately, and swooped down towards her, swooping around to converge on her from different directions, making evasion all the more difficult. Nora yelped and jumped up, planting her foot on the edge of one ridge and pushing off, right as the first pair of birds struck home like missiles. The first one slammed into the spot where she'd been standing, the other swerved, trying to target her new position, only to hit the ridge beneath her, when she jumped away. Both exploded, blasting chunks and fragments of stone into the air.

Twisting her body into a wide, cartwheeling flip, Nora switched her weapon back into its grenade-launcher mode. From her upside down position, mid-flip, she aimed and fired several shots at Naomi, only to grimace as Naomi swept her lamp through a circle in front of her, conjuring another curved shield of wind that deflected and detonated the grenades away from her.

At the same time, the remaining six birds twisted in flight, adjusting to target Nora before she could come back down. Naomi assumed that Nora didn't have a means of adjusting herself in midair. However, she found herself surprised when Nora spun her weapon in her grip, shifting it back to hammer-form. From there, Nora let out a shout and swept her hammer in a wide arc, rapidly intercepting the first two birds that came at her with her first swing. Both birds erupted in powerful explosions, the shockwaves from which knocked the other four birds off-course.

The other birds immediately adjusted to try and swoop in on Nora again. However, she displayed her impressive close-combat skill, whirling the deceptively unwieldy-looking hammer around her body with speed and grace that belied its impressive size, neatly intercepting each of the birds as they tried to dive in. In no time, all four of them formed a quartet of explosions that dotted the air around Nora.

From there, Nora fixed Naomi with a fierce grin. Spinning her hammer to point down, she mounted the head with her feet and triggered it, producing an explosive shockwave that launched her through the air like a rocket. Nora whooped as she literally surfed on her own weapon, now flying at Naomi with frightening speed.

Naomi's eyes widened, and she quickly twisted her lamp's lid to align the fire-Dust crystal with the spout again. Flames billowed out once more, condensing and molding into the form of the same genie that had attacked Nora before. But Naomi's efforts weren't fast enough, and Nora was already within striking distance, before Naomi's construct was completed. The partially formed genie attempted to attack, swinging a massive fist almost as big as the upper-half of Nora's body in a powerful uppercut. Nora dismounted her hammer. In the same movement, she brought it around and up, over her head, before bringing it straight down on the incoming fist.

At the instant of impact, Nora triggered the hammer's shockwave, producing a flashing, pink explosion. The genie's fist deformed, dissolving back into flames, causing the body and head behind it to come apart as well, which Nora's shockwave now sent washing straight back over Naomi.

Naomi cried out, quickly twisting the lid of her lamp, selecting the blue water crystal. Sinking into a crouch, she tipped the lamp down, touching its spout to the ring's floor. A stream of water spilled up around her, while Naomi rapidly spun in a circle. A second later, the water rose up to surround her in a dome, barely managing to close before the flames of her own deflected attack reached her. Enveloped by the flames, Naomi's defense erupted into hissing steam.

Nora landed on the ring with a thudding clang, touching down just past where Naomi had been crouched, spinning around to bring Magnhild around in a mighty swing, aiming right for where Naomi would be rising up. Sure enough, there Naomi was. Naomi raised her lamp, bracing its body against her right hand to intercept the force of Nora's blow. Despite looking nowhere near strong enough to hold up against Nora's mighty attacks, the lamp withstood the force of the hammer's blow, though Naomi was knocked back across the ring.

However, even as she was thrown back, Naomi swung her lamp out to the side, the water-Dust crystal still aligned with the spout. A broad stream of water erupted out from it to wrap around her body, before lashing out to strike at Nora in the form of a fanged snake. Nora shrieked and immediately swung her hammer down on the snake's head, smashing it back into plain water, which splashed harmlessly at her feet, the stream going limp and collapsing into regular water as well.

The hammer continued down until it met the floor. With a grin, Nora shifted her weight forward, jumping off just enough to tilt the head's angle. From there, she pulled the trigger and used the hammer's shockwave to launch herself forward at Naomi, riding the explosion and going into a flip that allowed her to bring her hammer down in another overhead smash. Naomi dodged to the side, manipulating the lid and turning it to align the wind-Dust crystal with the spout again. This time, the stream of wind that emerged wrapped around her body, and carried her out of the way of Nora's attack, blowing her clear just as the hammer slammed down where she'd been standing.

Following through without hesitation, Nora spun around to follow her opponent, Magnhild transitioning back into its grenade-launcher form, and fired several shots after her. Within the stream of wind that enshrouded her, Naomi flipped and twisted, evading the grenades and letting them fly past her, her flight curving so as to keep her from flying right into the blast zone, where the grenades landed.

Landing gracefully, Naomi turned the lid back to the fire-Dust crystal, sweeping the spout downwards, producing a trio of flame clouds that congealed to form glowing, red-spotted jaguars, that bounded across the ring at Nora.

* * *

" _And the day's final match is off to a flying start!_ " declared Port excitedly.

" _Syren and Naomi are definitely showing the skills that advanced them so far in the previous tournament,_ " added Oobleck.

"Those two are no joke," observed Gin calmly, watching as Ayumu evaded Syren's urumi. "The urumi is supposed to be one of the most difficult weapons to master. She's obviously an expert, from the way she can use it."

"Geez, you know, I'd almost say that Naomi is a wizard," said Yang, watching as the genie of flame attacked Nora.

"Hmm..." Ren, seemingly unconcerned by Nora's plight, was looking up information on the competition on his scroll. "It seems that Naomi's Semblance allows her to create constructs, both animate and inanimate, from her Aura. They're rather weak and insubstantial on their own. But she can integrate her Dust into their forms to increase their power, and give them attributes beyond their basic forms."

Jaune swallowed, watching Ayumu retreat back into the multi-gravity field and dodge amongst the stones, transitioning his portion of the match into a dizzying three-dimensional phase. "It definitely looks like they're gonna have a hard time."

His sentiments were supported when Syren's urumi began to divide. A few minutes later, none of them could keep their jaws from dropping as they saw the writhing mass of steel whip out towards Ayumu.

"How does she use all those blades without tangling them?" asked Ruby.

"Beats me," said Gin. "Does anyone know what her Semblance is?"

"Nope," said Yang, checking her scroll. "She's subtle about using it, if she uses it at all. She's like Pyrrha that way."

The mention of their former friend drew a wince from them, particularly as it was a reminder that she was now plotting with their enemies. However, the unease was short-lived, overtaken by the excitement of the match.

* * *

Ayumu's body was a blur, whirling through the air. He danced and ducked and dodged, riding through the shifting gravity fields, all while Syren's blades struck all around him. Tips lashed out at him like striking snakes, razor-edged ribbons of steel threatened to wrap around him from the side. He was hemmed in, being attacked from almost every conceivable angle.

It was odd though. As overwhelming as Syren's attack was, Ayumu couldn't help but notice that the numerous blades of her two urumi moved in a manner that couldn't simply be explained by deft wrist and arm movements. Blades attached to the same hilt moved completely independently of one another. What was more, no matter how much they wound and weaved around one another, Syren's flexible weapon never seemed to tangle itself up, despite Ayumu's best efforts to bring about exactly that kind of result, with all his various dodges.

And then there was the hum. Ayumu felt it build intermittently in the air around him. The humming blades parted the floated stones with ease. But the ones that attacked him directly lacked that humming sensation. _So...that sound is for attacking objects...or at least objects she wants to cut through...I see!_ Ayumu's eyes widened at the realization. _High-frequency oscillations. The vibrations enhance the edges of her blades and allow them to cut through things they couldn't otherwise. If I were hit with that..._ Rather than finding the notion foreboding, Ayumu instead found it enlightening. The fact that Syren only applied the oscillations to the blades she was using to cut through the stones meant that she only intended to use that kind of attack for objects, but not against people, who would suffer very real injuries in what was supposed to be just a tournament. _To have that kind of confidence in her precision...she's skilled._

Ayumu immersed himself deeper in the flood of information the _Shingan_ afforded him. It wasn't just the high-frequency oscillations that enhanced the edges of the blades, but the ripples that traveled down their lengths and controlled their movements as well. They all originated from Syren's hands, independent of the movement of her wrists and arms. _It could be a function of her weapon, but the interface to do that for sixty-four blades independently would be unwieldy and obvious. That means...it's her Semblance._

By this point, the field of floating stones had been reduced into a field of debris, orbiting throughout the zone of this biome. Only a small number of stones, including the one Syren was standing on, remained at their original size. The biggest ones hovered at the edges of the biomes, well away from Syren, out of her striking distance, but even farther out of striking distance for Ayumu as well.

Ayumu couldn't help but feel something familiar about this situation; the way Syren attacked, her blades surrounding her, frequently moving as though they were lashing out around her...

Ayumu had a flash of insight, remembering the man in black, smiling pleasantly, hands planted on the head of his cane, even as his wind-enhanced radial attacks slashed everything around him to ribbons. _I see. She's far more dynamic. But facing an opponent like this, intense, rapid attacks that keep me from closing the distance. It is like Ciar._

Granted, Syren's urumi wasn't a match for the incredible speed of Ciar's radial attack. But her weapon more than made up for that lack with its unpredictable motion, and ability to attack from nearly every direction and position. Still, the similarity was enough to jar Ayumu's mind into the realization of what he needed to do to reach his opponent.

Ending his latest evasion, Ayumu landed on a fist-sized stone, spinning slowly amidst a cloud of gravel-sized debris. Normally, the stone would have bounced away, but Ayumu was able to touch down and remain attached to it with the relatively low level of gravity it exerted. He remained there, his body slowly turning in conjunction with the stone's motion.

 _Let everything go...become one with the earth and sky..._ Ayumu closed his eyes. From Syren's viewpoint, it seemed as though Ayumu had given up, closing his eyes, lowering his head, letting his arm hang slack. His sword hung in a loose grip, almost as though he were on the verge of dropping it. Despite that, her senses told her that her opponent was still a danger. She felt even more on edge, when he seemed to almost fade in front of her, becoming a part of the background.

Then Ayumu moved, kicking off the stone, his body becoming a blur as he dived straight for Syren. Naturally, she lashed out, her ururmi ringing as the tips converged on Ayumu from behind, while the edges moved to wrap around him and slice his Aura to ribbons. But, to her eyes, Ayumu's body seemed to dissolve in front of her, his form becoming elusive, hard to track. Using the air itself as a stepping stone, Ayumu wove through the forest of metal formed by the winding blades of the urumi, emerging on the other side to land in a crouch on Syren's platform...almost directly behind her, blade held across his body, poised to slash as he began to spin around.

Syren showed the difference between herself and Ciar in that instant. Where Ciar had been rattled by an opponent unexpectedly closing the distance between him, Syren didn't even hesitate. She was already dodging, sweeping her arms around her, ripples transitioning their way up along the length of the urumi blades and sending several of the tips plunging down at Ayumu, who was forced to jump aside. Ayumu's body spun through the air as he rolled out of the path of the incoming blades, barely managing to escape as several came down in succession. The last one nearly caught him, but he successfully dodged it with a strike from Green Destiny, rebounding it with a clang.

Ayumu's hasty evasion carried him through the air, and out of the multi-gravity biome, out over the surface of the lake. There, regular gravity resumed, drawing Ayumu back down. Using his Semblance, Ayumu lightened himself until he was sufficiently buoyant that he could float almost right on the surface of the water, giving him the appearance of standing on it.

"Clever trick!" declared Syren, dropping out of the multi-gravity biome herself, not caring that she was plunging towards the surface of a lake that might be deeper than she was tall. She drew back both arms, then swung them forward, directing all the myriad blades of her weapon to dance around Ayumu like a tangled nest of serpents, closing to strangle the life from his body. They cut channels through the water, throwing up a spray that obscured Ayumu from view.

Syren's feet halted just a few inches above the churning surface of the water, suspended upon several of her urumi's blades, which remained extended down into the lake, but had stiffened, giving the appearance of her having several, spindly legs supporting her body.

Then Ayumu appeared to dissolve out of the mist and spray her attack had thrown up, gliding across the water and lunging at Syren from behind, slashing at her waist with his sword. Syren pushed down with her arms, kicking up with her legs to invert her body to do a handstand on the hilts of her weapons, allowing Ayumu to pass beneath her, his blade cutting only through air. At the same time, the water erupted again, her blades shooting and lashing upwards, right where Ayumu was. However, Ayumu once again appeared to merge with the spray thrown up, and disappeared from view.

Clicking her tongue, Syren pushed off, using her Semblance to snap the blades holding her up, and launch herself clear of the lake's surface. She returned to the inner ring, landing right behind Naomi as the veiled girl launched a trio of jaguars constructed from fire-Dust at Nora, the pair of them now standing back to back.

"These kids are serious trouble," declared Syren as she and Naomi reunited.

"I agree," said Naomi, watching as Nora brought her hammer down on the middle member of the trio of jaguars, before unleashing an explosive shockwave that destroyed the other two, dispersing their flames and preventing them from doing her any harm.

In front of Syren, Ayumu emerged from the still splashing waves thrown up by Syren's last attack, striding back into the inner ring. His clothes and hair were dripping wet, but he didn't seem to mind in the slightest, still smiling cheerfully as he approached.

"What do you think?" Naomi asked her partner.

"I think it's time to show them what an invincible pair we are," said Syren with an eager grin.

Abruptly, Syren spun around Naomi's body, turning to face Nora. Lunging forward, she swung both of her urumi, unleashing all sixty-four blades at Ayumu's partner. Rather than separate to attack from different vectors, her blades instead converged, weaving around each other, forming what almost seemed like a churning stream of liquid metal that rushed straight for Nora. At the same time, Naomi brought up her lamp, a stream of fire spilling out to be swept up into the torrent of steel that Syren launched, infusing the attack with an intense, fiery fury.

Despite the powerful combo-attack rushing her way, Nora appeared unfazed, making no move the powerful strike coming her way. Instead, she grinned. A second later, the reason for her confidence became apparent, when Ayumu touched down in front of her, having preempted Syren and Naomi's combo attack, sensing their intentions with his _Shingan_ , and moving to counter before Syren had even begun her attack.

Raising his sword, Ayumu held it out in front of him horizontally, bracing the flat of the blade against the first two fingers of his left hand. When Syren and Naomi's attack struck, there was a flash of green Aura and the weaving stream of blades came undone, scattering in random directions. Naomi's flames billowed out in all directions as well, but some were blown straight back, washing over her and Syren, causing both girls to cry out in surprise, shielding themselves from the backlash of their own attack, which burned away a considerable chunk of their Auras.

"You aren't the only invincible pair," declared Ayumu cheerfully.

* * *

 **Phew...this was a seriously complicated battle to fight. I realize that Syren's technique for the urumi doesn't correlate with how urumi are wielded in the real world. But this is a sci-fi/fantasy setting, so Rule of Cool and all that. Plus, there're reasons.**

* * *

 **Syren Hyacinth: Hyacinths are a variety of ornamental flowers, typically purple in color. "Syren," of course, is a reference to the sirens of mythology, who lured sailors to their deaths with their songs. While Syren may not be much of a singer, she does possess a certain allure. Replacing the "i" with "y" is a trendy thing to do with names, I think...it's also apparently the name of a rock band, though I didn't learn that until after the fact.**

 **Syren was originally a character I created for a much earlier RWBY fic, one that I started writing, back during the Volume 3 days of the series, which I sorta gave up on (maybe) because I had no idea where I was going with it in the long run. (Said story also featured proto-versions of Ayumu and Gin, who, while looking and acting the same, wound up being pretty different from their incarnations in this story.) Syren is essentially the Pyrrha Nikos of the West, a celebrity in and around Vacuo. Unlike Pyrrha, Syren embraces her celebrity status with a gusto, and a substantial dose of social activism, using her clout to campaign on behalf of faunus-equality in other Kingdoms, as that's less of an issue in Vacuo itself. In particular, Syren started to work as a fashion model, which also served to provide her with a supplementary income. It's something she also roped Naomi into. Syren's Semblance is Waveform, which allows her to induce vibrations into any object she is holding or touching. She controls the direction, amplitude, and frequency of said vibrations, enabling her to control her urumi in a manner that would be impossible for anyone else.**

* * *

 **Naomi Mourvedre: Mourvedre is a variety of wine-grape, of the red variety. Fun fact: Naomi's last name, originally, was going to be Merlot...back in that earlier story I talked about before...before _Grimm Eclipse_ came out, so I quashed that idea to avoid associations with a certain Dr. Merlot. So I picked up another wine-themed surname and ran with that instead.**

 **Born in Mistral, Naomi once hid her faunus heritage in pretty much the same manner Blake does presently (in-story), with a bow on top of her head. Unfortunately, since the tufts on her ears make them a fair bit taller than Blake's, said bow was almost comically large. As a result, though she avoided being mocked for her faunus-trait, Naomi was instead mocked for her poor fashion-sense. Despite going to Shade, Naomi continued to hide her ears, barely finding the confidence to reveal them to her team before Syren would have pulled the bow off for looking so ridiculous. From there, Syren roped Naomi into her fashion work, having Naomi model outfits designed by and for faunus to better increase faunus presence in the field, especially outside of Vacuo. Naomi's Semblance is Freeform Golems. She can create constructs of Aura, including objects, people, and animals. Constructs based upon people or animals exhibit low levels of independent action, allowing them to operate separate from Naomi's control, and attack independently. On their own, they are fairly weak and insubstantial, coming off as ghosts, more than anything else. However, they are particularly compatible with Dust, enabling Naomi to greatly enhance their power with the proper application.**

* * *

 **Second Labor: A 64-Blade Shape-Memory Alloy Urumi, Second Labor's inactive form is as steel wrappings around Syren's stomach. In this form, they actually double as armor, should Syren choose not to draw while defending. The shape-memory alloy is what enables the blades to merge and split at will, dividing as Syren needs them to. Syren's Waveform Semblance enables her to impart independent movements to each blade individually, as well as provide the urumi with piercing power that such a weapon normally does not possess. By increasing the frequency of her oscillations, she can likewise enhance the cutting power of her blades' edges and tips, though she is extremely careful in her use of this ability in a tournament setting. Second Labor's materials were extremely expensive to acquire, and Syren is still making payments to Hex-Tech, the corporation that designed the shape-memory alloy employed by her weapon. Much of Syren's income from her fashion work goes towards making those payments.**

 **Second Labor is named after the Second Labor of Heracles, where he was required to slay the hydra, whose heads multiplied every time one was severed.**

* * *

 **Solomon: A "Magic" Lamp (yes, that's exactly what it's referred to as, quotation marks and all). Solomon is designed with the appearance of a classic oil lamp, like from _Aladdin_. Its lid is set with Dust gems from each of the four basic types. The primary purpose of Naomi's weapon is to support her Semblance, which creates Dust-infused constructs to attack or defend with, though it is strong enough to withstand heavy impacts, and does have close-combat capability.**

 **Solomon is named after King Solomon, a king and prophet from the Abrahamic religions, who, in Islamic tradition, was granted control over the Jinn.**

* * *

 **Phew, that was a long one. These are another couple of characters, where the level of thought I put into them substantially belies their overall role in the story. But they're still fun to write.**


	94. Chapter 94

**Chapter 94:**

Syren and Naomi forced themselves to stand upright again, their clothes still smoldering from the consequences of their attempt to attack Nora.

"What did he just do?" asked Syren, staring at Ayumu in confusion.

"He dispersed our attack somehow," said Syren. "It probably means that trying to overpower him with heavy strikes won't work. We'll have to use a different approach."

Across from them, Ayumu and Nora held an impromptu conference of their own.

"I thought you would blow that back in their faces," said Nora.

"Ms. Hyacinth's blades were actually moving in a variety of directions when they made contact with my sword," explained Ayumu. "Because of that, they were knocked away in the direction opposite which they were moving, which unraveled them, rather than reflecting them straight back to their source. Ms. Mourvedre's flames were drawn in to move in conjunction with the urumi, so they were mostly scattered, though some did find their way back to the point of origin."

"So...now what?" asked Nora.

"Now we go on the offensive," Ayumu replied cheerfully.

"I was hoping you'd say that," said Nora, grinning eagerly and sinking into a crouch, brandishing her hammer.

"If you don't mind, could I get another launch?" asked Ayumu.

"Hop right on," declared Nora, cocking her hammer back.

Ayumu jumped in a short backflip that allowed him to alight on the head of Nora's hammer, his Semblance lightening him in preparation for the launch. Nora's muscles bulged and flexed, before she let out a yell and stepped forward, putting her whole weight behind the swing, before augmenting it further with an explosive discharge. Ayumu flew at their opponents like a bullet.

"Not gonna fall for that twice," declared Syren. She and Naomi took action the second they saw Ayumu jump back onto the hammer.

Naomi's fingers deftly manipulated the head of her lamp, selecting the brown earth-Dust crystal. Tipping the lamp spout down, she spilled out what looked like dark-brown sand, pouring it to form a line on the ring in front of her. Then, with a cracking sound, there was a flash of light, and the sand exploded upwards to form a solid, stone wall easily two meters tall, a wall that Ayumu was flying towards at top speed.

But that was only the beginning of Naomi's counter. Stepping back, she slapped the palm of her free hand against the stone surface in front of her. There was another cracking sound, and a thicket of stone spikes exploded out from the rocky surface on the other side.

Ayumu lowered his sword, which he'd been using to part the air in front of him to lower his wind resistance. Following that, he leaned forward, going into a roll, spreading his arms to increase his surface area as he came back into an upright position, slowing his advance suddenly, allowing him to plant his foot right on the top of one of the spikes that emerged from the wall in front of him. Kicking off it, he jumped over the wall, just barely clearing it, going into a roll, before dropping suddenly behind Naomi and Syren.

Except that Syren was already facing him, whipping one urumi at him, its blades slashing at him from the side, while their tips whipped around to come at him from behind and above, the tips of Syren's other urumi already converging on him from the other side, cutting off all paths of escape. "I thought you'd do that," she said with a grin.

Ayumu merely moved forward, closing in on Syren herself, only to find himself stopped as he realized that her torso was wrapped with two of her weapon's blades, actually serving as armor. Changing his course at the last second, Ayumu dived through the tiny hole in Syren's cage, the space just below her right armpit, below the arm extended in its swing. "I thought you might do that too," he admitted as he rolled past her and then jumped clear of the wall.

The reason why became apparent quickly, as the wall Naomi had created exploded in a flash of pink and an angry roar. Nora hadn't been far behind Ayumu. Naomi and Syren had both focused on defending against his charge, and then trying to trap him, only the miss the fact that Nora, who had been cut off from their field of view, thanks to Naomi's defense, had charged after Ayumu, attacking the wall with her hammer in those precious seconds Ayumu's attack had bought.

Naomi and Syren took the brunt of the explosion, their bodies battered by the rocky shrapnel that Nora's hit had reduced their wall to. They recovered quickly enough, both managing to land on their feet and turn to face the new threat. Nora was already advancing and swinging her hammer, aiming for Naomi. But Syren interposed herself in the way, cracking her weapon like a whip and and sending a wave of steel tips cascading down on Nora from above, forcing her to abate her charge, and deflect them with her spinning hammer.

Before Syren could press the attack, Ayumu swept in like an errant breeze, Green Destiny flickering in a lightning-fast thrust aimed for her chest. Syren's response was to rotate the hilt of the weapon in her opposite hand, fanning out its blades like an oversized pinwheel, deflecting his attack, before swinging the same arm around in a sweeping motion that lashed at him with all thirty-two blades.

Ayumu jumped up and back, right over the shaft of a hammer wielded by a charging Nora, which she swung at Syren with all her considerable might. The blades of Syren's left-handed urumi were presently massed together. Their flexible nature meant that they bent before the brute force of Nora's strike, allowing her to bend them back until they hit Syren's body, before the explosive discharge from Magnhild blasted them against Syren with full force.

Despite her surprise, Syren bore the hit with the fortitude of a true champion, bending with the force of the impact and riding it out by going into another flip, one that allowed her to fly over the head of Naomi, who stepped forward to point the spout of her lamp at Ayumu and Nora, the wind-Dust crystal lined up with it, unleashing a powerful whirlwind intended to push the opposing pair back and buy her and Syren both time and distance.

But it was countered by Ayumu, who jumped over Nora's head to land in front of her, sweeping his blade down in a lazy-looking stroke that, nonetheless, effortlessly parted the oncoming wind around himself and Nora, allowing them to remain in position to continue the attack...which they did with a gusto.

* * *

"It looks like meeting up and trying to pool their strengths turned against them," said Jaune, watching the fight, his remark directed at Syren and Naomi.

"If they could keep Nora and Ayumu at more of a distance, they'd be devastating," noted Blake.

"Syren's weapon is pretty effective at nearly any range," said Ruby. "But when she's fighting with her partner, it actually hampers how she can use it. She just can't swing it as freely."

"So Ayumu and Nora get close and keep the pressure on," observed Ren. "It looks like Naomi's biggest weakness is that she needs time to put together an animate construct. When she's caught up in close combat, inanimate constructs and regular Dustweaving are the best she can do."

"Though she seems plenty adept in just that," said Gin.

"But it's still tricky," said Yang. "Syren's weapon is seriously unpredictable, even when she's limited like that. Ayumu and Nora have an advantage. But it's tough to really press it."

"Yeah," agreed Ruby. "Plus, it looks like they learned from Ayumu's reflection earlier. They aren't trying to go for anymore big moves that Ayumu could potentially just bounce back at them."

"Right now, they're just chiseling away at each other's strength," said Gin. "It looks like this fight is gonna come down to the wire. That means whoever's the best at thinking small is gonna win."

Behind the one-and-a-half teams commenting on the match in the ringside seats, a few rows up, Blaine watched the match with a look of cold disdain, his arms folded across his chest as his eyes followed the fight down in the ring. There was no doubt that the two members of Jaune's team were incredible fighters. Considering that they were holding their own against, even gaining an advantage over, a team of third-years, it spoke volumes about their skill.

All that made it only more aggravating that it was them, and not Jaune, out there in the ring. As the supposed "leader' of his team, Jaune have been front and center, not allowing himself to be outshone so completely, by two people who were ostensibly his subordinates. Jaune might have called it strategy, but Blaine called it what it was to his mind, weakness, an admission that Jaune knew he didn't belong on this stage, had no right representing his Academy or his Kingdom. Someone with that lack of resolve didn't have what it took to be a Huntsman...which only made it all the more confusing that Jaune's friends and teammates continued to support him...and all the more confusing that Jaune was allowed to remain at Beacon.

 _I guess I need to have a talk with Ozpin,_ thought Blaine.

* * *

The melee in the ring had developed into a complex affair. Ayumu and Nora had Syren and Naomi on the back-foot though, the younger pair switching back and forth with each other, trading finesse and firepower seamlessly. In contrast, Syren and Naomi's formation was a little more static, with Syren taking the front, trying to buy time and create openings for Naomi to use more powerful and complex Dust-based attacks. However, Ayumu and Nora rarely gave them either time or openings to do so.

Syren reeled back, barely managing to deflect a powerful blow from Nora's hammer, before lashing out to strike at Ayumu, who'd attempted to skirt her and strike at Naomi. Naomi manipulated the lid of her lamp, switching to the water-crystal, then to the wind-crystal. Syren stepped aside, allowing Naomi to step forward and swing her lamp in a low arc, the spout pointing down. A wave of ice rose up along the line of her swing, threatening to wash over Nora, who responded with impressive speed, shattering it with her hammer. Syren followed up with another crack of her urumi that sent its tips converging at Nora from all directions.

Ayumu returned to Nora's side, and the two partners danced, back-to-back, deflecting Syren's blades. Nora ducked low, allowing Ayumu to deflect the last two incoming blades by rolling across her back. At the same time, Nora converted Magnhild back into its grenade-launcher mode and fired several shots at Syren and Naomi, forcing the pair to jump back farther to avoid the blasts. They landed at the edge of the rainforest biome, barely a meter away from the section of scorched earth that Naomi's genie had created earlier.

Now Ayumu went on the attack, rushing forward. Naturally, Syren moved to counter him, executing a dancelike spin, sweeping her arms out to either side of her. In contrast to the wide motions of her arms and body, Syren's urumi blades curled around to attack from a variety of directions, weaving together a barrier of steel between Ayumu and his opponents, while the tips slashed and thrust at him from a variety of directions. Still, Ayumu's body seemed to dissolve into the air itself, diving through openings barely large enough for him to fit through, breezing past both Syren and Naomi with apparent ease.

It was a great deal easier for Ayumu in this situation. Syren's caution, in such close proximity to her partner, had slowed her movements, creating openings he wouldn't have been able to use otherwise. To Syren's surprise, instead of trying to attack her directly, or slip past to attack Naomi, Ayumu bypassed the pair entirely, before leaping up to land upon one of the foliage-covered branches of the rainforest biome. He paused just long enough for the branch to begin to bend under his weight, before kicking off again, launching himself higher, but with a spin.

As he spun, Ayumu swept his sword out around him, the movements creating a green wind that pulled leaves off the nearby branches, sweeping them up around Ayumu in an emerald cyclone.

The strange movements of Ayumu being so unusual, both Syren and Naomi had focused most of their attention on him, keeping only a minor eye on Nora, in case she decided to attack. Because of that, they didn't notice when Nora settled into a crouch, holding her hammer up. Pinkish lightning began to crackle up and down its length. Nora's Semblance enabled her to absorb electricity from outside sources. However, it also enabled her to produce her own. Granted, the amount of electricity she could immediately produce was rather minor, compared to the boost she could gain from other sources. However, if allowed to, she could continue to build it up over time, enabling her to attack with explosive strength, well beyond what she was normally capable of. And, because most of their attention was fixated on Ayumu, Syren and Naomi were giving Nora all the time she needed.

Up above, Ayumu infused his Aura into the leaves that swirled around him. Channeling his Aura through them, he made each of them into the core of an emerald blade, the same size and shape as Green Destiny. With a sweep of his sword, Ayumu launched a rain of phantasmal swords down at the two opponents below. Syren immediately went on the defensive, sweeping her arms across her body, ripples transitioning up the length of her urumi blades, prompting them to lash Ayumu's blades out of the air, the Aura constructs shattering upon contact.

However, that nearly proved her undoing. To Syren's amazement, the fragments of green Aura that scattered upon the swords' impact with her urumi expanded explosively, becoming swords themselves, forcing Syren to defend even more energetically as the intensity of the attack abruptly multiplied. So intense was the attack that she briefly forgot Naomi was in her vicinity. Naomi yelped and ducked as one of the urumi blades trimmed a tiny amount of fur from the tuft of one of her feline ears. Sinking into a crouch, Naomi desperately tried to remain low and out of the line of attack, even as she tried to remain under the protective umbrella of Syren's defense.

Syren's eyes widened as a realization struck her. In the midst of her defense, she had lost sight of Ayumu, the intensity of his attack and the volume of swords he'd just bombarded her with causing her to divert her focus away from him. So she was caught by surprise when Ayumu, who'd dropped down outside the radius of her blades movements and then moved closer, while using the tree trunks as cover, abruptly appeared in front of her, crouched low to duck beneath the movements of her blades.

Syren's response was immediate. She swept one urumi down to parry the attack she anticipated from Ayumu's sword, while manipulating the blades of the others to bring their tips around to converge on him. However, she was caught off-guard again, when Ayumu opened his left hand, revealing a few more leaves. With the barest of motions, Ayumu flicked the leaves towards Syren, his Aura channeling through them to make them fly faster. In that instant, they too transformed into glowing, green facsimiles of his blade, flying straight into Syren's unguarded body before she could respond, knocking her back and staggering her.

Taking advantage of Syren's unbalanced state, Ayumu went on the attack. Instead of attacking with Green Destiny, he instead stepped right in until he and Syren were almost body-to-body, their eyes meeting, their faces mere inches away from each other. Even as he fixed Syren's gaze with his own, Ayumu struck with his left hand, dealing an Aura-enhanced palm-strike right to Syren's abdomen, knocking her back again and driving the breath from her lungs, before launching into a blurring series of punches and kicks, targeting several important points on her body.

Nearby, Naomi rose up out of her crouch, preparing to move to support Syren, and force Ayumu to disengage. Abruptly, Nora appeared behind her, covering the distance between them with impressive speed that Naomi hadn't seen before, hammer cocked back to deliver a devastating strike.

Nora's feet crunched, as though she'd just stepped on freshly-fallen snow. Nora barely had time to glance down and see the white powder at her feet before, with a ringing noise, a mass of ice rose up to encase her. Naomi hadn't been idle, when she'd been forced to duck to avoid being cut by Syren's weapon. She'd anticipated Nora performing exactly this kind of maneuver, and laid out her trap right behind her, where Nora would most likely attack from.

Her own opponent sufficiently immobilized, Naomi was free to turn her full focus towards helping Syren get away from Ayumu...or so she thought. However, barely a second had passed since she had encased Nora in ice, before Naomi heard a cracking sound from behind her. Before she could turn to investigate, the ice shattered, pink lightning crackling up and down Nora's body, racing up the shaft of her hammer to condense around the head. With a triumphant roar, Nora swung, slamming her hammer into Naomi's side with enough force to launch the unfortunate girl straight out of the ring, slamming her into the safety barrier beyond it.

Thanks to Naomi being distracted by Ayumu earlier, both she and Syren had failed to notice Nora using her Semblance to build up her strength. Nora had used that extra, unexpected strength to break out of the ice prison Naomi had tried to trap her in, and then strike with enough force to take Naomi out of the match decisively.

"Naomi!" shouted Syren, shocked by the sudden loss of her partner.

Ayumu wouldn't let such a lapse pass unpunished. He suddenly stepped back, then charged forward, slashing Green Destiny across Syren's stomach as he flickered past her, his blade cutting through her Aura and causing it to disperse, dropping it all the way down to zero, and triggering the final buzzer that ended the match. With a gasp, Syren fell to one knee, the blades of her weapon going limp and falling around her like metallic confetti.

" _The second upset of the day, ladies and gentlemen,_ " declared Oobleck over the speakers. " _Ayumu Ao and Nora Valkyrie, from Team January, claim victory._ "

" _It was a well-fought battle,_ " added Port, throwing his two cents in. " _Syren and Naomi put up an incredible fight, and showed why they placed as high as they did in the previous tournament. But it appears that their opponents have developed an even more-impressive repertoire of skill._ "

A shadow fell over Syren, and she looked up to see Ayumu standing over her. "Thank you for the wonderful match," said Ayumu.

Syren snorted softly, then accepted the hand Ayumu extended down, allowing him to pull her to her feet. "Well, I can't have any hard feelings about losing to someone like you," she said. "You kids are something else."

Bending down, she retrieved her urumi, flicking her wrists. Ripples transitioned down the length of the blades, prompting them to merge back together. When the blades of each handle had become one again, Syren brought the handles back together as well, another ripple merging the two blades into one again. Finally, she executed a surprisingly deft maneuver to wrap the blade around her stomach again, tucking the handle under one of the wraps of the blade to hold it in place, at the small of her back.

In the meantime, Nora had gone over to help Naomi up, pulled the stunned girl up to her feet and supporting her. "Sorry about hitting you so hard," said Nora contritely.

"You sure did pack a wallop," said Naomi with a slightly dazed giggle. "I'm going to be feeling that hit for a while. But I won't hold it against you."

"Thanks," said Nora cheerfully, helping Naomi over to her partner, so that Syren could take over.

"You kids gave us one hell of a fight," said Syren, smiling cheerfully at Ayumu and Nora. "Good luck in the finals. We'll be cheering you on."

Ayumu and Nora traded farewells with their opponents, before the two pairs parted to return to their ready-rooms and await the post-match interviews, as well as reunite with their teammates.

* * *

The post-match interviews were relatively unremarkable. Both sides had nothing but compliments for their opponents, while the crowds clearly enjoyed the intense battle, and the high level of skill displayed by both sides. It was definitely a reassuring feeling for RUBY and JNAR, especially compared to the ominous sense that had followed the match prior to theirs. Still, the cloud of Mercury and Emerald's victory remained, a subtle reminder that the _real_ battle had not yet begun.

Still, it was hard for them to worry too much, especially when Ayumu was greeted by Neo, upon his return to his team's room. Upon entering through the door. he abruptly found a pair of arms around his shoulders and a set of lips on his own as Neo laid an enthusiastic kiss upon him, compensating for the difference in their heights by jumping up to wrap her legs around his waist.

Humming with pleasure at the surprising, yet still much welcomed kiss, Ayumu wrapped his arms around the small of Neo's back to hold her close. Shen she finally pulled away, she blinked at him, her eyes switching colors as they opened again.

"Thank you," said Ayumu happily. "I take it you enjoyed watching the match then."

Neo nodded, then pouted slightly.

"Well, there's no reason you couldn't have attended in disguise."

Neo canted her head slightly, then sighed silently.

"Yes, I suppose that's true. We _were_ meeting with Ozpin at the time."

"How does he do that?" Jaune muttered to the rest of their friends.

"I know," said Yang. "It's kind of weird."

"It's not so hard, once you get used to it," said Gin casually. "Granted, it's still tricky for her to talk about more detailed stuff."

"Wait, you can understand her?" asked Nora, gaping at Gin, prompting a nod from him and Ruby.

"I'm...not entirely sure how," Ruby admitted.

"Well, that's a topic for another time," said Ayumu, setting Neo down.

"That's true," said Jaune. "So...what's on the agenda now? The only big thing I can think of coming up in the immediate future is Ruby's match." He turned to their sister team. "Who are you sending in, by the way?"

"Well...Ruby, obviously," said Blake, taking a seat next to Nora, on her bed.

"Yeah, but who's going to be her partner for this match?" asked Jaune, throwing an inquisitive glance at Gin.

Gin smirked, and raised his hands. "Don't look at me," he said playfully.

"You're not entering the match with your boyfriend?" gasped Nora.

"Why do you look so surprised about that?" asked Ruby.

"It's just...well...he's your boyfriend," said Nora, waving her hands.

"Yeah, but that didn't mean we needed to go through the doubles round together," said Ruby with a giggle.

"So who is it then?" asked Ren.

"Yang," said Ruby cheerfully, hugging her sister's arm.

"Any particular reason for this?" asked Ayumu, looking between the sisters.

"Maybe I just wanna tear things up with my big sis," said Ruby playfully, sticking her tongue out at them.

"That's right," said Yang proudly.

"We may have been a bit concerned about not flaunting the fact that Gin is a dragon-faunus more than we already have in the tournament," added Blake.

"Well...that too," admitted Gin.

"You don't mind?" wondered Jaune, giving the silver-haired boy an inquisitive look.

Gin shrugged. "Not really. Remember, we think that the way faunus generally respond to me tends to border on a phobia, an automatic reflex. If they haven't spent time around me, doing the kind of exposure training Blake has, they aren't going to have any recourse to overcome it, much less a reason to."

"And hardly anyone is going to be a special case, like Sun is," commented Blake.

"Well, we are trying to keep from stirring up too much negative emotion," said Ren, "so it's a sensible adjustment. We're going to need every inch of breathing room we can get, if we're going to put Ruby and Ayumu's plan into effect in the finals."

"True that," agreed Yang, folding her arms behind her head and stretching a little.

Ayumu noticed Neo giving him an inquisitive look. "I'll fill you in on it in a moment," he promised. "I want to make some other arrangements, though."

"What kind of arrangements?" asked Jaune.

"I want to arrange a visit," said Ayumu cryptically, already pulling out his scroll and calling Ozpin.

* * *

"Yes, I have no problems with it," said Ozpin, a small smile on his face. "In fact, it might be very beneficial. I will take care of the arrangements."

" _And about the venue..._ " Ayumu's voice buzzed from the other end of the line.

"My office will serve," said Ozpin. "I agree with your caution regarding using the usual location."

" _Thank you then, Professor,_ " said Ayumu pleasantly. " _Good evening._ "

"And a good evening to you as well," said Ozpin. "Congratulations on passing the doubles round, Mr. Ao. I look forward to your performance in the finals...for more than one reason."

" _I will do my best to not disappoint,_ " Ayumu said, before ending the call.

Ozpin chuckled and set the scroll down on his desk. "Such ambitious children," he said softly. A light from the intercom built into his desk lit up. He listened to the receptionist for a moment, before nodding. "Very well. Go ahead and send him up. My schedule is clear at the moment."

After a moment's wait, a tone sounded from the elevator, which opened to admit an imposing, blonde-haired man. "Mr. Arc, this is a rare surprise," said Ozpin. "What brings this about?"

"I think you know _exactly_ why I'm here, Ozpin," said Blaine, almost glaring at his former headmaster. "I want to know what you're doing, allowing my son to continue attending?"

"I am simply doing my job," replied Ozpin with an amiable smile. "It's true that your son performed poorly at first. There is no denying that, as he was when he arrived, he would not have lasted at Beacon."

"Then why is he _still_ here?" growled Blaine.

"Because he is _no longer_ as he was," replied Ozpin simply. "Mr. Arc applied himself, and dedicated a truly admirable amount of effort to improving, efforts that have subsequently paid impressive dividends. He is no longer at the bottom of the class, and has continued to climb the rankings. While I wouldn't exactly call him above-average yet, he has shown that he has what it takes to continue here and, I believe, the makings of a fine Huntsman."

Blaine sighed, his expression softening. "Look, Ozpin, I can understand you wanting to give my son encouragement. Lord knows he has it plenty rough as it is. But you can't keep doing this to him. He needs to understand that he doesn't have what it takes to be a Huntsman."

"The assessments my faculty have performed speak otherwise," replied Ozpin simply.

"You can try and excuse it with fancy words on paper all you want," scoffed Blaine. "But I saw it the first few times Jaune took a sword up. He doesn't have any aptitude for combat."

"By which, you mean he doesn't have _your_ aptitude for combat," countered Ozpin. "You've always been like that, Mr. Arc. You substitute your own measure for success, and impose it upon others, even though it is hardly realistic."

"This isn't some game, Ozpin!" snapped Blaine, smacking his fist down on the surface of the desk. "This is life or death. My eldest daughters took to combat training like ducks to water. They have what it takes to survive in this line of work. But Jaune...just look at him, sending his teammates out into the tournament, instead of going into the field himself. It shows that he has no confidence in his abilities."

"I take issue with that statement," said Ozpin. "I'm sure you've confronted Jaune about this, and he has already given you the same answer I will. Regardless of his personal skills as a fighter, Mr. Arc analyzed the situation, exercised his judgment as the leader of his team, and made the necessary decisions to maximize their chance of victory." He sighed. "This is why your team had one of the lowest scores in the school when it came to group exercises."

"It's a leader's job to pave the way for those beneath him!" snapped Blaine.

"For some, that may work," said Ozpin. "But others possess talent that lies in other areas. Your son has shown exceptionally good judgment and decision-making skills, especially when it comes to leveraging the abilities of his companions. In a team-based scenario, those skills are far more valuable than simply being able to do everything himself."

"Maybe for the average Huntsman," retorted Blaine. "But Jaune is an _Arc_. It's disgraceful for an Arc to depend on others on the battlefield."

"That's an unfortunate attitude to take," said Ozpin. "Regardless, it means nothing to me. Nothing you can say or do will convince me to discharge Jaune from this institution. Now that he has completed initiation, his success or failure is entirely upon him."

"You do realize his transcripts were faked, don't you?" growled Blaine.

"I do," said Ozpin. "I realized that before I approved his admission. Looking at him, and getting an idea of the kind of man he was, I decided to give him an opportunity. And, now that he has completed the initiation, that does not matter anymore. Jaune Arc has been formally enrolled as a student, and has every right to remain, so long as he continues to maintain passing grades in his classes."

"I won't stand for this!" shouted Blaine, straightening up. "I won't allow you to send my son to his death!"

"And I have no intention of sending him to his death," said Ozpin. "He is being trained to the very best of our abilities, not to mention the abilities of his peers. I appreciate the desire to protect one's family from hardship and pain, Mr. Arc. But what you have done goes into the realm of stifling and undermining your son's success. Now that he has overcome that, it is no surprise that he has rebuffed your attempts to call him home. I suggest that you either learn to accept your son's progress, and encourage him appropriately; or return to your home, and cease trying to obstruct his path. Either way, actively interfering with him will not be permitted."

Blaine growled, glaring daggers at his old Headmaster, while Ozpin met his glare with a level gaze, refusing to meet aggression with aggression, but not flinching away from it either. He was far more practiced in such contests of will than Blaine was though, and, before long, the elder Arc relented and turned, stalking back to the elevator.

"This isn't over, Ozpin," he growled.

"Tell me, Mr. Arc, have you watched the recording of the team match your son participated in?" asked Ozpin.

"I don't need to," said Blaine, over his shoulder.

"You should," said Ozpin. "If you would stop pretending that you know exactly what happened, and simply see how your son has changed for yourself, you might better understand why you have failed, and will continue to fail, in this endeavor."

A wordless growl was his only response. Blaine entered the elevator and left the room in silence.

Ozpin sighed and removed his spectacles, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly. "God save me from the bullheadedness of some people," he muttered softly.

* * *

The Atlesian Embassy stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the buildings of downtown Vale. Granted, it wasn't alone in its status of "odd building out," given its position on Vale's Embassy Row. The artfully twisting, glass and steel high-rise stood directly across the street from the broad, sloped roof of of the eastern-style Embassy of Mistral. Just a short ways down the street, the onion-dome-capped towers of the Vacuoan Embassy climbed into the sky. Standing next to the Mistralian Embassy was the Consulate of Menagerie, built in a similar style as the Mistralian building next to it, but smaller and more humble, looking rather poor and plain in comparison to its neighbor.

All these buildings were set within walking distance of the diplomatic offices, not to mention the main office of the Council of Vale. This entire segment of Vale's capital was dedicated to the maintenance of diplomatic relations with the other Kingdoms of the world, its position meant to be accessible to all the government officials and diplomats who needed to make regular use of the buildings, and their associated offices.

To visiting students from Atlas Academy, who were being housed in Beacon's dorms, said section of the Kingdom was much less-accessible. Ciel did her level-best to keep her agitation at being called out to the middle of downtown Vale, at such a late hour, to herself, keeping her face schooled to a mask of stony neutrality, maintaining a straight posture, arms folded behind her back as she and Penny waited for the elevator to make its ascent up the building, heading for what the workers and residents had unofficially (and rather un-creatively) termed the High Office.

Reserved for visiting members of Atlas' Council, the High Office was a residence as well as a workspace, designed in similar lines to a penthouse suites of high-class hotels. It dominated the top five floors of the building, holding amenities for conferences and state affairs; including a large dining room, and even a small ballroom; in addition to the namesake office, and the residential rooms meant to be used by the Atlesian Council.

Ironwood might have been in Vale in his role as the Headmaster of Atlas Academy, but his status as a member of the Council, the ruling member of the Council no less, allowed him to avail himself of the impressive amenities of the High Office.

Granted, the amenities of the suite were probably not the primary concern or interest of General James Ironwood. A veteran of multiple military actions, since his earliest days as a Huntsman and Specialist for the newly-formed Atlesian Military, he had been accustomed to more spartan accommodations. What he did appreciate was the building's security.

His was not the only residence built into the Atlesian Embassy. Indeed, all of the building's staff lived on-site, and much of the building's size was dedicated to housing them, in addition to providing their workspace. In design, it reflected Atlesian views towards the importance of security, all access being carefully monitored and controlled, to ensure that everyone who came and went was known. Completely self-contained and self-sustained, the hallmark of the people who had tamed the harsh lands of Solitas, and led the emergence of Atlas as the world's preeminent military power.

In spite of how impressive the building's design was, Ciel would rather not have been here, if only because she knew that the return trip to Beacon would make her late for her scheduled bedtime. She had been forced to cut her allotted dinnertime short by a full fifteen minutes as it was, in order to make room for the travel time needed to make her and Penny's appointment with the General. Despite all that, Ciel kept her face impassive as she waited for the meeting she was likely going to be nothing more than a bystander for.

In stark contrast to Ciel's stoic neutrality, Penny was far more animated, smiling and glancing about the elevator, though there was nothing particularly remarkable about the sterile, white box they were currently riding in. Yet she took in every line and corner as though they were potentially fascinating things to investigate. Ciel genuinely envied Penny's ability to meet even the most mundane things with such lively enthusiasm. Penny, as always, was the one that General Ironwood _truly_ wanted to address. However, his summons had been issued to them as a pair, which meant that Ciel was duty-bound to attend as well.

The slow rise of the elevator terminated so smoothly that Ciel didn't feel even the slightest lurch, yet another hallmark of Atlesian engineering. The difference was so remarkable that, the first time she'd set foot in a regular elevator in Vale, she'd actually staggered when it had started and stopped. With a soft tone, the doors slid open, revealing a relatively normal-looking entryway. Up ahead was a desk, manned by a receptionist...or at least it looked like a receptionist. The faint shimmer around her outline, accompanied by the slight transparency of her form, in addition to the the artificially pleasant smile on her face, marked her out as the holographic avatar of an AI, similar to those that manned the desks in the CCT towers.

"Hello," said the AI receptionist. "Ms. Soleil, Ms. Polendina; the General has been expecting you. Please head right in."

"Thank you," said Penny cheerily, as though the hologram was a real person. Ciel remained silent, seeing no point in addressing the avatar of a mere program more than necessary.

The door to the High Office slid open to admit them, and they found themselves in a high-ceilinged room. There was little in the way of decor, the room's stark, white lines being interrupted only by the single window that composed the entirety of the far wall, and the rather plain-looking white desk, that rose up out of the floor, as though it had grown up like a fungus.

Ironwood was seated behind the desk, his fingers working on a keyboard interface that was displayed on the surface of the desk, a holographic screen hovering before his eyes. Seeing them approaching through the screen, Ironwood shut it down momentarily, and looked up at them expectantly.

Ciel and Penny came to a halt with parade ground precision. Ciel snapped out a crisp salute, which Penny imitated, albeit in a looser, more casual manner that only she seemed able to get away with. "Ciel Soleil and Penny Polendina reporting, as requested, Sir." It was awkward, not having a rank with which to refer to herself and Penny. But, despite being under the control of General Ironwood, and being connected directly to the Atlesian Military, Atlas Academy wasn't officially a military institution, which meant that its students didn't have an official rank.

"At ease," said Ironwood.

Ciel relaxed slightly, folding her arms behind her back once more, while Penny simply lowered hers to her sides. "You wanted to talk to me, General?" she asked.

"Yes," said Ironwood. "I want a report on your status, Penny."

Ciel had to fight to keep an eyebrow from going up. She should have been used to it by now, but still found it unusual...and unsettling. Penny was the only student that Ironwood would refer to by her given name. It would have been strangely, possibly even scandalously casual. However, Ciel got the impression that Ironwood wasn't being casual. It was almost as though he saw Penny more as an object than as a human.

"Everything is in working order, General," said Penny with every evidence as good cheer, before playfully saluting again. "I'm combat ready."

"Good," said Ironwood with a curt nod. "Your victory is important."

 _Though he'll never say why,_ thought Ciel.

Ironwood continued. "Your match could be at any time over the next three days. Be sure that you are prepared at a moment's notice."

"Yes, Sir," chirped Penny.

"Ms. Soleil," said Ironwood, his intense gaze going to Ciel and making her jolt, a nervous twitch running down her spine.

"Sir?" she asked, unsure why he was addressing her. She was just here as an accessory to Penny after all.

"I want to be sure that you remember your role," said Ironwood.

"I do," said Ciel, swallowing back the disappointed lump in her throat. "I am to support Ms. Penny in the match."

"Be sure that you support her to the best of your abilities," said Ironwood firmly.

In other words, stay back and let her fight, and don't upstage her. That was the warning hidden in Ironwood's words. Just like the previous round, she was supposed to stand back and allow Penny to do all the fighting. Ciel and her other two teammates were just there to fill out the roster.

It was strange that, prior to her discussion with Gin, that knowledge hadn't bothered her as much.

"That said, I've heard some troubling reports," said Ironwood, his gaze now taking in both of them.

A nervous sweat began to bead across Ciel's brow.

"What is it?" asked Penny, as casual and seemingly unruffled as ever, though Ciel couldn't help but imagine that she sensed an undercurrent of unease in the other girl's voice as well.

"I've received reports that you have been in contact with Ruby Rose and Gin Ueno of Beacon Academy," said Ironwood.

"Y-yes," said Penny.

Ciel knew she wasn't mistaken. She had definitely heard that uneasy stutter in Penny's voice.

"You are to avoid them at all costs," said Ironwood, drawing a genuine surprised flinch from Penny, while Ciel stiffened, her posture, amazingly, going even more rigid.

"Sir, why-?" Ciel began.

"I think I shouldn't have to explain that to you, Ms. Soleil," said Ironwood, an angry growl in his voice, prompting both girls to flinch back from him. He paused and took a breath to calm himself down. "The fact remains that the two of them are students of Yu Yuen, the world's most dangerous criminal. They represent a substantial security risk, one that Ozpin, to my complete incomprehension, continues to ignore. I will not have the situation destabilized further by continued association with those...or any of their compatriots for that matter. Am I understood?"

"Clearly, Sir," said Ciel, thinking that this possibly explained why Ironwood was here.

Back when he'd first arrived at Beacon, with his students, Ironwood had remained quartered aboard his flagship. Given his role as Headmaster of Atlas Academy, Ciel had originally thought that he would take quarters at Beacon, after Vale's Council officially required him to send his ships home. Instead, he had chosen to occupy the High Office at the embassy; good for working diplomatically with Vale's Council, not so good for acting in his role as Headmaster.

"Good," said Ironwood, nodding to himself. "See that you keep well away from them."

"B-bu-" began Penny.

Recognizing the beginnings of a protest that would undoubtedly make the situation worse, Ciel gently bumped into Penny, with the intent of keeping her from completing her outburst. Ciel nearly knocked herself over, forgetting how remarkably solid and heavy Penny seemed to be, for someone with such a slight build.

"Something to say?" growled Ironwood.

"No! Nothing, Sir," said Ciel quickly, speaking over Penny. "If there isn't anything else, we will take our leave now."

"Dismissed," said Ironwood curtly, bringing up his workstation again, and resuming where he had left off.

"Let's go, Ma'am," said Ciel firmly, taking Penny by the arm.

Though clearly reluctant, Penny allowed herself to be led out.

* * *

 **I hope everyone enjoyed the conclusion to Ayumu and Nora vs Syren and Naomi.**


	95. Chapter 95

**Chapter 95:**

Ciel pulled them out through the entryway, ignoring the automatic farewell from the holographic receptionist. It was harder work than it should have been, Penny's weight, as always, offering far more resistance than it should have.

They entered the elevator, and settled in for the long ride down to the first floor.

"Ciel, why did you-?" Penny began.

"Not _here_ , Ma'am," said Ciel harshly, already adopting her usual stance.

Penny opened her mouth to protest, before picking up on Ciel's emphasis. She quickly straightened up and even tried to imitate Ciel's posture, something that nearly caused Ciel's mask to slip, and make her break out laughing, so comically uncharacteristic did Penny look in that pose.

The two remained silent, until they left the embassy and began the walk to the airship docks. Granted, Ciel and Penny were probably within their rights to request a car. But Ciel opted to hold off, so that the two of them could walk and talk, away from the prying eyes that monitored nearly every square inch of the embassy, and everything associated with it, including the vehicles.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am," said Ciel, after they were about a block away from the embassy. "But speaking out against the General, when he's already made up his mind, would only make things worse."

"You're right," said Penny, lowering her head slightly. "Thank you for stopping me." She gave Ciel a worried look. "Do we really have to stay away from Ruby?"

"We should," said Ciel, biting down on the inside of her lip. "The General has made his orders clear. Violating them would invite heavy punishment." _For me, in any case,_ she silently added.

Penny, despite having, on multiple occasions, slipped her minders and gone off one her own, had never received anything more than a mild reprimand. But Ciel knew that, if Penny engaged in restricted activities, while in her charge, she could expect something far worse than a mere telling off.

"I don't want to," said Ciel. "Ruby was the first real friend I've ever had."

"I know," said Ciel, unable to keep the sympathy from worming its way into her voice, trying not to sound hurt either. After all, she was with Penny under orders. They had been made partners for the purpose of the tournament, not because they were actually meant to work and fight together, to say nothing of getting to know each other. Despite all the time they spent together, Ciel realized she was just another supervisor to Penny, another person put in place to watch over her.

Penny gasped, apparently realizing what she'd just implied. "I'm sorry, Ciel," she said quickly. "You're my friend too. I mean...I know that you're with me because you have to be and that must be-"

"No, I understand," said Ciel, finding a sad smile slipping onto her face, despite her best efforts. "You must be tired of having people watch over you so much-"

Now it was Penny's turn to cut her off. "No!" said Penny quickly. "Er-...Hic!...I mean...It's not fair to you to be stuck with me. But..." Penny slumped a little, before stopping.

"Ma'am?" Ciel stopped as well, and looked at her partner inquisitively.

"I want to be friends with you!" exclaimed Penny, straightening up and giving Ciel an earnest look, her tone almost desperate. "I mean-I want to be real friends with you, not a friend who's a friend, because she's ordered to be with you!"

"I...um...I..." Ciel was taken aback, unsure of how to even respond. Her? Friends with Penny? Technically, it wasn't forbidden. However, when she'd first been given this assignment, it had been made perfectly clear that her role was as Penny's minder and supervisor, first and foremost.

"Please!" pressed Penny. "I-Hic!-I want to be partners for real! I want to fight alongside you! Hic! I want to get to know you better, know the _real_ you."

Ciel blinked...and blinked again. Her next inhalation was congested to the point she nearly had to breathe through her mouth. All of a sudden, she was on the verge of tears. No one had ever expressed such intense interest in being friends with her. Granted, Penny seemed to go after everything she did with all the enthusiasm she could muster. But her words, and the intensity of her speech, struck a chord in Ciel's heart.

As regimented as life had become at Atlas Academy, Ciel's strict adherence to schedule, and her intense focus on her studies and training, had left little room for a social life. Her peers generally ignored her, and she them...or she tried, in any case. However, she'd heard the occasional whispered remark when she passed other students in the hall, mocking her for her adherence to schedule, calling her Little Miss Robot, Watch Girl, and other such dismissive nicknames. Despite her best efforts, Ciel felt a slight jolt of pain every time. There was part of her that longed for a real circle of friends.

But Penny was different. She had never judged Ciel, not when they were together at least. She always treated Ciel in the same, unrelentingly cheerful manner, always happy to see her, happy to be around her and talk to her; all despite Ciel's efforts to maintain a professional distance. Ciel found herself admitting that the peppy girl had worn a hole in her natural defenses.

"I..." Ciel looked and saw genuine hope and want in Penny's eyes. "I...I would like to be your friend too, Ma-"

"Nope." Penny cut her off again.

"What?"

Penny broke out into a radiant smile that sent warm shudders down Ciel's spine. "You're not calling me silly, stale things like 'Ma'am' or 'Miss.' If we're going to be friends, you're going to call me Penny."

"A-all right, Ma-er-Penny," said Ciel, struggling against ingrained habit.

Penny smiled brightly. "Sensational!" she cheered. "I'm so happy that we're friends now." She paused thoughtfully. "Well, we were sort-of-friends before, I guess. But we're really-friends now. That's so much better!"

Ciel couldn't help it. Before she could control herself, the sound wormed its way up her throat, and out through her nose and mouth, a soft titter that Penny, with her impressively sharp senses, didn't fail to pick up on.

"You laughed," she said excitedly.

"N-no I didn't," Ciel protested.

"You _did_ ," said Penny, as brightly as ever. "You should do it more. It sounds so nice."

"I...uh...I'll th-think about it," stammered Ciel, still wrestling with the lapse in self-control that had produced the sound.

Penny beamed. Then her expression sobered. "But I still want to see Ruby," she said.

"I know," said Ciel. "But I don't know if we can. It's not just about defying the General's orders." At the time, when Penny had been talking with Ruby, while Ciel had been talking with Gin, Ciel hadn't given the matter much thought, and hadn't felt it was worth reporting to the General. The fact that the discussion had kindled her desire to actually participate in a match might have also had something to do with it. The main issue was that, if Ciel and Penny hadn't reported the interaction, then someone else _had_. Ciel was supposed to be Penny's watcher and minder, but it seemed that, as a pair, they had watchers of their own.

"You think we're being watched?" asked Penny.

"I'm fairly certain of it," said Ciel. "If you didn't tell the General we'd met Ms. Rose and Mr. Ueno, then someone else did."

"But who?" asked Penny, looking around suspiciously.

"I have no idea," admitted Ciel.

An undercover agent wouldn't be so incompetent as to out themselves. He or she was probably disguised, mixed in with the other festival-goers. It could have been anyone with line-of-sight to them. Unfortunately, with the constantly shifting crowds, it would be all but impossible to figure out who.

And, even if they did figure out who was shadowing them, their problems wouldn't end there. Escaping, disabling, or otherwise silencing their watcher would simply send a signal to Ironwood that Ciel and Penny were doing something he would disapprove of.

"Do you think they watch us all the time?" asked Penny.

"It's hard to say," said Ciel. "Obviously, blending in with the crowds to monitor us is a lot easier than following us around Beacon itself." With the Academy itself closed to non-students, a secret observer, disguised as one of the festival-goers, wouldn't have as much leeway to follow them, if any at all. Of course, there were other means of monitoring them: long distance observation, thermal scopes, imbedded tracking equipment...

Once again, Ciel felt a nervous sweat bead on her brow as she contemplated the situation further. She was just an accessory, another layer of monitoring for Penny. That being the case, if there were other watchers besides herself...just _how_ important was Penny? All Ciel knew was that she was the daughter of someone influential, and important to General Ironwood. Ciel also knew that Penny had gone off on her own on at least two occasions, that Ciel knew of. Perhaps those incidents, combined with Penny's apparent importance, explained the extra level of scrutiny. But to add layers that even the one who was supposed to be watching Penny directly didn't know of...Just what was going on here? Just _who_ was Penny Polendina, and _what_ about her was so important?

Penny looked down thoughtfully. "Maybe...if they can't follow us into Beacon...what about the dorms? Do you think they watch us in the dorms?"

Ciel quivered and hugged herself at the thought. It was bad enough to realize that they were being tailed and watched, out in public spaces. But to think that someone might be watching her in the privacy of her own room...that was more disturbing than she would have liked to admit. "I hope not," she said finally.

Although, if there were people attempting to watch them in their dorms, that would be difficult. Ciel always drew her curtains, before she went to bed. Unless their watchers had truly sophisticated monitoring equipment, the simple barrier might be enough to grant them some privacy. Furthermore, the only place to effectively monitor the dorm rooms would be from the Beacon buildings themselves. Any attempt to maintain such monitoring for any extended period of time would undoubtedly be noticed by Beacon's own security.

"The dorms are probably where we're the safest," said Ciel, after much thought. "But...I'm not sure about this. If the General finds out that you're still meeting with Ms. Rose, we'll be in a lot of trouble."

"Don't worry," said Penny cheerily. "I know how to keep it a secret."

"If you're sure..." said Ciel dubiously. "Then I suppose we could arrange to meet them in our dorm room. But try to be as discreet as possible."

"Absolutely," said Penny.

Ciel sighed. She had the feeling she was going to regret going through with this.

Then Penny unexpectedly changed the subject. "Now...what's our strategy for our match?"

Ciel sighed again. It was probably going to be a long night. But they were already going to miss her scheduled bedtime by a full hour, just in terms of transit. She supposed they might as well make the most of it.

* * *

Tuesday proved to be a lazy day for RUBY and JNAR. Ayumu and Nora had already had their match of the week, of course. Ruby and Yang were not among the pairs selected for either of the day's matches. On the other hand, Sun and Neptune were selected to participate, in the second match, so the two teams took their seats to cheer on their friends, keeping Sage and Scarlet company. They were joined, much to their amusement, by the girls of NDGO, all of whom, particularly Nebula, were cheering the two boys on.

Sun and Neptune won handily. Sun had returned to using his original weapon and showed no need to use his materialized one, nor his improved Semblance, over the course of the match. Fortunately for Neptune, none of the four biomes selected ended up being water-based, which allowed him to fight to his fullest ability. While excited by their victory, they were also graceful during the post-match interviews, having nothing but compliments for their opponents; who, in turn, accepted their defeat with considerable grace.

Before and between the matches, RUBY and JNAR whiled away the hours by exploring the festival grounds. Even though, by that point, they should have seen all that there was to see, the fact of the matter was that the grounds, vendors, stalls, and attractions changed daily. There were sections that each represented one of the three other Kingdoms; showcasing products, produce, arts, and other attractions native to them. Mistral's was the largest, proudly displaying all manner of specialties and cultural aspects that varied widely across their massive territory. The Atlesian section was home to numerous technological marvels to demonstrate the Kingdom's technological advances, though Ruby and her friends balked at the stand proudly operated by the SDC. Vacuo's section was, surprisingly, focused on fashion, with many stands selling clothing that had been designed to cope with the Kingdom's harsh, desert environment. There was always something new to see.

It was only after Sun and Neptune's match that members of the group began to go their separate ways. The two boys eagerly invited their friends out for a celebratory dinner. But Ayumu had to decline for himself.

"I'm sorry, but I arranged something with Professor Ozpin earlier," he said. "I'm going to take care of that now."

"What sort of thing?" asked Sun.

"Well, it pertains to things that I'm not at liberty to talk about," said Ayumu sheepishly.

"Which is a long way of saying he can't tell you," said Gin, snorting in amusement.

Sun and Neptune exchanged confused glances. "Well, catch ya later then," he said.

"I'm sorry," said Ayumu earnestly, bowing his head politely to the boys. "Congratulations on your victory though. I look forward to facing you in the finals, Mr. Wukong."

"Dude, just call me Sun," said Sun.

"So be it," said Ayumu, politely waving, before heading off on his way.

"Wonder what he's involved with that's so secret," mused Neptune.

"I might have an idea," Sun muttered, shooting Blake a quizzical glance. She discouraged him with a slow shake of her head. Now was not the time to inquire about the larger matter, not with the girls of NDGO hovering close by.

"Well, I guess that means the rest of us have plans," said Neptune proudly...only to deflate when a chime sounded from Ruby's scroll.

Ruby pulled it out and gasped. "Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed excitedly. Then she froze and looked around nervously. "Um...sorry. Gin and I have to go. Something just came up."

"You and Gin?" asked Yang, tilting her head in confusion. Sun noticed that Ruby and Gin's friends seemed just as baffled by what Ruby could need to do as everyone else.

Ruby leaned over to Gin and whispered into his ear. Gin blinked, then his eyes widened and he nodded. Then he sighed and turned to face their friends, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, sorry. We'd love to go with you all, but...this is important."

With that, he allowed Ruby to grab his wrist and drag him off, her Semblance leaving red petals in their wake, the pair disappearing before any further questions could be asked.

"What was that all about?" wondered Neptune.

"No clue," said Yang, while Blake shrugged in confusion as well.

"Well...I guess the rest of us can have fun," said Sun, looking a bit crestfallen at having three of his friends drop out of the fun already.

"Actually..." Blake dropped the tone of her voice into a sultry purr, hooking onto Sun's arm. "...why don't we just make it a fun night out for the two of us." She favored him with a smile that was uncharacteristically warm. "I think you deserve a reward for doing so well."

"Y-you think..." stammered Sun, his face going red. It was practically unheard of for Blake to be so forward, especially in front of so many people, even if they were all friends.

"In that case, why don't we make it a double-date?" suggested Nebula, latching onto Neptune's arm in a similar fashion. "I think a certain other someone deserves a reward as well."

Neptune's stammering and nigh incomprehensible, albeit unquestioningly affirmative, response was distinctly amusing. It was always fun to see Neptune's ladies' man facade crumble in the face of an attractive girl expressing a genuine interest in him, beyond mere flirting. Neptune might have had bad luck with Weiss, but he and Nebula seemed to have genuinely hit it off.

"And there she goes," grumbled Gwen, giggling. She turned to Dew and Octavia. "I guess we're on our own tonight, girls."

"Well, we could always enjoy some extra company," commented Dew, smiling suggestively at Sage and Scarlet.

"That sounds like fun," said Scarlet, not seeming affected by Dew's charm in the slightest. Sage nodded in agreement, though his cheeks were tinged slightly pink.

"Well, we can have our own fun," declared Yang, taking Jaune's arm.

"I'm sure we can find an enjoyable way to spend our evening as well," said Ren, taking Nora's hand, Nora's hair fluttering as she nodded energetically.

So it was that everyone went their separate ways. Sun's plan for all four teams to spend the evening together had fallen apart, but no one seemed overly upset about it.

* * *

Roman Torchwick frowned, tapping his foot the entire ride up the elevator. Raising his arm, he wiped his brow, silently fuming to himself that Roman Torchwick, criminal kingpin of Vale's underworld (his current imprisonment was only a temporary setback) did _not_ sweat nervously; not unless he was being suggestively threatened by a certain orange-garbed woman with an eerie tendency to play with fire in ways he couldn't understand or explain. However he might have looked, he was _not_ anxious. Ozpin must have turned up the temperature in the elevator to make him uncomfortable, that was all.

It wasn't as though the situation was strangely unnerving, what with him being unexpectedly pulled out of his cell, ending his plans for another night of pleasant conversation with Weiss (Roman couldn't quite remember at what point he had stopped referring to the girl as "Ice Queen," even within the space of his own head), and hauled up and out to Beacon Tower, being told that Ozpin wanted to speak with him privately. Nah, the old man must have just wanted to try his hand at grilling Roman personally. Perhaps it was stranger that his handcuffs had been unlocked, after he'd stepped into the elevator, though his Aura suppression collar remained in place and active. But that was probably just another tactic to try and make him uneasy. After all, it wasn't as though he had a chance of escape without his weapon and Aura.

Finally, the elevator drifted to a gentle stop, and the doors opened with a soft tone. Roman stepped out into Ozpin's office, taking it in for the first time. He had to admit, the place had a pretty nice feel to it, what with the panoramic window showing a mostly-unhindered view of the school and Vale beyond. The giant gears churning behind glass, above and below, were a pretty nice touch, adding a bit of eccentricity to the place.

There was Ozpin, the man himself, sitting behind his desk, elbows resting on its surface so that his chin could rest atop his bent knuckles. A single chair was set before the desk, making Roman feel like a schoolboy being sent to answer to the principal for some kind of mischief.

"Good evening, Mr. Torchwick," said Ozpin, smiling politely. "I apologize for calling you out at this late hour. I would like to talk...and I am not the only one. Please, make yourself comfortable." He gestured to the chair before him.

"Kinda hard, Prof," said Roman dismissively, nonetheless heading to the chair and slouching down into it. Since the situation reminded him of a delinquent being called before the principal, he decided to run with it.

Ozpin's reaction...or rather, his lack of one...was unsettling though. Most people in his position of authority got their feathers ruffled, when someone who was supposedly beneath them acted very casually. People in power liked to be respected, _for_ their power if nothing else. Yet Ozpin remained unfazed by Roman's deliberate slight.

Deciding to try again, Roman squirmed in his seat. "I think you could've picked a nicer chair, if you wanted me to be comfortable though. I'm a man who's used to the finer things in life."

To his surprise, Ozpin merely smiled in amusement. "And do you find our detention facility's accommodations pleasant enough? I assure you that we gave you the highest-rated cell on the block."

The rejoining joke was not what Roman expected, nor was the soft snort that reflexively emerged from his nose at it. "I-it's not bad...as cells go," he conceded. "My neighbor's a little bit prickly for my taste, though."

"Oh?" Ozpin artfully raised one eyebrow. "Last I heard, you and Ms. Schnee seemed to be getting along swimmingly."

"Well, spend enough time around someone as your only conversation partner and they start to grow on you," said Roman, shrugging. "Either that or you wind up wanting to murder them."

"Indeed," agreed Ozpin. "The latter certainly seemed to be Ms. Schnee's sentiment for a while, at first. But it appears that you have grown on her as well."

"I guess," said Roman. "I mean, it's not like we'd be allowed to kill each other."

"Quite true," agreed Ozpin.

"Uh...Is there a point to this?" Roman wanted to know. "I'm starting to think you called me up here to chat."

"In a sense, that is _exactly_ why I called you here," said Ozpin.

Roman's face fell, and a slight surge of irritation rose up within him. "Oh...If that's the case, mind if we call it a night here? I mean, it's not like I've got a lot of calls to my time. But making small talk with you isn't exactly my idea of an evening out."

"And I suppose that needling someone and hoping to anger them is," said Ozpin, making Roman jolt as he realized that Ozpin understood what Roman's overly casual attitude before was for. "After all, if you goad people into reacting to your manner and behavior, you gain a measure of control over them, an advantage of sorts."

"Y-yeah, you could say that," said Roman, now feeling nicely off-balance, with the realization that Ozpin had turned Roman's own social trick right back on him. Ozpin was in control, and Roman was the one doing the reacting. In its own way, it was far more unsettling than any display of his control over Roman's fate could be. Roman was used to people in positions of power higher than him using said power to threaten him. That was how things were done. Using his wits to anger and unsettle them was his way of stealing back some of that advantage. But he'd never had someone turn his own trick back on him like this. Roman found that he didn't like the idea of being beaten at his own game all that much.

Given that his normal strategy of obfuscating and upsetting wasn't working, Roman tried to be direct instead, seeing if that would work where his usual methods didn't. "So...You're not going to grill me over who my boss is and what their plans are?"

"At this point, I don't believe that necessary," said Ozpin. "We are aware that your employer is one Cinder Fall, who is presently infiltrating Beacon, and the Vytal Tournament, as a student from Haven Academy."

Roman's face went numb. While he didn't have a mirror to check, he was pretty sure that he'd gone completely white. The last thing he'd expected when he'd stepped into this elevator was to practically be slapped in the face with the name of his boss, after he'd worked so hard to keep from giving any hint of who she might be to the authorities, lest her wrath fall on him any harder than it already likely would, for his failure in Mountain Glenn.

"We are already well aware of who she is," continued Ozpin. "Granted, we do not know the particulars of her plans for the festival, though I am sure that she kept you in the dark about those as well, probably to avoid a situation like this one."

"Y-yeah," said Roman. "Why...what...what is this?"

Ozpin composed his face into a more serious mode. "I should begin by making clear what this is _not_. This is not an interrogation. Nor is this a means of informing you that your 'usefulness is at an end.' Neither is this a threat of any kind. Rather, this is an offer, of sorts."

"An offer?" Roman blinked in confusion. "I don't get it. You make an offer when you want something from the guy you're making an offer to. From the sound of things, you have what you want already, and I ain't got anything worth making an offer for. What's the point of making an offer to me now?"

Ozpin chuckled. "I imagine that someone in your station is unused to things like altruism. If anything, you probably view it as a weakness, something to be taken advantage of."

"You're damn right it is," said Roman a bit more emphatically than he meant to. The idea of something like that irritated him. He did not need to be "saved."

Yes, he was in desperate circumstances. He'd blown a major job. His boss had him on the hook, and only the unqualified success of the remainder of her plan was likely to earn him a reprieve from her wrath. At best, he could hope to be considered beneath any reprisals for his failure, when this was all over.

But Roman Torchwick was not the kind of guy who needed saving. He'd been in hard spots before. Long ago, he'd learned the harsh lesson that the only person you could _really_ depend on was yourself. No one had been there to "save" him, when he'd been on the streets, on the verge of starving. No one had been there to "save" him, when he'd gotten kicked out of Combat School for the illicit acts he'd resorted to to earn his tuition, and fund the creation of his weapon. Roman Torchwick was a self-made man who saved himself.

All the more irritatingly, Ozpin seemed to read him like a book. "Yes, I imagine you believe that, but I think it is a belief that you do not wholeheartedly subscribe to."

"Oh? And what makes you think that, pal?" asked Roman, his temper flaring. Deep inside, he was berating himself. Ozpin wasn't just turning his own tricks back on him. Ozpin was beating Roman at his own game. In place of insults, Ozpin was using a dangerously precise insight to prod Roman's beliefs, and trick him into surrendering control.

"If you truly subscribed to that belief, I doubt you'd be able to count on the loyalty of the one closest to you," said Ozpin. "Or are Ms. Capello's clear feelings for you merely a sign of her weakness?"

"What?" blurted Roman, numbness spreading to his entire body. _They know about Neo? They know who she is?_

"She has hazarded a great deal for your sake," said Ozpin, "whereas someone who _truly_ subscribed to the belief that altruism and reliance on another were a sign of weakness would have already abandoned you. Having seen her talents for myself, I'm fairly certain that she could make herself scarce in a way that even Ms. Fall would have a hard time exacting retribution."

An uneasy lump formed in Roman's throat. He swallowed, but it wouldn't go down. The realization that Ozpin was undermining the ideas that had formed the basis for Roman's very existence took a backseat to the thought of him knowing about Neo. Neo was...Neo was...Neo was the exception. That was all that he could bring himself to think about her, the one he wouldn't abandon, the one who wouldn't abandon him.

"H-how...?" he stammered. If Ozpin knew, then it meant that Neo might have slipped up. If that was the case, then he was probably a dead man walking. Neo's life would be forfeit too.

The elevator doors behind him slid open again. Roman had missed the elevator leaving and returning with a new passenger. Turning in his seat, Roman's eyes widened, before narrowing in an angry glare. "You!"

"Ah, Hello, Mr. Torchwick," said Ayumu pleasantly, offering a cheery wave to Roman as he made his way across the room. "I'm glad to see you remembered me. I thought you might not, seeing as I did not have the direct interaction with you that you did with Ruby and Gin."

"Oh, I don't forget the face of one of the guys who ruined my op," said Roman. "What are you doing here?"

"I was the one who asked Professor Ozpin to set up this meeting," said Ayumu.

"Uh huh...And what do you want?"

Ayumu's smile softened into something incredibly warm. "Well, I'm doing it as a favor to someone very important to me...someone who is quite important to you as well."

"Huh?"

Ayumu inclined his head towards the empty air beside him. "Neo..."

Roman watched the air beside Ayumu crack, then shatter like glass, revealing Neo herself, staring at him with wide eyes, her mouth hanging faintly open. It was hard to guess what she was feeling, just from the look on her face alone. However, it was clear that she was close to tears.

"N-Neo...?"

Neo fixed Roman with a wavering smile, blinking once and switching her eye colors. Roman hesitantly stood up from his chair and strode towards her. For a second, the two of them simply stared at each other. Then, in almost perfect unison, they surged forward to seize one another in a tight hug.

"Goddammit, Neo," groaned Roman. "What have you done?" Despite his words, he still leaned down to plant a kiss atop Neo's head, while Neo burrowed her face into his chest.

Ayumu and Ozpin remained on the sidelines, watching the tender reunion in silence. A display of such emotion, of such sincere affection, from Roman Torchwick of all people, was incredible to behold. The simple appearance of his closest accomplice was enough to completely shatter his hardened demeanor.

Finally, they stepped away from each other. Neo looked up at Roman and cocked her head slightly.

"You can't be serious," said Roman skeptically. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

Neo nodded gravely.

"Why'd you do it?" he asked. "Once Cinder finds out about this, we're toast. You know we can't stand against what's coming."

Neo frowned.

"So what?" asked Roman. "At least we'd have seen it coming. It's not like we _weren't_ expecting them to stab us in the back, once they're done with us. But this..."

Neo lowered her eyes.

"You really think they can pull it off?" asked Roman.

Neo nodded, a slight smile returning to her face.

Roman groaned and smacked his hand to his face, dragging his palm down to his chin, before lowering it. "I can't seriously believe I'm doing this." He turned to face Ozpin. "All right. Let me hear your pitch."

"That can come later," said Ozpin. "Truth be told, the main purpose behind calling you here was to allow you and Ms. Capello to see each other. I'm sure you have some catching up to do."

"Well, that's nice of you," said Roman, before feeling a tug at his sleeve. Looking down, he saw Neo looking up at him, this time with a pink tint to her cheeks.

"Huh?" Roman's jaw dropped slightly. "Seriously?"

Neo nodded and darted back to stand by Ayumu, hugging herself to his arm and leaning her head into his shoulder.

To say Roman was floored was an incredible understatement. "Did _not_ see this coming," he muttered. "How did this happen?"

"Well, I did find myself quite enamored with her, after our fight in Mountain Glenn," explained Ayumu. "Afterwards, I was lucky enough to run into her at the dance, and...well...things snowballed from there."

"That so...?" Roman looked to Neo, who nodded in support of Ayumu's story. He huffed. "Kids...They grow up so fast."

* * *

Penny looked up from where she'd been sitting, on the bed. "They're here."

Ciel blinked, wondering how Penny could tell. Before she could ask, there was a soft knock at the door. Getting up, Ciel went to the door and pulled it open, only to find herself facing an empty hallway. She blinked, wondering if she had been hearing things.

Then Gin's voice came from the air in front of her. "Can you step back a little?"

Ciel squeaked in surprise, stumbling back away from the doorway. Her eyes caught a faint shimmer, a ripple in the air that followed her through. A hand emerged from within, parting the air itself in wisps of silver mist, reaching out to pull the door closed. Then a wave of mist peeled back, like a curtain, revealing Gin and Ruby.

Penny jumped up and happily rushed to wrap her arms around Ruby in a hug. Ruby groaned as Penny lifted her off the floor and swung her back and forth. As always, Ciel found herself amazed by her teammate's impressive strength.

"Oh! It's so good to see you, Ruby," cheered Penny, finally letting Ruby down.

Ruby staggered a couple of steps, grabbing Gin's shoulder to keep from toppling over. "L-likewise," she gasped, sucking air into her abused lungs.

"I'm glad you could make it," said Penny.

"Me too," said Ruby. "But what's with all the cloak and dagger stuff? Why did Gin and I need to keep this on the down-low?"

"We were summoned by General Ironwood last night," said Ciel. "He specifically forbade any interaction with you two."

"Why?" asked Ruby forlornly. Granted, her last meeting with Ironwood ended on bad terms, particularly the part where Ironwood had pulled his gun and pointed it at her head (even if she hadn't been consciously aware of it at the time). Did he really hold that much of a grudge?

"Well, given who our teacher is, I'm not surprised," said Gin.

"That is the reason the General gave as well," said Ciel, inclining her head in agreement. "What I can't comprehend is why he was so vehement about it."

"Amongst other things, he's a guy who knows how to hold a grudge," said Gin. "Our last meeting with him didn't end with him in a very good position. I imagine he isn't happy about it."

"Last meeting...?" Ciel and Penny shared a baffled look, not aware that Ironwood actually had a history with their two friends.

"You could say it's classified," said Ruby wryly. "Sorry, but there isn't much we can tell you about it."

"I understand," said Penny, nodding, while Ciel gave her partner a nonplussed glance.

"Aside from that, Ironwood is a person who likes things nice and orderly," continued Gin. "Unfortunately, Master Yu considers introducing chaos into ordered systems a form of entertainment. As his students, a lot of his actions to that end center around us."

"I could understand that," said Ciel.

"Does any of this have to do with why you called us?" asked Ruby worriedly. Were Ciel and Penny in trouble? Did they need help?

Penny looked down bashfully, grinding one foot into the carpet. "W-well...I just wanted to see you again, Ruby. You're one of the first real friends I made and, even if the General doesn't want me to be friends with you, _I_ still want to be friends with you."

"I do too," said Ruby. She and Penny exchanged another hug. Fortunately, Ruby wasn't nearly crushed this time.

"So that's why you had us meet you here," said Gin. "And it's why you asked us to come discreetly."

"Yeah," said Penny, letting go of Ruby. "Honestly, I decided something."

"You did?" Ciel blinked, wondering what her friend and partner had decided.

"I want to come to Beacon," said Penny. "I mean, I want to stay here, when the festival is over."

"What?!" exclaimed Ruby and Ciel in unison, both of them sharing an incredulous look.

"Penny, Ironwood would never allow it," said Ruby.

"I know," said Penny. "But I still want to stay here."

"I can't say I don't understand the sentiment," said Gin. "But in practical terms... _how_ would we do that, exactly?"

"I'm...not sure of that," Penny admitted. "We know that General Ironwood is monitoring me very closely. He's had people following me and Ciel during the festival."

"I guess he doesn't want you wander out loose," mused Gin.

Penny nodded.

"I don't understand," said Ciel, looking back and forth between the other three members of the conversation. "What's going on?" She got the distinct impression that there was an extra layer to all of this that the other three knew about, but that she was not privy to. "Penny, why do you want to leave?"

"I...I want to stay with my friends," said Penny, looking down.

"B-but...I'm your friend, aren't I?" asked Ciel.

"You are," said Penny. "It's...it's complicated."

Gin sighed. "Well, she's already risking herself by being a part of this affair to begin with, you might as well tell her the truth."

"He's right," said Ruby, resting a hand on Ciel's shoulder. "If she's your friend, then she deserves to know."

Penny was silent for a long moment, before nodding. "Okay," she said.

"P-Penny...what's going on?" asked Ciel.

"Ciel, I'm not who you think I am," said Penny. "I'm not...well I'm not a human in the traditional sense." Holding out her right hand, Penny pinched the skin on top of it with her left hand, pulling at it until it teared away.

Ciel gasped, expecting to see blood, but recoiled in surprise when she instead saw the sheen of steel beneath a layer of artificial skin. "A prosthetic...?"

"No," said Penny. "My whole body is like that." She pressed the skin back into place, molding it like putty to hide the tear.

"Wait!" Ciel snapped her eyes up to stare at Penny. "Y-you're saying you're an...android."

Penny nodded. "I'm the first of my kind, an android capable of generating an Aura."

Ciel opened her mouth to scoff, to reject such a ludicrous notion. However, her voice died before she could even begin to speak. It explained so many things. There were moments where Penny acted...oddly, as though she didn't quite fully grasp the nuances of human interaction. She grew better with time, which indicated that she was learning. At first, Ciel had written it off as her being socially inept. But now she could perceive it as someone who _wasn't_ human learning how to be human.

And then there was the security. Ciel and her teammates were free to do as they wished, but Penny was monitored constantly; layers upon layers of security, all of it centered around Penny Polendina. If what Penny said was true, that would certainly explain the absurd level of scrutiny. As a piece of Atlesian Technology, Penny would be even more valuable than an entire platoon of Paladins. It was no wonder that Ironwood would want to make sure that he knew where she was, and what she was doing, as much as possible.

Even the formation of their team for the festival had been for the sake of enabling Penny to show off her skills, with Ciel and the rest of the team told to stay back and leave things to her. Now it all made sense. Ironwood wanted to parade his investment, the pinnacle of Atlas' technological advances, in front of the world as a display of strength. To what end, Ciel couldn't be sure. Perhaps he wanted a ringer to ensure that Atlas would win the tournament. But that seemed a bit overly shallow for Ironwood.

There were other worrying implications. Penny was an android. What did that mean exactly? Could Ciel actually be friends with an android? She looked over at Ruby and Gin, both of whom clearly regarded Penny as a friend, and cared about her sincerely. They apparently had no problem with the idea of being friends with an android.

"I'm sorry, Ciel," said Penny, looking down. "I really _am_ your friend. It's just...this is such an important secret."

 _Of course it is,_ Ciel's rational mind interjected, over her knee-jerk feelings of betrayal at being left out of the loop. "H-how come they know then?" she asked, looking at Ruby and Gin.

"I didn't mean for them to find out," said Penny, waving her hands nervously. "When we met in Mountain Glenn, they...figured it out."

"Wait! You met in Mountain Glenn?" Ciel frowned. "Was this during that mission?"

"Uh huh," said Penny, nodding. She explained what had happened, her stumbling over Ruby, followed by mistaking Gin and Ayumu for White Fang members. In the ensuing, albeit brief, fight, the boys had realized that Penny's body did not consist of flesh and blood, leading them to deduce that Penny was an android.

"You never reported that incident," Ciel noted.

"I couldn't, it would have ruined Ruby's plan," said Penny.

"Her plan?"

Ruby took over, explaining how the incident had coincided with her plan to bring Weiss and Pyrrha to justice. If Penny had reported it, it was likely the authorities would have moved against Weiss and Pyrrha, before Ruby had a chance to do anything.

Finally, with their explanations wrapped up, Ciel was left to mull over the implications of what she had just learned. She didn't know what to make of it all.

"Ciel..." prodded Penny. "Are we...are we still friends?"

Ciel blinked, looking down pensively for a moment, before looking back up and smiling at Penny. "We are," she said.

"Oh thank goodness," said Penny, quickly yanking Ciel into another of her crushing hugs. "I was so worried!"

"I...still _am_ worried..." croaked Ciel quickly tired of being simultaneously crushed and swung about like a ragdoll.

"Oops," said Penny, dropping her quickly and grinning sheepishly.

Ciel sighed and relaxed a little, returning to sit on her bed. "It's given me a lot to think about," she said. "I still don't understand fully. Why would Ironwood have you act as a student?"

"I think Father had something to do with that," said Penny.

"Father?" inquired all three other members of the conversation.

"I guess you could say he's my creator," said Penny, smiling cheerfully. "But he says that he's my father, before anything else."

"That's good," said Ruby. "But I guess the General didn't exactly get the memo."

"He's probably too busy fretting over all his plans for the 'greater good,'" scoffed Gin. "He's already conditioned to view regular humans and faunus as tools to that end. With an android, he probably just pays lip-service to her father's wishes, and considers her nothing more than equipment himself."

"I could understand that mindset," said Ciel. "I...I'm still having a hard time working my head around all this. I think a lot of people would just rather consider Penny to be a robot, and not think any more on the matter. Her existence raises a number of ethical quandaries that a lot of people would just prefer to ignore."

"That's putting it mildly," said Gin.

"But what do we do?" asked Ruby. "How do we make it so that Penny can come to Beacon?"

"The simplest thing to do would be to go to Professor Ozpin, and see what he can do," said Gin. "As the person in charge of Beacon, I can imagine that he'd be able to come up with something."

"That's probably our best bet," agreed Ruby.

"If you think it's a good idea, then I agree," said Penny in a chipper tone.

As they tried hashing out a plan, Gin and Ruby noticed Ciel staring forlornly at the floor. They glanced at Penny, Ruby gently jerking her head in Ciel's direction. Penny noticed and went to sit next to Ciel.

"Ciel...what's wrong?" asked Penny.

"W-well, it's good that you know what you want to do," said Ciel. "It's just...what do I do?"

"Oh?" Penny's eyes widened.

"You should just come to Beacon with her," said Ruby.

"Huh?" exclaimed Penny and Ciel in unison.

"It's probably for the best," agreed Gin. "After all, there's no way Ironwood's gonna believe that you didn't know this was coming. When it happens, he'll probably consider you an accomplice. At best, you're looking at a rough time, when you get back to Atlas. At worst..."

Given Ironwood's current state of mind, at worst he might accuse Ciel of treason.

"I...I don't know," said Ciel. "This is just so much. When I got up this morning, I had a dozen things on my mind. But now my first real friend in a while is an android. We're plotting her defection to Beacon. I don't know what to do with myself."

"Well, it's not as if you don't have time," said Gin, resting a hand on Ciel's shoulder. "We probably won't want to put this plan into motion right away. At the very least, we'll have to carry through the rest of the tournament as though nothing out of the ordinary is happening."

"That's right," agreed Ruby.

"That makes sense," said Ciel.

"For now, let's talk about something else," said Ruby, smiling brightly. "Do you two think your match will be tomorrow...?"

The conversation shifted, and the group of friends spent the rest of the evening chatting amicably. Afterwards, Ruby and Gin wrapped themselves in Gin's _Shingetsu_ , and discreetly made their way back to their own dorm. Back in Penny and Ciel's room, the android laid out on her bed and powered down for the night. But Ciel remained on her own bed, awake, staring at the ceiling, wondering just what the future held in store for her.

* * *

"So...this is Vale."

Two figures crouched on the edge of a skyscraper roof, overlooking the commercial district of Vale. They stared down, eyeing the people and vehicles making their way along the streets. The onset of night had led to the lighting of lamps and headlights, turning the city into an inverted starscape, the lights from below drowning out the faint lights from above, save for that of the moon.

"It's a lovely place," commented the other person, a young woman, standing up straight, and surveying the Kingdom's center as a whole. "It looks so cosmopolitan."

"The Kingdoms all look lovely on the surface," countered the young man beside her, standing up from his crouch. "But if that appearance were more than skin-deep, there would be no need to fight."

"Still...I worry that things may be going too far," said the young woman. "If that's the case..."

"That's what we are here to find out," replied the young man. "Sienna is worried too."

"Of course," said the woman. "So, I suppose we should go then."

"Yes," agreed the man. "Let's go see what Brother Adam is up to."

* * *

 **And here we have a nice little breather, before things get hectic again. I had fun, writing Roman and Ozpin together. It strikes me as the kind of interaction the two of them would have had in canon had, you know, Roman not been _eaten_. Oh well, spilt milk, and all that.**


	96. Chapter 96

**Chapter 96:**

The next day dawned to an overcast sky. Clouds dyed the air above a shade of pale-gray, lowering the light levels enough that the chill of the oncoming autumn was felt all the more clearly. All around, festival goers donned jackets and coats, insulating themselves. The weather reports indicated that there might be rain, so more than a few people carried umbrellas or raincoats, ready for use should the skies open up.

Fortunately, that mattered little within the coliseum. Thanks to the Dust-powered climate control, the temperature was perfectly comfortable. In fact, conditions were even better for the spectators, the force fields above ready to keep the impending rain away, while the clouds blocked out the sun, which had occasionally made temperatures soar, even with the climate control working at full power.

Ruby and Yang weren't called for the first match of the day. So they joined their teammates in the ringside seats, watching and waiting to see which pair would enter the arena.

Ruby was clearly distracted. After some careful discussion, she and Gin had decided to confide in their friends the truth of what they'd been doing that evening. Everyone, except Ayumu, was shocked to learn that Penny was an android. They were even more shocked to learn that Ruby and Gin were helping Penny, and possibly Ciel, defect to Beacon to get Penny away from Ironwood's clutches.

Blake was on the verge of pulling her hair out over yet another complication being layered onto the morass of plans and counter-plans revolving around Cinder's plans for the festival, particularly since Ironwood was supposed to be an ally in this conflict. The fact that they had no leads on Adam's location only made her all the more anxious. Of everyone, she was the one most stressed by what was going on.

So it was that Blake was distracted too, staring absently at the book she'd brought to read, while they waited at the match.

"Blake..." prodded Yang. "Hey, Remnant to Blake. BLAKE!"

"AH!" yelped Blake, nearly jumping out of her seat, fumbling her book and dropping it to the floor, narrowly missing chucking it over the railing and down into the arena itself. She whipped her head around to glare at Yang. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to know what was bugging you?" asked Yang, frowning back.

"Nothing's bugging me," Blake countered.

"Yeah...not buying that," said Yang with a smirk.

"Oh, and what makes you think you know?" retorted Blake hotly.

"The fact that you've been staring at the same page in your book for the past ten minutes," Yang replied.

Blake sighed, then bent over to pick up her dropped book. Sitting back up, she frowned at Yang. "How can you be so easygoing?" she asked. "With everything that's going on, I can barely sleep at night. We have so much on our plates, but everyone keeps on adding to it!"

Yang saw the tension in Blake's posture, the way her fingers clenched around the cover of her book. "Hey," she said, giving Blake a smile, "let's ditch the match."

"Huh?"

"Ruby, Gin," said Yang, turning to the other two, "we're going for a walk."

"You're gonna miss the match," said Ruby in a whining tone.

"We'll watch it later," said Yang with a grin. "Blake and I just need to get out for a little alone time."

Ruby opened her mouth to protest, but looked over at Blake, noticing Blake's tension. She nodded slowly. "Okay."

"Great," said Yang. "Tell Jaune I'll meet him later." Yang took Blake by the arm and led her out of the seats and then towed her towards the exit, Blake too confused to protest.

"We've really been stressing her out, haven't we?" asked Ruby.

"It's a lot of things," said Gin, giving Ruby a wan smile.

"She always was the kind of person to worry too much," said Ruby.

* * *

Yang led Blake all the way out of the coliseum, the pair catching an airship back to the Beacon docks. From there, Yang towed a confused, and somewhat reluctant Blake, back into the school itself, leading her to an empty classroom of all places.

"What are we doing here?" asked Blake, feeling somewhat annoyed.

Instead of answering her immediately, Yang turned around and abruptly pulled Blake into a tight hug. Blake struggled reflexively, at first. But, after a few seconds, the warmth and comfort of the gesture caused her differences to break down. The next thing Blake knew, she was clinging to Yang like a rock amidst the crashing waves, holding on as tightly as she could, shivering and shuddering, the occasional tear leaking out of her eyes. All the tension that had been building up over the past few days came rushing out of her.

"It's okay," Yang assured Blake softly, running a finger through the other girl's ebony locks. "I've got you."

After a few moments, Blake calmed down. When she relaxed, Yang finally let her out of the embrace.

"Feeling better?" asked Yang.

"A little," said Blake, swiping at her eyes.

"Good," said Yang. "I noticed you've been stressing out lately. I think I can figure out why."

"Why wouldn't I?" asked Blake. "Everything has gone completely insane. The White Fang; the organization I once believed in, the one I left my parents for; has devolved into a twisted parody of itself. There's a madwoman, working with a monster that wants to destroy humanity, planning to bring the Kingdom to its knees. We're trying to stop that, but Ayumu put everything in jeopardy to try and save his girlfriend. On top of that, he and Ruby are planning to turn the status quo upside down. And then there's that teacher of their's, who apparently has godlike powers, if he can create a Grimm, threatening to unleash a monster on the Kingdom as a test. And now Gin and Ruby are trying to help an experimental android defect to Beacon, probably destroying whatever goodwill Ironwood may have left for us."

Blake looked up at Yang, the whites of her eyes tinted red. "It's too much. There's no way we can handle this all at once. I just wanted to stop the White Fang. But suddenly, everything's gotten too big."

"In our defense, I'll point out we didn't have anything to do with the White Fang snowballing," said Yang. " _They're_ the ones who linked up with this Cinder chick and her master. We just followed the leads we had and stumbled onto a bigger conspiracy. You can't deal with one without dealing with the other at this point." Her eyes narrowed. "Besides, _you're_ the one who got us involved with that in the first place."

"I know," moaned Blake. "But why do we have to keep piling more on top of it?"

"Things just happen," said Yang with a shrug. "Look, I'll admit the whole thing with Ayumu and Neo was crazy. So is this thing about Penny. I mean, I can hardly believe that Ruby and Gin are prepared to piss off Ironwood to save an android, whether or not she has Aura. And their master is just...ugh."

"Don't forget what Ayumu and Ruby are planning for the finals," said Blake.

"Hey, if anything, I figured you'd be all for that," said Yang. "They're doing this for the faunus that are stuck working the SDC's mines, you know."

"I know," said Blake. "But, with everything we already have on our plates...it's just..."

"Listen, I know we've got a lot to deal with," said Yang, resting a hand on Blake's shoulder. "But this is important. It's like Ruby says, we can't hold off on doing what's right. There'll always be more important things to do, bigger fish to fry, and all that. But I figured that would be the stuff that really frustrates you."

"I suppose..." admitted Blake reluctantly.

Blake had to admit that history showed that Ruby's sentiment was accurate. After the Great War, faunus were supposed to have earned parity with humans, being regarded as more than mere animals or freaks. They were even given a land of their own. However, sentiments didn't change, and the Kingdoms even tried to confine all faunus to Menagerie. After the Revolution, things were supposed to have changed. Faunus had truly earned the right to not be oppressed by humans. But, again, sentiments were slow to change. And it was all largely for the same reason.

The leadership of the Kingdoms wanted to avoid rocking the boat. Too much conflict and turmoil would lead to a festering of negative emotions, which drew the Grimm. The status quo was too important for keeping everyone alive. The faunus had to be patient. They had to wait.

Except that waiting seemed to do nothing for them. Waiting allowed them to be exploited by Jacques Schnee's SDC. Waiting left human businesses free to discriminate against them, human thugs free to harass them, humans free to deny faunus whatever might allow them to truly claim equality. Waiting had done nothing. That was why the White Fang had evolved into what it was today. Faunus had grown sick of waiting. They had decided to take action.

Thinking over Ruby and Ayumu's desire to affect real change, to strike a blow against one of the most powerful systems of modern faunus oppression, Blake realized that Ruby and Ayumu were right to try what they could to improve the lot of faunus around the world.

"I guess you're right," Blake admitted. "But I still feel like we're taking on too much."

"Honestly, I can admit to feeling a little overwhelmed myself," said Yang. "But we've just got to soldier on and do what we can. We're not alone in this, after all."

"Right," said Blake reluctantly.

"Darn right," growled a familiar voice from the entrance to the classroom.

"Uncle Qrow!" Yang exclaimed, shooting from her seat to grin at the lanky man entering the room.

"Hey there, Firecracker," said Qrow with an easygoing grin. "How're ya doin?"

"Fine," said Yang. "What about you? When did you get back?"

"Actually, I never really left," said Qrow. "I've been hanging around through the festival. I can bet you know why."

Yang nodded soberly.

Qrow pulled out his trademark flask and took a long sip of its contents. Putting it back away, he adopted a more serious expression. "Listen Firecracker, can I talk to your partner for a minute?"

"Blake?" Yang blinked and exchanged a confused look with her friend.

"I ain't gonna grill her over her White Fang connections, if that's what you're worried about," said Qrow.

"I'm not," said Yang. "But..."

"Just give me a moment," said Qrow. "It has to do with what you were just talking about."

"Okay..." said Yang.

She stepped out the door and closed it behind her. Blake swallowed, realizing that she was alone in the room with the Huntsman. It was somewhat confusing. Qrow was Ruby and Yang's uncle, so it seemed strange that he'd bother with her. Then again, she was the teammate and partner of his nieces. On top of that, she too was now part of the circle that knew about the true conflict Vale was being drawn into.

Qrow walked over to the teacher's desk and leaned against it. "So...feeling a little overwhelmed, are we?"

"More than a little," Blake deadpanned.

"Tough luck," said Qrow. "Them's the breaks. I ain't exactly too happy about Ao putting our heads on the chopping block to save his girlfriend either, but it proved to have some pretty decent upsides."

"There's more going on now," said Blake, her eyes narrowing. She probably shouldn't have said anything, not sure if it was a good idea to let Qrow know about Penny.

"That's life," said Qrow. "That's our job. Missions sound simple on paper. But, when you get around to carrying them out, things get complicated, messy. You have to learn to deal with that or you ain't gonna last long in this profession."

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Blake.

"'Cause you remind me of a certain someone," said Qrow. "Yang ever tell you about her mother?"

"Her mother...?" Blake blinked. She knew that Yang and Ruby were half-sisters. Their mother, Ruby's biological mother that is, was almost a mythic figure to them, a paragon of both motherly love; and an embodiment of the altruistic, sacrificial spirit of a Huntress. But Yang had said little to nothing about her own biological mother.

"My sister, Raven is a...complicated...individual," said Qrow. "We didn't enter Beacon for the best of reasons."

"Why did you?"

Qrow sighed. "We were born to a bandit tribe, bunch'a thieves and murderers. They tried to raise us to believe that, if you wanted something, and you had the power to take it, you _took_ it, regardless of whether or not it belonged to someone else.

"As strong as the tribe was, Huntsmen were the only real threat to us. 'Cause of that, the tribe figured they needed a countermeasure. They needed some of their own to infiltrate an Academy, learn how to become Huntsmen, take what they learned, and teach it to the others. That's what Raven and I were sent to do."

Blake leaned forward, fascinated by the story.

"Things changed, when we ended up on Team Stark," said Qrow, pulling out a picture and flicking it to land next to Blake. Picking it up, Blake examined it, seeing Qrow standing alongside three other people. She recognized Yang and Ruby's father. There was a woman with a startling resemblance to Yang, particularly when Yang was in the full thrall of her Semblance, but with black hair. Then there was a woman who looked remarkably similar to Ruby, almost completely hidden by a cloak of pure white.

"We wound up taking a strong liking to our teammates, probably could've grown into proper Huntsmen and Huntresses with time," continued Qrow. "But we got a little too curious for our own good. We started sticking our noses into things we probably shouldn't have, saw and learned more than was healthy. Oz was willing to bend the rules for us, give us leeway to let us keep looking. Eventually, we learned enough that we decided to go to him and finally try to figure out what was up. Raven and I did, at least."

"The other two didn't?" asked Blake.

"Tai may not look and act like it now, but he was a pretty big stickler for following the rules," said Qrow with a chuckle. "I think that's a part of what appealed to Raven. He was the straight-laced good guy, and she was the rule-flaunting bad girl; opposites attract, and all that.

"Raven and I really got our kicks in sticking our noses where they didn't belong. That apparently got Oz's attention. Eventually, he gave us the score, even offered us a special gift. Raven and I took it, and we got in deeper. Eventually, Tai and Summer got in on the action too, but they were never as deep in it as we were. They never learned about Salem, for example, never even learned about the Maidens."

"What does this have to do with me?" asked Blake.

"I'm getting to that," growled Qrow, taking another swig from his flask. "At some point, Raven got cold feet. She decided she didn't want to be in the fight anymore. We'd learned too much, and it was too scary for her. Finding out what Salem was really all about, what she was capable of, Raven thought it was too much. She cut and ran."

Blake blinked and looked down.

Qrow took a deep breath. "The problem was, by that point, she'd already married Tai, and Yang had just been born. Maybe the idea of having to look after a daughter, on top of everything else on her plate, was the straw that broke the camel's back, can't say for sure. But Raven ditched the two of 'em without a second thought, went right back to our old tribe and took over."

"You think I'd run, like her?" asked Blake incredulously. "Do you really think I'd abandon my friends, just like that?"

"It wasn't 'just like that,'" said Qrow. "It was a lot of things adding up; some big, some little. It piled up, and she started fretting and stressing, talking about how there was no way we could get through this. Sound familiar?"

Blake swallowed. It did sound a lot like her stressed ranting from earlier.

"I can understand you feeling overwhelmed," said Qrow, staring down at the floor. "This is a lot to deal with, and it's only gonna get worse from here on out. You think that what this Cinder person is doing in Vale is bad, wait until you get out beyond the walls. I've seen Salem's handiwork, the things she's done, the things she's made; and let me tell you...They. Are. _Fear_."

Blake felt pale and lightheaded.

"So I'll tell you this," said Qrow, "if this is really feeling too much for you, if you're feeling like you can't get through this... _now's_ your time to get out. Commit too deeply, push too hard, if you really can't hack it, you're gonna snap and bail...right at the worst possible time. You'll leave your friends in the lurch, and it'll probably cost them dearly for trusting in you."

"You think I should leave?" asked Blake, a hot anger rising within her. "You think I'm a coward."

"I think you need to think about what you want to do," replied Qrow soberly, meeting her glare straight on. "Some people just aren't cut out for this. Some people feel the pressure more than others. You're in a bad position, considering that the White Fang's in the middle of all this. That makes it a whole lot more personal for you. If you really think that this is too much, that you can't see this fight through...now is your time to pull out."

Blake swallowed, unsure of what to say. Qrow stood up and headed for the door. "Just think about what I said," he told her, over his shoulder. "But come to a decision soon. We're getting close to the point of no return."

Qrow opened the door, allowing Yang back into the room, before stepping out, leaving the partners alone once more. Yang made her way back to Blake and sat next to her. "What'd you talk about?" she asked.

"Your mother," Blake answered earnestly.

"Oh..." Yang blinked. Then she sighed. "Figures he'd tell you, but not me."

"He says we might have something in common," said Blake. "I...I need to think about this, whether or not I can keep going."

Yang wrapped an arm around Blake's shoulders and pulled her close. "It's up to you," she said. "I can understand this being a lot."

"How do you do it?" asked Blake. "How can you stand all of this."

"Because I know Ruby won't back down," replied Yang. "She's gonna keep pushing and, with God as my witness, I'm gonna have her back, no matter what. I won't let her down again."

"You didn't let her down," said Blake, realizing what Yang was talking about. "What Weiss and Pyrrha did wasn't your fault. They fooled everyone."

"You can say that all you want, but it won't change how I feel," said Yang. "Right now, all that matters is giving Ruby the backup she needs."

"And that never gets to be too much?"

Yang giggled. "Fortunately, I have Jaune...and you, of course. As long as I have all my friends, and the man I love, I'll keep moving forward...for their sake." She pulled back and looked Blake in the eyes. "I think that's what you need to keep in mind. You're stressing out, but you always try to keep that to yourself. You feel like the White Fang is supposed to be just your problem. But we're all in this. If someone gets hurt because of it, it's not just your fault. We'll all share the burden and the blame. We'll hold each other up. And that's how we're gonna get through this."

Blake thought to her friends, the people she'd come to love like family. She thought about Ruby and Yang, even Gin had become somebody she could trust without reservation. There was JNAR as well. She couldn't imagine what life was like without Nora's bubbly excitement, or Ren's relaxed calm. She'd grown to adore Jaune's dorky goofiness. Even Ayumu, for all the headaches he'd been responsible for recently, was still someone she could trust and depend on. The more she thought about it, about the remarkable people they had on their side, the less the burden of what they faced frightened her. With her friends at her side, it didn't seem so overwhelming.

And, of course...there was Sun, who'd stood by Blake through everything, who was willing to go to any lengths for her sake, living simply to make her day and her life a little bit brighter.

"Feel better?" asked Yang.

"I do," admitted Blake. _The answer is so simple, it's silly I let it bother me so much._

"We should get back to the arena," said Yang, pulling out her scroll. "I wonder whose match came up-Oh!"

"Who is it?" asked Blake.

"Penny and her partner," said Yang. "They're going up against Sky and Russel from Cardinal."

* * *

"Are you ready for this, Ciel?" asked Penny, with an eager grin.

Ciel swallowed, glancing out of the hallway that led from the ready room to the arena. "Are you sure about this?" she asked. "The General might not take it well."

"It'll be fine," Penny assured her. "The General told you to support me. That's what you're doing."

Despite understanding her friend's wording, and the loophole they were exploiting, Ciel still wasn't so sure. Even if he'd never said anything exactly to that nature, Ironwood's meaning had been clear. Ciel was supposed to stay back, out of Penny's way, and allow the android to demonstrate her strength personally. Now that Ciel knew what the truth was behind Penny's importance, she could understand the General's wish. He was demonstrating the power and ingenuity of Atlesian science.

"It's time," said Ciel, checking her watch. She and Penny headed out into the arena, accompanied by the cheers of the crowd.

Across from them, the two young men from Team CRDL entered. Russel Thrush was the shorter of the two, sporting a green mohawk. Unlike his companion Russel went without armor, save for a spiked spaulder on his left shoulder. He wielded a pair of daggers equipped with rotary Dust-chambers, like smaller versions of the rapier Penny had heard that Ruby's former-friend, Weiss, had wielded.

Sky Lark was taller, with dark-blue hair streaming down the back of his head, cut straight across right above the level of his shoulders. In contrast to Russel, Sky wore a full suit of gray armor. In his hand, he gripped the haft of a large halberd, with a blue, inward curving axe-blade on one side, and a smaller spiked blade on the other. Both Penny and Ciel noted the chamber, trigger, and barrel that was built into the shaft between the two blades. It reminded Penny a bit of Ruby's old weapon, which made her suspect that Sky's halberd also pulled double-duty as a rifle of some kind, thought it seemed to have none of the transforming qualities that Ruby's weapon had had.

Both boys appeared confident. Ciel would even go so far as to call them smug. Penny remembered Ruby telling her that CRDL used to be a team of bullies, though an incident in Forever Fall, involving Jaune Arc and a very large Ursa, had apparently changed that. They carried themselves with the assuredness of those who expected victory. But that kind of confidence was almost a necessity in the tournament.

Penny and Ciel were plenty confident in their own right, though Ciel had not actually participated in the tournament yet. Like the rest of her teammates, she had stood by and allowed Penny to do the fighting in the first round. Now she came prepared to support her teammate, and friend, in the ring.

Even though she didn't know where he was at the moment, Ciel could practically feel Ironwood's gaze on her. She knew he was probably feeling confused at the sight of her weapon, which was holstered across her back. Reaching over her shoulder, she drew it with her right hand, revealing the alabaster body of a short rifle, with a rectangular stock, and sleek, curving grip. It seemed much shorter than a typical rifle, owing to the bullpup configuration, which reduced its overall length, while keeping the advantages of a rifle's barrel. Ciel had designed and built it personally, basing it on designs for new infantry weapons that were being floated in the military. Bringing it down, she closed the fingers of her left hand around the second grip, built into the trigger-guard. With the match not yet started, she held it down at an angle.

Beside Ciel, Penny merely grinned eagerly, taking up a loose stance, holding her arms slightly out to the side, away from her body, her feet space shoulder-width apart. Her weapon, stored in the backpack she wore, ready to be deployed at a moment's notice.

" _Todays' first match promises to be quite an exciting affair,_ " declared Port from the commentator's booth. " _Atlesian powerhouse, Penny Polendina, and her partner, Ciel Soleil, will be going up against two of Beacon's most masculine men, Sky Lark and Russel Thrush._ "

Oobleck picked up the thread of the commentary from there. " _In the last round, Penny Polendina made waves by bringing down the entire opposing team on her own. In a display of confidence in their teammate's abilities, her fellow team members refrained from even bringing their weapons into the arena. That appears to have changed this time._ "

" _Most likely, Ms. Polendina wishes to give her partner a chance to contribute in the match,_ " added Port. " _I highly doubt that she has any worries about her ability to win this match either._ "

Ciel winced a bit at the, probably unintentional, slight against the two boys in front of them. She could see that Sky and Russel weren't exactly happy with the implications of Port's statement either.

Fortunately, Oobleck moved to save them. " _On the other hand, Mr. Thrush and Mr. Lark have shown themselves to be formidable contenders in the previous match. Team Cardinal was predicted to be knocked out early on in the tournament. We may be seeing the emergence of a formidable dark horse in this match._ "

That statement appeared to mollify them. Ciel gave the two boys across from them her most businesslike look, trying to indicate that she took them seriously, and that she _wasn't_ looking down on them. They responded appropriately, fixing her with serious expressions of their own.

Around them, the holographic screens displayed the roulette that would select the four biomes that would serve as their battlefield. An ocean section, like the kind Team SSSN had fought on during their first round, rose up behind Ciel. A field of volcanic geysers, jets of gray steam shooting up from glowing crevices amidst gray stone, appeared behind Penny. Behind Sky, a section of mountainous terrain emerged. A field of rectangular, grey stones, suspended in antigravity fields appeared behind Russel, very much like the section that Ayumu had made use of, during his fight with Syren.

" _Now that the biomes have been selected, it is time to begin the match!_ " declared Oobleck. " _Fighters ready!_ "

Ciel slid her left foot forward, moving her rifle into position, but keeping it angled down until it was time to actually fight. Penny didn't move at all, having already taken her ideal starting position a few moments ago. Russel and Sky took their own positions. Russel took a wide stance, holding his daggers up and out, in position to attack or defend as needed. Sky whipped his halberd through a few slow, spinning passes, before leveling it at the girls. Ciel focused her eyes on Sky, mindful of the gun barrel now pointing her and Penny's way.

Port began the countdown. " _Three...two...one...Begin!_ "

Immediately, Ciel snapped her rifle into position and opened fire, sending bolts of destructive energy lancing at the two boys in short, controlled bursts. The standard Dust-cartridges she used for her rifle were the same used by soldiers in the Atlesian military, a blend of fire and lightning Dust that volatilized upon discharge, producing bursts of directed energy. She had some other Dust-cartridges she utilized, if the situation required it. But these were the standard for a reason. First, they were inexpensive, costing relatively little, compared to more powerful, or more specialized, Dust rounds. Because these rounds converted to energy upon firing, they were much less affected by wind or gravity, flying straighter and truer. They also packed a decent enough wallop to fell moderate-sized Grimm with a few well-placed shots.

However, their destructive force wasn't really all that much to someone with both skill and strength. Russel's daggers blurred as he deftly wove them in a defensive pattern in front of himself, intercepting and blocking her shots. In the meantime, he charged forward, with Sky taking up a support position behind him. It was strange to see the boy with the shorter, more close-range weapons leading the charge, rather than the one with the full-sized polearm. But it seemed that Russel's daggers were better suited to defense than Sky's larger, but considerably heavier, halberd.

Seeing that her bursts weren't doing anything to deter their opponents, Ciel held the trigger down, hosing Russel with a full burst of automatic fire. It would drain her clip in about two seconds. But the volume of fire checked his advance. The shots now coming in too swiftly and sustained for him to block with pure blade-work alone, Russel was forced to utilize his Dust.

Bringing up his daggers, he crossed them in front of himself. The curved blades glowed white, and a hemispherical shield sprang up in front of him, intercepting Ciel's shots. He'd avoided taking damage, but Ciel could see, from the grimace on Russel's face, that he wasn't happy to have resorted to using his Dust so early on in the match. She had guessed that he might not have the resources to maintain a considerable supply. So every time he was forced to use Dust outside of his actual plans for battle was an advantage to her and Penny.

Even though Russel had stopped, Sky didn't. Dipping the head of his halberd forward, Sky planted the end of the shaft against the floor of the arena and jumped, using the halberd to pole-vault over his partner. At the apex of his vault, as his weapon stood perpendicular to the floor, Sky triggered the rifle built into it, using the recoil of the shot to launch himself even higher. Pulling his weapon up with him, Sky spun it in his grip, bringing it back up and around, descending to deliver a powerful slash aimed at Ciel.

It seemed that the pair of boys hadn't just been reacting. From the smoothness of their movements, Ciel now suspected that they'd anticipated Russel being brought to a stop by her barrage, Sky having executed his leaping attack without the slightest slowing or hesitation. Even so, Ciel wasn't caught off-guard.

Sliding her right foot back, while using her left as a pivot, Ciel executed a graceful sidestep, easily evading Sky's slashing attack. As she did, Ciel released her left hand's hold on the grip of her rifle, swinging it back with her right hand. The weapon's profile began to reverse, using where the right-hand trigger grip met the body of the rifle as a fulcrum. The barrel and trigger-guard folded down and into a recess, while the stock unfolded out, forming a straight, baton-like profile.

There was a click, then a low hum. A shimmering field of white energy extended down and out from the unfolded stock, extending past it, then curving upwards into a point. The body of Ciel's rifle had now turned into the spine of a talwar, with a blade of shimmering white Dust-energy. She smiled, seeing Sky's shocked reaction to the revelation of her weapon, before Ciel reversed her movement, slashing forward and across her body, forcing the boy to block with the shaft of his halberd, knocking him back.

" _Remarkable!_ " crowed Oobleck. " _Ms. Rose had already been making waves with the revelation of a contained energy field for her scythe blade. But it appears that Ms. Soleil has employed similar, possibly identical technology in her weapon!_ "

A thrill of excitement ran through Ciel at finally being able to show her creation to the world. It had been the result of continuous experiments throughout her years in Combat School, continuing throughout her first year at Atlas Academy. She'd barely managed to complete her creation before the tournament. It had been disheartening to think that she wouldn't be able to unveil her Hard Light Talwar to the world, which made her glad that she and Penny had agreed to have both of them fight in this match.

She'd been surprised to see that a student of Beacon was employing similar technology, but Ciel hadn't let that dissuade her. Given the difference in appearance, she suspected that Ruby Rose employed a different method from her. Briefly, Ciel found herself wishing that they'd been matched up against Ruby in the doubles round, if only to take the opportunity to compare their weapons.

Still, this was more than enough for a debut.

Sky slid back, his halberd still held in a defensive position. Having blocked Ciel's first strike, he relaxed a little, and smirked at her. The smirk he caught in return told him that he'd overlooked something important. That something became much more apparent when he heard a menacing whirring sound behind him, the sound of multiple objects cutting through the air. Gulping, Sky turned around and saw Penny behind him, a fierce grin on her face, her swords suspended in a row in the air behind her, extending out from behind her shoulders, almost like the feathers of a pair of wings.

With a swift chopping motion of her right hand, Penny directed her swords, which all slashed at Sky in succession. Yelping in surprise, Sky swung his halberd up to meet the blade of the leading sword. He successfully deflected the first one. But its mates followed in rapid succession, the repeated, powerful impacts rocking Sky's blade back and nearly knocking the weapon from his hands entirely.

But Russel hadn't been idle while Sky had been attacking Ciel. At the end of Ciel's barrage, Russel had resumed his own charge, rushing straight for Ciel, clearly hoping to keep her from flanking Sky, and double-teaming him with Penny. But Ciel anticipated this, already turning to meet Russel's daggers with her sword. They met in a flurry of clashing blades, the clang of steel replaced by the crackling of hard light against a solid surface.

Ciel wielded her blade with the deft skill of a fencer, a style she'd developed by emulating her idol, Winter Schnee. She employed the reach of her weapon to engage Russel at a distance, keeping him from coming in close enough to use his daggers to attack her properly. For the moment, they traded blows at a distance, Russel not able to get close enough to attack, while his excellent defense stymied Ciel.

Russel faltered under a harder blow than usual, one dagger knocked out wide. Seeing an opening, Ciel lunged in, only to realize she'd been baited. Rather than try to parry her slash, Russel leapt over the horizontal strike, executing a swift, spinning flip that allowed him to bring one foot around, swinging it right at Ciel's head. Bending her knees, Ciel dropped below the kick, but caught a flash of steel, seeing Russel continue his spin to bring one his daggers around to slash at her, the edge glowing orange with flames.

Immediately, Ciel dropped down further, going all the way to the floor, dropping into a roll that carried her out of the path of Russel's flames. Rolling back to her feet, Ciel came up, turning about to face Russel again, only to see that he was bringing his other dagger around. This time, the edge glowed green. Ciel barely had time to throw her sword up in defense as it unleashed a powerful gust of wind. Having expected a wind blade trying to cut into her Aura, Ciel hadn't braced her feet properly, so she was promptly blown off them, sent flying back. The distance between the pair opening, Ciel retracted her sword, her weapon folding back down and compacting into its rifle mode. Even as she flew back through the air, Ciel loaded a fresh clip, then began to open fire again, unleashing several short bursts of destructive energy at Russel.

Once again, Russel's daggers flashed, and he batted away the incoming shots. Then, in an unexpected move, he drew back the dagger in his right hand. Ciel saw crackling, yellow arcs of electricity run up and down its length, before Russel threw the blade at her. Gasping Ciel held up her rifle to block, realizing her mistake almost immediately. She remembered watching the fight between SSSN and NDGO, and how Neptune's electrified weapon had allowed him to inflict damage, even when his strikes were blocked. Russel's electrified dagger would have the same effect on her, shocking her right through the rifle in her grip.

From off to the side, an emerald beam of light intercepted the dagger, knocking it away from Ciel. Glancing over, Ciel saw Penny glancing her way, out of the corner of one eye. Penny had followed through her initial sequential slash at Sky by separating her blades and coordinate them to converge on Sky, slashing at him from separate trajectories. Sky had responded by spinning and whirling the shaft of his halberd, intercepting the incoming blows. He was no Ruby Rose, who could spin her large, unwieldy looking scythe, with such speed and ease that it would blur and practically seem to be in multiple places at once. But he was crisp and efficient in his movements, able to employ the coverage of his weapon's long shaft and move it into position to deflect multiple strikes effectively, while shifting and bending his body to dodge others.

Despite that, Sky was still locked on the defensive, pinned completely in place, forced to simply fend off Penny's blows. Penny, on the other hand, had been free to detach one of her swords from the attack and orient it towards the dagger that Russel had just thrown. The blade of the sword folded in half, the handle bending slightly, transforming into a gun, which then fired a beam of emerald energy to intercept Russel's thrown dagger.

Ciel smiled gratefully at Penny, who returned the look with a grin of her own. Then Ciel returned her full attention to the fight, aiming and firing at Russel once again. Grimacing, Russel chose to dodge her shots, rushing towards where his dagger had been sent clattering to the floor of the ring. Landing, Ciel shifted her aim, and fired at the downed dagger.

Her shots pinged off the steel, and sent the dagger spinning and sliding against the smooth floor of the arena. Russel cursed and gave chase, but Ciel continued to send the weapon spinning out of his reach with well-placed shots from her rifle. There were murmurs of discontent from the onlookers, who most likely assumed that Ciel was teasing and toying with her opponent. But that couldn't be further from the truth, as evinced by Ciel's use of her last shots from her clip, which sent the dagger spinning into the water of the ocean biome.

Expelling the detached clip, Ciel began loading a fresh one, the delay giving Russel time to wade into the ocean and retrieve his weapon. This time, however, instead of choosing the standard rounds from her rifle, Ciel loaded it with a clip of specialized rounds, these ones infused with pure lightning-Dust. Sighting along her barrel again, Ciel shifted her aim and fired, sending a series of yellow bolts lancing, not at Russel, but at the water he was currently standing knee-deep in.

Russel had bent down to retrieve his dagger, when Ciel's shots struck the surface, the lightning immediately being conducted through the water and into his body, prompting Russel to yell in pain and surprise, his body spasming. Even so, he managed to raise his other dagger, triggering the Dust inside of it. Flames condensed around the blade, and Russel swung it into the water. There was an explosive clap, and the water around Russel abruptly evaporated into steam.

Not only did the attack dissipate the water around Russel, preventing Ciel from electrocuting him with indirect attacks, but it also served as a smokescreen to obscure her view of him, allowing the boy to make a stumbling escape into the geyser field.

" _And Mr. Thrush makes his getaway,_ " announced Oobleck. " _Ms. Soleil's strategy proved to be a formidable one. Mr. Thrush made the right decision._ "

" _Yes,_ " agreed Port. " _However, Thrush's weapon does not have a high capacity for Dust. This exchange has already forced him to use up a considerable amount._ "

Ciel smiled slightly to herself. That had been one of the points to this strategy after all. The Dust chambers on Russel's daggers were so small that they only carried enough energy for a single attack, before they were completely expended. She didn't know if he carried extra Dust on him to reload it. It was a possibility. What couldn't be denied though was that Russel had been making an effort to be conservative with what Dust he had. She could see him wincing at every failed attempt to land a blow against her. It was meant to be a special shot, designed to give him a decisive edge at the critical moment. But Ciel's every duck and dodge forced him to waste more of the precious resource.

In the meantime, Penny continued to pressure Sky. She'd divided her swords. Five continued to launch rapid slashing attacks at the long-haired boy. The relief of pressure induced Sky to attack. He charged in, slashing at Penny's body. But three of her swords assembled in a three-pronged, wheeling formation, the whirling blades deflecting Sky's attack and presenting a fearsome barrier to him getting any closer. The remaining two swords maneuvered through the air to flank Sky from either side...and then converted into their gun-modes, firing rays of green energy at the boy.

Sky yelped and jumped away, barely managing to dodge away from the shots. However, one of Penny's offensive swords darted through the opening in his defenses that the desperate move had created, biting into his Aura and knocking him further off-balance. Sky tried to compensate by lining up the barrel of the rifle built into his halberd, and firing a few shots at Penny. But the bullets merely pinged uselessly against the whirling blades that served as Penny's shield.

Sky's situation only became worse as Ciel entered the fray. Rather than try to follow Russel's retreat into the geyser field, Ciel instead opted to attack Sky, expecting that the increased pressure on his teammate would draw Russel back out into the open. She opened fire on Sky, while closing in. Sky tried to block her shots, but several made it past his halberd, hitting his armor with enough force to jolt his body, which only served to knock him further off-balance, leaving him open to even more of Penny's attacks. If this kept up, Sky would be out of the match in just a few more seconds...unless Russel bailed him out.

Which Russel did. A few seconds before the reeling Sky could be completely eliminated by a coordinated assault from Penny and Ciel, Russel executed a leap, flipping over an outcropping of gray rock, timing his jump with a burst of steam from one of the geysers, using it to conceal his jump, until he passed through the steam. As Ciel had expected, Russel appeared to have reloaded at least some of the Dust in his daggers, both blades of which were now lined with flames. Instead of slashing them towards her or Penny, Russel instead landed at the edge of the inner ring, where the stone of the geyser field gave way to the steel of the interior ring. He plunged his daggers right into the metal surface.

A line of heat stretched out from where his daggers had penetrated the ring, creating a stream of molten orange and red color along the floor, stretching out towards where Penny stood. Penny gasped in surprise as the Dust-energy Russel had channeled through the floor reached her. It abruptly exploded upwards, right beneath her feet, blowing her back and forcing her to abort her attack on Sky.

Sky would have moved to followup on Russel's attack, except that Ciel immediately moved in to attack him, her weapon once again shifting into its talwar form. Sky was forced to bring the shaft of his halberd up to block a slash from Ciel's sword. She pressed the attack, keeping close in order to stop Sky from bringing his weapon's superior size and reach into play, their proximity hampering his ability to wield it effectively.

While Ciel occupied Sky, Penny recovered from the explosion in midair, transitioning into a backflip that allowed her to land back on her feet. She drew her swords back to herself. This time, all ten of them converted into their gun modes. They moved into a cylindrical formation on front of Penny, all the gun barrels pointing ahead of her...right at Russel. They began to orbit in a circular pattern in the space in front of Penny, a sphere of emerald energy forming in the center of the cylinder. Russel, seeing the attack coming, gaped in distressed shock, particularly as the power of Penny's impending attack quickly built.

Pulling her arms back, Penny closed her hands into fists, then stepped forward, punching out into the the sphere of energy in front of her. The sphere became a beam that lanced out at Russel. With a terrified yelp, Russel barely managed to throw himself out of the way of the attack in time.

* * *

In the stands, Ruby winced in sympathy for Russel. She, all too well, remembered the battle at the docks, where that same attack had blasted a pair of White Fang bullheads right out of the sky. Ruby couldn't bring herself to feel anything but sorry for a single person having that awesome destructive power turned on them directly. Her sympathy was magnified when she saw what came next.

* * *

Russel had dodged Penny's shot. But he was soon to discover that he hadn't been her only target. Penny's energy beam struck almost dead-center in the geyser field. A few seconds later, the glowing crevices began to glow brighter, their light changing from orange and yellow to white. The steam from the geysers became constant, instead of intermittent, producing a whistling sound, akin to several kettles coming to a boil at once. The sound rose in pitch, indicating that the pressure from below was rising ever higher. It was underscored by a low rumbling noise, producing a powerful vibration that could be felt across the entire ring, and even portions of the spectator seating.

Russel glanced back in the geyser field. "Crap!" That brief expression was all he had time for as the entire geyser field erupted explosively, superheated steam boiling out with a roar, the stone surface shattering, accompanied by bursts of intense flame and heat. Russel yelled in surprise and pain, his Aura scorched by the blast, even as he was pitched completely across the ring, well over Penny's head, to land hard on the grassy ground of the mountain biome. He lay there for several seconds, groaning, his clothes and body scorched and smoking.

Sky and Ciel hadn't been standing on the geyser field, but they had been close enough to feel the effects of the blast. It had been an oversight on Penny's part, as she hadn't anticipated that her partner would be negatively affected by the attack as well. Both Ciel and Sky were knocked off their feet by the shockwave, both forced to roll and dodge, striking down chunks of stone debris that was thrown their way.

"Penny! Please be more careful!" implored Ciel, staggering back to her feet.

"Oops," said Penny, grinning sheepishly at her friend and partner. "Sorry!"

Ciel sighed, but was forced to return her attention back to the battle. Sky had rallied faster, his armor taking much of the brunt of the attack. As a result, he was able to go on the offensive finally. He executed a substantial jump, though not as high as the one he'd led with at the beginning of the battle, not using his halberd as a pole vault and enhancing the jump with the recoil of his weapon. So, while he didn't jump as high, he also did so with less noise, Ciel not catching on to his approach until he descended with a shout.

Ciel barely noticed in time, diving out of the way. Sky's halberd descended through the space she'd occupied, the axe-blade striking sparks off the ring's surface. Ciel turned her dive into a roll, quickly coming back to her feet. However, she found herself on the defensive now. Sky closed in, whirling his halberd through swift, wide slashes. Ciel tried to defend, but was knocked back by the force of Sky's blow. By the time she rallied enough to close in, Sky had already initiated his next attack. Now she was fighting at Sky's range, and he was employing his weapon's superior reach and heft to its fullest advantage, while still keeping close enough to keep Ciel from being able to retreat far enough to switch her weapon back into its rifle mode.

" _Oh ho!_ " cheered Port. " _It seems that Ms. Polendina's explosive tactic has had some unexpected consequences. The tables have turned on Ms. Soleil._ "

" _Correct,_ " agreed Oobleck. " _Also, Mr. Lark's technical skills are to be commended. His competence with utilizing the full advantages presented by his choice of weapon has improved considerably, since the start of his time at Beacon. Ms. Soleil is neatly stymied by Mr. Lark's offensive, now that he's fighting at his optimal range._ "

Penny's first impulse was to rescue her partner. However, she realized that Ciel was still managing to hold her own, which gave Penny time to turn the tables in an even more dramatic manner. So she set her sights on Russel instead. Russel was recovering from the blast, slowly rising to his feet amidst the grassy ground, between the scattered stones of the mountain zone.

Hearing a whirring sound, Russel looked up to see Penny's swords flying at him with the speed of bullets. Yelping, Russel brought up his daggers reflexively, deflecting the blades, just as he had the shots from Ciel's rifle before. As fast as Penny's swords were, Russel had been able to defend against short bursts of fully automatic fire. With several rapid clangs, Penny's swords were sent spinning off, most into the air around Russel, but a trio of them lodging into the ground beside him.

Russel tried to track the swords still in the air, sure that they would soon come and continue the attack on him. But then he heard a slightly differently-pitched whirring sound, coming from Penny's direction, but transitioning along to also come from the blades planted by his feet. Fearing another landscape altering attack, like the one that had destroyed the geyser field, Russel's gaze was immediately drawn to the grounded swords, two of which had plunged into the ground near him, one almost directly on either side. It was then that Russel noticed the light catching off of something that connected to the pommel of each sword, a line of some kind.

 _Wires!_ Russel realized. The swords were tethered to Penny by wires, which explained at least some of how she controlled them. It was then that he realized that the source of the sound was rapidly growing closer. Looking up, Russel's eyes widened again. "Crap!" he repeated.

Penny was rapidly retracting the wires that connected her to the swords impaled in the ground. At the same time, she jumped up so that, instead of pulling the swords back to her, she was now pulling herself towards her swords, at a very high speed. Leaning back, she kicked out her feet, right as she reached Russel, planting the soles of her boots right against his face, putting the full weight of her android body, and considerable strength into the move. Russel yowled in pain as he was launched backwards, his body slamming right into the rocky face of the mountain that dominated the biome, the stone cracking and crumbling around where his body had landed. The buzzer sounded from above, while the display of the match's participants showed Russel's Aura level plunging straight down into the critical zone.

" _Ms. Polendina has just given Mr. Thrush the boot!_ " declared Port, his announcement greeted by a groan from his co-commentator.

Penny turned back towards the center of the ring, where Ciel was still defending herself against Sky's onslaught. Ciel's defense was beginning to falter, her arms weakened from repeatedly having to deflect the powerful blows from Sky's halberd. Sky kept her under constant pressure, keeping Ciel from finding her balance well enough to dodge, rather than block.

Penny charged at Sky, ready to attack and get him away from Ciel. Sky had already realized Russel's defeat, both from the buzzer that sounded, and from Port's announcement. He immediately stepped up the speed and ferocity of his attacks, trying to take Ciel out before Penny could join the fray. But it quickly became apparent that he wasn't going to succeed. Instead, Sky switched strategies.

Even as he continued his constant barrage of attacks against Ciel, Sky stepped around, moving to position himself on the opposite side of Ciel from the incoming Penny. Penny came to a stop, realizing that Sky was now using Ciel as a shield. Penny spread her arms, preparing to spread her swords out to direct them around Ciel. But then Ciel's shout reached her ears.

" _Don't_ be careful anymore!" Ciel shouted, not looking away from Sky.

"Huh?" It took a few seconds for Penny to process the meaning behind Ciel's words. But then she realized what her partner meant. Penny called her swords back, arranging them in a circular formation once more, she switched them all back into gun-mode, preparing the same attack she'd used to blow up the geyser field. By positioning Ciel between himself and Penny, Sky had blocked his own view of Ciel's partner, which caused him to not realize right away that Penny was charging up another powerful beam attack, not until the shimmering radiance of the building energy began to shine out from behind Ciel.

At that moment, Sky had whirled his halberd around for a horizontal slash. Ciel, instead of deflecting, instead chose to take it head-on, positioning her sword, holding the handle overhead, so that the blade was oriented downwards. Ciel planted her left forearm against the spine of the blade, the unfolded stock, which protected her from the hard-light edge. Ciel braced with all her strength, but it wasn't enough against the power of Sky's slash. She was knocked off her feet. Her grip, already weakened by the repeated impacts against Sky's previous blows, was broken. Her sword went spinning through the air, while Sky's halberd continued on to strike her torso, biting a substantial chunk out of Ciel's Aura. Ciel was knocked sprawling, sliding across the smooth surface of the inner ring.

But all that had been within Ciel's expectations. The most important thing was that the hit had knocked her clear, now allowing Penny an unimpeded path of attack. Sky knocked Ciel out of the way, only to find himself staring right at Penny', right as she fired her attack, the beam lancing out to strike Sky right in the center of the chest, blasting him back, and sending him flying straight out of the ring to slam into the arena barrier. Up above, Sky's Aura-gauge showed his level plunging, stopping right above being zeroed out.

" _Oh!_ " grunted Oobleck. " _With a devastating blow, Ms. Polendina brings this battle to a close, and secures a solid victory for herself and Ms. Soleil._ "

"Ciel! Are you all right?" asked Penny, rushing to her friend's side.

"I'm fine," said Ciel, accepting Penny's hand. She was still rattled by the blow, needing Penny's support to stay on her feet for a moment. Ciel wobbled a little, but managed, with Penny's assistance, to stagger over, and pick up her weapon. She collapsed it back down into its rifle-mode, and holstered it.

The next thing Ciel knew, she was hoisted into the air by a powerful hug. Her body, still sore from the hit she'd taken, groaned in protest, which Ciel echoed verbally.

"Oh, Ciel, this was so much fun!" cheered Penny. "I'm glad I got the chance to fight alongside you!"

Despite the pain, which was quickly fading, Ciel smiled. "I'm glad too," she said. Penny set her down and released her.

The two of them quickly became conscious of the commotion of the cheering crowd. Smiling, they both offered a triumphant wave, before separating to offer some assistance to their former-opponents.

As they did, Ciel found herself troubled by a niggling worry. What had General Ironwood thought of their performance? Ciel had been supposed to stand by and allow Penny to fight on her own, so that the android could demonstrate her power with a decisive victory against superior odds. Ciel's participation had changed the entire dynamic of the battle. It was clear that Penny's strength was a decisive factor, if not _the_ decisive factor in the fight, but it wasn't the singular domination Ciel suspected Ironwood had wanted to see. She worried that he would not be happy with the final outcome...and found herself dreading the notion of finding out.

* * *

 **This chapter wound up running a little long, what with Blake's brief freakout, and the full match of Penny and Ciel vs Sky and Russel. As opposed to the canon version of the fight, I chose to give the boys of CRDL a bit more of a chance to show what they can do, assuming they've been...inspired...to improve themselves more than in the canon series. We got to see some of what Sky and Russel can do, when they and the rest of CRDL went up against Pyrrha. But I tried to figure what else they were capable of, seeing as we never see Sky use the gun built into his halberd, or Russel using the Dust-chambers on his weapons.**

 **Ciel's weapon (name forthcoming) is based off the real-world FN-P90, in its rifle form. I'd be the last person to call myself a gun-nut, but I do have to admit that the P90 looks _damn_ cool. Liking the design, I decided to incorporate it into the story. The trickiest bit was trying to work out how it would transform into a melee weapon, and what kind of weapon it would become. I ultimately opted for a Talwar, with a blade formed from hard light-Dust. The transformation was a bit trickier to visualize, but RWBY has already shown that various weapons can undergo some pretty damn impressive changes, when shifting modes, so I didn't think it was too far-fetched.**


	97. Chapter 97

**Chapter 97:**

Ciel slowly unbuttoned her shirt, pulling it open and wincing from the motion, and the sight of the spreading bruise on her torso. _This is what happened after it was weakened some by my block,_ Ciel thought. _I don't want to think what this would look like, if I'd taken it unprotected._

"Are you all right?" asked Penny, moving to examine Ciel's bruise for herself.

"I'll be fine," said Ciel. "It won't take my Aura long to heal this."

Penny let out a soft whimper, and moved to rest her hand against the bruise with surprising gentleness. "This is my fault," she said. "If I hadn't recklessly blown up the geyser field, you wouldn't have been forced on the defensive, and you wouldn't have had to take this hit."

Ciel smiled and rested her own hand atop Penny's, squeezing it. "It's all right," she said. "It worked out in the end. And you basically got to rescue me from Sky while doing it. That should mollify the General's feelings somewhat." Ciel was a bit surprised. She'd never thought about it before, but Penny's hand was surprisingly warm. It wasn't feverish, but warmer than she'd expect from the skin of an android. By Penny's touch alone, one wouldn't think that there was a metal casing beneath a layer of artificial skin. Her touch felt...genuinely human.

They were so lost in the moment, that it took a little extra time for the context of their situation to fully sink in. Ciel realized that she was practically half-naked now, the only clothing on her torso being the blue bra that covered her breasts, and her elbow-length gloves, with Penny standing right in front of her, one hand resting against the bare skin of Ciel's torso, just off to the left side of her sternum. Penny's other hand rested on Ciel's shoulder, holding her steady. Ciel looked up, and suddenly found herself feeling...strange, at the realization of their proximity, while she was in this state of undress.

"Uh...um...P-Penny," said Ciel, her cheeks reddening. "I-if you d-don't mind, I should take my shower now...before-uh...before the press comes in for the...um...post-match interview."

"Huh?" Penny looked up and blinked, her bright-green eyes meeting Ciel's.

The eye-contact only caused Ciel's pulse to quicken, as it occurred to her how close Penny's sweet, innocent-looking face was to her. Ciel pressed her lips together, then swallowed nervously.

"Oh!" said Penny, realizing what Ciel meant. "I'm sorry," she said, quickly letting go and backing away. "Please go ahead and take your shower, Ciel. I'll wait."

"Y-yes...thank you," said Ciel, quickly retreating to one of the shower stalls and continuing to disrobe in there.

A moment later, she stood under the stream of hot water, luxuriating in the feel of it running down her body, even as she contemplated the strange feelings she'd just experienced.

* * *

While Ciel was enjoying her shower, Penny's attention was drawn by a knocking sound from the door. Going over, Penny opened it, only to find herself staring into and empty hallway, until she inspected her other sensory inputs. "Ruby...Gin?"

"Step aside for a second," said Gin's voice from behind the veil of light, refracted by water vapor.

Penny did so, her eyes tracing the shimmer of refracted light making its way past her. She closed the door behind the pair, allowing Gin to shed his _Shingetsu_. Immediately, Ruby jumped forward and seized Penny in a joyful hug.

"Congratulations!" she shouted.

"Thank you!" Penny replied just as enthusiastically, returning the hug with a vigor.

Gin merely smiled and looked on with folded arms.

"You did great out there," said Ruby. "That part where you blew up the geyser field was totally awesome!"

"I thought it was pretty cool," agreed Penny, beaming. Then her face fell. "But Ciel got hurt because of it."

Ruby's eyes widened, and her hands rose to cover her mouth. "Oh no! Is she all right?"

"She is," replied Penny. "There was a bruise, but her Aura should enable her to recover fairly quickly. She's in the shower, right now."

"Well, if there's no permanent harm done, then it should be fine," said Gin. "You've learned to consider your actions more carefully in the future, right?"

Penny nodded rapidly. "What about you two? What are you doing here?"

"We wanted to come congratulate you, obviously," said Ruby, grinning. "It was a good enough excuse to get to spend more time together."

"I like that," Penny admitted easily enough. "But we'll need to be careful."

"We'll keep out of sight for the post-match interview," said Gin.

"When are you going to have it?" asked Ruby.

"I'm not sure," admitted Penny. "Ciel's always been the one focusing on the schedule. She decided how long we would wait, before holding the interview."

Ruby nodded. "That's good." Then she frowned. "Have you gotten any ideas about the...other thing?"

"I'm...I'm not sure," admitted Penny.

"We should probably take your case to Professor Ozpin," said Gin. "He'd know a thing or two about how to transfer you to Beacon, and avoid Ironwood's reprisal."

"That would be good," said Penny. "But...there's one thing I'm really worried about."

"What is it?" asked Ruby.

"My father," said Penny.

"You mean the man who created you?" asked Gin.

Penny nodded. "He's still back in Atlas. Even if I do get into Beacon, I would still need Father's assistance for maintenance purposes, at the very least. At worst, the General might try to use him as a hostage to keep me from staying at Beacon."

"So we'd need to figure out a way to get him out of Atlas," said Gin, scratching his chin with a frown. "That does complicate things..."

The door to the shower stall opened, and Ciel stepped out, fully dressed, but still drying her hair. Amongst the many first-rate amenities available in Amity Coliseum's ready rooms was an Atlesian high-speed washer/dryer, which could wash and dry a participant's combat outfit in the time it took for them to complete an average shower, not even needing the participant to sort their garments by color and material. Ciel looked considerably fresher.

"Ciel!" exclaimed Ruby, quickly darting across the room towards the dark-skinned girl, taking Ciel's hands in her own. "How are you feeling? Penny told me you were hurt!"

"I'm fine," said Ciel, giving Ruby a small smile. "It's just a bruise. I can barely feel it now. The shower helped a lot."

"I'm glad," said Ruby with a relieved smile. "If it's okay..."

Ciel shifted awkwardly, then nodded. Ruby hugged her, in a much more tender manner than Penny had earlier, carefully moderating her grip to avoid aggravating Ciel's bruised side. Ciel returned the gesture, already beginning to enjoy the affectionate contact, able to see how Penny had become so attached to the younger girl.

"That was a pretty good match," commented Gin, drawing Ciel's attention. "You gave a good showing for yourself."

"Thank you," said Ciel, as she and Ruby let go of each other.

"Your weapon is so awesome!" gushed Ruby, her silver eyes sparkling. "Can I look at it?"

Her enthusiasm made Ciel giggle. "Of course you can," she said, going to the locker, where she'd stored the rifle. Pulling it out, she set it into Ruby's hands, allowing Ruby to inspect it carefully.

Ruby's jaw opened slightly, and she examined the rifle with deft fingers and attentive eyes. She might have made her own weapon through her Aura, but she had lost none of her appreciation for the mechanical ingenuity that many Huntsmen and Huntresses displayed through their weapon designs. "It's beautiful," she said. "What's its name?"

"Um..." Ciel looked away, seeming somewhat...unsettled by the question.

"What is it?" asked Ruby.

"W-well...I never named it," admitted Ciel. "It's not uncommon. Quite a few Atlas students never really name their weapons. We're taught not to get too attached to them.'

"But that's so...sad," said Ruby. "A weapon that's this beautiful, and this well-designed, deserves a name."

"Um...well..." Ciel frowned, taking up the rifle in her own hands, and looking it over. "There's this fairytale my mother used to tell me, when I was little. It's a about a beautiful girl, who gets a magic doll from her dying mother, that protects her."

"Magic doll, huh?" mused Gin, glancing sidelong at Penny, who beamed at the unintentional allusion.

"So...I think I'll call her...Vasilisa," said Ciel, sounding proud of her decision.

"I think that's a great name," said Penny cheerfully.

Ciel nodded, and set her rifle down. Then she quickly checked her watch. "We should get ready, it's nearly time for the interview." She looked at Gin and Ruby. "You two shouldn't be seen with us."

"We can stay," said Gin, resting a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "They won't see us."

"Just be careful," said Ciel with a small sigh. "The camera crew will be all over the room, setting up their equipment."

"We've been through one of these before," said Gin. "We know where to stay that's out of the way."

"All right,' said Ciel, figuring it was best to trust their judgment.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Lisa Lavender and her crew had arrived to conduct the post-match interview. Gin shrouded himself and Ruby in _Shingetsu_ , the pair waiting in an out-of-the-way corner, where none of the crew needed to set anything up. They stood by and watched as Lisa questioned Penny and Ciel about their fights, getting their input about the pair's strategies, and their thoughts about their opponents.

"Ms. Polendina, you fought by yourself in the previous round," noted Lisa. "What made you decide to seek your partner's assistance this time?"

"Well, the second round was going to have the strongest pairs that made it through the previous round," said Penny. "I anticipated an increase in the caliber of our opponents, and decided that a cooperative strategy would work best this time. Besides that, I felt bad that my teammates were asked not to fight with me last round, so I wanted to at least allow Ciel to fight alongside me."

From behind Gin's veil, Ruby's gaze darted to Ciel. She saw Ciel blushing and looking down at her knees. Ruby also noted that Ciel's posture was unusually rigid and stiff. _Did something happen?_ she wondered. There was something familiar about Ciel's behavior...

"And you, Ms. Soleil, what are your thoughts on the match?" asked Lisa, turning to Ciel herself.

"Well...Russel and Sky were both exceptional opponents," said Ciel. "Russel was especially good about managing his reserves. I could tell that his weapon only had the capacity to use a small amount of Dust, so he used what he had with skill and creativity.

"Sky also showed exceptional skill with his own weapon, so it was only really by taking them on from positions that were advantageous to us that we were able to do as well as we did."

"And your own performance?" asked Lisa.

"I'm satisfied with my performance," said Ciel. "I was able to provide more than adequate support to my partner. Despite our lack of practice in it, we were able to coordinate our actions with a great deal of effectiveness."

"I see," said Lisa. Then she noticed Penny smiling brilliantly. "You have something to add, Ms. Polendina?"

"Uh huh," said Penny, nodding decisively. "Actually, I'm not sure I could have won, if Ciel hadn't been there. I'm glad she was able to fight at my side."

Ciel's cheeks turned red, which spread farther across her face, her posture going stiff again at Penny's praise. She could tell that Penny meant it.

Ruby sucked in a breath at Penny's words, struggling to keep her surprised gasp from being audible to anyone in the room. _What is Penny saying? If she says something like that..._ Ruby wasn't the only one surprised and unnerved, she could feel Gin's uneasy swallow.

From what Penny and Ciel had told them, Ironwood's intention was to use the tournament as a platform to demonstrate Penny's strength. The reason Penny had fought by herself in the previous round, while her teammates had stood by, was because she was supposed to show her superiority, even in the face of a greater number of trained opponents. By admitting, by daring to even _suggest_ , that she'd needed help in the second round, against a mere two opponents, she was suggesting that she wasn't all that superior after all. While that might not have meant much to the general audience, who would see it as no more than a concise acknowledgment of her limitations, Ruby and Gin knew that Ironwood could see the admission very differently.

Lisa, obviously, was ignorant of the darker implications of what Penny had just said, so she merely smiled pleasantly. "I see. It's good to see that the two of you work together so well. Ms. Polendina, we wish you luck in the next round."

"Thank you," said Penny cheerfully.

"That's a wrap," declared Lisa, after the feed cut. A few minutes later, she and her crew were out, leaving Penny and Ciel with the room to themselves again...as far as they knew.

Gin and Ruby emerged from behind the concealing curtain of Gin's mist. "Penny! What are you doing?" asked Ruby frantically.

"I just...I just wanted to give Ciel the credit she deserves," said Penny contritely, looking down at her feet. "It's true. Our opponents were really a lot stronger than I thought they would be. I'm not certain that I could have achieved victory without Ciel's help."

"That might be true," said Gin. "But I don't think the fact that it's truth will matter to a certain stuffy general."

Ciel, who was still blushing from what Penny had said, started out of her stupor. "Oh my God!" she said. "They're right, Penny! How is the General going to react to this?"

"Knowing him, we'll probably find out soon," said Gin, frowning in the direction of the door. "He certainly isn't wasting any time."

Ruby's head perked up. Now she could sense it too, a very disturbed, angry Aura approaching the ready room. "This is bad," she said.

Wherever Ironwood had been when the interview had been broadcast, it had been close. He was already almost at the door. They didn't have time to leave, unfortunately. Gin and Ruby would have to hide again. They just had to hope that the paranoid general didn't suspect that there was anyone in the room besides Penny and Ciel.

Less than a minute latter, the door vibrated from the force of the person knocking on the other side. Gin and Ruby backed up to the farthest corner of the room, and vanished behind the veil of Gin's mist once more. Ciel went to answer the door, and jumped back in surprise, despite knowing who to expect. As Gin and Ruby had predicted, Ironwood was indeed there, his expression seeming composed and dispassionate, but both girls were able to see the furry simmering just beneath the surface in the tension around his neck and jaw.

"H-hello, General," said Penny, trying her best to seem congenial. "I-hic!-I wasn't expecting you to come here after the match."

Ironwood walked into the room, letting the door swing shut behind him. "Penny...just what were you thinking?"

"I...I beg your pardon?" said Penny, tilting her head.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" demanded Ironwood. "This level of performance is unacceptable. How are the people supposed to have any confidence in you, when you deliver such a middling performance?" His eyes narrowed. "I thought I made it clear that you were to secure a decisive victory."

"I thought we did," Penny protested weakly.

"'We...'" growled Ironwood. "That is exactly the problem! You admitted, live, in front of an audience of millions, that you required assistance to defeat your opponents. You've completely undermined your standing."

"S-sir-" Ciel tried to interject.

"And you!" snapped Ironwood, turning his ferocious glare on Ciel, making her quail away from him. "I thought that the actions I required of you should have been perfectly clear!"

"They were," said Ciel, swallowing back her fear. "You told me to support Penny to the best of my abilities. I acted on those orders during the match."

"NO!" thundered Ironwood. "You interfered. You meddled where you weren't needed or wanted-"

"She _was_ wanted!"

Ironwood froze, his disbelieving gaze switching back to Penny, who was frowning at him with an expression that was almost a glare. It was a look of will...of defiance. "What did you say?" growled Ironwood, a very dangerous rumble building under his voice.

Behind the veil created by Gin's mist, Ruby swallowed, and lowered her hand to her side, her fingers curling around the handle of Shining Rose, as it materialized behind her back. Gin gripped her shoulder, holding her firmly in place, but Ruby couldn't help but notice that his scales had emerged, spreading like a rash across his forearms, up to his elbows. Neither of them had failed to sense the intense hostility emanating from Ironwood. Before, he had merely been angry, thinking only about berating the two girls from his Academy. But now he was a genuine threat to them. Ruby and Gin weren't supposed to be here. But, if Ironwood actually attacked Ciel and Penny...they couldn't stand idly by either.

"She _was_ wanted," repeated Penny firmly, her eyes fixed on Ironwood. "I wanted Ciel to fight by my side today. What you did wasn't fair."

"Fair...?" Ironwood seemed genuinely confused, as though the notion of fairness was completely foreign to him.

"Ciel and the others worked their hardest for the right to fight in this tournament," said Penny. "But you told them to just stand aside, so that I could fight on my own, and show off for the world. That's not fair to them, not fair to all the effort they put into getting here. I wanted Ciel to fight beside me. I wanted to fight alongside my partner, at least. So I did. Ciel's support was wanted...and it was needed. I believe I _did_ need her support in order to win the match."

"Are you suggesting that your strength is deficient?" asked Ironwood, the sense of danger conveyed by his tone palpable to Ciel and Penny now, both the girls abruptly tensing.

"I'm saying that my opponents were of a higher caliber than originally calculated," replied Penny.

Ironwood's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You are getting dangerously defiant," he growled. "I don't recall giving you permission to make such judgments."

"On the battlefield, I have the right and the necessity to make my own judgments," replied Penny.

"You have the right to do as you are instructed," said Ironwood. "I gave you specific orders, and you have defied them. Your position is already extremely tenuous, Penny. Don't push my patience any further."

He turned his gaze back to Ciel. "And you...!" he snarled. "I don't care what Penny thought or told you, you still defied my orders. There will be severe consequences-"

"No there _won't_!"

Once again, Ironwood's eyes snapped to Penny, meeting her defiant gaze with a look of barely-restrained fury. "What?"

"You won't do anything to Ciel," answered Penny. "You won't do it now, and you won't do it later."

"You do not have the authority to make those kinds of decisions," retorted Ironwood.

"Actually, I do," said Penny firmly, "if you don't want to be humiliated."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll lose," said Penny firmly. "In the next round of the tournament, I'll throw the match. And I'll do it in the most humiliating way possible. I'll mess up and fall flat on my face...in front of everyone. It'll be easy. You'll go back to Atlas a laughingstock."

"You wouldn't dare," growled Ironwood.

"I would," replied Penny. "I will, unless you promise, here and now, that you won't do anything to Ciel, not now, not after. If I even _think_ you're going to go back on your word, well, I have three whole matches to make sure of it."

Ciel stared at Penny in amazement. She couldn't even think that anyone would ever defy Ironwood so openly, especially not anyone from Atlas. James Ironwood was the Commander in Chief of the Atlesian Military, the holder of two seats on the Atlas Council, and Headmaster of Atlas Academy. He controlled every institution in the Kingdom. No one in their right mind would have offered him such brazen defiance. But Penny had, not for the sake of going to Beacon or staying with Ruby, but for Ciel. Deep down in her stomach, Ciel felt a strange, quivery feeling. It should have felt uncomfortable, nauseating even...but it instead made her feel strangely happy.

Behind Gin's veil, Ruby mouthed out a silent "Whoa!" Gin noticed, and nodded his agreement. Penny wasn't the most serious of people. In the past, she'd faced pitched battle with an attitude that was almost playful, always seeming cheerful and naive. But now...now she was demonstrating a hardened conviction that, even amongst those who knew her, no one would have suspected she harbored.

But the situation was far from resolved. Ironwood's body was quivering with barely restrained tension. Penny's defiance, and the strategy she'd leveraged with it, was potent. But Ironwood was not a man who was used to being defied by those he commanded obeisance from. To someone more reasonable and rational, it was clear the advantage that Penny held at the moment. But Ironwood's reason was hanging by a thread.

Behind their veil, Gin and Ruby tensed. They could sense Ironwood's rage, how close he was to snapping. They were fully aware of the threat he represented. His cybernetic limbs gave him a powerful advantage, especially in these close quarters. The revolver, tucked inside his jacket, was equally well suited to the situation. Ciel and Penny were both drained from their match (though Penny didn't show it, being an android). Ciel's weapon was stowed away, out of reach, and Penny's swords were better suited to a situation where she had more room to wield them. She still had tremendous strength, but, even with their _Shingan_ , it was difficult for Gin and Ruby to determine if it was a match for Ironwood's own augments.

The silence dragged on for an uncomfortably long time, the tension between Penny and Ironwood coming to a fever-pitch. Finally, Ironwood closed his eyes. "Very well," he said. "If that is how it is going to be, then you had best be sure to perform at your best during the finals. Should you lose...the consequences will be very severe...for _both_ of you."

Ciel gulped. She wasn't the only one. Both Gin and Ruby also swallowed back lumps in their throats. Penny had apparently averted the current crises, but had put herself in a situation where she had to win...or Ciel would suffer for it.

"That's not good enough," said Penny firmly, making everyone, even Ironwood, jolt.

"What?" grunted Ironwood.

"If you agree not to punish Ciel, I will fight to the best of my abilities," said Penny. "But not if she's going to be punished, if I lose anyway. My opponents in the finals are going to be the strongest of the strong from four Kingdoms. There's no guarantee of my victory."

Gin glanced at Ruby with a proud smile.

"If I fight at my best, and lose, then you're free to punish me," said Penny. "But, no matter what, Ciel won't be touched. Those are my terms."

"Penny..." whispered Ciel, feeling an almost painful pressure building behind her eyes, as she fought to hold back her tears.

"Is that clear?" asked Penny, not moving her gaze in the slightest.

A low growl emerged from Ironwood's throat. His right hand clenched so hard that the winding of the servos within them was audible through the room. Finally, he relented. "Very well then," he said. "But that being the case, the consequences, should you lose, will be all the more severe."

"Fine," said Penny.

"Even if you do win, do not expect me to forget this," said Ironwood, heading to the door. "It's obvious that you need to be reminded of your role in things. I will be having a talk with your father about this."

Penny said nothing. A moment later, Ironwood was gone, the door sliding shut behind him. Ruby and Gin tracked his Aura, waiting until they were sure he was actually leaving, before emerging from behind their concealment.

"He's gone," said Gin, peeling back the mist he'd used to hide himself and Ruby.

Ciel sight and slumped, the strength almost going out of her legs. She staggered slightly, then looked at Penny, seeing a sunny smile on the android's face. "Penny..."

"We got through it, Ciel," said Penny happily.

Unbidden tears began to stream from Ciel's eyes. Before she could even think about what she was doing, she threw herself at Penny, wrapping her arms around Penny's shoulders. Penny barely budged from the impact, but returned the embrace with a surprising degree of tenderness. "Ciel...?"

"You idiot!" Ciel shouted, pressing her face into Penny's shoulders. "How could you do that? Do you have any idea what the General would have done, if he'd lost his temper?"

"That was a real nail-biter," added Gin, slumping down onto the couch.

"It's all right, Ciel," said Penny, pulling back and lifting her hands to Ciel's cheeks. With her thumbs, Penny began to brush away Ciel's tears, though fresh tears quickly replaced them. "I'll always help my friends."

Ciel broke down into Penny's arms again. She felt another set of arms encircle her, Ruby hugging them both from behind Ciel. It took a few minutes for her to calm down. When she did, Ruby moved to sit her down on the couch, sitting next to her and gently rubbing her back.

Ciel shot Penny a tear-filled glare. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?" she snapped. "I'm fairly certain the General considers you to be nothing more than equipment. If you don't win the tournament..."

"He'd probably order me dismantled," said Penny, her expression falling, and her smile fading. "Father would protest. But there's nothing he can do, from all the way over in Atlas."

"If Ironwood considers you equipment, then you've pretty much signed your death warrant either way," said Gin folding his arms across his chest and leaning back. "A gun doesn't talk back to the person who pulls the trigger. From his perspective, having an android exercise free will to such an extent, as to actually defy him like that, sets a dangerous precedent."

"Penny has an Aura," Ruby pointed out. "How could something, even a robot, have Aura and not have a will?"

Gin sighed. "You're forgetting that Ironwood probably just considers Aura to be another kind of energy to be weaponized. He probably dismisses all that stuff about the soul as being superstition, or something to that effect. To him, an android having Aura would be no different than saying said android has an extra battery of some kind."

"He's right," said Ciel, looking at Penny. "Whatever happens, I can't imagine that this will end well for you."

Ruby rested a worried hand atop Ciel's, where it rested in her lap. She didn't say anything, but in her mind, _It wouldn't end well for Ciel either._ The promise Penny had extracted from Ironwood would last through the tournament at best. But, if Ironwood saw no reason to treat a machine as a person, then he probably saw no reason to keep a promise to one either. At best, he would make sure that Penny was out of the way, then bring his wrath down on Ciel afterwards.

It also irritated her. The fate of the Kingdom was at stake, with implications for the entire world, depending on what happened in Vale. They had a real enemy to deal with, and Ironwood was wasting time and energy on petty things, like using Penny's performance in the tournament as a means to posture and prove his Kingdom's superiority. Unlike the issue with the faunus, this really was a situation where they had bigger fish to fry, and Ironwood was wasting time and energy on personal grudges.

"That's fine," said Penny, her expression brightening. "It won't be a problem."

"Huh?" grunted the other three people in the room simultaneously.

"Why not?" asked Ruby.

"Because, by the time the tournament's over, Ciel and I will be at Beacon," said Penny with complete confidence.

In the stunned silence that followed, one could have heard a pin drop.

Gin recovered first, groaning, and palming his face. "That phrase about counting chickens comes to mind," he said. "You realize we haven't even hammered out the beginnings of a plan to do that, don't you?"

"I'm sure we'll think of something," said Penny brightly.

"Don't tell me you you aggravated the General so willingly, because you were already certain of this," said Ciel.

"Of course not," said Penny, her cheer not fading in the slightest. "I did it because you're my friend, Ciel. Plan or not, I'll protect my friends."

"Oh Penny..." said Ciel, managing to somehow sound happy and resigned at the same time. Ruby noted the red tint returning to Ciel's cheeks.

"Well...we'll have to hammer out something," said Ruby. "I mean, it's not as though Penny can simply submit a request to transfer to Beacon or something."

There was a moment's pause, before Ciel spoke, a note of excitement entering her voice. "Maybe she can."

Another round of shocked silence followed Ciel's statement.

"Pardon?" asked Gin, regarding Ciel with confusion.

"Why didn't I realize it?" Ciel mused to herself. "It's actually very simple. We can submit an official request for transfer. If Professor Ozpin accepts it, not even the General could stop us from becoming Beacon students."

"Uh...Maybe for you," Ruby pointed out. "But Penny's an android. I think Ironwood would be able to block that request, because he thinks of her as equipment."

"Except that he can't," said Gin, his eyes widening at the realization. "The fact that Penny's an android is a secret known only to a select few, and certainly not the public or the tournament staff. If Ironwood refused to abide by the request, because Penny was 'equipment,' then it would be as good as publicly acknowledging that he entered an android as a contestant in the Vytal Festival Tournament. That's basically as good as saying that he tried to cheat, in order to win."

Ciel nodded. "In order to participate in the tournament, Penny is officially registered as a student of Atlas Academy. From a procedural perspective, there's no reason she couldn't request a transfer."

"That's assuming Professor Ozpin accepts," said Penny warily.

"If we explain the situation to him, I'm pretty sure he will," said Ruby, liking this idea more and more.

Gin's expression faltered, but he held his tongue. He could think of a reason Ozpin might not wish to approve Penny and Ciel's request for transfer, but it wasn't something he could talk about in front of them. At the end of the day, Ironwood was still a member of Ozpin's inner circle, one of the leading forces in the fight against Salem and her agents. They had already done a great deal to alienate Ironwood. Ozpin had accepted Gin and Ayumu as Beacon students, despite their criminal backgrounds. He'd kept them on as students, despite the fact that their teacher had nearly condemned Vale to a catastrophic Grimm invasion as a mere test. Gin was fairly certain that what Ayumu had done with Neo wouldn't have gone over very well either. At this point, an action like this might well wreck Ozpin's relationship with Ironwood entirely.

Still, it was the best hope they had for Penny and Ciel. "If we're going to do this, then you should go to Ozpin directly," said Ruby.

Penny nodded. "If we tried to send the transfer requests over the network, General Ironwood's people would probably intercept it." With the number of people Penny had monitoring her at any given time, it was highly likely that her communications were monitored as well. Going to see Ozpin in person was the safest bet. It was also something they likely needed to do anyway, if only to explain the situation to him.

"We've got a little while," said Ciel, checking her scroll. "Perhaps we should make for Beacon now."

"You've got quarters there, so there's no need to rush," said Gin. "Once you're on the grounds, it's not as though Ironwood's people will be able to move freely to intercept you. You can probably head straight to Beacon Tower."

Ruby nodded. "If you need help, send us a message."

"All right," said Penny. "Thank you both so much."

"We should get going," said Gin, standing up. "We've already had to take cover twice. It's probably best not to risk anymore, given that you're not supposed to be seen with us."

"We do have to get back to our team," added Ruby reluctantly.

Saying their farewells, the pair exited under the veil of Gin's _Shingetsu_ once more. As they left, Ruby noticed the furtive glances Ciel continued to shoot Penny, along with the coloring of her cheeks, and the stiffness of her posture. Having an idea of what was going on, Ruby stifled a giggle.

* * *

"These are the locations that Ms. Capello has provided us with," said Ozpin, highlighting said locations on a holographic map of Vale. There were six, including a couple of warehouses, though the majority were part of regular apartment complexes.

"I expected more," said Qrow, looking at the screen with a frown.

"After Ms. Rose and her friends thwarted Torchwick's operation, the majority of the White Fang participating in it were apprehended," explained Ozpin. "That was a severe blow to their manpower in Vale. It got worse for them, once word of what they'd been planning to around. It seemed that a number of members were unaware that the organization had been planning to create a breach and allow Grimm into the Kingdom."

"And most of their armaments went up in smoke with that attack too," noted Qrow. "Cinder has them laying low right now, so they can't recruit or restock."

Ozpin nodded. "Which means that, if we take them now, we can cut the legs out from under Cinder's plans before she can put them into action. While she and her affiliates are capable of causing substantial damage and unrest on their own, it will be much easier to counter them if we deprive them of White Fang soldiers that could be used to bolster their numbers."

"Sounds like a good plan to me," said Qrow. "How do you want to play this?"

"We'll move in on the weekend, in between rounds of the tournament," said Ozpin. "If our intelligence is right, then Cinder's plan will be put into action sometime during the finals. So it would be best to remove the White Fang from play before then."

"We gonna let James in on this?" asked Qrow.

"I was planning on having him act, yes," said Ozpin. He highlighted the locations of the two warehouses. "This is probably where the bulk of their munitions are stored. That being the case, Adam Taurus has the highest probability of being at one of these two."

"Ah, got it," said Qrow, nodding. "So you want me to hit one, and have Jimmy hit the other."

Ozpin nodded. "James has sent most of his troops home, thankfully, but he still has his personal escort with him. They will be useful in this situation, at least."

"Lets him feel like he's doing something," said Qrow. "That might help get that bee out of his bonnet." He frowned. "But when do we move on the lady?"

"That's...more difficult," said Ozpin, bringing up the roster of Team CMSN. "Ideally, we would want to round them up with the public being none the wiser. However, Cinder has planned quite well in that regard, by entering the tournament. Because one of hers has made it to the final round, we won't be able to move against her until that one has been eliminated."

"And, for all we know, she'll put her plan into action during that match," grumbled Qrow.

"Also, given what we know, we can't observe them too carefully," added Ozpin. "They are the kind to notice if they are drawing extra attention. Finally, there is the matter of Watts and Nikos."

"You tell Jimmy his 'expert' was a mole yet?" he asked.

"Not yet," conceded Ozpin. "I'm not looking forward to it, particularly since Ironwood would want to know where this intelligence came from."

"If he knows it came from one of theirs, he won't want to accept it," said Qrow.

"That's why I plan to have him participate in the raid," said Ozpin. "It will serve as verification of Ms. Capello's intelligence, which should make him more amenable to the revelation of Watts' true allegiance."

"Well, we can only hope," said Qrow, his tone dubious. One of Ironwood's greatest weaknesses was that, once he sorted people into categories, he rarely considered re-sorting them. If he dismissed Neo as a criminal before, he would still consider her nothing more than a criminal now, and an untrustworthy one at that.

"We have until Saturday to get ready," said Ozpin. "Let's make sure we are discreet. We don't want the White Fang or Cinder to catch wind of our plans."

"You got it," said Qrow. "I hope this works. Once the ball gets rolling, it's gonna start rolling fast."

* * *

"Have fun with your friends?" asked Yang as Ruby and Gin returned to the fold.

Yang and Blake had returned to the coliseum, meeting up with JNAR while they were at it. Ayumu was the only one absent, having stayed back to spend time with Neo. It was unfortunate, but there was no way they could risk Neo being seen with them, whether as herself or in disguise. She could have created a new disguise, but they didn't want Cinder or her associates getting curious about the "new person," who came out of nowhere to hang out with RUBY and JNAR. It helped that Ayumu was more than happy to keep Neo company, allowing the new couple to spend some time together.

"Yeah, we did," said Ruby.

"For a given definition of fun," said Gin. "Watching Ironwood almost lose it in the ready room was certainly interesting."

"Ironwood was there?" asked Jaune, frowning.

"Yeah, and he wasn't happy," said Gin.

"Huh? Why?" asked Nora. "Penny and Ciel were awesome, especially when Penny blew up the geyser field!"

"You _would_ like that," Ren commented wryly.

"Ironwood wanted Penny to win on her own," said Ruby. "He was mad that Ciel helped."

"Well, he did want Penny to demonstrate her power in the tournament," said Blake with a sigh. "It doesn't look as good if she has help during the match."

Ruby and Gin both looked speculatively at Blake, noting that she seemed much calmer now. Ruby looked to Yang, who merely grinned and shot a wink her way.

"They okay?" asked Jaune.

"They're all right," said Ruby. "But they're in some pretty hot water right now. We don't think Ironwood's going to be all that gracious, even if Penny brings home the gold in the finals."

"Well, I guess that's why we're helping them come to Beacon," said Yang, the group making their way to the concession stands.

"Have you figured out how to do it?" wondered Blake.

Ruby and Gin gave a brief outline of their plan to the group.

"Trap Ironwood with his own secrets...I like it," said Yang, breaking into a grin. "He can't claim that Penny doesn't have the right to transfer, without acknowledging that she's an android. That should keep him busy."

"I just wish I felt better about this," said Blake. "Ironwood's supposed to be on our side."

"At this point, he's proving a bigger liability than he is a help," said Gin. "He's already gotten it into his head that raw power is the only way to win in this situation, and he isn't about to let anyone tell him otherwise."

Ruby nodded. Then she was distracted by a signal from her scroll, pulling it out, she gasped softly, before looking up.

"Is that what I think it is?" asked Yang warily.

"Yep," said Ruby. "It's our turn."

"Sweet!" exclaimed Yang. "Let's do this thing!" She pumped an energetic fist into the air.

"Sure," said Jaune. "One thing before you go, though..."

"Huh?" Before Yang could register the playful tone in Jaune's voice, he'd hooked an arm around her waist, then pulled her up against him, dipping her into a deep, loving kiss that bent Yang back, making them look like a couple from a cheesy romance film. Yang hummed with pleasure, languidly draping her arms over Jaune's shoulders and pulling herself into him even more.

In the meantime, Gin and Ruby exchanged a less dramatic kiss of their own, quickly parting, and then resting their foreheads together. "Have fun," Gin told her softly.

"I will," Ruby promised him. "Not gonna wish me luck?"

"You don't need it."

"Not gonna tell me to do my best?"

"You always do."

"Not even gonna tell me to break a leg?"

"That sounds like tempting fate."

Ruby broke away, giggling. "I'll see you after."

"I'll be waiting," Gin promised.

Meanwhile, Yang and Jaune had finally parted, both panting slightly from their intense session. "Go get 'em," said Jaune, giving Yang one last quick peck on the lips.

"Oh, I will," Yang promised eagerly. "Come on, Ruby, let's _do_ this thing!"

It was a tense hour, waiting in the ready room. Yang was on pins and needles, eagerly awaiting her chance in the ring. Ruby remained calm, taking long, slow breaths, while sitting silently on the couch. She focused on her Aura, using her breathing to bolster it and rouse it, similar to what she had done before her fight with Weiss and Pyrrha. She and Yang had no reason to worry. They were more than ready for this fight.

Finally, it was time for them to enter the ring. They made their way out under the open sky once more. Looking up, Ruby saw their portraits, along with those from the opposing team. "Flynt Coal and Neon Katt...from Team Funky," Ruby mouthed.

"They're from Atlas," noted Yang, seeing the emblem underneath the other pair's portraits. "I almost wish Weiss was here. She'd be able to give us a better idea of what we're dealing with."

"Well, if they're from Atlas, I'll bet their gear is really high-tech," said Ruby.

"I kinda wish we'd paid more attention during the last round," said Yang.

"Yeah," agreed Ruby, squinting up at the portrait. "That Neon girl seems familiar..."

Their conversation was cut short by a rush of air. The girl in question circled around them, leaving a rainbow trail in her wake, rushing about on a pair of rollerblades, of all things. A faint gasp escaped Ruby's lips. "It's her!"

There was no mistaking that red-orange hair, done up in pigtails behind the girl's head, nor the green eyes, or the blue crop-top and pink miniskirt. There was _definitely_ no mistaking the rainbow shooting star tattoo winding about her right upper arm, nor the cat-tail that protruded from behind her. It was the girl that Neo had tried to frame for her attempt on Gin's life, that one night so many weeks ago.

Her companion was equally distinct, with his dark skin, and unique state of dress. He wore a black vest over a white dress shirt, which wasn't tucked into the black pinstripe pants he wore. His feet were covered by a pair of dress shoes, which didn't exactly look like the kind of footwear an aspiring Huntsman should be wearing. Around his neck was an untied blue tie, while his close-cropped, black hair was covered by a black fedora, with blue trim above the brim. He smirked, peering at them with a pair of brown eyes over the black, rectangular lenses of his sunglasses. All told, he looked more like a jazz musician, about to take the stage in an upscale club; than a student of Atlas Academy, outfitted for battle.

The musician angle was enhanced by Flynt's weapon, a silver trumpet. However, Ruby could see that it clearly was a weapon. A black handle, with a trigger hung down and back from the bottom of the device. The trumpet's valves also showed flashes of color, suggesting that Flynt could utilize Dust with his device, however it worked.

Flynt stood at ease, arms comfortably folded. A second later, Neon slid to a stop beside, him, brandishing her own weapon, a set of nunchaku, consisting of dark-gray cylinders, joined by a black cord.

"They're...different from what I expected," said Yang with a slightly confused look.

"You wouldn't think they were from Atlas," added Ruby.

Ruby flinched, feeling Neon's eyes settle on her. What was more, she could also sense a simmering anger and resentment in Neon's gaze, Flynt's too. Their animosity was focused almost entirely upon Ruby. _What did I do?_ she wondered.

Neo's assassination attempt, and her attempt to pin it on Neon, came to mind. But Ruby and the others hadn't fallen for the ploy, Ruby and Gin seeing through Neo's disguise. There had been no confrontation between them, so that couldn't be the reason for the animosity Ruby was feeling. _Then what?_

The answer came when Neon smiled. It was a smile with a mean edge, reminding Ruby of the girls who'd tried to corner in the bathroom, a while back. They'd smiled in a similar manner. "Well well well...if it isn't the little lizard-lover."

"Huh?" Ruby blinked in confusion, wondering what Neon meant by that. Then she realized it. "Oh! You mean Gin."

"That's right," said Neon. "I never thought that someone would be willing to lower themselves to a relationship with a freak like that."

Ruby sighed. _Nothing to be done about it,_ she thought. After all, most faunus had an instinctive aversion towards dragon-faunus.

"I'd call her out for stuff like that," said Flynt, adjusting his hat, while also glaring at Ruby. "But then you've been hanging around that Schnee too, so I have some pretty serious doubts about your taste."

"You have a problem with the Schnees?" Ruby asked, canting her head.

"You could say that," replied Flynt. "My pops had a nice little Dust shop of his own...'til Big-Daddy Schnee ran him out of business."

"Oh," said Ruby. "This is about Whitley, then."

"Got it in one," said Flynt. "I ain't about to go losing to some girl who'd fool around with a Schnee."

"Hey!" snarled Yang, her hands clenching into fists.

"Yang," said Ruby, her tone firm and commanding, drawing her sister's attention immediately. "Settle down."

"But Ruby..." protested Yang, "...you heard the crap they're spewing."

"Ain't crap if it's the truth," Flynt countered.

"I heard it," said Ruby calmly. "It's nothing new. Stay focused on what matters."

Yang frowned, but relaxed a little.

Ruby noted an edge to Flynt and Neon's manners, when she didn't rise to their bait. She could sense genuine dislike radiating from them, dislike that was rooted in her relationship with Gin, and her friendship with Whitley. However, that dislike merely flavored their words. What they were really trying to do was anger herself and Yang, knock them off-balance with a few well-placed taunts, before the match even began. It was a tactic that plenty of opponents had tried with Ruby, in the sparring rings in Beacon. If it worked, so much the better.

But, on the other hand, by not rising to their taunts, Ruby turned their opponents' tactic back against them. Her getting angry at their taunts would have justified it inside their minds. On the other hand, by brushing them off so easily, Ruby had instead unsettled and angered them. That anger would be something that she and Yang could turn against the other pair.

Meanwhile, the selected biomes appeared around them. A lava zone, like the one Team RUBY had fought on during the first round, rose up. It was accompanied by a desert, like the one in SSSN's match. They were joined by a geyser field, just like the previous match, and an urban environment, consisting of ruined and wrecked buildings, that reminded Ruby a bit of Mountain Glenn.

"Let's lead off with Sunflower," said Ruby, settling down into her starting stance, extending Shining Rose and igniting her blade.

"You got it, Sis," said Yang with a fierce grin, sinking into her own crouch, the pair of them listening to the countdown and the signal to begin.

Across from them, Flynt raised his trumpet to his mouth, ready to blow into it, while Neon grinned and crouched down, bending forward, ready to charge at a moment's notice. Tension rose to a fever-pitch as Oobleck began the countdown.

* * *

 **Yeah, I can't just help myself sometimes. Sorry, James...Not really.**

 **With the whole "using ship-names for combo attacks" spiel that the crew started, back in Volume 2, there's a bit of a problem. After all, calling a combo attack with Yang and Ruby "Enabler" would probably sound more than a little weird, in-universe. I hereby submit "Sunflower" as the new official ship-name for any Yang/Ruby shippers out there.**

 **It'll catch on, I'm sure.**


	98. Chapter 98

**Chapter 98:**

" _Begin!_ "

At the signal, all four of them sprang into motion at once.

Ruby and Yang jumped back, Ruby leaving petals of her Semblance scattering from where her feet had been, a fraction of a second earlier; Yang firing Ember Celica in front of her, using the recoil to push herself back. At the same time, Flynt blew into his trumpet, letting out a powerful, warbling peal that generated distortions in the air in front of him. Neon surged forward as well, skating right into the path of Flynt's trumpet blast, taking the shockwave on her back, and actually using it to enhance her acceleration and propel herself forward.

However, Neon faltered when Yang's shots, the shots Yang had just used to launch herself backwards, struck the arena floor right in front of her. Neon yelped, having to shift her skates to avoid being knocked off-balance and sent tumbling, which reduced her forward momentum. Meanwhile, Ruby came to a stop at the edge of the inner ring, right where it met the sands of the desert. Ruby pulled back her scythe and stepped forward, ready for a powerful swing. Then Yang landed on the blade of Ruby's scythe, balancing along its edge.

Ruby grinned, then channeled her Semblance through the scythe. Red petals exploded out from the wing at the back of the head, accelerating the weapon, even with Yang's weight, as Ruby put all her body's strength into a massive, powerful swing, launching Yang forward. Yang kicked off the scythe, firing back with Ember Celica at the same time, the combined movement sending her shooting right at the incoming Neon like a cannonball.

Her eyes widening, Neon straightened up and tried to skid to a stop. But that was a grave error. She had effectively eliminated any chance she had at evasion. Yang threw out her right arm, striking with the inside of her elbow, curling the limb about Neon's neck in a flying lariat. Yang's forward momentum, combined with her swing, easily bowled Neon over, knocking her back and down, slamming her back and head into the surface of the ring...hard. All the while, Yang continued on, flying past where Neon lay, and right at Flynt.

Flynt sucked in a deep breath and attacked with another powerful blast of his trumpet. Yang slammed straight into the wave of sonic energy, which absorbed her momentum. Yang touched down, then kicked off to the side, skirting around Flynt, and trying to catch him from the flank. Flynt naturally moved to track her, trying to keep the sonic energy of his trumpet between him and Yang.

Neon, on the other hand, was dazed by the shit she'd just taken. Blinking furiously, she noticed a shadow looming over her...except that shadows weren't supposed to be red...or glowing. Another blink, and Neon realized that the shadow was, in fact, Ruby, who'd closed in, and was now swinging Shining Rose down from straight above, threatening to practically impale Neon on its curved energy blade.

Shrieking, Neon bucked her hips, using the motion to roll back onto her shoulders, then get her hands under her, going into a backwards handspring that launched her clear, right as Ruby's scythe plunged into the ring where she'd been laying a second earlier. Landing on her feet, Neon immediately reversed her movement, skating directly at Ruby, trying to strike before Ruby could pull the scythe free from the floor. Neon flew past Ruby in a rainbow blur, lashing out with her nunchaku as she went past. However, Ruby caught the swift attack by simply angling the shaft her weapon, easily deflecting it.

Leaning heavily into her turn, Neon banked, skating for the wrecked buildings of the urban biome. Her greatest asset was her mobility. Using her skates, she was generally able to run rings around her opponent, using a hit and run strategy to wear them down through multiple hits, while escaping before any retaliation could be launched. Unfortunately for Neon, she quickly found that such a strategy was of little use against Ruby Rose.

Kicking off the ground, Neon went into another handspring, using it to jump off a protruding section of rubble and flip up to a higher level, where she went into a grind along a length of ruined girder. "Never miss a beat, never miss a beat," she muttered under her breath, turning her gaze back to Ruby, and plotting the next route of attack.

Except that Ruby was _not_ where she'd been standing before. In fact, she was nowhere near that spot. Neon quickly looked around, trying to locate her opponent, only to catch a flutter of red out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head, Neon gasped to see Ruby land horizontally, pressing her feet against the crumbling edge of a broken wall, having landed not only slightly behind Neon in orientation, but ahead of her course of movement. Not hesitating in the slightest, Ruby kicked off, launching herself at Neon with another slash of Shining Rose.

With another startled yelp, Neon jumped, barely managing to clear the red arc of Ruby's blade. Going into a flip, Neon lashed out with her nunchaku again. But Ruby moved her scythe with deft hands, transitioning the slash into a spin that again deflected the strike with the weapon's shaft. Spinning it back around gave Ruby yet another opportunity to attack. Desperate to avoid taking a hit, Neon gripped the nunchaku with both hands, using the black cord that connected the two rods to catch Ruby's strike. Instead of being hit, Neon was flung away.

* * *

Meanwhile, Yang did her best to close in on Flynt, while Flynt put all his considerable lung-power into keeping her at bay. Pushing forward, Yang grit her teeth. While it looked like she was simply trying to brute-force her way into striking distance, she was actually waiting for her chance. The ultimate weakness of using a trumpet, of all things, as a weapon was that the duration of its use would only last as long as his lungs held out. At some point, Flynt would have to stop to inhale another breath. When that happened, Yang would have that time to close in and attack.

Then it came. Flynt lowered his trumpet, and opened his mouth to suck in a deep breath of fresh air. The constant sonic waves pushing her back gone, Yang shot forward, grinning triumphantly, and raising her fist to strike.

Except that she immediately began to wonder if she'd taken a hit to the head at some point...because there were suddenly two Flynts, standing side by side. They were completely identical, save for the fact that the other one sported yellow trim on his fedora and a yellow tie, in contrast to the original's blue. Even as blue-Flynt continued to take his breath, yellow-Flynt released a fresh blast of sonic waves at Yang, turning at a slight angle so that, instead of simply blasting her head on, he deflected the path of Yang's charge, sending her stumbling past.

Growling, Yang let her missed swing move her body into a spin. Kicking off, she punched forward with her left hand, firing her gauntlet and using the recoil to accelerate the spin, while lashing out with her left foot in a hooking kick, aiming at yellow-Flynt's head. But yellow-Flynt wasn't there anymore, vanishing back into the original, right as blue-Flynt completed a turn of his own, lungs full of a fresh load of air, he let out an extra-powerful blast of sonic waves from his trumpet. At the same time, his finger pressed down on the green valve of his weapon, infusing his sound waves with wind-Dust, the combined force blasting Yang away.

"Sorry," taunted Flynt. "You think I don't know the limits of my own style?"

Yang grimaced. She was sent skidding into the sandy ground of the desert zone. She took her time getting to her feet. Flynt's weapon was powerful. It was also clear that he wasn't an idiot. Of course he knew that opponents would try to attack while he was taking a breath. _But the way he countered..._ thought Yang, thinking about how he'd duplicated. _It must be his Semblance._

Of course, Yang had seen a duplication Semblance before. Her own partner made extensive use of shadow-clones. But there was something different about Flynt's Semblance. Blake's clones were primarily for use as diversions, whereas Flynt's had been able to attack. But she had noticed that, while Flynt's sonic waves had been able to keep her at bay, they weren't harmful. They'd pushed her back, but they hadn't done any damage to her Aura. Only when he put some Dust into it, did his trumpet's sound waves become capable of inflicting harm.

Flynt stepped onto the sandy surface of the desert, and he smiled eagerly. Yang found herself wondering what he was so smug about for only a second, before realizing her mistake. Flynt's smile became a grin, and he blew into his instrument once more, the trumpet's sonic waves sending a massive cloud of sand flying right at Yang's face.

Grunting, Yang flung up her arms, crossing them over her face and scrunching her eyes shut. She was bombarded by the powerful spray of fine particles. She could feel them grinding against her, propelled by the force of Flynt's sonic blasts, wearing away at her Aura. Struggling, she tried to push forward. Even if she couldn't hit Flynt, all she needed to do was get past him and out of the desert section.

Then the sound of Flynt's trumpet multiplied; first once, then twice, then a third time, until Yang heard four trumpets. Flynt had divided himself again, this time forming four clones. They'd slid out counterclockwise, until one stood to Yang's right, behind her, and to her left, like the cardinal points of a compass. Besides the blue and yellow Flynts, the one behind Yang sported a green band and tie, while the fourth wore pink. They played on, their trumpets angled slightly, sending the sand into a swirling spiral, creating a localized whirlwind sandstorm, with Yang trapped right in its center.

The fine particles now bombarded her from all directions. It was getting under her clothes, in her ears, and even up her nose. Yang didn't dare open her eyes under these conditions. She didn't want to risk opening her mouth either, if she could avoid it. Under these circumstances, she was in danger of being suffocated, even before her Aura was worn away. She had to find a way out...and soon.

* * *

Neon's flight carried her out of the urban zone, and into the field of hardened lava. She managed to land upright, skidding her rollerblades across the ground, trying to get back moving. It wasn't going to be easy. She could skate on uneven terrain. But being thrown straight onto it, without a chance to map her course, tended to make it hard for her to keep her rhythm going. Furthermore, it was apparent Ruby had clued into this shortcoming, already darting after Neon, her footsteps leaving small bursts of petals in her wake.

 _Damn, she's quick!_ thought Neon, whirling her nunchaku and swinging at Ruby, trying to catch the smaller, younger girl with a swift strike, in an effort to turn Ruby's own speed against her. But Neon's swing met empty air. Ruby abruptly changed direction. Before Neon could fully process it, Ruby had completely skirted around her and was now positioned behind.

With a yelp, Neon channeled her Aura into her skates, generating a powerful acceleration, leaving her trademark rainbow rail in her wake. Ruby's slashing scythe met empty air as well.

"Never miss a beat, never miss a beat..." Neon repeated under her breath, bringing the rods of her weapon and abruptly cracking them, like a pair of chemical glowsticks for a rave. They lit up with an icy, blue color. Rushing along, Neon began to whirl her weapon, leaping over a jagged outcropping of fiery orange Dust-crystals. Executing a swift flip allowed her to spin about and slam her nunchaku into the outcropping. Veins of blue rapidly spread through the orange crystals. There was a groaning, then a cracking sound, the two pairs of opposing Dust types reacting violently to being forced together like that. Abruptly, the outcropping exploded, flinging fiery orange shrapnel right at Ruby, who'd only been a step behind Neon.

The spread was too wide for Ruby to fully avoid it, even with her Semblance. Instead, Ruby struck a firm stance, channeling her Aura through Shining Rose's shaft, while spinning it as rapidly as she could. The spinning shaft deflected the flaming pieces of crystal, scattering them through the air around her, but keeping her from being struck. Even so, the shockwave pushed her body back, her boots scraping against the rocky ground.

Accelerating to her maximum speed, Neon sped out and around, leaning in to tighten her turn, her body becoming a blur at the head of a rainbow trail. She cracked her nunchaku's rods again, turning the color from blue to green. Whirling them created a fierce whirlwind at her side as she closed in on Ruby from behind and to the right, threatening to catch Ruby when she was recovering from the explosion she'd just weathered.

However, without missing a beat (ironically enough), Ruby transitioned from her defensive maneuver and straight into an offensive one. Bringing her scythe out of its spin, she turned left, executing a full spin, and coming to face Neon, right as she charged in, Shining Rose now poised to slash right through the incoming skater.

"How the-!" exclaimed Neon, switching gears, and abandoning her intention to attack. She instead whirled her weapon directly ahead of her, executing a variation of the same defensive maneuver that Ruby had just used. Unfortunately, for someone who was trying not to miss a beat, Neon was a beat behind Ruby. Petals exploded from the wing on the back of Shining Rose's head, causing it to accelerate sharply. To Neon's eyes, it looked as though she had blocked. But she instead saw a line of crimson behind her defending weapon, cutting at an angle across her chest, and blasting her back away from Ruby.

With a pained scream, Neon slammed back-first into the ground, the geothermal heat leaking up from below scorching her Aura in places. She bounced once, then came down again, battering and burning herself some more, before being able to find some control, and get her feet back under her. However, her rhythm had broken. Her balance had been disrupted. She was on uneven ground after being thrown for a loop. Because of all those factors, Neon had to fight to keep her feet from rolling out from under her, while she tried to stand up. That cost her precious seconds, seconds that Ruby was not about to give her for free.

Looking up, Neon saw Ruby already flying at her, Scythe balanced precisely across her back, ready to swing any number of directions. Desperately, Neon cracked her nunchaku rods again, turning the a bright, orange color, matching the outcroppings of fire-Dust that dotted the lava-zone. She swung straight down, slamming one glowing orange rod into the ground, triggering a blast of flames right in Ruby's path.

But Ruby was already behind her. Neon turned to face her, but caught another flash of red out of the corner of her eye. An arc of crimson bit into her Aura from the side. A fraction of a second later, another one struck her freshly-exposed back from the opposite direction. But neither of those slashes had come from the direction Ruby was attacking from. It should have been impossible, considering the position of Ruby's scythe blade. Yet Neon had been hit, all the same.

Then Ruby struck with Shining Rose directly. Neon, already reeling from the two other hits she'd just taken, was in no position to defend. Her stance and balance were completely wrecked. Feathers exploded from Shining Rose's wing again. This time, Ruby put all her momentum and weight behind the swing. Neon screamed in pain at the feeling of the blade biting into her Aura, the power behind Ruby's blow launching her through the air...and sending her bouncing out toward the edge of the ring.

Neon desperately scrambled to get her feet back under her again, this time with the intention of using her momentum to get up to speed again, and get her rhythm back. Unfortunately, Ruby wasn't having any of it, already closing in again, this time with the clear aim of driving Neon out of the ring.

Instead, Neon settled for skating backwards, whirling her nunchaku around to clash against the blade of Ruby's scythe, the explosions produced by the Dust-infused rod being enough to knock Ruby's slashes off course. It was risky. The ground was uneven after all. A single stray outcropping, even one less than an inch in height, would be enough to trip her up. Still, Neon couldn't afford to turn her back on her opponent. Their fight was now carrying them closer to the desert zone, where Neon knew she couldn't go. In that soft sand, her wheels would get bogged down instantly, bringing her to a halt.

Ruby's body flashed one way, then another, her deft footwork, combined with her Semblance, allowing her to change direction with incredible speed, easily keeping up with Neon. The two of them clashed over and over again. Neon cracked her nunchaku again, causing the rods to shift from orange to blue. Bending her knees, she touched the rods to the ground, sweeping them up and around behind her, creating a trail of ice that she was able to use as a ramp to abruptly bend her course away from the desert zone, and back across the lava field. To her surprise, Ruby allowed her, mainly because Neon's course change brought her closer to the edge of the ring.

Advancing again, Ruby spun her scythe, the shaft becoming a dark-red blur, while the blade transformed into a circle of shining crimson. Neon began to wonder if her eyes were playing tricks on her. Amidst the whirling slashes and swings of Ruby's scythe, Neon caught sight of strobing flashes of red light, phantasmal crescents, the same color as Shining Rose's blade, that seemed to appear abruptly in the air around her. Neon dodged and blocked them reflexively. She felt the wind of their passage, and the impact of an edge against her blocking weapon. It felt as though she were up against more than one person, or...even more improbably...that Ruby's weapon was somehow able to be in multiple places at once. It was disconcerting...and verging on overwhelming.

 _I can't keep up!_ Neon's eyes went wide with the realization. For each of Ruby's attacks that she dodged or blocked, a second or third one seemed to appear out of thin air. She tried to dodge those too. But, sometimes, she just wasn't able to keep up, and those strobing blades struck home. Fortunately, they didn't seem to carry the power and heft of Ruby's actual scythe, so the damage was comparatively minor. But they were steadily chiseling away at Neon's Aura. The damage was adding up, and Neon didn't have a whole lot of Aura to begin with.

In retrospect, when the end came, it came in a manner that Neon should have expected. For a Huntress who fought on rollerblades, maintaining balance and proper footing were essential. So it was only natural that her legs, her stance, were a prime target. Ruby's previous attacks had almost universally targeted her upper body, drawing Neon's attention upwards. So, when the deciding blow came, Neon's attention was directed the furthest away from Ruby's real target.

A flickering red line appeared directly behind Neon, at the level of her shins, hooking around the back of her legs. Neon screeched, feeling the edge bite into her Aura, then screeched even more shrilly as her legs' movement came to an abrupt pause, while her upper body, still being propelled by sheer inertia, continued on. Neon began to topple over backwards.

Before Neon could even think about trying to recover, Ruby went on a full offensive. Several strobes of crimson light appeared in the air around her, at least four, slashing at Neon from all sides, all while Ruby swung her actual scythe in a sweeping arc that caught Neon fully in her midsection, the force behind the swing causing the blade to break through her Aura, and launch Neon right out of the ring. Neon slammed down on the floor, skidding across it. She slid to a stop right at the edge, where the forcefield shimmered. There she lay, trying to find the strength to stand, only to realize it no longer mattered, when the buzzer sounded from above, announcing her defeat.

* * *

Yang's fingers closed around the fabric of the orange scarf around her neck. In a desperation move, she pulled it up to cover her nose and mouth. It was a stopgap, the scarf being loose, and the fabric already having plenty of sand caught in it. But it was better than trying to inhale the scattered particles in the air around her. Now she had to figure out a way out of this predicament. The sonic waves coming at her from all directions were keeping her trapped in this grinder.

Then Yang heard the trumpet in front of her trail off. Flynt was taking another breath. But the other three were still going. Then the one to her left stopped as well, almost right as the trumpet in front of her started playing again. Then the one in the back paused, while the one to the left resumed. Then the one on her right went quiet, while the one behind her started again.

 _I get it now,_ Yang realized. Flynt's clones weren't performing exactly simultaneously with each other. Each one was actually slightly behind the one before it. It explained how he'd deflected her attack the first time he'd taken a breath. Flynt had stopped to breathe, but the clone he created was following his actions from a tiny bit earlier, and was still playing. Now he was using that sequence to keep her under constant pressure.

It was a relief, at least, to know that the clones apparently couldn't attack independently, limited to the same actions Flynt himself was taking. Furthermore, from the way they'd appeared, she guessed that they emerged in sequence, each one dividing from the one before it. But Flynt could apparently control their orientation, as demonstrated when he used them to encircle her. It was a rather simple Semblance, all told, but one that he could apparently use quite creatively.

But the question now was how to use that knowledge to her advantage. Yang couldn't simply stand by, and wait for Ruby to rescue her. She'd gotten into this mess. Now she had to get out of it. The constant grinding of the sand against her Aura was giving her own Semblance a little power, but not much. Yang's Semblance drew power from impact. Continuous, low-level damage, like the kind Flynt was inflicting, didn't do much for her.

 _Gin told me to think smaller,_ Yang chided herself. She'd seen Gin, Ayumu, and...most of all...Ruby demonstrate it time and time again. Used properly, even a little power could be devastating. All she had to do was apply it in the proper fashion. Grimacing, Yang hunkered down and waited, enduring as best she could. A little power was fine, but more was better. She might as well get all she could out of this, especially since she needed to wait for the ideal moment.

Even though Flynt had split himself, Yang had noticed that his clones split off from the original. The real Flynt had remained where he was when he started this attack...directly in front of her. Gathering her strength, Yang readied herself to spring forward the moment he paused to take his breath.

Then her moment came. Flynt stopped playing in front of her. Yang lunged forward. However, the other three Flynts were still playing on, their slightly angled positions creating a continuous whirlwind that dragged at her body, stopping her from making much forward progress, even with one of them no longer playing. At this rate, Flynt would easily be able to resume, before Yang could reach him.

But that was fine. Instead, Yang spread her arms apart, splitting the power accumulated through her Semblance, sending half through her right, the other half through her left. Continuing to press forward, she swung her arms inward, aiming her gauntlets, not at Flynt, but at each other. Yang pumped as much of her Semblance, along with her strength into the move as she possibly could, slamming Ember Celica together, and triggering them on impact. It was similar to the move she frequently used to activate her Semblance at full power. But this time, her intent was completely different.

There was a deafening clang, accompanied by an explosive bursting noise, and then...silence. Flynt placed his lips to the mouthpiece of his weapon and blew...but heard nothing. In fact, the air was yanked out of his lungs far faster than he could blow, leaving him literally breathless. There was a sharp pain, accompanied by a popping sensation from his ears, as though he'd abruptly ascended several-thousand feet in a fraction of a second. Intense pressure built up behind his eyes.

Most importantly, there was no sound.

By striking her gauntlets against each other, unleashing the explosive force of her blows together, Yang had completely blown away the air in her vicinity, creating what was, for all intents and purposes, a localized vacuum. Flynt's attack was sound-based. The air in his lungs alone wasn't enough to produce that incredible power. His trumpet acted as an amplifier, channeling the sonic waves out through the air in front of him, and increasing their force. In the absence of air to act as a medium, there was nothing to carry the sonic vibrations of Flynt's music, stopping his attack cold.

Yang too felt the effects of the pressure change, including the popping pain from her ears, and the pressure behind her eyes. The difference between her and Flynt was that she'd been aware of what she'd been about to do...and was prepared to take the fullest advantage of the brief stop she'd forced on Flynt's song. She didn't have much time though. Already, the air was returning, rushing in to fill the void she'd momentarily created. But that came with its own advantages. The force of the rushing wind pulled everything in its vicinity into the space directly in front of Yang, including herself...and Flynt. Flynt spread his arms, windmilling them to try and keep his balance. But he wasn't able to stop himself from being dragged right into Yang's ideal range.

 _Gotta make this count!_ thought Yang, winding up. She dipped down, and then surged up, stepping into a wide, hooking punch, which crashed right into the side of Flynt's face. Before Flynt could even think about recovering, Yang's attack had carried her past, to the other side, where she mirrored the maneuver in the opposite direction. Back and forth she went, hammering Flynt's head with an unceasing combination of right and left hooks.

Flynt's hat went flying through the air. His tie whipped off from around his shoulders. His arms dipped down. There, outside of Yang's field of vision, his grip shifted. One finger maneuvered to press the fire-Dust valve, while his other hand moved to grip the gun-grip that hung from the back of the trumpet...and pull the trigger.

A searing ball of flame rocketed down, striking the ground between Yang and Flynt. The damage was negligible to Yang, but it did throw off her rhythm, and bring her combo to a halt. In that brief delay, Flynt brought his trumpet to his lips once more. Still angling down, he blew into it. It was a sharper note than before. Rather than spreading out in a wave, the sonic waves emerged in a powerful stream, like the backwash of a jet engine. Instead of Yang, it was Flynt who was blown back, using his own sonic waves to propel himself like a rocket. He flew back and out into the inner ring, landing on the smooth floor, his steps staggering, while he tried to clear his head from the hammering Yang had just laid in on him.

Yang wanted to pursue, but had to take a second to spit and snort, trying to clear her nose and mouth of the grit that had built up in them, over the course of being trapped in Flynt's sandstorm. Even using her scarf to cover her nose and mouth had done only so much to keep the particles out. For the moment, their fight came to a pause, while the two of them worked to recover from the damage they'd received.

Unfortunately for Yang, Flynt was the first to recover. Still wavering slightly, he lifted his trumpet to his lips and blew a short, sharp, intense note. His attack took the form of a bullet-shaped burst of sonic energy, barely visible as a ripple in the air, flashing across the distance between the two of them at the speed of sound, and slamming right into Yang's chest, blowing her back off her feet.

Yang threw herself back with the impact, going into a flip that allowed her to punch down with her gauntlets, using Ember Celica to rebound herself up, instead of trying to roll to her feet. The soft sand would have eaten most of her momentum, and Yang needed to get back up as fast as she could. She landed, skidding to a stop, before punching behind herself, discharging her gauntlets again, and launching herself after Flynt.

Flynt began blowing into his trumpet again. This time, he played a series of rapid, distinct notes, firing a barrage of the sound bullets, like the one he'd just hit Yang with before. Adding to it, his fingers played across the valves of his weapon. The result was an impressive barrage. Fireballs flew alongside chunks of ice, or bullets of compacted air. Sometimes, the ice would be veined with fire, exploding a short ways out from being fired, and flinging shrapnel of both fire and ice. At other times, it produced an icy, grating mist, which had similar qualities to the sand Flynt had been blowing into Yang's face before, threatening to blind her if she got it in her eyes.

Flying at the speed of sound made them a challenge to dodge. But Yang was used to fighting people who used guns, which fired actual bullets, many of which traveled a good deal _faster_ than the speed of sound. She was able to anticipate Flynt's attacks by watching his eyes, following the course of his aim, even easier to read than a normal gun, considering that Flynt's eyes and mouth had to be pointing in the same direction for him to aim properly. Furthermore, while the notes he played were rapid, there was a definite beat to them. Flynt wasn't just fighting, he was making music, allowing Yang to intuit when he would fire.

So she wove back and forth, while rushing forward, closing the distance between them. Her bobbing and weaving kept Flynt from drawing a bead on her fully. With the sheer volume of fire coming her way, Yang couldn't avoid all of Flynt's shots. But the ones she couldn't outright dodge, she easily deflected with swift moves of her gauntlets. She ignored the scattershot fire/ice attacks, and the grinding wind/ice attacks. Those were more to check her movement, and try to convince her to slow down. At most, she just needed to shield her eyes to avoid getting icy grit in them. Even then, she could keep track of Flynt's rhythm with her ears, knowing when the next shot was coming.

Coming just to within striking distance of her opponent, Yang abruptly stepped forward and across with her left foot, shifting the line of her charge abruptly to the right, resulting in her stepping past Flynt. She continued past him for another step, before extending her left foot out to the side, then swinging her right around, allowing her to spin into a backhand, aiming at attacking Flynt from behind with a back-fist, from her right arm, planning to follow it up with a left hook.

She'd anticipated Flynt turning to try and track her. But Yang had overlooked his clones. They flashed into being, sliding out from him in a manner that reminded Yang of someone fanning a hand of cards. They once again appeared in a manner that marked four cardinal points around him, but this time with their backs to each other, facing outward, each one playing the same bullet-firing notes that Flynt just had, with a slight delay. That slight delay was the only thing that saved Yang. Seeing the first clone appear behind and to the left of the original Flynt, followed by the one directly behind him, she both saw and heard the first clone firing the same shots the original had, and knew the clone that was directly facing her was about to follow suit.

With her upraised left hand, Yang shifted her aim and punched straight down, kicking off the floor as she did. The recoil both lifted her out of the clone's line of fire, and changed the direction and orientation of her spin, sending her into a flying roll that allowed her to bring her left foot arcing up and around, descending in an axe-kick, aimed right at Flynt's head.

Flynt was good. Not even looking her way, he appeared to know which way Yang's attack was coming from...or he and his clones shared visual input, it was hard to tell. Either way, he somehow deduced the nature and direction of her attack. His clones streamed back into his original body, while Flynt himself stepped back and around with his right foot, executing a neat turn that barely moved his head and body out of the way of Yang's descending boot. Not even pausing, her aimed down and played another intense, lingering note, which propelled him away from Yang again, executing a textbook backflip and landing perfectly on his feet, dropping into a crouch.

 _With the way he fights, you wouldn't think he's so agile,_ Yang noted.

Rising out of his crouch, Flynt pressed his fingers down on the wind and fire valves of his trumpet simultaneously, playing an intense, extended note, with a much higher pitch than before. This time, it appeared that a laser of concentrated, pure-white heat, fired out from the bell of his trumpet, drawing a line of molten metal across the ring, as Flynt raised his weapon's angle, while rising up from his crouch.

Yang yelped, barely able to dodge aside from the laser. She expected Flynt to track her, but he instead allowed the note trailing off. It took her less than a second to see why. First, that attack apparently used considerably more lung-power than Flynt's other ones. He'd had to stop to breathe after only a couple of seconds. Second, the enhanced heat of the combined wind and fire-Dust was apparently too much for his weapon to handle long, the inside of trumpet's bell glowing a dark, cherry-red color that suggested it might begin to melt, if he held that particular note for too long.

Then the buzzer sounded, catching the attention of both of them. Flynt looked up to see Neon's Aura-level plummet, her portrait going dark, while Port announced her defeat from ring-out and Aura-level. "Aw crap," he muttered.

Yang, on the other hand, was not nearly as distracted. Over the course of their training, Gin had beaten into her, time and time again, the importance of not taking her attention off her opponent. It was what had caused her downfall, all the way back during her fight against him in Gin's combat assessment. Furthermore, Yang didn't need to worry about who had been eliminated. She had faith in Ruby. Putting her trust in her little sister, Yang charged forward, completely closing the distance between the pair, in the time that it took Flynt to realize that they were still fighting. His eyes dropped to Yang again, and went wide at the realization of how close she'd gotten. His clones couldn't help him this time, his pause simply resulting in them emulating that pause when they reappeared. Nonetheless, he was able to raise his trumpet to his lips to fire.

In his desperation to keep Yang from reaching him, Flynt pressed down the fire and wind valves of his weapon again. But Yang was already ready for that. Raising her fist, Yang executed her finisher. Stepping down hard, her right foot struck with enough force to actually crush the surface of the ring, allowing her to channel all of her momentum, along with the strength of her lower body into her punch, adding it to the centrifugal force from her spine and shoulder, while leaning fully into the blow.

In conjunction with that, Yang tapped her Semblance once more. She'd spent the energy she'd accumulated from Flynt's sandstorm attack on creating the vacuum to disrupt him earlier. But she did have some more energy, from the shot she'd taken from him almost immediately afterwards. It was a tiny enhancement. But, when combined with the properly-executed form of her punch, its power was magnified several times over. It helped that Yang knew exactly where to hit.

She aimed right for the bell of Flynt's trumpet, right as that blast of wind-enhanced fire emerged. Her fist, covered by the armored gauntlet struck it, the impact augmented by the discharge from Ember Celica's barrels. The bolt of flame Flynt tried to fire exploded right inside the trumpet's bell. The metal, already stressed and overheated from his laser-attack earlier, warped, and then shattered. The explosion was completely rebounded into his face, knocking him over backwards, sending him slamming across the geyser field, before coming to a stop amidst several jets of steam, the buzzer sounding as his Aura-level dropped below the critical threshold, almost all the way to zero.

The euphoria of victory nearly swamped Yang. But her joy was short-lived. Almost right next to Flynt, a hole in the ground shimmered with building heat, its inside glowing white and orange. The hole was angled so that the jet of steam, when it emerged, would blast right across Flynt's body. In his current condition, his remaining Aura was not likely to withstand the heat, which would result in severe burns, if someone didn't do something.

But there was no time. The geyser would fire in mere seconds, faster than Yang could hope to reach Flynt. She could hear both Oobleck and Port's startled voices from the commentator booth, articulating the first syllables of the call to shut down the Dust-generated biome. But their call would be too late as well.

Then a streak of red flashed across Yang's vision, diving across the geyser field to collide with Flynt, knocking him clear a fraction of a second before the jet of steam erupted over his position. Several meters away, Ruby came to a halt, panting and sweating from the exertion, Flynt's body draped over her shoulder. Yang rushed to her side as Ruby carried Flynt the rest of the way out of the geyser field, and back into the safety of the inner ring.

There was a pause, while everyone processed what happened. Port and Oobleck had aborted their calls to shut down the ring. Then it was Port who concluded commentary. " _And Ms. Rose executes a spectacular save to keep Mr. Coal from injury. The winners are Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long._ "

The crowd surged to its feet with a roar of approval.

Yang grinned, feeling the urge to pump her fist in the air. However, her concern for Flynt trumped her desire to show off. Instead, she and Ruby both crouched by Flynt, after Ruby had carefully laid him down on the floor.

* * *

"That was too close for comfort," said Jaune, settling back into his seat with a relieved sigh. He'd about tried to throw himself over the railing, when Flynt had been on the verge of being steamed alive, although that would have only earned him a face full of force field.

The entire match had been a white-knuckle affair, a thrilling display of skill and strength from all four participants. It had become apparent early on that Ruby held a pretty strong advantage over Neon. But Yang had been thoroughly stymied by Flynt's skill, and surprisingly brilliant fighting style, for much of the match, winning mainly by exploiting the same mistake that had once resulted in her defeat before. While everyone was happy with the outcome, Gin was practically glowing with pride...for both Yang _and_ Ruby.

"That was awesome!" cheered Nora, throwing her hands in the air. "That Flynt guy was really good."

"I'm impressed that Yang was able to hold out against him, much less win," said Ren. "I thought his fighting style was a bad match for her." Yang was a fairly straightforward fighter, and one who primarily focused on close combat. Up against an opponent like Flynt, whose style was not only optimized to keep her at range, but also clearly designed to confuse and confound with its unique, music-based attacks, seemed like the ultimate counter for her.

"She's come a long way," said Gin. "She's definitely learned a lot more about being flexible."

"I wonder where she got that from," mused Blake rhetorically, throwing an amused, sidelong glance at Gin.

"I can't take credit for all of it," Gin demurred.

"Only _most_ of it," teased Jaune, inciting chuckles from everyone else.

"What confuses me is what Ruby did," said Blake. "I can't be sure, because she was moving so fast, but it almost looked as though she was...cloning...her blade."

Gin chuckled. The moment he'd laid eyes on that, he'd felt a thrill of excitement run through him, so intense that he'd nearly forgotten himself and started cheering out loud. As it was, he'd abruptly stood up, then forced himself to sit back down, though his fingers had left indents on the arms of his seat. "That really was amazing," he said. _And I think I know how she came up with it,_ he thought, thinking back to Saturday night.

"You know what she did?" asked Jaune.

"He probably helped her come up with it," said Ren.

"Actually, I _didn't_ ," said Gin. "Ruby surprised me as much as anyone when she did that. She demonstrated a sort of…I guess you could call it a proto-form…of that technique, Saturday night."

"What did she do?" asked Blake.

Gin related their encounter with Liu, after Ruby had returned from her dinner with Whitley, along with her new technique of attacking with a manifestation of just her scythe's blade.

"She can do that?" said Jaune, gobsmacked by the idea.

"Conceptually, it's not even that far of a leap," said Gin. "Technically, if you wanted to, you wouldn't have to worry about manifesting an entire weapon. You could simply manifest the 'business end' when you struck with it. It would be a lot harder to follow and read, which would make it way easier to hit with."

"Then why not do it all the time?" asked Blake. "It sounds like a serious game-breaker."

"Because it's not that easy," said Gin. "Conceptually, it's a lot easier to envision and manifest the entire weapon, because that's what you're accustomed to, perceiving and wielding your weapon as a physical whole. It takes another level to envision your weapon as a whole, then isolate and manifest only a single, distinct portion of it. On top of that, while manifested Aura isn't physical material, it still shares some properties of matter. The bigger a manifested object is, the heavier it is. The more Aura is invested in it, the greater its conceptual mass, and the more physical weight it carries. Just the edge of the blade is only capable of a very light impact. Its real strength lies in its sharpness, which, considering Ruby, is only effective against objects and Grimm, unless she resolves herself to inflict real injuries or kill."

"So what does that have to do with what Ruby did today?" asked Nora.

Gin grin. "She took it a step further…I think. From any stance, there are multiple possibilities, multiple courses of action she could take. She has her pick of angles or directions, depending on how she wants to wield her scythe. In the normal course of things, she picks one, and sets up her attack.

"But now, what she's doing is performing that attack, while envisioning the other possible attacks she could have taken. She then channels extra Aura and, by manifesting just the edge of her scythe's blade, she promotes those possibilities to temporary reality, resulting in manifesting edges attacking from multiple directions at once. She can even envision the difference in timing to have them manifest sequentially."

"She really is amazing," said Blake, her voice tinged with awe. "How talented does she have to be to be able to do something that complex?"

"It isn't talent…not entirely," said Gin firmly. "Talent may have helped her to realize the next step of taking a small trick she'd been working on, and turning it into a full technique. But her ability to carry it out lies in the miracle of her own effort."

"The miracle of effort?" said Ren skeptically.

"Because she's trained so hard," said Gin, "all the thousands of hours she's spent practicing with her scythe, all the drills she's run, all the forms she's practiced…Ruby's only able to envision those distinct attacks so perfectly and distinctly because they've been ingrained in her by constant training. On top of that, she's only able to do that in pitched combat, while carrying out regular attacks with her actual weapon, because her body has been conditioned through constant training that it can carry her through on pure muscle-memory, while she devotes the necessary focus to envisioning and manifesting those other attacks. That's the real brilliance of Ruby."

"I guess she'll never stop surprising us," said Blake.

"That she won't," said Gin, staring at Ruby with an expression that bordered on starstruck.

* * *

"Hey, you okay?" Yang asked, checking Flynt's face. His lips were puffy, and there were scorch marks across his face and neck. His trumpet was still held in his right hand, but was obviously not in working order. The bell had been completely wrecked, the metal split and curling back. It looked like one of the valves had been broken too.

Flynt groaned and stirred. He hadn't fully lost consciousness, but had been too dazed to fully process the past few seconds. Blinking slowly, he tilted his head up, his eyes meeting the screen to see the replay of Ruby's save. He blinked again and looked at her. "I guess I owe you an apology for those things I said, Rosey," he said hoarsely.

"It's okay," said Ruby. "I know you were trying to psych us out."

"Nah, I kinda did mean it," said Flynt, coughing a few times before continuing. "I shouldn't let a grudge against someone else completely color how I treat other people."

"It's still okay," said Ruby. "But...maybe you could consider holding off on judging Whitley. He's not his father."

"I guess..." said Flynt. He sighed, then coughed again. "It's not like holding a grudge is gonna bring back Daddy's Dust shop anyway."

"That's true," agreed Ruby.

"Hey, sorry about your weapon," said Yang, looking sadly down at the wrecked trumpet. "I didn't mean to break it."

"Well, it was bound to happen," said Flynt. "That's partly my fault. I should've known better than to play those last two tunes, back-to-back. It'll take some fixing for sure, but I'll get her set to play again before long. That was a hell of a punch."

"Thanks," said Yang, blushing.

They helped Flynt to his feet. He was shaky, but able to stand on his own. He could walk on his own too, fortunately. Just to be sure, Yang and Ruby stuck with him, escorting him to the edge of the ring to see to his partner, who was still struggling to get back up.

"I'll have to apologize in advance for Neon," said Flynt to Ruby. "She probably won't take this well. She's been pretty amped up about beating you. She _really_ doesn't like your boyfriend."

"That's not surprising," said Ruby. "There's no helping it really."

"That's not what I expected," said Flynt.

"I've gotten used to it," said Ruby. "Dragon-faunus are special, both in good ways and bad ways. This is one of the bad ways."

"Huh..." Flynt might have wanted to ask more, but they'd already reached Neon. He waved Ruby off, while he and Yang moved to help Neon up.

Groaning, Neon struggled to reach her feet, not helped by the fact that her rollerblades continually threatened to roll out from under her. She needed support from both Yang and Flynt to keep standing.

"You okay?" asked Yang.

"Fine…" huffed Neon. Then she looked up, seeing Ruby watching her with worried eyes.

Neon's eyes narrowed in a ferocious glare. Pulling her arm out of Yang's grip, she whipped it around to point accusingly at Ruby. "This doesn't change anything, bitch!"

"Hey!" snapped Yang.

Neon ignored her. "You still disgust me; swapping spit with that damn freak! Someone like you doesn't belong in this tournament!"

Yang growled, baring her teeth and clenching her fists. Ruby warned her off with a look. Then looked at Neon. "I'm sorry you feel that way. But I'm not ashamed of what Gin and I have. I enjoyed our match though." Ruby gave Neon a sad smile, then turned and walked away.

"Come on, Neon," said Flynt, guiding his partner towards their exit. "I think you've said enough for today."

"I can't believe you're siding with her," growled Neon.

"Well, I've opened my eyes to a few things," said Flynt, towing Neon out. As limp as she was feeling, the most she could do was let him pull her along on her skates.

Their match concluded, the two teams retreated to their ready rooms to freshen up, and await the post-match interview.

* * *

 **Well...that was fun to write...a little less-fun to edit, though. Fight sequences are always like that. Once again, I saw this as an opportunity to expand on certain characters, and what they can do. The concept art for Neon and her weapon showed the possibility of her using other Dust-types with her weapon, though she only uses ice, during her match. With Flynt, it was a little bit trickier. In his match with Weiss, he only really uses his trumpet one way, with him once using it to blow through a flaming geyser to melt some ice that Weiss sends at him. But there are clearly Dust-chambers built into the valves of his weapon, so I tried to figure out what the effects would be, when invoking them. On top of that, I figured that, by playing different kinds of sounds, Flynt would be able to produce different effects, like shots more akin to bullets, or even a quasi-laser. On top of that, I expanded on what his Semblance might be capable of, and possible different ways he could use it, which opened up some pretty interesting possibilities.**

 **And, of course, this was also a prime opportunity to show how Yang and Ruby have grown, which was half the fun in its own right.**


	99. Chapter 99

**Chapter 99:**

By the time they got back to the ready-room, Yang had noticed that Ruby was trembling. "Ruby...you okay?" _Maybe those things Neon said are getting to her after all._

Her entire body seeming to vibrate, Ruby slowly looked up at Yang...her eyes shining with excitement, a positively euphoric grin on her face. "I did it," she said breathlessly.

"Huh?"

Ruby seemed to forget Yang was there for a moment. She began to bounce slightly, then hop. In just a few seconds, she was jumping up and down with a level of childlike excitement that Yang hadn't seen from her in forever. "I did it! I did it! I did it! I DID IT!"

"Did what?" asked Yang, happy to see that Ruby was so happy about something...but confused as to why.

Ruby whirled around, and fixed her older sister with that happy grin, one that almost bordered on manic. "Yang! Listen! I got this idea for a new technique! Well I kinda already knew what I needed to do, but I wasn't sure how! So I've been thinking about it a lot, but I hadn't really gotten a chance to try it, you know! But then we had the match, and everything felt just right, and I totally thought, like 'okay, I can do this,' and I tried it, and...and...and..."

"And...?" prompted Yang, trying her best to keep a hold on the thread of Ruby's words. Ruby's speech had picked up pace as she'd talked, making it a little hard for her to keep up.

Ruby scrunched her eyes shut, smiling so hard that her cheeks hurt. Her hands clenched into fists for a second. Then she leapt into the air, throwing her hands up jubilantly. "AND I DID IT!" she exclaimed at the top of her lungs. "It really worked, and it was AWESOME!"

"And now I wish I'd seen it for myself," said Yang. Whatever Ruby had done that had left her looking so pleased with herself, it had obviously happened during the fight with Neon, while Yang was occupied with Flynt.

"Oh, right," said Ruby, coming down off her high a little. "I can pull up the video of the match, and show you."

"Uh, let's put a pin in that," said Yang, patting Ruby's shoulder. "Let's get ourselves freshened up a little first. I need a shower, bad. I've got sand in places I don't even want to think about."

"Uh...right," said Ruby, though her body continued quiver from scarcely restrained excitement.

Yang strolled past Ruby, already shedding her jacket, getting ready to deposit it in the wash, while she showered. Ruby remained where she was for a moment, still basking in the exuberant afterglow of her success. To her, being able to successfully employ her new technique was even more satisfying than winning the match itself. She couldn't wait to see what Gin thought about it.

And, fortunately, she didn't have to wait. A knock at the door drew her attention, and Ruby eagerly rushed to open it. Sure enough, there were the rest of her friends, all ready to to congratulate her and Yang on their victory.

"Gin!" squealed Ruby, yanking him into the room.

Surprised by her enthusiasm, Gin stumbled in, barely managing to regain his footing before Ruby threw herself at him, throwing her arms around his shoulders, and wrapping her legs around his waist for good measure. Out of reflex, Gin's hands went down to hook under Ruby's thighs and support her. Ruby leaned in and almost slammed her lips against Gin's own, locking the two of them into a passionate kiss that she eagerly deepened.

Ruby poured all of her excitement and passion into the move. After getting over his initial surprise, Gin returned the kiss with a vigor. A low, muffled moan emerged from Ruby as she sank blissfully into the kiss, Gin's cool touch leaching the heat of her excitement out of her body, and leaving her in a state that approached near catatonic bliss. Her hands drifted up to tangle themselves in the silver locks of Gin's hair, while his hands began to slowly slide up her thighs.

A polite cough caused the pair of them to freeze in place, their bodies going as rigid as statues. Pulling apart, they turned their heads in unison to see their friends, who'd gotten an unobstructed view of their display of affection...well...everyone except Nora, who looked a little put out that Ren had decided to cover her eyes, while Ren himself looked on blandly, affecting a very good expression of composed neutrality. Blake was smirking, a mirthful twinkle in her eye. Jaune, on the other hand, showed that his girlfriend was rubbing off on him, sporting a mischievous, teasing grin that sent shivers down Gin and Ruby's spines.

"How about we keep things PG for now," suggested Jaune.

Ruby and Gin's faces turned bright red, the color stretching all the way up to their ears. Gin quickly released his hold on Ruby's thighs, Ruby lowering her legs to the floor to stand on her own. The pair of them turned back to each other and sighed in unison. Then, unable to keep it in anymore, Ruby giggled and leaned in to rest her forehead against Gin's. "Did you see it?" she asked.

"We all saw it," said Gin, wrapping his arms around her waist. "You're incredible. You never stop surprising me. It makes me fall in love with you all over again."

Ruby giggled again, moving her head to nestle her face up against Gin's shoulder. She breathed in his scent, a smell like freshly-fallen rain. Now that the excitement had passed, she was left feeling somewhat lethargic, the exertions of the match finally taking their toll.

They were interrupted by another polite cough from Jaune. Looking over at him, they saw him smiling a bit more gently this time. "You might want to go ahead and take your shower now, Ruby," he said. "I don't think you'll want to talk to Lisa while you're all sticky and sweaty."

Ruby sighed, and nodded. "You're right," she admitted. She gave Gin one last quick peck on the cheek, before heading off to take her own shower.

Gin watched her go, then sighed. Jaune sidled up beside him, his mischievous grin returning. "So...I guess we know what turns you guys on now."

"Quiet, you," groused Gin, elbowing Jaune in the side.

* * *

"You've been pretty quiet, Weiss," said Roman.

Weiss blinked, staring at the screen blankly. She'd barely even heard Port and Oobleck's post-match analysis. They were practically fountaining praise for Ruby and Yang's performance. But that had all become so much background noise to Weiss. She couldn't be bothered to think about what the two teachers were saying, because her mind's eye was still burning with the image of Ruby's performance.

It seemed that, even here, in Beacon's detention center, the Vytal Festival's festive spirit reached, in a roundabout way. After the first round of the tournament, Weiss had been informed that her privileges had been reconsidered, and that she'd been granted permission to watch all the matches in the subsequent rounds of the tournament, not being required to request a specific time or match. She'd found herself watching the matches of the previous couple of days with a feeling of detachment, mostly waiting for the match she'd truly wanted to see.

She wasn't disappointed. After their win in the team round, Weiss wasn't surprised to see Ruby and Yang win spectacularly again. What _had_ surprised her was the aesthetic quality of their victory. Yang's growth had been impressive. Weiss could easily see that Yang had come a long way from the pure brawler she'd been before. But, as always, the one who'd truly commanded center stage was Ruby Rose.

 _She was...beautiful,_ Weiss thought. Ruby's movements had been incredible, graceful, perfect in their poise and execution. She'd been in complete control of her part of the match from the moment it had begun. She'd read every move Neon made, and countered all of them perfectly. What was more, she'd demonstrated...something...something that Weiss couldn't explain. But it was something that Ruby hadn't used when she'd gone up against Weiss and Pyrrha, which meant that either she'd been holding back, back then, or... _Or she's gotten even stronger._

And Weiss had no idea how to feel about that. During the first round of the tournament, she'd burned with the desire to see Ruby trip and humiliate herself before the eyes of the world. But that moment hadn't come. Now, after her conversations with Winter and Klein, Weiss found herself watching Ruby with fresh eyes, seeing the girl she had become, but also the girl she had always been, the girl that Weiss had overlooked in favor of the illusion of the annoying, naive child that she'd used to justify her actions.

Seeing that made bile rise inside Weiss' throat, when she thought about what she'd done to Ruby. In the period between the murder attempt and Ruby's return, Weiss hadn't bothered to think about the event itself, save for the sense of triumph it brought her. But now, all she found herself thinking about was the look of betrayal on Ruby's face, that expression of shattered trust.

Weiss had once aspired to be the leader of her team. She'd sought the trust and support of her teammates. Had she succeeded, they would have put their trust in her judgment and decisions, ideally. However, her first endeavor in leading her team...had been to betray her own partner, someone who had trusted her absolutely.

She'd gone over her excuses in painstaking detail, examining them. Against them, she placed Winter's cold dismissal, Klein's caring rejection, and even Roman's biting sarcasm. One by one, all her carefully constructed justifications had crumbled away. Weiss stood before the mirror, and now, just as she had once sung, she was the loneliest one of all...and the _pettiest_ one of all. She'd once lamented the way people approached her, aiming to use her for their ends, without any real thought for her feelings, save how they could bend those feelings towards their advantage. But then she'd gone and done the same thing, betraying Ruby, and then using her "death" as a means to manipulate and solidify her control over her remaining teammates.

"Weiss...?" prodded Roman, his hand actually coming to rest over Weiss' own, startling her out of her reverie. "You okay?"

Weiss blinked and looked at Roman, surprised to find that he sounded, and looked, genuinely concerned for her, something she'd never expected to see from the notorious thief, especially not considering the way he'd interacted with her, when they'd first found themselves as neighbors in this place.

"I...I'm..." Weiss sighed and looked down, staring at her knees. "I'm not," she admitted finally.

"Hoping Red would trip up or something?" he asked.

"Maybe before," Weiss admitted. "But...I don't know what to feel now. All I have is regret."

"Life's too short for regrets," commented Roman.

"Both Klein and Winter told me I that I should ask Ruby for forgiveness," said Weiss, sighing. "But...how can I? After everything I've said and done, how could I possibly think about forgiveness?"

"Not a clue," admitted Roman somewhat lazily. "I've never thought about asking forgiveness for anything. I've done what I've done. Whether people will forgive me or not doesn't change that."

Weiss frowned at him.

"But then again," said Roman, leaning back, "I've never had any impetus to. You've clearly got people you care about, who want you to ask for forgiveness. I don't really have much advice for you, except to just do it. If you really feel the need to be forgiven, then about the only thing you can do is ask for it. The worst Red can do is say she doesn't."

Weiss swallowed back a lump in her throat. A couple of weeks ago, she would have defiantly sneered at the notion of Ruby never forgiving her. But now...the idea terrified her...and she couldn't understand why.

"If you really want it, then go for it," said Roman, actually giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "That's about all the advice I can give you."

Weiss looked down at the hand that Roman had rested over her own. Not so long ago, the notion of him touching her like this would have filled her with disgust. Now, with him as the only person she could really hold any kind of conversation with, the contact was...comforting. Her free hand came to rest over Roman's own.

Roman was having an internal conflict of his own. Even as he worked out what to say for Weiss, while wondering why he should have been giving her advice in the first place, he was also mulling over how his own situation, related to hers. The remainder of his session with Ozpin, Neo, and Neo's new boyfriend, in Beacon Tower, had been informative. He was amazed to learn that they'd gained so much knowledge about Cinder and her plans. But, just as he knew he didn't have the whole picture of what Cinder and her people had planned, he knew that Ozpin's people probably didn't either. For better or worse, things were going to come to a head. And, when that happened, it would probably involve him, whether he wanted it to or not.

Recently, his only concern was ensuring that he and Neo made it out of the other side of this alive. But now...Roman realized that there was every chance that Weiss would be caught up in it as well. Not so long ago, that wouldn't have bothered him at all. He would have gladly left the snobby brat to her fate, and moved on with his life. But now... _Dammit!_...now she'd grown on him. She was a girl who'd made some damn bad decisions. But now she was working to get past them. But, considering what the future might have in store for them, it might be a moot point.

Just the previous evening, he'd gladly told Ozpin that altruism was a weakness, that looking out for others was just a way to get yourself killed. But Ozpin had effectively punched holes in that belief, especially considering that there _was_ someone that Roman was willing to risk himself for. And now...looking at Weiss, he was beginning to wonder if there was someone else that he would be willing to go out on a limb for.

That pure, pragmatic part of his brain didn't like the answer his heart was giving him.

They shelved their conversation and contemplation for a moment. The post-match interview with Ruby and Yang had begun.

* * *

"First, allow me to congratulate you on your advancement to the finals," said Lisa Lavender, smiling earnestly.

"Thank you," said Ruby, smiling back. She could tell that Lisa's congratulations were genuine. After meeting Lisa for the first time, back during her interview about her return to Beacon, and over the course of their subsequent meetings, Ruby had grown to like and appreciate Lisa. She was a genuine journalist, someone who sought the facts, and wanted to get the full story, who didn't bend said facts for the sake of sensationalism. She was genuine and earnest. While Ruby wouldn't go so far as to call Lisa a friend, she was definitely a friendly acquaintance, probably as close as they could be to actual friends without compromising the professional distance Lisa needed to maintain, for the sake of her journalistic integrity.

"I noticed a bit of a change in strategy, since your previous match," said Lisa. "Last round, you talked about the importance of teamwork, and fighting as a group. But this round, after your initial attack, you and your sister stuck to your separate battles."

"That's true," conceded Ruby. "Honestly, that's the way things just sort of shook out, although there was some reasoning behind it."

"Really?" Lisa quirked an eyebrow.

"We've heard a lot about what students in Atlas learn," she said. "They put more focus on group tactics and coordination. The pair in the match before us is a pretty good example of that, barring one or two hiccups. Because of that, we thought that keeping them from working together might be to our advantage more than trying to stay together ourselves."

"Interesting," said Lisa.

Ruby didn't like to admit it, even to herself, but watching Team BRYL's fight with Team CHAR had gotten her thinking about how people fighting separate battles could, in fact, be engaging in a form of teamwork of their own. If your opponents were stronger as a team, then breaking them up, and forcing them to fight as individuals, was a valid strategy too, one that she and Yang had ended up employing in this match.

"And what are your opinions about your individual opponents?" pressed Lisa.

"Neon was very skilled," said Ruby, adopting a pensive frown. "I'm not sure about rollerblades though. That limits the kinds of terrain she can be effective on. If I'd managed to drive her into the desert zone of the ring, she would have been stuck in place.

"Despite that, she has great speed and balance, and could use them on some very broken and uneven terrain, without sacrificing speed or agility. Her weapon is pretty versatile, but it doesn't give her many options outside of melee. I guess the speed of her rollerblades compensates for that, though."

"And Mr. Coal?" asked Lisa, turning to Yang.

"Crazy, and good," said Yang with a grin. "Crazy-good, I'd say. The guy dresses like a jazz musician, but his music's no joke. That was a pretty big mismatch for me. I struggled a lot more than I'd have against a more conventional opponent."

"He _did_ seem to pressure you for most of the match," observed Lisa.

Yang nodded. "His Semblance was pretty hard to account for. It's more limited than some duplication Semblances I've seen..." She glanced at Blake, while also thinking about Sun. "...but it has some parts that are pretty tricky to get around. The way the clones mirror his actions in a slight delay was something he actually made really good use of. He also knows how to use the terrain to his advantage. He almost had me, pinning me in the desert like that. I had to get pretty creative to get out of that pickle."

"And did you mean to destroy his weapon?" asked Lisa.

Yang winced and grimaced. "That wasn't the plan," she said. "Blowing his attack back in his face, yeah. But wrecking a pretty sweet piece, like that trumpet of his, no. I feel pretty bad about that."

"His last attack used a combination of fire and wind-Dust," said Ruby. "When they're combined together, they're called inferno-Dust, which is more just a really high-intensity fire-Dust. The effect is powerful, but it overheated and stressed the metal of his weapon. Yang hit him while he was trying to use that same kind of Dust a second time...It was just too much. It isn't the kind of thing Yang could have planned for."

"Just like she couldn't have planned to knock him into the geyser field, like the did," noted Lisa, drawing another wince from Yang. "Everyone is impressed with your willingness to save him."

"Why wouldn't I?" asked Ruby earnestly. "I mean, I could understand someone not being able to, if they were too far away, and didn't have enough time. But I had the speed, so I could, so I did."

"It doesn't matter that he was your opponent?"

"Of course not!" Ruby exclaimed. "It's a tournament, and we're opponents. But we're _all_ supposed to be on the same side, in the end. The Vytal Festival is all about bringing the Kingdoms together, and celebrating peace. We might be rivals in the ring, but we're still Huntsmen, and Huntresses, which means we have only one _real_ enemy."

Lisa's smile widened a slight fraction, giving Ruby and the others the impression that this was the kind of response she expected. _Did Lisa push that question...to make me look better?_

It didn't really matter all that much, but Ruby was glad, if that had been Lisa's intent.

"And do you have a strategy in place for the finals?" asked Lisa.

"Sort of," said Ruby. "I'll be going over the people who advance from this round, and trying to figure out their strengths and weaknesses. But that's pretty much a given. Everybody who makes it to the finals is going to be doing that. Beyond that, I'm going to make sure that I'm in the best shape I can be, and do my best."

"Well then, allow me to wish you the best of luck," said Lisa with a smile.

"Thank you," said Ruby earnestly.

With that, they wrapped up the interview. While the crew packed away the cameras and equipment, Lisa talked with Ruby a little more.

"The network has been floating an idea," she said. "This weekend, they have been considering setting up a panel interview, with all the finalists. How do you feel about that?"

Ruby blinked. "Um..." It shouldn't have seemed like a particularly bad idea. Considering what she'd just said about the importance of them all being on the same side, being willing to participate in a group interview along with the rest of them should have been rather simple.

Except that she knew of at least two people, one of whom was likely to be among the finalists from the next day's round of matches, and the other who _already_ was a finalist, who could cause some serious disturbances with such an interview. Mercury wasn't all that worrying a prospect. Ruby figured he'd play nice, in order to keep his cover. But Liu Bai...That had the potential to get ugly _very_ fast. Liu wasn't yet a lock to enter the finals. But, after seeing his skill in the first round, Ruby didn't exactly doubt his chances of making it to the finals, especially since her team, SSSN, and JNAR, the only ones with a legitimate chance of beating him, hadn't gone up against him this round. Unless one of the remaining pairs contained a serious dark horse candidate, Liu's advancement was all but certain.

And putting him in the same room as her, for an extended period of time, where they were expected to talk to each other and the press, practically screamed trouble. Ruby knew she could behave herself. But, considering what she had seen of Liu so far, his restraint was not something she could count on.

"You seem reluctant," noted Lisa. "The panel hasn't been announced or publicly proposed. It's only been floated inside the office right now. If you have some misgivings..."

"Sorry, but I kinda do," said Ruby. "There's one guy, who I'm pretty sure is gonna make it to the finals, who _really_ has it out for me."

"Is it Mr. Bai?" asked Lisa.

Ruby blinked in surprise, amazed at the reporter's insight.

Lisa chuckled softly. "Mr. Bai is certainly the standout amongst the remaining participants, and not for a good reason. I can understand you being reluctant to deal with him." Then she paused. "But he has a personal grudge against you?"

Ruby nodded. "He's a big Pyrrha Nikos fan," she explained. "So he's not happy with me, because I exposed her crimes. Putting us together, even as members of a panel...it's gonna be like a Dust-keg."

Lisa winced. "I'll keep that in mind," she said. "But my bosses at the network still might try to go through with it." She grimaced. "Hell, some of them probably think a spectacle like that would be huge for ratings."

Ruby grimaced at the idea.

"All I can really do is report your misgivings," said Lisa. "It's not set in stone, so my bosses might be willing to walk it back."

"All I can do is hope," said Ruby.

Given what she'd just said on camera, if she turned down an invitation to sit on the panel with the other finalists, there was the risk of people seeing hypocrisy in her words. She'd just have to hope that Liu would have the restraint to wait until their match to settle their differences.

"Otherwise, I wish you luck," said Lisa, patting Ruby on the shoulder.

"Thank you," said Ruby, smiling back.

After Lisa and the camera crew had gone, Ruby was able to relax, snuggling down in Gin's arms with a sigh.

"So...what do you want to do tonight?" asked Gin.

"I don't know," admitted Ruby.

"Well, it should be something special," said Yang. "You're a tournament finalist now. If that's not worth celebrating, I don't know what is."

"You're technically among the top eight in the Kingdom," added Blake. "And that's across four Academies and four years. Even if you lost in the quarter-finals, that's still a major achievement."

"I know," said Ruby. "It makes me a little sad that we can't focus on just that. But I guess I should be glad we have _something_ to celebrate."

Gin's smile widened. "Come to think of it, I have an idea. There's someone else who deserves a celebration too."

* * *

"You're _declining_ the interview?" asked Lisa, giving Flynt a surprised look. She and the crew had circled the coliseum to reach the opposite ready-room, after leaving Ruby's. She was surprised to see Flynt standing in front of the door, waiting for them.

"Yeah, well..." Flynt sighed, looking down. "Normally I'd be all for it. But Neon...She ain't taking it well."

"Is there a problem?" asked Lisa.

"Neon's being a bad sport," said Flynt. "She's already said she's gonna complain to the tournament committee. She thinks Ruby cheated."

"Cheated...how?" Lisa was taken aback by the notion.

"Ruby used some weird trick during their fight," said Flynt. "Neon thinks it was foul play. Honestly, I think it's just sour grapes, but I can't stop her from talking to the committee. But, at the very least, I can keep her from making a fool of herself on a live broadcast, so we'll be turning down that interview."

"I see," said Lisa, a bit shocked by this turn of affairs. "I can understand your reasoning, as unfortunate as the situation is."

"Thanks," said Flynt. "Sorry about the trouble." He stepped back into the ready-room, closing the door behind him. Making his way back into the room, he saw his partner seated on the couch, her legs folded beneath her, watching the holoscreen on the wall. Instead of watching the news feeds, or any other program for that matter, Neon had called up a recording of the match itself. Using her scroll as a remote, she was going through the recordings of her portion of the fight, sometimes frame by frame, looking for the incriminating evidence she was sure lurked for her to discover.

"Neon, this is just sad," said Flynt.

Neon still looked battered and worn, her clothes stained and smudged by the soot of repeated tumbles through the lava field. However, she hadn't even bothered with a shower yet. Even now, she completely ignored Flynt, glaring at the screen, as though it was lying to her. Then she spotted something. Her lips parted, and she let out a soft gasp. "There!"

"There, what?" asked Flynt, turning to look at the screen.

"Look!" exclaimed Neon.

It was an image of her and Ruby. Ruby was launching a slash, with Neon whipping up her nunchaku to defend. Neon moved forward another frame, then another, gradually advancing the playback. Ruby's scythe was on course to be intercepted by Neon's block, then...abruptly, as though there was a frame missing, skipped forward, suddenly inside Neon's guard and slashing into her chest unimpeded.

"Look at that!" exclaimed Neon, gesturing wildly at the screen. "How do you explain that? One second I'm about to block her, the next her attack's already hit me. That shouldn't be possible!"

"You think so," said Flynt, going up to the screen and pointing to the petals scattering out from the back of the scythe's head, frozen particles of red on the paused image. "That girl's Semblance is obviously speed. Looks to me like she used it to accelerate her weapon, right as you were blocking. That would take a hell of a lot of skill, but it sure ain't impossible...and it ain't cheating either."

"Fine!" huffed Neon. She started advancing the recording once more.

"Neon, this has gotta stop," said Flynt. "This is starting to go way beyond being a bad sport. I've already had to turn down our post-match interview 'cause of this."

"Because I'll out the cheating bitch for what she really is?" growled Neon.

"Because you'll make a fool of yourself," said Flynt. "Right now, you're just flinging around accusations with no justification, just because you don't like her."

Neon snarled under her breath, her eyes narrowing, favoring glaring at the screen over looking her partner in the eyes. Finally, she straightened upright, her eyes going wide. "Ah ha!" she shouted accusingly, pointing at the screen. "If I'm crazy, then what do you think of that?"

Neon had advanced the playback to the next exchange. After being knocked back by Ruby's previous attack, Neon had been stumbling, trying to get her feet back under her. In the meantime, Ruby had closed in. The image showed Ruby behind Neon, poised to strike. Neon was already turning to face her...but then something else had happened.

They were faint in the first couple of frames; thin, gently curving lines of crimson. They emerged from the air around Neon. Advancing a few frames forward, the lines became more distinct, slightly wider, and more substantial. They had also closed in on what were clearly attacking trajectories towards Neon. A few more frames, and the lines of light had grown even wider, whether because they'd actually widened, or because of a streaking effect, Flynt couldn't say for sure. One thing he was fairly certain of was that they looked like partial replicas of the glowing blade that adorned Ruby's scythe. Two of them had hemmed Neon in. Flynt watched the playback advanced, showing the lines slashing at Neon sequentially, before Ruby's scythe-blow landed.

"Well," declared Neon firmly, "what do you think of that?"

Flynt whistled appreciatively. "I'm damn impressed," he said. "That's some trick."

"I know, right?!" exclaimed Neon. "That's exactly what I'm talking about!"

"Don't get me wrong, Neon," said Flynt, looking at her disappointedly. "I'm impressed, 'cause the girl's got serious skill. I don't know how in the hell she did that. But not knowing how a trick works _doesn't_ make it cheating. This isn't evidence. The tournament committee's gonna laugh you right out of the room, if you try submitting this. Face it, Neon, you ain't got a case here."

Neon threw her scroll-thankfully onto the couch-and glared at Flynt. "How can you take the side of that filthy bitch?" she exclaimed. "Don't you realize who she's screwing?"

"Well, it ain't the Schnee," said Flynt, chuckling.

"Don't joke about this!" shrieked Neon. "That...that thing she's seeing is a monster! It's worse than a Grimm!"

"A dragon-faunus?" Flynt frowned. "I don't get it, Neon. What's the big deal about a dragon-faunus? I saw the guy fight in the last round, not to mention his interview. Seems the decent sort."

"He's a lying freak!" yelled Neon. "I can't stand him! Just looking at those scales and claws make me sick! They're not natural!"

 _Makes her sick, huh?_ mused Flynt. He recalled what Ruby had said to him. _"Dragon-faunus are special, both in good ways, and bad ways."_ He was starting to get an inkling of what Ruby meant. "So it's the scales and claws that set you off, huh?"

"Faunus aren't supposed to have that," said Neon. "The way they just spread across his arms...it's like a disease..." She rubbed her own arms, shivering...and looking on the verge of throwing up. "Just thinking about it...He already has his eyes, so where did those come from?"

 _Oh yeah, the Law of Singularity,_ thought Flynt. Having a faunus for a teammate had led to some education in the areas of faunus biology, though the Law of Singularity was one of the two more commonly known aspects of faunus nature, along with the Law of Symmetry. The Law of Symmetry was known to have some exceptions, particularly if the animal a faunus got their traits from was itself asymmetrical, but the Law of Singularity was supposed to be pretty much ironclad...with only one known exception.

Flynt wasn't bothered by faunus himself. He'd never felt uncomfortable around Neon, which was what made them effective partners. However, he'd never really learned all that much about the many nuances of faunus nature. He supposed that was his failing. To him, a faunus was a faunus, and that was about as far as his knowledge, and his concern, went. He looked at Gin Ueno, and saw just another faunus. Granted, he was a faunus who could grow scales on his arms, and sprout claws from his fingertips (the latter not being so terribly unusual amongst faunus), but he was still "just another faunus" to Flynt. If anything, he thought those scales were damn cool, and envied the kid for being born with natural armor and weapons that were obviously the equal of, if not better than, the best modern technology could manufacture.

But now, he could see that there was something missing from his point of view. While he looked at Gin, and didn't see anything particularly disturbing; unusual, but not disturbing; it was obvious that Neon...and other faunus, for that matter...saw something different. In fact, the irrational nature of Neon's response made him think of his mother, and how she reacted whenever she saw a particularly large spider. _I think I'm starting to get what Ruby meant,_ he thought.

Which made it all the more important that he talked Neon down from this. She was reacting to something automatic, a reflex, something that she wasn't in complete control over. And she was channeling that fear into anger, anger directed at someone who didn't deserve it (anymore than the object of her fear and revulsion deserved those feelings, from his purview). She was being irrational, and that was only going to make her look worse, if she followed through on her desire to complain to the committee.

"Look, Neon," said Flynt. "I can honestly say I don't get it. Maybe it's 'cause I'm not a faunus myself. But one thing I do know for sure is that Ruby didn't cheat, and you aren't going to get anywhere by claiming that she did. But...I _do_ think that, maybe how you react to that Gin-guy is the _real_ strange thing here."

"Huh?" Neon looked at him, blinking in confusion.

"Well...shelve that creepy crawly feeling he gives you, and ask...has anything he actually done been bad?"

"I can't just-"

"Try it!" ordered Flynt, inflecting his voice with all the authority he could muster.

Team FNKI was fairly unusual, by the standards of Atlas Academy. They were a looser, more informal bunch than most of the other teams. Early on, Flynt had found that trying to emulate the behavior of other team leaders; throwing his weight around, and giving orders like some kind of officer; hadn't worked with his more independent-minded teammates. They'd already been grouped together because they were the non-conformists, the ones who didn't fit the neat little molds the faculty at the Academy constantly tried to cast them in. His teammates weren't the kind who responded well to direct authority, and, to be honest, Flynt wasn't all that much for using authority. He'd learned to deal with his teammates as equals, gain their respect, and how to listen and be listened to.

But he'd also learned that there were times where he could, and needed to, put his foot down. This was one of them.

Neon closed her eyes and scrunched her face in a grimace that reminded Flynt of the faces he'd made, when he'd had to drink nasty cold medicine as a child. He could actually see his partner sweat as she tried to force her thought process back to her visceral reaction to Gin's nature. It was clearly something that took a lot of work for her. Finally, after a long moment, she opened her eyes, sighing softly, and wiping her brow.

"Well?" asked Flynt, speaking in a softer tone.

"I can't think of anything," Neon admitted. She frowned, her brow furrowing. "It's...weird. It was so hard to just get past that...sick...feeling he gives me. It felt wrong. It didn't feel like me at all."

"Yeah, you haven't been sounding like you, when it comes to those two," said Flynt, referring to Gin and Ruby. "I had a bit of a grudge of my own, so I can't exactly talk. But you were completely off your game."

Neon swallowed and nodded. "I don't understand. Why? I think about that guy, and almost every part of me is screaming to beat him down, until he stops moving. But I've never felt that way for someone without some kind of reason."

"Ruby said that dragon-faunus are special," said Flynt. "I get what she means now. What about you?"

"I...I don't know," admitted Neon with a sigh.

"You at least gonna give up on going to the committee?" asked Flynt.

"Yeah," groaned Neon, slumping.

"Good," said Flynt with a smile. "Now go and get washed up. You're starting to smell."

Neon nodded and got up. Her legs were a bit wobbly, but Flynt held her up by her arms. After that, sweaty and stinky or not, he pulled her into a tight hug. "You gonna be okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," replied Neon, sighing and leaning into him.

"Good," said Flynt, relieved. Neon had grown to become like a sister to him. In fact, their whole team was like one closely-knit family. It was one of the reasons they were able to function well enough that, despite being the misfits of Atlas Academy, they'd been able to place better than most of the other teams that had entered the tournament. That had only made it all the more difficult to deal with Neon's strangely irrational feelings concerning Gin Ueno.

Flynt saw Neon off to the showers. When the stall door closed behind her, he sighed and took off his hat to scratch his head. He'd been able to recover his hat and tie after the fight, but his shades had been broken pretty thoroughly by those haymakers Yang had delivered. _I guess I'll have to buy another pair._ He chuckled to himself. _Well, I wanted to get a souvenir, after all._

* * *

Ayumu turned off the screen and leaned back, settling on the bed next to Neo. The diminutive girl almost reflexively curled up against him. "So, what do you think?" he asked.

Neo smiled, and gave him a thumbs up, making Ayumu laugh. "I'm glad you approve of our chances," he said. "Having seen what Ruby and I are made of, how do you think Ms. Fall's plans for the finals might go?"

Neo blinked, tilted her head, then frowned. Glancing down, she fished through her pockets for her scroll, pulling it out and tapping the screen furiously. As expressive as the unique manner that Neo communicated through her body language and Semblance was, there was still only so much she could convey nonverbally. For a more nuanced explanation, she had to shift to using an interface, like her scroll.

She held up the screen for Ayumu to see. " _Cinder will probably use Emerald's Semblance._ "

"That's what I thought," said Ayumu, gently rubbing his thumb across his chin. That was what he'd suggested to Ozpin, after all. He got the feeling that Emerald using her Semblance on him during the combat assessment had been something she hadn't been supposed to do, as evinced by her distress, when he talked to her about it afterwards. Back then, he'd chalked it up to Emerald accidentally giving away what she considered a trump card to use during the tournament. But now, it was apparent that she'd actually exposed the potential keystone to Cinder's plans.

"It's strange though," he mused. "Wouldn't she tell Ms. Fall that I figured out her Semblance?"

Neo frowned, then looked at the screen. A few taps later, she held it up again. " _Emerald's desperate for Cinder's approval._ "

"Ah, I see," said Ayumu. "So she's afraid that, if Ms. Fall finds out what she did, she will lose all her favor."

Neo nodded furiously.

"Well, at least that particular flaw works to our advantage," mused Ayumu. "Do you think Ms. Fall actually returns Ms. Sustrai's feelings."

Neo shook her head decisively, the dark look on her face being more than enough indicator.

"So she thinks of Ms. Sustrai as a pawn," said Ayumu. "It's sad really. If she cared more about Ms. Sustrai, Ms Sustrai would probably feel more willing to reveal her failure, which would allow them to adapt. But Ms. Fall doesn't know, and will probably go ahead as planned."

Neo nodded. Before changing sides, she hadn't realized that Emerald had messed up so badly. But now, she could see that Emerald had made a serious mistake in concealing the fact she'd exposed her Semblance to Ayumu. But that mistake had been exacerbated by Cinder's lack of regard for Emerald as anything _other_ than a part of her plan. Rather than affirm her feelings for Cinder, and come clean, Emerald had instead chosen to bury her mistake, and avoid the consequences that would follow.

She gave Ayumu a questioning look.

"It depends," said Ayumu. "First, we need to know which member of the team Ms. Fall will send on to the finals. My bet is on Mr. Black. Ms. Sustrai needs to concentrate, in order to use her Semblance effectively, which makes it very difficult to use in the midst of pitched battle. Mr. Black has more strength as a straightforward combatant anyway. With that arrangement, Ms. Sustrai will be free to use her Semblance from the sidelines, though how she'll employ it is still up in the air."

Ayumu scratched the top of his head pensively. "While I could see her using it to sabotage the match, that seems...not particularly useful to their plans. That would just ensure that Mr. Black advances to the next one. So then..." He paused. "Her Semblance is like a hallucination. Unlike you, her illusions can only be perceived by the one being affected by them, so then...if a participant were to respond to something _only_ they could see or hear, then, depending on what they were responding to, and how they respond to it, that could be used to make them behave in a manner that would appear...most unseemly."

Neo blinked, surprised at Ayumu's deductions. Ayumu beamed down at her. "Well, that's the theory I have now. It's probably best if we're prepared."

Neo nodded.

The pair was distracted by a knock on the door. Ayumu had already sensed the people on the other side approaching, and reassured Neo with a smile, indicating there was no need for her to hide herself. Pulling it open revealed Gin and Ruby.

"Hello there," said Ayumu cheerfully. "Congratulations on your win, Ruby."

"Congratulations on yours," Ruby said back, grinning. "Gin and I were talking about going out to celebrate. And that's when we realized that we didn't celebrate you going on to the finals either."

"Ah, yes, well..." Ayumu looked back at Neo. The main reason he'd opted out of a celebration of any kind before was because he didn't want Neo to be left out. While their friends may have accepted Torchwick's right-hand girl, the fact of the matter was that Neo couldn't be seen with them, lest she attract the attention of Cinder's people.

Ruby and Gin shared a smile, before turning back to Ayumu. "Don't worry," said Ruby. "We figured out a way. Neo can come with us, and we'll make it a double-date."

Ayumu shared a look with Neo, before looking back. "That would be fun," he admitted. "But what would you have us do? We'd have to be very careful to keep Neo from being spotted."

"We figured that out," said Gin, holding up a large wicker basket. "How do you two feel about a picnic?"

A surprised look crossed Neo's face, then she broke out into a radiant smile.

"I think we'd like that very much," said Ayumu.

* * *

 **Another aftermath-based chapter. We'll get more about how Neo "talks" a little later.**


	100. Chapter 100

**Chapter 100:**

"Are you ready?" asked Ciel.

"Ready," said Penny, giving her friend and partner a sunny smile.

The two of them stood on the edge of the courtyard, at the very heart of Beacon Academy. Straight ahead of them was the Academy's most notable landmark, Beacon Tower itself, the heart of Vale's CCT system, one of the four towers that supported the network across all four Kingdoms, ensuring communication across the face of Remnant. More importantly, it was also where the office of Beacon's Headmaster, Professor Ozpin, was located.

Ciel swallowed, trying to keep from looking too suspicious, as she allowed her gaze to take in their surroundings. If there were any of Ironwood's watchers in the vicinity, she didn't think she'd be able to spot them. Her real worry was that they would be intercepted on their way to the tower, then interrogated as to why they were going. If they did, Ciel had the excuse of wanting to contact her family, back in Atlas. But that would arouse suspicion if she didn't actually do so.

 _My family..._ That was another worrying component of what she was about to do. Considering the circumstances of the "transfer" they were about to request, she had no doubt that Ironwood, once he found out about it, would consider it desertion, plain and simple. He would be even more infuriated to lose Penny. The thought that his retribution might fall on Ciel's family was a terrifying one. She realized that she might have to break contact for a little while, or at least urge them to disown her, if she could somehow get a message to them to do that. What she did know was that, if she didn't go through with this, she was likely to be a target for reprisals from Ironwood as soon as the tournament concluded, possibly sooner, in the event Penny was knocked out before the final round.

Steeling herself, Ciel looked at Penny and nodded, her expression resolute. Penny nodded back, and the two of them began the walk across the courtyard to Beacon Tower.

It was nerve wracking. Considered part of the area open during the festival, the courtyard around the tower was much more crowded than it would be during any other time of the year. Some lucky people were permitted to set up stalls, and plenty of people took advantage of the festival to see the tower itself. Normally, the tower was only accessible to students and staff of the school, while residents of Vale proper made use of call centers set up throughout the Kingdom. The opening of Beacon's campus to outsiders was a rare chance for people unaffiliated with Beacon to see the tower itself up close, and even enter it.

Of course, that meant that Ironwood's agents could be hiding anywhere amidst the crowds, watching her and Penny. Ciel hoped that there was nothing too suspicious about their actions. But then again, they didn't exactly look innocent, setting off towards the tower with such purposeful strides. Ciel had decided to settle for her normally brusque manner, with her conditioned military posture, hoping that would be enough to offset suspicion.

It appeared to work. No one challenged them as they crossed the courtyard. No one stopped them on the stairs to the entrance. They proceeded through the doors without issue, and headed straight for the receptionist.

"Hello," the woman at the desk said, looking up at them with a professional smile. "How can I help you?"

"I am Ciel Soleil, and this is my partner, Penny Polendina," said Ciel, gesturing to her friend, who responded to the prompt with a cheery smile and a friendly wave. "We wanted to speak to Professor Ozpin, as soon as possible."

The receptionist blinked, apparently surprised by the request. "And where are you from?"

"Atlas Academy," said Ciel.

"I see..." said the receptionist. "And the subject of your meeting?"

Ciel shared a nervous look with Penny. This was the do or die moment. "A transfer request," she said.

That, understandably, baffled the receptionist even more. "You _do_ know it would be much easier to send a standard transfer request through the network?"

"Yes," said Ciel. "But there are reasons we can't do that. We wish to make this request of Professor Ozpin personally."

"I see..." The receptionist forced down her confused look, and put on her polite smile once more. "I will inform Professor Ozpin of your request. But I can't promise that he will be available to meet you immediately. Would you like me to notify you by scroll when he's available?"

"If it's all right, we would like to wait here," said Ciel.

The receptionist frowned again. "If you wish," she said. "But there's no guarantee that he'll be available today."

"We would at least like to try," said Ciel. "We'd like to do this as soon as possible. It's...urgent."

"I shall inform him," said the receptionist skeptically. She gestured to a few chairs that lined the perimeter of the lobby.

"Thank you," said Ciel, bobbing her head politely.

She and Penny headed for the nearest chairs, sitting down. Ciel sat stiffly, her nerves singing with tension. Her eyes were nearly glued to the doors. She half-expected to see a squad of soldiers or Knights come rushing through to apprehend her and Penny at any moment.

A warm hand covered hers, and Ciel looked over to see Penny smiling encouragingly at her.

"We'll be all right," she promised.

Ciel blushed at the contact, but also found herself strangely reassured by Penny's confidence. Taking a deep breath, Ciel let it out slowly, then forced herself to relax back into the seat a little. Despite relieving her tension a little, the minutes passed like hours to her mind, each one bringing them closer and closer to the inevitable event of Ironwood finding out about their decision.

It was sooner than she'd expected, but still felt like far too long, when the receptionist called them again.

"Professor Ozpin has an opening, and you're free to head up now," said the receptionist, directing them to the elevator that was at the center of the bank of elevators, its doors now opening to admit them.

"Thank you very much," said Ciel. She and Penny made their way in.

It wasn't until the elevator doors closed that Ciel allowed herself to relax completely, slumping against the wall with a weary sigh.

"We're almost there," Penny assured her, taking Ciel's hand, which only made her blush again.

"Y-you're right," said Ciel, closing her eyes.

It had been a long day. First had been the match, and all the excitement that entailed. Then had followed the nerve-wracking confrontation with Ironwood, made only _more_ tense in Ciel's mind by the presence of the two people she and Penny had been forbidden from interacting with, hiding in that very room. Finally, there had been their decision the break away from Ironwood, and seek refuge at Beacon, under Ozpin, with no guarantee that he would accept their transfer.

The doors slid open, allowing the two girls to enter. Ciel took in the image of Ozpin's office, amazed by the tableau of churning gears beneath their feet and over their heads. Ahead of them, before a broad window, with a spectacular view of Vale's skyline, was Ozpin's desk, the man himself seated at the tall-backed chair behind it. In front of the desk were two smaller chairs.

"Welcome, Ms. Soleil, Ms. Polendina," said Ozpin, gesturing to the chairs. "Please, have a seat."

"Thank you, Professor," said Ciel, she and Penny doing as he bade them.

Ozpin smiled pleasantly, and pulled a carafe full of black liquid from the frame of a rather complicated-looking coffee maker that rested off on one side of the desk. "Coffee?" he asked politely.

"No thank you," said Penny cheerfully.

Ciel wondered if Penny could eat or drink at all, and figured that it was not likely. "Me neither," she said finally, not wanting Penny to be left out. "It's a little too late for coffee anyway. Caffeine at this hour would interfere with our sleep cycles."

"Very pragmatic," said Ozpin, placing the carafe back. "Now then, I have been informed that you wish to request a transfer to my school. You wouldn't be the first students to want to transfer to Beacon. However, I find it somewhat odd that your request is so sudden."

Ciel and Penny exchanged a wary glance. This was the do or die moment. It was time to put their cards on the table. Ciel turned back to Ozpin, and swallowed nervously. "To be honest, we're desperate. We need to transfer to Beacon, because we believe that there will be no future for us, back at Atlas."

Ozpin's smile vanished. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on top of the desk, and folding his hands together. "Is that so...?" he asked. "Please, explain your circumstances to me."

* * *

"I hope Penny and Ciel are doing all right," said Ruby, leading the way across the campus.

"They should be fine," said Gin. "I have a few misgivings, but I think Professor Ozpin will give them a fair shake."

"Really?"

Gin smirked. "Well, if he's willing to accommodate a former bandit and murderer, and students of the most dangerous criminal in all of Remnant, I'd say that an android and her friend are small potatoes by comparison."

"True," admitted Ruby.

Presently, the four of them were making their way along the line of cliffs that overlooked the Emerald forest. It was actually quite a picturesque view, with the treetops illuminated by the light of the setting sun. It would have been nice if they could have held their picnic there, by the cliffs. But Neo had warned them that Watts was likely still hiding somewhere out there, using the trees as cover. So it would be best to find some cover of their own, before setting up their picnic. Even now, Neo was moving beneath the cover of her illusion, bending the light around herself to remain invisible.

Luckily, Ruby had just the place. Leading their group along the cliffs, she set for a copse of oaks that stood atop the cliffs, a little to the east and north of Beacon itself. Within that copse was a small clearing, dotted with a few late-blooming flowers. It wasn't quite as pretty a sight as it was during the summer months, but it would do for their purposes.

Within the trees, Neo was free to shed her illusion, and help the rest of them set out a wide blanket over the ground. From there, they opened the basket, setting out plates and food. It was nothing overly remarkable, a few good sandwiches, produced by the kind staff in the dining hall, along with some treats that Ruby and Gin had picked up at the festival. The soft rustling of leaves and chirping of birds set up a pleasant, peaceful ambience though. The atmosphere was relaxing and restful.

They ate leisurely, saying very little, mostly by dint of having little to say to each other. The purpose of this picnic had been to celebrate their advancement to the finals, after all, so they wanted to put the weightier matters they had to deal with on hold, for now. Instead, they mostly basked in the relaxed quiet, Ruby and Neo leaning contentedly against their partners.

It was Ayumu who broke the relaxed silence after a while. "By the way, Ruby, that was most impressive, during your match. I never expected you to come up with a technique like that."

Ruby blushed. "Thank you," she said bashfully.

Neo tugged gently on Ayumu's sleeve, then sent him a plaintive look.

"Oh, right," said Ayumu. "I promised Neo that we would explain manifestation and materialization to her."

"I'm not surprised that she's curious," said Gin, looking at Ruby. "Wanna give it a whirl?"

"Me?" Ruby gestured to herself in surprise. "But _you're_ the ones who taught _me_."

"Yes, but it's beneficial to your own learning to teach others, it helps you to review your basic skills," said Ayumu.

"O-okay," said Ruby. She began to explain the basics of manifestation and materialization to Neo, who listened with rapt attention. Once they'd finished the food, Ayumu and Gin busied themselves with cleaning up what remained of their picnic, while Ruby walked Neo through basic manifestation. Soon, Neo was seated in the center of the clearing, a shimmering ball of pale-yellow Aura hovering between her hands, as she stared at it intently.

They would have been content to spend the entire evening like this, but the larger world intruded upon their little bubble of happiness. Neo's scroll abruptly rang, prompting a tiny, almost inaudible, squeak from her. Unfortunately, her control over her Aura flagged, and the sphere she was manifesting dissipated into the air.

"I'm sorry," said Ruby, even though she hadn't done anything.

Neo waved Ruby's apology off, and pulled out her scroll. The tension in the air rose sharply. There was really only one party that could be contacting Neo like this.

Neo read the message on her scroll, then turned it so that the others could see. Sure enough, it was a message from Emerald, instructing Neo to meet her and the rest of their team at the docks, and rather rudely at that.

"Well, I suppose their endgame is going into motion," noted Ayumu.

Neo looked at him worriedly.

Ayumu smiled and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Do your part for them. If time permits, come to us after. If you feel you need to send me a message, do so at your discretion. But your own wellbeing comes first. Remember that."

Neo nodded, then swiftly jumped up to wrap her arms around Ayumu's shoulders, allowing her to plant a swift kiss on his lips. She released and dropped down, before Ayumu could reciprocate the embrace, and then danced back. There was a flash, then Neo vanished from sight.

"Looks like the game is afoot," said Gin.

"If they're doing this tonight, do you think that means they're going to put their plan into action tomorrow?" asked Ruby worriedly. She'd thought that they'd be able to relax a little for the last day of the doubles rounds. But if Cinder's group planned to take action on the last day...

"I don't believe so," said Ayumu. "At this point, I suspect that they are still in the preparatory phases. Right now, they're most likely going to focus on reconnaissance and materiel procurement. Hopefully, Neo will be able to tell us what they need for their plan, which will give us an idea of what they have in mind."

"Well, we've already got an idea of what they're up to," said Gin.

"Like we've guessed before, their plan will probably hinge upon Ms. Sustrai's Semblance," said Ayumu.

"She's the one who does hallucinations, right?" asked Ruby.

Ayumu nodded. "That's oversimplifying it a bit. I believe that her Semblance allows her to overwrite a person's perceptions, thereby controlling the sensory input their mind receives. She can create false images and sounds, and the like."

Ruby gulped nervously. "That's gonna be pretty hard to deal with."

"Not as hard as you might think," Ayumu told her cheerfully. "The _Shingan_ is perfectly suited to thwarting such a power. It's how I managed to avoid being caught by her illusion, when she fought me."

"How?" asked Ruby.

"Look close enough at a painting, and you can see the artist's brushstrokes, right?" prompted Gin.

"Correct," said Ayumu. He chuckled at the baffled look on Ruby's face. "Don't worry, we'll explain it. Furthermore, I believe it may be possible for us to do a little extra preparation, with Neo's help...assuming she's available."

Ruby shivered. "I just hope we can pull this off," she said. "This is where things come down to the line."

"Yep," agreed Gin. "But I know we have the skills to see it through."

Ruby smiled at his reassurance, tucking her hand into his own.

* * *

"I see," said Ozpin, after Penny and Ciel wrapped up their story. "Your circumstances are certainly...unique."

They had told him everything; Penny's nature as an android, Ironwood's orders, his anger at Ciel's participation, and the veiled threats to both their wellbeing. Ruby and Gin had advised them that complete candor with Ozpin would probably be the best way to go, assuring him that, strange as their circumstances were, they were hardly the _most_ unusual things that Ozpin had had to deal with.

"You don't seem very surprised to learn that I'm an android," Penny noted. Indeed, the confession hadn't even elicited a raised eyebrow from Ozpin.

"I had determined early on that there was something distinctly different about you, Ms. Polendina," said Ozpin, a slight smile returning to his face. "Your combat capability is extraordinary, but what I noticed the most, the first time I saw you, was your manner. There was a certain degree of artifice to it, as though you were something else, merely imitating and emulating human behavior. In contrast, I'm most surprised by how much more natural your behavior has become."

"Um...I'm not sure if I should thank you or not," said Penny.

"It depends on your perspective," replied Ozpin. "I, for one, see nothing wrong, should you seek to become more human. It seems to me that is the natural course for you."

"Oh...well...thank you then," said Penny, breaking out into a bright, if slightly unsteady smile.

Ozpin sighed, his smile fading. "It pains me to think that James is stooping to such methods. I'm disappointed in him."

"Do you know why?" asked Ciel.

"There are circumstances," said Ozpin, "circumstances I am not at liberty to discuss in detail with you...yet. Your Vale friends are at the center of them. James has been a close friend and ally to me in this matter. However, we have begun to diverge on how best to handle affairs."

"Why?" asked Penny, tilting her head.

"To put it bluntly, we are at war," said Ozpin, drawing a shocked gasp from Ciel.

"B-but..." she stammered.

"Our enemy is powerful, dangerous, and insidious," said Ozpin. "This is not an ordinary war. The fact that you two have not heard even the slightest whisper of an inkling is one of the examples of that. We cannot allow this conflict to come to the surface."

"Why not?" asked Ciel.

"Because such knowledge would cause fear, stir anxiety, which would eventually lead to panic," said Ozpin. "And I believe you know _why_ we cannot allow such feelings to fester."

"The Grimm..." said Ciel softly.

Ozpin nodded. "The issue is that James thinks in terms of a much more conventional kind of war. He sees forces deployed, and armies on the move. He earnestly believes that power is the answer, power to overwhelm this enemy, power to reassure people that they are protected." He shook his head sadly. "But experience has taught me that there will be no victory in strength."

"But why is he being so cruel?" asked Penny. "How could he threaten Ciel, just because she fought beside me?"

"War takes its toll," said Ozpin, "especially when it is so strange a one as this. That might be the explanation. But James has long believed that automation may be the key to victory."

"Androids don't have emotions," said Ciel. "They can't feel fear...well..." She glanced sidelong at Penny. "... _most_ of them don't have emotions."

Ozpin nodded. "In many ways, I believe he might see your development as a threat, Ms. Polendina. If you have emotions, if you become something more than just a weapon, then you have the capacity to have those very emotions that James has tried to expunge from the bulk of his forces. I'm afraid that he wishes for your power...but none of your heart."

"But I like my heart," said Penny, looking down sadly. Ciel glanced over, then rested her hand over Penny's.

Ozpin smiled fondly at the gesture. "And that is your prerogative. However, that may well be at the root with James' current attitude towards you. He sees your developing emotions and sense of self, and perceives it as a dangerous divergence from his intended strategy. I'm afraid he has allowed his desire for control to get the better of him. It saddens me, really."

"Because you're friends?" asked Penny.

"Because I know that, in his heart, James wishes to protect the people," said Ozpin, "not just the citizens of Atlas, but all the people of Remnant. Our enemy makes no distinction between Kingdoms, after all. But James' insistence on protecting people through maintaining order and control has prompted him to...overcompensate...when things go awry. I fear he may be allowing his personal feelings to color his actions in that respect."

Ciel and Penny nodded. "So then, about our request...?" prompted Ciel.

Ozpin tapped the interface in his desk, bringing up a holographic image of their profiles. "As such, I will approve your requests for transfer to Beacon. However, they will not take effect immediately."

"Because of the tournament?" asked Penny.

Ozpin nodded again. "For the remainder of your time in the tournament, you shall represent Atlas Academy. Upon the conclusion of your participation, your transfer shall come into effect, and you will both immediately be recognized as official students of Beacon."

Ciel slumped in relief, and not merely because Ozpin had granted their request. She'd expected him to hold off on approving the transfer, because of the tournament. But he'd specifically phrased it, so that it would occur the second they no longer had Penny's participation as a shield to keep Ironwood from taking action against them. Even if Penny lost during one of the early rounds of the finals, they wouldn't have to worry.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Penny smiled sunnily. Then her face fell. "Professor...about this war..."

"Yes," said Ozpin, prompting her to go on.

"You said our friends are involved," said Penny. "Do you mean Ruby and Gin-?"

"And their friends and teammates," said Ozpin. "Team Ruby and Team January have both been given as complete an overview of what is going on as I can provide. You must understand that there are severe complications involved with this conflict. Even as they participate in the tournament, they are still fighting in this war."

"I want to help them," said Penny, rising slightly in her seat.

"That makes me glad," said Ozpin. "If that is what you truly wish, I will allow it. However, more intimate knowledge of this conflict will completely change your view of the world. People have been broken by this knowledge. That pressure is one of the reasons James' behavior has become so...erratic. Learning of this war will take you down a path, with no way of going back."

Ciel swallowed. She could practically feel Penny's resolve. It was understandable. Ruby was Penny's first friend, someone who hadn't allowed their friendship to falter, even after learning that Penny was an android, someone who had wholeheartedly accepted and embraced her, the first person to do so. Ciel wasn't surprised that Penny wanted to help Ruby. But, as for herself...

She stared down at her legs, her mind locked in a cycle of indecision. Ozpin had warned them that full knowledge of the conflict they were now on the fringes of would completely warp their understanding of the world. Just the tidbits he'd provided had been disturbing enough. They'd only just assured their escape from Ironwood's inevitable reprisal for their defiance. Was she ready to throw herself into an even deeper, darker conflict?

"Take your time and think about it," said Ozpin. "I will leave it up to you. I shall also leave it to Ms. Rose's discretion, as to whether or not to tell you. And I shall leave it up to your discretion, whether or not to seek this information out. However, I believe our primary business for the evening has been concluded."

"Yes," said Ciel, standing up, Penny standing with her. "Thank you for your help, Professor."

"You're quite welcome," said Ozpin. "I wish you well during your remaining time in the tournament. Even though you are prepared to come to Beacon, I hope that you will continue to do your best to represent your current institution."

"We will," said Penny.

Their business concluded, Penny and Ciel returned to the elevator, the ride down making them feel lighter, as though an immense weight had been lifted from their shoulders. At the same time though, there was a new weight threatening to press down upon them, one even greater than Ironwood's threats.

"What do you think, Ciel?" asked Penny, looking at her friend.

"I...I don't know," admitted Ciel. "I'm...I'm scared."

"Scared?" asked Penny.

"I don't know what to think," said Ciel. "We were just supposed to be getting away from Ironwood. But now, we're suddenly thinking about getting involved with something even _more_ dangerous. I just...I just don't know if I can take it."

Abruptly, Ciel felt a pair of powerful arms wrap around her, and pull her close. She was surprised. This wasn't one of Penny's usual, crushing hugs, overflowing with enthusiasm and affection. This was softer, gentler, as though she was afraid Ciel might break. if she held on too tightly (which, considering Penny's incredible strength, was actually a very real possibility).

"I'm sorry," said Penny, a slight whimper in her voice.

"Why?" asked Ciel, trying hard to keep from being distracted by the heat rising in her cheeks.

"I...I said all that without thinking," said Penny, pulling back and looking Ciel in the eyes. "I want to help Ruby. I really do. But you're my partner. You're my responsibility first. I should have thought about that, before saying anything. If you're not ready for something like that...then I'll stay with you."

"But Penny-!" protested Ciel.

Penny smiled and shook her head. "No," she said. "You came with me, all this way, even though you had so many reasons not to. Now it's my turn to stay with you."

"P-Penny," said Ciel, her voice emerging in a stuttering whisper.

Penny pulled Ciel in closer, allowing them to rest their heads together. Ciel forgot all about the heat on her face, and instead basked in the feeling between the two of them, willing it to last as long as it could. They remained like that until the elevator reached the ground floor.

* * *

With the dawning of the next day came the last two matches of the doubles rounds. There was only really one match of interest to Ruby and her friends. Fortunately, it came first. So they assembled in the stands to watch warily, as Liu Bai and Irving Yamashita took the stage against their opponents, a team from Atlas.

The battle was as brief as it was brutal. The two students from Atlas Academy didn't stand a chance. Liu's offense was even more ferocious than before, with Irving barely having any time to utilize his wires and Dust, before Liu took out both adversaries, almost completely by himself. Thankfully, this time, there were no injuries. But the cold, uncaring behavior of the two victors did little to assuage the feelings of the crowd.

While Port and Oobleck announced their victory, Liu scanned the crowd. Ruby knew he was looking for her, once again meeting his gaze squarely, refusing to back down in front of him. The intensity of his rage and hatred frightened her, but she refused to let him cow her into submission. Once again, they stared at each other, until Irving intervened to lead Liu back into the ready room.

"Well, there go our hopes of him being knocked out before the finals," muttered Gin, as they joined the throngs filing out of the stadium.

"I don't think it would be over, even if he did lose," said Ruby. "He'd just come at me outside the tournament."

If there was one thing she supposed she should be grateful for, it was the fact that Liu's current fixation was on defeating her (if not killing her) in the tournament itself. Having that appeared to keep him from being inclined to pursue his grudge _outside_ of the ring.

They made their way through the coliseum, talking as they went. Ruby noticed that Ayumu was unusually quiet. There was a slight tightness to his smile, giving it a distinctly strained look. _Guess he's worried._

Neo had not returned the previous night. Nor had she contacted Ayumu, by scroll or otherwise. While they all knew her capabilities, and believed that, currently, Cinder had no reason to suspect that Neo had turned, it wasn't all that surprising for Ayumu to be at least slightly anxious, when she had been out of contact for so long. Ruby could only hope that nothing had happened. Perhaps Neo would make contact with them this evening.

Still, there wasn't much they could do except wait. So Ruby, along with Gin, who also noticed Ayumu's uneasiness, tried their best to keep Ayumu occupied as they made their way out onto the outer ring of the coliseum, where the air-bus platforms extended out. Ruby paused, taking a moment to savor the panoramic view of Vale from their position, several-hundred meters up. Inside the coliseum, it was always easy to forget that they were in a technological marvel, a flying monument, constructed from the combined resources of the Four Kingdoms. Sights like this were a reminder of just how extraordinary this place really was.

While looking up, Ruby's mood immediately brightened. "Look!" she exclaimed, pointing to the sky, where the figure of a familiar airship was soaring gracefully overhead.

"Winter's here," said Yang. "Maybe we'll all get to spend some more time with her."

"Maybe," said Ruby. She didn't know that Winter would be coming back for the festival...although, maybe it wasn't the festival Winter had come for. Otherwise, she probably would have shown up earlier on. It was entirely possible that Winter was in Vale on business, or possibly to visit Weiss again.

 _Well, there's only one way to find out,_ Ruby thought.

* * *

Winter Schnee marched stiffly off her airship, her Knight escort following behind. She traded a brief nod with one of the crew, going through the process of securing the ship to its berth in Beacon's docks. Turning her head, she slowly surveyed the landscape of Beacon. Closing her eyes, she slowly inhaled, taking in the scents of this place, which were so different from those in Atlas.

"Winter!"

Winter's eyes opened, and her expression relaxed slightly into a soft smile at the sight of a familiar girl running towards her, waving excitedly. Ruby Rose's speed naturally put her several lengths ahead of her friends, who were doing their best to keep up behind her.

"Hello, Ruby," said Winter, as Ruby skidded to a stop in front of her. "It's good to see you again."

Ruby beamed, her friends coming to a stop a short ways behind her, with only the silver-haired boy approaching closer, coming to stand just behind Ruby.

Winter remembered Gin well enough, including how skillfully he'd halted her, when she'd been about to fight Qrow. She also remembered Ironwood's statements about the boy, but couldn't quite reconcile them with the young man standing in front of her. He was calm, serene even, and it was obvious how close he and Ruby were, by virtue of the ease they showed around each other. He was formidable, dangerous even, to be sure. But Winter couldn't see the imminent threat that Ironwood had railed on about in his reports and calls.

"What brings you back?" asked Ruby.

"I'm afraid that's classified," said Winter, her smile fading a little. She would have liked to speak more with Ruby, but she had important business to attend to.

"Oh, okay," said Ruby, not looking terribly disappointed by Winter's statement. If anything, Winter's statement actually seemed to settle her, as though it maybe confirmed something Ruby had been suspecting. Raising her eyebrow, Winter found herself wondering just what it was Ruby knew.

Still, that wasn't exactly a conversation they could have now...maybe not ever.

"How long will you be staying?" asked Ruby.

"That's...also classified," said Winter, lowering her head slightly. Had it been Weiss, and had the terrible developments that Weiss had initiated in her own life not occurred, Winter might have delivered her responses in a more coldly formal manner. Instead, she couldn't quite keep herself from displaying some disappointment that there was so much about her visit she couldn't tell Ruby.

"Oh..." Now Ruby's voice fell. "Do you think you'll have time to talk, at some point."

"We'll see," said Winter, not wanting to get Ruby's hopes up. "I certainly hope we can. But my schedule remains fairly busy."

"Will you be visiting Weiss?"

Winter hadn't been expecting that question, nor the hopeful tone that Ruby voiced it in. "I will try, time permitting," she responded.

"Okay," said Ruby, seeming surprisingly reassured by what Winter said.

Winter allowed herself to smile again. "By the way, though I couldn't be present for them, I did watch your matches, Ruby."

"Oh?" Ruby's eyes widened.

Winter's smile widened. "You continue to impress me with your remarkable skill. Your friends are, likewise, most impressive."

"Thank you," said Ruby, breaking out in a radiant smile, while the other members of her team also perked up at the praise. Even though they hadn't really engaged with her before, it was obvious that Winter was the sort of person who gave praise sparingly.

Winter glanced up at her destination, and sighed. "I'm sorry that we can't talk longer. I do have a meeting to attend. However, if you'd be willing to accompany me, we can talk on the way."

"Okay," said Ruby, before throwing an apologetic glance at her friends, save Gin. Such a large party would be a little unwieldy. So, for the time being, Ruby would walk with Winter alone.

"And have you been well?" asked Winter, resuming her walk, Ruby falling into step next to her.

"I've been doing great," said Ruby cheerfully.

"That's good," said Winter. "And how have you been finding your first Vytal Festival?"

"It's amazing!" gushed Ruby.

The last time the Vytal Festival had been hosted by Vale, Ruby had only been seven years old. It had been a little over a year prior that her mother had died on a mission, and only a few months after her father had finally gotten over his depression. At the time, Taiyang had still been getting grief counseling, and was focused on repairing the damage he'd done to his relationship with his daughters, particularly Yang, with his negligence. Ruby had just been happy to have her daddy back. But Yang had remained mistrustful for well over a year, never fully willing to believe that Taiyang wouldn't lapse back into his bad habits.

The Vytal Festival, as inviting and vibrant as it had been, was deemed too loud, noisy, and distracting, for Taiyang to take his daughters to, while he was still dealing with the loss of Summer. Instead, they had spent their time at home, watching the festival on the TV, while enjoying family nights in. Truth be told, that had done more to repair the relationship than visiting the festival directly probably would have.

"There's so much to see and do," gushed Ruby. "Even if we didn't have the tournament, we wouldn't be able to see it all."

"Good," said Winter. "And have you made any friends?"

"Well, there's Team Sun," said Ruby. "But we were already friends with Sun and Neptune before the festival started. The girls of Indigo are all really nice though." She paused, her eyes rolling up thoughtfully. "Team Auburn seemed like good people, but we haven't gotten the chance to hang out with them outside the ring."

"Anyone else...?" prodded Winter, her tone...Ruby wasn't sure what kind of tone it was.

"Oh!" Ruby's cheeks turned a shade of pale pink. "Y-yeah...I met your brother." In retrospect, she shouldn't have been surprised. Her dinner with Whitley had been something of a minor celebrity affair, leading to speculation on a nonexistent scandal.

"From the sound of things, you went a good deal further than that," noted Winter.

"It was more of a first date kind of thing," said Ruby. "I turned him down."

"That's probably for the best," said Winter. "Whitley is not the sort of person I would feel comfortable with you getting close to."

"Because he's manipulative?" asked Ruby.

The jolt that ran down Winter's spine told Ruby that she hadn't been expecting that kind of inquiry. "You noticed?"

"He told me," said Ruby. "Ayumu called it, before I even got the chance to meet him. But Whitley admitted to it readily enough. He's not the kind of person to do things for just one reason. I...kind of appreciate that."

Winter's stare was completely blank. She had no idea what to make of this development.

"Whitley did tell me about what's between you," said Ruby. "I don't think I should take his words completely at face value, but it did sound like you and Weiss are as much at fault as he is."

"That's..." Winter paused, then closed her eyes. She sighed, slumping. "I suppose that's true," she admitted. "I...I used to take some pleasure in breaking his toys as a child, mocking him for not being strong enough to stop me. However, his pranks were plenty creative, particularly since he would often arrange to have me, Weiss, or both of us, humiliated at social functions, in front of Father.

"Even after I went into the military, and Father disinherited me, Whitley still found ways to push my buttons. After the first time I accompanied General Ironwood to a dinner that was hosted by my family, he made it a point to ensure that I would _not_ accompany him to any dinner that my brother was also at."

The dark blush on Winter's cheeks, and the mortified tone of her voice, spoke volumes about how humiliating she found it that Ironwood felt the needed to keep her and Whitley separated, like a pair of unruly children.

"Yeah, Whitley _did_ say he was kind of petty about it," said Ruby. "But...he's someone I think I could be friends with."

"With your disposition, I'm not surprised," said Winter. _She seems to be almost supernaturally capable of drawing out people's better nature. It's a shame that Weiss did not take the chance to experience that._

"You know, you might try talking to him," suggested Ruby, "seeing as you're both in Vale and all. I know it'll be hard, but I think you could mend your differences, if you took the time to talk to each other."

"That will be...difficult," said Winter, "and not merely because I find it hard to even look at him and rein in my feelings. My reason for being in Vale is not social. I do not know how much time I will have available to me."

"I understand," said Ruby, looking plaintively at Winter. "But if you have enough...will you try?"

"I..." Winter paused, then took a deep breath. "I will," she said. _It's remarkable how much more mature than me she is, in some areas._

Granted, compared to moving past her own attempted murder, Ruby _would_ see what amounted to an extended sibling spat as a minor thing. Winter also had to admit that Ruby wouldn't be wrong. If Ruby could express such an earnest willingness to forgive Weiss for her past transgressions, then Winter felt she couldn't hold her head high, if she didn't at least make a basic attempt to mend her broken relationship with her own younger brother.

"Great!" said Ruby cheerfully, her voice loaded with that, almost childish, naiveté that her experiences should have stripped her of. That she was still so willing to believe the best of people, or, perhaps more accurately, hope for the best, made Winter wanted to give Ruby's request her best effort.

 _She's a frightening girl, in her own way,_ thought Winter.

"Yo, Ice Queen," rasped a familiar voice up ahead of them.

Winter stopped cold, Ruby stopping along with her, despite the abruptness. In fact, she didn't look surprised at all to see Qrow standing between them and Beacon Tower. Instead, she actually moved half a step ahead of Winter, and then side-stepped slightly, turning her body almost side-on to both of them, as though she were prepared to mediate, if they threatened to come to blows. The last encounter between Weiss' sister and her Uncle had not been forgotten.

"Qrow," said Winter cautiously, the heat that would normally lace her voice at the sight of this infuriating man gone. She still felt some degree of shame at nearly being baited into a fight with him before, even more, considering that Ruby and her friends had needed to step in and stop it from happening.

"I guess you're heading the same way I am," said Qrow, holding up a hand in greeting, the other, predictably, raised his flask to his lips. He took a long pull from it, even before he'd lowered his other hand.

Ruby looked back and forth between the two of them. Winter could see the dawning comprehension on her face. Once again, she was struck with the unsettling sensation of Ruby putting together the pieces of a puzzle, and working out what was happening, even though she shouldn't have known the particulars. Looking over at Qrow, she could see that he had noticed this too. But he didn't seem nearly as surprised or troubled by the realization.

"Um...I guess this is where we...uh...part ways," said Ruby, giving Winter a shaky, worried smile, glancing frequently at Qrow.

Ruby's uncle took the message easily enough. "Relax, Kiddo," he said. "I'll keep the needling to a minimum. This is too important."

"Okay...good," said Ruby. She turned towards Winter and smiled shyly. "Well...uh...I guess I'll see you later...or not."

"Perhaps," said Winter, resting a friendly hand on Ruby's shoulder. "I shall try my best to make the time."

Ruby nodded, and then began to walk away, turning to glance back over her shoulder, before waving one last farewell at the two of them.

"Makes you wonder which of the three of us is the older one, huh?" asked Qrow, he and Winter watching Ruby leave.

"Indeed," said Winter, thinking that Ruby's manner was indeed similar to that of an adult, worried about leaving a quarrelsome pair of children together...and reflecting that she wasn't wrong to worry.

"I made a promise, and I intend to keep it, Winter," said Qrow, surprising Winter with the use of her actual name. "Let's keep this on the up and up, for Ruby's sake...and then some."

"And then some...?"

Qrow sighed. "This is way too big for personal spats. Our next move might decide the fate of the Kingdom."

"So, it's _that_ important," said Winter warily.

Qrow nodded. "We need what power we can get. Let's go. Oz and Jimmy are waiting for us."

Winter nodded, falling into step next to Qrow. As utterly annoying as the man could be, there were moments like this, moments where she saw the Huntsman that the likes of Ozpin trusted so completely. She had to admit that this side of him...was not completely unappealing.

They headed through the tower lobby, the receptionist opening the elevator for them without even needing them to glance in her direction. Qrow was in and out often enough, that anyone who saw him come in knew to admit him to Ozpin's office straight away. The ride up passed in tense silence, neither of them trusting themselves to speak under these circumstances.

Finally, the doors opened to admit them to Ozpin's office. Besides Ozpin himself, Glynda Goodwitch and James Ironwood both stood at the ready, their most serious faces in place. Even Qrow was able to suppress his tendency to bristle at Ironwood's presence. They needed his cooperation in this.

"Thank you for coming, Specialist Schnee," said Ozpin politely. "I am grateful that you were able to make it on such short notice."

"If the General summons me, then I am happy to obey," said Winter, stopping to salute Ironwood. He nodded to her, and Winter adopted an at-ease position, her arms folded behind her back.

"Very good," said Ozpin. "Now then, let us discuss our plans for Saturday evening's operation."

* * *

 **And Winter is back...back again. Now it's time for the adults to get a share of the action.**


	101. Chapter 101

**Chapter 101:**

"Get bored with Winter already?" teased Yang, as Ruby rejoined the group in the dining hall.

"Well, we got where we were going," said Ruby. "Winter had to go on ahead, but I couldn't."

"Right...the classified thing," said Nora.

"Uncle Qrow was there too," said Ruby.

Yang blinked, looking nervous briefly. "And...are they _okay?_ "

"Yeah," said Ruby. "It looks like they're getting ready for something serious. I think I know what it is."

"What?" inquired Blake.

"Oh!" said Ayumu, slapping the palm of his hand with a fist. "You mean they're planning to move on the intelligence that Neo provided them with."

"You mean they're going to move against the White Fang?" asked Blake, her body tensing.

"Probably," said Ruby. "Winter made it sound pretty important. Professor Ozpin and General Ironwood are there too. They must be planning to hit the White Fang hideouts, probably this weekend."

"Why didn't they tell us?" asked Blake, affronted.

"Well, we _are_ dealing with the tournament," Jaune pointed out.

"If we were spotted participating in an anti-terrorist operation, it would raise quite a few questions," added Ren. "Given the nature of what they might be planning, such an operation is likely to draw quite a bit of attention."

"They probably want us to focus on the tournament too," added Yang.

"But they should have at least told us," protested Blake.

"Compartmentalization."

"Huh?" Seven heads swiveled towards Ayumu, fixing him with questioning looks.

Ayumu chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "This may well be a sort of tit for tat, with me making contact with Neo, and establishing the identity of Ms. Fall and her cohorts, but not telling them right away."

"Yeah, I could see them doing that," said Gin with a wry chuckle. "It's less of a scolding, and more of a reminder that that kind of thing works both ways. We keep things from them, they keep things from us."

Blake frowned, reminded of her discussion with Ozpin, after the battle against Roman's Paladin. She had been bothered by the continuous notion that they had been skirting a dangerous line by not telling Ozpin about Neo. But that was the past. They couldn't take it back now.

Ruby noticed that Ayumu looked more relaxed. That strain on his smile was absent, and he hadn't been reluctant to mention Neo, albeit at a subdued volume, to keep eavesdroppers from hearing them. "Have you heard from Neo?" she asked him softly.

"In fact, I have," said Ayumu. "Our suspicions appear to be correct. Ms. Fall _did_ have her performing reconnaissance."

"Where?" asked Ruby.

"The hospital, apparently," said Ayumu. "Specifically, Neo was asked to study the approaches to the ambulance docks."

"They want to intercept an ambulance?" asked Ren.

"More likely, they want to steal one," said Gin. "Considering what we know about them already, including Emerald's Semblance, we're starting to get a clearer picture of what they're planning."

"What do you mean?" asked Yang.

"We suspect that Ms. Sustrai will use her Semblance to interfere in her teammate's match," said Ayumu, "most likely by affecting the perception of Mr. Black's opponent."

"So that he can win easier?" asked Nora.

Ayumu shook his head. "No. If anything, I suspect that Mr. Black will throw the match."

"Huh? Why would they do that?" Jaune wanted to know.

"We have to remember that, to them, the tournament is a means to an end," Gin pointed out. "Winning it is probably _not_ their objective."

Ayumu nodded. "Our working theory right now, is that Ms. Sustrai will use her Semblance to goad Mr. Black's opponent into indulging in...unsportsmanlike...behavior, something that will incite negative feelings in the audience, particularly since such behavior will be taking place on so grand a stage."

"That makes sense," said Ruby, nodding. "But we don't know when it will happen."

"Considering Ms. Fall's disposition, and the fact that Master Yu has been prodding her into focusing her animosity towards us, I suspect that it will be one of us that she tries to use this trick on," explained Ayumu. "If Mr. Black is matched against either of us, I think it's safe to say that that will be when they put their plan into action."

"So...what do they need an ambulance for?" asked Yang.

"I have an idea..." said Ayumu.

"What can we do to prepare for it?" asked Gin.

"Ruby and I can focus on refining our _Shingan_ as much as possible," said Ayumu. "If she's at all available over the weekend, then Neo might be able to help with that. Her ability is not a perfect parallel to Ms. Sustrai's, of course, but it should allow us to grow more accustomed to dealing with interference to our senses."

"Works for me," said Ruby. "Is Neo doing all right?"

Ayumu nodded. "They kept her working through the night. She texted me from our room, saying she needed to sleep before meeting with us."

Ruby winced at the idea of being forced to pull an all-nighter, particularly at the behest of people she detested. She didn't envy Neo's position, that was for sure. But at least Ayumu had given Neo a way out of her predicament, and Neo's actions were serving to undermine the same people threatening her. "So Cinder doesn't suspect anything?"

"Not yet, it would seem," said Ayumu. "We have to keep in mind that she, and her other allies, should not be underestimated. Even if we don't _think_ they've worked anything out yet, we should continue to consider it a very real possibility."

The others nodded.

"So...should we have any plans for the weekend?" asked Jaune. "If Ozpin's people are planning on moving against the White Fang, shouldn't we...I don't know...help them?"

"Them not telling us about it directly was probably their way of telling us to stay out of it," said Ren. "We should keep up appearances, by focusing on the tournament and the festival. Let's leave the White Fang to the adults for now."

Blake wasn't completely happy with the idea, but held her tongue. After all, she had been the one who'd stressed how much they had on their plate, so she couldn't exactly object because someone else had taken on one of those things, even if it was one of the matters she had wanted to deal with personally.

"But what would the White Fang be doing?" Yang wanted to know. "What's their part in all of this."

"Sowing chaos, probably," said Blake, her ears twitching irritably beneath her bow. "They're pretty well situated to be a contingency too."

"Meaning...?" pressed Nora.

"Meaning that, even if Cinder's plans for the tournament don't raise the necessary amount of negativity, she can still call in the White Fang," said Gin. "After all, incite a few terrorist attacks during the festival, and they'll have all the negativity they could want."

"Why bother with the tournament at all then?" wondered Ruby. "They went through the trouble of infiltrating as visiting students, and fighting their way through the earlier rounds. If they have a bunch of vicious terrorists at their beck and call, why bother with all of that."

"Probably because the White Fang have a different intended purpose," said Ayumu. "If we assume Ms. Fall's plan is to orchestrate a Grimm attack, leaving out the existence of Master Yu's Grimm for now, then that would occupy the majority of Huntsmen, and the Kingdom's military. If, then, the White Fang were to attack a different target, said target would probably lightly defended, due to the main crisis."

"After all, whatever their means, we know what the enemy's ultimate endgame is," said Gin.

"Amber," Ruby whispered softly.

That was what this all came down to. Bringing down Vale and Beacon were ultimately means to an end, that end was Cinder obtaining the remaining portion of the Fall Maiden's power, the key to the Relic hidden at Beacon.

"But they don't know where she is yet," Jaune pointed out.

"They don't know her current condition either," Ren pointed out. "As far as they know, Amber is still immobile and comatose, due to the damage done by Cinder syphoning away a portion of her power."

"Assuming they have some idea of what Professor Ozpin was trying to do, they probably think that he's still looking at candidates to receive her magic," added Blake.

"So...Cinder's plan works, everything goes to Hell in a hand-basket, and then...what?" asked Yang.

"Well, if we're operating under the idea that Amber is still comatose, and Ozpin's priority is finding someone to transfer her powers to, then..." Gin frowned. "If the Kingdom is under threat, then Ozpin might become desperate and summon his primary candidate to go through with the transfer, so that she can use the Maiden's power to help quell the chaos."

"Oh..." said Ruby softly. She thought about it a bit more. "Oh!"

"What?" asked Jaune, everyone looking at Ruby.

"That's the _real_ reason they went through the trouble of infiltrating," said Ruby. "It's not just about being able to disrupt the tournament. They wanted to get a good look at Beacon's students."

"Because the Beacon students are basically a short-list for the potential Maiden candidates," said Gin, catching onto Ruby's line of thought. "So they infiltrated to get a closer look, and screen the girls here, and figure out who Ozpin's primary candidate would be."

"That makes sense," said Yang. "But...it would have obviously been Pyrrha, before...you know." She waved her hand dismissively. "But did they figure out that I was their number-two choice?"

"Hard to say," said Gin with a shrug. "Because of our connections with Master Yu, they've kept their distance from us. It's hard to tell if they've been observing us in particular, and if it's because they suspect that one of you girls is Ozpin's candidate, or because they're just planning to take us out."

"Probably some of both," said Ayumu.

"So...what's the plan for the weekend then?" asked Nora.

"Enjoy the festival, I guess," said Jaune.

"Ruby and I will do additional training," said Ayumu. "As tournament finalists, it would be expected for us to prepare ourselves for the upcoming matches. It also serves as a good opportunity for us to coordinate with Neo, and get her help, assuming they don't have more work for her."

"If they do?" asked Ruby.

"Then we just focus on refining our _Shingan_ as much as possible," said Ayumu. "I didn't have much difficulty penetrating Ms. Sustrai's hallucination before, so she would be cautious about using it against me. I suspect that you will be the focus of Ms. Fall's plan anyway, Ruby."

"Because of the controversy?" Ruby asked.

Ayumu nodded. "On top of being a severe thorn in their side, you're also an ideal target of opportunity. Of all the tournament participants, you've attracted the most individual attention, for reasons not related to the tournament itself.

"First, there was your dramatic return from the dead, then the implication of Ms. Schnee and Ms. Nikos in the attempt on your life. Your presence is a source of a great deal of contention amongst the student body. You were attacked by a rogue gunman last week. Then, last weekend, you attracted speculation that you were having an affair with the current heir of the Schnee Dust Company.

"Consequently, assuming their plan is going in the direction I think it is, tricking you into performing a dishonorable act would have the greatest effect. The controversy around you would magnify the resulting negativity a good bit more than any other target, and would give Ms. Fall the biggest return on her investment."

"That...makes sense," said Ruby, swallowing nervously. She'd thought that knowing what was coming would make it easier. But she realized that it only put more pressure on her to succeed. If she fell for Cinder's trap, which she admitted to herself was still completely possible, then the resulting backlash could spell disaster for Vale.

A cool hand slid over her own. "Don't dwell on it," said Gin softly. "Just do what you do best. Remember, your _Shingan_ works best when you don't tense up. Relax and allow your senses to feed into your awareness, and I can guarantee that any trick they try will fall flat."

"Okay," said Ruby, leaning her head onto Gin's shoulder.

"Well, if that's the case, then there's only one thing we should do this weekend," said Yang.

"Oh? What's that?" asked Jaune.

"Party!" cheered Yang, pumping a fist in the air.

"Yeah!" agreed Nora reflexively, just as enthusiastically as well. Then she froze and blinked a few times. "Wait...what are we partying for?"

"We're partying 'cause both of our teams made it to the finals," said Yang. "Don't you get it? This is huge! We'd have to be total sticks in the mud _not_ to party."

"Um...Is that a good idea?" wondered Jaune. "I mean with everything-"

"If anything, that's the point," said Gin. "We're supposed to act like we don't know a thing about what's coming. It's normal for us to celebrate, so it _would_ throw off the bad guys' suspicions if we do."

"Oh...that makes sense," said Jaune nodding to himself.

"Yeah... _and_ that," said Yang, jokingly inflecting it to imply that she'd just wanted to party.

"Well, I guess we should get a good night's sleep then," said Blake. "We'll want to have the energy to enjoy ourselves tomorrow."

Yang's grin widened and took on an almost malicious air. "I don't think so."

"Huh?" Blake snapped her head around to stare at Yang in confusion.

"You're not getting any sleep tonight, Blake," said Yang in a teasing tone that bordered on sultry. "The matches are over. We don't have anything to worry about tomorrow. And, most importantly of all, the night is young. Party time starts now!"

"Oh yeah!" agreed Nora, her grin matching Yang's almost perfectly.

Blake shared a strained look with Ren. "I regret this plan already," she said.

"There's no stopping them now," Ren replied in a resigned tone.

"Well, we do need to keep up our cover," said Jaune with a smirk, taking some small amount of amusement in the unease of the more taciturn members of their group.

"I regret this already," repeated Blake.

Ayumu cheerfully raised a hand. "It it's all right, I'll opt out. I intend to do training tomorrow, so I really _do_ need to get to bed early." Translation, _"I'm going back to the dorm room to spend time with Neo, and keep her company._

Yang huffed. "Fine, but don't think we'll let you spend the whole weekend on a training binge."

"I'm sure you won't," said Ayumu with a laugh, already excusing himself from the table.

Ruby opened her mouth, but Yang silenced her immediately with an intense look. "Oh no you don't," she said. "Ayumu might be off the hook, but you and your boyfriend are coming out with us tonight."

Ruby laughed sheepishly, sharing a nervous glance with Gin. Ruby was all too familiar with Yang's idea of a good time. She just hoped that this night out on the town wouldn't leave them completely worn out the next morning.

* * *

 _Yeah...we're gonna be miserable in the morning,_ thought Ruby, the reverberating beat of the club thrumming through her, all the way down to the bones. Ruby remembered this club well enough. This was the place Yang had torn up, a few months before their entry into Beacon. She even remembered the owner, the poor guy Yang had blown through a window. The moment Yang had entered the club, at the head of their little group, the man's face had turned white. The black-suited bouncers...who Ruby thought looked pretty familiar, all tensed, hands going to weapons. And then there were the two girls hanging out near the back, both of them watching Yang with an animosity that bordered on outright hatred.

"Yang, I'm not sure about this," said Ruby plaintively. "Do you really have to pick the place you wrecked before?"

"Yep," said Yang, giving Ruby a cheeky grin, and a wink. "Don't worry, we're on friendlier terms with these guys now...Right, Jaune?"

Jaune sighed and gave Ruby a resigned look. "I guess so," he said. "But that's not exactly saying much."

"Define _friendlier_ ," Ruby instructed him.

Jaune's smile took on a crooked quality. "They weren't pointing all their guns at us the moment we came in the door."

"Yaaaaaaang!" Ruby wailed, turning back to her big sister.

"Hey, I'll behave, honest," said Yang.

"We really can't afford to cause a scene," said Ren, eyeing Yang with a strict look.

"I'm not as sharp as Ruby and Gin, but even I can tell that this place is set to blow," added Blake, glowering at Yang.

"Hey, come on...!" protested Yang, holding up her hands in a placating gesture.

"Aww, what's the problem?" asked Nora, grinning eagerly, while taking in the sight of the flashing strobe lights, which illuminated the dance floor. "This place is totally happening! I dig it!"

Ren sighed.

"Well, we're here now, might as well make the most of it," said Ruby, before glaring sidelong at Yang. "But no alcohol for you."

"Wha-...but-" Yang protested.

"No," said Ruby firmly, throwing her most authoritative glare at Yang. "I don't need you getting drunk and...smashy."

"I'm not smashy," protested Yang, almost on reflex.

Everyone in their party gave her a long look.

"Okay...I'm pretty smashy," Yang admitted with a defeated sigh.

"And you're _extra_ smashy when you're drunk," added Ruby.

"In her defense, only when she's provoked," said Jaune.

"No lacking for potential provocation here," said Blake.

"Awwww..." groaned Yang.

"You want to drink, take us to a place you didn't almost demolish," chided Ruby.

At this point, seeing the group get on Yang's case (with the exception of Nora, who'd already almost completely lost interest in the conversation) had apparently caused the staff to relax a little. Jaune caught the eye of Junior, at the bar, and traded a small smile with him. That appeared to reassure the burly man, and he relaxed even more, before glancing at the Malachite twins, who hovered at the back of the room. Junior nodded at them, and the girls moved on, though they continued to flick their glances back to Yang.

Gin stepped up beside Ruby as the group began to disperse, Nora already dragging Ren out onto the dance floor. "See the twins?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Ruby. She'd noticed them immediately, particularly the intense hostility they directed at Yang. Given the impressive balance of their postures, their enhanced state of readiness, she pegged them as the primary enforcers in the club, which meant that they had probably taken the brunt of Yang's efforts the last time she'd gotten rowdy. She could tell that they hadn't quite forgiven her for that. "You think they'll cause trouble?"

"Maybe," said Gin. "I doubt they'll start anything on their own. But they might try to provoke someone, Yang in particular."

Ruby nodded, resolving to keep at least some of her attention on the twins, who were now making a slow sweep of the club, passing along the perimeter. Their look, showy dresses and makeup, was probably calculated to get people to dismiss them as mere eye candy. Amidst the gaudy appearance of their outfits, the average observer might not immediately notice the retractable claws attached to the red twin's bracelets, or the fact that the blue twin was wearing stiletto heels...in the literal sense. Their presence was several steps above the rest of the bouncers. In terms of sheer fighting ability, Ruby put them near Torchwick's level.

"Well, in a sense, this is good training," noted Gin with a chuckle, looking around.

"Yeah, it is," agreed Ruby.

Between the constant throbbing of the speakers, blasting music out at a volume that couldn't be healthy for anyone exposed to it in the long term; the constant flashing lights from strobes, lasers, pillars, and the dance floor itself; the mingling smells of cologne, perfume, sweat, and countless other scents; the club's interior was a concerted assault on the senses, bombarding them with stimulation. With the _Shingan_ , Ruby and Gin were exposed to the full extent of all the ambient interference generated by the environment. Filtering through all of that, picking out the presences of individual people, and deciphering their intentions was a challenge.

"Well, we're here," said Ruby. "Might as well have some fun."

"Sounds like as good a plan as any," said Gin.

"Come on!" said Ruby, pulling him onto the dance floor, shouting to be heard over the music. "Finally, a chance to dance without those stupid lady stilts!"

Gin chuckled and squeezed her hand, allowing himself to be led along.

* * *

"Sorry about this," said Jaune, settling at the bar.

"I can understand," said Junior, giving him a relaxed smile. "That girl of yours is a force of nature, isn't she?"

"Yep," agreed Jaune.

"What'll you have?"

"Whatever you recommend," said Jaune. "Just...nothing too strong. In this situation, I'm pretty much Yang's chaperone."

"Hey!" protested Yang, coming up behind Jaune and glaring at him. "Since when are you the chaperone-And why do _you_ get to drink?"

"Because I'm a responsible adult," replied Jaune cheekily, accepting the short glass Junior slid into his hand and sipping it slowly. The dark-amber liquid within swirled around a large ice sphere. He had to resist the urge to cough, as the liquid slid down his throat. He gave Junior a raised eyebrow.

"It's cask-strength whiskey," explained Junior. "Drink it slow. If you let the ice melt, it dilutes it, and the flavor changes."

"Ah," said Jaune. Technically, this was still a pretty strong drink, but one he could nurse over an extended period of time.

Glancing over at Yang, his heart shuddered reflexively at the plaintive look on her face. Ruby was the undisputed master of the Puppy-Dog Stare. But Yang could manage a close second, when she wanted.

Jaune sighed in defeat. "I'll let you have one, _if_ you promise to behave yourself," he said. He supposed he shouldn't have been overriding Ruby like this, but he had faith in Yang's self restraint. He was going to only have the one drink anyway. So long as Yang only had one too, there shouldn't have been much trouble.

"So...any particular reason you're here?" asked Junior, filling a glass for Yang, who, exercising considerable restraint for once, took a single sip.

"This was Yang's idea," said Jaune. "She wanted to tear up the town. The rest of us came along to make sure she doesn't make the phrase literal."

"Geez," groused Yang, pouting cutely at him.

"Sorry, Yang. You're not nearly as good as Ruby at that." Jaune chuckled at her disappointment, and took another small sip from his glass.

"So, not looking for info this time?" asked Junior.

"Not this time," said Jaune.

"We're just here to have a good time," said Yang, grinning at him.

"Well, that I can get behind," said Junior. "It's just as well. If you're nosing around about the White Fang, there isn't anything I could give you."

Jaune and Yang traded a look. That was actually a pretty big tidbit of information in and of itself. It certainly matched all the other intelligence they'd gotten about the terrorist group going completely silent. "So...nothing at all, huh?"

Junior shook his head, wiping a cloth along the bar. "Not a whisper. It's unnerving, really. With what's going on, the Vytal Festival and all, if a terrorist group wanted to make a splash, this would be the when and where for it."

"Well, it would certainly get their message out," noted Yang.

Junior frowned. "It would do a good bit more than that," he said. "Pulling off a major attack, when the eyes of the world are on Vale, in spite of all the enhanced security, would be a pretty big feather in their cap. They get to make a Kingdom, a major world power, look weak in front of all the other Kingdoms. They get to disrupt an international event, in front of a worldwide audience. With all the other Kingdoms involved, the execution would shake out into a pretty big, complicated mess that could hinder any proper response to their actions. Pulling a stunt like that would check quite a few boxes for them.

"I could see them being hesitant to act, after that last big attack they were planning for got thwarted. They took a serious hit, lost a bunch of their people, and blew all the resources they invested into that. I can see them holding off on the robberies and rallies. But the way they've gone completely off the radar, when even my people on the street can't pick up a whisper of anything they might be planning...that makes me nervous."

Yang and Jaune traded another glance. For "no information," they were getting quite a lot of info...and for free at that. Granted, much of this was information they already had. But it was another level of confirmation, cementing the suspicion that the White Fang were up to something. Whatever that something was, it was probably going to be as big as they could make it. But they didn't want any mistakes this time; no leaked intel, no overheard conversations. If RUBY and JNAR weren't part of Ozpin's circle, and didn't have Neo, they'd be completely blind to what was coming.

Junior sighed. "You're good kids," he said, which was surprising, considering his history with Yang, "and I talk way too much. Enjoy your drinks." With that, he wandered off to see to another customer.

"Well, that was interesting," said Jaune, looking at Yang.

"Yeah," said Yang. She took another sip of her drink. "Kinda puts a damper on things though."

"Well, the best thing to do is act as though we don't suspect a thing," replied Jaune, taking another sip of his own drink, gratifyingly surprised that Junior's advice about allowing the ice to melt was indeed producing a new range of flavors.

"Better enjoy our drinks then," said Yang, giving Jaune a sly smile.

"Take your time," Jaune advised. "It's the only one you're getting tonight."

"Awww!"

* * *

Ruby and Gin stepped off the dance floor. Ruby's face was slick with sweat. It wasn't necessarily the exertion of dancing, if she could even call what they'd just done dancing. The air on the dance floor was hot and humid, the combination of lights, action, and the countless warm bodies around them making it considerably warmer than any other spot in the club. After a couple of songs, they'd had enough for a while, particularly since the kind of dancing that appeared to be the norm for this place was a bit more awkward than what they might have usually considered dancing.

They headed for a booth, one of several that lined the perimeter of the club. Ruby settled onto the soft cushions with a sigh. "Well, that was...fun," she said.

"It was," agreed Gin, who seemed to enjoy himself more. Ruby wasn't surprised. Gin's Semblance had the side-benefit of making him a walking evaporative cooler. His ability to regulate his temperature in warm environments was unmatched, one of the reasons she enjoyed his touch so much. "Hang out here for a little bit. I'll go see what a place like this has to eat."

Ruby nodded. "I wouldn't say no to a non-alcoholic strawberry sunrise," she added.

"I'll see what I can scrounge up," Gin promised her, before heading off towards the bar.

Ruby watched him go with a fond smile. Then she picked up on a pair of familiar presences approaching her table. She turned to see Flynt and Neon, her and Yang's former-opponents, walking up. "Hi," she said, keeping her tone carefully neutral. Flynt seemed a tad uncomfortable, though that seemed to have more to do with the setting than her. Neon's Aura, on the other hand, swirled with a complicated jumble of emotions that were difficult to decipher.

"Hey," said Flynt with an easy grin. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Yeah, not really my kind of place," said Ruby. "But Yang insisted, so here I am."

"Kinda the same here," said Flynt. "I prefer a place with a swinging jazz band, myself. But I promised Neon to take her where she wanted...so here I am."

Ruby giggled at the mirroring of her statement. Then she looked at Neon. "Are you okay? You seem...I don't know...troubled?"

Neon and Flynt took seats across the table from her, sliding into the both, Neon's movements stiff and uncomfortable, completely bellying the chipper personality she normally exhibited, when not spilling over with irrational anger at Ruby's association with a dragon-faunus.

Neon folded her hands, hunched her shoulders, and averted her eyes downwards, staring pointedly at the table. "Yeah...uh...I kinda am. I...I was a jerk to you, both before and after the match. I said things I shouldn't have. I'm...I'm really sorry."

Ruby focused her senses on Neon a bit more carefully. Neon's sentiments seemed genuine. But there was still a confusing morass of emotions to sort through.

"It's all right," she said, her nonchalant response surprising Neon, though not Flynt.

"Y-you're okay with it?" asked Neon.

"Yeah," said Ruby. "I mean, you aren't the first person to say things like that about me, because of Gin. I've had plenty of humans say something like that, just because I'm dating a faunus. You were the most direct one though."

"Th-that doesn't make it all right," said Neon weakly.

"Well...like I told Flynt, dragon-faunus are special," said Ruby. "I have faunus friends at Beacon, and they've reacted similarly, once they learned Gin was a dragon. Even Ayumu, who's basically Gin's brother by now, went through that at first, though he got over it pretty quick, thanks to his training."

"I don't understand," said Neon.

Ruby laid out the current theory about faunus reactions being akin to a phobia. She related Blake's struggles to learn how to cope with Gin through a form of exposure therapy, while being careful to keep Blake's name out of it, and limit the clues to her identity. Wrapped up as she was in her confusion, Neon didn't notice any of the deliberate ambiguities, thankfully enough.

"So...it's not my fault?" asked Neon.

"Well...in the sense that it's not fair to blame you for not being able to deal with a fear you've never experienced before," said Ruby. "Dragon-faunus are rare. Gin is one of the only three that we know of that have appeared in the last eighty years. It would be hard to deal with something like that without some serious effort. Of all the faunus I know about, only one's ever managed to get used to Gin very quickly."

"Well, that explains a lot," said Flynt. "Still, it's gotta suck to take flack for something that's out of your hands."

Ruby smiled. "Well, I have Gin, and that's all that matters. We don't really care what others say. We know how we feel."

At the edge of her senses, she felt something that caught her attention. The demeanor of the Malachite twins had abruptly shifted. Their steady, sweeping gazes had been replaced with a narrowed, laser-like focus, bringing to mind a predator singling out a single prey item from the herd. Briefly, Ruby wondered if they had spotted a threat, but didn't sense any alarm from them. Instead, there was a sly, calculating malice. They'd found a target for their attentions. Carefully, Ruby traced the line of their intent to find their target. _Oh...This should be fun._

Outwardly, she gave no indicator that she'd noticed anything going on beyond her conversation with Flynt and Neon.

"But what was with that attack you used?" Neon was asking. "I could'a sworn your scythe was in multiple places at once."

"It sorta was," Ruby replied.

"Neon was gonna report it to the committee, and accuse you of cheating," Flynt said, ignoring Neon's glare. "I managed to talk her down."

"Thanks," said Ruby, not too affronted by the news. The accusation was another offshoot of Neon's reflexive fear. Ruby's unknown technique had been a convenient outlet for it. She shot an encouraging smile at Neon. "It's okay. I understand."

"But what was that?" exclaimed Neon. "I've never seen anything like it!"

"It's a secret," replied Ruby with a giggle, drawing an amused smirk from Flynt and frustrated consternation from Neon. "Don't worry, I will explain it, but after the tournament is over."

"Your secret weapon, right?" said Flynt.

"Kinda," said Ruby. "The thing is, I'm saving the explanation for something...bigger."

"Bigger?" That got raised eyebrows from the both of them.

"Yeah," said Ruby. She focused her eyes on Neon. "What's it like, being a faunus at Atlas Academy?"

"Uh..." Neon balked at the sudden change of topics. "It's...not too bad. Ironwood's always cracked down on discriminatory behavior. Some of the human students will do stuff, if they think they won't get caught. We're encouraged to report teachers and staff who do or say anything racist."

"That sounds good," said Ruby.

"Well, it's not ideal," said Flynt. "Like Neon said, there are idiots who'll pull whatever crap that they think they can get away with. We may be student Huntsmen and Huntresses, but, sometimes, we're still a bunch of kids, so you can figure how someone who snitches gets treated."

Ruby nodded. "And what about Atlas as a whole?"

"Well...not good," said Neon, slumping. "Atlas Academy isn't bad. But Atlas itself isn't kind to faunus. A lot of them live in the Old Kingdom. That's where I come from."

"And I'll bet a ton of them work for the SDC," said Ruby.

Neon and Flynt both nodded.

"Have you ever been in an SDC company town?" asked Ruby.

They both shook their heads.

"Neither have I," Ruby admitted. "But my friend, Ayumu, was _born_ in an SDC mining town. He's told me about the terrible things that they do there."

"That's the guy on Team January, right?" asked Flynt, while Neon gasped in horror beside him.

Ruby nodded. "Ayumu ran away. He got lucky. Technically he's still wanted, 'cause of his debt. While he's at Beacon, he's safe. But, if he were to lose his place here, the only place he'd be safe at is Menagerie."

"Sounds like a raw deal," said Flynt, Neon nodding her agreement.

"Yeah," said Ruby. "But, believe it or not, changing that sort of thing is why I can't tell you about my technique yet."

"I don't get it," said Neon.

"I think I do," said Flynt, his eyes narrowing slightly, behind the shades, identical in shape to the ones Yang had broken in their match. "It has something to do with Dust, doesn't it? Whatever your big secret is, it's gonna take a chunk outta the value of it, something that'll knock the SDC's standing down a peg or two."

"Pretty much," said Ruby.

"I don't understand," said Neon. "How does a fighting technique do that."

"You'll just have to wait and see," said Ruby. "Hopefully it'll work out."

"Well, it's definitely something to watch for," said Flynt. He glanced to the side. "Speaking of things to watch out for, your boyfriend looks like he's in a bit of trouble."

Ruby didn't dispute it. She'd noticed that the Malachite twins had zeroed in on Gin, and had approached him with all the poise of tigers stalking prey through the underbrush, their movements careful and measured. They were trying to keep up the appearance of still being on a casual sweep of the club, but had altered their course to intercept Gin's own, as he finished talking to one of the bartenders and turned to head back towards the table. The two provocatively-dressed girls intercepted Gin in a manner calculated to give the impression that they'd bumped into him on accident, though Ruby, and Gin, knew that couldn't be further from the truth. Gin had sensed their attention as well, but played ignorant as the girls made their move.

Right now, they were circling him, slow smooth movements, impeding Gin's progress back towards the table, forcing him to stop, lest he bump into one girl or the other, flashing him sultry glances, while showing off tantalizing flashes of leg with each, strutting step. From this distance, particularly with all the extra noise produced by the club, Ruby couldn't pick out what the girls were saying, but gleaned enough simply by their manner.

"You don't seem too worried," noted Flynt.

Ruby flashed him a smirk. "If my boyfriend can trust me on a dinner date with Whitley Schnee, I can trust him to handle a couple of flirty girls."

That was partially true. At the same time, she got a definite vibe of awkwardness from Gin. The poor boy was _not_ used to being flirted with, Ruby being the only one who'd ever actually done it with him. Still, she knew she could trust his loyalty. Gin might not be having an easy time of it, but he was turning down the girls' advances as succinctly as he could, though that only seemed to encourage them to redouble their efforts.

And, all the while, the real purpose of the Malachite twins' plan was coming into effect. Over at the bar were Jaune and Yang, with a clear view of what was happening. After all, where Gin had approached the bar to order something for himself and Ruby had been close enough that Yang and Jaune would have noticed him easily. Now they saw him being circled by a pair of girls, with whom Yang had some bad history, with less than honorable intentions. They also saw Gin struggling to send them on their way, and Yang's frustration was building.

That had been the twins' intention from the beginning. They wanted to get back at Yang. The obvious approach would have been for them to go after Jaune, aggressively flirt with him, and goad Yang into attacking. But that was too obvious. Even the girls wanted trouble, their boss _didn't_. He'd see straight through their intentions, and probably let Yang do what she pleased with them in response, rather than run the risk of touching off another fight that could wreck his club again. So instead, the girls had gone after someone they'd noticed that was loosely associated with Yang, having arrived in the same group as her, but a target that Junior wouldn't pick up on right away.

Ruby could also tell that the girls were paying attention to Yang's reactions, without looking at her directly. Even as they flirted aggressively with Gin, their real attention was on Yang. Gin had noticed too, Ruby realized. His manner had shifted, and now he looked more bored than anything else. He calmly shouldered his way past the two girls with a dull remark, and headed towards the table at a determined pace. The girls were left staring after him, apparently shocked that he'd brushed them off like that...shocked...and impressed. Perhaps because of that, Ruby sensed the spark of genuine attraction flaring up within them.

Catching their eyes, Ruby met their jealous gaze with a smirk. _Sorry, girls. He's mine._

"Have fun?" asked Ruby, as Gin returned to settle into the seat next to her. "You didn't bring your new friends with you."

"I'm not really interested in people who flirt with me for the sole purpose of trying to piss someone else off," said Gin with an annoyed sigh.

"It seemed a bit more touch and go to me at first," Ruby teased him. "Don't tell me that pretty girls paying you attention makes you nervous and throws you off your game."

Gin blushed furiously. "Well, when the girl in question isn't you...yeah, it kinda does."

Ruby giggled. "So I'm not pretty enough to throw you off your game?" she asked, fluttering her eyelashes.

"You're more than pretty enough," Gin assured her, with a wry smirk. "But, _because_ it's you, that just puts me on my game." He leaned in and stole a kiss from her lips.

"Flatterer," Ruby retorted, darting in to steal a kiss back.

"Well, this sure is a sweet little moment," said an amused Flynt from across him.

Now Ruby was blushing, realizing that she and Gin had just had one of their moments in front of the other pair. Flynt was simply smirking, while he watched the couple. On the other hand, Neon was showing some clear discomfort, shifting uneasily in her seat, her throat bobbing, and her face fighting to keep from twisting into a grimace at the thought of being in such close proximity to a dragon-faunus. Ruby figured that Gin bringing out his scales now would either cause her to bolt, or lunge over the table at him.

"Hi," said Gin simply offering the other pair a lame wave. "I noticed you come up after I left. If you two wanted to hang here, I ordered enough food for all of us."

"I guess that's up to my partner," said Flynt, gently elbowing Neon.

"I...uh...um..." Neon's eyes darted between Gin and Ruby. Despite having seen Gin with Ruby earlier, it seemed apparent that she hadn't considered the possibility of being seated at the table, while Gin was actually there in person. She had no idea what to do.

Then Ruby got an idea. Glancing sidelong at Gin, she gently inclined her head towards him, urging him to get up, so that she could slide out of her seat, and move across to the other side of the table. Sitting next to Neon, Ruby started to gently rub her arm. "It's okay," she said. "Just breathe."

Neon did that, trying her hardest to keep from breathing too fast, and hyperventilating. Ruby kept the gentle contact. "You want to try what my friend did?" she asked.

"What?" gasped Neon, throwing Ruby a panicked look.

"It'll be okay," Ruby assured her gently. "The fear won't go away right away, but you'll feel a little better, once you get used to it a little."

"O-okay," said Neon uneasily.

Ruby looked across at Gin and nodded.

Slowly, deliberately, Gin raised his right arm. Scales crawled up his fingers, the overlapping scutes settling into place across the upper surface of his forearm. He kept his claws sheathed, of course. But Neon's reaction to just the scales was visceral enough. The sight of them nearly sent her leaping out of the booth. But Ruby kept her in place with a firm arm around her shoulders, continuing to gently rub the bare skin of her arm. Neon was shaking like a leaf, her face having lost nearly all of its color, her eyes focused intently on the hand that Gin now slid out to the middle of the table, his finger tips resting lightly against the wood surface.

"N-n-n-n-n-now wh-what?" stammered Neon, barely able to force words out from between her lips.

Flynt was watching with an expression that was equal parts worried and interested. Neon's fear was obviously bothering him. But, at the same time, he was genuinely curious about what Ruby was trying to do.

"Now...touch him," said Ruby, nodding towards the arm Gin had extended. "You'll see. It's nothing to be afraid of."

That was a bit of a falsehood, as a simple flex of Gin's fingers could unsheathe claws that could rip easily through steel. Gin's arms were weapons as formidable and deadly as anything an actual Huntsman might forge for himself. But that was also completely separate from the innate fear and revulsion Neon was experiencing.

"I-I can't t-touch that!" exclaimed Neon, mentally and physically recoiling from the idea, pressing her back against her seat even harder, as though trying to push herself right through it.

"You can," Ruby assured her. "Trust me. There's nothing wrong with it." Reaching out herself, she brushed her fingers over the back of Gin's hand, trailing them slowly up his arm, feeling the ridges of his scutes, reaching all the way up to his elbow, moving slowly to show she wasn't afraid of the contact. In fact, she enjoyed the feeling of the cool surface of Gin's scales, smooth individually, but forming a pleasant texture together.

"Can I?" asked Flynt carefully.

"Sure," said Gin, without hesitation.

Flynt leaned forward and traced his own fingers up Gin's scales. "Feels...cooler than I expected," he admitted.

"I have a lower body temperature than most people," Gin replied.

"You ready to try?" Ruby asked, looking at Neon.

Neon swallowed again, then shakily nodded. She raised a trembling hand. Ruby, using the gentlest of pressures, guided Neon's fingers towards Gin's arm. Gin remained perfectly still, doing nothing that would pressure or frighten her. Slowly, Neon pressed the tips of her fingers, ever so lightly, to the back of Gin's hand. At that moment, her trembling reached its peak. For a second, Ruby was worried that Neon would pass out. But then, Neon pressed down a little harder, slowly rubbing her fingers against the smaller scales that covered the back of Gin's hand. Then, following the path Ruby's own fingers had traveled, Neon's own digits slowly navigated their way up Gin's arm.

Neon was enraptured, completely focused on the feeling and texture of Gin's scales. "It...It feels so different," she said softly. "I thought they'd be slimy."

Ruby was reminded of how she'd thought snakes were slimy, until her elementary science teacher had brought one to class, and allowed the students to touch it. Now Neon appeared to be going through the same experience. Removing her hands from Neon's arm, Ruby was content to sit back and watch. It was slow at first, but Neon appeared to be gradually acclimating to Gin's scales, her tremors receding. Her breaths were still shallow, but Neon no longer seemed on the verge of panicking.

"Better, isn't it?" asked Ruby softly.

"I-it is," said Neon, a small smile appearing on her face. Finally, she pulled her fingers away from Gin's scales, and she leaned back with a tired sigh.

Gin's scales sank back beneath his skin, and he pulled his arm off the table. "Well, it's a start," he said.

Ruby merely smiled at Neon. "I think it's a fair bit better than that," she said.

* * *

 **Cute friendship bonding moment for the win. Writing the part where the others get on Yang's case for bringing them to Junior's was one of my favorite parts of this chapter. Writing scenes involving drinking are a bit tough for me, since I don't do any drinking myself, so I turn to ye-olde source of information on topics I have zero experience in...the internet. But that probably isn't too much of a surprise for anyone.**


	102. Chapter 102

**Chapter 102:**

Ruby had to admit that Yang's idea had been a good one, in the end. Even if she and Gin never went out on the dance floor again, they spent an enjoyable time talking with Neon and Flynt, learning a bit more about what things were like in Atlas Academy. Ruby was relieved to learn that the place hadn't completely turned into a military school. Student life was considerably more strict and regimented than it was at Beacon, but not absurdly so. It was one of the reasons FNKI had managed to get away with their relatively relaxed attitudes and nonconformist behavior, without getting expelled.

Over the course of the evening, Ruby was tempted to explain more about her and Ayumu's plan, namely the aspects of manifestation and materialization. But she ultimately decided against it. Neon and Flynt were probably trustworthy people. But, with everything else happening, it was a risk Ruby couldn't afford to take.

After parting with their new friends for the evening, Ruby and Gin decided to round up everyone else, and call it a night. Fortunately, the Malachite twins had not made any additional efforts to cause trouble, while Jaune and Yang had satisfied themselves with one drink each (Ruby deciding to let Yang's lapse slide, just this once), and spent the rest of the time out on the dance floor. Ren was utterly exhausted, having spent the entire time dragged around by Nora, though he seemed to enjoy himself in the end. Blake had apparently found some quiet corner (for a given definition of "quiet") to curl up in, and seemed none the worse for wear.

Tired and worn, the group made their careful way back to Beacon. Ruby noticed some flashes of light from around nearby corners, as well as picking up a couple of attentive presences, and grimaced. It seemed that the paparazzi hadn't completely lost interest in her. The "scandal" involving Whitley appeared to have passed, but Ruby supposed she was going to be an object of attention to the press, simply by virtue of being one of the eight finalists. Hopefully, they didn't concoct some story about a fifteen-year-old girl engaging in underage drinking, or something to that effect. Her experiences with the fallout of a dinner with Whitley had been a potent education in the willingness of certain members of the press to manufacture a scandal for the sake of capitalizing on the drama it would create.

Still, there was nothing she could do about it now. She couldn't control what the press would write, only respond to it as best she could. At best, she hoped that she looked sober enough that no one would assume she'd been drinking, though she knew that tiredness could be mistaken for drunkenness easily enough. If it suited the press to not make the distinction, then they wouldn't. Ruby resolved not to fret over it, instead taking comfort in leaning against Gin as they walked.

Reaching the airship docks without incident, they had no trouble catching a flight, despite the late hour. With the Vytal Festival in full swing, especially on the weekends, the flights were running non-stop. Of course, despite the ongoing festivities, they had no trouble finding seats, as there was relatively little traffic of students between Beacon and Vale at this hour.

The airship settled onto the Beacon docks, allowing Ruby and her friends to disembark. Making their way through the empty, quiet courtyard towards the dorms, Ruby felt a chill shiver, one that had nothing to do with Gin's body temperature, run down her spine. They were being watched.

But it wasn't the press. Whoever it was was far better at hiding their presence than some freelance photographer. Ruby had picked up on it only due to the watcher's interest in her group. This person, if it actually was a person, was fixated on them, yet skilled enough to obscure their specific location to Ruby's _Shingan._

She couldn't get a fix on the person's intentions either. Instead, her awareness brushed up against a strangely alien presence that felt like a human or faunus, yet also rang of something...else. Precisely what, Ruby couldn't say. There was a sense of familiarity to the sensation that she couldn't place. There didn't seem any trace of overt hostility, yet Ruby picked up that this person was possessed of a certain degree of malice, even if it wasn't directed at Ruby, or anyone in her group.

Her friends were all wrapped up in their own conversations, paying little mind to her and Gin. Gin hid his reaction well, but the slight tightening of his hand around her own, and the sudden sharpening of his alertness told Ruby he was aware of their observer as well. "Gin," she whispered softly, leaning her head towards his, the pair looking like nothing more than a couple of sweethearts, exchanging sweet nothings, to even focused observers.

"I feel it," Gin confirmed for her.

"Can you tell where?" she asked.

"Not precisely," Gin whispered. "I've got a general idea of direction, and a vague sense of distance, but nothing exact. Whoever it is, they're good."

Ruby pursed her lips. That was a good bit more than she had. Gin had years on her, when it came to training the _Shingan._ It was only natural that he'd be able to glean more information about their watcher than she would.

"What do we do?" asked Ruby.

"Nothing for now," he whispered back. "Whoever it is doesn't wish us any harm...yet, not that they lack the capacity for it. They're playing 'wait and see.'"

"What are they waiting for?" Ruby wanted to know.

"That _is_ the question," said Gin. His eyes narrowed slightly. "I think whoever it is is waiting for us to come to them?"

"What makes you say that?" asked Ruby.

"They're good enough to obscure their presence to the point that I can't get an exact fix on it," said Gin. "But, at the same time, they're watching us with an intensity that we can't help but notice. They want us to know we're being watched. They're testing our awareness, and...I think they might know about the _Shingan_."

Ruby's fingers clenched around Gin's own in an almost spasmodic reflex. "What does that mean?" she asked.

"I don't know," Gin admitted. "It might mean that this is someone who's had dealings with Master Yu before. Or it might be someone who's developed sufficient awareness to have obtained the _Shingan,_ or something similar to it."

Ruby would have been skeptical. But she'd learned that experienced fighters developed a higher degree of awareness, beyond depending on their eyes. She remembered Gin telling her how Neo had noticed his presence, and almost found him through his _Shingetsu,_ when he'd been scouting out the White Fang encampment beneath Mountain Glenn. Likewise, she knew that this increased awareness was one of the main reasons they'd avoided engaging with Cinder's group. They weren't certain that Cinder and her people wouldn't pick up on the suspicion and scrutiny, so they'd kept their distance, and never tried to watch more than casually.

So it shouldn't have come as a surprise that this person had a similar degree of heightened awareness. Still, the lack of reaction to her and Gin's whispered conversation suggested that their awareness wasn't at the level of the _Shingan_...yet. But there was no way to be absolutely sure.

"What should we do?" asked Ruby.

Gin chewed on the inside of his lip. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "I think this person is interested in me specifically. I'm the focus on their attention. Can't say why, though."

Another example of his greater mastery of the _Shingan_ than her; Ruby knew she shouldn't be jealous. It was just a matter of time and experience. But she was, all the same. The distinction in their observer's awareness, and the focus of their interest was much better concealed than the Malachite twins' had been, back at the club, even as it was more straightforward.

"I think this person wanted us, or at least me, to notice them," Gin extrapolated. "So...maybe we're being baited."

"They want us to investigate?" Ruby pursed her lips. "Is it a trap?"

"Can't say," said Gin. "The lack of malice makes me think not, though."

"So, what then?"

"Let's get back to the dorm first," said Gin. "We'll let the others sleep. I'll go out first, since I seem to be their focus. You follow at a distance, and cover me."

Ruby tipped her head the barest of increments forward, the only sign of a nod she would give. "All right," she said. "Should we tell the others?"

"Then they probably won't let us go out on our own," said Gin. "Even if they would, our observer might pick up on their awareness and retreat. Our other option is ignoring them. They might go away, since they don't seem to have any interest in acting directly."

Ruby shook her head slightly. They couldn't take that chance. With everything that was going on, with Cinder's conspiracy, they couldn't simply allow an unknown like this to go unaddressed. They needed to gather what information they could. Whoever, this mysterious observer was, they were apparently too skilled to be found through normal investigation, which meant that the best approach to learning what they were dealing with was to take the bait, and see who was holding the line at the other end.

Still, given the issues her friends, Blake in particular, were having with not being told the whole picture, Ruby wasn't sure that leaving them out of this was the right choice either. "Okay," she said. "But we tell the others what we find out."

Gin nodded slightly. "Of course."

He and Ruby settled against each other once more, carefully calming themselves down in preparation for what they were up to.

* * *

As it turned out, they didn't need to worry about concealing their plan from their friends, mainly because they'd both underestimated their friends' expanded awareness and observational skills.

"All right, spill," declared Yang authoritatively, giving Gin and Ruby a substantial not-glare, indicating that she wasn't going to tolerate any secrets between them. "You two have been on edge, ever since we got off the airship."

The instant they'd arrived at their rooms, Yang had ushered all seven of them into RUBY's room, only taking a little time for Jaune to check if Ayumu and Neo were awake (they weren't), before shutting the door. Fortunately, the curtains had already been drawn across the window, the group having grown more paranoid, if only because of the prevalence of photographers stalking Ruby lately.

Ruby and Gin shared a resigned look, then sighed in unison. "We were being watched," explained Gin.

That caused the tension within the room to ratchet up. "Is it someone from Cinder's side?" asked Jaune worriedly.

Gin and Ruby shook their heads slowly. "We don't think so," said Ruby. "They don't seem hostile...yet."

"Of course, that's no guarantee of anything," said Gin.

"Their presence felt...strange," added Ruby. "There was something familiar about it. But I'm not sure how."

"Do you think you've met them before?" asked Ren.

Again, Ruby and Gin shook their heads. "No, we'd definitely know, if that was the case," answered Ruby. "There's something...but I can't put my finger on it."

Blake sighed and slumped tiredly. "Great...more complications."

"Can't be helped," said Gin plainly. "This one came to us."

"You're going to investigate, aren't you?" asked Jaune.

Ruby and Gin nodded. "Whoever it is seems interested in me specifically," said Gin. "So I'll go out, and hopefully draw them out. Ruby's going to cover me from a distance."

"And what about us?" asked Nora.

"You wait here," said Ruby. "Pretend to go to bed. I know you don't like it, but you need to leave it to us."

The others exchanged varying looks, ranging from consternation, in Blake's case, to strained resignation, in Jaune's case. Finally, they all nodded in agreement.

"Okay," said Yang, resting a worried hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Just be careful."

Ruby nodded. "We will," she promised.

* * *

The lights in the dorm room went out. A few moments later, the window slid open, and a slight rippling distortion made its way out to the wall, before descending cautiously to the ground, Gin using his claws to create finger-holds in the brickwork. He descended slowly enough to keep from disrupting his concealment, before slowly sliding along the ground. His increased practice with _Shingetsu_ lately was making it easier to hold it, but it was still slow going.

But going slow was fine with him. It gave Ruby time to get into position.

Gin was tracking her with his _Shingan_ , even as he kept his awareness spread out, searching for any sign of their stalker. Ruby had proceeded out through the door, a minute ahead of him, making her way to the roof, where she'd cover him through her rifle's scope. As for their watcher, he felt no sign.

That could mean any number of things. Perhaps their observer had given up and left. Or they were merely more focused on hiding now. The fact that they'd apparently wanted at least Gin to be aware that he was being watched suggested that they might be able to hide their presence to a greater extent to keep him from actually noticing. The final possibility was that they hadn't actually seen Gin leave, and were still watching for signs of his exit from the room. Gin hoped he would find out in a moment.

As soon as he sensed that Ruby was almost in position, mere seconds before she would make her exit through the rooftop door, Gin shed his concealment, the mist peeling away from him, drawing back like a curtain, his body coming into view, standing out in the open, near Beacon's iconic fountain.

Immediately, he felt that attention from before fix on him. There was a sense of a start to it, a sign that his watcher had been caught off-guard. The corners of Gin's mouth twitched upwards slightly, the beginnings of a smirk. The watcher wasn't as observant as they'd feared. More importantly, whoever it was lapsed in their control, and Gin got a more definite idea of their location in that instant.

Gin allowed his eyes to focus on the foliage of a nearby tree, his keen, faunus night-vision picking out a small, dark shape huddling amongst the branches. "Well," he called out, "I'm here. Did you just want to watch, or do you have something to say?"

There was a rustling, and the small figure burst into motion. With a harsh caw, a raven burst out from within the foliage. Gin tracked it with all his senses. A bird it might have been, but it was no ordinary bird. He could tell that it had definitely been the watcher. More to the point, he could now clearly sense that vague, familiar...something...that Ruby had been even more keenly aware of than he had. He was no closer to placing it than she was, however.

The raven flew over his head, its rapid flight darting behind the fountain, before swooping back towards him from behind it. Gin lost sight of it with his eyes, but his _Shingan_ tracked it as easily as ever.

Then...it abruptly changed. Gin couldn't even say how. One moment, the raven had angled its flight upward to clear the top of the statue. The next, something...else...was in its place. Gin was so startled by the change, that it took an extra second for it to register to him that the "something" was human in shape. The person that the raven had transformed into (if, indeed, that was what had happened), maintained the same heading and speed that the raven had been traveling at, allowing them to easily clear the top of the statue, arcing over it, before landing into a kneeling crouch on the other side, directly in front of Gin.

The almost incomprehensible change served as the final clue that allowed Gin to realize the truth of the alien nature he and Ruby had sensed from this watcher. Semblances were capable of some amazing things. But shapeshifting had never been reputed to be among them. A person transforming completely into something else was unheard of. So this seemingly impossible occurrence gelled with the alien sensation the person had exuded to allow Gin (and Ruby, from a distance) to realize what it was. It was a sensation they'd encountered before, in the vault, far below Beacon Academy. _Magic..._

What that meant was a mystery at the moment. Apparently, this person's magic allowed her (and Gin could see she was indeed a woman) to transform into a raven. Where the bird had been, there now stood an older woman, though definitely in the prime of her life, and at the pinnacle of her strength. The gears in Gin's head continued to churn as he took in her appearance, taking in her red dress, her wavy, black hair, and the red eyes that stared out at him from behind the white, full-face mask, that bordered on a helmet. His senses hummed on alert, and his muscles tensed slightly. Gin settled into full combat awareness. This woman was dangerous.

"Hello...Gin Ueno," said the woman, her voice slightly muffled by the mask. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"I wish I could say the same," said Gin cautiously, keeping his scales and claws sheathed for the time being. "But I haven't exactly had a good history of dealing with people hiding behind weird Grimm masks. Care to tell me who you are, since you already seem to know who I am?"

There was a flutter of complicated emotions from behind that mask, almost like the beating of a bird's wings against his awareness. There was frustration at his untrusting response, yet also satisfaction, as though certain suspicions had been confirmed. The best he could tell was that she was annoyed he wasn't showing her what she thought was a proper level of respect, but also impressed at his natural caution and suspicion. The woman wanted to be respected, but appreciated that he was no fool. She seemed to be weighing how to respond, so Gin let her think.

Slowly, the woman's right hand drifted up to her mask. It closed over the front of it, and slowly pulled the construct free from her head, revealing her face to him. As it became visible to him, Gin took in its lines and contours, noting its overall shape, in conjunction with the mass of black hair steaming past her shoulders, and came to a realization, a realization that was confirmed by the sense of shock and recognition he picked up from Ruby. There was no mistaking that profile. Aside from the hair-color, the woman's face was a picture-perfect image of an older Yang Xiao Long.

Gin had been told the story of Ruby and Yang's...complicated...parentage. Thus, he was able to conclude that this was none other than the mysterious and elusive Raven Branwen, Yang's mother, and Qrow's sister, the woman who'd abandoned Yang and her father, right after she'd been born.

"I see you recognize me," noted Raven wryly.

"So I do," said Gin. "Are you sure _I'm_ the one you want to talk to? I'd think you should be more interested in speaking to your own flesh and blood."

"This doesn't concern her," said Raven not quite keeping the harsh edge out of her voice.

 _So Yang is a sore point for her,_ noted Gin. _Can't quite tell if it's guilt or disdain though._

Raven hooked her mask onto her belt, freeing her right hand. Gin's eyes drifted to her left hand, which was closed around the handle of a bulky, cylindrical sheath, from which the handle of a katana-type sword extended. Through a window, he could see several lines of varicolored blades, arranged into a rotary system. It was an interesting design, the colors telling him that the blades were infused with Dust, presumably to grant her attacks any number of potential effects.

"So, if this isn't about Yang, then what do you want?" asked Gin curtly. "I'm not exactly a night owl, so I'd rather get this over with."

Raven smiled. There was a mocking, condescending flavor to it. "Straight to the point. I like that."

"I bet you do," grumbled Gin. "You like it from other people, but you obviously like beating around the bush, yourself." He snorted, exhaling streams of mist from his nose. "Another of those people who can dish it out, but not take it."

Raven's smile twitched, fading briefly into a scowl, before she adopted a more neutral expression. "Fine," she said. "I'll make it simple then. I've heard a lot about you, Gin Ueno, the Demon Hidden in the Mist."

Gin raised an eyebrow. He'd left that region of Mistral behind years ago. It had been a long time since he'd heard anyone call him by the moniker he'd been saddled with as a bandit. _Is she here to attack me? No. There's still no hostility. She doesn't seem to be connected to any of my previous victims. There's interest...and covetousness. She wants me for something, something she associates with my history as a bandit..._

Gin canted his head slightly to the side. "Is this a recruitment offer then?"

The twitch that ran through Raven's body told him volumes, mainly that his guess had been accurate...and that Raven wasn't used to someone sussing out her intentions so quickly. She was the one who read others, provoking them, then analyzing their reactions. The fact that _she_ was the one being read unsettled her...and irked her.

It took all of a second for Raven to calm herself. "Yes," she said, as though she hadn't been surprised at all by Gin's insight. "I've been watching you, Gin Ueno. You're strong, fierce, pragmatic, a survivor. As a mere child, you were a right terror in the southeast regions of Mistral, striking fear into the hearts of even experienced Huntsmen. With your training under Yu Yuen, your skills have only been further refined, your ferocity honed and focused. With the right support, there's no end to what you could do. My tribe could use someone of your strength and skill."

The sound of Gin slapping his hand over his face was especially loud in the silence of the night. "You seriously did not just do that," Gin groaned from behind his hand. "Seriously, all of this...to ask me to join your little bandit tribe? How tone deaf do you have to be to think I'd be even remotely tempted by that offer, as I am now?" Even as a self-centered child, who only interacted with others when he was attempting to rob them, Gin had heard of the Branwen tribe, though he was surprised, and frustrated, that he hadn't made the connection himself, until now.

From the angry twitch of her eyelids, Gin could tell that Raven didn't like being rejected like that. "You really think that you're not the person that you were?" she growled. "You're like me. You're a survivor. You'll do what's necessary to live to see the end of another day."

"No, I _was_ like that," corrected Gin, lowering his hand. "I _failed_ as a 'survivor' when Master Yu pounded the living daylights out of me without even trying. After that, I actually took a good, hard look at who I was." He smirked though. "We were alike at one point, not in that we were survivors though."

"Oh...how?" asked Raven, her scowl deepening.

"I was a weakling," said Gin. "I was someone who used 'survival' as an excuse to do whatever I felt like, whatever I wanted. I used it as a reason not to care. So, yes, we were alike at one point. But I've become more than that now."

Raven's lips peeled back, baring her teeth. Deep within her, within her Aura, Gin felt something bubbling up, a familiar, yet alien, sensation. Once again, he found himself recognizing the telltale signature of magic. This time, it was even more familiar than the alien sensation of whatever power allowed her to shift from a human into a raven. _She's a Maiden!_ Raven had kept a grip on the reins of her power before, keeping it hidden within her. But it was responding to her emotions, threatening to burst out. Even as he observed, he felt Raven become aware of the lapse of her control, and clamp down on it, stuffing it back down into herself, but not before he caught the barest flicker of dark-red fire from the corner of her eyes. _Interesting. If that's a visual indicator of a Maiden's power, that would explain why she wears the mask._

Obviously, her family resemblance to Yang was not something she cared about keeping hidden, which was why she'd been willing to remove her mask before him. So that meant that the mask was concealing something else. Gin hadn't known that the Maiden's powers contained visible signs. In a way, it reminded him of the red petals that appeared whenever Ruby used her Semblance, a signature of sorts.

But that was secondary at the moment, Raven's irritated response calling his attention back to the actual subject of their conversation. "Don't mock me," she growled. "There's nothing cowardly about choosing to do what's necessary. I do what it takes to ensure that my people will survive. That is why I've come for you."

Gin sighed, exhaling more mist. "So...you're no different from the White Fang then," he said. "You talk like you respect me as a person. But, at the end of the day, you just see a dragon-faunus, another weapon to stash in your arsenal." His eyes narrowed. "No...not just that. You brought up Master Yu specifically. You're interested in him too...or rather, in his power. But you know you couldn't recruit him, even if you begged until you were blue in the face, so you settle on one of his students, the one with a violent background. You want to get an idea of the secret to his strength."

Raven's body temperature began to rise, sweat beading on her brow. She didn't like that he continued to read her so effectively, though it hadn't exactly been hard, from his point of view. But she forced her unease down, instead adopting that mocking, condescending smirk once more. "You shouldn't be so quick to dismiss my offer. Isn't it better than fighting for a lost cause?"

"What do you know about what I'm fighting for?" asked Gin. _I wonder what card she's about to play._

"You have no idea what you're getting involved with," growled Raven. "Ozpin is setting you up to fail for him, like he has so many others, like he has my brother, like he almost did me."

 _Ah, that card._ Gin kept his face composed. "You mean the fight against Salem?"

It was a gamble, throwing that name out to see if it meant anything to Raven. From what he'd heard, Qrow, Raven, and the rest of their team had been involved in this war on some level, even if some of them were further in the loop, or further out of it. The way Raven jumped, as though she'd just had a live wire shoved up against her spine, told him that his gamble had paid off.

"So...you know," she growled.

"Yeah, Ozpin told us about her," said Gin. "Salem, the Maidens, the Relics, all of it."

He noted the extra-large twitch that Raven gave off at the mention of the Maidens. He wondered if Ozpin and Qrow knew that Raven had become a Maiden. Reflecting back on the evidence, it seemed unlikely. Amber, the Fall Maiden, had been the only one they'd talked about at length. The other Maidens had hardly been mentioned at all, save for the fact that there were three others. He figured that the fact that Yang's mother, Qrow's sister, was one of those Maidens, would probably have been something that had come up, if they'd known about it.

"So you think you know what you're up against?" asked Raven harshly.

"Probably not as much as you do," said Gin. "Care to share with the class? Or are you just going to throw out hints and half-answers to bait me into coming with you?"

The growl Raven gave him was answer enough to that question. "I figured as much," he said. "If you've got nothing useful to say, then it's best you left. I've given my answer."

"You think you get to leave that easily?" asked Raven. "I've seen the reality of what Salem's capable of. No one can stop her, least of all Ozpin. Fighting his war will only get you killed. Salem won't stop until all of humanity is broken before her."

"Oh...is that all?" asked Gin. He smirked, then he began to chuckle and snort.

"Has the revelation of what you're up against broken you?" Raven wondered.

"Throwing out ominous phrases like that won't break anyone," said Gin. "I was just thinking that you forget who my teacher is."

"I know who Yu Yuen is," growled Raven.

"Oh, you know," said Gin. "But you don't _know_. You don't _know_ Yu Yuen."

What do you mean?"

Gin's smile widened. "Master Yu is more powerful than you could even imagine. He has nothing but disdain for magic, because he surpassed that power long ago. He's been teaching us to surpass it as well. We seek to match, to surpass his strength. Compared to him, Salem is a bump on the road. Did you know he's been in touch with her flunkies in Vale?"

The gobsmacked look on Raven's face told him that she didn't.

"Yeah," said Gin smugly. "He's been goading them, even giving them a little helping hand, because he thinks that, on their own, they aren't good enough to be our training dummies. He's had to get involved, and actively stack the deck against us, just to make her minions a proper threat. Master Yu sees this war as just another training session. That alone should tell you how little the prospect of facing this Salem bothers us."

"You don't know Salem," growled Raven. "You haven't been out there, seen the things I've seen. The things she's made. They _are_ fear."

"I said I wasn't bothered, not that I wasn't afraid," said Gin. "One of Master Yu's lessons was the importance of fear. It's a source of critical information. It tells you where you're in danger, where your defenses are lacking. But you...

"You don't just feel fear, you've surrendered to it. You've become a slave to your fear. So you've decided to run as far away from this conflict as you can, and stick your head in the sand, praying to God that Salem doesn't come for you."

Raven bared her teeth once again. "Don't you dare judge me," she hissed harshly. "I have a responsibility to my people. I will do whatever it takes to ensure that they survive."

"Yeah," said Gin, "by going after those who can't defend themselves, by taking things that others have made."

"The strong live, and the weak die," said Raven. "That's the way of the world. That's the way it's always been."

"Interesting..." said Gin, raising an eyebrow. "I wonder if you see the contradiction."

"What?" growled Raven.

"If you really _were_ strong, you wouldn't have run," said Gin.

"What?" Raven repeated, even more harshly.

"You might be strong, compared to some people," said Gin. "But, compared to Salem, you're weak, aren't you? You held yourself up against her, and found yourself wanting. When it comes to being a bandit, when it comes to robbing and pillaging the homes and goods of innocent, defenseless people, you're plenty strong. But, to Salem, you're weak."

Raven's eyes blazed with fury. Once again, that magical font within her bubbled up, and her eyes began to blaze in a more literal sense, streams of dark-red fire flowing forth from their outer corners. It took her a second to realize this. This time, instead of trying to stuff her power back down, she pulled her mask off her belt, and replaced it over her face, hiding the fires from view.

 _So that_ is _what the mask is for,_ noted Gin.

"You're really prepared to die...for Ozpin?" asked Raven, her voice muffled again.

"I'm not prepared to die," said Gin firmly. "In fact, I'm going to do everything I can to live. But it's not for Ozpin. It's for Ruby."

Ruby's name drew forth another jolt from Raven, and a surge of anger. "You'd risk everything, just for some girl?"

"She's not just _some_ girl," said Gin with amusement. "You wouldn't know about standing beside the ones you love, considering you abandoned your husband and daughter, all because you got cold feet."

"Shut up!" snapped Raven. "You don't know anything about me."

"I didn't before," said Gin. "But I've learned plenty now. I've spent most of my life in the wilderness, so I've become plenty familiar with the habits of animals. I've seen threat displays before. Relatively harmless animals fluff their feathers or fur, puff themselves up, pretend that they're bigger and meaner than they really are, trying to intimidate something that's actually bigger and meaner than them. At the end of the day, it looks like that's all you've got too."

"You really think you can survive me?" asked Raven, her tone darkening, her hand straying to the handle of her sword.

"Well, not beat you," said Gin, weighing matters, and finding himself uncertain how he'd stack up against her in a straight fight. Her personal skills were an unknown. And, for all that Yu had expressed nothing but disdain for the Maidens' magic, that didn't speak for how Gin himself would measure up against a Maiden in a straightforward fight. He would get stronger, sooner or later, but _now_ might not be that time. More to the point, he didn't need to worry about fighting her, yet.

"If you're not so confident about your chances, then you should learn to show more respect," growled Raven. "As it is, what makes you think you have the choice of turning me down?"

"Because you don't _want_ a fight," said Gin simply. "That's why you're posturing and puffing. You're hoping I'll back down, and submit to you. But you're the one who loses out, if you start a fight."

"Yet you still don't think you can beat me," said Raven.

"I don't have to beat you," said Gin. "If we fight, I might lose, true. But the one thing I can guarantee is that, if we fight, it won't be quiet. You came here in the middle of the night, drew my attention by focusing your intent, drew me away from my friends, tried to convince me to come with you. Only now, now that all your other overtures have fallen flat, are you threatening to draw your sword."

"Because you've used up my patience," said Raven.

"Because it's your last resort," countered Gin. "Because you don't want certain people to know you're here. That's the bigger, nastier thing you're afraid of, the reason you've put on your own little threat display. If I don't back down, you've got no choice. You'll have to give up, because you're not willing to risk the Ozpin...and others...realizing that you're here."

 _And probably from realizing that you're a Maiden,_ he silently added. If Ozpin and Qrow didn't know that Raven was a Maiden, then Raven would probably want to _keep_ it that way. Her personal skills were an unknown. But, considering his sparring match with Qrow, back in Weathertop, Gin figured that Raven was at a similar level of strength, which made it unlikely that she had a sure chance of winning, unless she drew upon the Maiden's power to tip the balance in her favor.

"There's one other miscalculation you've made," he added, folding his arms

"Oh, and what's that?" asked Raven dismissively, baring an inch of her crimson blade with a chink of steel.

Gin smirked, twitching his finger slightly, projecting his intent slightly towards Raven. Behind him, there was a sharp crack. A streak of red flashed past him, the manifested bullet striking the side of Raven's mask, snapping her head to the side. The mask cracked, then split and broke into fragments, falling to the ground. Raven reeled back, dazed and disoriented by the impacted, her hand falling away from her weapon, her left hand nearly dropping the apparatus in its entirety. After a few seconds of flailing, allowing the echoes of the discharge to fade away, Raven recovered enough to give Gin a shocked look.

Gin smirked at her. "You said I'm pragmatic," he pointed out. "Yet, you seemed to think I'd be stupid enough to come out to confront an unknown quantity _without_ some kind of backup. Alone, I might not win against you. But I don't have to worry about fighting you alone...do I?"

Raven snarled, her right hand reaching for her sword's handle again. This time, her fingers curled around it, and she drew it forth with the sound of grating steel. The blood-red blade nearly doubled in length the instant it cleared the sheath, putting it at the length of an O-dachi. Raven slowly held it up vertically, in preparation to swing down.

Gin remained where he was, his confident smirk still in place. He'd been on high alert from the moment he'd left the dorm. All told, he was fully combat-ready right now. The only thing he hadn't done was take a stance. But he didn't need to. He might not have been confident of how his fighting abilities stacked up against Raven, and her magic, but he was confident in the impression he'd gotten of her. So he remained as he was, standing with his arms folded, his posture relaxed and casual, a confident smirk on his face. This was _his_ threat display, meant to ward off something that might be meaner and nastier than him.

And he was confident that his would work. He met Raven's crimson gaze, and waited, letting the seconds draw out between them. It was a silent battle of wills.

Raven's eyes narrowed, then she turned, slashing her sword through the air behind her. The blade left a streak of red, which blossomed out into a swirling, black and red vortex. Raven looked over her shoulder to throw one last glare at Gin. "You'll regret this," she promised.

"I won't," Gin replied simply. "To me, it seems you're the one with regrets."

Raven didn't reply, instead striding into the vortex, which collapsed in on itself and vanished, leaving Gin alone in the courtyard. He stretched out his _Shingan_ to the full extent of its range. But he found no trace of hostility...or anyone for that manner. The only other person out here was Ruby, who'd dropped off the roof and was rapidly heading his way. Relaxing a little, Gin turned to meet her halfway, opening his arms to catch her as Ruby threw herself at him.

"Were you scared?" Gin asked.

"A little," said Ruby. "That got tense."

"It did," agreed Gin. "So...what do you think?"

"I...I don't know what to think," Ruby admitted. "One thing I _do_ know is...I guess we should tell Yang."

"Probably a good idea," said Gin. "She's gonna want to know about this."

* * *

"WHAT?" yelled Yang, the volume of her voice making everyone else in the room wince. "My mom is the one who was out there?"

"Yep," said Gin, rubbing his temples.

"She definitely looked like the woman in Dad's old photo," added Ruby. "She had the same weapon too."

The expression on Yang's face was...despondent. Gin could understand. He'd heard about Yang's search for her mother, looking for any sign of hint of her whereabouts. Apparently, it had been following up on one such lead that had led to the trashing of Junior's club, not long before she'd come to Beacon. And now, she learned that her own mother had been here, at Beacon, right outside in fact, only to find out that she had been there for reasons completely unrelated to her own daughter.

"And she wanted to see you?" asked Yang, fixing Gin with that sorrowful gaze.

"Yeah," said Gin. "I brought you up to her, but she shut the topic down right away. I couldn't say why though."

"What did she want with you?" asked Blake.

"She invited me into her tribe," said Gin.

"What!?" exclaimed Yang, a bit more softly this time. Beside her, Jaune gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and pulled her close.

"Why would she do that?" asked Blake.

"I've heard of the Branwen Tribe," said Ren, with a dark frown. "They're quite infamous in Mistral, fearsome bandits." He paused, his brow furrowing. "Considering Ruby and Yang's uncle, I'm surprised it took me so long to make the connection."

"Qrow told me they were born to a bandit tribe," said Blake.

"So she thought you'd make a good bandit, huh?" said Nora, grinning teasingly at Gin.

"Well, I did used to _be_ a bandit," said Gin, folding his arms and lowering his head. "But the way she brought up Master Yu, I think it was learning the secret to his power that she's interested in. One thing I've noticed about her is that she's terrified of this Salem person...thing...person-thing. From the look of things, she's done as much as she can to distance herself from Ozpin's conflict...while picking up every weapon she can along the way."

"That must be how she became a Maiden," added Ruby.

"WHAT?" This time, it wasn't just Yang behind the outburst, but everyone in the room, except for Gin and Ruby, who both winced and covered their ears.

"Yang's mom is a Maiden?" asked Jaune.

"I just said that," groused Ruby.

"We could sense her magic," said Gin. "Whenever she got too agitated, it just started to...bubble up inside her. There were also these flames that came from her eyes. I think that's why she was wearing that weird, helmet-mask thing."

"That makes sense," said Jaune.

"No! That doesn't make sense at all!" protested Yang, waving her arms, nearly knocking Jaune off the bed. "Why is Mom a Maiden? _How_ did she even become a Maiden!? Isn't she too old?"

"Well, those are questions we can put to Ozpin, when we tell him about this," said Ren with a sigh, before scanning the room. "We _are_ going to tell him about this, aren't we?"

"I see no reason not to," said Gin, leaning back. "It's not something we want the enemy to know. But it might help to inform Ozpin about it."

Blake sighed softly in relief.

"Do you think she's still around?" asked Jaune. "I mean...if she was an ally, it would be another matter. But it's pretty obvious that she's not. Aside from that, I'd think that having another Maiden around would be a fairly bad thing. We don't want to run the risk of Cinder going for a two-for-one."

Gin and Ruby shared a look. "I have no idea," Gin admitted, turning back to the others. "She created a portal of some kind, and left through it. It didn't register to my senses as magic, not like the Maiden power or her transformation ability. So it might well be her Semblance. How it works, and what its limitations are, I can't say."

"I know there's someone who can say," growled Yang, picking up her scroll.

"Yang," said Ruby firmly, "put that down."

"But Ruby-!" protested Yang.

Ruby sighed. "Yang, it's almost three in the morning. Dad's asleep. Don't wake him, not when we can call him tomorrow. Whatever's going on, I don't think it's _that_ urgent."

Yang faltered, then sighed, setting her scroll back down.

"It's already been a long night," said Ruby. "Let's get some sleep. Gin and I will talk to Ozpin tomorrow...er...today, and tell him about this. He'll know what we need to do, if we need to do anything."

"I hope not," grumbled Blake. "The last thing we need is more complications."

"We'll do what we can to try and simplify things," said Gin, only half-teasing.

* * *

 **Geez...one thing after another with these people. And now Raven's back. A lot of this is based off her characterization in Volume 5, where she tries to bait Yang into staying with her, rather than reuniting with Ruby and the others. Reading the comments to that episode, I noticed a lot of people were really disappointed that we didn't learn anything new from Raven's exposition. It was pretty much almost all stuff we'd already learned from other characters in the show. However, that was clearly the point. By showing Raven telling Yang things we, the audience, already know, yet keeping from providing information that we know is out there, but has not yet been addressed, we see that Raven is clearly keeping Yang in the dark, only partly telling her the truth, and trying to use that to convince Yang to stay with her. It shows Raven's nature and chops as a manipulator.**

 **Sadly, at this point, Gin and Ruby know enough to easily pick apart what Raven's all about. And there's no changing the fact that she's a coward. So, when things get tough, she backs down and flees the scene, even when she might be stronger than the ones she's confronting.**


	103. Chapter 103

**Chapter 103:**

It was nearly noon by the time they woke up. Naturally, Ruby and Gin were the earliest to rise. Blake slumbered silently, while Yang and Jaune curled up against each other, Jaune having joined Yang in her bed to comfort her. Yang needed his comfort, still distraught that she'd missed a chance to meet her mother...and that her mother apparently wanted nothing to do with her.

Ruby wondered if it was a good or bad thing that Yang had missed her chance. What little Ruby had gleaned about Raven's reaction to Gin mentioning Yang had been...complicated. She couldn't say what Raven's thoughts about her daughter were. One thing she was certain of was that Raven was determined to keep her distance for now.

 _Maybe it's because she's a Maiden._ That made sense. Raven being a Maiden meant that she was also the key to one of the Relics Salem wanted so badly. Naturally, that meant that Cinder, and Salem's other minions, would seek her out eventually, assuming they ever learned who she was. If that was the case, if they thought that they could use Yang to draw Raven out, or force her to cooperate, there was little doubt to Ruby's mind that they would. If Raven presented herself as uncaring about her daughter's fate, then that might convince Salem's minions that using Yang as a hostage wasn't worth the hassle.

That brought up additional questions. Why had Raven become a Maiden? How had she become a Maiden? Had she arranged to take the Maiden's power for herself, or had she simply had the fortune, or misfortune, to be the final person in the thoughts of the previous Maiden, when she'd passed? Amber had said that a Maiden needed to accept the power, so that meant that, whatever had happened, Raven had decided she wanted to be the Maiden in the end.

But why do that, if she was so adamant about staying out of the war against Salem? Having known what the Maidens were for, Raven had to have realized that accepting that power had painted a target on her back. Yet she apparently had, though she'd taken measures to hide it.

These and other questions tormented Ruby, but she decided to shelve them for the time being. Perhaps, in the future, they'd have the opportunity to put these questions to Raven herself...perhaps not. What she needed to do was let Ozpin know of this development, and let him know that there might be another Maiden in play...or not.

It also gave her an idea of how to spend the rest of her Friday. With a small, hopeful grin, Ruby washed and dressed herself, then proceeded across the hall to quietly knock on the door to Team JNAR's room. Extending her awareness, she already sensed the the two other people in the room she needed to talk to. She also sensed that they were already awake.

A few seconds after her knock, the door opened with a soft click to reveal Ayumu, beaming at her. He'd already sensed her approach, of course. Behind him, Ruby could see Neo, already fully dressed, sitting on Ayumu's bed, kicking her legs idly.

"Good morning, Ruby," said Ayumu cheerfully, his voice barely above a whisper. "Is there something you want?"

Ruby nodded. "Um...Can I speak to Neo?"

"Of course," said Ayumu, his eyebrows rising. He turned to look at Neo, who'd perked at the mention of her name.

The diminutive girl hopped off the side of Ayumu's bed and approached the door, glancing to either side of the frame.

"No one's watching," Ruby assured her.

Neo relaxed a little, and stepped out into the hall, Ayumu joining her, resting a hand on her shoulder, and closing the door behind them.

"Could I get your help with something?" Ruby asked.

Neo blinked up at her, silently prompting Ruby to explain her request.

"I need to talk to Ozpin about something," Ruby explained. "But, while I'm there, I want to visit a friend."

Neo blinked and canted her head. Ayumu's eyes, on the other hand, lit up at the realization of what Ruby was talking about. "Oh, of course," he said softly. "You want Neo to enter the tower with you, under the cover of her Semblance. Then, after your meeting is concluded, have her create an illusion of you exiting."

Ruby nodded, looking plaintively at Neo. "That's it," she said. "Is that all right, Neo?"

Neo mulled it over, apparently still confused by Ruby's request. Ayumu, however, chuckled. "So that's how it is," he said. He addressed Neo. "Ruby has something she needs to do inside the tower that could take a significant portion of the day. However, we don't want people to realize she's spending an inordinate amount of time there, so it's best if she were to appear to leave within a short period of time."

Neo blinked, still not quite understanding what Ruby was planning. However, she agreed to it.

"Thank you!" said Ruby excitedly, clasping Neo's hand in her own.

The door to RUBY's room opened, and Gin stepped out into the hall behind Ruby. She didn't flinch when his hands descended on her shoulders, having already sensed his approach. Instead, she leaned back against him slightly.

"Going to see Ozpin?" asked Gin.

Ruby nodded.

"And...her?"

Ruby nodded again.

"I see..." said Gin. "Mind if I come with?"

"Um..." Ruby returned her attention to Neo. "Could you create an illusion of me _and_ Gin?"

Neo frowned pensively, thinking it over for a second. Then she looked up and smiled again, flashing the couple a thumbs up.

"Thank you," said Ruby again.

"Make sure to keep your schedule clear tomorrow," Ayumu told them. "If we want to get some extra training in, with Neo's assistance, we'll want to do it by then. It's likely that Ms. Fall will require her services, come Saturday evening, or Sunday."

"We'll do that," Ruby promised.

Ruby and Gin tried their best to make their walk to the tower a quick one, while trying to keep from looking like they were actually in a hurry. Fortunately, Neo's Semblance did not require a great deal of power to use, particularly when she was simply bending light around her. As it turned out, the subtle, complex changes she needed to weave in order to change her appearance, and create her disguise, were much more energy-intensive.

They made it through the lobby unchallenged, the receptionist not even giving them a second glance, before opening the elevator to Ozpin's office. Inside the elevator, Neo shed her concealment, so that all three of them were fully visible when they entered Ozpin's office.

Ozpin was there, as expected. It made Ruby wonder if he ever actually took any time off for himself. She'd seen him wandering around the school, talking with the students. Yet, somehow, he always seemed to be available here, regardless of the time, day or night. At the moment, he was going over some paperwork. However, at the tone that signaled the arrival of their elevator, he looked up, a small smile appearing on his face.

"Ms. Rose, Mr. Ueno, Ms. Capello...what brings the three of you here, this morning?"

"Well...we have...news," said Ruby, a bit nervously.

"Bad news...?" prodded Ozpin.

"To be honest, we're not sure," said Gin. "It's probably not good news, but, at best, it might be news that doesn't have a bearing on the current crisis."

"Oh? Pray do tell," said Ozpin, folding his hands together.

"I was approached by Yang's mother, Raven Branwen," said Gin.

That prompted an eyebrow to go up. "Is that so...?"

"Also...she's apparently a Maiden," added Gin.

It was a rare sight to see Ozpin display genuine shock, but that appeared to do it. Not only did his other eyebrow climb up to join it. His eyes widened, the change in his face causing his spectacles to slide down, nearly to the very tip of his nose. He was so caught off-guard by the announcement that it took him an extra moment to fix them. "I-I see..." he said, finally managing to push them back up to the bridge of his nose. The stutter was a rare thing to hear from him too.

It took several extra seconds for Ozpin to calm himself back down. When he did, he looked across the desk at Ruby and Gin. "And how were you able to tell she was a Maiden?"

"When she got agitated, her magic began to surface," explained Gin. "It felt almost the same as Amber's...but with a slight difference, which I'm guessing we can attribute to her being the Maiden of a different season."

"That would indeed be the case," said Ozpin, his expression darkening.

"She had some other kind of magic as well," said Gin. "When I first saw her, she appeared as a bird. Then she transformed into a human form. I'm guessing that's not amongst the Maiden's powers."

Neo gaped at the revelation, but Ruby nodded, having seen the same thing the previous night.

"No, it isn't," said Ozpin with a sigh. "Transformation into a different form is not amongst the powers granted to the Maidens. Raven Branwen came by that power separately."

"You don't seem nearly as surprised that she had that magic, as you did to learn she was the Maiden," noted Gin. "Does that mean you knew she had that power before?"

Ozpin lowered his gaze to stare at the desk for a long moment, closing his eyes in thought. Finally, he came to a decision, and looked up to meet Gin's eyes, then Ruby's, then Neo's. "Yes," he answered. "After all, I was the one who bestowed that power upon her."

Not even Gin could keep his shock concealed at that revelation. He, Ruby, and Neo all simultaneously gaped at Ozpin. For a few seconds, complete silence descended upon the office. They worked their mouths silently, Gin and Ruby trying to find the words to respond, while Neo...just worked her mouth silently.

Finally..."WHAT?!" Ruby's shriek made both Gin and Neo flinch away, covering their ears.

"It is just as you heard," said Ozpin with a somewhat amused smile. "The Branwen Twins were a remarkable pair, skilled at finding out secrets, and getting into places where they weren't supposed to be. Once I became aware of their talents, I made the choice to offer them the means to do so more effectively. I offered them the ability to take on forms that would allow them to travel at speeds greater than humans, while remaining unnoticed." He paused, actually seeming somewhat bashful, as he averted his eyes. "I...well...I gave them the ability to turn into birds. It may sound silly, but it is a power that has served them well."

"Wait! Uncle Qrow can transform too?" asked Ruby.

"He can," replied Ozpin.

"Aww...I've never seen it," protested Ruby.

"Perhaps you will, in time," said Ozpin. "But it is one of our most closely-guarded secrets."

"I can see why," said Gin, his eyes narrowing, "aside from the fact that the enemy would start suspecting every single bird in the vicinity."

Ozpin nodded.

Ruby looked at her boyfriend in confusion. "What do you me-" she stopped herself, as the implications sank in. She turned her eyes back on Ozpin. "Wait... _you_ gave them magic, the ability to transform."

"Correct," said Ozpin. "Sadly, that was the most I could do for them. I parted with the bulk of my power many ages ago, so very little remains."

"Parted..." said Ruby, her eyes widening as the pieces came together.

"The fairy tale," muttered Gin. "We were all focused on the Maidens, but it's easy to forget that there are four Maidens...but the story has _five_ characters."

"That is correct," said Ozpin. "Many ages ago, I imparted the bulk of my power to four promising young women, who had rekindled in me the belief that my task was not a hopeless one."

"Ages ago...?" Ruby blinked. "Wait a second! How old are you?"

"I'm both older than you think, and younger," said Ozpin. "I have been...well...I've come to consider it something of a curse. My battle against Salem goes back, well beyond the time of the Kingdoms. I have vied against her across generations, and she against me.

"The curse, such that it is, prevents me from ever truly dying. When I die...or am killed...I reincarnate within the soul of a like-minded man. Eventually, our identities blend together, and become one. The man, the Ozpin standing before you, is a composite, a fusion of all the souls and people that I have merged with before. I am not the same man who was born to this body, nor am I the same man who once undertook this quest."

"Wow...that's so..." Ruby wasn't sure what to call it. On one hand, it was cool to imagine being able to perform magic, even if Ozpin had lost most of his by now, and live for untold ages, and see all the ways things changed as time passed. However, she could definitely see how Ozpin could see such an experience as a curse. He was forced to pass from body to body, in a never-ending cycle. It probably wasn't a pleasant experience for the person he was reincarnated into either. On top of that, after giving away the majority of his powers, it sounded like he was virtually powerless to do much for himself.

"It is indeed...so..." said Ozpin with a wry, slightly sardonic chuckle, picking up on Ruby's mixed feelings about his revelation.

"Well, this is an interesting revelation," said Gin, getting the conversation back on track. "But it brings us back to the original issue, Raven." He met Ozpin's gaze. "I'm guessing her being a Maiden came as a surprise."

Ozpin nodded. "Indeed," he agreed. He frowned, and got up from his chair. Stepping around it, he turned to face the window that overlooked Vale. He took a long, slow sip from his mug, then sighed. "Given what we know, I think I can parse things out. The Branwen Tribe operates primarily in and around the territories of Mistral. They rarely stray beyond the bounds of Anima. When they do, they usually venture into Vacuo's territories. With her Semblance, Raven herself is much more mobile."

"So the portal _is_ her Semblance," noted Gin, his suspicions confirmed.

Ozpin nodded. "But it does have some limitations. She can only create portals to people she has bonded with. Once she has formed that bond, she can reach them at any time, regardless of distance. However, without it, she has to find and reach them the old-fashioned way."

"Which means she's largely confined to Mistral's territories too," said Gin.

Ozpin nodded again. "There's no telling who she has bonded with. There are only a few confirmed individuals that we know of, along with any number of her tribesmen. However, those factors, along with other information...lead me to guess that Raven has become the Spring Maiden."

"What other information?" asked Ruby.

"I told you that the Maidens each serve as a key to the chamber where their respective Relic is kept," said Ozpin.

"That's right," said Ruby. "Fall is the key to the Relic, here at Beacon."

"So the Spring Maiden is the key to the Relic at Haven," said Gin, figuring out where this was going.

"That is correct," said Ozpin. "More importantly, a little over a decade ago, the Spring Maiden that we knew, and had been preparing, abandoned her training and disappeared on her own."

"Of course, that would mean that she was somewhere in Mistral," said Gin.

"Which means that she could have run into Raven," said Ruby.

"Which makes her the most likely candidate," said Ozpin.

"That doesn't sound good," said Ruby warily.

"Considering how the Maidens' powers are transferred, that could mean..." said Gin.

Ozpin nodded. "Yes, I fear that might be the case." He sighed and lowered his gaze to his feet. "Still, there is little to be done about it now."

"So long as Raven doesn't interfere, it shouldn't be an issue," said Gin.

"And she likely won't," said Ozpin. "Raven chose to abandon us out of fear of Salem, many years ago. I don't know how or why she obtained the Maiden's powers, but revealing herself as one would undoubtedly put her square in the enemy's sights, whether now...or in the future." He paused. "Still...that makes the fact that she approached you unusual, in and of itself."

"Not so much," said Gin with an indifferent shrug. "She was recruiting. She knows my past history in Mistal, so she figured I'd fit in with her tribe, or something like that. Given what we've learned about her, it makes sense. It also gives me an idea of the how and why behind her becoming a Maiden."

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby, looking sidelong at her boyfriend, Neo doing much the same.

Gin smirked. "Raven's scared of facing Salem. But she appears to know that the most she can do is delay and evade. If Salem's running the genocide game, she'll come after Raven and her tribe, sooner or later. So, even as she tries to keep her head down and avoid being targeted, Raven's accumulating power; magic, allies, weapons; whatever she thinks will help, most likely so that she can toss them in front of Salem, and hold her off enough for Raven to escape and live another day."

"That makes a great deal of sense," said Ozpin sadly. "But it does not bode well for the fate of the previous Spring Maiden."

"Nothing we can do for her now though," said Ruby with a sad sigh.

"That much is also true," said Ozpin. He looked up at them. "Thank you for your report. This has been most informative, even if it has limited bearing on the current crisis. I hope that, for the time being, you will be discrete with what you have learned about me."

"Can we tell our friends?" asked Ruby.

Ozpin nodded. "Team Ruby and Team January can be trusted with this information." he focused his gaze on Neo in particular. "Ms. Capello, I hope you understand that this means you have been entrusted with a great deal more than ever before. If Cinder Fall should learn what you know..."

Neo paled, and nodded warily.

"Very good," said Ozpin. "Now then, is there anything else?"

"There is, actually," said Ruby, smiling bashfully and shifting nervously. "I was wondering if I...if I could visit Amber today."

"Oh?" Ozpin's eyebrow went up. Then his gaze drifted to Neo. "Oh, I see. So this is the reason Ms. Capello came along."

"Well, that, and we trust her," said Gin. "It'd be hard to invite her in on this kind of conversation otherwise, though I admit we didn't know that the information that came up would be _that_ groundbreaking."

Neo blushed slightly at the implication that her new friends trusted her so deeply.

"So she will use her Semblance to create the illusion of you leaving," said Ozpin.

"Well, me and Gin," said Ruby, taking Gin's hand. "I was hoping to introduce her to my boyfriend."

Ozpin chuckled softly. "That would be fine by me," he said. "But what about after your visit is over? I feel that it would be a lot of extra trouble to bring Ms. Capello back, simply to cover your exit."

"We've got that covered," said Gin with a smirk.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," added Ruby.

"Very well then," said Ozpin. "Ms. Capello will leave first. Then I will bring the elevator back so that you can visit Amber."

"Thank you!" cheered Ruby, already excited by the prospect.

* * *

The elevator doors opened to admit Ruby and Gin into the lobby. The pair made their way out of the doors at the base of Beacon Tower, traveling, hand in hand, across the courtyard, and disappearing around the corner of the building. Only there, out of sight of everyone, did Neo release the illusion, allowing the images that she'd used to veil her own body to shatter, leaving her alone.

She hadn't sensed anyone watching her...or her illusion, rather...with any particular intent. There was no sign of Cinder, Mercury, or Emerald. Even so, Ruby's idea had been a good one. With Watts, and his backdoors into the CCT network, just the fact that the cameras had picked up an image of Ruby and Gin leaving would do a great deal to alleviate suspicion, which would ensure that they didn't come to suspect the secret that lay beneath the tower.

Neo allowed an unsettling shudder to run through her body. She knew, she realized. She knew not only what, and who, Cinder was looking for, but exactly where that person was, and how to reach them. With a single visit to Cinder, and a few seconds of her time, she could give Cinder everything she needed to achieve her objectives, right now, with minimal fuss. With this revelation, she might even be able to secure her and Roman's safety to a degree that no amount of cooperation as one of Cinder's underlings could accomplish. With the degree that Ruby, her friends, and Ozpin all trusted her, Neo could bring everything crumbling down with the greatest of ease.

They _trusted_ her. It all came back to that. That was what stilled the impulse to run straight to Cinder and tell her everything. They all trusted her. It was true that Ayumu had offered his help. But he had never made grandiose promises beyond his ability. He'd even admitted that helping Cinder or running away herself were more likely to succeed than switching sides. But the real difference was that, unlike Cinder, Ayumu cared about her. He worried over her wellbeing first and foremost. Once she had changed sides, he and his friends, with only minimal convincing from Ayumu, had accepted her, and invested their trust in her. They trusted her to be honest about what she learned of Cinder and her plans. They'd trusted her with knowledge that could be used to bring down everything that Beacon was supposed to protect.

It was a strange thing to feel so trusted, so believed in. That was Neo's reflection. Before now, the only ones she had ever trusted were Roman and herself. Roman was the only person who could conceivably trust in her. It was the two of them against the world, enemies on all sides.

But now, Neo had friends. It both amazed and alarmed her how quickly the two teams of Beacon students had grown on her. In their vibrant personalities and warm interactions, she saw trust just as deep as that which existed between her and Roman. It was beautiful. Being invited and accepted into that trust was euphoric, fulfilling in a way that Neo had never thought was possible. She and Roman had lived in the belief that the only fulfillment that was worth seeking was the material: money to spend, food to eat, shelter to protect. Everything else was tripe, spread about to placate the masses, to allow people with little to be content with less. But now...she was finding actual fulfillment in those intangible things. It was hard to imagine that her feelings would change to this degree.

"Neo...?"

Neo jumped with a frightened squeak, spinning around to see Ayumu standing there, a warm smile on his face.

"Sorry to startle you," he said. He paused and scratched his head. "But you were so deep in thought, I couldn't think of a way to approach you that didn't startle you a little."

Neo's cheeks turned pink, but she nodded in acceptance. She supposed it was her fault for dropping her guard like that.

"I take it the meeting went as well as could be expected," said Ayumu.

Neo nodded slowly. Pulling out her scroll, she quickly tapped out a response on it, before holding up the screen for him to see. "We learned some big secrets," she said.

"Do you want to talk about it, or would you rather wait until Ruby and Gin get back?" asked Ayumu.

Neo waved her hand in a dismissive gesture, indicating that she would prefer to wait. Tapping long explanations into her scroll made her finger sore. As much practice as she'd had, she still couldn't figure out how some kids could type on their scroll as fast as a person with a full-sized keyboard.

"All right then," said Ayumu, once again amazing Neo with his willingness to simply trust her. "That being the case, you seem to have some free time. Would you like to practice Manifestation some more?"

Neo's eyes widened, and she nodded eagerly.

"Then let's be off," said Ayumu.

A moment later, Neo was hidden beneath her illusion once more, covertly walking alongside Ayumu, heading for the same copse where they'd had their picnic a few nights earlier.

* * *

"So, I finally get to meet your boyfriend," said Amber, smiling slyly at Gin.

"We technically met before," Gin pointed out.

"Yeah, when I was unconscious," Amber retorted. "And then you were just lurking outside the door, when Ruby was speaking to me that first time."

"True enough," said Gin, conceding the point.

Ruby found herself giggling at the interplay between the two. It made her happy to see them getting along so well already. Granted, there wasn't any reason to expect that they would have trouble getting along, so it didn't come as a surprise.

They talked about a variety of topics. Amber gushed over their performance in the ring, particularly Ruby's in the doubles round. She was ecstatic to learn about Ruby's technique, and made Ruby promise to teach her Manifestation and Materialization after the tournament (and the crisis with Cinder was over).

Likewise, they learned that Ozpin had already brought Amber up to speed on the identities of her attackers. Being able to see their images before her had jarred the entirety of Amber's memories of the attack. Much like Ruby's recovery of her own memories back in Brandywine, all those months ago, it was a traumatic experience that left Amber bedridden for the better part of a day, as she wrestled with the resurfacing pain of those memories.

Amber was looking even better than the last time Ruby had seen her, which, considering it had been just over a week, was impressive. Amber at least attributed her rapid recovery to the increased recharge rate of her Aura, thanks to Ruby's efforts. She no longer required assistance to stand or walk, able to do so on her own, and quite easily. She could even run. A good bit of her strength had returned as well, with the only thing really needing to be recovered being her stamina. A run any longer than a hundred meters or so still left her completely winded. But all the signs were positive.

Despite that, Ruby could still sense the continued loosening of the Maiden's power within her. The magic's tenuous grip on Amber's soul grew lighter with each passing day. As per Ayumu's suspicions, the closer they came to the equinox, the closer they came to Cinder acquiring the Maiden's power, without having to lift a finger, though it seemed that Cinder planned to work to acquire it earlier.

"And have you been treating Ruby right?" asked Amber, a bit more play than point in her tone.

"Oh, better than right," said Ruby, prompting a blush from Gin.

"You haven't-?" began Amber.

"Not yet," said Ruby. "At this point, we don't need to. Our feelings are strong enough that we're completely comfortable with where we are."

"Not that a certain someone doesn't get a little adventurous, from time to time," Gin teased back, making Ruby squeak.

Amber laughed at the interplay between them. "Well, I'm glad to see that you both are doing so well. I'm glad it's working out between you two."

"Thanks," said Ruby softly.

"So...are you looking forward to the finals?" asked Amber.

"Well..." Ruby shared a glance with Gin. "Yes and no."

"Oh?"

Ruby figured that, if there was anyone who should be privy to their plans at this point, it would be Amber. After all, she was pretty much at the literal center of the struggle for the Fall Maiden's power. So Ruby explained about Liu Bai, and his grudge against her; as well as Mercury Black, who would be competing on behalf of Cinder's team in the finals. Then, after pausing to give it one last rethink, Ruby told amber about the plan she and Ayumu had.

"Wow," said Amber, when they'd finished. "You certainly _do_ have a lot on your plates. I'm impressed and worried."

"Thanks," said Ruby.

Amber sat next to Ruby, on the couch she and Gin were reclining on, in the shelter's living room. She took Ruby's hands in hers. "Please...just take care of yourself," said Amber softly. "You've got powerful, determined enemies; lofty goals; and high ideals. That's a combination that can do a lot of things. But it gets a lot of people killed, most of all. Whatever else happens, don't forget to look after your own life.

"I...I will," said Ruby.

"I will too," added Gin, with a deep conviction in his voice that made Ruby's heart thud wonderfully in her chest.

Amber smile and reached across Ruby to pat Gin's shoulder. "I know you will," she said. "But you need to take care of yourself too. I can't even imagine how much it would hurt for you to lose Ruby. But you also need to think about how much it would hurt Ruby to lose _you_."

Gin nodded slowly. "I will," he said.

"We'll look after each other," added Ruby, leaning against him.

"Then I guess I don't have anything to worry about," said Amber, leaning back with a sigh.

"Well, I wouldn't say that," said Gin. "Our Master is still out there. Even if we succeed, I doubt that he'll let everything be wrapped up so neatly."

"You're right," grumbled Ruby. Then she paused, gasped softly, her face going pale.

"Ruby?" asked Amber, seeing her reaction. "What's wrong?"

Ruby swallowed, abruptly looking like she might be sick. "I was just realizing...we may have misread things."

"We have?" asked Gin.

"About Master Yu," clarified Ruby.

"What about...?" Gin's voice trailed off. "Oh...oh yeah...that's bad."

"What is it?" asked Amber.

"Master Yu's trained us in a lot of things," explained Gin, "but, most of all, he's trained us to fight."

Ruby nodded. "We got carried away. There's no way that Master Yu will allow this situation to end so neatly. He did the same thing when he woke up the Dragon."

"What do you mean?" asked Amber.

"We fought the Dragon, and we had its number," explained Gin. "Ayumu was able to finish it off. But Master Yu interfered at the last minute."

"Why?" gasped Amber.

"Because he saw an opportunity for us...Ruby specifically...to learn by killing it another way," said Gin.

"Another way?" Amber's eyes went to Ruby.

"My eyes," explained Ruby. "Has Ozpin told you about the Silver Eyed Warriors?"

Amber shook her head.

"Well, long story short, they're supposed to be a sort of power that's even older than the Maidens," explained Ruby. "Before we had Dust, the Silver Eyed Warriors were the ones who stood against the Grimm, and they had a power that made the Grimm fear them. That's what Ozpin and Uncle Qrow said, anyway."

Amber noted the color of Ruby's eyes. "And you're descended from them?"

Ruby nodded. "I was able to use that power to kill the Dragon, but...it's really hard to use properly. It nearly knocked me out the first time."

Gin nodded. "The point is that Master Yu made his own pet Grimm and stashed it away in Mountain Glenn. Even if we stop Cinder's plan, keep her from stirring up enough negative emotions to wake it up, Yu will probably wake it up himself, just because there's no way he'll let us out of this without us having to fight."

"Wait! What is this about your teacher making a Grimm?" asked Amber, bewildered...and terrified.

Gin and Ruby winced, realizing that they'd neglected to inform Amber of something else.

"Well...the basic gist is that Master Yu...made a Grimm," said Ruby, somewhat lamely, unable to think of a more plausible way to phrase it.

"How?" gasped Amber.

"He Created it," said Gin.

"Created..." Amber's face went blank, then went taut as her mind began to connect the dots. "Wait! Creation! As in the Relic?"

"Pretty much," said Ruby nervously.

"Your teacher has the Relic?" asked Amber.

Gin and Ruby shook their heads. "That's not it," Ruby explained. "The way Master Yu taught us, the things he said, the story of the two gods, it all comes together like this. Technically, we don't need the Relics."

"The Relics embody the gifts the two gods gave to all humanity," said Gin. "In other words, the power of the Relics is a power we already have."

"It's just that what it takes to actually use that power is a lot of training," added Ruby.

"That's...just insane," said Amber, her mind reeling from the mere idea.

"Exactly."

Amber shrieked and jumped out of her seat, spinning towards the door that led out to the rest of the Vault. Ruby and Gin both tensed, before collapsing with annoyed sighs.

Yu Yuen stood, leaning casually against the frame of the door, grinning widely. "Well now, that was a close one, kids. You finally put two and two together I see."

"I'm practically punching myself in the head for not realizing it sooner," grumbled Gin, glaring at Yu.

"Yeah, I was beginning to think I'd actually blindside you with it," said Yu with a gleeful cackle. "And just when I was getting a better opinion of your growth too."

"How is he...?" Amber looked back and forth between Yu and her two friends.

"He's Yu," said Ruby, as though that was all the explanation that was needed.

"At this point, it would probably be a smaller list to suggest places he _can't_ get into," said Gin, his eyes narrowing, "though I suspect that it's even simpler than we think, 'cause the answer might be zero."

Yu threw back his head and laughed again. "Got me pegged, I see. Good. That makes this fun. You wouldn't have a chance in Hell of killing me, if you didn't start to at least learn a few things about me."

Ruby sighed. "So now what?" she asked. "I don't think you'd show up just to congratulate us."

"Actually, I kinda did," said Yu. "I mean, I was starting to wonder if it would click for you guys. I'd be disappointed if you actually failed to figure it out."

"Which means that, at some point in the next week, you're going to sic your precious little super-Grimm on Vale, for us to stop," said Gin.

"Well...maybe," said Yu.

"Maybe," said Gin.

"I'm thinking of a little reward for you kids," said Yu, his grin widening. "If you can stop Little Sparkler's plans, make sure the Grimm doesn't wake up on its own, then I won't wake it myself for a period of three days, after the tournament concludes."

Ruby and Gin shared incredulous looks. "Which means you _will_ wake it up at some point afterwards," said Ruby.

"Of course," said Yu. "I made that Grimm. It only makes sense that I'd want to show off what it can do. I'm like a kid with a new toy that way." His grin took on a nasty edge. "Of course, there's no telling how long after your grace period that I'll wake it up. I only guaranteed the first three days, but I could wait a week, a month, a year...no telling..."

"I think I know where you're going with this," grumbled Gin.

"What is it?" asked Amber.

"It's the same as always," said Gin. "He doesn't tell us exactly _when_ his tests will come because he wants us to keep on our guard. He'll to do it when we least expect it. There's every likelihood that he'll wait a year or more, just to stretch out our patience."

"Except...if we've got time, then we could find the Grimm ourselves," said Ruby, her eyes narrowing suspiciously at Yu. "What happens if we do that?"

"Not telling," teased Yu. "Go ahead and try it, if you want."

"Wait!" protested Amber. "Hold on! I still don't understand..." She stared incredulously at Yu, still having difficulty believing that he was actually there. "What are you?" she asked.

"Well, like I told Little Sparkler, I'm the one who made you the Fall Maiden," said Yu.

Amber's arms went limp. "Y-you...the last Maiden, you...?"

"Yep," he said. He held up his right hand and wobbled it slightly. "For all the hype around you Maidens, the fight she put up was...so-so. Three out of ten, four, if I'm being generous. And she was supposed to be one of the better ones."

"And you have the power of the Relics?" asked Amber.

"Better to say that the Relics have the power of me," said Yu, spreading his arms dramatically, "or all of us, to be more specific. Like I've been teaching my kids, that power exists inside every one of us. But to unlock it, you have to truly explore the full potential of the human soul, the essence, the source of Aura. Like these kids did." He gestured to Gin and Ruby.

"But it's...insane," repeated Amber.

"Exactly," replied Yu, in the exact same tone as before. "You don't make your greatest achievements by being sane. Stretching beyond the realm of possibility, reaching beyond the veil of common sense, stretching into the realm of the absurd; only those mad enough to try ever have the chance to succeed. Believe it or not, these kids in the room with you have already embraced that insanity, right Ruby?"

Ruby sighed, and nodded. Standing up, she reached behind her to produce Shining Rose. Amber's eyes widened, seeing Ruby's weapon come into being out of thin air. Ruby had told her about materialization before, but this was the first time Amber saw Ruby create her weapon with her own eyes.

"You don't achieve that by being sane," said Yu, as Ruby put her weapon away. "You can only achieve that by imagining your weapon, then obsessing over it, putting your heart and soul into the effort to make a mere image in your mind a reality. That kind of dedication, that kind of effort into something that shouldn't be possible by most of the laws by which we understand the world could only be called insanity, don't you think?"

"But then...what are the Relics?" asked Amber.

"Eh?" Yu shrugged. "Baubles, really; discarded toys, left behind by forgotten gods; the dregs leftover from their work." He focused his attention on Ruby and Gin. "Quiz-time, kids. You know why I spit on the idea of the Relics. They're a shortcut, a crutch. Now then, knowing that, why else might I value their power less than the power you can achieve for yourselves?"

Gin frowned, furrowing his brow. Ruby did so as well, the two of them going over what they knew. Ruby reviewed the process of materializing her weapon, the process she believed was a prerequisite to the same power of Creation that Yu had used to Create his Grimm. She thought about the process.

 _If that power were something so simple, I should have just been able to Create my weapon easily. But I had to put so much work into it, to create a consistent image, to know what all the parts did, how they fit together, how they moved..._ Her train of thought trailed off, and her mind latched onto a single word. _To know..._ She gasped softly.

"Ooh, looks like it clicked," said Yu eagerly.

"Because they're incomplete," said Ruby, looking up at her teacher. "That's what makes the Relics weaker."

"Oh!" said Gin, recognizing what Ruby had realized.

"I don't understand," said Amber.

"When I materialized my weapon, I had to create the image in my mind," explained Ruby. "It was harder for me, because the weapon I imagined could transform. In order to make that image a reality, I had to know what all the pieces did, how they all fit together. In other words, I couldn't create Shining Rose without knowing it first."

"The reason the Relics are weaker is because they exist independently of each other," said Gin, filling in the blanks. "But, I'm guessing that means that you can't use that power to its fullest extent, if you don't have _all_ those powers."

"Exactly!" crowed Yu. "That's exactly it. If you want to Create something, you have to Know what you're creating. You want to make Choices, or Choose for someone else, you have to Know what choice to make. Even if you have Knowledge, you have to be able to Choose to act on it. And, of course, you have to do the same for Destruction. The Relics exist apart from one another, but the powers that they represent, in truth, are intwined together, building each other up. Having the Relic allows you to use that power without the others, but you'd never be able to employ it to its full potential. But unlocking those powers in yourself, well then your potential becomes limitless, because you _can't_ awaken to those powers in isolation from one another."

Ruby and Gin both shuddered at the realization.

"Well well, gold star for you kids," said Yu. "Of course, this is all preliminary. You're a long ways away from reaching that point. You kids have a ways to go, before you can unlock any of those powers. But you're beginning to see the road, aren't you?"

Ruby and Gin nodded.

"Good," said Yu, stepping back towards the entrance. "By the way, Ruby, loved your new trick during the last match, you're gonna leave Gin and Ayumu in the dust at this rate."

Hearing Yu praise her just made Ruby shiver.

"I look forward to seeing if you can derail Little Sparkler's plan," said Yu. "You'd better do your best, little Amber's life depends on it."

With that, he vanished from sight.

"This day just keeps getting better and better," grumbled Gin, looking sidelong at Ruby.

Ruby sighed. "We're gonna have a lot to talk about, when we get back to the others."

* * *

"It's nice to get out once in a while," said Yang, grinning at Jaune across the table.

"Sure," agreed Jaune. "I guess we'd better take advantage of it while we can."

With Ruby and Gin indisposed, the others had worked out ways to spend their own Friday. Yang and Jaune had decided to enjoy Vale together, ending their date at a nice restaurant in town. It was a place with a lively atmosphere. Yang's presence had drawn a lot of recognition and excitement from both the staff and the other patrons, thanks to her participation in the most recent round of the tournament, which had also earned them the promise of free dessert.

"Have you seen your dad around anywhere?" asked Yang, her eyes shifting warily.

"Not since he accosted us before our match," commented Jaune. "Hopefully, he got the message and went back home. I wouldn't count on it though. Dad can be scarily stubborn, when he wants to be."

Yang giggled. "Well, at least we know you come by your hard-headedness naturally."

"Hey, I'm not hard-headed!" protested Jaune.

Thinking about how flexible Jaune could be, both with his fighting and decision-making (and the bedroom), Yang giggled and acknowledged he was right. "I guess that's true," she admitted.

The waiter came by with the complimentary bowls of soup that would serve as their appetizer, before their main course. They both eagerly took up their spoons and dipped them in, ready to sample their dishes. Neither of them noticed the faint, black outline that spread across Yang's spoon.

Yang's spoon abruptly jerked in her grip. With a surprised yelp, Yang spilled the hot soup across her chest, staining her orange tank-top.

"Yang! Are you okay?" asked Jaune, rising up in his seat.

Yang grinned sheepishly, waving off Jaune's concern, even as she set her spoon back down. "I'm fine," she said. Her Aura kept her from getting burned, naturally, although she had felt the scalding heat clearly enough. "I don't know what happened there. I guess I'm more clumsy tonight than I thought. Let me go to the ladies' room and clean this up a bit."

Jaune nodded, and watched Yang get up and head to the restroom. As she did, she didn't notice someone steal in from the doorway, and quietly take up a seat in the chair she'd just vacated.

Jaune returned his eyes to the table, and was shocked to realize that a new person was sitting where Yang had just been a second earlier. He could tell she was a girl, but she was dressed in a tan hoody that hid her body's features, the hood pulled up so that it was over her face.

Jaune blinked in confusion for a moment. "Uh...Excuse me, Miss," he said cautiously. "That's my girlfriend's seat, if you don't mind."

The girl giggled softly, the familiar sound sending an eerie chill down Jaune's spine, and making his stomach roil alarmingly. "Oh, I don't mind at all," said the girl in a polite tone that Jaune recognized all too clearly. "That makes it the perfect seat for me, don't you think?"

Jaune's skin paled considerably as the girl reached up and pulled back her hood, revealing long locks of red hair, that ran down into the collar of the hoody, and gleaming, emerald eyes that fixed on his. She wasn't wearing her circlet, but Jaune recognized her all too easily.

"Hello, Jaune."

Jaune swallowed, trying to fight down the horrified lump that threatened to block his throat. "Pyrrha..."

* * *

 **Pyrrha-yan returns!**

 **And with that little tidbit, all the secrets up through Volume 5 have been revealed, for the most part. Ozpin is a lot better at this whole "trust" thing in my story than he is in canon, apparently. He's certainly a lot more forthcoming about things that he kept mum about in the actual series.**


	104. Chapter 104

**Chapter 104:**

Pyrrha Nikos giggled coyly, running her finger around the rim of Yang's soup bowl, her smile and demure posture suggesting that _she_ was the one there on a date with Jaune. Looking across the table at her former-partner, Pyrrha quirked an eyebrow. "You might want to relax a little, Jaune," she suggested. "Otherwise, people might wonder if something's amiss."

"That's a little hard to do with the girl who tried to kill my best friend sitting right in front of me," countered Jaune.

"You're still upset about that?" asked Pyrrha, a hint of annoyance in her tone.

"Considering you don't seem to have any regrets about it, yeah," replied Jaune.

"I do regret it," said Pyrrha. "I regret it deeply."

"No, you don't!" snapped Jaune, leaning forward aggressively, his sudden surge of anger surprising Pyrrha. "You regret getting caught! You regret that it cost you everyone's respect and friendship, and your chance at me. _That's_ what you regret. I can tell that you _still_ don't think you've done anything wrong."

"Jaune," said Pyrrha, managing to collect herself after her surprise at his outburst, "calm down."

"Why should I?" growled Jaune.

"Because I don't want to call attention to the fact I'm here," said Pyrrha, her coy, teasing smile sliding back in place. "And I don't think _you_ want to call attention to the fact I'm here either." Pyrrha gently extended her right index finger, and touched it to the soup spoon that Yang had been using a moment earlier. With just that contact, she lifted it up, the spoon actually lagging a centimeter or so behind her finger. Turning her hand so that her finger pointed up, Pyrrha balanced the spoon in the air over her fingertip, where it began to spin idly, its shape outlined in black. "There's plenty here for me to work with, Jaune. If you cause a commotion, I might be forced to cause a _bigger_ one. You don't want to know what silverware can do to an unprotected body, if propelled at the right velocity."

Jaune swallowed, the threat to the people around them quelling his anger. He settled back into his seat. "You've changed," he said finally.

"I have," agreed Pyrrha, idly resting her chin against the back of her hand, propped up by her elbow, while she continued to levitate and spin the spoon with her opposite hand. "I've finally shed all my burdens, Jaune. You have no idea how liberating it feels."

"Liberating..." Jaune's eyes narrowed.

Pyrrha beamed. Jaune recognized her expression. It wasn't the polite "champion" smile that Pyrrha often wore in public, when she needed to put on a polite face. It was a genuine expression of happiness, the kind that used to only be reserved for inside the dorm, when they were together with their teammates...in happier times.

"For so long now, I've had to live according to the expectations of others," explained Pyrrha. "I had to be their champion, their Goddess of Victory, their Invincible Girl, all of those things. No matter how I felt inside, no matter how tired, depressed, or angry I might have been; I was always forced to wear a smile and put my best foot forward. If I didn't, if I allowed that facade to crack, my fans would turn on me, my sponsors would abandon me, even my parents would resent me, seeing as I wasn't bringing in anymore wealth for them.

"But now...now I can almost _thank_ Ruby for bringing it all down. Losing all that, it actually left me free to express how I feel, to do what I want. I'm free now, free of all those burdens, all that pressure."

"That's great," grumbled Jaune petulantly. "Any chance you could go enjoy that somewhere else?"

"I'm afraid not. Because, for all the things I've lost and finally been freed from, it irritates me that there's still something I want..." Pyrrha's eyes fixated on his own...possessively. "... _someone_ I want."

"It's not happening between us, Pyrrha," said Jaune firmly.

Pyrrha frowned, lowering the hand she was using to spin the soup spoon, lowering the spoon itself to the saucer the bowl rested on. "Jaune, for almost as long as I can remember, what I wanted has been dictated to me by the people I worked for. I 'wanted' what my sponsors had to sell. I 'wanted' what my managers thought would improve my image. Everything I ever 'wanted' was decided upon, or at least approved by, others...until I met you."

Pyrrha's smile returned, making Jaune shudder again. Once again, it was that warm, genuine smile he remembered seeing in their dorm. There was an even greater warmth to it than before though, a warmth that spoke of affection and attraction.

"When I met you, when I became your friend, I came to realize what you meant to me," explained Pyrrha. "And, for the first time, since before I became a tournament champion, I wanted something, someone, for myself; not because it would improve my standing, not because it was a product I needed to endorse; but because it was what I wanted...for me, and me alone. I know it was selfish, but...is that so wrong, Jaune?"

Jaune sighed, and lowered his head. "No...It's not wrong at all."

"That's grand!" said Pyrrha, brightening up immensely. "I knew you'd understand."

"I do," admitted Jaune. "I understand. I even _agree_ that you aren't wrong to want your own happiness." Then his expression hardened. "What is wrong is that you thinking that gave you the right to try and kill for it, Pyrrha. Whatever you wanted, however much you deserved your own happiness, all that went out the window the moment you resorted to murder to get your way."

Pyrrha's expression hardened in return. "Why does it always have to come back to that?" she growled.

"Because that's where it went wrong," said Jaune. "I admit to being dense, clueless, stupid even. But you had every chance, the same chance Yang and Ruby did. Heck, you knew even better than they did how blind I was. If you'd competed earnestly, if you'd just _told_ me how you felt, there's now way I would have been able to turn you down."

Pyrrha's eyes narrowed, her jaw clenching, the muscles around her neck tightening. "What do you want from me?" she snapped.

"I want you to stop this," said Jaune, putting all the earnestness and care he could into his voice, dredging up the feeling of friendship and respect he'd once felt for the girl in front of him. "I want you to do the right thing, turn yourself in, pay for your crimes, admit your mistakes, and move on with your life."

"If I did that, could we, maybe...?" Pyrrha asked plaintively, genuine hope worming its way into her voice.

Jaune looked her in the eyes...and sighed. "No," he said. "You _had_ your chance, Pyrrha, and you blew it. You have no one else but yourself to blame for that."

Pyrrha's face fell, her entire expression seeming to sag. Then, in a few seconds, her sorrow morphed into anger. "If that's the case, then what's the point?" she growled.

"What?" asked Jaune, gulping and leaning away from the wrath he sensed from her, an almost palpable sensation.

"What's the point to 'doing the right thing,' if the thing I want most, the first and only thing I've ever truly wanted for myself won't be mine?" asked Pyrrha. "There's no appeal to it, Jaune. There's nothing that 'making things right' could do for me that I would actually want. I spent most of my life doing the 'right things,' only to wind up miserable and alone on my pedestal. I'm sick of all this harping on what's _right_."

Pyrrha's fingers clenched. Then the soup spoon began to clatter rapidly against the saucer. The sound it made was joined by others. Jaune looked down to see his own utensils vibrating as well. The effect spread. Conversation quieted down, and people stopped talking, their attention drawn by the vibrating of nearly every metal object in the restaurant, which were all trembling in reflection of Pyrrha's anger.

Pyrrha seemed to notice the attention her actions were attracting, and took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a second. The clattering died down, and everything went back to normal, save for the people around them, who talked to one another in confusion about what just happened.

When Pyrrha opened her eyes again, there was a possessive look to them as she glared at Jaune. "Listen carefully, Jaune," she said. "I'm sick of doing what other people want me to do. From now on, I'm going to live for myself, and, if I want something...I'm going to _take_ it." She glared at him. "And I still want you, Jaune. So I will make you mine, one way or another."

"P-Pyrrha..." stammered Jaune, horrified at the change that had come over his former-friend.

"This was the last chance you had, Jaune," said Pyrrha darkly. "I was hoping we could make things right, that we could truly connect, that you could understand and return my feelings. But I suppose that's asking too much." She sighed. "So...when we meet again, I'll take what I want...and I'll destroy anyone who gets in my way."

"Pyrrha...please?" pleaded Jaune.

Pyrrha pushed the chair away, and stood up. She pulled her hood back over her head, hiding her features once more. She began to turn away, but paused. "Here's my advice, Jaune," she said, "break up with Yang. Make it as painful and cruel as possible, hurt her as badly as you can...and I might just be convinced to spare her. Ruby dies. That part is non-negotiable. But Yang might still have a chance to live, if you hurt her even worse than you hurt me."

"You won't get away with this," said Jaune.

"I will," said Pyrrha. "I've made powerful friends, Jaune...dangerous friends. You have no idea what you're up against."

 _Actually, I do,_ thought Jaune. He already knew that Pyrrha had fallen in with Cinder's group. He was tempted to reveal it, maybe see if that would rattle her cage. But he decided against it. At this stage, the last thing he wanted was to risk their enemies finding out that Jaune and his friends knew anything about them. At present, their plan hinged upon Cinder and her allies thinking that RUBY and JNAR were still completely in the dark about their plans for them.

"Goodbye, Jaune...for now," said Pyrrha turning away from him. She left the restaurant.

Sitting alone at the table, Jaune sighed, and leaned back, the tension draining from his body.

A moment later, Yang emerged from the restroom, having wiped down her top as best she could, though the soup still left a dark stain across it. "Sorry," she said. "That took a bit longer than I thought." She paused, seeing the troubled look on Jaune's face. "Jaune? What's wrong?"

Jaune sighed. "Well...I can tell you...but it's definitely going to ruin dinner."

Yang took her seat again, and looked earnestly at him. "Jaune, tell me what happened."

Jaune sighed, then gave Yang a rueful smile. "Well, while you were in the restroom...I bumped into an old friend..."

* * *

Ruby and Gin had to make another report to Ozpin about their encounter with Yu, in the Vault. Ozpin was understandably concerned that Yu had appeared in the single most secure location in his Academy, yet also not all that surprised. If there was anyone who could intrude in a place where he wasn't wanted, and make it look completely easy, it was Yu Yuen.

Afterwards, they took the elevator down, and exited under the veil of Gin's _Shingetsu_. Thanks to their recent activities, Gin's proficiency with the technique was improving. There was an odd look from the receptionist, as the elevator doors opened for seemingly no reason, with no one appearing to exit.

A few moments later, they emerged from the cover of Gin's veil. "Well, that was fun," said Gin.

"I wish Master Yu hadn't shown up though," said Ruby with a sigh. "He always knows how to ruin a good thing."

"Well, not much we can do about that...for now," said Gin, squeezing Ruby's shoulder. "Now what?"

"Well..." Ruby checked the time on her scroll. They'd spent most of the day in the Vault, with Amber. It was fairly late in the evening. Fortunately, they'd already had dinner with Amber. With it being Friday, the festival grounds, and their stalls, would be open for a while longer, and she suspected that most of their friends were out and about. "I guess we'll kill time until we can meet up with the others. We have a lot to talk about."

Gin nodded. Their meetings had been more than a little instructive. They now had a lot of new information to share with their friends, which was somewhat ironic, considering that their reason for visiting Ozpin had been to inform _him_ of what _they_ had learned. It seemed that, with each moment that the tournament finals drew closer, the situation grew more mired and complicated. They knew that Blake wouldn't like that one bit.

"Well, I guess we can hang out around the festival grounds," suggested Gin.

Ruby smiled and nodded. Holding hands, they made their way out into the festival grounds. Out of the corner of her eye, Ruby caught one or two camera flashes, a sign that people were still interested in her, whether because of her status as one of the tournament finalists, or because of the scandals she'd been a part of earlier. Fortunately, they weren't overly intrusive, nor were there any reporters rushing her, begging for a comment.

So Ruby was a little bit surprised when someone did approach her.

"Excuse me..."

Ruby turned towards the source of the voice, youthful and high-pitched. It took her a second to realize that the voice came from lower than she'd expected. Glancing down, she saw a boy who couldn't have been older than ten or so, his curly, blonde hair tucked underneath a brown flat-cap. He was dressed rather rustically, wearing a white shirt and brown overalls, with black boots around his feet. His shirt and his cream-colored skin seemed to be slightly smudged with dirt in a few places, giving the impression of a stereotypical ten-year-old boy, who didn't mind playing hard and getting a little dirty. His eyes gleamed up at Ruby like a pair of sparkling emeralds.

There was something about the boy that struck Ruby as...odd. It wasn't off...or wrong...just...odd. She couldn't shake the subtle suggestion that this little boy wasn't exactly what he seemed. Above all else, those emerald eyes sparkled with a keen intelligence, more than someone his age should possess.

"C-can I help you?" asked Ruby.

"You're Ruby Rose, right?" asked the boy cheerfully. "You're in the finals?"

"Yes, I am," said Ruby.

"Great!" said the boy. "I didn't want to be mistaken. It's so cool to get to meet you!"

"That's nice," said Ruby, blushing from the adulation, even as Gin covertly chuckled behind her. "And who are you?"

"I'm Tip," said the boy, grinning. "I wanted to give you these." He hefted his arms.

It took a second for Ruby to notice the boy's burden. His arms were folded around a fair-sized bouquet of flowers, featuring a combination of purple irises with pink and red gladiolus spikes. All told, it was a beautiful arrangement.

"Thank you," gasped Ruby, touched by the gesture, accepting the offered gift. "They're beautiful."

"I'm glad you like them," said Tip, his expression softening. "I put a lot of thought into it."

"Did you?" asked Ruby, blinking down at the flowers in her arms.

Tip nodded eagerly. "Flowers can have a lot of meaning, you know," he said, puffing his chest out proudly, the posture of someone proud, all too happy to share his knowledge. "Iris flowers symbolize faith, hope, and valor. Gladiolus flowers symbolize strength and endurance. Putting them together like this, I guess you could say that I have faith in your strength and valor."

"That's...nice," said Ruby, amazed and baffled that something as simple as a bouquet of flowers could be used to convey such a deep message...and even more baffled that someone so young could come up with it.

"It's just...you have a lot on your plate," said Tip, still beaming innocently up at her. "I just wanted to show you that I believe that you can win through _all_ your battles."

"I...uh...um..." Ruby was utterly tongue-tied. Slightly behind her, Gin's eyes narrowed slightly, examining the boy more closely.

There was a tiny flash, a sparkle of mischief in the boy's eye. Then it was gone. "Anyway, I just wanted to wish you luck."

With that, he turned and skipped away, leaving a flummoxed Ruby standing there, holding the gift, while Gin looked on from behind her. It took both of them a few more seconds to realize another anomaly. Neither of them had sensed the boy's approach or his presence with their _Shingan_. It was as though they'd been speaking to a ghost. Only the flowers, clutched in Ruby's arms, served as tangible evidence that he had been there at all.

And yet, despite that, Ruby didn't feel completely unsettled. The entire meeting had been somewhat...unusual...to be sure. But she didn't feel worried or threatened. If anything, she sensed that Tip's desire to encourage her had been genuine. There had been absolutely no malice in the boy's behavior.

"Who was that?" asked Gin.

"I have no idea," admitted Ruby, now unsure of what to do.

Their confusion was brought to an end when Ruby's scroll chimed, signaling a message. Awkwardly shifting her bouquet, Ruby reached into her pocket and pulled out the device. Reading it, she gasped softly.

* * *

Jaune and Yang headed back to the docks in an uneasy silence. Yang, in particular, was feeling shaken at the prospect that Pyrrha had been there, in the restaurant, sitting at _her_ seat. Now she understood what had caused her to spill the soup earlier. At the very least, she was glad that Jaune was there, allowing her to draw quiet comfort from the feeling of her hand in his.

"Sorry," said Jaune. "I guess that spoils the evening."

Yang sighed, then gave him a slightly amused smile. "You're talking like you should be responsible for the actions of a creepy stalker. Pyrrha's the only one to blame."

"I still feel like I should have done something," protested Jaune.

"Done what?" asked Yang. "You said it yourself, Pyrrha was practically holding the entire restaurant hostage. If you'd tried to do something, a lot of innocent people would have gotten hurt."

"I guess that's true," admitted Jaune.

"Are you worried...about what Pyrrha said?" asked Yang.

"Of course I am," said Jaune. "She threatened you. She threatened, no she _promised_ to kill Ruby. She's not going to give up, not going to stop, and she's completely thrown her lot in with the bad guys now."

"I know," said Yang. "It's scary. It's another thing on our plate. But we already knew we'd have to deal with Pyrrha sooner or later."

Jaune nodded, glad that Neo had revealed that Pyrrha had joined their enemies. At least they hadn't been completely blindsided by her presence. "But...about what Pyrrha said..."

"You mean her telling you to break up with me?" asked Yang. Seeing Jaune nod. "What about it?"

"It's just..." Jaune trailed off.

"No," said Yang firmly, coming to a stop, using her grip on Jaune's hand to stop him as well.

"But-"

"No," repeated Yang. "We aren't doing something stupid like that. We aren't even going to pretend to do it." Grabbing Jaune's shoulders, she turned him to face her. "Even if she wasn't threatening me, Pyrrha as good as promised to kill Ruby, and I won't let that stand. One way or another, I'm going to fight her. I refuse to let her win, even in a small way." She drifted closer to him, curling her arms languidly around the back of his neck. "You're mine," she continued, "and I'm yours. Pyrrha can't change that."

Jaune's arms wrapped around her waist, pulling Yang in closer. They brought their lips together, kissing deeply in the evening light, clinging tightly to each other, almost as though they were afraid to let go. After a couple of minutes, they parted, then spent the next moment looking each other deeply in the eyes.

"I love you," said Jaune firmly.

"Ditto," Yang replied playfully. "Now let's get home, Lover-Boy. We've got some news to share."

"Yeah, I guess we do," said Jaune.

Their flight back to Beacon was, thankfully, uneventful. They emerged along with a small crowd of returning students, along with a few last-minute visitors to the festival grounds. In the process of leaving, they worked their way through another small crowd of people waiting to board the airship, and take it back to Vale. Towards the back of that smaller crowd, Jaune yelped in surprise as he bumped against a small boy. The boy yelped similarly, dropping the book he'd been carrying.

"Are you okay?" asked Yang, immediately stooping to check the boy, her sisterly instincts flaring automatically.

"I'm okay," said the boy, cheerful, despite the spill he'd taken. He gladly accepted Yang's hand, and allowed himself to be pulled back to his feet.

In the meantime, Jaune had immediately bent down to pick up the boy's book, brushing it off a little. Fortunately, the little hardback didn't seem to have been damaged in the fall. Glancing at the cover, Jaune noticed the title: _Legacies_. He blinked, seeing the illustration underneath it.

Beneath the lettering of the title was an illustration of a sword...and a shield...looking suspiciously like Crocea Mors. The coloring didn't match up, but they appeared to be the same combination of arming sword and heater shield, with the sword resting vertically at the center of the shield, its tip ending right where the shield's own shape tapered down to a point, reminding him of how his sword was actually sheathed in its shield.

"Pretty neat, huh?" asked the boy, holding out his hand for the book.

Jaune blinked, startled out of his reverie, and handed the book back. "Yeah."

"Have you read it?" asked the boy, looking up at Jaune with earnest, emerald eyes.

The eyes unnerved Jaune a little bit, mostly because they reminded him a little too much of Pyrrha, with their color. He supposed he shouldn't be. Green eyes weren't exactly uncommon, after all. "No," he conceded.

"It's really interesting," said the boy. "It's all about special weapons called Legacies."

"So, they're weapons?" asked Jaune.

"Uh huh," said the boy, nodding eagerly. "Before Huntsmen and Huntresses got really fancy with Dust and transforming weapons, they used to pass their weapons, from father to son, stuff like that."

"Oh," said Jaune, blinking, his mind occupied by the image of his own weapons.

"Anyway," continued the boy, "what's really cool is that these old weapons are supposed to absorb Aura from the people who use them. Over time, that's supposed to give them Aura of their own, kinda like they're alive or something."

"Really?" asked Jaune.

"Yeah, it's really cool," said the boy. "But most people don't know about it anymore, because everyone makes their own weapons nowadays."

"That's true," said Jaune.

"It's pretty neat that you're reading this," observed Yang, smiling fondly. "Do you want to be a Huntsman, when you grow up?"

"Something like that," said the boy, grinning.

"Well, we'll wish you luck with that," said Yang, lifting the boy's cap slightly, so that she could ruffle his hair, making the boy laugh and pull away.

Then he looked back and forth between the two of them. "You two were in the tournament, right?"

"Yeah," said Yang, sharing a look with Jaune. "We're not on the same team, but we're both participants."

"Cool!" exclaimed the boy. "I remember you now," he said, looking at Yang in particular. "You're Yang Xiao Long, right?"

"That's right," said Yang, grinning widely.

"Wow! You were awesome in the last round," said the boy.

"Aw, thanks," said Yang, blushing at the praise.

"And you're Jaune Arc, right?" asked the boy, turning to Jaune.

"That's right," said Jaune, surprised at being named, considering he hadn't even been in the most recent round of the tournament.

"I remember you in the first round," said the boy. "I thought your strategy was really cool."

"Even though he borrowed it from my sister?" teased Yang, grinning at Jaune's blush.

"If it works, don't knock it," countered Jaune.

"That's right," said the boy cheerfully. He glanced over to see that the airship was issuing its last call for passengers. "I gotta go!" he said quickly, breaking into a run towards the airship. "My name's Tip. It was nice to meet you!" he called over his shoulder, waving, even as he jumped through the door, right before it closed.

Yang and Jaune waved farewell to the boy, before looking to each other. "Well...that was a thing," said Yang, looking at Jaune, who chuckled.

Then Jaune frowned pensively, looking down slightly.

"Something wrong?" asked Yang, looking at him worriedly.

"Not wrong," said Jaune. "I'm just curious...you think the library has a copy of that book?"

* * *

The airship landed in Vale, the doors opening, allowing the passengers to disembark. From the crowds, a single, young boy separated himself, trotting off down an abandoned alleyway. As he walked, a ringing echoed from his pocket. Reaching down, he pulled out a scroll, and held it up to his ear.

"Hello?"

" _Where have you been!?_ " shrieked a harsh, matronly voice from the other end. " _I've been trying to get in touch with you for days!_ "

"I'm in Vale," answered Tip cheerfully.

" _WHAT?!_ " The volume of the woman's voice forced Tip to pull his scroll away from his ear. " _How in God's name-? No! Never mind! It's pointless asking how you managed to get all the way over there. You need to get back here, NOW! Do you have any idea how much work is piled up?_ "

"Aww...but that's what I have you for, Mombi," teased Tip. "There can't be _that_ much work piled up."

" _That doesn't change the fact that you can't just go galavanting off to another Kingdom on a whim!_ " protested the woman, Mombi. " _You have a responsibility here._ "

"I have one over here too," said Tip. "Besides, I'm sure things are in good hands with you."

" _What are you doing there anyway?_ " asked Mombi suspiciously.

"Couldn't I say that I was just here to cheer on your niece?" offered Tip.

" _You could say that, but her team was already knocked out in the first round,_ " replied Mombi.

"But there's still some of our students in the running," countered Tip.

" _But they're not_ actually _the reason you're over there,_ " said Mombi. " _Just what are you up to?_ "

"I'm offering a bit of a helping hand," said Tip. "You know how it is. It's silly to leave things to that crotchety old Wizard. He's such a stick in the mud. I figured I'd give a little encouragement and advice, that's all." He grinned. "Ozpin always used to think that magic was such a flashy thing. He laments his lost power. But I've always loved the more subtle aspects of it. Just a little nudge can make more of a difference than all the thunder and flame ever could."

" _And now that you're done, you can come back._ "

"I could," said Tip. "But I think I'll stay another week. I want to see how things shake out. You never know. My skills might be needed, even if the old Wizard won't admit it."

A tired sigh issued out from the scroll. " _I suppose there's no talking you out of this,_ " grumbled Mombi. " _But you'd best be prepared for punishment, when you get back. You've got a considerable backlog of work, and it's only going to get worse. And I'm going to make sure that you do every. Little. Bit of it._ "

That appeared to put a slight dent in Tip's cheerful demeanor, though he recovered quickly enough. "I look forward to it," he said.

* * *

"We're back," announced Yang, stepping through the door, into her team's room.

"Welcome home," said Blake, not even looking up from her book.

The room was looking more than a little crowded. Gin was settled onto his and Ruby's bed, laying back, his eyes closed in either a nap or meditation. Next to his bed, on the floor, were Ren and Nora, presently borrowing RUBY's game console to play on the holoprojector, Ren doing an impressive job of keeping up with Nora's almost preternatural gaming skills. Ayumu and Neo were seated beside Blake and Yang's bunks. Neo was curled up in Ayumu's lap, dozing peacefully. Ayumu had his arms extended past her, his chin nicely nestled against the crown of her head, while he, like Blake, read.

Now Jaune and Yang had arrived, Jaune clutching a copy of the same book he'd seen the boy from earlier carrying, having found a copy in the library. The librarian had been surprised by his request for it, considering the book, and its subject matter, to be more than a little antiquated. But Jaune didn't mind. What little Tip had told him was weighing on his mind. Jaune was actually a little eager to see just what this research might yield.

A flash of color caught their eye, and they both looked to see a bouquet of flowers resting on the desk beside Gin and Ruby's bed. "What's with the flowers?" asked Yang.

"A gift to Ruby, from an admirer," said Gin, opening his eyes and sitting up.

"That's cool," said Yang, grinning. "Ruby's getting flowers now. That's pretty nice."

"Better than bullets, that's for sure," said Gin. "Well, now that you're here, I've got some things to tell you. It turned out to be a more eventful day than we expected."

"Uh...funny thing, that," said Jaune, while he and Yang grinned nervously. "You could say that about our day too."

"Great, sounds like good news all around," said Blake sarcastically.

Ayumu closed his book, and gently nudged Neo into wakefulness. The diminutive girl yawned cutely, then stretched, uncurling slightly, but still remaining firmly planted in Ayumu's lap.

"And how was your day?" asked Jaune, looking down at Neo.

Neo beamed up at him, blinking and switching her eye-colors.

"Neo was practicing her manifestation, after she got out of the tower," explained Ayumu.

Neo nodded vigorously.

"Sounds like a pretty solid date, for something you came up with," teased Yang, grinning at Ayumu.

"Well, I try," said Ayumu with a shy laugh.

Yang straightened up and looked around. "Wait...where's Ruby? I figured she'd be here with all of you."

"She got a call," said Gin. "A certain someone wants to talk with her."

* * *

From the moment the subject had been raised, Ruby had figured that it would only be a matter of time before this happened. She had wondered if it would be sooner or later. She wasn't actually sure whether "right now" counted as either sooner or later. However, for many weeks now, she'd envisioned herself in this place, sitting in this seat, staring at the person in front of her, through the layer of safety glass.

 _Weiss has changed,_ noted Ruby, though she couldn't quite guess how she knew. With the loose-fitting jumpsuit she wore, she couldn't tell if Weiss had lost or gained weight, simply by looking. Physically, she appeared to be doing well enough. The swelling black eye that Ruby had inflicted on her during their battle had long since faded, without a trace, though the scar over her left eye was as clear as ever, though Ruby thought it had always accentuated Weiss' looks, not detracted from them. Seeing Weiss with her hair worn so loose was unusual, Ruby having never seen her like that when Weiss wasn't in her pajamas, and getting ready for bed.

For her part, Weiss looked as uneasy and confused as Ruby, even though _she_ was the one who'd requested this meeting, a request that had been forwarded to Ozpin, then to Ruby herself. Ruby was impressed by Ozpin's willingness to arrange said meeting right away. Perhaps the weight of all the things that loomed in the future for them prompted him to brook no delays, so that it wouldn't interfere with any of their other plans. But the suddenness of the arrangement appeared to have caught Weiss off-guard just as much as it had Ruby.

So here they sat, neither of them really knowing what to say. Ruby briefly wondered if this was going to be the place and time where Weiss finally asked for forgiveness...or if Weiss had simply called her to berate her over taking away everything that Weiss thought belonged to her. Perhaps Weiss didn't know either. There was a wavering uncertainty in her own face.

Ruby could sense that turmoil further in Weiss' Aura. There was anger to be sure, anger at the girl who had put Weiss in this detention center, anger at the girl who had achieved everything that Weiss had sought for herself. But it was muted, clouded, undermined by doubt. Weiss was questioning her own pain and hatred, apparently wondering if she even had the right to be angry. _That's a good thing,_ thought Ruby. She wondered if Weiss really would ask for forgiveness. Ruby wondered if she could give it to Weiss.

In spite of her own words to both Winter and Klein, Ruby found herself doubting if she could actually bring herself to forgive the girl in front of her. She'd told Winter that, if Weiss showed that she could be a better person, then Ruby would forgive her. That was something Ruby felt obligated to do. But obligations weren't so easy to follow, not when the prospect of facing the person she was supposed to forgive filled her with so much pain. The pain had muted, almost vanished even, in the months since Ruby had exacted justice for the wrongs that Weiss and Pyrrha had done her. But it hadn't disappeared entirely. Ruby still found herself feeling the sting of betrayal, the pain of someone she had trusted, viewed as a friend and a partner, not merely stabbing her in the back, but professing that their entire partnership had been nothing but a lie. Ruby had done her best, tried to be a good partner and leader, but Weiss had never even given her a real chance, had merely resolved to hate Ruby, and planned her downfall almost from the very beginning.

In the face of all that, Ruby had every right to still be angry, to hold onto her grudge. Even if Weiss appeared to be contrite, could Ruby believe her? _I should be able to tell,_ she thought, _I have the Shingan. It's even better now than it was when I fought her. I'll know if she's lying._

But was that good enough? Ruby had to admit that the real answer lay, not with Weiss, but with her own heart. It was easy to make promises, to profess lofty ideals of forgiveness. But it was hard to shake the visceral emotions that dogged her. At the end of the day, Weiss had hurt her. Ruby found herself wondering if she could forgive Weiss for that, regardless of what she had told her friends and loved ones.

"Ruby..." said Weiss, her voice soft, almost plaintive.

"Weiss..." Ruby struggled to keep her pain and feelings from leaking into her voice. Weiss had called this meeting, so it was only appropriate that Ruby allow Weiss to have her say.

Weiss opened her mouth, then closed it. After another moment of hesitation, she opened it again...only to close it without saying anything...again. Ruby wondered how long this could go on. She decided to wait. If nothing else, she could be patient. She'd learned the importance of that throughout her training as well. So she watched, taking a deep breath, silently imagining the familiar, cooling presence of a hand on her forehead, silently envisioning Gin down here with her. Even if it was only imaginary, his presence filled her with a sense of cool comfort.

"I..." began Weiss, only to abort her speech again. She sighed, looked down, and chuckled ruefully. "I thought I knew what I was going to say."

"I know that feeling," said Ruby, cracking a small smile of her own.

For her part, Weiss was locked in complete confusion. She'd mentally considered speeches from all over the emotional spectrum. Mentally preparing herself for this moment had come with emotional highs and lows. There were moments where she'd been overrun with fury, imagining letting loose her righteous wrath upon Ruby, berating her for sitting pretty, while Weiss herself was rotting in this prison, forgotten; tearing into Ruby for taking away everything that should have been hers, not just her team and her position, but her family, her company, and her future. It was all gone now, and the girl who had instigated that was sitting in front of her now.

In other moments, Weiss had imagined herself surrendering to the guilt that had been gnawing away at her from the inside, throwing herself at Ruby's mercy, and begging for her forgiveness, and help. She imagined throwing away every last scrap of the pride that had been the cause of all this suffering on her part. She now sat before the girl she wronged, the girl she'd tried to murder.

"Ruby...I..." Weiss cut herself off again. Excuses and explanations rose up, and were quashed back down. Words of contrition bubbled in her throat, only to find themselves blocked, congested, to the point where Weiss thought she might choke on them.

"What do I...what do I say?" Weiss asked, more to herself, than Ruby.

But Ruby still answered. "What you need to say." Ruby's voice was soft, yet tight with tension. Ruby didn't know what to expect from this either. They were both at a crossroads, and they didn't yet know which way this meeting would take them.

"Ruby...I...I..." Weiss sniffled, then grit her teeth, scrunching her eyes shut. The words she needed to say, the words she _had_ to say, were on the tip of her tongue, but the mere thought of forcing them out of her mouth filled her with indescribable pain.

Ruby waited silently, offering neither affirmation, nor condemnation.

Finally, Weiss couldn't hold it in for any longer...or perhaps she finally managed to force it out through the last remaining restraints of her hubris. "I'm sorry!" she shouted, almost screamed even, leaning forward, bumping her head against the glass. "I was wrong! I was _so_ wrong! I'm sorry...for everything...Please...forgive me." As she spoke her voice trailed off, that last request of hers practically a plaintive whisper.

This was it, the moment Ruby had been waiting for, in a sense, the moment that Weiss admitted that she was wrong, and asked for forgiveness. A part of her, the petty, vindictive part, screamed that this wasn't nearly enough. This didn't even begin to compensate for the cruelty of Weiss' betrayal. Another part, the cynical part, told Ruby that Weiss might be lying, that this could be an effort on her part to lower Ruby's guard, all so that she could betray Ruby again.

But Ruby's _Shingan_ allowed her to sense the subtle nuances in Weiss' voice, see the genuine remorse in her expression, and, most of all, sense Weiss' regret and sorrow through her Aura. Weiss meant what she said. The parts of Ruby urging her to throw this apology out the window, reject it as not being good enough, those were the visceral parts, responding purely to the emotional residue of Weiss' betrayal. Once again, Ruby closed her eyes, and imagined the sensation of a cool hand resting over her forehead.

 _It's not just for my sake, or Weiss' sake...but Gin's sake too,_ she thought. If she rejected Weiss' request for forgiveness, she wouldn't be acting true to her feelings for Gin. Compared to Weiss' single betrayal and attempted murder, Gin's actions came off as far worse, no matter how far in the past they might have been. True, none of the things that Gin had done had ever affected Ruby personally, but that shouldn't matter. Part of accepting Gin was accepting who he used to be.

So she owed it to him to do the right thing here.

Ruby closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, she smiled warmly at Weiss. "I forgive you," she said.

Three simple words, that's all they were. Yet the effect they had on Weiss was profound. Weiss hadn't been expecting her to answer so quickly or assuredly. She hadn't expected to get her forgiveness so easily. Weiss wasn't sure what she did expect. Perhaps she'd expected an angrier response, or for Ruby to express contempt, or demand more extreme proof. But there it was.

Weiss uttered a soft, gasp, barely audible. Her hand went to her mouth, and her eyes overflowed with tears. "Th-thank you," she stammered, barely able to force out coherent words.

She collapsed against the glass, sobbing with relief and regret. _In the end...it was so easy._ Weiss wondered why she had thought it would be so hard, had spent so long agonizing over this moment.

More than anything, she was amazed, stunned that Ruby was so willing to forgive her. A few months ago, a lifetime, considering what she had been through, she would have dismissed a willingness to forgive so easily as naive. Yet Ruby had done it, with barely any hesitation. That hesitation had worried Weiss at first, but it now made her realize how human Ruby was...and how much of a better person she was, compared to the girl on the other side of the glass.

Ruby wasn't some saint. She had doubts, regrets, anger, and the ability to hold a grudge. But she had been able to forge past that, and do what she thought was right.

 _If I'd understood that from the beginning, I wouldn't have been so stupid as to try to kill her,_ thought Weiss sadly.

She lifted her face away from the glass, ignoring the tear streaks she'd left on it, and looked at Ruby. At that moment, a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Yet...there was also a certain degree of indecision. Sniffling, she wiped her nose with the sleeve of her prison uniform. "What now?"

"I...I'm not sure," admitted Ruby. Weiss had asked, Ruby had granted. Now they had no idea of where to go from here. It wasn't as though Ruby forgiving Weiss magically alleviated Weiss' guilt. Nor did Ruby have the means to alter Weiss' sentence in any meaningful way. Weiss would still be stuck in this place for several more years, at best.

"Well, I guess even something like this wouldn't magically make everything better," conceded Weiss wryly.

"Yeah, that would be a little silly," admitted Ruby with a giggle. "But...it's a start." She paused, looking Weiss in the eyes through the glass. "What do you want to do now?"

"I...I honestly don't know," admitted Weiss. "I...I finally got it off my chest, but I don't know what to do now. I suppose...we could talk a little more."

"I'd like that," said Ruby. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I...well..." Weiss sighed, averting her eyes. "The main reason I'm in this mess is because I didn't bother to learn anything about you, Ruby. I just...made assumptions, and clung to them. I never bothered to try and see if you could be a good friend or leader. I just decided there was no way that you could, and that was that. I suppose..." She looked up at Ruby again. "I guess we could start with that. I want to know the _real_ Ruby Rose, the girl I never took the chance to really learn about."

"That sounds like a great thing to start with," said Ruby, a happy smile lighting up her features.

* * *

 **Phew...and our two original antagonists set off down their respective paths. Pyrrha-yan has thrown her hat in with the villains, while Weiss gets a redemption arc.**

 **And now...we have someone new. This is one of the reasons my stories keep ballooning into such monstrous proportions. I just can't stop myself from adding new wrinkles; from giving Pyrrha an ax-crazy fanboy to use as an attack-dog, to introducing a bevy of other new characters; I might just have a problem. I imagine some of you might be reading between the lines already, but I ask you not to spoil it for anyone else. And yes...I know developments in Volume 6 basically shoot this idea down. In fact this was written a good bit before Volume 6 came out, and all I can say is..."Dammit CRWBY!" So not fair...**

 **Oh well. On with the show.**


	105. Chapter 105

**Chapter 105:**

"I'm surprised you'd take the opportunity to speak with me, Winter," said Whitley, to his credit, sounding genuinely surprised.

Winter sighed, looking down at her plate. "Well...I simply couldn't leave things as they were."

"I suspect I have Ruby to thank for this development," mused Whitley with a small chuckle.

Winter found herself quirking a smile at his observation. "You do," she admitted. "We both do."

It had been a bold gesture to be sure. With their operation set to commence this evening, Winter found herself with a few short hours of free time, for her to use as she saw fit. Remembering Ruby's urging to take the opportunity to try and reconnect with her younger brother, and knowing that he was presently in Vale, Winter decided to make the most of the opportunity. So here they were, having a discreet lunch together, in a small, yet upscale restaurant.

"It makes me all the more disappointed that I missed my opportunity with her," said Whitley with a small sigh, cutting off a small bite of his dish.

"Well, it seems to me that she and her current boyfriend couldn't be happier," noted Winter. "I haven't gotten the chance to see them together all that much. But, when I did, I was amazed by the incredible bond they shared, almost like they knew what the other was thinking much of the time."

"Well, I suppose it's for the best then." Whitley paused, then chuckled, shaking his head ruefully. "Would you look at us. Having a quiet meal together, like proper family, for the first time in years, and all we can seem to talk about is Ruby."

Winter couldn't quite keep herself from giggling at the awkwardness of the situation. "You're not wrong," she admitted. She paused, thinking back over the years of their rocky relationship, of all the times he'd humiliated her, and all the times she had tormented her. "Whitley...I'm sorry. I was not a good sister to you. You deserved better than the way I treated you."

Whitley closed his eyes, a small smile on his face. "I apologize as well," he said. "I should have been better than to work to humiliate you in the ways that I did, particularly knowing how Father would treat you as a consequence."

Winter smiled. As awkward as this was, it felt good to clear the air between them. From the look on Whitley's face, he probably felt the same way. She couldn't be sure. Whitley was a master of hiding his real feelings, after all. But she still felt much better about things between them, even if a few words couldn't make an entire lifetime of bad feelings evaporate over the course of a few seconds.

They ate in silence for a moment, enjoying the work of their chef. Finally, it was Whitley who spoke again. "So...I imagine that you have something quite important looming in the future, Winter."

"Wha-what do you mean?" asked Winter, twitching a little bit more at Whitley's guess than she'd meant to, realizing that her stammer had probably just given plenty away.

"Ruby or no Ruby, I imagine that you didn't simply reach out to me out of the blue," said Whitley, setting his fork down and staring at her. "There's the fact that you would not simply come to Vale on a lark, not when the General keeps you so busy. You wouldn't come out here simply to visit me. You requested this little meeting rather abruptly. There's also a certain tension to your bearing that I, much as I would like to, probably cannot take sole credit for. You likely have an upcoming mission, one of great danger or great importance, probably both, one that will be taking place in the vicinity of Vale, if not within the Kingdom itself."

Winter silently rapped her head for not thinking that Whitley would see through her like this. For all his faults, the one thing Winter never had any trouble admitting about Whitley was that he was smart, far too smart for his own good. In the past she'd loathed that intelligence of his, as he'd all too often turned it towards the torment of her and Weiss. Despite that, she couldn't help but admit a great deal of respect for it as well.

"I do have a mission here," said Winter. "But it is classified information, so I can't tell you any details."

"As I expected," said Whitley, dabbing his napkin to his lips. "The thing that worries me is that you seem resigned to the possibility that you could lose your life on this mission of yours."

"That is a possibility of any mission," said Winter. Granted, the risks were greater on this mission than she would have liked. Raiding a White Fang warehouse, particularly with their numbers and munitions running as low as they were, shouldn't have worried her so much. What did worry her was that one of those remaining White Fang members was Adam Taurus. He might well be in the other warehouse, the one that Qrow was leading the raid on. Even if he was in the warehouse that she would be leading the attack on, Winter would have General Ironwood with her.

But she worried nonetheless. Adam Taurus was not a criminal to trifle with. Under his command, often with his direct participation, the White Fang had conducted numerous raids on well-protected installations, often with Taurus being the one to inflict the majority of the damage on the security forces personally. The man's combat skill was easily in the class of a veteran Huntsman. From what Winter heard, the level of devotion he commanded from his subordinates bordered on fanaticism. There was no way that Winter could allow herself to take him lightly.

Whitley smiled at her. "Well, I would hate to think that I might lose my sister, right after we had finally begun to mend our relationship. Obviously, there is almost nothing I could do to assist you."

"Obviously," agreed Winter.

"However, I believe that I might be able to provide some extra assurance of your success and safety," said Whitley. "I came to Vale with some...special escorts. While I'm sure that Father would balk at the idea that I would make them available for your use, I imagine that he would be consoled somewhat if I framed it as making a practical demonstration, for the purposes of General Ironwood's continued patronage."

"What are you talking about?" asked Winter.

Whitley pulled out his scroll, and tapped a command onto the screen. A second later, there was a flickering, almost like static, from the air behind him. The background in two spots shimmered, before dissolving away to reveal the two forms that Winter had never realized were in the room with them. Her eyes widened as the optical camouflage faded away to reveal sleek, jet-black, humanoid bodies; and gleaming, cyclopean eyes.

"I believe that these could be all the extra assurance that you might be looking for," offered Whitley politely. "I would like them back in working condition, if at all possible. But I know you can't necessarily make any promises."

Her surprise fading, Winter found herself smiling. "I think that's a wonderful idea," she said. "Thank you, Whitley."

"Just make sure you come through this alive, sister," said Whitley, tapping his scroll again. The two figures behind him vanished once more. "I would hate to think that we went through all this trouble for nothing."

"Even I didn't, I would still call all this worthwhile," said Winter. "I'm glad I took this chance, Whitley."

"As am I," admitted Whitley. "Now, if only Weiss could join us. I suspect that won't be possible for a long time yet."

"We'll see," said Winter. "Perhaps, if things go well, I could arrange to secure a...temporary outing...for her."

"That would be a nice idea," said Whitley. "Though I'm not sure she would be willing. The one area where Weiss always surpassed us is stubbornness, after all."

"I wouldn't be so sure," said Winter, chuckling. "I got a text from Ruby last night. Apparently she and Weiss have finally spoken, and Weiss asked her forgiveness."

The thunderstruck look on Whitley's face made this little outing worth it, all on its own. "Weiss...asking for forgiveness..." he said, sounding dazed. "I never thought I would live to see the day."

"I wish she could have learned to do that at less...expense...to herself or others, but I'm glad she learned that lesson finally," said Winter with a sigh. "Perhaps, with her recent experience, she will be more open to the idea of burying the hatchet."

"One can only hope," said Whitley. "But I suppose we should take things one at a time."

"Agreed," said Winter. Whitley was right. There was no point in counting her chickens, before they hatched. She had to get through this mission first. But, now that the idea was on the table, it did give her an extra degree of impetus to see it through successfully...and come home safely afterwards.

For the time being, she resolved to spend the time she had with her brother as best she could.

* * *

Ruby fought to keep from closing her eyes against the constant onslaught on them. The world around her shifted dizzyingly. Shapes and colors blended together, seeming to merge into one another, before spinning off again. The entire world looked to be in a constant state of flux, which could have easily left Ruby with no way of knowing the difference between right and left, or up and down. She felt as though she was looking through the lens of a kaleidoscope that was constantly spinning and being adjusted.

Even knowing Neo's Semblance was Refraction, it was nothing short of amazing to see her put it to such dynamic use. Normally, she limited its application to simple illusions, creating false bodies, or shifting her position a few centimeters away from where she actually was. But now she was using it to completely warp the world that Ruby perceived through her eyes.

Her visual input thus overwhelmed, Ruby had to allow her other senses to take the reins, and guide her. Ayumu and Neo attacked her simultaneously, and Ruby flashed her scythe through defensive spins to catch their strikes and deflect them. She was glad for the practice. Ruby had grown more confident in her command of the _Shingan_ , but this was both helpful and instructive, enabling her to continuously check what she saw, and perceive the truth hidden behind the lies produced by Neo's Semblance.

Considering what Ayumu had told her about his own, limited, experience with Emerald's Semblance, it wasn't a perfect parallel. Apparently, Emerald would be able to produce illusions that could affect multiple senses, not just her eyes, not to mention that it would be infecting Ruby directly through her perception, not creating false images that both she and others could see with their eyes. Still, this training helped her to refine her awareness, and remain alert. Even if one sense failed her, or was deceived, the others would pick up the slack.

"That's enough," said Ayumu's voice called out cheerfully, from amidst the visual cacophony.

The spinning, constantly shifting illusion before Ruby's eyes shattered, leaving everything as it should be. Ruby kept her guard up, reflecting that, with Ayumu's statement about Emerald's illusions being able to affect multiple senses, this could be his way to prepare her, calling an end to the exercise without actually _ending_ it. However, she sensed him and Neo relaxing, and finally allowed herself to relax as well.

"Good work, Ruby," said Ayumu, gently patting her shoulder.

"Thanks," said Ruby, looking over at Neo, who slumped against the trunk of a tree, sweating profusely. Ruby guessed that this was a far more extensive use of her Semblance than Neo usually practiced. No wonder she'd burned so much energy. Compared to Ruby and Ayumu, who were sweating lightly, and barely breathing hard, Neo looked as though she'd been run ragged.

Gin appeared, stepping away from the tree he'd been leaning against. Producing a towel, he crouched in front of Neo and began to wipe her face. Neo gave him a grateful smile, a smile that slackened and relaxed, when Gin followed up by pressing a hand to her forehead, the air escaping from the diminutive girl's lungs in an ecstatic sigh.

"Oh dear," observed Ayumu, laughing, "Neo might get a little too addicted to your touch, Gin."

"That's too bad," said Ruby. "He's mine."

Neo giggled, in her usual, nearly inaudible, way, sticking her tongue out playfully at Ruby, a gesture that Ruby returned.

"Well, all things said and done, I think we're as well prepared as we can be," observed Ayumu, walking over to sit down next to Neo, and wrapping an arm around her.

"I hope so," said Ruby, a slight unease rising within her. It was always one thing to say that they were ready in training. But experience in the real world was rarely so simple a matter. Until the moment of truth, there was really no way of knowing if the training they'd done had prepared them well enough.

Neo perked up slightly, and looked up at Ayumu's face, shifting her eye colors.

"I appreciate the offer," said Ayumu, raising a finger up to stroke her cheek. "But you need to rest. There's no telling when Ms. Fall might call for you, and she would most certainly be suspicious if you were noticeably worn down, prior to an important mission."

Neo nodded warily, then leaned her head against Ayumu's shoulder, and closed her eyes with another soft sigh. A second later, she was dozing. Ayumu lowered his face down, and fondly kissed her forehead, drawing a sleepy, contented, smile from the girl.

Ruby smiled, glad to see that Neo was able and willing to lower her guard around them. It showed that she trusted them, far more than she had ever trusted Cinder, Mercury, or Emerald. Maybe, if Cinder had treated her underlings with an iota of care and consideration, Neo might have been more loyal to her. But Cinder used threats and intimidation to get her way. When her power lost its mystique, when her effectiveness was undermined, suddenly such methods lost their potency. Trust and care were much better foundations for a partnership.

All told, their Saturday was being well spent. The previous night, after spending the remainder of her allotted visiting time with Weiss, Ruby had returned to the dorm, with the good news of what had happened. Reactions had been...mixed...to say the least. Not everyone liked that Ruby had forgiven Weiss so easily, despite Ruby saying that was what she'd planned to do.

Yang was the most vocal opponent, perfectly happy to let Weiss rot in isolation for what she'd done to Ruby. From the determination in her voice, Ruby expected that Yang would not be forgiving Weiss for a long time to come. In contrast, Jaune was more ambivalent, a perspective that was shared by Ren, both of them reluctant to let things go so easily, but also believing that it was Ruby's prerogative to forgive Weiss or not. Blake appeared to share Yang's attitude, albeit in a more subdued manner, angrily suggesting that Ruby shouldn't be so quick to trust a Schnee, although she balked when reminded that Ruby was friends with the two other Schnee siblings.

Nora appeared to be glad that Ruby was happy over the whole affair, and proudly declared that, if Ruby forgave Weiss, then she did to. Ayumu didn't say anything, but his pleased smile spoke volumes. Gin had simply taken Ruby into his arms and kissed her cheek, a clear acknowledgment of how happy for her he was...and his understanding of the _real_ motivation behind her forgiving Weiss so easily.

Unfortunately, there had been bad news too. Ruby and Gin, with some unspoken assistance from Neo, relayed everything they had learned from their meeting with Ozpin, including the fact that he was the Wizard from the fairy tale of the four Maidens, and that he'd granted transforming magic to both Qrow and Raven. Despite its utter absurdity, that information was fairly well-received, as, while it was shocking and incredible, had little bearing on their current situation, other than to better inform them of the overall context.

The realization they had come to about Yu's plans, and his verbal confirmation of his intentions, went over less well, with Blake once again ranting about further complications. Even Yu's promise of a brief grace period, before they had to worry about him waking up his Grimm, didn't do much to soften the blow.

Then Yang and Jaune chimed in with more bad news of their own, reporting on Pyrrha's appearance during their night out, along with her threats. While it unnerved Ruby to realize how far Pyrrha had fallen, it wasn't really all that troublesome, merely a confirmation of the things they already knew. The real question was what part Pyrrha would play in the enemy's future plans. With her Semblance, Pyrrha could cause a great deal of havoc, under the proper circumstances. She was also an extremely dangerous adversary, her Semblance giving her a decisive edge against all but a few combatants. Furthermore, it appeared that Pyrrha had completely shed the trappings of her status as a champion and a celebrity, and was willing to fight uninhibited, making her all the more dangerous.

If anything, it was because of that, that Ruby, Ayumu, and Neo had come out to their little private area to train, preparing to do their part to keep Cinder's plan from working. There was still that little niggling doubt that they had misread things, that Cinder's move would come in a completely different form from what they expected. But there wasn't much else they could do but prepare as best they could. At this point in time, it was the only hope that they had.

Now that they'd wrapped up their training for the day, Ruby felt a little at a loss for what to do. She supposed that she and Gin could go back and find something else to do with their time, amongst all the festival stalls. But she didn't feel all that much like it. The paparazzi were still out there, waiting to snap shots of one of the tournament finalists. As always, Ruby was a particular favorite, considering the string of dramatic events she'd been a part of.

Checking her scroll, Ruby did smile to see a message from Winter, explaining that she'd arranged a meeting with Whitley. Ruby was glad to hear that the siblings were going to at least make an effort to patch up their relationship. She sent a reply, wishing Winter luck, and wanting to know how it went, when Winter had time to talk.

Gin sidled up next to her. "Well, any ideas?" he asked.

Ruby glanced over at Ayumu and Neo. They'd shifted slightly, Ayumu altering his position so that he could rest his chin atop Neo's head, while Neo curled up against him contentedly. The sight made her smile fondly.

"You know," she said, looking at Gin, "a nap doesn't sound bad at all."

"Sounds great to me," said Gin.

The two of them picked a spot near Ayumu and Neo. Ruby settled down, laying her back up against Gin's chest, while he hugged her from behind. Taking a deep breath, Ruby let it out, relaxing as the cool sensation of Gin's body washed through her, draining away the heat and tension left over from her vigorous training session earlier. A moment later, her eyelids began to droop.

Unfortunately, that was when the real world decided to intrude one last time, through the annoying ringing sound of Ruby's scroll, announcing an incoming call. Jolted out of her near-sleep, Ruby fumbled to fish the device from her pocket, the sound disturbing Ayumu and Neo, who both looked at her in confusion, making Ruby's cheeks redden at the guilt she felt for disturbing them.

"Hello," said Ruby quickly, holding the scroll up to her ear.

"Ruby," said a familiar voice from the other end of the line, "this is Lisa."

Ruby's eyes widened at the realization that Lisa Lavender was calling her. Her stomach went into freefall as she wondered what dire news Vale's premier reporter had deemed was important enough to call her directly. Had she gotten embroiled in some new scandal without even knowing it? Come to think of it, how did Lisa know her number?

"What is it?" asked Ruby warily.

"I'm sorry to call you like this," said Lisa, sounding sincerely apologetic. "But I thought it was important. I called Professor Ozpin first, and he gave me your contact information, after I promised not to use it for anything news-related."

Ruby frowned slightly, not sure about that. Lisa seemed nice, trustworthy, and even on Ruby's side overall, even if she was devoted to maintaining official impartiality when it came to reporting the news. At the same time, she was still a reporter. She supposed that, if Ozpin trusted Lisa, that was good enough. And, of all the people in the media, Lisa had been the one most dedicated to treating Ruby fairly. It was also a little reassuring that Lisa had promised not to use Ruby's number to call her about anything news-related, which suggested that this had nothing to do with any new story her news agency was running.

"Remember what I told you, after the post-match interview this week?" asked Lisa.

Ruby hummed, and thought back, then remembered the proposal Lisa's producers had apparently floated, which Lisa had subsequently shared with her. Suddenly, her stomach dropped all over again. "Oh...Yeah?" Silently, Ruby hoped that Lisa was simply calling to reassure her that nothing was going to happen. Sadly, she knew she would be disappointed.

"I tried to head it off, I really did," said Lisa, almost sounding desperate for Ruby to believe her. "But half of them thought the idea of Liu Bai going off on you during a group interview would be a huge draw. They're scheduling the panel tomorrow evening. The official invitations are going to go out in another two hours. I'm sorry, Ruby."

Ruby sighed. "It's okay," she said, trying not to make her disappointment too apparent. This wasn't Lisa's fault, and, if anything, it sounded as though Lisa had done everything in her power to keep Ruby from being subjected to this. But she supposed that Lisa's bosses were more interested in ratings and revenue than the overall wellbeing of the subjects of their news. "I guess there's nothing to be done about it. Thanks for the warning, Lisa."

"You're welcome," said Lisa. "I suppose, if there's a silver lining, it's that I'll be moderating it."

Ruby smiled. That did soften the blow a little. She knew that Lisa would remain impartial during the panel. But, hopefully, she would keep a fairly decent hold on the proceedings, and keep things from getting out of hand. "Thank you, Lisa," she said again. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow night."

"That's right," said Lisa. "Good luck, Ruby. Goodbye."

"Bye," Ruby said back, hanging up.

Ruby put her scroll away, knowing that she was the center of her friends' attention. She blushed, looking over at Neo and Ayumu. They didn't seem upset that she'd awakened them, but Ruby felt guilty all the same. "Sorry," she said weakly.

"Is everything all right?" asked Ayumu.

Ruby shrugged. "Apparently the VNN is going to be hosting a roundtable-panel for the finalists," she said. "I'm not sure what we'll be talking about, but I'm not really looking forward to it."

"Because Liu will be there?" said Gin.

Ruby nodded. "I hope he can keep himself under control," she said.

"Well, so long as you can keep yourself under control, there shouldn't be a problem," said Gin, "not that we really need to worry about that. If Liu flies off the handle, then _he's_ the one that's going to look bad."

"We'll see," said Ruby, her frown deepening. "The other thing that worries me is that Mercury will be there."

"I don't think we'll have much to worry about," said Ayumu. "Mr. Black will probably pretend innocence, and maintain a front of good behavior. He won't want to give anything away."

"Yeah, he'll need to keep his cover," added Gin. He paused, then hummed softly to himself. "But we should keep an eye out for Emerald, should she happen to be there."

"Oh...that's a good point," said Ayumu swallowing. "If she were to use her Semblance, there's any number of ways she could disrupt proceedings."

"Well, I'll keep an eye out," said Gin. "Hopefully, they'll let teammates sit in the audience or something." He blinked. "They'll have an audience section, right? I don't have any idea how these things are done."

Ruby frowned. "I don't know what their plans are either. They might have a live audience to ask questions, or something like that. But I don't know for sure."

"Well, there's no point in worrying too much about it," said Ayumu, shifting and tightening his hold on Neo reassuringly. "We'll just have to take things as they come. For now...let's relax and rest."

Following his advice, Neo leaned back against him again, allowing Ayumu to rest his chin atop her head once more. Silently agreeing, Ruby yawned, and settled back again once more. Taking a deep breath, she allowed her worries to flow away, each time she exhaled, until stillness returned to her heart and mind, and the world faded away, leaving nothing but the cool embrace of Gin's arms.

* * *

Night came fairly early to Vale, this time of year. The onset of Autumn was accompanied by the shortening of the days. The sun slowly descended towards the horizon, dying the sky a riot of oranges, pinks, and reds. It was a time of transition, the time to strike.

Qrow peered through the binoculars he'd procured, carefully observing the curved roof of the large warehouse, where their quarry was hiding. It looked fairly innocuous, as warehouses usually did. He'd been in position all day, watching for any sign of the warehouse's occupants.

There wasn't any. No one passed in or out through the doors, whether the large loading doors for cargo, or the smaller personnel entrances. The warehouse looked empty and abandoned, which was exactly what its occupants wanted people to think.

But they were there. Qrow knew that. Beyond trusting the information he'd gotten, courtesy of Ayumu's new girlfriend, Qrow had spent the past few days personally verifying it, to ensure that Neo's reports were authentic...or that the White Fang hadn't changed things up since she'd last ascertained the locations of their safe-houses. Fortunately, her information had been accurate. Qrow, in his bird-form, had identified White Fang soldiers, both in the two warehouses that Neo had pinpointed, and in the apartment complexes where the rest of their people were holed up; faunus squatting together in cramped rooms, discarded masks and weapons, waiting to be taken up again upon whatever signal their leader sent out.

True to their suspicions, the warehouses appeared to contain what little materiel the White Fang had left to their names. It was, frankly, pathetic, compared to the crime spree they'd initiated early in the year. Qrow had seen a few crates of Dust, some rounds, some crystals, some powder; along with some containers of heavier weapons, rocket and grenade launchers, and the like. But there was nothing compared to what Ruby and her friends had reported, and wrecked, out in Mountain Glenn. Ironwood had been adamant that all the Paladins, since that first shipment that had been stolen, were accounted for, and Qrow hadn't spotted any suspicious, tarpaulin-covered masses in either warehouse.

The troubling factor was that he hadn't spotted Taurus either. Granted, Qrow had needed to work fast, and had only been able to survey each safe-house once. But he was troubled by the fact that they still had no idea where Adam was. The man was probably more dangerous than all the remaining mooks put together, which meant that netting him was top priority. Perhaps he was out, or Qrow simply hadn't seen him in his quick survey. But if Adam slipped through their net, he could still do plenty of damage on his own, Qrow didn't doubt.

But, hopefully, this would do enough to mitigate the threat they presented, when Cinder kicked off whatever plan she had for the festival. Even if they didn't catch everyone, they were more than sure that this would be a crippling blow to Vale's White Fang.

Turning, Qrow glanced over his shoulder at the tarpaulin-covered mass that sat atop the building he was perched on. It was pitch-black, carefully anchored into place to keep the wind, fairly blustery at this height, from shifting it. It had been a pain, getting the military bullheads into position for this operation. From the beginning of their plan, they had flown each bullhead singly into position and concealed it, trying to keep anyone from noticing that they were massing airpower. Hopefully, that had gone off without anyone in the White Fang picking up on it.

"Sir, two minutes remaining until launch," declared a soldier behind Qrow.

"Got it," said Qrow, standing up and heading back towards where the other soldiers were preparing to remove the tarpaulin.

They were going to strike during sunset. That was the plan anyway. They weren't as foolish as to try and attack a stronghold of faunus terrorists during the night. No one was keen to run a small-scale repeat of Lagune's Folly after all. But they couldn't exactly carry out an operation like this during the day, not without causing a huge stir and disruption. Thus, sunset was determined to be the best time to carry out this mission, when they would still have enough light that their opponents wouldn't have a definitive advantage.

And speaking of faunus, Qrow was already well aware of the number of soldiers around him sporting extra parts. Here, a pair of racoon ears protruded from specially-made holes in a helmet; there, a fuzzy lemur tail extended from another soldier's rear. Nearly all of the people on the rooftop with Qrow were, themselves, faunus.

The acting commander, overseeing the Valean Military's role in the operation, had been against including faunus in their attack, believing that the White Fang might have sympathizers within the military. Ozpin had overruled him, with the support of Ironwood. But the field commanders weren't keen on having faunus in their squads either. Thus, Qrow and Ironwood stepped in, announcing that they would take the faunus on their squads, to raid the warehouses.

Personally, Qrow believed that the people with him were men and women who wanted to do the right thing, and bring down a dangerous terrorist organization. He got the impression that a lot of them were actually keen to get a crack at the White Fang, and strike back for all the damage the organization had done to faunus reputations across the Kingdom. He certainly wouldn't begrudge them, if that was the case, even if it annoyed them that anyone would consider it a necessity.

"Final checks complete," declared a woman, ducking out from under the tarpaulin. "We're go for takeoff."

"Good," said Qrow, nodding to the other soldiers, who undid the straps anchoring the tarpaulin on one side of the bullhead. Releasing it they let the wind do the work for them, blowing the tarp back over the top of the bullhead, revealing it to the dusk sky. The bay doors opened, and the soldiers scrambled aboard as the whine of the engines filled the air.

Qrow was the last one on, hopping in right as the engines fired, and the airship began to drift upwards from its resting place. The pilot wasted no time, closing the bay doors and angling the engines to push the aircraft forward, sending it on a course that brought it arcing out over the seaside section of Vale, before turning and descending towards their target from the west, coming at it straight out of the setting sun.

Through the window, Qrow could see the other bullheads launching too, dispersing, but all heading west, before curving around to make a similar approach. They reminded him, a little uneasily, of a swarm of flies lifting off from a rotting corpse, though their flights were smoother, and less erratic. One thing was for sure, he was willing to bet that their takeoff hadn't gone completely unnoticed. The only question was whether or not their quarry had been among the people who had noticed.

 _Only one way to find out,_ thought Qrow, frowning and tightening his fingers around the handhold at the top of the passenger bay. Though he couldn't see it from his position, he could imagine it in his mind's eye, the dark form of the warehouse looming larger and larger with each passing second. "Showtime..."

"Prepare to disembark!" announced the pilot over the intercom. "Hold on, people!"

Qrow smirked. The men and women around him were professionals, regardless of whether they were human or faunus. During their preparation period, and the brief flight out, they'd made the routine last checks of their weapons, making sure they had full magazines, and that everything was operating properly. Now they gripped the passenger bars overhead firmly, not a single one of them losing their balance as the bullhead executed a sharp, ninety-degree turn, practically skidding sideways through the air, while its jets switched to their hover configuration. Before the rocking of their sudden deceleration and turn had subsided, the bay doors were already opening, revealing the warehouse in front of them, the bullhead having come to a hover just above the broad lot in front of its massive loading doors.

Qrow and his soldiers hopped out, dropping into crouches and moving forward at a swift lope. Qrow reached behind himself, and pulled the massive form of his sword off his back, the blade extending in readiness for attack or defense. Behind them, four more bullheads descended and stopped in the same way, disgorging their armed cargo, before swiftly rising into the sky, holding position in case they were needed.

"All right," said Qrow, "let's give these terrorists a nasty surprise."

Two soldiers nodded, and dashed towards the familiar, blocky form of a fusebox that rose up near the side of one corner of the warehouse.

* * *

 _A few minutes earlier:_

The soldier rose up from his seat at the sound of light rapping from the small service entrance, nestled in an alley formed by the wall of an adjacent warehouse, blocked from view from most higher elevations. The only way one could effectively monitor the door was by practically camping out on the roof of one of the warehouses themselves. As long as they were careful not to use it too frequently, it was an effective way to enter and leave without being noticed.

Cautiously, the man moved to the door, holding his rifle at the ready, his fluffy, squirrel tail waving slightly behind him. Reaching the door, he pulled back the shutter on the tiny window, set near the top of it. "Show me your manifest," he said.

"The manifest is for the foreman only," answered a familiar voice outside.

The soldier fought back the impulse to sigh in relief. He slid the shutter closed, and then unlocked and opened the door, admitting a man in gray coveralls, a messenger-tube slung on a strap over one shoulder. As the soldier closed and locked the door, the man unzipped the coverall and slid out of it, pulling off his hat, with its brim pulled down over his face, as well; revealing short, red hair, and a pair of curving bull horns. By the time the soldier had assured that the door was secure once more, the new arrival was calmly affixing a familiar white and red mask to his face.

"Welcome back, brother," said the soldier, relief heavy in his voice. "We've been waiting for word."

Adam Taurus grunted in acknowledgement, working out the bunching of his black overcoat that resulted from tucking it into the constricting garment. It galled him to have to adopt such a disguise. But it was necessary, thanks to the diminished presence and influence of the local White Fang. Ever since the Mountain Glenn operation had failed, their means of moving about the Kingdom had been drastically reduced, making it harder than ever to arrange the next phase of the plan.

Despite that, he forced himself to remain calm before his subordinate. "Everything is going smoothly," he said. "Our attack force outside the city is ready, and the special cargo is waiting to be delivered."

Despite the fact that the message should have been reassuring, the soldier tensed nervously. "Are we truly sure about this, Brother Taurus?"

"As sure as we can be," said Adam, not begrudging the soldier's unease. "They're behaving themselves, as promised. I don't like it anymore than you do, but this is the best option we have for striking back at those damn Huntsmen."

The soldier nodded. "And what about our...contact?"

Adam huffed irritably. "I swear, the damn woman only gets more arrogant every time something happens. The harder things get, the more she depends on us, but that only makes her all the more demanding, as though _we're_ the ones who need to please _her_."

The soldier nodded in agreement. "Never thought I'd miss dealing with Torchwick."

That actually drew a rare laugh from Adam, more of a huffing snort, but a sound of amusement all the same. "Very true," he agreed. "Well, if things go well, we'll gain a valuable asset."

The soldier nodded eagerly. "A genuine dragon-faunus would be a boon to our cause."

Adam chuckled darkly. "It's hard to believe that it's actually participating in the tournament. It's almost as though Ozpin believes that the beast could be civilized, and serve as a Huntsman."

The thought sent a shiver of excitement running through Adam's body. It would be good enough to land a blow against Beacon and Vale, a crippling one at that. If they could pull this off, despite all the setbacks, his clout within the White Fang would rise to heretofore impossible levels, and it would be that much easier for him to push forward the ideal of a faunus world to the organization as a whole. Gaining a dragon-faunus, and breaking it to serve him, would solidify that clout, and practically make him a natural successor to Sienna Khan.

And, hopefully soon, it could all be done without needing to depend on that witch, Cinder Fall. Adam had grown tired of the woman, who flaunted her mysterious power in an effort to cow him into submission, time after time. Adam figured it was only a matter of time before her arrogance got the better of her, and she got the end she deserved. If there was any justice in the world, _he_ would be the one to deliver that end.

"What are our orders, Brother?" asked the soldier.

"We'll begin moving out, before dawn, tomorrow morning," said Adam. "Our priority will be to clear our warehouses, and rendezvous with our brothers and sisters outside the Kingdom. Once we get the signal, we'll begin the attack immediately."

"Any idea when?" asked the soldier.

"It's conditional," answered Adam. "But the earliest expectation will be the second day of the finals, possibly the third, if things don't go completely according to plan. That woman hasn't told me what it will be, only that I'll know it when I see it."

"Wonderful," grumbled the soldier.

Adam nodded. "This won't be forever," he said. "Sooner or later, we'll be able to deal with her, and do what needs to be done."

"Yes, Brother," said the soldier.

That was when all the lights in the warehouse went out, plunging the entire interior into darkness.

"What's going on?" someone shouted.

"A power outage?" asked another.

"Everyone, defensive positions!" snapped Adam. "Cover all entrances!"

There was no way this sudden loss of power could be accidental. Adam was sure that they were about to come under attack. Still, it amused him that the humans would resort to this. Plunging the interior of the warehouse into shadows would only be an asset to the troops of the White Fang. Some idiot outside was clearly planning on repeating Lagune's Folly. Adam looked forward to showing them the error of their ways.

As they waited, Adam found his mind seething with questions. How had the humans found them? These locations were a secret he hadn't even informed Cinder about. She knew they existed, but he made sure she had no idea of their locations, only ever arranging meetings with her chosen liaison well away from any of the White Fang's safe-houses. Perhaps there was a traitor among his men, or... _That girl Cinder sends used to be Roman's associate. She certainly doesn't have much trouble being stealthy, if she wants to be. Could she have followed us, and then betrayed us?_

The White Fang were ready to meet the impending attack. However, for the next few minutes, only silence followed his orders. His soldiers remained in place, weapons trained on every conceivable door and window. Yet no one tried to breach them. The tension in the air was palpable, and the delay in the attack was only making it worse.

 _What are they doing?_ wondered Adam. _Don't they know that, the longer they wait, the more advantageous it is for us?_ The longer the humans waited to launch their attack, the more time the faunus of the White Fang had to acclimate their eyes to the darkness they'd just been plunged into, and the greater their advantage. It was like whatever foolish human was leading this attack was doing everything in his power to make sure it failed miserably.

Then, with a series of crashes, several objects broke through the windows overhead. Adam snapped his eyes up, following the arc of several small projectiles, which arced through the air near the warehouse ceiling. He wasn't the only one, several of the other soldiers were already tracking them with their guns, and a few of the other, less disciplined ones, looked up from where they were watching the doors.

They all paid for it in spades. With a series of loud snaps, the flares ignited overhead, their blazing light flooding the darkness of the warehouse, almost seeming to purge it. And the faunus, with their acute night vision, fully acclimated to the previous stygian darkness, were caught completely off-guard by it.

Howls and wails of pain filled the air as extra-sensitive eyes were suddenly exposed to far more light they could handle. Adam growled in pain, immediately lowering his face and squeezing his eyes shut, pained tears leaking from them. Around him, he heard the clatter of dropped weapons, as some of his people reeled in agony. Others opened fire at the ceiling, their trigger-discipline failing in the face of this unexpected assault on their senses.

Then, with a loud bursting noise, the massive loading doors at one end of the warehouse crumpled, and were blasted into the interior, bowling over a couple of the stunned soldiers in the process, even more light flooding into the warehouse interior as the doors opened up almost perfectly into the face of the setting sun.

"THIS IS THE VALEAN ARMY! DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND SURRENDER IMMEDIATELY!" roared a commanding, amplified voice from the ruined doors.

The response was immediate. Those who were able to do so opened fire, aiming in the general direction of the voice. Most of the soldiers were too disoriented and confused to aim properly, and instead sent indiscriminate sprays of gunfire towards the opening. The troops that had forced their entry through the doors responded with much more discipline, firing from behind cover, and beginning a concerted advance through the doors and into the interior.

Adam sank into a crouch, making himself as small a target impossible, relying on all the discipline he possessed to ignore the bullets that flew around him like wasps. A couple clipped him, but his Aura easily suppressed the damage. Instead, he forced his eyes open, keeping his angle low. He slowly lifted his gaze towards the warehouse entrance, trying to get his eyes to re-acclimate to the light as quickly as possible. Already, the light of the flares was fading, and the light of the setting sun was far less intense than it would be during the height of the day, even though it was shining directly through the newly-opened entrance. Fortunately, by not immediately opening fire on the intruders, Adam hadn't marked himself out as a target to them, and they were busy responding in kind to the soldiers firing on them.

However, one of the attackers hadn't overlooked Adam. A tall, lanky figure flew past the Valean soldiers in a blur, his shadow fluttering over the floor the only warning Adam got. A pair of White Fang soldiers were in his way. The man's enormous blade flashed with a speed that belied its size and weight, sending the two unfortunate men flying in opposite directions, slamming into a wall and a crate of munitions respectively, as a consequence. They fell to the floor in unconscious slumps.

Adam looked up just in time, and surged to his feet, stepping forward and putting the strength of his body into the motion, even as the index finger of his left hand tightened around the trigger built into the sheath of his weapon. With a loud crack, the crimson blade flashed forth in a swift arc, which his attacker met head-on with the massive blade of his sword, the two weapons colliding with a loud crash. The speed and momentum of the red blade's slash was countered almost perfectly by the raw weight and power of the attacker's sword. The ground beneath the two men's feet shattered, a shallow crater forming right where they stood, the shockwave of their attacks colliding staggering the White Fang soldiers in their vicinity.

Behind the slits in his mask, Adam's eyes widened as he recognized the scruffy-looking man before him.

"Adam Taurus," drawled Qrow in his gravelly voice, "was hoping I'd find you here."

"Qrow Branwen," Adam growled back, a sadistic smile stretching over his face. "What a wonderful opportunity. I look forward to cutting down Ozpin's pet Huntsman."

"You're welcome to try, pal," said Qrow. "But it ain't gonna happen. Today's the day the sun sets on the White Fang in Vale."

* * *

 **And it's Qrow vs Adam...coming up next time.**


	106. Chapter 106

**Chapter 106** :

White Fang soldiers responded immediately, when the lights went out. Masks were hurriedly donned, and weapons were taken up. Despite the fact that they had not been expecting an attack, these soldiers had been drilled for the sake of the possibility. They immediately trained their guns on every door and window in the building, waiting for the first sign of attackers.

For several minutes, only silence greeted their readiness. It seemed to be their advantage, the darkness gradually lightening to their eyes, as their vision shifted to adjust to the new circumstances. They were faunus, after all. If the humans were foolish enough to attack in the dark, they would soon be schooled in the error of their ways.

Then the flares crashed through the windows and exploded overhead.

As the soldiers reeled in pain, a few firing wildly, none of them noticed the ripple as two concealed figures followed in the wake of the flares, leaping through the windows and landing right in the midst of the stunned soldiers.

With a shimmer, the optic camouflage disengaged, revealing the smooth, sleek, jet-black bodies of a pair of androids, their crimson cyclopean eyes shining and darting from one target to another. Red lines channeled down the length of their limbs, illuminating their joints. They moved in unison, long, slender blades extending from each of their right wrists, as they launched themselves straight into the midst of the startled and confused soldiers. With a series of rapid clicks, guns emerged from their left arms, and they immediately began to target and shoot at the soldiers outside of melee range, even as they slashed their blades down upon the ones closer in, whirling through the White Fang ranks like dervishes.

The soldiers screamed in pain, surprise, and confusion, which was only got worse as the massive loading doors exploded inwards, the light of the setting sun shining directly into the closed space, _further_ compounding the the pain caused by the flares. A set of twelve white figures, armed with rifles, advanced methodically, the barrels of their weapons flashing as they picked their targets and fired with relentless precision.

Behind the ranks of the Atlesian Knights came their commanders. James Ironwood and Winter Schnee entered together, looking to all the world like they were merely going on an afternoon stroll. Only their careful posture; straight, tense, and ready to burst into action at a moment's notice; and their eyes, which swept back and forth across the warehouse, carefully monitoring the situation around them; betrayed the fact that they were here to fight.

Behind them, the more conservatively armored figures of the Valean Military moved in, fanning out, training their rifles on any targets still offering resistance, but not firing. At this point, the soldiers were largely feeling superfluous, only needing to watch as the Atlesian androids swept through, rolling up the resistance with ease.

"It seems that Taurus isn't here," said Ironwood, a slight hitch of disappointment to his voice.

 _Which could mean that he's at the other warehouse, the one Qrow is hitting,_ thought Winter, an uneasy twinge in her gut. As much as the man rankled on her, she had to admit that she'd never truly wished him ill. Truth be told, there was something about his gruff, uncaring character that she actually found somewhat appealing. She believed he would be able to hold his own, even win against Adam Taurus. But she couldn't quite suppress her worry.

Her worries had to take a backseat though, as the android in front of her abruptly jerked, spinning, before tumbling to the floor, a round from one of the White Fang soldiers catching it in the shoulder. The Knight quickly got back up. Its right arm dangled uselessly, but that didn't stop it from taking up its rifle in its left hand and returning fire, albeit with reduced accuracy.

Up ahead, she could see that the Jaegers Whitley had loaned her were making short work of the bulk of the enemy forces, leaving only a few stragglers on the fringes of the conflict, holing up behind crates and containers. A few of the clever, or reckless, ones had dropped behind crates of Dust crystals, shielding themselves with the volatility of the munitions they hid behind. The androids' safeguards kept them from firing on those positions, unless they were absolutely sure of a shot, programed to avoid setting off a Dust-fueled explosion that could bring the entire warehouse down.

Winter decided that that left her. She darted forward, flashing between the ranks of the Knights, rushing straight towards the nearest soldier, hunkered down behind a crate of red Dust crystals. He rose up to fire, but Winter jumped, easily clearing the crate and soaring over the man's head. She landed behind him, the unfortunate faunus only beginning to turn around, before Winter brought the pommel of her sword down on the back of his head, dropping him to the floor.

Her finely-honed combat instincts warning her of an incoming attack, Winter spun about, her sword whirling to cut down a series of shots aimed at her from a soldier manning a walkway in the upper level of the warehouse. Exploding into motion, Winter jumped to a nearby support beam, planting her boots against its side, she kicked off and launched herself up to the walkway. The soldier desperately tried to track her movements, but was too slow, only managing to bring his rifle up in time for Winter's descending saber to cut it in two, followed by a chiming noise, and a flash as a wave of ice engulfed and immobilized him.

From there, Winter vaulted over the railing, dropping back down on another soldier, firing from cover, and planting her boots on the top of his head, kicking it out of the way, before her descending weight would have crushed his skull against the floor.

By this point, the Jaegers had finished with the bulk of the troops, and were in the process of mopping up the stragglers, covered by continuous fire from the Knights. They dashed about the warehouse with an agility that easily matched that of trained Huntsmen, their grace and speed making Winter's breath catch in her throat.

A single soldier threw all caution to the winds, bursting from behind cover with an angry scream. He charged straight down the gauntlet of fire from the Knights ahead, brandishing a red-bladed falchion, his sudden charge managing to confuse the Knights' aim, so that most of their bullets missed. The soldier brandished his weapon with surprising skill managing to block the few shots that had any danger of hitting him. He charged right past them, heading right for Ironwood.

General Ironwood showed barely any signs of concern, casually drawing his revolver with his left hand. Instead of training it on the incoming soldier, he instead brought up his right arm, catching the descending slash on his forearm. The soldier froze with shock as, instead of flesh and blood, his blade was halted by the sharp jarring feeling of striking something metallic, Ironwood's prosthetic limb being more than enough to stop such a meager attack. Before the soldier could recover, Ironwood deftly flipped his grip on the revolver in his left hand, gripping it by the barrel, before swinging it to clock the soldier in the side of the head with the handle, knocking him out cold.

The sound of gunfire died off, and Winter allowed herself to relax slightly. With a series of soft clicks, the two Jaegers landed next to her, sinking into crouches to absorb the momentum of their jumps, before rising up to stand at ready beside her.

"All hostiles silenced," reported one in a robotic monotone.

"Understood," said Winter. "Stand down and await further orders."

"Acknowledged." The Jaegers took a step back, before falling silent. When Winter started walking towards Ironwood, they followed, hanging just a step behind her.

Already, the Valean soldiers were making themselves useful, moving to secure the unconscious and wounded White Fang soldiers.

Winter stopped in front of Ironwood. "That was easier than we anticipated," she said.

"Hmm..." Ironwood nodded his agreement. "You'll have to thank your brother for loaning us the Jaegers. They were a tremendous help."

Winter checked her scroll. "It looks as though the raids against the smaller hideouts have gone as planned. There have been casualties, but no fatalities so far." Then she frowned. "But there's no report from the other warehouse."

"If Taurus isn't here, then..." Ironwood frowned as well.

"Sir, permission to take the Jaegers and provide support at the other location?" asked Winter.

"Very well," said Ironwood with a curt nod. "Go."

Winter headed towards the door, already calling down one of the circling bullheads with her scroll. As she watched one of the black shapes overhead dip down towards her, she found herself praying that Qrow would be able to handle himself, and, if he couldn't, that she could get there in time to help him.

* * *

For a few seconds, Qrow and Adam strained against each other, their blades sparking and grating. Finally, they leapt apart. Even as he flew back, Qrow leveled his sword at Adam. Abruptly, the handle folded down, and two barrels mounted at the hilt folded up, firing a spray of Dust-infused pellets at Adam. Adam whirled his own, blood-red blade in a blur, intercepting the scattershot. They touched down and, the very same second, they launched themselves back at each other. Adam's sword disappeared into its sheath with a harsh clang.

When they closed in again, the crimson blade of Wilt flashed forth once more, accompanied by a gunshot sound from Blush, the sheath, accelerating the blade in a swift stroke that threatened to cut Qrow in two. The swift, quickdraw attack was too quick for Qrow to counter the same way he had before. Instead, he was forced to brace his own broad blade in front of his body, intercepting the slash. But the force behind it canceled out his momentum. Rather than allow himself to be pushed back, Qrow jumped up, whirling over Adam's had, while striking down with his sword. Adam raised his own blade to block the slash, before returning it to its sheath, and sinking into a crouch. Qrow touched down right as Adam executed another draw, this time going into a full spin to reverse around and strike.

Their blades collided once more. This time, Qrow dug in, growling as his feet actually cracked the concrete beneath them from the force behind Adam's blow. Despite that, Qrow managed to avoid being pushed back again. Allowing the force of the collision between their weapons to knock back his sword slightly, he used the rebound to set up another strike, aiming to launch another slash before Adam could return his sword to its sheath.

Adam jumped back as Qrow's sword descended towards the floor, splitting the concrete and shattering it outward with explosive force. Qrow immediately followed through, charging amidst the debris raised by his own attack, sweeping his blade around in a swing that belied the weapon's size and mass, once again trying to keep up the attack, and keep Adam from returning Wilt to its sheath. If he could stop that, Qrow could seal Adam's fastest and strongest attacks.

Adam knew that as well. Even as he fell back, he leveled Blush at Qrow, the sheath compacting down into a form that resembled a squat rifle. Pulling the trigger rapidly, he fired several shots at Qrow, who ducked beneath them, slashing across his body. Adam flipped over backwards, letting the blade of Qrow's sword cleave through the air directly over his face. Even as he did, he lashed out with one foot, aiming a kick at Qrow's chin.

Shifting his head to the side, Qrow managed to avoid the kick, and continued pressing forward. But Adam's evasion had bought him the time he needed to return his sword to its sheath. Coming out of his backflip, Adam landed upright, but found himself off-guard as Qrow returned the favor from Adam's previous attack. Instead of wasting precious fractions of a second to reverse the course of his last sword-swing, Qrow instead continued the rotation of his body, allowing him to lash out with a kick of his own. Adam aborted the draw, instead maintaining the grip on both sword and sheath, bringing it up to intercept Qrow's boot. The force behind the blow sent Adam skidding back.

Now, while Adam's weapons were still out of position from the block, Qrow charged in with another mighty downstroke of his sword. Adam raised his own weapons and, rather than attempt to counterattack, instead drew Wilt partially from its sheath, exposing a foot or so of the blood-red blade to intercept Qrow's strike.

Qrow's eyes widened as their weapons made contact. Rather than drive Adam's feet down into the ground with the sheer force and weight behind the strike, the force of Qrow's blow simply _vanished_. At the same time, he thought he saw the blade of Adam's sword shine slightly. Pushing back, Adam forced Qrow's blade away, then slammed his sword all the way back into the sheath, once again dropping into another quickdraw stance.

Instead of trying to swing or block, Qrow released the handle of his sword with his right hand, leaving it gripped in his left, swinging his right around in a simple punch, aimed right at Adam's face. Reflexively, Adam released his grip on his sword's handle, bringing his own right hand up to catch Qrow's punch. Outside the line of Qrow's vision though, Adam reversed his grip on Blush, angling the sheath so that it now extended diagonally up his back.

Growling harshly, Adam forced Qrow's fist away from his face, leaning back slightly. Releasing his grip on Qrow's fist, Adam's arm appeared to be flung up and over his shoulder. Qrow's eyes widened again. He was already swinging his sword down with his left hand, and he simply allowed his right hand to close around the handle again, adding more speed and power to the strike.

At the same time, Adam's right hand reached over his shoulder to grip the handle of his sword, which now extended up diagonally past his spine to just behind his right shoulder. With another pull of Blush's trigger, Wilt slashed over, around, and down in a streak of red, the crimson blade's slash intersecting with the white blade of Qrow's, the two swords grating against each each other in almost parallel swings, exerting enough force to slightly divert each other, and force their wielders apart again...

...But not before their attacks struck home. Sliding away from each other, both Adam and Qrow's Auras crackled and shimmered from the impact of their respective attacks, deflected, but not completely nullified.

A brief lull settled between them, each feeling out the damage done to their Auras. Qrow's eyes narrowed at the slits in Adam's mask. Behind the mask, Adam's own eyes mirrored Qrow's.

 _This man won't go down easily,_ thought Adam, feeling the full weight of Qrow's experience.

 _The jerk's got some tricks,_ thought Qrow irritably, fully understanding that he had a _real_ fight on his hands.

While lauded for the speed and power it imparted to its attacks, the quickdraw style had certain weaknesses that critics were always eager to point out. Typically, the weapon's sheath was held in the off-hand, while the weapon was drawn and swung with the dominant hand. Amateur critics assumed that this limited a quickdraw fighting style to only a few angles of attack, with attacks primarily originating from the side of the off-hand, and extending across the body. This, they said, made quickdraw styles predictable, as attacks would only come from a single direction. Attacking from any other direction required the wielder to execute normal sword swings, which weren't nearly as fast or powerful.

However, Qrow was no amateur. He knew better than to simply assume that Adam was so limited. The man known as Adam Taurus had not gotten where he was by being predictable. Maybe those faults would hamper someone who was merely _proficient_ in quickdraw techniques, but Adam was a _master_. Fortunately, Qrow had plenty of experience in dealing with quickdraw fighters, his own sister utilizing some of those techniques herself.

The lull was also an opportunity for them to take stock of the wider battle. Qrow had thrown himself into the fray against Adam, with the expectation that the Valean soldiers would be able to handle themselves. They'd done everything they could to stack the odds in their favor, plunging the White Fang soldiers into darkness, then hitting them with intense light, once their night vision had kicked in, disorienting them.

And Qrow saw his expectations being met. Most of the White Fang soldiers were down already, having been dropped by the precise shots of the Valean Military. Vale's troops now fanned out through the warehouse, keeping to cover when they could, but carefully focusing and coordinating their advance, picking off the last White Fang holdouts, who'd managed to recover from the initial blinding, and were now managing their retaliation more effectively. But the numbers had never been in their favor to begin with, and, with the losses from the initial assault, they were rapidly losing ground.

Things weren't going flawlessly, of course. They never did. Behind Adam, Qrow could see a few armored forms slumped against walls or prone on the ground, the consequence of lucky shots, or a few sharpshooters among the White Fang troops who'd been able to recover their vision. But the casualties were minimal, and Vale's forces seemed to be poised to carry the day.

Adam saw the same thing, of course. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the squirrel-faunus who'd greeted him at the door pop up from behind a container with a shout, only to go down as a round from one of Vale's troops caught him full on in the chest, blasting him onto his back, where he lay unmoving. Vale's forces were better armed and armored. They'd taken the initiative, and disoriented their targets, before attacking relentlessly.

In contrast, the White Fang troops had been worn down by the tense weeks of hiding and waiting. They'd been holed up in these warehouses for a long time, but their greatest advantage had always lay in concealment, not fortifications. They had depended on not being found, until the time came to move their operation and supplies to the final staging point. Now they were being forced into battle on ground not of their choosing, despite having occupied it for an extended period of time.

Then, as some of Vale's troops advanced into his line of sight, Adam caught a glimpse and noticed certain features...features that marked them out as all too familiar. "You damn bastard!" he shouted, glaring at Qrow. "You would send faunus against their own kin?"

"Hey, these are all volunteers," countered Qrow with a superior smirk. "They're concerned citizens, who want to fight back against the deranged fanatics giving their race a bad name."

With a roar of rage, Adam slammed Wilt back into Blush and lunged forward, flying over the ground between them. Qrow had already anticipated the attack though, and his blade was already midway through its swing by the time Adam drew, intercepting Adam's slash. The two blades collided with another ground-shattering impact between the the two men. They immediately disengaged, Qrow advancing with a whirling series of strikes that employed his large weapon with uncanny swiftness. Adam countered aggressively, wielding sword and sheath simultaneously, slashing with Wilt, and firing Blush.

The two men danced around one another, their weapons a blur of red and white. At one point, Adam caught another powerful blow from Qrow's massive sword by partially unsheathing his sword, then slamming it back in. This time, as he and Qrow disengaged, Adam transitioned Blush to his right hand, bringing Wilt's handle around, behind the small of his back, then gripping it in a reverse-grip with his left hand. Pulling the trigger, he fired it in another quickdraw move that came at an awkward angle, thanks to the way he held his sword.

Qrow spun his own blade to intercept the attack, glancing the slash off the broad flat of the sword, angling the blade downward. Rather than transition into another slash, he levered the handle back, leveling the gun-barrels at Adam, and firing. Adam fell back, whirling Wilt to intercept the scattershot.

Again and again, they came together. The sound of their blades' impacts soon became indistinct, blurring together in a single continuous ring that stretched on as the pace of their attacks increased. To the watching eyes of the White Fang and Valean soldiers, the two men became blurs, sometimes only visible in sudden instants of stillness in between movements that were so fast as to be imperceptible to the human or faunus eye.

Qrow and Adam's duel seemed to be something of a stalemate, but the larger battle around them was anything _but_ even. The remaining White Fang soldiers had been reduced to a mere seven, hunkering behind a set of containers on the far side of the warehouse. They desperately tried to hold back their opponents with sporadic fire from cover. But Vale's forces made full use of their superior numbers, advancing by fire and by movement, dividing into two groups. The rear laid down a barrage of cover-fire, while the front rank advanced. The front rank then laid down fire of their own to allow the group in the rear to advance, playing a slow game of leapfrog that had them advancing on the last remaining holdouts.

Seeing this, Adam growled and braced himself against another slash by Qrow, allowing to knock him back farther than usual. Slamming Wilt back into Blush, Adam sank into a crouch one more time. "I'll end it here, miserable Huntsman," he snarled at Qrow.

"You're welcome to try," Qrow replied, charging in. He noticed the red sections of Adam's clothes and masks beginning to glow, a bloody light crawling up his body. _Here it comes._

The biggest advantage Qrow held over Adam wasn't even present on the battlefield. Once she had willingly admitted her past affiliation to the White Fang, Blake had been willing to provide Ozpin with all the information she had concerning Vale's branch, and Adam in particular, including the manner his Semblance operated in. Thus forewarned, Qrow had been on the lookout for the signs that Adam was about to use his most powerful technique, the _Moonslice_.

Adam's Semblance was actually similar to Yang's in certain ways. By partially unsheathing his sword, he could absorb the power of incoming attacks, then accumulate that power by fully re-sheathing his sword, storing it away in the sheath, to be used in a powerful strike. Unlike Yang, Adam's Semblance did not require him to take damage in order to use it. More importantly, his application vastly amplified its offensive power. Qrow had been warned that, at even at low power, Adam's _Moonslice_ could cut through even strong Aura like a hot knife through butter. At its highest level, it was capable of reducing Paladin-sized targets to practically nothing.

Qrow had only seen Adam absorb power from a few of his hits, indicating that he hadn't charged up all that much strength. All the same, Adam undoubtedly possessed enough power to cut him in two with ease. Still, this was also the moment Qrow had been waiting for. He levered his sword back, closing in for what appeared to be a standard strike. However, hidden from Adam's line of side, the gears visible in the hilt of the sword began to turn. The blade segmented, and curved backwards, going from a straight blade to a curved one. Along the inside of that curve, a red edge extended out, forming the blade of Qrow's signature weapon, the scythe.

But Qrow's real intent was what happened next. While he closed in with Adam, the handle of the sword suddenly extended, becoming the scythe's shaft. Just as Adam was about to draw his blade, Qrow thrust forward with the butt end of his scythe, the extended reach allowing him to strike much sooner than Adam had anticipated. Qrow thrust, not at Adam's body, but straight at the pommel of Adam's sword.

Adam pulled Wilt out, only to find his draw abruptly stopped cold by the butt of Qrow's weapon. But Adam had already initiated his technique. The stored power was in the process of being released. Adam gasped. "No!" It was all the time he had to speak. Abruptly, the front of Blush shattered, a wave of sickly-red energy spilling out. Lacerations exploded across the left side of Adam's body, knocking him to the side. His sheath clattered to the floor, its mouth fragmented and twisted by the force that had been misdirected.

Even as Adam was blown off his feet by the misfire of his own attack, Qrow followed through with a powerful slash of his scythe. The blade biting deep through Adam's Aura. The leader of the Vale branch of the White Fang collapsed, the last vestiges of his Aura flickering and dissipating.

"Phew," huffed Qrow, feeling relieved that his plan had worked. In fact, it had worked even better than he'd hoped. At best, he'd expected Adam's attack to misfire, and expend the stored energy uselessly. Unbeknownst to either combatant, a slight stress-fracture had emerged throughout their exchange, a tiny crack at the mouth of Blush's barrel. That fracture was what had caused Adam's attack to fail so catastrophically for him.

In the end, it seemed that Adam's defeat came down to plain Bad Luck.

The sound of gunfire tapered off, both sides realizing that the decisive blow had been struck. The morale of the White Fang soldiers plummeted like a stone when they saw their leader battered and broken, at the mercy of a Huntsman.

"Looks like this fight is over," said Qrow. "You've got a lot to answer for, pal."

"D-don't think I'll give in that easily," growled Adam, forcing himself slowly to his feet. "I will never bow before a filthy human Huntsman."

"I don't need you to bow," said Qrow, hefting his scythe. "I just need you to go down."

He rushed forward, swinging his scythe, aiming to knock Adam out with a blow from the shaft.

It was at that moment that Qrow's nose picked up a strange smell. It was a sweet, soothing fragrance, floral even, like a perfume. It drifted lazily through the air. Just the slightest whiff of it made his limbs feel a little bit heavier, and his eyelids begin to droop. Then his swinging scythe was stopped by what seemed like a broad strip of fabric. It was loose, fluttering about like a flag on the wind, not seeming to have any tension at all. Yet it completely drained the momentum from Qrow's swing.

Surprised by the unexpected interference, Qrow jumped back to cautiously survey the situation. The fluttering cloth in front of him was like a long scarf of some kind. It was fabric, yet looked unlike any fabric he had seen before, its surface seeming to shimmer slightly in the light of the setting sun, producing a scintillating display of pearlescent light, almost as though it had been woven from threads of nacre.

Qrow's eyes followed the line of cloth upwards, into the rafters of the warehouse, where two hooded figures crouched amid the criss-crossing support beams beneath the curve of the roof.

"You seem to be in a spot of trouble, Brother Adam," called a lilting, musical voice from above.

Qrow's eyes narrowed, and he let out an irritated growl. _No one said anything about them having backup._

The pair of figures descended, revealing themselves to be a man and a woman. They were of the same age, and height. On top of that, the arrangement of their facial features led Qrow to believe they were related, most likely siblings, possibly even twins.

They were both shrouded in white robes, with burnt-orang shawls over their shoulders. The man's robe was cut so that it left the upper-left portion of his chest, along with the shoulder and arm on that side, bare, revealing powerful and steely muscles. The red cloth of his shawl extended down to cover the his right arm and shoulder, before trailing off at his feet, revealing baggy black pants beneath. Beneath his hood, his curling hair was a fiery-orange color, framing a pair of piercing, blue eyes. He fixed Qrow with an intense look. There was a strange accessory on his left arm, a pair of leather straps wound around his forearm, set with blue, spherical crystals, meeting and crossing over his hand, with another, larger crystal set against his palm.

The woman's robe and shawl were more symmetrical, with the wide sleeves covering both arms and shoulders. She possessed a face of almost exquisite beauty, perfectly smooth skin, framed by rich, long, locks of black hair, streaming all the way down her back, almost all the way to the floor. There was an odd component to her outfit, a pair of what looked almost like armor pieces that were attached to the back-side of her upper-arms, with broad, hemispherical components attached to each shoulder, stretching into more broad, curved plates, that extended down to her elbows. The strange accessories were the same shimmering, almost pearlescent color as the cloth she wielded. She looked at Qrow with a pair of vivid, violet eyes, and a smile of serene benevolence that Qrow found eerily similar to the look that Ayumu habitually wore. As she landed the woman's cloth folded over so that she gripped the ends of it in both hands, with the loose fabric coiling and folding in the air behind and over her shoulders.

They landed between Qrow and Adam, standing perfectly at ease, hardly looking as though they were in the middle of a battlefield. Despite that, Qrow could already knew better than to underestimate them. He wasn't sure, but the nebulous feeling of danger he got from the two suggested that they might be just as, if not more dangerous than Adam himself.

"Sh-Shimizu," growled Adam. "What are you two doing here?"

They ignored Adam, instead focusing their attention on Qrow. "I'm terribly sorry, but we will be taking Brother Adam with us," said the woman politely.

"Sorry, that ain't an option," growled Qrow, brandishing his scythe.

"We have no wish to use force unnecessarily," said the man, his voice an almost pleasant tenor, despite the forceful intonation of his words, "but we will do what we must."

"Well, you do what you must, and I'll do what _I_ must," growled Qrow.

The two newcomers closed their eyes in unison, then opened them again. "So be it," replied the man, no trace of anger in his tone, although it held firm conviction.

* * *

Winter, and her accompanying Jaegers, dropped out the passenger-bay doors of the bullhead, not even waiting for it to come into a full hover over the lot outside the warehouse. Immediately, she charged in, the two androids bringing up the rear, easily keeping pace with her. Winter passed through the doors...and skidded to a halt, her eyes going wide at the scene of carnage before her.

She immediately spotted the soldiers. There must have been at least five of them...though it was hard to tell, as their body parts had been scattered all over, leaving wide splatters of blood across the floor and nearby objects, including the walls. There were also the forms of wounded and dead White Fang soldiers, sprawled behind the cover they'd tried to use as shelter. Some groaned and twitched, others lay still and silent.

Seeing armored forms move against the wall, Winter tensed, before relaxing at the sight of the rest of the Valean troops, apparently in the process of recovering the dead and securing prisoners.

"What happened here?" asked Winter, approaching them.

"We had them," said one of the commanders. "Huntsman Branwen had Taurus on the ropes."

"Then what?" asked Winter.

"Then two new White Fang members showed up," said the soldier, his body quaking. "Branwen tried to fight them, but..." He pointed weakly towards a clear section of the floor that had been set up to take care of the wounded, until they could be transported to the hospital.

Winter approached, and gasped at the sight of Qrow. His arms were both splinted, and his shirt had been cut off his torso, allowing his chest to be wrapped. He was unconscious.

The soldier continued. "Branwen attacked. The woman did something...I have no idea what, but it shattered his sword, and then blasted him all the way across the warehouse." He pointed to large indent in the far wall.

"They said they didn't want to fight if they could avoid it," continued the soldier. "A few of us attacked, but...well..." He gestured to the bloody mess that was apparently all that remained of the men and women who'd tried. "In the end, they took Taurus, and all the White Fang who could still move with them. There was this smell, and our bodies became heavy, so we couldn't go after them."

Winter could scarcely believe it. _The White Fang had assets beyond anything we suspected._

She turned to the men. "Contact Command, let's begin our withdrawal. Make sure the wounded get top priority."

"Yes, Ma'am," said the soldier, saluting.

Winter wanted to debrief them more about the mysterious new arrivals, but treating the injured, especially Qrow, took priority. Winter was both shocked and horrified. The Qrow Branwen she knew was tough as nails, and, while he was no tank, he could take some serious punishment. But, from the sound of things, one of these new people had flattened him with a single blow, striking so fast that the soldiers hadn't seen a thing. _Just what are we dealing with here?_ she wondered darkly.

Kneeling by Qrow, she reached for his forehead and gently brushed his bangs away from his face. _Don't you die on me._

* * *

Ruby and her friends had just finished their dinner, when she got a call from Ozpin. "Yes?" she asked, answering her scroll.

"Ms. Rose, you and Ms. Xiao Long need to come to the infirmary right away," said Ozpin, an unusual tension in his voice. "Your uncle is badly injured."

Ruby gasped, her skin paling. Around her, her friends looked on worriedly. Gin rested a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it.

"Y-yes," said Ruby, working to recover her composure. "We'll be over right away."

"Good," said Ozpin. "Your friends are free to come, if they wish. However, I will need you to bring Ms. Belladonna with you."

"Blake...?" Ruby turned to look at the friend in question.

Blake tensed, her ears standing upright beneath their concealing bow. Seeing the nervous look on Ruby's face, she too began to fret.

"I'll see you soon," said Ozpin, hanging up.

"What's wrong?" asked Yang.

"Uncle Qrow's hurt," said Ruby.

"What?" gasped Yang.

"We need to go to the infirmary," said Ruby. "Professor Ozpin wants Blake to come too."

"M-me?" Blake tensed even more. "Why?"

"He didn't say," said Ruby.

"It probably has something to do with what was supposed to happen this weekend," said Gin, beginning to massage Ruby's shoulders.

"Huh?" Yang and Ruby blinked.

"The operation against the White Fang," mused Jaune.

"If Uncle Qrow got hurt...do you think something went wrong?" asked Yang.

"Probably," said Ayumu softly. "I gather that injuring someone of his caliber is not an easy feat."

"But why does he want Blake to come?" asked Nora.

"You don't think Professor Ozpin thinks she had something to do with it?" asked Ren.

"N-no..." whimpered Blake, hugging herself. "I...I gave them everything I have on the White Fang, and Adam. I didn't withhold everything."

"Let's not make assumptions," said Ayumu, as unflappable as ever. "If Professor Ozpin called for Ms. Blake's presence, then it is most likely because he wants to talk." He turned to Blake. "If he suspected you of being a traitor, then the next logical move would be to take steps to arrest and incarcerate you. Considering that, the last thing you would do is invite a suspected criminal into the vicinity of an injured person receiving care."

"That's true," said Ruby. She sighed. "There's only so much we can guess about. Let's just get going. I want to see Uncle Qrow."

"Yeah, that's what's important," added Yang, thumping her fist into the palm of her hand.

Ruby took a trembling Blake's hand. "It's okay," she said to her friend. "We won't let them do anything to you. I don't think Ozpin suspects you of anything."

"A-all right," said Blake, still feeling nervous, despite Ruby's assertions.

"I'll come too," said Gin, still resting a hand on Ruby's shoulder.

Jaune took Yang's hand, giving her his silent promise as well.

"We'll wait at the room for news," said Ren, exchanging nods with Nora and Ayumu.

"We'll keep you posted," said Jaune.

They quickly made their way towards Beacon's infirmary. It was a little out of the way, tucked into a side-wing of the Academy proper. With facilities that rivaled any medical establishment in Vale, it was more of a miniature hospital in full than an infirmary, fully equipped to treat students injured in the ring or field. Upon entering the infirmary, the receptionist immediately directed them down the hall towards the sole occupied room.

Ruby was a blur, leaving a trail of petals in her wake as she rushed straight down the hall to see how her uncle was doing. She barely managed to skid to a stop, and had to hook her fingers around the door frame to keep from sliding past. "Uncle Qrow!"

To her surprise, Ozpin and Qrow weren't the only people in the room. Winter was there as well, having taken the chair at Qrow's bedside, looking as though she were watching over him. Seeing and hearing Ruby, Winter silently raised a finger to her lips. Ruby snapped her mouth shut, covering it with her hand for good measure. The bottom dropped out of her stomach as she looked over the unconscious figure of her uncle.

Qrow was not in good shape. His right arm was locked in a cast, all the way up to the shoulder, while his left forearm was similarly encased. More wrappings covered his torso, particularly his right shoulder and chest. He was hooked up to an I.V. and a monitor, the soft beeping providing the slight reassurance that he was still alive.

"Oh God!" Yang blurted out in a hushed exclamation, as she came around the corner. "What happened to him?"

"We don't know for sure," said Winter sorrowfully. "He hasn't regained consciousness yet. All the doctor has been able to determine was that it was tremendous blunt-force trauma."

"So something hit him...and _hard_ ," Gin interpreted, despite Winter's statement not needing that.

Winter nodded solemnly.

The click of Ozpin's cane signaled his approach down the hall. He walked calmly, a mug of coffee in his free hand. Seeing that made Blake relax a little more, figuring that Ozpin would not bring his coffee with him, if he was planning to confront her about anything.

"What happened?" asked Gin, looking between Ozpin and Winter.

Winter directed a questioning look at Ozpin. Ruby realized that Winter probably still didn't know how in-deep Ruby and her friends were.

"We know you were planning an operation against the White Fang," said Gin helpfully, prompting a surprised intake of breath from Winter. "Given the fact that you showed up on Thursday, we figured it was happening sometime this weekend. But the details were kept from us."

"H-how...?" asked Winter.

"The details on where all the White Fang hideouts were located came from our new friend," said Ruby, smiling slightly, in spite of the situation.

"Oh..." Winter directed one last look at Ozpin, and he nodded. "Well, you're right," she admitted. "We launched a coordinated, simultaneous attack on all the White Fang safe-houses, including the warehouses, where we presumed the bulk of their munitions were being stored...and where we expected to find Taurus."

Blake tensed at the mention of Adam.

"Everything went as planned," continued Winter. "The General and I took our objective without any problems. The safe-houses located in the Kingdom proper were stormed effectively, with minimal casualties. The only one we hadn't heard from was the other warehouse, the one Qrow went to." Winter nodded towards the figure on the bed. "After the General and I secured our objective, I went to see if Qrow needed assistance. But, by the time I got there, it was already over...and he was like this..."

"Was it Taurus?" asked Gin.

Winter shook her head. "According to the soldiers on-site, Adam Taurus was at the warehouse. Qrow defeated him. But then two unknown individuals intervened. We assume that they were also White Fang, but there was no intelligence to identify them."

"I...I gave you everything I had," said Blake a desperate note in her voice.

"You gave us all the information you had regarding the _Vale_ branch of the White Fang," clarified Ozpin, setting aside his cane and resting a hand gently on Blake's shoulder. "In all honesty, we did not think to ask for intelligence from farther afield."

"You mean the rest of the White Fang?" asked Jaune warily.

Ozpin nodded. "You are already aware that the White Fang's structure has...fragmented somewhat, both by location and ideology. What we assumed we were dealing with was the so-called Taurus Faction, consisting mainly of the White Fang's Vale Branch."

"So they got support from another faction of the White Fang?" asked Yang.

"At this point, that is our guess," said Ozpin, smiling at Blake. "Ms. Belladonna, we do not suspect you knowingly withheld information from us. This is not meant to be an interrogation. If anything, I merely hope that you might have something that could allow us to...fill in the gaps, regarding this situation."

"I...I'll try," said Blake uneasily. "I don't know much about many of the other branches of the White Fang. I mostly dealt with the same members Adam did."

"According to the soldiers on-site, the pair were a man and woman," explained Winter. "They might have been related, from their appearance."

Already, Blake's nervousness had returned. "Did they see any distinguishing features?" she asked.

Winter nodded. "The woman had violet eyes, and black hair. The man had blue eyes and orange hair."

Blake began to tremble. She hugged herself, rubbing her hands up and down her upper arms. "Please, no," she whimpered, her eyes wide with horror.

"Blake...?" said Yang warily.

"It was hard for the soldiers to make out, but one of them thought that Taurus might have said the name of one of them," said Winter.

"Shimizu..." said Blake softly.

"Yes! That's the name," said Winter, straightening up, her gaze focusing on Blake intently. "You know who they are?"

Blake nodded, her trembling increasing. Yang moved to stand behind her, and wrapped Blake tightly in her arms. Her embrace seemed to calm Blake, and she relaxed a little.

"Who are they?" asked Ruby worriedly, wondering just what kind of people could have such a profound effect upon their friend.

"Shimizu is their surname," explained Blake. "They're fraternal twins, Naia and Nereus Shimizu...also known as the Shrimps."

"Huh?" grunted Jaune.

For a second, the tension drained out of the air as everyone took a second to process the absurd nickname. If it weren't for the fact that these were apparently the people responsible for her uncle's catatonic state, Ruby might have even snorted at it.

"What kind of name is that?" asked Yang.

Blake shook her head. "I don't know," she admitted. "That's what they're sometimes called in the White Fang. Apparently, they don't even mind it."

"Probably because they like the fact that it causes people to underestimate them," mused Gin.

"Probably," agreed Blake. She looked at Winter. "The thing is, they're also the two most dangerous combatants in the White Fang, even more dangerous than Adam. They serve directly under High Leader Khan herself. They're supposed to be her personal agents and enforcers."

"You know them?" asked Winter.

Blake shook her head again. "Only by reputation. I've only had the privilege of meeting High Leader Khan a couple of times...and briefly at that. I saw them with my own eyes. But I've never talked with them...and I've never seen what they can do. I've only ever heard vague stories about what they can do. No one I've talked to about them in the White Fang knows any more than I do.

"What I _do_ know is that they only move under High Leader Khan's orders. If they're here..." Blake's voice trailed off.

"Then that might mean that Sienna Khan is putting her support behind the actions of Vale's White Fang," said Ozpin, actually sounding worried.

"We were operating under the assumption that the local branch's numbers and supplies had been decimated by their losses in Mountain Glenn," said Winter. "But, if they get backup from the High Leader herself, then all those assumptions could go out the window."

Gin raised a cautious hand. "We might be jumping the gun a little," he said. "I suppose there's the possibility that aid from the main branch of the White Fang only just fortuitously arrived, right in their darkest hour. But that seems a little contrived to me."

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.

Gin looked to Winter. "When you conducted your raids, was resistance heavier than you expected?"

Winter shook her head. "No. Everything was as we were led to believe. Even with the raid Qrow was leading, everything was going as anticipated, until those two showed up."

"Which means that they didn't have additional manpower or munitions," said Gin. "If I was a strapped organization, waiting for backup, those are the things I'd want. Even if those two are exceptionally skilled and dangerous, they're only two people, which still severely limits their options in the broader scope. There's also the fact that they only showed up at one spot, to bail out Adam Taurus, and the people with him."

Winter nodded, her posture relaxing slightly. "That's true," she said. "Only the soldiers who were still able to move on their own were extracted. The rest, including those wounded or subdued, were left behind. From what the troops on the scene told me, it appeared that their primary interest was in securing Adam."

Gin nodded. "If they possessed that kind of decisive power, I'd expect them to use it to secure as many people and munitions as they could. By all rights, they should have obliterated the troops in the warehouse, then left with everything that wasn't nailed down. Even assuming they were trying to get out before Vale's forces could get more backup, that's still pretty lax. It sounds like they were interested in Adam specifically, and simply took whoever else they could along for the ride."

"So it might not be as bad as we think?" asked Yang.

"Perhaps," said Ozpin. "At the very least, it doesn't paint as bleak a picture as we initially assumed. However, we should consider the possibility that our enemy's resources are greater than we initially suspected."

"Hope for the best, plan for the worst," said Jaune.

"Precisely," said Ozpin with a sage nod.

Blake said nothing, still trembling at the prospect. Even if their worry that the Shimizu twins' presence meant that Adam now had the support of Sienna Khan proved to be a vain one, she still couldn't shake the horrifying notion of what those two alone were capable of, particularly as the result of their ability laid on the bed before them, unresponsive.

* * *

 **I promised you a couple of shrimp, didn't I? Well here they are. It'll make more sense later, I promise (some of you might figure it out before then).**

 **I now present to you the Shimizu twins. For their appearance, I drew from a pair of characters from the manga series, _Houshin Engi._ Naia is based on Ryuukitsu Koushu, while Nereus is based off of her brother, Nento Dojin.**

 **Naia Shimizu: Naia is a Basque name, meaning "wave" or "sea foam."**

 **Nereus Shimizu: Derived from the Greek word for "water," this is the name of one of the sea gods.**

 **Aside from that, these characters were fairly spur-of-the-moment creations for me. They were born from a sudden bolt of inspiration that left me going "Holy shit! Why didn't I tink of this before?" From there, I was more than a little desperate to figure out how to incorporate them into the story. Luckily, I had just the place for them. With our three primary main characters leveling up like a trio of Pokemon on a Rare Candy binge, I realized that the antagonists of this story needed some beefing up of their own, and that I wanted the White Fang to have some characters to give it more depth. We all lament what happened with Sienna Khan in Volume 5, perishing before we really got to see what she was all about. So I figured I would create a couple of White Fang characters who came more from her corner than Adam's, hence the Shimizu twins. I'm rather proud of them, and hopefully you'll get to see why a little later.**


	107. Chapter 107

**Chapter 107:**

Adam grunted as the medic bound the lacerations along his left arm. He didn't bother with anesthetic, so the disinfectant stung plenty. Fortunately, the pain faded with the compression of the bandages over his wounds.

"Quite the pickle you seem to be in, Brother Adam," observed Nereus, the orange-haired man calmly surveying the bare camp, nothing more than a handful of tents, with very few masked faunus moving amongst them. "We last heard that recruitment was _up_ in the regions around Vale. What happened?"

"We last heard _what_ we last heard the better part of a year ago," added Naia turning away from her own visual survey of the camp.

"We experienced...setbacks," said Adam, a small degree of petulance in his tone. Even if it was by the infamous Shimizu twins, having to be rescued from a human Huntsman stung even worse than the disinfectant. He looked up at Naia irritably. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Why do you think we are here?" asked Naia, sighing. Her voice remained gentle, level, and calm, even though there was a clear element of admonishment in her tone. It came off more as a loving older sister chiding a careless younger sibling than anything else.

"Sienna has been worried about the complete absence of reports from you," said Nereus, always the sterner and harsher of the two. "For the past few months, we've heard absolutely nothing."

"Sienna wished to know what was going on," added Naia. "Why haven't you been reporting in, Brother Adam?"

"I had my reasons," said Adam harshly.

Neither of the siblings missed the defiance in his tone.

"And what reasons are those?" asked Nereus.

Adam pressed his lips together tightly for a moment. "I-"

"Brother _Taurus_..."

Naia's voice cut Adam off before he could even really began his response, whether it would be a careful deflection, or a blunt rebuff of their inquiry, he himself wasn't sure. But the change in Naia's address didn't go unnoticed.

Still calm, albeit melancholy, Naia fixed Adam with a gaze that was as powerful as it was serene and peaceful. "Who are we?" she asked.

Adam's mouth opened slightly, then closed. Then he answered. "You are Sienna Khan," he said.

"That is right," said Naia, allowing a small smile onto her face. "We are Sienna's arms and legs, the ones who carry out her will."

Nereus spoke next. "When we listen, we do so with _her_ ears. And when we speak, we do so with _her_ voice." He narrowed his eyes in a stern glare at Adam. "So...when you answer us, that is your official answer to Sienna Khan, High Leader of the White Fang. Knowing that, please consider your response _very_ carefully."

"Please, Brother Taurus," said Naia plaintively. "Sienna has very high hopes for you, and accords you a great deal of respect. Her sending us is as much out of worry for your sake as anything else. She feared that something might have happened to you."

"Although, from the look of things, something did," muttered Nereus.

Adam huffed softly. He could see that there was no getting out of this. When Sienna herself was absent, the Shimizu twins were empowered with her authority. As Nereus had reminded him, he needed to respond as though he was giving an answer to Sienna herself. "There have been...unexpected developments," he said.

"What kind?" asked Naia.

"While we were carrying out our operations in the area, I was approached by a...benefactor...of sorts, someone who wished to provide us aid, in exchange for our assistance in their plan."

Nereus' eyes narrowed dangerously. "The White Fang are not mercenaries, Brother Taurus. We are not simply someone's soldiers-for-hire."

"Nereus," chided Naia gently, "he knows that. Let him finish." She turned back to Adam. "Go on."

"Just as you said, we aren't mercenaries," said Adam. "And, on top of that, she and her other allies were humans. I refused, and sent them on their way."

"From the sound of things, something changed," observed Naia.

Adam nodded. "She returned...and when she did, she made a much stronger argument, an offer I couldn't refuse, you could say."

"She threatened you?" asked Nereus.

Adam lowered his face. Even considering how Cinder had done it, it remained a humiliating blight in his heart to admit that he'd bowed to the threats of a human. "She made a clear offer. Either we could _both_ benefit from our relationship...or _one_ of us would."

"I see," said Naia, frowning pensively. Neither of the siblings had a thought of accusing Adam of cowardice. They were well aware of his faults. But being someone who was cowed by fear was not one of them. If this woman Adam spoke of had actually subdued him with the mere threat of force, then she was formidable indeed. "So this was under duress then?"

"At first," admitted Adam. "But the woman is merely the representative of an even greater benefactor, one with a much grander vision."

Naia and Nereus shared a confused look. "She serves a faunus?" asked Nereus.

Adam shook his head.

"Another human?"

"Something...other," said Adam. He stood up. The medic had finished treating his wounds while they talked, allowing him to move freely. "It is best...if I showed you."

* * *

His curiosity satisfied, Ozpin released the students, and presumably returned to his office. Ruby, Yang, Gin, and Jaune lingered in the hallway outside Qrow's room. Blake had decided to head back to the dorm, needing to rest after processing what had come to light.

Ruby stared at Qrow's unmoving form, unsure of what to do. She wanted to stay beside him. But, at the same time...

Gin wrapped his arms around her from behind, hugging her to his chest. "Come on," he said softly, "you need to get some sleep."

"B-but-" she began to protest.

"You still have that panel tomorrow," said Gin. "And then the finals start on Monday. I know your uncle wouldn't want you to lose sleep over him."

"Ruby," said Winter, looking up from where she sat, "I will keep an eye on Qrow. I'll let you know of any changes in his condition."

"Oh...thank you," said Ruby.

Yang smiled and traded a nod with Jaune. "Come on, Sis," said Yang, striding past her, "let's get to bed. From the sound of things, you've got plenty to worry about already. Uncle Qrow's in good hands."

Reluctantly, Ruby nodded, and allowed Gin to lead her out of the infirmary. Winter watched the door, until she was sure they'd left, then turned back to Qrow, once again brushing his hand through the scruffy hair that drooped down over his eyes. "Wake up soon, Qrow," she said softly.

* * *

"What...what is this?" asked Naia, betraying shock and...for the first time in Adam's experience...fear.

All around them, the few remaining soldiers of the White Fang were doing their best to get ready. The bullheads had been amongst the few things they'd managed to hold onto, after the debacle in Mountain Glenn. However, they now needed to be reconfigured for their new cargo. With so few personnel, it was proving difficult to ensure that they would be ready on time.

Nereus stepped closer to the cage, examining the black object within. "Are they really still alive?" he asked. There was no motion, no response to his approach at all.

"They are," said Adam. " _This_ is what our benefactor can do for us."

"And what, exactly, are you expected to do with them?" asked Naia.

"When we get the signal, we'll deploy to Beacon," said Adam.

Nereus and Naia turned their gazes back to the object in the cage, the still form of an Ursa. The beast stood as still as a statue, its hunched posture not even moving to indicate something as simple as drawing breath. It was as though it had been stuffed for a taxidermy display, even though such a thing would be impossible. Its red eyes still glowed malevolently, but were utterly devoid of any intent. Then, the twins looked past that cage, and swept their gazes across a dozen other cages.

"You're using Grimm...as a weapon?" said Nereus. "Brother Taurus, this is utterly abhorrent. What monster have you joined with?"

"Her name is Salem," said Adam. "She is the enemy of the human race. And, with her aid, we will bring the Academies and the Kingdoms to their knees." He turned to face the pair. "Don't you see now? There isn't any need for half-measures anymore. There is no need to restrain ourselves.

"And why should we? We are superior to the humans in _every_ respect. If anything, they should be the ones serving us. By following through with this, we will be able to take our place as the true and rightful rulers of this world."

Naia's gaze was distant. "And this...Salem...what assurance do you have that she will simply stop with humanity?"

"What do you mean?" asked Adam.

Naia gave Adam a somber look. "Throughout history, the Grimm have shown no distinction, when it comes to their victims. No matter what Kingdom, no matter what background, no matter whether they are human or faunus; the Grimm are a threat to all alike. So...if this Salem person truly controls the Grimm, why has she decided, only now, to show favor to one over the other?"

"The one who approached you on her behalf was a human," added Nereus. "On top of that, she used the threat of force to induce you to work with her. It seems to me that the wellbeing of faunus is not foremost on her mind."

"This is _not_ the time to be hesitating!" shouted Adam, fury rising in his voice. "We have been given a chance to deliver the justice that those filthy humans _deserve!_ Do you really want to waste this opportunity with your dithering?"

"What looks like an opportunity at first may well be an invitation to disaster," said Naia. "The droplets of the sundew may be sweet. But many an insect has discovered that such sweetness conceals a deadly trap."

"You have always tended towards leaping without looking," added Nereus. "Sienna hoped that the responsibilities of leading the Vale Branch would temper your impulsiveness. But it appears that you have not grown as much as we had hoped."

"If you aren't going to help and do your part in this war, then get out of my way!" snapped Adam. "But I _will_ make the humans pay for what they've done!"

Naia and Nereus shared a wary look, then nodded to each other. "So be it," said Naia sadly.

"So be what?" growled Adam.

"Do as you please," said Nereus. "We will see just what this plan of yours has in store."

"You will allow it?" asked Adam, confused.

"Sienna sent us to assess the situation, but we were asked not to intervene, unless we deem it absolutely necessary," said Naia. "We do not approve of this plan of yours, but not strongly enough to stop you. It is my hope that you will reconsider though."

"I am through with reconsidering," snarled Adam, stepping past the pair.

"One last question though, Brother Taurus," said Naia, bringing him to a stop.

"What is it?" he growled over his shoulder.

"Where is Sister Blake?" asked Naia. "Once she became an active agent, she was rarely far from your side. Yet I haven't seen the slightest sign of her."

"It _is_ strange," mused Nereus.

"Blake Belladonna is not our sister any longer," said Adam in a low voice. "She deserted...in the middle of an operation no less." He turned away from them. "And now she's currently at Beacon, aiding those human scum."

"I see..." said Naia.

Adam continued on his way, leaving the twins on their own. The rest of the soldiers gave them a wide berth.

"What do you think, Sister?" asked Nereus.

"I'm not certain," admitted Naia. "But we should watch for now. At the very least, we can see for ourselves just how this so-called benefactor of theirs operates."

Nereus turned his gaze towards the distant lights of Vale. "Final War against the humans...we've considered it before. Adam seems to believe that we have the capacity to win."

"But that is only part of the equation," said Naia. "The true question is whether or not such a war would be _worth_ winning. I fear that Adam has already decided he no longer needs to consider that question."

"So long as we ask it in his place, we'll manage," said Nereus.

* * *

Ruby fought to hold still as the studio's makeup team went over her. It was just as tedious as she remembered it being the last time she'd done an interview for the VNN. It didn't help that her nerves were humming nervously at the thought of taking the stage with all the other finalists, particularly Liu and Mercury. At least she could count three of the remaining eight as friends.

Finally, the woman with the job of fussing over her appearance deemed Ruby appropriate to appear on camera, and left the room, presumably to find and work over her next victim. Ruby smiled, sensing a familiar presence outside, the makeup artist warning him not to do anything that would undo her hard work.

Gin stepped through the door, a smile on his face. "Well, you certainly look like you got more sleep than you actually did."

Ruby giggled. It was true that one of the major parts of her makeup was hiding the tired shadows under her eyes. Even with her friends' assurances, and Gin's arms around her in bed, sleep had been elusive for Ruby. She couldn't stop worrying about Qrow. She checked in with Winter that morning, finding that little had changed, which was both good and bad. Qrow's condition remained stable, but he hadn't yet awakened.

On top of that, as they'd anticipated, Neo had been summoned by Cinder a little while earlier, presumably to enact whatever part she was to play in their overall plan, which had Ayumu on pins and needles, even if he hid it a lot better than Ruby hid her own anxiety.

Looking up at Gin, Ruby desperately wished she could hug him, or at least feel his hand on her forehead once more. But everything, from her hair, to her face, to her outfit, had been painstakingly adjusted for her appearance on the show. Ruby didn't dare risk disturbing any of it, lest the makeup artist's wrath descend upon her.

"There's some good news, at least," said Gin settling against the counter that had held the various cosmetics used on Ruby a few moments earlier. "There's no sign of Emerald."

Ruby relaxed a little. Ever since the possibility had come up, the thought that Emerald would use her Semblance to manipulate things from behind the scenes, during the panel, had been an extra burden on her mind. As skilled as Emerald might be, Ruby doubted that she could actually hide from Gin's _Shingan_...not for any serious length of time anyway.

"Keep your guard up, just in case," advised Gin, always cautious, in spite of his own assurances.

Ruby nodded. "That's what I need to do anyway." With Liu Bai at the table with her, there was no telling what might happen. Ruby rated his impulse control as very low.

A tone sounded, followed by an announcement that it was only two minutes until they went live. The participants were summoned to report to the stage.

"Well...here I go," said Ruby.

"You can do this," said Gin, as she made her way past him.

Ruby smiled and nodded, before heading along, letting her cloak flow in her wake as she strode down the hall.

Reaching the stage, Ruby found it very different from the room Lisa had previously interviewed her in. Rather than a homey-looking space, this looked more like a stage set up for candidates in a Council debate. They would be seated with a wide, round table, set in the center of the stage. Cameras were positioned around the table, presumably to allow the view to jump from one speaker to another. There were nine seats, which looked at least marginally comfortable, spaced evenly about the table's circumference. Nameplates identifying them were set out, indicating where they were to sit. There were even glasses of ice-water waiting for them.

Much to Ruby's relief, it appeared that there wouldn't be a studio audience for this particular debate. There were seats set out, outside the radius of the cameras, but they were cheap folding seats. Seeing Gin, and a few other familiar faces take those chairs, Ruby realized that they were for the people who'd accompanied the panelists. Besides Gin, Ruby saw Neptune from SSSN, Ciel, Ren, Nora, and Irving from BRYL. She didn't see anyone else from Mercury's team. With Neo already summoned, Ruby figured that maybe they were all busy carrying out whatever the next step of their plan was.

She found an additional measure of relief in where she was sitting. Lisa, who would be occupying the ninth seat at the table, had set Ruby's seat next to her own. Glancing around, Ruby spotted Liu's nameplate as well. He was on the opposite side of Lisa from her, about three seats down, positioned so that he wasn't next to her, nor directly across from her, which would make it a lot easier for her to avoid meeting his gaze without appearing to.

The other finalists were filing into the room as well. Ruby took her seat, and smiled to see Ayumu settling in next to her. Penny was in the next seat down, leaning forward slightly so that she could give Ruby a cheerful wave, which Ruby happily returned.

Ruby was a bit surprised to see Penny there. Given his attitude towards her, Ruby wouldn't have been surprised if Ironwood had tried to minimize the possibility of Penny making public appearances. But with everyone else attending, she wondered if he was afraid he'd lose face, or people might think something was amiss, if Penny didn't show up as well.

Beside Penny sat a young man, who looked to be at least a third-year. His pale skin was complimented by light-brown hair, with a pale-blonde streak running through his bangs, which were curled and swept over the right side of his face. He was dressed in a set of futuristic-looking white armor, over what looked to be a black undershirt and brown cargo pants. He also had what looked like some kind of headset, which ran over the top of his ears and around the back of his head. Glancing at his nameplate, Ruby saw he was Lloyd Du Lac.

Next to Lloyd, another unfamiliar boy took his seat. His skin was a light-brown color, a shade or so lighter than Ciel's skin. A black hood covered his head, draping down over his shoulders and collar. Through the opening, Ruby saw a few locks of wavy, black hair. She also caught a glimpse of gold hoops set in his ears. The most interesting parts of his appearance were the red lines drawn onto his face, a horizontal one under each of his yellow eyes, and one running vertically down the center of his nose. Underneath the folds of his cowl, he wore a white shirt, with a blue jacket. His right arm and shoulder were covered with gold-colored plates of armor that ran down to a full gauntlet. His nameplate identified him as Sunil Karim.

Next to Sunil, Mercury took his seat, his usual smug look in place. Beside Mercury sat Liu. Finally Sun took the last seat, bringing the arrangement full-circle, with Lisa sitting between Sun and Ruby. It took a moment for Ruby to understand the arrangements. If her guess was right, Lloyd was from Atlas, like Penny; and Sunil, given the way he was dressed, might be from Shade Academy, in Vacuo. It seemed that the finalists had been seated according to their Academy of origin.

Lisa was about a minute behind them, taking her seat as the crew began counting down the last seconds until they went live. Lisa adjusted a set of papers she'd brought with her, presumably notes on what questions to ask. "Everyone ready?" she asked, looking around the table.

They all nodded, some with more enthusiasm than others.

"Here we go then," said Lisa. "Don't worry about looking in the cameras."

Ruby sensed the cameras around the room moving, presumably finding positions where they could focus on the participants' faces, looking past the other ones. Perhaps the arrangement was effective for a discussion. But she realized it complicated filming a bit, as there was no place for a camera in the center of the table.

The final countdown reached the last five, and the crew went silent, with one of them counting off the remaining seconds with his fingers, so that Lisa would know when to start.

Taking a breath, Lisa smiled and looked across the table, staring between Lloyd and Sunil at the camera directly in front of her. "Hello, and thank you for tuning in for this special roundtable conference between the Vytal Festival Tournament finalists. I'm Lisa Lavender, and I will be hosting the panel this evening." She glanced around the table. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for coming. I'm glad that you were all able to make it."

Most of them smiled and nodded to her. Out of the corner of her eye, Ruby saw that Liu remained as stony as ever. At least he wasn't glaring right at her, at the moment.

"Now then," continued Lisa, "I'm sure that, to everyone watching, these are all familiar faces. Just in case, let me introduce our participants." She gestured to Ruby. "To my right, from Beacon Academy, are Ruby Rose and Ayumu Ao."

"Hello," said Ruby shyly, looking into the camera across from her.

"It's nice to be here," said Ayumu politely.

"Next, from Atlas Academy, we have Penny Polendina and Lloyd Du Lac."

"Salutations!" said Penny in that excitable manner of hers.

"Greetings," said Lloyd blandly.

"From Shade Academy, we have Sunil Karim."

"A pleasure," said Sunil.

"And, finally, from Haven Academy, we have Mercury Black, Liu Bai, and Sun Wukong."

"Yo," said Mercury.

"Hrmm..." grunted Liu.

"Thanks for having us," said Sun.

"Now then, I imagine it must be exciting for all of you, after fighting your way through the first two rounds of the tournament," said Lisa. "But perhaps we can go around and hear your own thoughts about what lie ahead." She glanced to her right. "Ruby, would you like to start?"

"Uh...sure," said Ruby, feeling a little shy. "I _am_ looking forward to it," she said. "But it is kinda nerve-wracking to fight in front of such a huge crowd."

"Understandable," said Lisa, moving to the next person in line. "Ayumu?"

"Ah, well, I try not to think about it too much," said Ayumu, smiling and rubbing his hand through his hair. "For the most part, I just focus on doing what I do."

Penny went next. "I'm really really excited!" she said, grinning. "I'm sure that the matches will be sensational. It's going to be fun to compete with so many other skilled fighters."

"It's a pride to be competing for the honor of my Kingdom and Academy," said Lloyd, a trace of haughtiness in his tone.

"Well, I'm feeling quite a bit of pressure," admitted Sunil.

"Why is that?" asked Lisa.

"As you can see," said Sunil, gesturing to the table around him, "I'm the only one representing Shade and Vacuo. Every other school has at least two horses in the race, so to speak. So, it's important that I put my best foot forward, and do the utmost to fight for the pride of my Kingdom."

"Hey, don't worry," interjected Sun. "I may be from Haven, but I'm Vacuo, born and bred. When it comes to upholding the pride of our Kingdoms, I'm with ya."

Sunil chuckled. "My thanks."

Now it was Mercury's turn. He simply shrugged. "Eh, I'm with Ao on this one. I'm just gonna do what I need to do."

Ruby found herself raising an eyebrow at his response. Mercury's Aura was calm. There was a subtle hint of arrogance. But she could feel him wearing it, almost like a shirt or jacket. He was cocky, for sure, but he played that aspect of himself up, while carefully monitoring the other people around him. She let her awareness examine him a little more closely. Strangely, she couldn't find any trace of subdued malice. She'd expected a more...sinister...vibe from him. But he felt so...normal.

Carefully, Ruby withdrew her awareness back into herself. She didn't know how aware Mercury was, but she didn't want him to think she was watching him too closely. Because she'd been so invested in her examination, she almost missed Liu's response.

"The outcome of the tournament is immaterial to me," he said curtly. "I came here for a single opponent."

Ruby swallowed, wondering if anyone would press the question of who...and then why. Fortunately, Lisa appeared to sense the spark that was threatening to catch, and quickly moved on. "And you, Sun?"

"Hey, I'm just here to have a good time," said Sun, grinning and folding his arms behind his head. "It's a blast to be able to face people from all over the world. But I think some of the best times I've had were during the time I spent here before the festival." There was a slight coloring to his face that made Ruby suspect he had Blake on his mind when he said that.

Lisa chuckled at that. "Well now, we've had some interesting responses. Now then, having gone through the last two rounds of the tournament, I suspect you have a pretty strong idea of what your opponents can do. Have any of you been planning to change up your strategies for the finals?"

"Not really," said Ruby, Ayumu shaking his head next to her. "I mean, there are some tricks I haven't used yet, that I could if I need to. But that depends on the situation."

"The same," said Ayumu.

"I'm mostly focusing on having the best understanding I can get of my opponents' abilities," said Penny.

"I have no intention of answering that," said Lloyd. "Whether I fight the same as before, or do something different, I'll let my opponents try to figure out which I'll do."

"Well, I spent the weekend working on a few new tricks," said Sunil. "I look forward to showing them off."

"I'm pretty comfortable with what I've got," said Mercury.

"I have nothing to say," said Liu.

"Well, my answer is like Ruby's," said Sun. "I've got some tricks I haven't gotten a chance to show off yet. We'll see if the finals give me the chance to let loose with 'em."

From there, the questions continued on, ranging over a variety of topics. They were asked what they thought of the festival. The foreign students were asked what they thought of Vale. Lisa inquired what their plans for celebration were if they won, who would be watching and cheering for them, and what their future plans and goals were.

By and large, Ruby found it a pleasant experience. However, she couldn't completely let her guard down, always sensing that Liu was on edge around her, and with her continued monitoring of Mercury. Despite Ruby being easily the most controversial one at the table, Lisa kept the conversation well away from any of the incidents she'd been involved in.

There was also a little interplay between the contestants. Ruby was complimented by Sunil and Mercury for being so young. The fact that Mercury was giving her a compliment made Ruby's skin crawl, particularly because that was where she sensed a tiny sliver of malice sneak into his words, although it was hard to sense against the backdrop of the sheer wrath that Liu had stoppered up inside him.

Liu, for his part, remained in control. He kept himself to brief responses, rarely seeming interested in actually participating. Ruby was impressed by his self-discipline, wondering if he took his promise to meet her in the ring that seriously...or if something else had happened to encourage him to check his rage.

It wasn't a bad way to spend an hour. Ruby was glad that the discussion was being kept short. She did want to get a good night's sleep before the quarter-finals began the next day.

"We'll now move onto closing statements," said Lisa. "Ruby..."

"Well, I just look forward to a good match with all my opponents," said Ruby. "But...I have something to show everyone during the finals. I think it will have a real impact on the world. "

"What is it?" asked Lisa.

Ruby giggled. "It's a secret."

She felt a sudden spike of fury from Liu. Glancing surreptitiously his way, Ruby saw that strange web of blue lines rising up from beneath the skin of his face again, only to recede after a second. _What is that?_

Meanwhile, it was Ayumu's turn to answer. "I want to give a good accounting of myself, if only on behalf of the school that has so generously taken me in."

"I'm fighting to win it for my friends," said Penny. In the audience, Ciel blushed slightly.

"I will make sure that the trust General Ironwood has invested in me is not wasted," said Lloyd.

"It is my hope that, regardless of the outcome, my fellow citizens of Vacuo are able to hold their heads high at what I've done," said Sunil.

"Eh, I don't really have much to say that I haven't already said, except..." Mercury winked into the camera, "...Ladies...I'm single."

 _Ewww..._ thought Ruby, resisting the urge to cringe away from Mercury. That remark of his definitely came off as sleazy, and she thought he meant for it to be that way, though she couldn't say why.

Then Mercury leaned back and crossed one leg over the other. For some reason, Ruby felt something off, like there was something about his legs that didn't quite gel with the state of the rest of his body. They felt...weightier than they should have.

"I have nothing to add," ground out Liu.

"Well, I'm gonna take the win," said Sun confidently. Seeing that everyone was looking at him, he grinned playfully. "What? That's what everyone here is thinking that about themselves, right? I just said it."

"He's not wrong," said Ruby with a giggle.

"And with that confident declaration, it's time to bring this to an end," said Lisa, looking into the camera once more. "I want to thank our panelists for participating in this event, and I wish to thank everyone for tuning in. Have a pleasant evening."

There was a brief pause as the camera pulled back and raised up, panning out for the audience. Then someone yelled "Cut!" and the whole affair came to an end.

Ruby let out a long breath, and slumped back in her seat. Glancing over, she saw Lisa smiling at her particularly. "You did wonderfully," said Lisa.

"Thanks," said Ruby, feeling a bit tired. Despite that, she carefully monitored Liu on the edge of her awareness. The moment the filming had ended, Liu had gotten up and stalked out of the room. _Well, that's one crisis averted, for now._

Mercury was just as quick to take his leave, although he did so in a much more careless and casual manner.

Getting up, Ruby went back to the dressing room to wash off the makeup. When she emerged, she found Ayumu and Gin waiting for her.

"So...what do you think?" asked Ruby.

"Mr. Black is certainly skilled at playing innocent," noted Ayumu, as they made their way out of the station, Ren and Nora joining them.

"I barely got any trace of malice from him," said Gin.

"So...what does that mean?" asked Ruby.

"Well, more often than not, when you know someone is dangerous, but they manage to come off as that innocent...it usually means he's an assassin," said Ayumu.

"Assassin?" gasped Ruby.

Ayumu nodded. "It's in his manner. He won't show any malice, right up until he strikes. He adopts a manner designed to get his target to lower their guard."

"If he's that good at it, he's probably Severed his Ties," said Gin.

"What does that mean?" asked Ruby.

"It's something Master Yu told us about once," said Ayumu. "Amongst some schools, particularly those involved in life or death combat, or assassination, it is generally one teacher raising one apprentice."

"Fairly often, these schools are confined to a single family line, with the father teaching the son," added Gin.

"But what does it mean to sever the ties?" asked Ruby.

Gin's face took on a grim cast. "Schools like that sometimes have a very particular final test. You could call it an exam of sorts. In order to pass, you have to kill the person who trained you."

Ruby felt faint. "That's...awful."

Ayumu nodded. "But it's also pragmatic in a sense. It ensures progression and growth, because, in order to win, you have to become better than your teacher, so it makes certain that the successor is superior to the predecessor."

"But, depending on the relationship between teacher and student, it serves another purpose," added Gin darkly.

"What's that?" asked Ruby.

"It detaches them from the act of killing," said Gin. "Making your first kill someone so important in your life, someone who might well be family, or good as family, teaches the student to detach themselves from the act of killing. To that guy, killing a person would feel the same to him as stepping on a bug. It's the ideal way for forging a remorseless killer."

"God! That's awful," whispered Ruby.

"Aside from that, now that I've gotten a proper read on him with my _Shingan_ , there's something else I noticed," said Ayumu.

"Me too," added Gin.

Ruby frowned. She'd felt something off about Mercury's body, but she wasn't sure what she was sensing. "What was it?" she asked.

"It's the same feeling we got from Ironwood," said Gin.

"Oh?" Ruby rolled her eyes up pensively, thinking back to the times she'd been in the proximity of the General. She remembered portions of his body feeling slightly off...heavier than they should have been...just like Mercury's legs. "Oh!"

"Yes, his legs appear to be prosthetics," said Ayumu. "From midway up the thigh down, I'd say."

"His boots are set up to look like his weapons, but the real things are part of his body," said Gin with a frown. "That sort of makes him like us, someone who's armed, when anyone else normally wouldn't be."

"Certainly a fitting weapon for an assassin?" added Ayumu.

"Well...that's nice to know," said Ruby. "Though I'm not sure knowing that helps us too much.

"But we have a better idea of what we're dealing with," said Ayumu. "Knowing that, we should tread very carefully with Mr. Black."

* * *

"You need to tread more carefully with me, Adam," said Cinder, folding her arms, glaring at him with a gaze that almost literally smoldered. "We're in the middle of our final preparations, and you call me out here."

Adam's call had brought Cinder out to a clearing, near the edge of the Emerald Forest, almost directly below the cliffs of Beacon. It irritated Cinder to have to leave operations in the city to Neo, but she decided to have Emerald with her, just in case. At the moment, Emerald stood slightly behind Cinder, watching and waiting. If Adam was planning a betrayal in the eleventh hour, this would be the time to execute it.

"The situation is urgent," said Adam. "Vale raided _all_ our safe houses. We've lost all but a small handful of troops."

"So I heard," said Cinder. After all, the incident had been in the news, with the Council triumphantly declaring a decisive victory against the White Fang in Vale. Given the nature of the news, she'd expected some degree of exaggeration. But it turned out things were even _worse_ than she thought.

"All we have left are the pilots and the workers," said Adam. "All we can do now is deliver the Grimm to Beacon, and hope that's enough."

"Yes, you had best hope so, Adam," said Cinder. "I won't tolerate anymore failure from the White Fang."

"My my, she's certainly a demanding little thing," said a black-haired woman, seeming to materialize out of the darkness behind Adam.

"She certainly has no small degree of self-importance," added the orange-haired man, who appeared behind Adam on his other side.

"Naia, Nereus, what are you doing here?" asked Adam, turning to glare at them over his shoulder.

"We wanted to see the agent of this benefactor of yours for ourselves," said Nereus, his piercing, blue eyes fixing on Cinder.

"And who are these?" asked Cinder, glaring at Adam.

"We are Naia and Nereus Shimizu," said Naia, smiling serenely. "We are in direct service to High Leader Khan. And you are...?"

"Someone whose patience with your antics is wearing dangerously thin," said Cinder, raising her right hand. With a spark of light, an orb of shimmering flame burst into existence, hovering in the air over her hand, all while her eyes glowed with molten light.

Much to her surprise, Naia and Nereus didn't even flinch at the sight of the inexplicable flame. Instead, they narrowed their eyes curiously, studying Cinder, and her fire.

"Interesting," said Naia. "There's no sign of Dust being used."

"It's certainly a strange power," said Nereus. "Perhaps it's a Semblance."

"It is something much more than that," said Cinder, frowning. Normally, when she did this, people folded before her. It had worked with Roman and Adam, both formidable people in their own right. After all, people feared the unknown. When something they didn't understand happened right before their eyes and threatened them, their first response was to bow before it. _Maybe I need to make a more serious demonstration._

"I can see that you're not one for polite conversation," said Nereus.

"Oh, I can be polite, when I wish," said Cinder. "But I _am_ a busy person. I have things I need to do, and I need to know that my allies can hold up their end of their bargain. I was led to believe that Adam Taurus was a man of vision and competence. But now, after so many failures, I begin to doubt that, as well as your commitment to our vision."

"Spare me your posturing, Cinder," snarled Adam. "I know what I need to do. After all, while you've been playing student, we, the White Fang, have been doing the heavy lifting."

"Of course, it's what you're good at," said Cinder, smirking. "That's what I should say. But it appears that your lot can't even manage basic grunt work. I thought my instructions were perfectly clear. You were supposed to lay low until the promised day."

"We did!" replied Adam.

"Then how did Vale manage to find and take all your safe houses?" asked Cinder. "It seems to me that your people did not do such a good job keeping their heads down after all."

"My soldiers did what they were supposed to!" Adam snarled. "Vale shouldn't have had any idea where our safe houses were! If they found them, it can only be because someone _leaked_ that information to them."

"My, that's quite an accusation to make," said Cinder, closing her hand on the fireball, and extinguishing it. "If I recall, you never told me where your safe houses were. So I couldn't have leaked that information if I wanted to."

"Oh?" asked Adam. "And what about the midget, Torchwick's child?"

"What about her?" asked Cinder.

"Are you sure you didn't have her follow us?" snarled Adam. "I know that she won't be seen if she doesn't want to be. It would be just the kind of trick someone like you would pull, have her follow us, learn our strongholds, so you can lord that knowledge over us."

Cinder was certainly wishing she'd thought of that. It would have definitely given her a better idea of the disposition of the White Fang's forces. She wouldn't have been in a position to intervene against Vale's troops, when they attacked, but it would have been helpful to know. It also made her wonder if Neo had done exactly that, of her own volition. It was possible, though Neo would have known better than to leak that information to the authorities. At least, that's what Cinder liked to believe about Neo. _I should check on that, just to be sure._ Still, to her mind, it was more likely that someone on Adam's side had slipped up and exposed themselves. But for Vale to learn the location of every last one of the White Fang's refuges was suspicious.

"I gave no such orders," said Cinder. "If Neo did do something like that, it was her own decision, and not one I'd approve of." That last clause was a lie, but no one but her needed to know that.

Adam grinned mockingly. "Given the way you deal with us, I wonder how you deal with your _own_ subordinates. The way you treat them, I can't see them being very loyal to a witch like you."

It surprised Cinder that Emerald didn't explode at such an accusation. But Cinder had been working to make her more disciplined. _She appears to be learning. Good._

"How I treat my people is _my_ business," said Cinder. "And you needn't worry about them. Instead, you should worry about yourselves, if I am not pleased with the results of this operation."

"Brother Taurus," said Naia, "I am beginning to think that this benefactor of yours does not have our best interests at heart."

Cinder snorted. "Of course not," she said smugly. "Our interests happened to coincide. But do not think that you are equal to us. You White Fang are a tool to our ends, and nothing more." She raised her hand again, calling forth another fireball. "If that tool loses its usefulness, then..."

Once again, Naia and Nereus didn't even tense at the sight of Cinder's flame. Cinder hid her frustration at their lack of reaction, and pressed ahead. "Now, you will do as you are told. Finish your preparations. I won't tolerate anymore mistakes."

"Brother Taurus, I'm beginning to seriously doubt the wisdom of continuing to cooperate with this woman," said Nereus.

"Enough!" shouted Adam, rounding on the pair. "You said you would leave this to me, so leave it to _me!_ "

"Adam..." said Naia, looking at him sadly. _It isn't fear, but hatred that drives him. He sees this woman's plan as an opportunity to strike, and he won't allow that chance to pass for anything._

 _We warned Sienna that he was too impulsive to be trusted with this,_ thought Nereus.

"We will do our part, Cinder," snapped Adam, turning back to Cinder. "So you focus on doing yours."

"Even so, it's clear that these two don't agree with you," said Cinder. "And, if they are higher-ranked in the White Fang than you, I doubt your organization's commitment to this."

"If Brother Taurus made any commitments for the White Fang as a whole, then they were not his to make," said Nereus, his tone level and calm, though stern. "He can only speak for the Vale Branch."

"Well...If I eliminate the two troublesome ones, then maybe it will be easier to get Adam to speak for a larger portion of the White Fang," said Cinder.

"Cinder...was it...?" said Naia, closing her hands around the ends of the softly shimmering cloth, draped over her shoulders like a shawl. It seemed to lengthen, drifting up from her shoulders and floating in a wavy arc behind and above her. "You misunderstand our position here."

"We serve High Leader Khan directly," said Nereus. "More than that, in her absence, we _are_ Sienna Khan. What you say and do to us, you say and do to her. With that in mind, tread carefully, lest you make the whole of the White Fang your enemy."

"Is that so?" asked Cinder, her eyes narrowing. "It seems to me that, if your leader is so dedicated to being passive, then it may be better for someone more suited to take the role."

Naia sighed. "People like you always seem to equate patience to passivity. Be careful, Cinder. You place far too much faith in the power of violence to sway others. People like that tend to be weaker than they realize...and they find their hold over others quickly broken, once that realization strikes. You are like Brother Taurus in that respect, which makes it understandable how you were able to secure his cooperation."

Within her, Cinder felt the fire of anger burn even hotter than the flames that currently danced on her palm. It was bad enough that these two unknowns had shown up out of nowhere, and were disrupting her plans. But now they had the gall to insinuate that she was weak. _I won't stand for this!_

She smiled viciously. It was time to remind Adam of just who was in charge here...and, at the same time, she could get rid of two troublesome obstacles. "Come, Emerald," she said. "I think it's time that we relieved Adam of the burden of having to deal with these two fools."

Cinder stepped forward, then paused, her smile fading as she realized that Emerald hadn't moved an inch. "Emerald!" she snapped, turning to look at her disciple...only to freeze at the sight of her.

Emerald remained where she was, her body swaying slightly, arms dangling limply. Most unsettling of all were her eyes, which were drooped into a half-lidded position, her entire face angled downward. She looked to be in a daze or trance, maybe even asleep on her feet.

"My apologies," said Naia, a composed smile on her face. "I began my 'attack' some time ago. However, I abhor unnecessary violence, so my weapon is passive in nature. It is incapable of dealing damage directly."

"What did you do?" snarled Cinder, whirling towards them again.

Naia fluttered her cloth, and Cinder saw faint wisps of pearlescent mist drift off of it, into the surrounding air. They were faint, almost invisible in the light of the moon and stars. It took Cinder another moment to realize that those wisps actually stretched all the way around her, wrapping around behind her...where Emerald stood.

"I simply let her breathe some of my perfume," said Naia. "It won't do any lasting harm, but she'll need a few minutes to wake back up. However, as long as she continues to breathe in the scent, she won't be helping you."

Then Naia's smile disappeared, replaced by a look of pure, steely conviction. She raised her left arm, then bent it so that her forearm stretched across her chest, parallel to the ground, the end section of her cloth still pinched lightly between her fingers. "I try to avoid violence, unless necessary. But when I do need to use it, I end my fights immediately. Tread carefully...Cinder."

Cinder growled, baring her teeth. Flames burst from the corner of her right eye, streaming out into the air.

Adam growled and stepped back, his hand straying to Wilt's handle. Sadly, Blush was in no condition to fire, so his draws could not be executed at full speed. Still, if it came to blows, it would have to be enough.

In contrast, Naia and Nereus barely reacted at all. Naia maintained her position, while Nereus took a half-step, turning his body slightly, so that the cape-covered arm was oriented in Cinder's general direction, though he was still leaving it hanging at his side for the time being.

Cinder raised her hands slowly, ready to call upon the power she'd worked so hard to obtain for herself. Even if it wasn't complete, by supplementing it with her Dust, she could more than make up for what she lacked. She would teach these fools the stupidity of earning her ire.

Then someone clapped twice.

The spell was broken, the tension evaporating, replaced by momentary confusion as everyone, except the catatonic Emerald, turned towards the source of the sound. A smartly-dressed gentleman with a finely-trimmed mustache sauntered casually into the clearing, wearing an amused smirk as he surveyed the scene. He was accompanied by a young woman with emerald eyes and long, red hair.

"Honestly, Cinder," said Watts, chuckling, "and Salem wonders why I have so many doubts about your competence."

"I don't recall inviting you, Watts," hissed Cinder furiously.

"It's a good thing I invited myself then," said Watts. "It wouldn't do for you to alienate our important allies." He turned towards Adam, Naia, and Nereus, then offered them a courtly bow, complete with sweeping his right arm across his torso. "My deepest apologies for any offense caused by my...colleague. For reasons that escape me, our Mistress favors her a great deal. As a result, she is quite spoiled, and tends to suffer from delusions of grandeur. It is my hope that you will forgive her incivility."

"And you are...?" asked Nereus, raising an eyebrow.

"I am Dr. Arthur Watts," said Watts. "Like Cinder, I am a humble servant of our Mistress, and it is my hope that I can put your doubts to rest, so that we may continue to cooperate to the best of our abilities."

"I don't need your help with this, Watts," snarled Cinder.

"Sadly, you clearly do," countered Watts. "Just because you have power it does not mean that you can simply go flinging it about without a care in the world. Our plans require a more delicate touch than that."

"The time for delicacy is past," replied Cinder.

"I very much disagree," said Watts, already approaching. "I will take over from here, Cinder. You may go. Please take your runt with you."

Cinder growled, stepping back, but not leaving. Watts ignored her, instead continuing to move forward. Abruptly, he paused, then sniffed the air. "Ah, what a pleasant fragrance. Miss...I simply must applaud your ingenuity. Unless I'm mistaken, you utilize Dust as an accelerant, and inflict torpor on your target through the application of synesthesia."

"That is correct," said Naia, slowly lowering her hand.

"Simply remarkable. I must applaud your craft and subtlety. It would be so much simpler to use a true sedative. But that has the danger of being detected by modern security systems, and many such drugs can have...unpleasant...side effects. Instead, you chose a method that requires more refinement, and a much more subtle approach, and employ it brilliantly. So very few people appreciate such things in this day and age."

While Naia and Nereus were no longer primed for combat, they remained wary and careful of this new arrival, Naia's eyes dancing to the young woman behind him, who followed the proceedings with a calm, yet focused gaze. _That is Pyrrha Nikos...if I remember correctly. She's dressed differently. I remember hearing that she was arrested not too long ago. Was that because she was working with these people, or are they the reason she's free now?_

She decided to focus on Watts for the time being. "I'm grateful for your kind words," she said. "Now we might actually get somewhere."

"Of course," said Watts, stroking his mustache. "First and foremost, Mr. Taurus, I understand that your weapon was damaged in this last skirmish. If you are willing to entrust it to me, I can have it repaired for you in two days' time."

"And what if the plan is initiated tomorrow?" asked Adam.

"Your part won't take place tomorrow," said Watts. "Tomorrow is for our preliminary arrangements. The _actual_ plan will begin on Wednesday, the day of the semifinals. That is when our attack will be."

"That's more than _someone_ is usually willing to tell us," said Adam, glaring at Cinder, who still hadn't left.

"That is because young Cinder has an untrusting nature," replied Watts. "I imagine it stems from her being so untrustworthy. However, I like to place more faith in those I work with, which I why I am happy to inform you on whatever details you may find helpful."

"I see," said Naia. "Then please, inform us on what it is you hope to accomplish here."

"Gladly, milady," said Watts, bowing to her once more.

* * *

 **Yeah...Cinder's not doing too well. It's funny how badly someone who likes being feared and respected can react, when they don't get those things. Perhaps it's going a little overboard, in order to show that Naia and Nereus are _not_ to be trifled with, but it works.**

 **The whole panel thing happened, mostly because it occurred to me as exactly the kind of thing a news outlet covering a major tournament like this might do, again, to reinforce the idea that the Vytal Festival Tournament is a BIG deal. And now, all of its finalists are basically major celebrities, so it's only natural that people would want to see more of them, and equally natural that a media network would want to oblige.**

 **Lloyd and Sunil are names that I gave to two of the three characters shown in the lineup for the Finals, back in Volume 3. Liu replaces the _Three Musketeers_ based one. They don't have a big role in the story, so there isn't all that much to say about them.**


	108. Chapter 108

**Chapter 108:**

"Cinder...I'm sorry," said Emerald.

Cinder said nothing, which only made the pain of her disapproval all the more unbearable. Emerald had been right _there_ and, when the decisive moment had come, she'd been left completely unable to do anything. She'd been worse than useless, a fool who'd allowed herself to be knocked out by perfume, of all things. The only blessing was that Cinder was still too busy fuming over Watts' interference to bother with upbraiding Emerald for her failure...that, and Cinder seemed preoccupied with something.

They arrived back at the dorm to see Neo waiting for them, lying on Cinder's bed, just to add insult to injury.

"Get up, midget," growled Emerald.

Neo turned her head and favored Emerald with a cocky smile, quirking her head slightly and switching her eye colors with a blink. The taunt was clear, prompting Emerald to growl.

Cinder stilled Emerald with a raised hand. She took two steps further into the room, and looked pointedly down at Neo. Neo, sensing something was amiss, sat up.

"Well, is it done?" asked Cinder.

Neo beamed and nodded.

"Good," said Cinder. "This means we're free to chat a little."

Now Neo adopted a quizzical expression, tilting her head in the other direction.

"I learned something very interesting this evening," said Cinder, striding closer to Neo, who rose to her feet. "You see, that meeting I had with Adam involved all the White Fang bases in Vale being hit simultaneously. I found it more than a little odd that the Kingdom somehow managed to learn where _all_ those safe houses were.

Neo nodded, indicating that she had seen the news as well.

"Good, so you know," said Cinder. "Well, that will make this a little easier. Now...while the simple explanation is that someone in the White Fang slipped up, I do find it a little odd that Vale managed to find _all_ of them...Every. Last. _One_." She stepped a little closer to Neo. "I apologize if it seems I'm unfairly suspicious of you, my dear, but you _were_ our primary liaison with the White Fang. You are also quite the expert at stealth, even better than my dear disciples, so it is certainly within your ability to investigate and locate all their safe houses, by following their contacts."

Neo swallowed as Cinder rested her left hand on Neo's shoulder. Holding up her right hand, Cinder conjured an orb of flame, all while her eyes glowed a malevolent orange, lights and embers crawling up the length of Cinder's dress, shadowing her body and giving her an appearance that was positively demonic. The color faded from Neo's eyes, their natural white color showing through. Behind Cinder, it was Emerald's turn to sneer as she watched Torchwick's pet quiver before Cinder's power.

"Now then, I'll ask you just once, Neo," said Cinder. "Did you learn the locations of the White Fang's safe houses?"

Neo shook her head slowly, her eyes remaining fixed upon Cinder's the whole while.

"Are you sure?"

Neo nodded just as slowly.

"Well then...just to be on the safe side...may I look at your scroll?"

Emerald expected Neo to hesitate, or even try to back away. Instead, she immediately reached into her pocket and pulled out her scroll. With a shaking hand, she held it up for Cinder's inspection.

Cinder's smile widened, and she extinguished her flames, the light fading from her body. Taking Neo's scroll, she rifled through its contents, before frowning. "There's nothing here...nothing at all."

Neo scowled, then held out her hand for her scroll back. Cinder looked at her, then gave the device back. Neo spent a few seconds tapping on the screen, before holding it back up for Cinder to see.

" _I wipe my scroll regularly. It's a common precaution in this business. Even if I did betray you, you wouldn't have found anything._ "

That much was true. Neo _did_ wipe her scroll of all files and text records on a regular basis, employing an illegal program that even eliminated the "ghosts" of files that normally remained, which could usually only be erased by physically destroying the scroll. No thief worth their salt wanted to be caught with incriminating information on their device, so, as she had said, it was a common practice amongst those in the underworld.

Cinder smiled at that. "That's very kind of you to point that out, Neo. I suppose I should take that as an indicator of your honesty. That's good. After all, you have done so very well with all your tasks. I honestly couldn't ask for better."

Once again, Cinder's left hand drifted up to Neo's shoulder. She went rigid at the contact, her spine straightening, and all petulance falling from her face. Cinder's right hand rose up, trailing glowing embers, tracing gently across Neo's cheek. The heat was enough to make Neo uncomfortable, but not enough to actually burn.

"Of course, I should expect that from you, dear Neo. You have served me well, and I know that you will _continue_ to do so. After all, when this is over, you and Roman will want to be able to walk away. So long as you continue to do what you're told, then you won't need to worry...right?"

Neo nodded frantically.

"Good," hissed Cinder, taking satisfaction in the fear on Neo's face. It was cathartic to see that she could still command the respect she had craved for so long. It helped sooth the sting of defiance presented by those White Fang ghouls, and Watts.

Still, she'd done what she needed to. Letting Neo go, Cinder turned away and stalked to her bed. "As I suspected, one of Adam's people most likely slipped up and exposed them. Since you've done everything you needed to, Neo, you're free to go."

Neo nodded, and stepped out through the door, vanishing in a flash. Emerald watched her go, then turned back to Cinder. "Cinder...?" asked Emerald. Part of her wanted to voice her worry that she still wasn't sure Neo could be trusted. But, while she'd also gotten a cathartic enjoyment out of Neo's fear, Neo's absence brought the weight of Emerald's failure down upon her shoulders once more.

Cinder looked up at Emerald with a dark gaze. "You may go too, Emerald," was all she said. Despite the "may" in that statement, Cinder's tone conveyed that it wasn't permission, but an order.

Holding in the urge to sniffle, which would only irritate Cinder even more, Emerald nodded and took her leave, managing to stifle her pain until she reached her own room, where she could break down and cry in peace.

* * *

Safely shrouded in her Semblance, Neo darted out of the guest dorms, and rushed across the grounds to the Beacon students' dorms. There, she made her way silently down the hall, stopping in front of JNAR's dorm and knocking on the door, hitting the wooden surface a little harder than she'd intended.

The door swung open immediately, and Neo found herself faced with Ayumu, wearing the loose sleeveless shirt and the light flannel pants that served as his pajamas. Once again, that incredible perception of his allowed him to immediately realize that she was there. He stepped aside and allowed her to enter without a word, before closing the door behind her.

"Neo?" he asked. Ayumu was able to sense Neo's fear easily. It rolled off her in waves. Her illusion shattered like glass, revealing her standing there, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Ayumu lifted his fingers to touch Neo's cheek, unwittingly mirroring the gesture Cinder had used to threaten her, just moments earlier. The similarity caused her to unconsciously recoil from his touch. Ayumu's hand froze in place, until Neo realized that it wasn't Cinder's fingers about to touch her. Forcing herself to relax, she leaned back in. Ayumu moved his fingers closer, touching the skin of her cheek with the lightest of feather-touches. Neo hesitated for a second, then leaned in, pressing her cheek up against his fingertips. Ayumu slid them along, transitioning to cupping her cheek with the palm of his hand.

"You had a harrowing encounter, didn't you?" asked Ayumu.

Neo nodded.

"Would it help you to talk, or would you rather wait?"

Neo looked over, seeing the other members of JNAR, all clad in their own sleepwear, watching her with concerned eyes. Not so long ago, those gazes would have been suspicious, Ayumu's teammates still not completely convinced of her commitment to changing sides. But now they were only worried for her wellbeing. Neo realized they trusted her completely...and that thought filled her with a sense of warmth and comfort that she had never gotten from working with Cinder.

She nodded and produced her scroll. It took her a minute, her hands still shaking with nerves. But she managed to type out her message, having to retype portions of it. Scoffing at the use of so-called "text speak," Neo had always insisted on using proper grammar and spelling when she used her scroll to communicate. It was a habit that did not elude her, even now. Finally, she held up her message for Ayumu to see.

" _Cinder learned about the attack on the White Fang. She suspected me, but I think I was able to persuade her. She thinks that someone in the White Fang gave them away._ "

"That's good," said Ayumu. "She still threatened you, didn't she?"

Neo nodded, her trembling returning.

Ayumu took her in his arms and held her close. "It's all right," he said softly. "I've got you."

Neo nodded into his chest, leaning into his embrace, feeling and hearing his heartbeat, allowing the sound to reverberate through her, soothing and calming her.

"Why don't you get ready for bed," suggested Ayumu. "You could use a good night's sleep."

Neo nodded. Taking her nightgown, she stepped into the bathroom to change. When she emerged, Ayumu was once again laying out a pillow and blanket on the floor. However, she stopped him with hand on his back. When Ayumu turned to look at her, Neo sat down on his bed, taking his arm by the wrist and pulling gently.

"You want me to...?" asked Ayumu, looking for confirmation.

Neo nodded, looking up at him imploringly. After what she had just been through, she was certain that Cinder's demonic, glowing eyes would haunt her dreams.

Ayumu's smile softened considerably. "All right then," he said, abandoning his efforts to lay out his bedding on the floor.

While Jaune turned out the lights, Ayumu and Neo slipped beneath the covers of their bed. Ayumu wrapped his arms around Neo, holding her close. She clung tightly to him, before looking into his eyes, then bringing her face in close, touching her lips to his. Ayumu leaned in as well, pressing into the kiss.

Neo's hands moved from Ayumu's shoulders to the back of his head, tangling in his short, black hair, pulling him in closer, deepening the kiss. Gradually, Neo opened her lips against Ayumu's, prying his open as well, before slowly sliding her tongue through into his mouth. Ayumu's eyes widened slightly, betraying genuine surprise. This was more intimate than any kiss they'd exchanged previously.

Neo's prodding tongue encountered the wet, slippery surface of Ayumu's. It took some coaxing from her, but, gradually, he began to return the favor, sliding his tongue against her own, pushing back, tangling them together. For the next few minutes, they made out near silently with each other, Ayumu's hands sliding up and down Neo's spine, pulling her closer and allowing her breasts to press up against his own chest. Neo slid her leg up against Ayumu's, before draping it over behind him and using it to pull his lower body against her as well.

They pulled away from each other, their lips parting with a light smack. Neo's eyes were now quivering with eagerness. She wanted more out of this intimate moment with Ayumu. Her body was demanding more. She wanted him to touch her...to feel her...to _love_ her.

In contrast, Ayumu's own gaze was far more serene. He lifted a hand to her cheek, caressing it once more. "That's enough for tonight," he whispered softly, so as not to disturb his teammates. "For now, rest. I promise I'll be here for you."

Neo sighed, allowing the fire within her to die slightly. Ayumu was right. They didn't need the complication of sex right now. In truth, it was more than enough to have him hold her through the night. So Neo instead pulled herself as close to Ayumu as she could, while he hugged her tightly. She pressed her face up against his chest, Ayumu tilting his head down to kiss the top of her head.

"Sleep well, Neo," he said lovingly. "We'll talk more in the morning."

Neo closed her eyes, and allowed the sound of Ayumu's heart to carry her off into a land of dreams, untroubled by molten eyes and fiery hands.

* * *

Sunlight streamed through the infirmary curtains, washing over the occupants within. Winter Schnee barely stirred, as the angle of the light meant it merely brushed across her lap. However, the light spread over the entirety of Qrow's body. He grunted, then grimaced, and growled in frustration.

Winter was awakened by the soft noises. Her eyes shot open, and she sat up straight with a gasp. "Qrow!"

Qrow Branwen grimaced again, and opened his eyes in a squint. "Sun's in my eyes," he grumbled hoarsely, "just my luck."

Unable to stop herself, Winter broke out into a relieved smile. "You overslept, you old bird."

"Don't call me old," grunted Qrow.

Winter couldn't stop from chuckling at him. Getting up, she pulled the curtains closed, giving Qrow some relief from the light. Then she stepped out to signal the nurse to get the doctor.

"Where am I?" asked Qrow. There was a tense, worried look on his face.

"In Beacon's infirmary, as far away from anyone else who might be here as we can get you," said Winter.

"Good," said Qrow, settling down a little.

Winter nodded, and went to fetch a glass of water for him. Qrow's Semblance made him an absolute bane, whenever he was unfortunate enough to be severely injured. Under any but the most dire circumstances, taking him to a standard hospital was unacceptable. Qrow's Semblance could cause any number of things to go wrong for the physicians and other patients. The equipment the staff had been using to monitor his vitals had broken down and needed to be replaced _twice_ , since he'd been brought in.

Qrow accepted the water Winter gave him. By the time he was finished drinking, the doctor had arrived. The doctor spent several minutes examining Qrow's body carefully, checking the state of his Aura as well. It took a bit longer than such an examination usually would, as Qrow's Semblance caused the first portable monitor the doctor was using to short out, forcing him to get another one.

At the end of it all, the diagnosis was unpleasant. It would take Qrow months to fully recover from the damage dealt. His Aura would speed his recovery along considerably. But even that wasn't enough to erase such severe trauma quickly. In some ways, it was a blessing in disguise that the blow that had broken him had done so by breaking through his Aura at the point of impact, rather than draining it entirely. That had allowed the rest of his Aura to preserve his life, or he might well have died from his injuries before Winter had even reached his side.

Finally left alone again, Winter and Qrow sat for a few moments in awkward silence. They were sure that Ozpin would be along soon, once word reached him that Qrow was awake. For the time being, Winter was glad to wait.

Finally, it was Qrow who spoke. "Winter...I'm sorry."

"What?" gasped Winter, looking up at him.

"I'm sorry," repeated Qrow, "for those things I said to you on Patch. I was mad and...I couldn't do anything about it, so I took it out on you."

Winter huffed, then lowered her face, smiling. "That's what Ruby told me. To be honest, I'm glad. It really hurt, thinking that you might actually hate me."

"I couldn't do that, Ice Queen," said Qrow, giving her a tired smirk. "Making you screech is the one thing that's always guaranteed to bring a smile to my face. Where would I get my kicks, if I couldn't pick on you?"

Winter blushed furiously, and scowled at Qrow, only making him chuckle more, then wince. "Ow! I'm gonna have a rough time of it for a while," he said, looking down at himself.

"You will," agreed Winter. "Ruby and her sister were worried."

"They were here?" asked Qrow.

"Of course they were," said Winter. "There was no way we would wall them out, when you were so badly injured."

"Geez, you just had to let them see their cool uncle like this," grumbled Qrow.

"Not like this," Winter teased back. "They saw you while you were out cold."

"Yeah, rub it in," grumbled Qrow, grunting, then groaning as he realized both his arms were in casts. "This is gonna suck. I have itches you know. I won't be able to scratch them for a while."

"Considering what you went through, even that is getting off lightly," said Ozpin, finally appearing in the doorway. "Still, it's good to see that you're alive."

"I'm not that easy to put down," said Qrow. "So...were things a wash?"

"Hardly," said Ozpin. "All the other White Fang safe houses we attacked were taken down with minimal casualties, and no fatalities amongst Vale's forces. Some ninety-six rank and file White Fang members were successfully arrested."

"From what the soldiers reported, Adam escaped with only a handful of others," added Winter.

"So the worst of the lot is still out there," grumbled Qrow. "Dammit. I wanted to put him down most of all."

"It seems that it couldn't be helped, considering what we learned from Ms. Belladonna," said Ozpin.

"Was she holding out?" asked Qrow.

"Not intentionally," said Ozpin. "It seems that the two who rescued Adam and attacked you would have no reason to be there, under ordinary circumstances."

"Adam called one of 'em Shimizu...I think," said Qrow.

"From what Blake told us, that is actually the surname for both of them," said Winter.

"So they _are_ twins, huh?"

Winter and Ozpin nodded.

"Ms. Belladonna told us that Naia and Nereus Shimizu are personal adjutants to Sienna Khan, her most trusted agents," explained Ozpin. "They are also supposed to be the two deadliest members of the White Fang."

"Yeah, I can understand that," said Qrow. "That woman stopped my scythe like it was nothing. Then she hit me. I don't know what she did. All I remember is pain, then everything went black."

"Whatever she did, it blew you completely across the warehouse to slam into the wall on the other side," said Winter. "It smashed your weapon to pieces. That was probably the only thing that killed the force enough for you to survive the initial blow."

"Damn," muttered Qrow. "I figured that was what happened."

"Considering that you just woke up, I don't want to press too hard," said Ozpin. "But I would appreciate your impressions of the fight. We need to know everything we can about these new adversaries. Considering how highly-placed within the White Fang they are, it would not be a stretch to suggest that the main branch might now be supporting Adam's faction, and their actions."

"I'm not sure 'bout that," said Qrow. "Those two...they were actually pretty reasonable. If anything, it seems they wanted Adam, but only to talk with, not to actually help him. They took me down because I got in the way."

"That's...hopeful," admitted Ozpin. "But what would they wish to talk to Adam about?"

"We know there're internal divisions in the White Fang," said Qrow. "Could be that the moderates are trying to do something about the radicals, or vice versa. All I know is that those two didn't have the same vibe as Adam."

"Vibe?" said Winter skeptically.

"Adam Taurus is nothing but piss and spite," said Qrow. "He can't _look_ at a human without gritting his teeth. But those two, it's not even like they're just being tolerant. They don't seem to hate humans. If I'd wanted to walk away, they'd have let me. They felt...sane."

"Very intriguing," said Ozpin.

"But...more than anything else...they felt dangerous," said Qrow. "It's just my gut really...that and the way that woman blasted me across the room, but those two are dangerous. The vibe I get from them, it's like the boys."

"Boys?" wondered Winter.

"Ayumu and Gin," clarified Qrow. "Those Shimizu twins remind me of those boys...and Ruby too...but even _more_ dangerous, like how they'd probably feel after another few years of training."

"In other words, they have the qualities one might expect from a student of Yu Yuen," said Ozpin.

"Could he have other students?" asked Qrow.

"It's a possibility," admitted Ozpin. "Yu never claimed that Ayumu, Gin, and Ruby were his only students, not that any of us ever thought to question him on that. I could easily see him training multiple batches of students, fostering animosity between them, and goading them into fighting each other in order to advance their training."

"We'll probably have to get the opinion of the students he has here," said Winter.

"Even so, we can't do more than guess," said Qrow. He looked up at Ozpin. "So...now what?"

"Now, we wait, and hope that we are as prepared as we can be," said Ozpin.

* * *

Ruby awoke with a yawn, feeling refreshed by a good night's sleep, aided by the relief that nothing bad had happened during the previous evening's panel. She felt Gin's arms wrapped around her and smiled, snuggling into his reassuring embrace. Gin responded by tightening his hold on her. He brought out his scales, allowing Ruby to run her fingers over them, relishing in the texture of his defining feature. The sight of them might have automatically repulsed faunus, but Ruby was fascinated.

"Ready for your big day?" asked Gin, kissing the back of her head.

"As ready as I'll ever be," said Ruby, reluctantly pulling out of his arms, and heading to the bathroom to change, sensing the other members of her team stirring as well.

A few minutes later, three of them were ready to greet the day, waiting while Yang finished washing her hair. A knock on the door drew their attention.

Ruby knew, even before she opened it, that Jaune was on the other side. "Good morning," she said, swinging the door open.

"Morning," said Jaune casually. "Ren and I are making breakfast for everyone. We're gonna eat in our dorm, if you want to join us."

"Sure," said Ruby. "Would you like help?"

"Nah, you guys sit tight," said Jaune with a smile. "Once Yang's out of the shower, you can head on over. Just be careful not to make too much noise. Neo's still asleep."

Ruby canted her head. "That's not like her." Automatically, her awareness reached across the hall and into JNAR's room, where she could sense Neo's Aura, still passive and asleep, along with her. Ayumu was with her, his arms and his Aura enfolding Neo in a comforting embrace. Her awareness brushed against Ayumu's own, and she felt a sense of reassurance press out from him, a silent sign not to worry.

"Yeah, well..." Jaune shifted, unaware of Ruby's investigation. "She had a rough night. From the sound of things, Cinder almost fingered her for exposing the White Fang's hiding spots."

"That would be bad," said Ruby, her heartbeat quickening at the thought of what would happen to Neo if Cinder discovered her betrayal, before calming at the realization that Neo had clearly passed Cinder's assessment, if she was still alive and well.

"It gave her a pretty good scare, that's for sure," said Jaune. "So we're letting her sleep in until breakfast is ready."

His message delivered, Jaune headed back down the hall towards the common room and the kitchen. Ruby, Gin, and Blake waited until Yang finally emerged from her shower, toweling off her hair. They quickly filled her in on what Jaune had told them, before the four of them made their way across the hall into JNAR's room.

The room was still mostly dark, the overhead light being left off. It was slightly illuminated by the desk lamp on Ren's desk, the lamp being angled down to keep the light level as low as possible, allowing Neo to sleep on undisturbed. Ayumu was already awake. Looking up at RUBY, he inclined his head towards them in silent greeting, before returning his attention to the sleeping Neo, running the fingers of his right hand through her hair. In response, she let out an almost soundless sigh and pressed closer to him.

Grinning, Yang gently elbowed Ruby. "They're almost as cute as you and Gin are," she said in a teasing whisper.

Ruby opened her mouth to deliver an indignant exclamation, only to be cut off by Gin's hand gripping her shoulder tightly. Looking at him, she saw him shake his head and hold a finger to his lips, reminding her that she needed to be quiet.

Ruby sighed, and nodded, before turning back to Yang, pouting. Yang grinned unapologetically. On the other side of Gin, Blake covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a giggle.

They took their seats on the empty beds in the room, joining Nora, who was curled up on her own bed, playing a game on her scroll, wearing her headphones to keep the sound down. They found themselves waiting only a few minutes, until the door opened to reveal Jaune and Ren, balancing trays of food on their hands.

The two boys had gone all-out on preparing breakfast, making pancakes, sausages, hash browns, and scrambled eggs. They laid out their handiwork across their desks, turning them into a makeshift buffet. The plates and utensils had already been set out for them to pick up, having been stacked next to the lamp on Ren's desk. The sweet and savory smells entwining through the air reached Neo, and prompted her to stir. Slowly blinking her eyes open, she yawned sleepily.

"Good morning," said Ayumu, kissing the tip of her nose. "Did you sleep well?"

Neo smiled and nodded at him, still only partly awake. She pressed her face against his chest again, considering going back to sleep. But, before Ayumu, or anyone else, could consider rousing her, Neo was roused as her stomach growled, the sound one of the loudest she'd ever made on her own. Pulling back, Neo's eyes snapped wide open and she stared at Ayumu in shock. Realizing, by virtue of the smile on his face, that he'd heard her stomach, Neo's cheeks flushed, before she puffed them out and pouted at him, prompting a laugh from Ayumu, who simply stole another kiss from her lips.

"Come now, don't be like that," he admonished her playfully. "Jaune and Ren made breakfast for us."

Neo blinked, then rolled over to look across the room, seeing everyone there. She blushed at the realization that they had been watching her cuddling with Ayumu. Then she noticed the spread that had been laid out, then looked to Jaune and Ren, both of whom smiled and nodded to her.

"We let you sleep in," said Ayumu. "Now we can all eat breakfast together. Does that sound good?"

Neo nodded and sat up. Standing up, she stretched, then walked over to Jaune. Looking up at him, she smiled gratefully, then hugged him. Jaune jerked at the unexpected contact, before hesitantly returning the favor. After a moment, she let him go, then transferred her affections to Ren. After that it was time to eat.

They loaded up their plates and took seats on the beds around the room. It was a bit tricky, using a fork and knife on plates that were balanced on their laps, but they managed. They ate in a comfortable, companionable silence, broken only by the clink of their silverware, and the occasional exclamation of pleasure at the taste of their food. With Neo finally awake, they were able to turn on the light, which made it a lot easier to see what they were doing.

When they'd had their fill, they sat back and relaxed. "Thanks for breakfast, boys," said Yang, giving Jaune a kiss on the cheek.

"You're welcome," said Jaune with a chuckle.

"We figured it was best to send you off to the finals with a good meal," added Ren.

"And we thought Neo deserved it, after having such a hard night," said Jaune.

Neo blushed, then leaned tiredly against Ayumu. She was grateful that she had friends who were willing to comfort her after what she'd been through. Not so long ago, she'd believed that a scene like this would be impossible for her. Now everyone in this room was willing to do everything they could to help her.

The bed shifted as Ruby moved to sit next to Neo. Ruby took Neo's hand in hers, and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Thank you for working so hard," said Ruby. "We're glad you're here, Neo."

Neo blushed harder and beamed.

"Well...now we just have to worry about the finals, right?" asked Yang.

"For the most part," said Ruby. "Knowing what we do about the enemy, I think we can expect them to try something today."

"It all depends on who is whose opponent," said Ayumu. "But either Ruby or I will be the main target."

"What's the layout for the finals?" asked Jaune.

"All four quarterfinal matches are going to be held today," said Ruby. "The matches will be selected randomly."

"Because individual pairs will be fighting, there will be fewer delays, so all the matches will be held this evening," said Ayumu. "At most, barring unforeseen circumstances, the finals are expected to take approximately two to three hours, depending on delays to fix the ring, should it be damaged."

"There won't be any biomes this time," continued Ruby. "The entirety of the match will take place on the inner ring."

"After the quarterfinals, there will be a day's break, followed by the semifinals," said Ayumu, "then another day's break, followed by the championship match."

"So you think that the enemy will start their plan during the quarterfinals?" asked Blake. "Wouldn't it make more sense to for them to start during the championship round? That would have an even greater impact."

"Too much potential for errors," said Gin. "That would depend almost entirely upon all the pieces falling precisely into place in the previous rounds. On top of that, depending on how the previous rounds play out, at least two of the Kingdoms will be out of the running for the title, which means that audience engagement will wane in those areas. If the bad guys are going for maximum impact, that would only work against them. Besides, everything we've seen of Cinder's methodology thus far shows that she prefers the gradual approach."

"The gradual approach?" asked Ren.

"I get it," said Jaune. "Like what she and the White Fang were doing before the festival. They were carrying out Dust thefts in order to build anxiety in the populace."

"Then, as that anxiety was increasing, they planned to hit Vale with a massive terrorist attack in order to drive it through the roof," said Blake.

"So...how are they going to do something like that during the tournament?" Nora wanted to know.

"They'll probably start with the quarterfinals," said Ayumu. "They'll set up some kind of controversy, something that will stir people's fear and anger, upset them, and start them talking."

"Then they'll set up something bigger later on," said Gin, "whether it's still during the quarterfinals, or if the next stage will be during the semifinals, we'll have to see. We need to see their opening move first."

"So it's all in who Mercury's opponent is," growled Yang.

"Pretty much," said Ruby. "But let's not get too worked up over it. We've done everything that we can to prepare. Now we just have to hope that it's enough."

"Quite right," agreed Ayumu, gently combing his fingers through Neo's hair. "Neo, what did Ms. Fall have you doing yesterday?"

Neo reached over to the desk, where her scroll had been set, and began typing her answer. " _She had me steal an ambulance from the hospital. I think she had Watts do something with its records, so that the staff will believe it's in maintenance, and won't realize it's missing._ "

"So she _does_ plan to have someone feign injury..." mused Ayumu.

"We learned that Mercury has prosthetic legs, last night," said Gin. "They must plan to have it look like one or the other of you broke Mercury's leg."

"That would be...tricky to pull off," said Ayumu. "Ruby and I both use edged weapons. That could backfire very badly."

"Or it could make things work even worse," said Ruby. "From what we've seen of what Cinder's like, she'll be happy to sacrifice one or more of her people to get what she wants. She might be willing to arrange for Mercury to actually get injured. If his prosthetics get destroyed, then he won't actually be hurt."

"Though I can't imagine that Mr. Black would enjoy being lamed in such a fashion," said Ayumu. "Not that Ms. Fall is the sort to care."

Neo typed out another message on her scroll. " _She will probably call for me. I can send you a text on what she wants me to do._ "

"Only if you're sure she won't find out," said Ayumu. "I'd much rather you didn't risk anything that might arouse Ms. Fall's suspicions. We can make do with a few unknowns, so your safety is far more important right now."

The others all nodded, once again surprising Neo with their concern for her wellbeing. Yet again, she was able to affirm that she'd made the right decision.

Ruby's scroll pinged. Picking it up, she found a message that made her gasp, then sigh in relief.

"What is it?" asked Yang.

"Uncle Qrow's awake!" said Ruby. "He'll be stuck for a while, but the doctors say he'll make a full recovery."

"Cool!" exclaimed Yang. "Let's pay him a visit, before we head to the coliseum."

"Sounds good," said Ruby.

* * *

"You can't be serious, Ozpin!" shouted Ironwood. "That girl gave us faulty intelligence! Because of her, Qrow is laid out in the infirmary."

"Her intelligence was incomplete," said Ozpin, calmly resting his elbows on his desk. "That is common enough. It's virtually impossible to completely survey the situation. The arrival of two of the most dangerous members of the White Fang, who, by all rights, should not have even been in Vale, is hardly something she could have foreseen. There will always be factors that cannot be accounted for."

"She's a criminal, and cannot be trusted!" Ironwood thundered in counter.

Beside Ozpin's chair, Glynda fought the urge to wince. She'd always known that Ironwood finding out the source of their intelligence on the White Fang's hideouts would be an unpleasant affair, and that was _before_ the mission had gone bad, and Qrow had been almost killed.

"So far, she has proven herself trustworthy," said Ozpin. "Tell me, James, were the White Fang prepared when you attacked?"

Ironwood hesitated, then slumped. "No," he admitted. "We caught them completely by surprise. Our strategy of using darkness, then light, worked brilliantly, in each location."

"Correct," said Ozpin. "In fact the only fatalities on our side were from the soldiers who tried to fight Naia and Nereus Shimizu. We are extremely fortunate that Qrow was not added to that list."

"From his report on the incident, it would seem that not even Adam Taurus was aware that they would be there," added Glynda. "So it is hardly Neopolitan's fault that she did not know either."

"It was valuable intelligence that she provided to us, at great risk to her wellbeing," added Ozpin, "intelligence that we were able to make excellent use of, no less. I would say that we can still count on her. More to the point, Mr. Ao has informed me that Ms. Capello is still trusted by the enemy, which means that she remains in a useful position. Besides, seizing her now would simply arouse their suspicions, and make the enemy realize we are onto them."

"If we know who they are, we should arrest them all," said Ironwood.

"Not while Mr. Black remains a finalist in the Vytal Festival Tournament," said Ozpin. "We need to do this without alerting the populace. If they were to start questioning what was going on, that would lead to a panic that could bring about the very disaster we are trying to avert. It's best if Mercury Black is first safely defeated in the tournament, then we will be free to detain him and the others."

"So you're going to do what you want either way," grumbled Ironwood. "Why am I even here, then?"

"To inform you of the other mole," said Ozpin, "the one that we placed a dangerous degree of trust in." He brought up a holographic image that Neo had given them, featuring none other than Arthur Watts and Pyrrha Nikos meeting with Cinder, and her allies.

"Arthur!" gasped Ironwood.

"Correct," said Ozpin. "It would appear that Salem has placed her pieces carefully."

"Impossible," said Ironwood stubbornly, shaking his head. "Arthur is a brilliant scientist. How could he ally himself with that...thing?"

"The most brilliant minds can often be...twisted," said Ozpin sadly. "I'm sure you remember Merlot well enough. The only way to know for sure is to take Dr. Watts into custody, and put the question to him directly. That will take some doing though. We believe that he and Ms. Nikos are hiding somewhere in the Emerald Forest, but can't execute a proper search without alerting them."

Ironwood sighed. "If only my fleet were here..."

"They would only make things more difficult," said Ozpin. "Looking back on what has happened over the past few months, we are beginning to get a better idea of our foe's original plan. The virus that Cinder Fall planted in the CCT was meant to subvert control over our networks. It was likely meant to propagate, and spread to other systems it was linked to."

"On top of that, if the White Fang's attack from Mountain Glenn had worked, then the Council's faith in Ozpin would have weakened," said Glynda. "Back then, your forces would still have been in Vale and, if things had gone as planned for the enemy, would have been critical to containing the situation."

"Which would have most likely resulted in the Council placing you in command of security for the Vytal Festival," said Ozpin.

"It would have been for the best," growled Ironwood. "You don't have enough manpower for this Ozpin. My forces could have easily policed the festival grounds, and the entire Kingdom besides."

"Except that that would be exactly where the enemy wanted them," said Ozpin. "And with you regularly interacting with Vale and our networks, it is all too likely that Cinder Fall's virus would have found its way into your forces' tactical networks."

"Which would have given her a backdoor right into those machines you're so fond of," said Glynda darkly. "With a push of a button, Cinder Fall could have turned your own androids on the very people they were supposed to be protecting."

"Even if Vale survived, the resulting fallout would be catastrophic," said Ozpin. "Without the proper knowledge of the whole situation, what most of the world would have seen was Atlesian weapons turned on Valean citizens. The damage to the Kingdom would be severe, if it wasn't destroyed outright, between your androids and the Grimm, and the Kingdoms would be divided and poised against one another. Atlas would be the focus of suspicion, and you would find yourself surrounded with enemies on all sides."

Ironwood growled. "You can't know that," he grumbled.

"We don't," admitted Ozpin. "That is our best guess, based on what we know through hindsight. Even Torchwick didn't have a full idea of the plan, or his place within it. What Ruby and those two boys did derailed the enemy's scheme severely. On top of that, we found out about Cinder Fall's virus."

"But Arthur Watts was already placed as the one to call in when we needed to root it out," said Glynda. "So he removed it, but apparently left himself backdoors into the system, allowing him to do what the virus was supposed to do, in a much more limited capacity."

"Much of this information was assembled, based upon the intelligence Ms. Capello provided us," said Ozpin. "Based on this, I have determined that she is a trustworthy ally."

"You only say that because one of those students of yours is infatuated with her," growled Ironwood. "You can't be basing the fate of a Kingdom on the decisions of a lovestruck child, much less one who is a criminal himself."

"Either way, James, we have decided to continue," said Ozpin. "The vast majority of the White Fang is in custody. The ones who remain are the dregs, too few to possibly launch an effective attack on the Kingdom."

"That remains to be seen," said Ironwood. "Much of the equipment that we have seized from the White Fang can be accounted for: Dust, armor, munitions, weapons. But there is one critical element that is missing, the element that we know the White Fang has, but have never determined the location of."

"Their means of transporting it," surmised Ozpin.

"Yes," replied Ironwood. "We know, from previous encounters, that the White Fang have possession of several armed bullheads, but only a few have ever been accounted for. The rest have not yet been seized. Presumably, their pilots and crews are also still at large. Depending on how they used them, they could be effective weapons in their own right."

"True," agreed Ozpin. "But we know that the White Fang have them, and we'll be on the lookout for them."

"Hopefully it won't be too late by the time you see them," grumbled Ironwood.

* * *

Ruby and Yang enjoyed a brief visit with Qrow, chatting with him, and needling him about his condition. For his part, Qrow gave Ruby some encouragement before the finals, assuring her that she would do just fine...and imploring her to keep her guard up. Ruby had agreed.

The morning went by faster than Ruby would have liked. Despite everything she'd done, all the training, all the preparation, all the scenarios that they'd run over, the prospect of facing the finals, and everything that came with them, was daunting. As noon passed, along with lunch, that anxiety worsened.

After lunch, Ruby took Gin by the hand, and led him off to where they could be alone together. Gin had been sensing her anxiety build throughout the day, so he was more than willing to go with her. They quietly excused themselves from their friends, who found their own things to do anyway.

Blake went to spend the afternoon with Sun, giving him what encouragement she could. Ayumu once again opted to spend all the time he could with Neo, giving her whatever comfort he could manage in the time they had together. Jaune and Yang went on a double-date with Ren and Nora.

Ruby led Gin back to their little private clearing, where they'd been training with Neo on Saturday. There, they settled down, Gin sitting with his back against a tree, while Ruby nestled herself into his arms. Gin's hand naturally found its way up to rest on Ruby's forehead, while his other warm wrapped gently around her midsection.

Ruby sighed contentedly, letting the soothing, cool touch of Gin's skin wash away the heat of her anxiety.

"Are you going to be okay?" asked Gin.

"I think so," said Ruby. "It's...scary. I'm starting to understand how Blake feels. Ayumu and I have our plan. But there are so many other things going on...It's all starting to pile up. And this is where it all comes together. What happens tonight could save Vale...or ruin it."

"You don't have to take all of this on yourself," said Gin. "If you don't feel that you can do this, you can still pull out. Sure, your reputation would take a hit. But no one who matters will condemn you."

"I'll condemn myself," said Ruby. "I need to see this through. We have to stop Cinder. And I want to do everything I can to help Ayumu, and the people still suffering, where he came from."

"High risk, high reward," said Gin with a fond smile. "Never let it be said that you do things halfway, Ruby Rose."

"Nope," agreed Ruby, leaning her head back, letting Gin rest his chin on her shoulder.

They remained like that for a long time, Ruby letting Gin's presence lull her into a peaceful state, not far from a doze. After a little while, she shifted against him. "Gin...?"

"Yes?"

"Can we...can we do that thing with our Auras again?" asked Ruby.

"You mean touching our souls?" asked Gin.

Ruby nodded. "Last time...you sent your Aura into my soul. This time, I want to try going into yours."

"Well..." Gin pursed his lips. "The only worry I have is that it's easy to lose track of time like that. I'll try to keep my awareness up. Just in case.." He pulled his scroll out, and tapped out a quick message to Ayumu, letting him know what they were doing. If they did lose track of time, Ayumu could come find them, once it was time to head to the coliseum.

With that, Gin put his scroll away, letting Ruby lean back against him once more. They breathed deeply, in unison, then closed their eyes. Gin completely relaxed himself, eliminating all resistance from his Aura, as Ruby's awareness swam in, and moved towards his wellspring.

Ruby swam upstream against the gentle outward flow of Gin's Aura. She could sense it all around her, washing outwards with a gentle, yet powerful flow, showcasing how long and hard Gin had been honing his strength under Yu Yuen. Despite that, the way opened for her easily, Gin's Aura actually seeming to draw her, and _only_ her, inwards. She followed it to its source, finding the wellspring easily. Almost eagerly, Ruby's sent her awareness through.

Gin's wellspring was far wider than Amber's had been. Ruby's consciousness passed through easily. Entering into Gin's soul, she found herself sighing in contentment. Gin's soul was fluid, almost like liquid metal, cold to the touch, but not freezing. It was smooth and viscous, enveloping her completely. Ruby couldn't keep a smile from her physical lips as she felt Gin's love for her, his soul embracing her own, welcoming her without reservation. Her anxieties drained away, and she was filled with nothing but comfort and contentment.

Surprisingly, despite loving the experience so much, Ruby experienced no temptation to stay in this state. It filled her with relief to feel Gin's love for her on such a visceral level. But, more importantly, by draining away her anxieties, it threw into stark relief her convictions. Ruby knew what she needed to do. She knew the battles she had to fight, the goals she wanted to meet. That was the amazing thing about Gin. His love never held her back, never stifled her. Instead, it urged her forward, gave her the confidence to keep going, to follow her ambitions. Gin gave her the strength to carry on.

Still, there was the issue that time lost most of its meaning to her. Ruby didn't know how long she'd been like this. But then Gin's soul solidified slightly, pushing her awareness back towards the wellspring. It was gentle, yet insistent, letting Ruby know that their time was up. Ruby allowed herself to flow back out through the wellspring, her awareness swiftly, and comfortably returning to her own body. She felt no regret at the departure. If anything, she was now looking forward to what was to come.

Her eyes opened, and she realized that it was darker now. The angle of the light had shifted. The sky above the clearing was awash with yellow and orange. The sun was setting...and it was nearly time for the finals to begin.

"You ready?" asked Gin.

"Yep," said Ruby, her voice filled with renewed confidence. "Let's go."

* * *

They met up with their friends at the docks for the air-bus. Ruby and Ayumu's status as finalists afforded them a priority position in the line for the next flight up. Their teammates, unfortunately, would have to wait in line with the rest of the spectators. Ruby could sense dozens of sets of eyes on her and Ayumu. People knew who they were, and were watching eagerly. The flash from scroll cameras bombarded them throughout the flight.

Upon reaching the coliseum, they made their way to the ready-room. This time, the ready-rooms were serving as waiting rooms for all the finalists at once, with four assigned to each room. Whether by luck or design, Ruby found herself entering into a room of friendly faces. Besides her and Ayumu, Sun and Penny had been assigned to their ready room as well.

"You think the organizers had anything to do with this?" asked Sun, basking on the couch while they waited.

"Maybe," said Ruby, glancing at Penny, who grinned. _I wonder what Ironwood thinks of this._

Finally, the announcement came for them to assemble in the ring. All eight finalists would appear together, before the pairing for the first match would be announced. _Here we go,_ thought Ruby, following Sun and Ayumu out into the ring.

They emerged, walking through a wall of almost solid sound as the roar of the crowd greeted them. Spotlights swept all over the coliseum, playing across the ring and the audience in equal measure, their movements almost seeming random.

From the other side of the ring, Ruby could see the other four finalists entering as well. There were Sunil and Lloyd, the former raising a polite hand to wave at the crowds, the latter walking with his eyes fixed forward, a look of firm determination on his face. Behind them were Mercury, then Liu. Mercury looked the same as ever, that smug look on his face. Liu, like Lloyd, walked with his eyes fixed forward, a dark expression of determination on his face.

The energy in the arena was palpable. After the excitement of the past two weeks, this marked the beginning of the culmination of the Vytal Festival, the time when its excitement peaked. It was no wonder that Cinder was going to be setting her plans into motion now. The energy and excitement invested in the climax of the festival would only serve to magnify the impact of her schemes, if they went the way they were supposed to.

Ruby took another deep breath, and closed her eyes. She let her mind drift back to that feeling of being immersed in Gin's soul, and found the tension leaving her, even as her awareness of the world around her heightened. It didn't surprise her to realize that her anxiety served to cloud her senses. Wariness was important, she realized, but clarity was even more important. Sure, she could keep her guard raised...or she could just keep her senses clear.

They assembled in a line at the center of the ring, while Port and Oobleck's voices thundered over the constant hum of the crowd.

" _Welcome, everyone, to this...the quarterfinal round of the Vytal Festival Tournament!_ " declared Port in his usual, bombastic manner, to the enthusiastic shouts of the audience.

" _From here on out, all matches shall be held, one on one,_ " explained Oobleck. " _The conditions for victory are the same as before. But, without the biomes, this shall be a straightforward match of skill._ "

" _Correct!_ " thundered Port. " _Just as before, the matches will be determined randomly. Much like any good hunt, there will be zero time to prepare._ "

Ruby raised an eyebrow. That didn't sound like a good hunt to her. Besides, weren't their classes all about preparation anyway? _Well...not that it matters. We've been preparing in our own way._ After all, they had the previous matches of the tournament to watch, in order to gather intelligence on their opponents. From here on out, it was just a matter of knowing which person they'd be going up against.

" _Now then, without further delay, let's begin the selection for the first match,_ " said Oobleck.

Up above, a hologram appeared, with two spinning icons scrolling through the portraits of the participants, like the rollers on a slot machine. Ruby watched them idly. The first of the wheels began to slow dramatically, and Ruby sucked in a sharp breath when she saw her portrait appear. Despite herself, she felt her tension return as she watched the second roller begin to slow as well. _Is it Mercury?_

The roller slid to a stop, with Liu's face glaring out from it. Despite everything she'd done to compose herself, Ruby felt her heart lurch, and her stomach quiver.

" _The first round shall be Ruby Rose, from Beacon Academ; against Liu Bai, from Haven Academy!_ " announced Port, to an excited roar from the crowd.

" _Will all other finalists return to the ready-rooms to wait their turn?_ " Oobleck asked, somewhat unnecessarily, as the others were already beginning to file out.

Ayumu offered an encouraging pat on Ruby's shoulder as he passed her. Sun did the same. Penny gave her a cheerful thumbs up, which Ruby returned a little nervously, before turning to face Liu. She found him already facing her, ignoring the others filing past him. His entire being practically quivered with barely-restrained rage.

 _This can't be a coincidence,_ thought Ruby. Somebody on the enemy's side was aware of the grudge that Liu had against her. It was too convenient to have to face him in the very first round of the quarterfinals. Sure, it was possible through the law of averages, but Ruby still found it more likely that someone had gotten creative with setting up the match. _If that's what you want, fine then..._

Reaching behind her, Ruby grasped Shining Rose, and pulled her weapon forth, allowing the frame to unfold, then the blade ignite. Reaching over his shoulder, Liu pulled his sword free, the sheath folding in on itself, the tassel plugging into the rotary system built into his right wristguard.

"Now...you will face your judgement," intoned Liu.

* * *

 **When you really think about it, the prospect of Qrow getting seriously injured is a pretty damn scary thing to consider. With a Semblance like his, he'd be a nightmare to have in the emergency room or the ICU, a continuous source of danger for the other patients. So yeah, things would get tricky, if he ever got _really_ badly injured.**

 **And poor Neo, having to bear the brunt of Cinder's frustration.**

 **And now...on with the show.**


	109. Chapter 109

**Chapter 109:**

There was a shudder, which ran through the floor beneath them. The segments of the outer ring pulled back, leaving the inner ring suspended in space. Then the inner ring began to rise upwards. At the same time, the lighting rig descended, powerful spotlights shining in to illuminate the surface of the ring from all directions.

Ruby's senses took everything in. There was less space to maneuver than there had been during earlier rounds. But, with only two of them in the ring, what space they had was more than enough. The lack of biomes eliminated the terrain factor, meaning that it would largely come down to skills, technique, and weaponry.

She and Liu were already facing each other, about half the ring lying between them. Once again, Ruby felt that tension rise up within her, the fear of Liu's hatred, that unflinching desire to kill that emanated from him near-constantly, completely focused upon her. Not even Weiss or Pyrrha had desired her death with such intensity. Closing her eyes, Ruby inhaled deeply through her nose, letting the memory of being enveloped by Gin's soul rise up once more. The phantom sensation drained away all her anxiety, replacing it with clarity again. It made her want to smile. Even though she was alone in the ring, she still felt as though Gin was with her.

"Have you any words of contrition, before I present you with the punishment you deserve?" asked Liu.

"I don't have anything to say to you," said Ruby, opening her eyes.

"Are you prepared to die for your crimes?" said Liu, stepping forward with his left leg. As he had the other times she'd seen him fight, he rested the back of his sword against his right shoulder, while extending his left hand forward, at a slight downward angle, the first two fingers extended and pointing upwards.

"I'm prepared to fight," said Ruby, spinning Shining Rose between her hands, before striking her starting stance, with the shaft angled behind her back, so that the butt of the shaft extended up over her right shoulder, with the section leading to the gently humming blade extending down from her left hip. The curve of Shining Rose's blade flowed to a point upwards. "I'm not here for your judgment."

She certainly hadn't picked her words to calm him down, so she wasn't all that surprised when Liu's lips pulled back in a snarl, a look of pure rage washing over his features. "Then I shall show you how heretics are dealt with!"

Ruby wondered if anyone else had noticed Liu's attitude towards her. He certainly wasn't making any effort to hide the grudge he bore her. Yet none of the commentators seemed inclined to remark on it. The sounds of the audience still echoed around her, their excitement filling the coliseum. It didn't seem they'd noticed anything amiss either.

Ruby took another breath, and allowed the constraints on her senses to fall away, fully investing herself in her _Shingan_. If she was right about her theory that this had been orchestrated by the enemy, then it was entirely possible that Emerald wouldn't wait until either her or Ayumu fought with Mercury. She could be planning to use it here and now, though in what way Ruby couldn't say.

Too late, she realized that they'd been naive. Emerald could use her Semblance at anytime during the finals, on any of the participants. If she could control their perception, then she could presumably manipulate anyone into a course of action that benefited their plans. What they did know about Emerald's Semblance was checked by what they _didn't_ know. Ayumu had surmised that it took intense focus to utilize. But, if Emerald was within the audience, then no one would even notice one more person staring at what was going on in the ring. They didn't know the range of Emerald's ability. Could she use it from as far as the seats? Being one of the participants meant she had access to the ringside red seats, so she could definitely get as close as possible from there.

Ruby forced herself to drop those questions. It was too late to worry about that now. Instead, she had to let her training take over, and do what she needed to in order to clear this particular hurdle. Here, in the ring, with her weapon in her hands, Ruby was in control. _I'm ready,_ she thought with all the determination of her heart and soul.

At the fringe of her awareness, she heard Oobleck begin the countdown. " _Three...two...one...Begin!_ "

With a roar of rage, Liu went on the attack. To Ruby's surprise, he immediately slid into a low stance, extending his right leg all the way out, while bending his left leg down to sink into crouch. At first, Ruby worried that he might be about to use the same explosive technique that had cut through Chrys' Aura during the qualifying round. But she immediately recognized the stance as being different. Liu was holding his sword in his right hand, and in a normal grip, extended out to the side. Instead, he pushed off and into a rapid counterclockwise spin, his body becoming like a whirlwind, then a _literal_ whirlwind as shimmering green currents of Dust energy wrapped around him, turning him into a maelstrom that surged across the ring at Ruby.

Ruby's senses were able to perceive the nature of the attack. Rapid spins lent Liu both speed and power. The winds not only fueled his movement, but added to the attack, the currents of air like blades in their own right, meshing together into a typhoon of parallel strikes. The wind blades weren't much on their own, able to only make shallow cuts into Ruby's Aura at best. But with the sheer number of them, and with Liu's own sword hidden amongst them, this technique had devastating power.

Ruby met it head on, releasing Shining Rose with her left hand, whipping it around in front of her body, where she gripped it with her left hand again. From there, she shot forward, a burst of her Semblance from her foot as she stepped off lending her speed, and sending a tiny burst of crimson petals scattering across the floor in her wake. Working her hands, she sent Shining Rose into a rapid spin of its own, blade and shaft becoming a two-toned red blur, before she brought it out in a powerful swing to meet Liu's attack with her own.

Whereas Liu's attack relied on numbers and ferocity, Ruby's was focused, cutting right through the wind, meeting Liu's blade directly. They had both targeted one another's bodies, but their weapons came together instead. Liu's blade impacted Ruby's scythe right at the base of the head, the curve of the blade arcing around behind Liu's sword. Their weapons rang with an impact that set both their hands to tingling, the sound carrying a physical force, palpable to even those outside the ring.

From there, the shockwave of impact blew them back away from each other, Liu's sword dropping and allowing Ruby's scythe blade to fly free, so that she couldn't hook onto it, and use it to keep him in range. Ruby allowed herself to be carried away by the shockwave, riding it. Her cloak flared dramatically behind her, and she kept herself oriented. Shining Rose's shaft collapsed down on itself, the blade and wing extinguishing, while the head folded down to expose the barrel of the rifle. From there, Ruby took aim and pulled the trigger, sending the red bolt of a manifested bullet flying right at Liu's chest.

At the same time that Ruby had been blown back, Liu had been knocked over backwards. He recovered quickly though, his left hand planting itself on the floor, allowing him to push off and continue a backflip that brought him upright again, just in time to see Ruby's shot flying at him. The rotary system in Liu's left-hand wristguard switched to a chamber of turquoise Dust. Holding his hand up, palm outwards, with the first two fingers and thumb extended, Liu created a hemispherical shield that intercepted Ruby's shot, the crimson streak of the bullet bursting against the barrier.

They both landed at the same time, feet skidding against the smooth surface of the ring's floor. Ruby found traction first though, leaning forward, then launching herself straight at Liu with another burst of her Semblance, becoming a red blur, and closing the distance between them in less than a second.

Liu seemed to have anticipated it though, sinking into a wide stance, with his right leg forward, and lifting his sword up, over his head, so that the curve of the blade brought the tip almost pointing at the floor behind him. It was clear that Liu was going to execute a powerful downward strike, with a wide swing to invest it with all the speed and power he could with a single arm. But that wouldn't be near enough to counter Ruby's speed...or so it seemed.

Then the rotary system on Liu's left wristguard switched again, this time lining up the red fire-Dust cylinder. Simultaneously, the rotary system on his right wristguard lined up a black cylinder of gravity-Dust. Liu's left hand shot up, initiating a palm strike against the spine of his sword from below. An explosive burst from the fire-Dust imparted even more acceleration, sending the blade up and over Liu's head in a rapid arc. At the apex of its swing, the blade shimmered with the black and purple energy of gravity-Dust, imparting an even greater acceleration to its descent. Ruby came to within striking distance of Liu, only to find his descending sword just inches away from splitting her head.

But Ruby didn't falter. A more inexperienced Ruby; the Ruby she had been months before, back before Weiss and Pyrrha had tried to kill her; would have panicked, maybe tried to dodge or cancel her charge. That would have simply held her in place for Liu's blow to hit. But Ruby as she was now, the Ruby who had been trained by Yu Yuen, wasn't daunted by the threat. Instead, she threw all of her weight forward, concentrating, then firing off her Semblance from the ball of her stepping foot, right as it was about to leave the floor.

To the eyes of the audience, and Liu, Ruby seemed to vanish from in front of him. There was a flash, and a line of crimson light streaking along his legs at the level of his shins. Then Liu's sword struck the floor with a crash, splitting the surface of the ring in a line that extended several meters from where the tip of his blade had struck.

But the floor was the only thing his sword had struck. Ruby was no longer beneath the blade. Instead, Liu cried out in pain, his legs flying back in the same instant his sword hit the ground, his entire body pitching forward, his feet almost literally cut out from under him. He now wheeled through the air in a flip that was far more ungainly than the one he'd used to recover from his and Ruby's initial clash. Liu's arms and legs flailed as he desperately tried to recover his balance, and get his feet back under him.

Up above, a hefty chunk of Liu's Aura meter vanished.

But Ruby was far from done. One of the most important lessons she'd learned from her master was the importance of being pragmatic in battle. She'd forgone those lessons when fighting Weiss and Pyrrha, relenting after striking decisive blows, in order to let them feel the impact of her growth. But, against Liu, Ruby knew she had no such leeway.

It wasn't simply a matter of skill. More than anything, Ruby was keenly aware of Liu's bloodlust, his unrelenting desire to kill her. It hadn't faltered in the slightest, not when she'd countered his opening move, not when she'd shot at him; not when she'd not only managed to land a hit against his legs, but avoid his counterattack in the same move. Even now, even while trying to recover from being tripped, and dealing with the pain inflicted by the hit Ruby had landed, Liu's hatred of her hadn't flagged in the slightest. He was still driven to kill her. Liu Bai was not an opponent that Ruby could afford to treat lightly, could not show the slightest weakness to.

So Ruby knew that she had to continue, keep up the attack, and maintain pressure. If she lost control of this match for even a second, Liu might turn the tables on her. If he did so, it would be with lethal consequences.

The disadvantage to this last move of hers was that Ruby had focused her movement into a straight line, using her Semblance to the fullest, concentrating it into a small space to provide the most intense propulsion possible; angling her body, weight, and momentum, in order to utilize that to its fullest; maximizing her acceleration. But, afterwards, Ruby's momentum continued to carry her forward. The work needed to stop and reverse her movement, so that she could come straight back at Liu from the other direction, would cost precious seconds, and eat up a prohibitive amount of energy. It wouldn't strain her, but Ruby felt that making sure she made the best use of every ounce of strength and stamina she had would be critical to winning this fight.

Instead of trying to stop herself, Ruby pitched her body forward, executing a forward flip of her own, her cloak flowing around to engulf her. The movement allowed her to change her body's angle, so that her weight was leaning in the opposite direction. When her boot touched the floor, Ruby shifted her ankle, and changed the angle her weight was applied to, and kicked off again, launching herself away, along the edge of the ring. She followed the ring's circumference, once again resorting to lighter applications of her Semblance off of individual steps, before abruptly bending the curve of her course inwards to bring her back at Liu again.

The indirect approach did eat up a few seconds, allowing Liu the time he needed to get his feet under him again. To his credit, he managed to avoid sprawling across the surface of the ring, landing upright, and recovering his balance with remarkable speed. He began to turn in place, already readying himself for Ruby to attack him from the opposite direction she had before. His turn brought his field of vision sweeping along the ring, so that he caught sight of Ruby on the approach. She was just a brief flicker of red in his field of vision. But it was enough to catch his attention.

Aborting his turn, Liu barely managed to bring his sword up to intercept Ruby's scythe, which came at him in an angled slash. His sword once again struck at the shaft, halting the blade before Ruby could execute the pull that would bring it inwards, cutting at his body. Instead, her weapon rebounded away from Liu's block. Pulling back, Ruby disengaged, while Liu swiftly rotated his wrist, whipping his sword through a tight crescent that allowed him to bring it back around and swing at her body.

But his blade merely parted empty air. Ruby was no longer there. Liu caught a flicker of her red cloak, trailing her as she circled around to his right. He reversed his spin, going to his left, managing to meet her fast enough to intercept another slash from Shining Rose. He pulled back, readying to counter, but Ruby had already vanished from sight, a flicker of her cloak, and a few scattering petals, the only signs of her.

Desperate to catch her, Liu spun about again, this time catching sight of Shining Rose's blade, now a bright-red wheel in the air, before flashing out to slash at him again. This time, Liu's parry was a beat behind, and Ruby's scythe etched a line of pain across his chest. The blow was light, the cut shallow, but another portion of Aura was cut away, and his meter dropped lower.

Ruby was a crimson blur, dancing from place to place around Liu. Compared to her previous uses of it, she was actually going rather easy on the throttle of her ability, using it with an extremely light touch. As a consequence, its overall speed was much lower than before. But, at this range, its impact was magnified. By keeping the fight close, Ruby was able to dance in and out of Liu's field of vision, constantly circling around him, staying on the move, both her body and blade always seeking to land another hit. This was the essence of what Yu had taught her about thinking small.

Liu's training and experience as a student-Huntsman might have granted him the capacity to draw upon his other senses, but his focus was still overwhelmingly centered on his eyes. Trying to catch sight of Ruby only caused his attention towards the input from his other senses to flag, which resulted in him falling further behind his opponent. His skills were solid though, and his defense tight. As a result, Ruby hadn't managed to land anything other than a few light cuts here and there. But Liu was steadily losing ground.

* * *

" _It's a complete blitzkrieg!_ " declared Oobleck, his voice taut with excitement. " _Ruby Rose has her opponent on the defensive, and is keeping the pressure on him with a constant, circling attack!_ "

" _Liu Bai is certainly in one major pickle,_ " declared Port. " _We'll have to see if he can find a way out of this situation._ "

"Ruby looks good," said Yang, leaning forward eagerly, afraid to even blink, lest she miss something because of the incredible pace her little sister was setting in the ring below.

"Her footwork is incredible," said Blake, watching with wide eyes.

"It's all Liu can do to keep up with her," said Ren, "if even that."

"She's totally dominating!" cheered Nora.

"Not bad at all," observed Neptune, the three other members of SSSN (Sun being in the waiting room) having chosen to sit next to their friends from Beacon. "I've never seen anyone push Liu like this."

"Her skill is amazing," said Sage, deep admiration in his voice.

It was understandable. Ruby's body wasn't the only thing dancing. Shining Rose moved like something alive, Ruby employing the scythe's unique form and shape to attack from directions other than where her body was. She would move to one side of Liu, but extend the shaft of her scythe past him, so that she could attack with the blade from the opposite direction. It was the unique kind of attack that was only possible for a scythe-wielder.

"Can she keep it up?" asked Jaune worriedly. "One slip-up, that close in, and Liu can probably turn the tables with a single hit."

"She can," said Gin, a strangely intense look on his face. It was unsettling. Compared to Ruby's other friends, who were excited at the level of her skill, Gin looked unusually worried.

"You okay?" asked Yang. "Do you think Ruby could lose?"

"She could," said Gin. "But it wouldn't necessarily be because she slipped up."

Yang swallowed. Gin understood Ruby's capabilities the best out of all of the people present here, including Yang herself. It wasn't just his position as Ruby's boyfriend, but as her fellow student to the same master, and one who'd watched her develop her capabilities from her first day training under Yu. "What do you mean?"

"Ruby has the skill to keep this up," said Gin. "The problem is that Liu Bai hasn't played all his cards yet. I get the feeling he hasn't shown what he can really do yet."

Gin's memory stretched back to the other times they'd seen Liu fight, including all the way back to qualifying rounds, and their match with Team CHAR. He'd also seen it the night Liu had confronted them after Ruby's dinner with Whitley; those strange, blue lines that rose up beneath his skin... _What are those...and what do they mean?_

He had a sneaking suspicion that they would find out, before this match was over.

* * *

Standing atop the outer wall of the coliseum, Yu Yuen smirked as he observed Ruby's fight below. _She's got a good rhythm going; no wasted movement, capitalizing on every opening. Her use of her Semblance is spectacular too, textbook example of thinking small. She's a model student in every way._

Yu's smirk became a grin. _Of course, even when you're doing everything right, things can still go wrong. That joker has one hell of a card up his sleeve. When your opponent does something that surpasses your expectations, you have to be able to take control of the battle all over again. How are you gonna handle this, Ruby?_

* * *

Once again, Liu caught a glimpse of red fluttering out of the corner of his eye. He was about to turn to follow it. However, he spotted another flash of a brighter-red from the opposite side. Ruby had reached across him with the shaft of her scythe and was pulling it towards him again. Gritting his teeth, Liu braced his sword, stopping Ruby's attack cold.

But that had been within Ruby's expectations. She continued to pull on the scythe's shaft, not to pull the blade towards Liu, but to pull herself towards him from the opposite direction. Stepping in, she utilized a burst of her Semblance off that one step, pulling with her left hand, while folding her right arm in, and extending the elbow out, which she used to strike Liu right in the spine. She channeled her Aura, along with all the momentum imparted by her Semblance, into the move, prompting Liu's entire body to jerk, his back arcing from the blow. His feet left the ground from the impact, his strength no longer enough to keep the scythe blade away from his body.

Now Ruby lifted both feet off the floor, and pulled again. This time, she used a burst of her Semblance from the wing on the back of her scythe, the acceleration of its movement against the barrier of Liu's sword turned the sword into a fulcrum that Ruby used to pull herself around Liu's body, while, at the same time, angling her blade towards his torso, around the obstruction of his sword. Flying past Liu, Ruby turned her body, and pulled Shining Rose into a spinning slash that drew a crimson line of light across Liu's torso as she flew away.

With a scream of pain, Liu went flying back, his body skidding across the floor. Up above, the meter showcasing his Aura-level dropped by another significant margin, leaving him with precious little left before being disqualified.

Ruby whirled her scythe around her back, then brought it down, while folding her legs up to bring her knees up to the level of her chest, allowing her to plant her feet against the scythe's shaft. The wing abruptly expanded, then divided. The scythe's wings let out a mighty flap, scattering more petals with the motion, reversing Ruby's momentum and launching her upwards on a course that would bring her back down on her prone opponent. Bringing her weapon around again, she readied for a powerful downward strike that would end this match once and for all.

Ruby's guard hadn't dropped in the slightest. Even with her impending victory looming before her, she remained focused, her senses fully aware and clear. Despite her advantage, she could still feel a clear sense of threat from Liu, and his rage, which only multiplied with every hit she landed. In a way, it reminded her of how Yang's anger could burn out of control sometimes, like a raging wildfire. But Liu's rage was powered by pure, unyielding hatred. The flames of his anger raged like an inferno around him. Every blow from Ruby was like a wind, fanning them further.

Despite all of this...or, perhaps, because of it...Ruby wasn't ready for what happened next.

Liu's fingers contracted against the floor of the ring, nails scraping across the metal surface. His entire body trembled, muscles taut with unquenchable fury. This had been his time, his chance to pass judgment on Ruby Rose, acting on behalf of Pyrrha Nikos. She should have been quivering before him, dreading the moment he made her pay for her crimes. Yet she faced him without faltering. She brushed away the waves of his hatred like they meant nothing to her.

 _This is unacceptable..._

Liu's eyes widened, his lips curled back, baring white teeth and red gums. Liu's rage seemed to draw within him, and there was a crackle, like the sound of something sparking...

Ruby saw Liu, who'd risen to the crouch in the time it had taken her to almost finish her descent towards him, abruptly stiffen. Then he raised his head and looked up at her. Ruby's eyes widened as she saw blue lines spread like a web across his face, originating from between his eyes. His teeth were bared in an expression of rage that was almost feral.

"That is ENOUGH!" roared Liu, surging up towards her, responding faster than Ruby had anticipated. The rotary system on both his wristguards engaged. His right one switched to the red of fire, while the left switched to the green of wind. As Liu rose up, his right leg curling up, then snapping out to kick the spine of his rising sword, a swirling burst of green wind increasing the acceleration dramatically, while red and orange flames stretched down the length of the blade.

It was a move that Ruby had seen him use against Chrys, during BRYL's match against CHAR. But Liu hadn't been using Dust that time, so the move clearly hadn't carried nearly the speed and power that it did now, easily more than double what Liu had demonstrated before. Then, to Ruby's horror, the wind from Liu's kick merged with the flames on the blade, increasing the intensity of the flames dramatically, so that they exploded outwards in a crescent of heat and light the instant Liu's sword made contact with the shaft of Ruby's descending scythe, striking just below the head, and stopping the blade just before it could make contact with Liu's body.

Ruby screamed as a blade of heat surged past the obstacle of her scythe. The explosion nearly tore Shining Rose from her hands. Even so, it blasted her backwards, a narrow shockwave, almost like the edge of a sword, drawing a clear line across her body, burning it at the same time, even as more heat washed over the rest of her body in its entirety, blowing her cloak back, and even causing it to burn and blacken at the edges.

Smoking and trailing embers the way she had trailed petals earlier, Ruby was sent flying back, almost along the same course she had taken on her attack, arcing through the air, to land heavily on the other side of the ring, rolling, then skidding to a stop, less than a meter from the edge. The line of the shockwave still stung against her body, and the rest of her felt as though she'd just received a full-body sunburn. "Ow..." she whimpered softly, struggling to get to her feet. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been hurt this badly, not since one of her more boisterous training sessions with Yu, that was for sure.

Grimacing, Ruby braced the butt of her scythe against the floor, and levered herself up, trying to shake off the pain of the last hit. Fortunately, Liu seemed inclined to let her. If anything, he seemed to be stewing in his anger, appearing to want Ruby to let the metaphorical impact of that last hit to sink in on a visceral level. He wanted to see her fear.

"I have had enough of this!" shouted Liu, his eyes widening even farther. "I have had my fill of this pathetic farce! I didn't come here to play-fight for the masses! I came here to pass judgment! Fuck the tournament! I came here to PUT YOU IN THE GROUND!"

Liu's Aura surged outwards from him. Slowly lifting her head, Ruby watched the blue lines that had first appeared across Liu's face begin emerge on other parts of his body, spreading across his chest, bulging outwards, so that they were visible through the fabric of the tank-top that hugged his muscular chest tightly. Lengthening and branching, they spread down his arms, and presumably his legs as well, though they weren't visible through the looser fabric of his pants. Ruby's senses felt a light crackle, almost like static electricity, but emanating from within Liu. Her eyes widened as the realization of what those blue lines were sank in.

 _Those aren't veins,_ she realized, unlike what she'd initially thought, _those are...nerves!_

Liu leveled his sword at Ruby. "I will make you scream, then leave you in a pool of your own blood! In the name of my goddess, Pyrrha Nikos, I pass judgment on you! The verdict is GUILTY! You have defiled her name! The sentence for such a heinous crime is DEATH!"

* * *

"Unbelievable! In front of the entire audience, Liu Bai has declared his intent, not to win the match, but kill his opponent!" shouted Oobleck, scarcely believing his own words.

"Get security down there immediately!" Port was shouting into the intercom. "Bring down the shield and take him into custody this instant!"

With a crackle, the voice of the head of Amity's security team replied. " _We can't._ "

"What?" gasped Port. "And why not?"

" _Orders,_ " replied the officer.

"Whose?" demanded Oobleck, setting aside the microphone.

" _Mine,_ " crackled a new, but familiar voice.

"Ozpin, are you mad?" asked Oobleck frantically. "You just heard what Liu Bai said."

" _I did,_ " said Ozpin. " _But we cannot afford to bring the shield down. More to the point, we cannot take him into custody yet._ "

"You want Ms. Rose to fight him, after what he just declared?" asked Port.

" _I'm afraid it's the only option at the moment,_ " said Ozpin. " _Mr. Bai is not in a rational frame of mind, though I suppose that much is obvious._ "

"Of course," scoffed Oobleck.

" _He will not respond to any call to surrender,_ " continued Ozpin. "I _f anything, the prospect of arrest will drive him to attack Ms. Rose all the more furiously. Locked in a melee like that, the teams won't be able to open fire, lest they hit Ms. Rose instead. Furthermore, with the shield down, there is the risk of the audience being exposed to the battle._ "

"But you can't expect Ms. Rose to fight this kind of battle," protested Oobleck.

" _I do,_ " said Ozpin. " _More than that, I expect her to be able to_ win _. This is not the first time she has faced an opponent who aimed to take her life. We need to place our trust in her to bring Mr. Bai down, so that he can be secured safely._ "

"Then...there's nothing we can do," said Port sadly.

" _We can have faith in Ruby,_ " said Ozpin firmly. " _She will rise to this challenge, I'm sure._ "

* * *

"Is he insane?" exclaimed Sarlet, rising to his feet. "He just declared in front of everyone that he wants to kill Ruby!"

"Dude, you really have to ask?" grumbled Neptune, glancing askance at his friend.

Yang, Blake, along with the three present members of JNAR had surged to their feet, all of them ready to rush the ring, even if that meant crashing headlong into the security barrier around it.

" _Freeze!_ "

They were locked in place by the order, which had come from none other than Gin. Despite the sudden declaration of Liu's intent to kill, he hadn't so much as flinched. Instead, he remained in his seat, staring intently into the ring, his arms folded across his chest.

"Are you nuts?" demanded Jaune, rounding on him. "You can't expect us to just do nothing!"

"There's nothing _to_ do," said Gin, still not pulling his eyes away from the ring. "They aren't going to bring down the shield.

"Why not?" asked Blake. "They would never allow a death-match in the tournament. Declaring his intent to kill like that, Liu has forfeited the match. It's over."

"The match might be over, but the fight isn't," said Gin. "Liu's gonna keep going, regardless of what happens. But, if they bring down the shield, and the security team goes in, what do you think is going to happen if Liu turns that power of his on them instead?"

The others froze. Ren's arms went limp. "It would be a bloodbath," he said softly.

Gin nodded slowly, his eyes still not moving from Ruby. "Bringing down the barrier risks the audience too. In that case, the only thing to do is let the fight go on. If Liu knocks out Ruby, it might allow the security team a shot at bringing him down without hurting her. Or Ruby can win, and subdue Liu herself. Those are the best options."

"Do you really think Ruby can win?" asked Yang, looking at Gin.

Her eyes widened when she saw him. Outwardly, he was as calm as ever. But Yang could see the subtle tautness in his muscles that betrayed his inner tension. He wanted, probably more than any of them, to rush to Ruby's side and support her, protect her. But he held himself in check, as much for her sake as anything else. Glancing at his folded arms, Yang saw that his hands were tightly gripping his upper arms. Then she noticed a small trickle of red running down to drip from his right elbow. He was clenching his fingers so tightly that he was drawing blood, not with his claws, but with his regular fingernails.

 _He really_ is _worried,_ she thought. _But he's exerting all the control he has to keep from doing something pointless and foolish._

With a sigh, Yang resigned herself to being nothing more than a spectator...again. It was like Ruby's battle with Weiss and Pyrrha all over again. This time, the outcome was even more uncertain. Her eyes drifted up to the screen showing their Aura levels, and swallowed nervously. With one blow, Liu had knocked off almost three-quarters of Ruby's Aura. She still had more remaining than him, by a slim margin. But Ruby's advantage had come from an extended series of continuous attacks. Just one more hit from Liu might do serious, if not lethal, damage. This wasn't good at all.

* * *

Watts stroked his chin. He could have spent this time working on repairing Adam's weapon, but the matchup that Pyrrha had suggested for the quarterfinal round was just too interesting to resist. As Pyrrha had predicted, Ruby held a decisive advantage. And yet...with a single move, Liu Bai had reversed that. _The destructive power of his attack was impressive...but what's more fascinating is..._

"Just what _is_ that?" he asked, looking to Pyrrha.

"His Semblance," said Pyrrha. "If I remember correctly, he called it Frenzied Nerves. His Aura channels directly into his nerves themselves, engorging them, and enlarging them. The speed and accuracy of transmissions increase, as well as his sensitivity. His reaction-speed drops down to practically nothing, and he becomes capable of discerning absolutely everything in perfect detail."

"Remarkable," said Watts. "Considering that, even with the natural advantage your own Semblance holds, I'm a bit surprised that you won over him, back when you fought him all those years ago."

Pyrrha giggled. "However much his nerves might reduce his reaction-time, it doesn't mean much if his body can't keep up with it. His conditioning wasn't what it is now. Even now, I suspect his reaction-speed surpasses his physical speed. So a lag is inevitable. The other reason is that it is a double-edged sword."

"Double-edged..." Watts frowned. "No, I see. If his sensitivity is increased so dramatically, then it reacts equally to all stimuli, including things like pain."

"That's right," said Pyrrha. "He can hear the tiniest of sounds, but that also means that an exceptionally loud sound can hurt and disorient him. He can feel every individual grain of dust against his skin. But if he takes a hit, he feels the pain of impact all the more keenly."

"A double-edged sword indeed," said Watts. "So that's why he will lose this match, despite having such an impressive power."

"Perhaps," said Pyrrha. "But...I did bestow my 'favor' upon him after all. Liu has devoted himself wholly to me."

"And what does that mean?" asked Watts.

"Just that that devotion might, perhaps, allow him to overcome mere pain," said Pyrrha.

"I see," said Watts. "Mind over matter, is it? By engaging so intimately with him, you engendered a fanatical desire to serve you within him. He will power through any pain in order to seek victory for you."

"That's right," said Pyrrha. "And yet...I know Ruby will still win."

"Hmm?" Watts frowned, uncertain of that. Considering what Pyrrha had just told him, it seemed that Liu now held the decisive advantage in this fight, an advantage that Pyrrha herself had enhanced. And yet...she still thought victory would go to Ruby Rose.

 _Well...perhaps I shall see something uniquely interesting,_ thought Watts, returning his attention to the match.

* * *

"It seems like we won't be interrupted," said Liu, still baring his teeth at Ruby. "Perhaps the authorities have accepted the truth of your guilt."

 _More like they don't want to send security guards without unlocked Aura up against a maniac,_ thought Ruby. She could sense them, stationed at the staff entries into the arena. They were anxious, and chafing at being unable to do anything. But if they brought the shield down, then there was the risk of the battle affecting the audience. More to the point, Ruby knew that Liu wouldn't listen to any calls to surrender. He'd attack her anyway...and go through anyone who tried to stop him.

 _Which means_ I _have to stop him,_ thought Ruby, her grip tightening on her scythe. This was more than just a match now. Winning this battle was an extension of fulfilling her duty as a Huntress. For the sake of those who would be hurt, if she allowed Liu to do whatever he pleased, she had to stop him. _A ring-out obviously isn't going to work, so I'll just have to take down all his Aura._

The flow of bio-electricity within his body was so intense that she could feel it from here. If she was right, Liu's nervous system had been incredibly enhanced. The world probably looked as though it was in slow motion to him. His reaction-time would be vastly superior to what it was before. But she still had a chance. Even if he could perceive things much more quickly, that didn't necessarily mean that his body was capable of keeping up with his perception. If she took advantage of that lag, then she could still win.

Then the Dust-chambers on Liu's wristguards switched, both of them lining up the yellow of lightning-Dust. The tassel of his sword disconnected from the right guard. With a howl, Liu extended the first two fingers of both hands, then crossed his arms over his chest, bringing the fingers up to jab his shoulders. Crackling bolts of yellow electricity surged outwards, crawling across his body. Ruby could see and feel his muscles spasming as the energy crawled into them.

 _What is he doing?_ she thought, scarcely able to believe her eyes. _Is he using electricity to stimulate his muscles to increase their responsiveness? That could make up for the lag caused by his perception, but...he's basically electrocuting himself to do it. And the sensitivity of his nerves is increased. He must be in agony._

Indeed, Liu did seem to be in pain, but Ruby could see that he was powering right through it. He'd truly achieved a state of mind over matter, his mind refusing to acknowledge it as pain. He lowered his arms, a faint nimbus of lightning still crawling over his body. As a last action, he reached up and pulled his glasses off...and cast them aside.

"Now...I will _end_ you!" declared Liu.

And then he was gone. Next, he was behind Ruby, covering the distance between them in a blink, and flanking her easily, his sword poised to strike. He swung downwards, but Ruby was gone, a flurry of petals from where she had been standing. Ruby retreated a few yards, but then Liu was already right in front of her, his left hand extending towards her face, threatening to grab it.

Ruby leaned back and down, Liu's hand passing above her. At the same time, she planted the butt of her scythe, and channeled a burst of her Semblance through it, using it to launch herself up and away, managing to escape the followthrough slash of Liu's sword in the process. Abruptly, Ruby found herself halted, lurching back by the clasps that held her cloak to her shoulders. After missing his grab for her face, Liu had bent his arm and instead managed to snag the hem of her cloak, before she could pull it completely out of his reach.

Now Liu yanked back, pulling Ruby around and over his head, swinging her down towards the arena floor, intending to slam her against it. Shifting her balance, Ruby managed to get her feet and right hand under her. In her left, Shining Rose collapsed down into its rifle mode. This close, she didn't require both hands to aim. She still struck the floor hard, sending painful jolts up her legs and arm, but Ruby was still able to level the rifle at Liu and pull the trigger.

Her enemy managed to see it coming. Releasing her cloak, he lurched aside from the crimson line of Ruby's shot. In the same move, he turned, bringing the sword around for a powerful slash. It split the floor where Ruby had been crouched before, but she had leapt up with a powerful burst from her Semblance, using both her feet. Liu's eyes immediately tracked her and, less than a second later, he leapt up after her.

As he rose up, the Dust chambers in Liu's left wristguard switched, the wind-Dust rearming. Approaching Ruby, Liu kicked down, and a burst of wind from his foot abruptly accelerated him towards her, also changing his trajectory. Ruby's response was to use her Semblance to propel herself out of the way of his slash. But Liu kicked out with his leg again, shifting his trajectory to come at her from a new direction. It reminded Ruby of Ayumu's fighting style. But where Ayumu used technique in conjunction with his Semblance, Liu used his impressive Dustweaving skills.

But Ruby wasn't about to let herself get caught that easily. The blade of her scythe extinguished, then the head folded flush against the shaft. The wing now extended straight out from the shaft. It then extended, then divided, spreading in two directions. Ruby twisted her body around to plant her boots against the shaft. This time, she vanished from sight, flying in a tight arc around Liu to flank him from behind. The movement took the white-haired man completely by surprise, and, from the shocked exclamations that echoed through the coliseum, the audience as well.

Her flying technique hadn't appeared in any of the video footage of the fight against the Dragon. On top of that, Ruby had been careful not to use it during the period leading up to the tournament, or any of the previous rounds. She supposed it was her own trump card, but it wasn't something she thought crucial to keep secret. She just had.

Now she had flown up behind and above Liu. Before she could strike though, his head whipped around with such speed that she was surprised he hadn't wrenched his neck. The tassel of his sword plugged back into his right wristguard again, which also switched to wind-Dust. There was a burst of wind, emanating from the back of Liu's sword, just behind the tip of that curving, katana-like blade, allowing him to bring it around in a swing to match Ruby's incoming slash, as she dismounted her weapon and extended the scythe blade once more.

The two attacks met, and the pair were knocked away from each other. Ruby went through several spins, moving to stand on her weapon's shaft again, and spreading its wings once more. Liu used another Dust-fueled kick to right his movement, before dropping to the ring. Ruby descended. Her flight was an impressive skill, but she still needed to refine it more to get better mileage out of it, so it wasn't something she wanted to maintain for overly long periods of time.

Kicking Shining Rose back up into her hands, Ruby returned it to its scythe mode, and held it at the ready. Across from her, Liu panted for breath, breathing much harder than Ruby was. His skin was slick with sweat. Ruby could still see lines of electricity crawling across his chest, and down his limbs. There were quivers and spasms from his muscles that she could sense.

She couldn't imagine how much pain he was in, to be channeling the energy of lightning-Dust through his body like that. It wasn't even the act of fusing Dust with his flesh, the way some Dustweavers used it. He was essentially hitting himself with a continuous, low-power Dust attack. She could sense it in the way his Aura was gradually diminishing on its own. The lightning was inflicting damage on his body, and his Aura was gradually being consumed to compensate.

Technically, Ruby supposed she could fight conservatively, and wait Liu out. If his method was gradually wearing away at his body, then his Aura would drop down and burn out altogether after a little bit. Of course, staying out of the way of his attacks was the issue. They were fast and powerful. Even though his mind and heart were consumed by rage, Liu's technique was as impressive as ever. His attacks had only grown fiercer since he'd powered up. After taking that one hit from him, that she'd managed to block, and yet had still managed to do considerable damage to her, Ruby knew she couldn't afford to take another one. Even a glancing blow could lead to a debilitating injury.

Worse still, with both his perception and physical reflexes enhanced, Liu's speed was a match for her own. But Ruby's perception was the same as it always was. In the last exchange, she'd barely been able to stay ahead of Liu's moves.

 _Wait..._ Ruby was struck by a realization. Despite the fact that Liu had closed the gap between them in terms of speed, Ruby was still, somehow, staying ahead of him. For all that his speed in both body and reaction had increased...he still hadn't been able to land an actual blow. It took her a few seconds to understand why. When she realized it, Ruby found herself smiling. She knew what she needed to do to win.

"What are you smiling about, bitch!?" snapped Liu, his teeth-baring snarl returning. "You have no hope of living through this!"

Ruby gave him no answer. Instead, she took a deep breath, then breathed out slowly. Without dropping her stance, she relaxed her muscles, her grip on Shining Rose loosening. Her thoughts vanished into a haze, and Ruby's eyes grew distant and unfocused.

With a wordless scream, Liu charged at her, his body blurring across the space between them. Ruby met him head-on, her own body blurring as well, brief bursts of petals marking her footsteps across the floor of the ring. They met almost right in the center. Liu whipped his sword around from the right, slashing across his chest with a deft movement of his wrist to move it even faster. Despite that, Ruby slid beneath the line of his slash, dodging in close, and moving fluidly past him. Holding out the scythe behind her brought the blade flying at Liu's stomach.

Jumping, Liu executed an acrobatic flip over the slash of Ruby's scythe. The Dust chambers in his wristguards switching again, he turned his torso, while striking the back of his sword with his palm, executing an angled variant of the same slash the Ruby had dodged during the early phase of the battle. While he propelled the sword with another explosive burst of flame, he lined the blade with shimmering, blue-white ice-Dust. He wasn't aiming at Ruby, but rather the floor beneath her feet. His slash struck, and sent a sheet of ice sliding out across the already smooth surface with a speed matching that of his initial attack.

Making contact with the frictionless surface should have caused Ruby's feet to slide out from beneath her, and sent her sprawling. However, she adapted flawlessly, shifting her center of gravity to keep her balance, and use her momentum to slide out of reach of Liu's sword. Swinging her scythe back around, she planted the blade into the ground, then used it as an anchor to slide in a tight circle, and send her rushing right back at Liu.

Touching back down after his acrobatic evasion, and the counterattack that he followed it up with, Liu turned to fully face the incoming Ruby, lifting up his sword, he leveled it to point the tip right at her head, pulling back so that his right arm crossed his body, which turned side-on towards Ruby. Then he thrust, striking the pommel of his sword with another palm-strike from his left hand. The Dust chambers had switched again, this time using gravity-Dust in the left, and water in the right. Liu's palm-strike drove the sword forward, and send a needle-thin stream of water, lined with black energy, lancing out from the tip.

A carefully applied burst of her Semblance, and a slight shift of her weight, allowed Ruby to angle off to the side, away from the thrust of water, which would have pierced right through her skull otherwise. Slipping to the right, she pushed off and took to the air, twisting her body to bring Shining Rose around for a slash at Liu. Liu's eyes easily tracked her, and he quickly turned to follow her, bringing up his own sword to counter her attack.

Then Liu caught two more flashes of red in the corner of his vision. At the same time his sword met Ruby's scythe, a phantom blade bit into the Aura of his left shoulder, while a second one hooked him in the back of his knees. Immediately, he recognized the technique that Ruby had debuted against Neon in the doubles round.

But knowing what it was didn't mean he knew how to counter it. Ruby bounced away from having her scythe parried. Liu immediately charged at her, figuring that keeping her on the defensive might also keep her from using those strange attacks. Swinging down in an overhead blow, Liu released the handle of his sword, his grip instead transferring to the tassel, making it almost into an extended, bladed flail. The blade was sheathed with wind, enhancing its edge and speed, and also steadying its course, to ensure that it struck true. The attack served to extend Liu's range, as well as maximize the speed of the movement at the tip of the already-long sword, ensuring that he would catch his opponent by surprise.

Except that Ruby appeared to be immune to such things as surprise. A burst of red petals from the wing of her weapon signified the activation of her Semblance, bringing the scythe around with a speed to match that of Liu's attack, easily batting the sword away from her. Whirling the scythe around her body in a blur, Ruby shifted forward to come at Liu again, even as he charged at her.

Releasing the tassel, Liu caught the sword's handle, before it could start tumbling out of control. Reading the course of Ruby's next attack, Liu's muscles contracted explosively, the lightning channeled into them making them tighten harder and faster than they normally could. As a result, when Ruby triggered her Semblance again, abruptly accelerating her attack, Liu matched her, their strikes meeting, and canceling one another out. However, Liu lurched as three more phantom blades appeared from thin air in that same instant, each one striking him from a separate trajectory. It was as though Ruby's attacks had mysteriously multiplied.

Howling, Liu refused to allow himself to be driven back. The pain from those slashes was excruciating, only further magnified by his Frenzied Nerves, and building atop the agony already caused by the continuous stream of electricity flowing through his muscles. But Liu forced that aside. Pain had no meaning to him, so long as he was fighting for Pyrrha. _If it's for her, I can endure anything! I can overcome anything! I will bring this filthy heretic down!_

Lowering his sword, Liu turned it around, and kicked the back of the blade again, while slashing up in the same motion. As before, he lined the blade with flame, while propelling it with an explosive burst of wind. Rather than try to block or avoid it, Ruby met his attack full-on, swinging her scythe downwards, the wing increasing in size, and a flurry of petals exploding out from it. The two attacks met with a deafening ring, the explosion blossoming between the two fighters, even as the impact of their collision sent them flying back away from each other. Liu's skin burned as the heat of his own flames washed over him. However, Ruby seemed unscathed, her attack actually serving to divide both the flames and heat around her body, leaving only the fringes of her cloak lightly smoking.

Despite his fury, Liu found himself staring at Ruby in amazement. Only Pyrrha had ever managed to defeat him and his Semblance. He hadn't lost once after that, especially not after he'd developed the technique of channeling lightning into his muscles to speed his body up. In this state, no one should have been able to match him.

Yet Ruby did. She never wavered, never showed fear, and hadn't even allowed him to land a glancing blow since he'd engaged his Frenzied Nerves. And now...Liu was the one feeling fear. _Why won't she fall?_

* * *

The shift in the battle was apparent. All around them, the audience had expressed fear and distress at the fact that Liu was now attempting to kill Ruby. People were wondering why security wasn't doing anything, shouting to stop the match. But then Ruby had shown she could fly, then she'd seemingly turned the tables, unfazed by the fact her opponent was coming at her to kill. Quickly, the audience's fear turned to fascination, then excitement, as the match continued.

Yang had noticed an abrupt change in Gin as well. When Ruby had descended back into the ring again, then seemed to just...zone out, Gin had straightened up, dropping his tense posture. He'd surged out of his seat and leaned over the edge of the wall, almost smacking his face against the barrier, watching the match with wide eyes.

"What is it?" asked Yang, surprised by Gin's reaction.

"She's doing it!" he said, his voice an ecstatic whisper. "She's really doing it!"

"What is 'it' exactly," asked Blake a little dubiously.

"Well, it has a few different names," said Gin settling back into his seat, looking much more relaxed now. "In Ruby's case, we call it the Empty Blade."

"What does that mean?" asked Jaune.

"Basically, she stops thinking and lets her technique do the talking," said Gin. "I hadn't realized she's that far along."

"I...I don't get it," said Nora.

"Well, it's tricky to explain..." said Gin, doing his best to lay it out for them.

* * *

Up above, Yu's grin threatened to split his face in two. He'd noticed the instant Ruby had come to her realization. _That's right, Ruby. No matter how fast that moron's reaction is, it doesn't change the fact that he's still_ reacting _. He's waiting to see you move, then deciding how to respond. Those enhanced nerves of his definitely ensure that it's a damn quick process._

 _But not matter how quick it is, you can surpass it, because you're not waiting to see what he's doing. You don't need to process it. By the time you sense his actions, you've not only read ahead, but your body is already doing its part. Before now, you didn't realize you were doing it. But now that you do..._

He observed as Ruby went on the attack, the blade of her scythe seeming to multiply, as she conceptualized multiple attacks, in addition to the movement of her actual scythe. _It looks like developing that move was the catalyst,_ he thought. _That's the gulf between talent and effort. Talented people can realize stuff like this easily. But only someone who's put in the effort can fully let go, and trust themselves to their technique. She can fight like this because she's burned every move she's learned into her body through all the practice she's put in. Talent and effort...when those things come together, the results are explosive._

Yu chuckled. "And to think, I thought teaching her was an annoying chore when I first picked her up. To think it's led to moments like this..." He cackled. "I made the right decision. This thrill, the feeling of watching her rise like this...it's almost as good as a true battle. Who knew teaching could be this rewarding? It makes me want to push her even harder!" He leered down at the red figure in the arena, his excitement rising. "Now, show me more, Ruby Rose!"

* * *

Ruby could sense Liu's body approaching its limit. The pain and damaged caused by the lightning channeled through his muscles only served to exacerbate the damage she inflicted, even the relatively light damage caused by her manifested edges. His Aura had already dropped into the red zone. The buzzer had sounded after their last exchange. But Ruby knew better than to think the fight was over. Liu no longer cared about the rules, so he wouldn't let being disqualified stop him...even though he'd disqualified himself the moment he'd stated his intent to kill her.

At this point, Liu only had it in him for one last exchange. If he could manage to strike a decisive blow, he might even make it a fatal one. On the other hand, if Ruby countered him, she would cleave away the last of his Aura, and then be able to disable him easily. Their battle had entered into its final stage.

With an angry growl, Liu disconnected his sword's tassel from his right wristguard. Transferring it to his left hand, he reversed his grip on it, holding it with the flat resting against his arm, the first two fingers of his left hand extending down the length of the handle. Ruby recognized the stance. This was the same powerful technique that he'd employed to defeat Chrys during the qualifying round. As she'd expected, the Dust chambers in his wristguards switched to gravity-Dust.

Ruby met Liu's gaze, and sank into a crouch, levering her scythe back, gripping it firmly in both hands, holding it to her right, with her right hand closer to the head of the weapon than the left. She turned her torso, so that her weapon extended straight out behind her. To everyone watching, she was telegraphing completely what she was about to do. Only a scant few, the friends who'd watched her fight with Weiss and Pyrrha, knew what Ruby was about to do.

"I don't understand," growled Liu, glaring at her. "How can you face my fury...and remain standing so firmly?"

"Hating someone doesn't make you stronger than them," said Ruby simply.

Glowering, Liu's muscles tensed, the crackling electricity running through them intensifying. His entire body tensed, reminding Ruby of a coiling spring, building up power in preparation for an absolutely explosive release. Then, with one last roar, he charged her.

Ruby didn't move. She didn't seem to react when Liu sank into a low crouch, extending his right leg all the way forward, while bending his left leg under him, leaning to extend his sword over his back, while stretching his right arm out with his first two fingers pointing up. Ruby seemed to ignore the black plane, stretching like an extension of Liu's shadow, spreading across the floor to her feet, anchoring her in place. She didn't seem to move when Liu abruptly surged upwards, whipping the sword back around in his grip, while also taking the handle in his right hand as well, sweeping it up in a powerful semicircular strike that would split her in two.

No one saw Ruby move. There was a flicker, then an eerie, whistling noise, the sound of air being parted before a remarkably sharp edge. There was a flash of crimson light, then a flurry of petals spread out and away from the two combatants in a perfect ring. It was like watching a film that had skipped a frame. One second, Ruby had been poised for a perfectly ordinary horizontal strike, the next, she stood as though she'd just finished it, her scythe now gripped only in her left hand, with the shaft stretching across her back.

An object whirled through the air, before falling down to land on the ring. The broken blade of Liu's sword bounced, then clattered across the floor, leaving only a scant few inches of it extending from the handle, still gripped in his hand. Liu's body lurched back, mouth open in a silent scream, a line of red light extending across his chest, before fading. There was a crackle, and his Aura flickered, then dispersed completely.

Ruby turned about, bringing her scythe around for another blow, spinning up and over her had. At the same time, a phantom blade struck low, from a different direction, sweeping Liu's legs out from under him and causing him to fall over backwards. Before his body could even hit the floor, Ruby brought her scythe down, plunging the glowing red blade through his chest, impaling him, and nailing him right to the floor.

And with that...the battle was over.

* * *

 **Phew. This chapter was a beast to proofread...**

 **Part of the fun of writing an Enishi expy was working out how his various Wattojutsu techniques could be adapted and given that RWBY twist. Of course, adding Dust makes that pretty easy, actually. On top of that, having the explanation of "it's a Semblance" makes his Frenzied Nerves trick a lot easier to swallow than the explanation the _Rurouni Kenshin_ manga gives for how they came about. I'm not a neurologist, but I'm pretty sure that nerves do _not_ work that way.**

 **It's nice to see that all of this comes together to give even the leveled-up Ruby a run for her money, for a little bit. Hopefully, that fight was as fun for you all to read as it was for me to write.**


	110. Chapter 110

**Chapter 110:**

"Wha-what did she just do?!" asked Oobleck, his glasses nearly tumbling from his face as he lurched forward in shock. "Even if he was trying to kill her..."

" _Do not worry,_ " said Ozpin's voice over the intercom. " _Ms. Rose is not the murderous sort. Mr. Bai will be fine._ "

A jolt of motion from the ring caught the attention of the commentators. Looking down, they both saw the safety barrier lowering, and the security guards streaming in. The ring was lowering down, with Liu and Ruby still on it, Liu still impaled by the blade of Ruby's scythe. But Liu was still moving. It wasn't the spasm of somebody dying, but the effort of someone definitely still alive, trying to keep going.

"What in the world...?" asked Port, mustache twitching.

* * *

Gasping and wheezing, Liu released the remains of his sword, letting the handle clatter to the floor. His arms reached up towards Ruby, fingers grasping and curling.

"...Kill you..." he gasped breathlessly, bloodshot eyes rolling.

"Wow...you really _don't_ care about pain," observed Ruby, feeling a little tired of it all. "It's kinda boring though. You really don't seem to think about anything else."

"This...this isn't how it will end," wheezed Liu. "My goddess...she promised me..."

"Pyrrha came to you, didn't she?" asked Ruby.

"Of...of course she did," hissed Liu. "She promised me her love...if I killed you."

"She lied," said Ruby, almost feeling sorry for this pathetic young man. "I know for a fact that Pyrrha didn't care a bit about you. She only has eyes for someone else."

"Wha-what do you mean?" gasped Liu. "How would you know?"

"It's the reason she tried to kill me," replied Ruby. "We both wanted the same boy, and she tried to kill me to take out the competition. She hasn't given up on him. I know that. So, when she promised you her love, it was empty. She doesn't care about you at all. She never did."

"You...l-lie!" accused Liu.

"I don't care if you believe me or not," said Ruby, as the ring finished descending, with a slight jolt from connecting with the outer-ring.

The guards rushed towards them, rifles held at the ready, but not trained on either of them. They had expected to have to take Ruby into custody, after seeing her plunge the blade of her scythe through Liu. What they didn't expect was to see Liu still alive, and apparently in no danger of dying, despite his condition. Then, to their amazement, Ruby pulled her scythe free, leaving Liu's shirt split open, but his body unharmed. Only a red line bisecting his abdomen vertically served as evidence that Shining Rose's blade had been there at all.

Ruby collapsed her scythe back down into its storage mode, then holstered it behind her back. She walked towards, then past the guards, nodding to them. They stared after her for a few seconds, stunned, then remembered what they were doing. Quickly, they rushed to take Liu into custody. Ruby walked calmly out of the arena, leaving an almost deafening silence in her wake.

Then Port recovered enough wherewithal to announce the results. Technically, Liu had forfeited the match the second he'd announced his intent to kill Ruby. But now he made it an official declaration. The undisputed winner of the first match of the quarterfinals was Ruby Rose. With that, the deafening silence was replaced by an even more deafening roar, as the audience surged to its feet, the vast majority of them cheering their approval.

In the center of it all, Liu lay on the floor, seeming almost catatonic. When the guards hoisted him up, he made no response, hanging limp in their grip, not noticing as they stripped away his wristguards, then handcuffed his arms behind his back. People hardly seemed to care about the spectacle of him being dragged out of the arena, too busy cheering for Ruby.

* * *

Yang slumped back down into her seat, letting out a tired breath of relief. "She did it," she whispered. Beside her, Jaune rested his hand over her own, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"You should go to her," he advised.

"I will," said Yang. "I just need to get my breath back, after holding it for so long." She glanced at the empty seat on her other side, and chuckled. "Besides, I think somebody else gets to have the first crack at congratulating her."

* * *

"Congratulations, Ruby!" cheered Penny, when Ruby entered the ready-room. "You were sensational!"

Before Ruby could respond, she was swept up in a hug that made her bones creak, her breath escaping her in a strangled groan. "Thanks...Penny," she managed to choke out.

When Penny finally released her, Ruby dropped, then staggered slightly. Ayumu came and steadied her. "You did well," he said. "I'm proud to see you've come so far."

"Thanks," said Ruby, her heart warming from his praise.

"Wow, you really did it," said Sun, waving to Ruby from the couch, but not getting up, though his grin made his excitement apparent. "I was starting to get worried that no one would be able to take down that jerk."

"Thanks," said Ruby, smiling at Sun.

Letting go of her, Ayumu headed to the door. "Although, I think there's someone who's even prouder of you," he said, opening it.

Gin was standing there, actually looking a little winded from running through the coliseum hallways. For a second, he and Ruby stood there, staring at each other. Then they surged forward in unison, wordlessly seizing each other in a tight, mutual embrace, clinging tightly to one another. The cool sensation of Gin's touch wrapped around her, draining away the last of her tension. Ruby felt herself almost go limp in his arms. She barely had the wherewithal to pull back and look him in the eyes. She could see the relief in his gaze.

He'd been worried, she realized. Even though he knew her better than anyone else at this point, even though he believed in her more than anyone...he still worried. He'd never _stop_ worrying. She smiled. That was fine. She knew that Gin would always worry for her, even though he respected her so much. Ruby supposed that was a part of being in love. Even though she'd known what she'd needed to do to win, even though she'd been able to do it, she'd had plenty of her own fear. Now it was over and, for a brief while, at least, they could be free of worry and fear.

Leaning in, they kissed, pressing their lips together for a long moment. Then Ruby rested her chin on Gin's shoulder, and simply allowed him to hold her tight. His embrace was powerful, but not as bone-crushingly strong as Penny's was. There were no words. They didn't need words. So they stayed like that, holding each other for several long minutes, letting the world pass them by.

* * *

Watts stroked his chin. "How did you know, Ms. Nikos, that Ruby Rose would win the day? It seems to me that Liu Bai held every advantage."

"Because Ruby isn't that weak," said Pyrrha. "Weiss and I were stupid, the second time we fought her. We never really thought to question _why_ Ruby took so long to come back, what she'd been doing all that time. Now I realize she had been training, preparing herself to fight us. She even went through the trouble of creating a new weapon for herself that would be unaffected by my Semblance."

"And you believe that her training would make her superior to Liu Bai?" asked Watts.

Pyrrha giggled. "At the end of the day, Liu is nothing more than anger and spite. He has power, speed, and skill. But I realized that Ruby's strength goes deeper than that. She has something... _more_."

"And what is that something?" asked Watts.

"I'm not sure," Pyrrha admitted. "Part of the reason I put Liu up to this, besides the fact that it makes such a wonderful prelude to your plan, was so I could see Ruby in action, and get a better idea of what that something is."

"And did you?" asked Watts.

Pyrrha frowned. "I'm not certain," she said. "Liu's nerves took his reaction past the human limit. He even went the extra mile, and used lightning-Dust to enhance his muscles to keep up with his reaction-speed. Yet Ruby somehow still managed to match him. It was like she knew what was coming, and like there was no gap between her perception and action."

"Fascinating," said Watts. He had trouble understanding what had happened as well. He was a scientist, yet, by all calculations, he had believed that Liu Bai had held an overwhelming advantage. Yet, somehow...Ruby Rose had managed a decisive win. It seemed that there was something at work here, something that went beyond data.

 _Well...it doesn't really matter all that much,_ thought Watts. At the end of the day, Ruby's performance in the tournament was immaterial, as was the outcome of the tournament itself. Before long, that would be the last thing on people's minds. Instead, they would drown in fear and pain, while the Kingdom of Vale crumbled around them.

He smiled. _Regardless of what secret Ruby Rose may hold, both she and Liu Bai have played their parts. Her victory is undoubtedly euphoric. But Liu Bai's actions will have triggered an undercurrent of unease that future matches will bring to the surface. Ms. Nikos was right. This match is an excellent prelude._

Beside Watts, Pyrrha was wearing a smile of her own, looking forward to the day she confronted Ruby Rose again. This time, she would be the one standing victorious. _My mistake, Ruby, was not respecting you. However much I may hate you, I should have known better than to underestimate you. That was the mistake Weiss and I made. I_ won't _make it again._ She glanced at Watts. Truth be told, she didn't give a damn about his plans for Vale or Beacon. She didn't care that his mysterious mistress wanted Ruby alive, for whatever reason. What she _did_ know was that, one way or another, she would end Ruby with her own hands.

* * *

"Damn," grumbled Emerald, sinking back into her seat. "There goes my hope that Bai would make things easier for us by killing that brat."

"It was obviously too much to hope for," said Cinder, leaning her cheek idly against her hand, propped up by the elbow that rested on the arm of her seat. "It seems that pawns failing to perform to expectations is something of a running theme."

Emerald flinched at the implied rebuke in Cinder's words. Granted, she was also referring to Adam Taurus, who had now lost nearly the entirety of the White Fang's forces, but Emerald also felt the sting of knowing that _she'd_ failed Cinder. After all, when Cinder had needed Emerald's support, Emerald had already been completely neutralized...and by perfume, of all things. _When I see that White Fang bitch again, I'll treat her to a vision of Hell,_ Emerald silently promised herself.

"Still, at least Bai did his part in the larger scheme of things," said Cinder, casually nibbling on her thumb. "Ruby may be basking in the accolades of her success for now. But people will soon be asking very uncomfortable questions, even if she isn't the one expected to answer them."

Even now, she could hear some murmurs from the crowds around them. While many were excitedly discussing the fight, a few were angrily asking why the match hadn't been stopped.

"Where was the security?" they wanted to know.

"Why didn't anyone do anything?"

"What were they thinking, letting someone like that in the tournament?"

"Why was someone like that allowed to enter an Academy?"

"What are they teaching people in those schools?"

A smirk slowly spread across Cinder's face. Doubt was gnawing away at the foundation of the jubilation at the match's result. When they began the next phase of their plan, she would see it eaten away completely, and cause the morale of the people to collapse as a result. She wished they could arrange the next match in order to do so as completely as possible. But that was no good. They had to take things slowly.

Cinder felt it within her, the gnawing, treacherous hunger, the lust the Maiden's power had for its missing portion. It demanded satisfaction. But she could wait. Then, while the Kingdom was mired in chaos, Ozpin would reach out to his presumptive new Maiden, and, in doing so, reveal to Cinder where Amber was being kept. Then Cinder would get what belonged to her.

* * *

Ruby wished that her blissful reunion with Gin could last a little while longer. By all rights, it should have. Her match was the first one of the evening, which meant she and Gin should have been free to cuddle, while they watched the remaining matches play out. She didn't even have to worry about a post-match interview right away. In order to keep things moving swiftly and smoothly, there would only be a brief, thirty-minute intermission between matches, barring unforeseen circumstances, while the damaged inner ring was swapped out with an intact one for the next match. Lisa would instead be conducting the post-match interviews the following day.

Unfortunately, the end of her fight against Liu had some unpleasant fallout, which took the form of a member of the coliseum's security team showing up at the door to the ready-room, and requesting that Ruby answer some questions about the situation. Fortunately, as Ruby wasn't the one who'd done anything wrong, Gin was allowed to accompany her.

Ruby and Gin were taken to a small conference room. Of all the things one expected to find in Amity Coliseum, Ruby hadn't ever imagined this. However, it seemed that even this place needed such amenities, where the minutia that went into organizing the tournament was dealt with. Once there, Ruby was asked about a few particulars, mainly about her history with Liu, and whatever prior knowledge she might have had, regarding his intentions.

Ruby answered as honestly as she dared. She admitted that she'd always felt threatened by Liu, namely that he clearly had an intense grudge against her, and had felt that from the moment their paths had crossed. However, she'd only had the smallest of hunches that his hatred for her ran so deep that he would willingly attempt to kill her in such a public venue. She decided to omit her encounter with him the night she'd gone on that dinner-date with Whitley.

When asked why she hadn't tried to call for an end to the match herself, Ruby phrased her response as best she could. "Honestly, I don't think Liu would have allowed it. Even if security had come in, he still would have come after me."

Other questions were asked, which Ruby answered as best she could. Truth be told, she was tired, and just wanted to relax and watch the rest of the quarterfinals with Gin. Unfortunately, by the time the interrogation was ended, the intermission had passed, and Ruby found that she had missed a significant portion of Mercury's match.

Mercury had gone up against Lloyd, from Atlas. The white-armored boy revealed that his futuristic armor was, in fact, his primary weapon. Upon activation, it channeled Dust to enhance his otherwise unarmed blows, while the strange headset he wore actually expanded into a full-face helmet and mask. He'd put up a good fight, but Ruby wasn't all that surprised to see him go down in the end. From her perspective, watching a recording of the match, Ruby couldn't see any signs of foul play. Mercury had struggled a little, finding the power necessary to penetrate that substantial armor. But he'd managed it in the end.

Of course, if Emerald had used her Semblance to intervene and stack the odds in Mercury's favor, it wouldn't be easy to tell, not if it worked the way she and her friends suspected. There were times when Lloyd seemed distracted and disoriented. But it was when Mercury had unleashed a barrage of white shots, that whirled around and released what looked like steam that clouded the ring. Perhaps his helmet had included the necessary sensors to see through such an obstruction, perhaps not. All Ruby could tell was that he'd been hindered enough that Mercury was able to strike a decisive blow from behind, a blow which served as a prelude for a powerful assault that had ultimately brought the student from Atlas down.

Fortunately, while she'd missed Mercury's match, Ruby didn't have to worry about missing the next one, which was revealed to be Penny, fighting against Sunil from Shade. By that point, Ruby had rejoined her friends in the audience.

* * *

"Ooh! That's gonna leave a mark."

"Are legs supposed to bend that way?"

"I think he left an impression in the floor."

"I almost feel sorry for the guy."

"Ugh! He's gonna need therapy after that one."

"I think _I'm_ gonna need therapy after that one."

They weren't all that surprised by Penny's victory, even if they found themselves sympathizing with her opponent. Poor Sunil hadn't stood a chance. The gold gauntlet over his right arm was revealed to transform into a Dust-enhanced pata-sword, which he was clearly well-versed in the use of. It was an impressive weapon, and Sunil's style was refined. But he was largely helpless against the onslaught of Penny's remote blades, not to mention her own monstrous strength. Sunil found himself on the receiving end of a brutal offensive from the moment the match began. In less than five minutes, Sunil was blown out of the ring.

" _And with that, Penny Polendina advances to the semifinals!_ " declared Oobleck as enthusiastically as ever. " _Sad to say, but she was clearly a poor match for Sunil Karim. He most likely didn't have the best opportunity to display his skills._ "

" _But he most certainly put up an excellent fight,_ " added Port. " _I am sure that his family and teachers are quite proud of his performance._ "

"I feel sorry for the guy," said Yang. "He didn't seem a bad sort."

"Well, a win is a win," said Ren, sounding almost dismissive.

"What's important is what comes next," said Blake, a small, eager smile on her face.

"Yeah!" agreed Nora eagerly. "Time for Team January to take this thing!"

"Don't get too cocky," advised Neptune, from a few seats down. "Your guy may be good, but my money's definitely on Sun."

Ruby giggled. Despite what Port had said at the beginning of the semifinals, there was one match whose participants had much greater advance warning of who they were going up against. It was the same throughout the tournament. Whichever teams were fortunate, or unfortunate, enough to wind up being the last ones matched up would know who they were going up against, by simple process of elimination. Thus, once the match of Penny versus Sunil had been announced, everyone had known that the final match of the quarterfinals would be Ayumu Ao versus Sun Wukong.

And it promised to be an interesting match to be sure. Ruby would normally have thought Ayumu to have a decisive advantage. But then the qualifying round had revealed Sun's trump card, his brand new materialized weapon, something that none of them had thought he would have been able to manage before the tournament. It was an impressive development for sure, and one that cast the outcome of this match in doubt. Ruby had to admit that it was definitely possible that Sun might win.

If that was the case, it was probably the only time she _wouldn't_ begrudge her plan going off the rails.

So, as Sunil was carried off the ring on a stretcher, with Penny fretting sympathetically over him, everyone found themselves waiting with bated breath for the final match of the quarterfinals. Already, people were excitedly talking about their favorites to win.

"Sorry, Ruby," said Blake, giving Ruby an apologetic smile, "but I'm going to cheer for Sun, in this match."

"It's fine," said Ruby, smiling back.

"Hope you're ready to give him your sympathy when he loses," said Nora competitively.

"Hah! Our leader's got this in the bag," declared Scarlet.

"Don't be sure," said Jaune. "Ayumu hasn't shown what he can really do."

"What do you think?" asked Sage, leaning past the group and looking at the two people probably best qualified to predict the outcome of the match.

Ruby and Gin shared a look. "Well..." said Ruby. "Ayumu definitely has the edge, when it comes to training and experience. He's the one who taught me and Sun about materialization too. Not only that, but his _Shingan_ is the best of all of us."

"But Sun's definitely got the edge, when it comes to creativity," said Gin thoughtfully. "He seems the sort who can pull of an unexpected result."

They shrugged in unison.

"Well that was helpful," said Yang, with good-humored sarcasm.

* * *

"You ready for this?" asked Sun, grinning at Ayumu.

"I believe so," said Ayumu cheerfully. "I look forward to seeing what you can do, Mr. Sun."

"Dude! I told you, just Sun is fine," said Sun with a grin. "We're friends, aren't we?"

"We are," answered Ayumu.

Standing up, Sun faced Ayumu and held up his hand. Ayumu met it, and the two traded a friendly clasp.

"By the way," added Sun, "I just wanted to say, what you and Ruby are planning...If I win, I promise I'll carry it out for you."

"That's generous," said Ayumu cheerfully, "and quite confident. If you wind up facing Ms. Penny next round, that might be a little difficult."

"You could say the same, couldn't you?" asked Sun.

"I suppose," admitted Ayumu. "We'll just have to see how this match pans out first. There's no point in counting our chickens before they hatch."

"True, I guess," said Sun.

They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Ayumu blinked, then smiled, his _Shingan_ already allowing him to recognize who was on the other side. He slid the door open, Sun tilting his head in confusion at the sight of the empty hallway beyond. Ayumu stepped aside, the closed the door once more. There was a flash, and a familiar, diminutive girl with two-toned pink and brown hair appeared.

"What the Hell?!" exclaimed Sun, dropping into a crouch and reaching behind him to draw his weapon. "You're Torchwick's-!"

"Please calm yourself," said Ayumu, stepping between the two of them, hands raised placatingly. "Neo is on our side now."

"She is?" Sun blinked, and stared at the girl, who leaned out away from Ayumu's side and waved with a cheeky grin.

"Well, you don't have to be smug about it," Sun muttered petulantly.

"I'm a bit surprised you'd be here," said Ayumu, looking to Neo. "We hadn't told Sun yet."

Neo pointed at Sun, then at Ayumu. "Well yes," he said. "I suppose they were. But he and Neptune aren't completely in the loop yet."

Neo blinked, her eyes switching colors. She looked at Sun again.

Ayumu sighed. "Yes, I suppose you're right."

"Uh...What's going on?" asked Sun, getting the distinct impression that he was only hearing one half of the conversation.

"Oh, Neo was just inquiring about why you didn't know about her," said Ayumu. He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Unfortunately, there's a lot about the current situation that we haven't told you yet."

"Uh, I understand," said Sun, rubbing the back of his neck. "Blake's told me that too."

"It's a situation where, the more people who know what's at stake, the more likely things are going to get...complicated," said Ayumu with a sigh. "We know for a fact that you're trustworthy, but, depending on how willing you are to get your teammates involved, you might well end up keeping secrets from them."

"I can see that," said Sun, rolling his eyes up pensively. Then he looked back to Neo. "So...why are you here then?"

Neo beamed, then turned and pulled Ayumu into a deep kiss. Ayumu's cheeks immediately turned red, and Sun's jaw dropped. After a long moment, Neo pulled away, wearing an impish grin, while Ayumu looked slightly dazed. After another moment, Ayumu blinked, twitched, then appeared to come back to reality.

"Um...well...thank you," he said blushing all the harder, while Neo let out an almost inaudible giggle.

"So I gather the two of you are a thing now," said Sun.

"Ah! Yes," said Ayumu, still blushing, while Neo nodded happily next to him.

"Good for you, man," said Sun with a grin. "Makes me feel jealous though."

"Well, I'm certain that Ms. Blake will be cheering for you with all her might," said Ayumu. He turned back to Neo. "I'm grateful that you're here. But are you sure that it's safe?"

Neo nodded, then pointed at the screen.

"Oh," said Ayumu, nodding to himself. "So they're in the audience."

Neo nodded again.

"How can you understand her?" asked Sun, completely baffled by this conversation.

"It's not that hard, once you get used to it," said Ayumu.

Neo nodded.

"...I don't get it," said Sun.

Ayumu laughed. "Neo combines basic body language with subliminal flashes of light, produced by her Semblance. I can't say for certain whether it's a code, or something else. The best I can say is that you could say she produces brief bursts of light that effectively 'upload' further meaning to supplement her gestures, directly through a person's retinas."

Neo nodded.

"Of course, if she has to articulate more complex ideas, she does have to resort to using her scroll to communicate," added Ayumu, prompting yet another nod.

"Oh...that makes sense," said Sun, still not really getting it. He supposed that someone probably had to spend at least some time around the diminutive girl to understand her, but he suspected that hardly anyone had figured out the secret to her communication as well as Ayumu had, not if it was as subtle as Ayumu had suggested.

It also made him wary of Ayumu, at least as an opponent. The idea that Ayumu had noticed something of that nature told Sun that Ayumu had a much clearer understanding of the world around him than most people. It seemed that Ayumu was the kind of person who noticed tiny details that others would simply gloss over. That being the case, Sun figured that _he_ was the one entering this fight at a disadvantage.

Sun clapped his hands to his face, clearing his head. _Get it together, Sun. You've got to have confidence in your own skills. It doesn't matter how well Ayumu can sense things around him. I'll just break through with pure skill._

Ayumu had sensed Sun's brief moment of concern, followed by his bolstering of his own confidence. _He won't be an easy opponent,_ Ayumu thought. _I may have superior experience, and more refined senses. But Sun clearly has boundless creativity on his side. He's like Ruby, both an extremely talented person, and an exceptional hard-worker. I shouldn't take him lightly._

Neo's hand tapping on his chest brought Ayumu's attention back to her. Neo pouted at him. "Oh, sorry," he said.

Despite the tension in the air, resulting from their inevitable clash in the ring, Sun couldn't help but smile at the interplay between the pair, and wish that Blake was in the room to share this moment with him, the way Neo was with Ayumu. "You know what, you two hang out," he said, before pointing to a more isolated corner of the room. "I'm just gonna be...over there."

With that, Sun gave the pair as much privacy as he could. Ayumu watched him go, feeling a little guilty that Sun had basically felt the need to isolate himself to give them some time together. However, Neo quickly pulled his attention back to her by gently tugging Ayumu's sleeve, and pulling him, until they were sitting on the couch. There, Neo sat herself in Ayumu's lap, and curled up against him. Unable to help himself, Ayumu wrapped his arms around her, then rested his chin atop her head, the pair taking a brief, quiet moment, before the next match began.

The call for Sun and Ayumu to enter the ring came all too soon, for Ayumu and Neo. Reluctantly, Neo let go of Ayumu, then watched from behind as the pair headed out into the arena. After the door closed, she turned on the holo-screen, and prepared to watch the match herself.

* * *

"Are you planning to fight with your new weapon alone?" asked Ayumu. "I noticed you left your original one behind."

"Yeah," said Sun. "I figured it would be best not to give you any chances from the start. You seem the kind of guy who won't let me off easy, if I take you too lightly."

"You would be right about that," said Ayumu with cheerful confidence.

They emerged out into the arena, once again struck with the sound of the audience's cheers as an almost tangible force in its own right. Grinning, Sun turned and waved to the audience as he walked, feeling invigorated by the excitement in the air. Even though he looked as though he was playing to the crowd, his eyes were actually searching for one person in particular. It wasn't hard to find her. He saw Blake smiling and waving to him, cheering with all her might. He appreciated the effort on her part, even though her voice was swallowed up by the roar of the crowd overall.

Ayumu, in the meantime, appeared almost not to notice the cheers. In fact, he let the sound wash off of him, like water off the surface of a smooth stone, centering himself and preparing entirely for the battle ahead. It wouldn't be a life-or-death struggle, like Ruby's fight against Liu Bai had been, but Ayumu resolved to take his opponent seriously all the same, out of respect, if nothing else.

They marched out onto the tiled surface of the inner ring, taking up their respective positions. With a slight shudder, the ring began to rise into the air, as the lighting rig descended from above once more. The two boys turned to face each other, then bowed respectfully. Ayumu brought his hands together, hiding the creation of his sword with his sleeves. He pulled them apart to reveal the Green Destiny, in all of its glory. Ayumu flicked the sword, prompting its eerie ring to fill the air of the coliseum.

Sun grinned, and brought his hands together. Puling them apart revealed a red shaft between them, before he released with his left hand, and began spinning it with his right, revealing the curved, gold caps on each end of the staff. Stopping his spin, Sun took up the Nyoi Bo in both hands, holding the weapon at an angle, and sinking into a ready-stance himself.

Above them, the voice of Oobleck echoed through the arena. " _And now, the final match of the quarterfinals is about to begin! Ayumu Ao of Beacon Academy, and Sun Wukong of Haven Academy, will face one another in the ring._ "

" _This promises to be an exciting match,_ " declared Port. " _Sun Wukong in particular has made plenty of fans over the course of the tournament, no doubt due to his natural charm and_ masculine _appeal._ "

" _But Ayumu Ao certainly has his fair share of support,_ " noted Oobleck. " _He has proven to be a steady competitor in both the previous rounds, and has largely gone untouched by his opponents. People might consider his weapon a little lackluster, but there's no question that he is easily one of the most adaptable fighters so far._ "

"Lackluster..." muttered Ayumu, feeling a bit hurt, in spite of himself.

"Don't worry about it," consoled Sun. "You'll make them rethink it soon enough."

"I certainly hope to," Ayumu replied.

" _And now, let the match commence,_ " declared Port.

Oobleck began the countdown. " _Three...two...one...Begin!_ "

* * *

 **Well, this chapter ended up on the short side. I didn't want to go into Ayumu's match with Sun, because I wasn't sure where I would be able to leave off, without the chapter growing to absurd lengths. It also makes for a nice little breather, after all the tension from the last chapter.**


	111. Chapter 111

**Chapter 111:**

The second Oobleck's shout echoed through the arena, the two fighters sprang into motion. Sun and Ayumu both dashed at each other, covering the distance between them in the blink of an eye. Sun swung his staff to meet Ayumu's sword, the two weapons meeting with a loud ring. Ayumu's blade immediately bounced back from the powerful blow, and Sun went on the offensive.

The Nyoi Bo was a blur, Sun whirling it around with a speed that was easily a match for Ruby's scythe, whipping the weapon out in several swift swings at Ayumu, who worked his Green Destiny to parry the swift and powerful attacks. However, strength wasn't Ayumu's forte. He was able to deflect the blows by shifting the impact away from him, but blocking outright wasn't something he could do easily. Furthermore, the superior reach of Sun's staff allowed him to rain attacks from outside Ayumu's range.

 _It's more than that,_ thought Ayumu, skipping around Sun, skirting him, and trying a new angle. _His staff can extend and retract at will. That means that the entire ring is within his range. By swiftly extending, then retracting it, he can even utilize it to simulate projectile attacks._

That meant retreating wouldn't do much for him. Granted, Ayumu wasn't completely helpless at range, but his best options would always be within the direct reach of his sword. So it was best to get closer to Sun, and strike back.

Sun went for a low swing, aiming at Ayumu's legs. Barely flexing his knees, Ayumu hopped over the strike, bending his body over in the process, allowing him to slip his upper body below the line of Sun's followthrough strike. Despite the low effort of his jump, Ayumu's body drifted in the air like a dandelion seed. Whipping his sword out, he struck Sun's staff from below, knocking its course further up. It wouldn't really do much to stop Sun, but the sudden change in course of his staff forced him to correct, which threw off his rhythm slightly.

Executing a graceful flip, Ayumu's feet quickly reconnected with the floor, and he darted forward, his blade lashing out, seeking Sun's body. Sun's eyes widened, but he quickly retracted his staff, easily maneuvering it in the close-quarters, with Ayumu's sword. Their weapons rapped against each other rapidly, Sun now gripping his shortened staff like a sword itself. Then, to Ayumu's surprise, Sun actually stepped in closer still, his staff compacting even more. Wielding it like a baton, Sun went low, ducking beneath a slash of Ayumu's own blade, and aiming for Ayumu's shins.

Ayumu jumped, the move easily carrying him over Sun's head. Rotating his body in midair, Ayumu whipped his sword around for a slash at Sun's back. However, with a deft move, Sun flicked his staff around, extending it once again, so that it stretched across his back, catching and deflecting the slash of Ayumu's blade. Even though Ayumu immediately increased his weight to drop faster, Sun still managed to escape him, ducking into a forward roll.

Then, to Ayumu's amazement, Sun even managed to execute an attack while dodging. Even when he'd brought his staff up across his back, Sun's tail had looped itself around the shaft. When Sun went into his roll, his tail whipped around, swinging the staff through a wide arc that forced Ayumu to backpedal farther. Sun used his roll to turn around, his tail neatly depositing the Nyoi Bo into his outstretched hands. He rose up out of his crouch, executing an upward sweep of the staff, extending it at the same time. Ayumu shifted to the side, barely managing to avoid the attack.

Ayumu was breathless, but not from exertion. His heart swelled with overwhelming admiration for his opponent. _At a distance, a spear; up closer, a sword; closer still, a short-sword or dagger; when I open up the distance again, he sweeps it like a halberd. He doesn't just change the length of the weapon, but his technique as well, to suit the size and situation. The fact that he manages to do so so flawlessly indicates how well thought out his design is, and how much work he put into mastering the requisite skills. He's incredible!_

With an eager grin, Sun went on the attack again. Setting his weapon like a spear, he charged. Ayumu immediately swept his sword through a crescent-parry, knocking the staff down. But Sun took advantage of that to plant the end. The staff abruptly shortened as he continued forward, actually entering the range of Ayumu's sword. The second he was in reach, Ayumu attacked. But Sun had already oriented the staff vertically, then extended it again, this time using it to propel himself high up into the air.

From the sky above, Sun struck downwards, retracting and extending his staff repeatedly, executing a series of thrusts so swiftly that the staff appeared to be in multiple places at once, the end striking the arena floor with a loud ringing noise. Ayumu danced amidst them, turning one way or another, avoiding them with minimal movement from his body. Sun remained above, the impact of his staff against the floor serving to repel him back up, allowing him to remain aloft, and out of Ayumu's reach.

Then Ayumu extended his left arm, after executing another dodging. Reaching out, his fingers closed around the shaft of Sun's staff. At the same time, he utilized his Semblance to lighten his body, almost to the weight of a feather, then kicked off in conjunction with Sun's retraction. The rapid manner of the movement prompted Ayumu to be pulled swiftly into the air. Before Sun could react, he suddenly found himself face-to-face with his opponent. Ayumu's arrival was accompanied by a thrust that prompted a surprised yelp from Sun, who bent back as the blade of Ayumu's sword passed between the open flaps of his shirt, barely missing grazing Sun's sculpted abs and pectorals.

Still, Sun was quick on the uptake. While leaning back, he kicked out. But Ayumu was quick to respond as well. Retracting his legs, Ayumu planted his feet against Sun's kicking leg, his currently light weight causing the contact to simply bounce his body away. Relinquishing his grip on Sun's staff, Ayumu drifted out into the open air.

Sun whirled his staff around, but Ayumu already kicked out, pushing off against the air itself, and reversing direction to come back at Sun. Though surprised at Ayumu's sudden return, Sun responded admirably, collapsing his staff down to the length of his forearm, he quickly interposed it between himself and Ayumu's sword, their weapons meeting with another ring. To Sun's shocked realization, Ayumu had utilized his Semblance to increase his weight, and that of his sword, when he charged and struck, so _Sun_ was the one knocked away this time.

At the same time, Sun was already beginning to fall. Unlike Ayumu, Sun wasn't able to float in the air, and his current state could only be maintained by planting his staff against the floor, something he hadn't been able to do when Ayumu had gone on the attack.

When Ayumu's attack had knocked Sun away, Ayumu had immediately lightened himself again, and charged after Sun. Sun's response was to point his staff straight down, then extend it again. This time, he put extra force behind the motion, prompting his staff to punch through the floor, and lodge inside it. Then, using the staff as a pole, Sun swung his body out of the way of Ayumu's attack, swinging around the pole, then flipping himself up to stand atop it.

Kicking off the air again, Ayumu reversed course once more, angling his movement upwards. With a grin, Sun dropped down off the top of the pole, grabbing it with his hands to swing his body around, and launch his feet upwards in a kick, aiming for Ayumu's stomach. Ayumu's response was to use the top of Sun's staff as a foothold, then jump even higher.

Even though his kick missed, Sun grinned. Abruptly, he retracted the staff. With it currently lodged in the floor of the ring, it pulled him down rapidly, leaving Ayumu hanging alone in midair. Still Ayumu was only a little behind Sun, kicking off the air yet again, then increasing his weight to allow him to descend even faster. Sun reached the floor first, pulling his staff free, then bracing himself with his legs and tail, holding it in both hands to intercept Ayumu's downward slash.

But, when the attack connected, it amounted to nothing more than a light rap against the shaft of Sun's weapon. Right before his strike would have landed, Ayumu abruptly lightened himself. So the brief contact with Sun's staff allowed Ayumu to instead use it as a fulcrum to maneuver himself over and behind Sun, while still descending rapidly, thanks to the momentum remaining from his previous descent. Executing a flip, Ayumu landed lightly, directly behind Sun, so that they were back-to-back. Twisting his body, Ayumu lashed out with his sword, slashing for Sun's midsection.

Sun angled his staff, extending it slightly to catch the incoming blade. Sun pushed Ayumu's attack back with ease, pushing Ayumu's blade out to the side, while turning and lashing out with a side-kick that caught Ayumu in the sternum. The blow launched Ayumu back across the ring, and took a small chunk of his Aura off the meter hovering above.

Despite actually managing to land the first real hit of the match, Sun frowned slightly. _I thought I'd hit him harder than that, but I didn't feel it. He must have jumped back the second I made contact in order to kill the power of the hit. I can't get too cocky._

Despite the hit he'd taken, Ayumu didn't look troubled, his smile as serene and calm as ever. Sun, who was familiar with Ayumu's habits by now, wasn't bothered. But the look on Ayumu's face was raising a stir in the audience, with people speculating that he was holding back or hiding a secret weapon.

Sun spun his staff, and struck a ready stance, holding it out in front of him, leveled at Ayumu, almost like a spear, while Ayumu struck a stance of his own, Green Destiny pointing right at Sun's chest.

* * *

"Wow..." said Yang, watching the match wide eyes. "I knew your boyfriend was pretty good, Blake, but he's doing awesome!"

"Yeah," agreed Nora. "I totally expected Ayumu to dominate."

"Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect," said Neptune. "But I _did_ figure it was gonna be an uphill battle for him."

"It's an interesting match, to be sure," said Gin, watching the proceedings with a relaxed smile. "The Green Destiny's edge is so sharp that Ayumu had to refine his skills in order to be able to cross with an opponent _without_ cutting through their weapon."

"But that won't matter, since Sun's staff is a materialized weapon too," said Ruby.

"Uh huh," said Gin. "It means that Ayumu's at something of a disadvantage, when it comes to their overall design. Sun actually has the edge, when it comes to creativity and practicality. He understands the strengths of a staff, and fully leveraged those to create a style based around his ability to change its length at will. He thought everything through, and put in the work to master the requisite skills. I'm impressed."

Blake found herself smiling, her opinion of her boyfriend, fairly high already (it had to be, if she was okay with having him as a boyfriend), going up several notches. She'd already known that Sun had a caring heart, a warm and friendly personality, and incredible loyalty. She'd also known that he was impressively skilled. His mastery of his primary weapon, before the creation of Nyoi Bo, was a testament to that. Dual gunchucks could not have been an easy thing to make full use of, after all. But to realize that he could be so thorough and thoughtful, when creating a new weapon, considering all the nuances that went into its use, genuinely impressed her.

Sun's carefree nature had always struck Blake as implying that he was rather flighty, the kind of person who didn't fully think through all the possible consequences of one choice or another. She wouldn't have been surprised if Sun had created some kind of flashy weapon that was more like a toy than anything else. She had been surprised to see his materialization, a simple red staff with gold caps on the ends. It seemed uncharacteristically simple and humble for someone like him. But Ayumu, Gin, and Ruby's assessment of it, and what Sun had done with the skills of materialization that Ayumu and Gin had taught him, told a different story entirely.

Blake was reminded of what Gin had said of Ruby's impressive growth, how watching the fruits of her efforts made him fall in love with her all over again. Blake was beginning to understand how that felt. Watching what Sun had accomplished made affection swell in her chest. _Win or lose, I owe him something special,_ she thought.

"So...you think Ayumu can pull through?" asked Ren, looking to Gin and Ruby.

"It's tricky," said Gin. "At this rate, it's gonna be a battle to see who can control the range."

"The range?" asked Ren, confused.

Gin nodded. "The biggest advantage of Sun's weapon is that he can fight effectively at any range. In other words, his optimal range might as well be the entire ring. That being said, there will be better distances to fight at than others. He isn't going to accomplish much by trying to chip away at Ayumu all the way from the other side, for example, even if he can extend and retract his staff fast enough to simulate a gunshot. So his goal will be to use his weapon's ability to maneuver Ayumu into a range where he can attack with the greatest advantage.

"On the other hand, the length of Sun's staff will effectively change the way he wields it. He can't use a short-sword with same technique as a longer sword, for example. So, if he can control the distance between them, Ayumu will essentially decide what weapon Sun is substituting the staff for, and, subsequently, what style of fighting Sun will employ. Ayumu can use that to read further ahead, and strike a decisive blow. It all depends on who takes control of the distance the match is fought at. At the very least, Ayumu will need to get close enough in order to actually use his sword to attack Sun directly."

"So basically, it depends on how close they are to each other?" asked Scarlet.

"It depends on who's _deciding_ how close they get," corrected Gin. "Whichever of them can actually take control of that will be able to control the match."

* * *

Sun thrust out, his staff extending, the end flying at Ayumu like a bullet. Ayumu jumped, actually planting his foot on the top of the staff, as it passed under him, quickly using it as a foothold to propel himself into a flying lunge that sent him right for Sun.

Sun retracted his staff, which returned faster than Ayumu could close the distance between them. Adjusting his aim, he once again thrust it at Ayumu. Lightly kicking the air, Ayumu twisted his body to avoid the next thrust, which passed through the gap between his right arm and torso. Sun went into a horizontal swing, aiming to strike Ayumu in the side of the chest, but Ayumu continued to twist his body, going into an airborne roll, while letting his spine bend to lower himself out of the way of Sun's swing. In the process, Ayumu came back down to the ground, and continued to proceed forward.

What followed was a series of rapid attacks from Sun, thrusting and swinging his staff, while Ayumu jumped and spun and flexed out of the way, his body dancing like a feather, the wind currents of Sun's own attacks seeming to actually blow Ayumu out of their way, making him seem impossible to strike. All the while, Ayumu steadily came closer.

Then Sun retracted his staff down to as long as he was tall, and charged forward as well. Spinning Nyoi Bo rapidly, Sun abruptly struck out with a swing from above, swinging his staff straight down at Ayumu's head. Ayumu easily sidestepped the attack, then stepped in even closer, finally closing to within striking distance of his sword. Sun's response was instantaneous, his weapon shrinking down in his grip once again, taking a sword's length as well. Still gripping it in both hands, he caught Ayumu's slash, then released with his left hand, spinning it about in his right to parry the next thrust that came from his opponent. From there, Sun swung it out at Ayumu's head.

Ducking, Ayumu actually kicked off the ground, inverting his entire body in the process, and swinging his sword at Sun's ankles. Jumping off the floor, Sun retreated back, while extending and swinging his staff at Ayumu's body. Bracing the flat of the blade against the palm of his left hand, Ayumu caught Sun's swing, blocking the strike, but still finding himself knocked away, between his lack of footing and his presently lightened state.

Still, Ayumu righted himself with remarkable speed, touching down on the floor again, only to have to dance back as Sun advanced, staff extending to launch a series of rapid strikes down low, targeting Ayumu's shins. Ayumu rapidly pulled his feet up to avoid being caught by the attack, appearing to quickly step backwards in the face of Sun's advance. Then, with a grin, Sun changed up his mode of attack, right as Ayumu was in mid-step, abruptly leveling Nyoi Bo at Ayumu's chest, and extending it with the speed of a bullet.

However, the staff's head encountered the flat of Ayumu's sword. This time, Ayumu rested the first two fingers of his left hand against the flat of the blade. The green of his Aura flared out upon impact, and the force of Sun's attack was abruptly rebounded. He wasn't in a position to be hit by his own staff. Instead, the sudden jolt knocked the weapon of Sun's hands, sending it spinning through the air behind him. Seeing the opening, Ayumu rushed in.

But Sun didn't even break stride. Instead, his tail whipped out to curl around the staff, before it could go flying out of his reach. At the same time, Sun brought his hands together to form a familiar sign. There was a flash and, abruptly, two clones of glowing light appeared to either side of him, rushing forward to confront Ayumu with staffs of their own.

Even though his eyes widened in surprise, Ayumu didn't check his forward movement, instead skipping off the floor, letting his body to drift into a horizontal position, allowing him to slip between the high and low attacks of Sun's two clones, and continue to close in on the real one without breaking stride. Sun gasped, seeing Ayumu's sword descend, and brought up his vambraces to shield himself. Silently, Sun cursed his own reflexes, having forgotten how sharp the blade of Ayumu's sword was. However, he barely even felt Ayumu's sword make contact with his arm. Instead, Ayumu halted his swing, stepped in closer, then slammed his palm in under Sun's guard, and struck him right in the stomach. There was a flash of green, and Sun was launched away.

Finishing his technique, Ayumu went into a spinning jump, barely managing to escape the two clones that he'd dodged earlier, who'd now attacked him from behind. Silently, Ayumu marveled at the improvement. _In the first round of the tournament, a fairly minor distraction was enough to dispel them. He's already overcome that limitation to the extent that he can maintain them, even while taking a hit himself._

It had been a little hard to notice, wrapped up as they were with their plans against Cinder's faction, but Ayumu had noticed that Blake and Sun hadn't spent all that much time together in the past couple of weeks. Perhaps part of that was because Sun had been working on that particular hurdle. It was something he would have to ask about later.

One clone charged straight in, shortening its staff down to a baton length. Ayumu caught the strike with the guard of his sword, then abruptly shifted, using the pressure of his own weapon to guide the clone's staff up to intercept the strike from the second clone, which had lengthened its own staff to strike from a distance, from behind. Their weapons momentarily hampering one another, Ayumu disengaged and jumped straight up, seeming to vanish from between the two clones. Up above, he reoriented, then kicked off the air to launch himself straight for the real Sun, who was recovering from the hit to his stomach. Getting caught up fighting the clones was a waste of time and energy. It was best to deal with the real one, and end the match once and for all.

However, it was clear that Sun's clones had no intention (insomuch as Aura constructs like them were capable of intention) of letting him get away that easily. They'd dodged apart from one another, separating, then thrusting upward with their staffs, extending them in the process. Sensing the attacks incoming, Ayumu kicked off the air again, at an angle this time, using it to send his body into a forward flip, while bending to pull his midsection out of the way, allowing the two staffs to cross beneath him. Planting his hand against them, where they crossed one another, Ayumu pushed off to speed his flip and continue on towards his target.

Except that the slight deviation of his course had given Sun the time he needed to complete his recovery. Righting himself once more, Ayumu found Sun firing his own staff at him. A flick of Ayumu's wrist sent his sword whipping up to bat the course of the staff away from his face, though it still grazed his cheek as it went past. Snapping his left hand out, Ayumu grabbed the shaft, swinging himself around to plant his feet against it, before pushing off, seeming to practically roll down the length of the weapon, using the roll to deliver an axe-kick at Sun's head.

But Sun's staff retracted fast enough for Sun to bring it down to a manageable length, bracing it with both hands to catch Ayumu's descending kick. Pushing off, Ayumu launched himself into a backflip, increasing his weight to descend faster, landing and coming at Sun, sword flashing. Sun set his staff to sword-length, and met Ayumu head-on, the pair fencing furiously for a scant few seconds, before Sun's clones joined the fray once more.

The clones attacked from separate angles, combining their movements with Sun himself, all three of them attacking Ayumu from differing angles, that allowed them to encircle Ayumu without putting one another in the line of attack. They all attacked at different ranges as well, using their staffs differently, depending on where they were, switching seamlessly with one another, trading out roles on the fly, continuously circling Ayumu, who was locked completely on the defensive, his own sword a greenish blur around his body as he dodged and parried relentlessly.

At this point, it only seemed a matter of time. Sun and his clones were relentless in their attack, continually pressing Ayumu from all sides. Their attacks were strong and forceful, jarring Ayumu's body with every hit he blocked. Ayumu's defense was effective, but it would only take one small error, the tiniest opening. Once that moment came, Ayumu's defeat was all but inevitable.

But then, Sun caught a flash of green out of the corner of his eye. Then something sharp abruptly bit into the Aura of his left shoulder. With a pained yelp, Sun retreated, trying to reassess the situation. However, his surprise prompted him to fall back, trying to observe, but not attacking. The resulting lag in the continuous onslaught of attacks, gave Ayumu the opening he needed. Ayumu swept his sword in a wide, crescent-shaped movement in the air beside him. A cloud of what looked like emerald-colored leaves scattered out from the blade, fluttering through the air in a manner that reminded Sun of the petals that Ruby's Semblance produced.

Except that the fluttering movements of those leaves suddenly turned swift, seeming to be swept up in a wind created by Ayumu's sword, swirling as Ayumu turned, sweeping his blade sideways across his body. The leaves were launched through the air like thrown daggers, in a barrage aimed at Sun's two clones. The two constructs fell back, rapidly spinning their staffs to deflect the leaves, which made unusual zipping sounds on impact, giving the impression of something not made of matter, yet hitting with real force, albeit very little individually.

 _So he's got some ranged attacks now,_ thought Sun.

Taking advantage in the disruption of the constant stream of attacks, Ayumu turned his efforts towards Sun once again, spinning about, while sweeping his sword through the air again. More leaves danced out into the air. Then, to Sun's amazement, they lengthened slightly, while narrowing, their shape transforming, becoming more elaborate. Sun caught just enough of a glimpse to observe what looked like miniature reconstructions of the Green Destiny's blade, minus the guard and handle. Only a few inches, their length was a fraction of that of the original. Furthermore, they were...different, seeming to look solid, yet also having a transparent, ethereal quality, like something halfway between manifestation and materialization.

But Sun didn't have any time to consider those details too carefully. As Ayumu completed his turn, he abruptly tightened the arc of his sword arm, swinging his sword forcefully in front of him, the action launching the miniature blades at Sun. Instead of flying straight at him like bullets though, they instead spread out on curving paths that then converged on Sun from multiple directions.

Sun spun Nyoi Bo, the staff becoming a blur as he whirled it around his body to intercept each of the incoming projectiles individually. He'd had to perform similarly during his training in Vacuo. Bullet-interception drills were standard in Combat School, and Sun had once been proud of being able to ace the Multi-vector drill. While continuing to slap Ayumu's flying swords out of the air, Sun jumped and spun acrobatically, outright avoiding others.

Then Ayumu was directly in front of him, and Sun found himself yelping in surprise, barely managing to interpose his staff in front of him to intercept Ayumu's slash. The action stalled his response as two of the last flying swords arced around to come at Sun from behind, with Sun being in no position to block or dodge them this time.

But, fortunately for him, his clones were there to pick up his slack. Ignoring Ayumu, they dashed past the pair, striking down Ayumu's projectiles. Grinning, Sun leaned and shoved forward, pushing Ayumu back, and disengaging their weapons. Then Sun backpedaled towards his clones. Rather than turning around, they backpedaled as well, pressing their backs against Sun's own. The clones' bodies merged into Sun, their forms melting together.

Now Ayumu found himself facing Sun, who had two glowing faces on opposite sides of his head, and six arms extending from his shoulders. Each extra pair of arms wielded a separate staff. The sight was beyond bizarre, something that even the commentators were noting. Gasps and exclamations of shock and amazement filled the air.

Ayumu, however, looked as unruffled as ever. If anything, he smiled even wider. "My, I didn't realize you knew so much about your namesake," he said.

"Yeah, my mom made me read it, when I was younger," replied Sun.

"Does Ms. Blake know?" asked Ayumu. "She'd probably be happy to know that you're so well-read."

"Well...I didn't want her to think I was bragging," said Sun, wearing an awkward grin.

"Considering what you've shown off in this match alone, I think you have the right to brag a little," Ayumu replied.

"Thanks," replied Sun.

Then they charged each other again. Kicking off the floor, Sun went into a spin, all six of his arms whirling their staffs around, so that he looked almost like a dervish as he descended on Ayumu. Ayumu swiftly backpedaled, working his sword furiously to keep the onslaught at bay. Despite the fact that all of Sun's attacks were now coming from the same general direction, the overall ferocity had increased substantially. By controlling the lengths of all three staffs, Sun kept them from tangling one another up. Ayumu's sword was a blur, whipping back and forth to deflect several attacks, even as his own body bent and wavered between the others.

The exchange was rapidly forcing Ayumu towards the edge of the ring. Jumping up in the air, Ayumu managed to escape being knocked out entirely. But Sun planted his staff, and extended it, rising up to intercept Ayumu, while his cloned arms brought their own staffs to swing at Ayumu. Twisting his body, Ayumu parried one, and slipped past the other, managing to fly clear. Then Sun used his impressive arm and core strength to lift his torso, so that he could kick out behind him, aiming to catch Ayumu as he descended. Ayumu lashed out with a kick of his own, their feet meeting, the impact sending Ayumu flying farther away.

Retracting his staff, Sun dropped. But then his cloned arms turned their staffs down instead, extending them down at an angle, launching Sun after Ayumu. They retracted their staffs almost instantly, so that, when Sun reached Ayumu, all three weapons were brough to bear.

Ayumu leaned back and lifted up one leg, kicking his body up off the ground. Trying to catch him, Sun extended all three of his staffs...only to suddenly find Ayumu much closer than he'd expected. Rather than using his sword blade, Ayumu instead jabbed the pommel of his sword directly into Sun's collarbone, the impact flashing against Sun's Aura, prompting a pained grunt from him. Surprised, Sun fell back, retracting his staffs. The move seemed wise, as Ayumu shifted forward to strike again.

Except that the pommel of Ayumu's sword fell short of a second strike. With a flick of his wrist, Ayumu whipped the blade back around, promptly weaving it through the short staffs Sun wielded, before he could react to the sudden change in Ayumu's mode of attack, the tip of the blade flickering out to lash at Sun's Aura. The contact seemed light, but Ayumu's sword seemed to almost peel Sun's Aura way from his body, resulting in his meter dropping drastically on the screen above.

Surprised, Sun tried to go on the attack again. But Ayumu had already stepped back, whipping his sword around in a tight arc in front of him. The movement conjured two more miniature sword blades that lanced out, aiming, not for Sun, but for the two clone faces on either side of his head. The blades pierced both faces. To Sun's dismay, the clones that he'd merged with his body were destroyed, dissipating in the same manner that they had during his match with NDGO...by exploding.

With a pained shout, Sun was thrown forward by the explosions, flying straight at Ayumu, who shifted directions once again, launching a rapid series of attacks with the pommel of his sword, and the first two knuckles of his left hand, striking several spots on Sun's body in rapid succession.

Sun's limbs went numb, and his staff fell from nerveless fingers, tumbling to the floor. Stepping forward, Ayumu channeled his momentum, weight, and strength into one last blow, striking Sun directly in the solar plexus, a flash of his Aura seeming to shoot through Sun, before launching him back away.

Up above, the meter that showcased Sun's Aura abruptly dropped down into the red zone, following the intense series of attacks that he had just endured.

Sun landed on his back, the breath exploding from his lungs, and into an otherwise suddenly silent arena. The reversal was so sudden, so unexpected, that the audience was left stunned, momentarily unsure of how to react. It even took Port and Oobleck a few extra seconds to comprehend what had just happened.

Finally, Oobleck managed to recover enough to report the result. " _And with this completely unanticipated shifting of momentum, Ayumu Ao wins the match!_ "

Then the audience exploded into cheers.

* * *

Blake slumped, dropping back into her seat, feeling slightly despondent at Sun's loss. She'd really thought he'd had the upper hand. For a brief moment, his victory seemed all but inevitable to his mind. So his abrupt loss came as a startling blow. And it really _had_ been abrupt. Ayumu had been hard pressed by Sun's new, strange, triple-form, created by merging with his clones.

"What happened?" asked Sage, astonished.

"Ayumu took control of the range," replied Gin simply.

"How?" Scarlet wanted to know.

"It was that move, when Sun charged him at the end," said Ruby. "Ayumu shifted his posture, and stepped like he was going to retreat. But, in reality, he actually stepped forward."

"He can do that?" asked Neptune incredulously.

"It's the kind of move that requires precise control of the body to pull off," said Gin. "I still haven't gotten it down. Granted, I have my _Suigetsu_ , which can be used a similar way, more or less, so I haven't bothered to learn."

"I can't do it either," said Ruby.

"It helps that Ayumu's Semblance can be used selectively, making only certain parts of his body heavier or lighter," said Gin. "That's also how he can control his movements midair so precisely. In any case, it creates a sort of optical illusion. Anyone sufficiently skilled in fighting learns to pick up on those tells and shifts to predict an opponent's actions. Ayumu's trick exploits that by essentially faking them out."

"So he closed in while Sun was thinking that he would be fighting at a longer range, allowing him to get inside Sun's guard," said Ruby.

"And then, once Sun reacts to it, he pulled the same trick, only inverted," continued Gin, "making it look like he was trying to close in again, when he was actually stepping back. Again, Sun misread him, and was caught by Ayumu's attack."

"After that, Ayumu exploited the resulting openings and hit Sun with pretty much everything he had," finished Ruby. "Sun was off-balance enough that he couldn't dodge or defend against Ayumu's flying swords. Ayumu targeted the clones, because we've already seen that they explode when they're forcefully destroyed, during the team match. That completely opened Sun up to Ayumu's finisher."

"It's just as well that he did," said Gin. "Sun wouldn't have fallen for that trick a third time. He's probably already figured out what Ayumu did. Ayumu had to finish the match then and there, or he might not have been able to pull off a win." He turned his smile to Blake. "Your boyfriend's just that good."

Blake blushed, but found herself smiling and nodding, mollified by Gin's assessment of what had happened.

"Well, that's it for the quarterfinals," said Yang, grinning and slapping Ruby across the shoulders. "Looks like you and Ayumu get to go on. Penny will too."

"Yeah," said Ruby. "And Mercury..." she added under her breath.

From the look of things, Emerald had held off interfering in the match...or had been unable to from her position. There was no way to tell. Silently, Ruby chastised herself for not confiding her suspicions to Ayumu before he entered the ring. Fortunately, her own match aside, the rest of the quarterfinals had gone through without a hitch. It seemed that Liu's attempt to murder her in the ring had not dissuaded anyone from continuing the tournament. Indeed, she suspected that the authorities, or at least the committee supervising the tournament, had pushed things forward in order to keep Liu's behavior from lingering too long in anyone's mind.

Granted, she doubted that anyone had forgotten what had happened during her match. The atmosphere was euphoric and celebratory now. But people would start asking questions sooner or later. She had the feeling that her next interview with Lisa would be more than a little awkward. At least she didn't have to worry about that until the next day.

Instead, Ruby returned her attention to the ring, smiling at the knowledge that her adopted brother had won his way through. They were one step closer to putting their own plan into action. Despite her determination to go through with it, Ruby prayed that her plan would not create the very disruption and discord they were trying to stop Cinder from stirring up.

" _And with that, the quarterfinals come to a spectacular conclusion,_ " declared Port. " _One thing is certain, with the performance we've seen so far, the semifinals promise to be some of the most spectacular in the history of the Vytal Festival Tournament!_ "

* * *

Sun groaned, his limbs still feeling numb and tingly. A shadow loomed over him, and Ayum crouched down. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Like I just hit my funny-bone," grumbled Sun, "only...you know...everywhere."

"Ah, sorry about that," said Ayumu cheerfully. "Here, allow me..."

Reaching out with his left hand, Ayumu abruptly struck several other points on Sun's body. A jolt ran through Sun, then the tingling intensified, but a rush of sensation came back from his limbs, and they no longer felt as though they were made from lead. With a gasp, Sun sat up, rubbing his arms. "Wow."

Smiling cheerfully, Ayumu supported Sun, then helped him to his feet, picking up the staff and returning it to him. Sun carefully collapsed the staff down into his hands, before reabsorbing the Aura. Win or lose, he still supported the plan Ayumu had told him about. He wouldn't blow their secret before they were ready to.

A sense of defeat settled on his shoulders, and Sun sighed. "Dang...and I thought I had you too."

"You almost did," said Ayumu cheerfully. "I was very thoroughly stymied when you brought out your clones. I honestly hadn't thought you'd come that far, compared to what you were capable of during the first round."

"But I still fell for your trick," muttered Sun petulantly, mentally berating himself by being taken in so easily.

"That's understandable," said Ayumu. "You have a great deal of skill. But you haven't yet been able to obtain the _Shingan_. You'll need to practice bringing together the input from all of your senses. Ruby only managed it because she received specialized training from Master Yu. I would rather... _not_...see you put through that."

Thinking back about Ruby's story about being sent on a days-long journey through a Grimm-infested cave...naked...Sun nodded in agreement. "So that would help?" he asked.

"Well, my technique is a simple optical illusion really," said Ayumu. "I adjusted my posture to make you think I was going one way, when I was actually going the other. If you'd had a clearer sense of proximity, you would have noticed that my actual movements didn't match the posture of my body. I get the feeling that you won't fall for such a trick again."

"Thanks," said Sun.

"Aside from that, I couldn't afford to let my advantage go to waste, so I did all that I could to make sure those blows I landed at the end were the final ones," added Ayumu. "I can honestly say that you are an opponent I could not afford to take any chances against. If you'd made it through that, you very well could have shifted the match in your favor, and won it."

That brought a proud smile to Sun's face.

* * *

The pair made their way out of the ring, and back into the ready room. Neo was waiting for Ayumu inside, throwing herself at him and hugging him tightly. The pair shared a long kiss, while Sun smiled ruefully, then made his way to the showers. After their kiss ended, Ayumu pulled away, and did the same.

Sun emerged from the shower, a towel draped over his bare shoulders. Despite the fact that his clothes were already clean, as evinced by the fact that he'd already put on his pants, Sun hadn't bothered putting on his shirt, showing off the full scope of his chiseled torso. Even though she was already spoken for, Neo still found herself almost drooling at the sight of that physique.

Then someone knocked at the door. Automatically, Neo activated her Semblance, pulling light around herself, and vanishing from sight. Sun stared at the space where she'd been standing, confused, before remembering that she was still a wanted criminal, and probably had plenty of reasons to not want to be seen around tournament contestants.

Going to the door, Sun opened it, then grinned to see Blake standing there. For her part, Blake's cheeks immediately heated up at the sight of a topless Sun. "Hi..." she said awkwardly. Whatever she'd planned to say, Blakes words died on the tip of her tongue at the sight of Sun. Instead she blinked, and averted her eyes, trying to calm herself down. "C-can I...can I come in?"

"Sure," said Sun, taking Blake's hand, and leading her through the door, which slid shut behind her.

Sun pulled her all the way into the room, wrapping his arms around Blake's waist. Blake hesitated for a second, running her hands up and down Sun's chest, before sliding them up to his shoulders, then curling her arms around his neck, pulling her lithe form flush against his body. Sun bent her back into an intense kiss, his tail sliding down to curl around her thigh, hiking it up so that she could curl her leg around behind him.

After a long moment, they pulled away enough to look each other in the eyes, panting softly. "You were amazing out there," said Blake, her hands now sliding up to cup Sun's cheek. "You should be proud."

"I am," said Sun. "But I'm more happy that you're here."

"I'm happy too," said Blake.

Sun pulled her in for another kiss. However, they were distracted by a flash, out of the corner of their eyes. Jumping apart, they turned to see Neo standing at the back of the room, an impish grin on her face, lowering a scroll.

"Neo!" exclaimed Blake, her face going bright red.

Neo stuck out her tongue, making Blake growl.

Then Ayumnu emerged from the shower, fully dressed. Pausing, he took in the situation. Then he sighed. "Neo...I get the feeling you and Ms. Yang would get along too well."

Neo smirked, then tossed the scroll in her hand to Ayumu, who caught it, then realized it was his scroll. "I don't know if you want to trust me with blackmail material," he said.

Neo held up her own scroll and shook her head.

"Yes, but why do you have to use mine?" Ayumu wanted to know.

Sun and Blake watched the interplay between the other pair with nonplussed looks. "I don't know if I'll ever get used to that," muttered Sun, still trying to get used to Neo's manner of "speech."

"I know," agreed Blake.

* * *

" _In the wake of the first match of the quarterfinals, difficult questions are being asked,_ " said Lisa Lavender, speaking into the camera. " _Liu Bai's behavior in the ring has led to questions and allegations that Haven Academy's Headmaster deliberately ignored the presence of an unstable individual in order to cement their advantage in the tournament._ "

The feed cut to an interview with a citizen of Vale. " _That guy was clearly off his rocker. Someone like that shouldn't even be allowed in an Academy! What are they thinking, over there in Mistral?_ "

The feed cut again, this time to Irving Yamashita, Liu's partner on Team BRYL. " _I honestly had no idea he harbored so much hostility towards Ruby Rose,_ " Irving claimed, looking appreciably nervous. " _I never thought him to be so unstable. He hid it well, otherwise, I doubt he would be permitted in Haven, much less be appointed leader of our team._ "

The feed then cut back to Lisa. " _Obviously there is still much to be addressed about this situation. Questions have been asked, concerning Ruby Rose's actions, and why she continued the match, even though Liu Bai had essentially forfeited. It remains to be seen whether tomorrow's post-match interview will be able to answer those._ "

Cinder tapped her scroll, turning off the holo-screen, a satisfied smile on his face. "Well, as much as it irritates me to admit it, Pyrrha Nikos' suggestion worked out to our advantage."

"Yeah, that freak did his part," agreed Emerald. "Still, would've been nice if he'd actually killed that red brat."

"Well, we can't have everything we want, or we'll be spoiled," said Cinder, though she silently agreed with Emerald. Salem's orders might have been to take Ruby alive, but Cinder still thought Ruby was far too dangerous to be allowed to live. If Ruby "died" accidentally, then it was no skin off her nose.

"Two more days to go," said Mercury. "So I'm up next."

"Yes," replied Cinder. "I'm sure you'll put on a marvelous performance. That brat won't know what hit her."

Out of Cinder's line of sight, Emerald swallowed nervously. She still remembered her fight with Ayumu, the way his sword had moved automatically, as though it had been tracking her, even though he'd been under the effects of her Semblance at the time. Then there had been Neo's attempt on Gin, which had failed to provoke the response they'd been hoping for. Ayumu had discerned the nature of her Semblance easily, and Gin had possibly seen through Neo's. If Ruby had developed the same skill...

 _Stop that! She hasn't been Yu's student for a full year yet._ Emerald looked down suppressing the urge to shake her head vigorously. Their plan _had_ to work. Besides, it wasn't as though those brats had any idea of what was coming. _It was the right choice to not tell Cinder._

There was no way Emerald could tell Cinder. If she learned that those brats knew what her Semblance was, their plan would be wrecked. Worse still, Cinder wouldn't depend on Emerald anymore...for anything. In fact, Emerald was sure that Cinder would cast her aside, then and there. There was no way Emerald could allow it. _No matter what, I'll_ make _this plan work!_

* * *

 **And that's the quarterfinals down, another tricky match in the books. With his new weapon, Sun can be a little bit troublesome to write, but it was fun to come up with all the different ways he could make use of a staff that can grow and shrink (and keep your minds out of the gutter for a moment). He gets pretty good mileage out of something so conceptually simple.**


	112. Chapter 112

**Chapter 112:**

"Several people have called your actions during the match into question," said Lisa, holding the microphone up to Ruby. "They said you shouldn't have continued after Liu Bai's announcement."

"I know," said Ruby. "But I felt as though that was the best choice. Liu wasn't about to let me walk away."

"But you could have left it to security," Lisa pointed out.

Ruby shook her head. "The security guards don't have unlocked Aura. If Liu resisted arrest, as dangerous as he was, the casualties would have been terrible. Plus, to enter the arena, they would have had to bring down the shield, which would have endangered the audience."

Lisa frowned. "That sounds like a design flaw in the security systems, if there ever was one," she noted.

Ruby nodded. She too thought it was an oversight that, in order to allow anyone to enter the arena, the entire shield, protecting everyone in the audience, would have to be brought down. The systems should have been compartmentalized so that _just_ the shields at entrance-level could be brought down. "I suppose that's something they'll have fixed by the time the next tournament comes around."

Lisa nodded. "So you chose prioritizing subduing your opponent?" she asked.

Ruby nodded again. "He wasn't interested in listening to reason, so I _had_ to bring him down. The tournament rules didn't apply anymore, so I had to make sure to fully immobilize him."

Lisa smiled. "In other words, once he announced his intent to kill you, you stopped thinking as a tournament contestant, and started thinking as a Huntress, acting to contain the situation before it got out of hand."

"That's right," said Ruby. "And I think someone agreed with me, 'cause the shields didn't come down, until _after_ I beat Liu."

"Very true," agreed Lisa. "Moving on, have you given any thought towards your next round of matches?"

Ruby smiled. "I think I'm as prepared as I can be."

Considering what she'd been preparing for, that was something of an understatement, considering no one would probably expect that she'd been training to fight with her senses hampered by illusions. It remained to be seen whether her training with Neo was adequate preparation for dealing with Emerald's hallucinations, but Ruby had to be confident, in public at least.

"It seems that you'll do quite well," said Lisa. "Initially, Haven had the lead, when it came to the number of finalists. But now, only Mercury Black is left. Penny Polendina is the only representative of Atlas. But Beacon still has you _and_ Ayumu Ao."

"That's right," said Ruby.

"That being said, what will happen if you and Ao find yourselves facing each other?" asked Lisa.

"Then we'll fight," said Ruby. "Ayumu is one of the two who found me, after I was nearly killed. He's one of my best friends, a brother even. But we'll fight seriously as opponents."

"And do you think you could win?" asked Lisa.

"I...I don't know," Ruby admitted. "Ayumu has a lot more experience than me, and some of the skills I use now are ones that _he's_ taught me, so if anyone were going to have a real advantage over me, it would be him."

Lisa gave Ruby a wry look. "If we're talking about experience, wouldn't it be proper to say that _everyone_ here has more experience than you?"

Ruby giggled. "I suppose," she said. Of course, Jaune was an exception to that, but she wasn't about to say anything about that in an interview.

"What about Black and Polendina?" pressed Lisa. "Do you have strategies, if either of them winds up being your opponent?"

In the case of Mercury, the honest answer would be "definitely." But this was _not_ a time to be honest, Ruby supposed. "I have some general strategies in mind for Mercury," she said. "I'm going to need to think harder if I go up against Penny though. Of all the remaining contestants, she's definitely the toughest."

Considering the decisive nature of Penny's victory against Sunil, Lisa wasn't in any position to disagree.

"Then I suppose the final question is the mysterious 'thing' you intend to reveal," said Lisa. "Do you have any further information to offer about this secret of yours?"

"Not yet," said Ruby. "You'll just have to wait to find out."

"I look forward to it," said Lisa. "Thank you for your time. I wish you the best of luck in the next round."

"Thank you," said Ruby, smiling brightly.

"Cut," said someone behind the camera.

Ruby and Lisa got up from their seats. Lisa shook Ruby's hand with a kind smile. "You're certainly doing well for yourself," she said.

"Well, I'm trying," said Ruby. "I guess I should get out of the way for the next interview."

"We have a little time," said Lisa. "I have to say, you've certainly been good at generating news for our station."

"I wish I wasn't," said Ruby petulantly, knowing where a great deal of that "news" came from. She could do without being the center of controversy after controversy, particularly when it came to people trying to kill her.

"At least the worst appears to be behind you," said Lisa.

"Yeah," said Ruby insincerely. Mercury was still in the tournament after all, which meant that Cinder's plan was still running. She had to deal with that first and, even then, that wasn't a sure thing. There were still far too many loose ends for her to really consider actually embracing the idea that she and her friends were well and truly safe. _And as long as Salem is still out there, we never will be,_ she thought glumly. Granted, they were still putting their all into foiling Cinder's plans for the Vytal Festival. So how they were going to deal with the mastermind behind Cinder was something that they hadn't yet put much thought into addressing.

She supposed she shouldn't worry too much. They had to deal with the problems in front of them now. Not to mention they were likely to have at least some kind of grace period. Everything that they'd seen of Cinder's plan indicated months, if not years, of planning and preparation. If they succeeded in stopping her, then those months and years would be flushed down the drain, and their enemy would be forced to start all over again.

There were plenty of issues with that line of thought though. Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu's encounter with Ciar and Viola indicated that Cinder and Watts were hardly Salem's only agents. There was no telling how many people Salem had working for her, nor what plans she might have going in other Kingdoms. Even now, while Ruby and her friends were fighting this particular scheme, Salem might well have two or three others going somewhere else. It made Ruby wonder just what they would do after the Vytal Festival. Despite the appeal of the idea, she doubted she could simply accept going back to being a simple Beacon student, not with the question of what else Salem was up to hovering at the back of her mind.

She forced herself to shove that vague worry down. That was for later. Worrying too much about any other schemes Salem might be working on was a distraction at the moment. She and her friends would have to do what they could, and hope for the best.

Exiting the studio, Ruby bumped into Penny on her way in. The android gave Ruby a sunny smile, which Ruby returned. Seeing Penny reminded Ruby of another source of anxiety, namely Ironwood's intentions toward her. Ruby could only hope that their plan of arranging Penny's transfer to Beacon had been successful. She hadn't heard anything on that front, having not spent too much time around Penny in a setting where they could discuss that. Penny seemed confident though, which Ruby took as a good sign.

Walking through Vale was a bit nerve-wracking on her own. Ruby realized she was famous on multiple levels. Besides the controversy swirling around her, she'd made it to the tournament semifinals, her accomplishments being broadcast across the entire world. The mere thought made her cheeks heat up nervously, making her regret that she'd left Gin behind at Beacon. As she walked, she felt the pressure of eyes on her, coming from all around her. People were pointing and talking, snapping pictures with their scrolls.

 _Is this what it was like for Pyrrha?_ wondered Ruby. If Pyrrha had had to deal with this kind of pressure and scrutiny constantly, for years on end, thanks to her celebrity status, it was understandable how she'd ended up somewhat...warped by the experience. Still, Ruby had little sympathy for the formerly Invincible Girl. Warped or not, Ruby couldn't even begin to understand the mindset that had driven Pyrrha to think that murder was an appropriate response for a romantic rival. That was a plot point straight out of one of Blake's cheesier novels.

"Excuse me..."

Ruby froze at the light, high-pitched voice in front of her. It took her a second to look down and see the girl standing there. She couldn't have been older than ten, with curly, brown hair, and twinkling blue eyes, looking up at Ruby with an expression of excitement and awe.

"Y-yes," said Ruby, startled to be approached so openly.

"Um...I was wondering..." The girl looked down shyly, kicking her foot in a display of nerves. "Could I...Could I have your autograph, Ms. Ruby?"

"Um...sure," said Ruby, floored by the notion that someone was actually asking _her_ for her autograph.

The little girl beamed, then held out a slip of paper and a pen. Ruby took them, then found herself a little bit at a loss, not sure how to write without some kind of hard surface to put the paper on. She was also at a bit of a loss for what to write. She supposed she should scribble some kind of inspirational message or encouraging words, but had no idea what to say that didn't just sound like a stock platitude or just came off as pretentious. Given that this was for a little girl, Ruby probably shouldn't have worried so much, but she still felt highly conscious of the notion.

In the end, she settled on some brief words of encouragement, writing them down as best she could on the paper. Her handwriting was pretty skewed by the lack of support, and her signature looked more like a lazy doodle than her name. But the little girl's radiant smile when she handed the paper back made it worthwhile (and made Ruby wish she'd put a bit more effort into it). The girl gripped the paper in her hands, accidentally crumpling it, before rushing back to the woman, who was likely her mother, and showing it off proudly. The woman looked at the paper, then smiled gratefully at Ruby, who smiled shyly back, offering a polite wave.

"Cool! She's signing autographs!"

Ruby immediately paled upon hearing that, feeling people start to close in from all around her. More paper, pens, and pencils appeared, along with a variety of other objects, all while Ruby's hands began to shake nervously. _What have I done?_

* * *

Sun settled nervously onto a bench near the docks. The previous evening, Blake had told him to wait for her there, indicating that she had something special in mind for him. The idea had Sun equal parts giddy and nervous, prompting him to fidget while he waited. At least his team wasn't here to see him like this. Neptune would tease him mercilessly.

"You look like Ruby when you do that," said Blake's voice, prompting Sun to look up.

Whatever Sun had been about to say in response died on his lips as he caught sight of Blake...and the outfit she was wearing.

No one who looked at Blake's normal outfit would have dared to call it conservative. Yet, compared to what she was wearing now, he might have gone so far as to call it prudish. She wore a backless, Mistrallian-style dress that Sun thought might have shown some ninja influence. The top split as it rose up to cover her chest, running over her shoulders, and joining at the back; with a tiny, purple bow joining the split parts together at the collar. Her cleavage was accentuated by strips of purple fabric that crossed between her breasts, before running beneath her top, and out around her back. A broad, purple sash held the dress closed around her waist, with the skirt ending a little ways above the level of her knees. The skirt was also slit on both sides, showing off the creamy skin of Blake's thighs, all the way up to an almost scandalous point, before being covered by the sash. Her legs were covered with black stockings; and, while her right arm was bare, the left was covered by a tight black sleeve that ended at her wrist, a sleeve that wasn't part of the main dress.

Blake looked gorgeous...and sexy...and Sun had to fight to keep from drooling at the sight of her. "W-w-wow!" he managed to stammer out, the blush of his cheeks spreading out to cover the entirety of his face. "Blake, you look...amazing!" He grinned nervously, scratching the back of his head. "I'm sorry I didn't dress up."

"It's fine," said Blake, taking Sun and pulling him up by his wrist, the boy obeying her prompts automatically. "If I'd thought it was necessary, I would have told you to wear something nice." She looked him up and down, her eyes lingering on his abs with a look that was almost...predatory. "Besides, you look just fine to me."

"Th-thanks," said Sun, not used to getting a look like that from Blake, of all people.

Blake smirked. It wasn't that she'd never thought Sun was physically desirable. Heaven knew, even straight men would be turned on by abs like those. But she had always forced herself to look past it, look past the charm Sun exuded, having always suspected that it was superficial. Only as she'd discovered that Sun's outward nature wasn't skin-deep, that it went all the way down to the core of his being, did she begin to allow herself to appreciate him in a more...physical sense. Of course, even then, she'd kept her show of that appreciation as muted as she could, still having difficulty finding the will to commit.

But after seeing his match against Ayumu, Blake found a renewed and enhanced appreciation of Sun's qualities. Even if he hadn't won the match, Blake still found herself admitting that she'd truly fallen for the handsome dork. And now she wanted to show that to him.

It was odd, really. Sun was as far from her original immature fantasies of an ideal man as it was possible to get...at least to her mind. Back during the younger years of her adolescence, she had imagined her future boyfriend as someone brooding, determined, while exuding powerful charisma. When she'd first met Adam, she'd begun crushing on him almost immediately, seeing him as a hero who might well have jumped off the pages of some of her favorite novels. It was only through further experience, watching as Adam's brooding nature pulled him down into the darkness of hatred and spite, that she got a sense of the painful flip-side of those qualities...and finding herself hit with a poignant example of being careful what she wished for.

In contrast to all of that, Sun was cheerful, radiating energy, and a zest for life that could rival Nora's at times. He was a prankster, a person who lived moment to moment. Yet he was also warm and caring, utterly devoted to her wellbeing, even before they had developed an actual relationship. He was a ray of sunshine, piercing the veil of darkness she'd drawn about herself, never faltering, no matter how hard she'd tried, initially, to drive him away. And yet, along with all of that, he'd shown a steely determination that had been amongst the things that had drawn her to Adam, the only difference being Sun's desire to channel those qualities in a positive direction.

Blake took Sun's hands in hers. "Come on," she said, pulling him along towards the waiting airship, willfully ignoring all the eyes her current state of dress was drawing. "Today is for you, a reward for doing so well in the tournament."

A part of Sun suggested that she might as well say it was out of condolence for his defeat. No one liked being taken on a pity-date, after all. The better part of Sun told that other part to shut up. He was far too busy being enthralled by Blake's presence and appearance to care if she was taking pity on him or not. The one thing he could say for sure was that she was acting out of genuine affection for him. Going with the flow was fine by him. So he allowed Blake to lead him along without a word of question or protest.

* * *

It was almost three hours later that Ruby finally managed to make her way to the docks, Yang and Gin fending off further autograph seekers. After she'd been delayed in returning, they'd gone to find her, Gin tracking her down easily, to find that Ruby had been locked into an impromptu signing event, when the owner of a nearby diner allowed her to use his table, so that Ruby's subsequent autographs were more legible. Considering the man had won himself several customers from the "event," it proved to be a good deal for him.

For Ruby, not so much. Both wrists ached from continuously signing papers, books, and numerous other objects that had been presented to her. Ruby had never been more grateful for teaching herself to write with both hands, switching from one to the other to keep from wearing them out too soon.

Yang and Gin, after finding her, had allowed the event to go on a little longer, before finally managing to disperse the crowd of hopefuls, that had at least dwindled down since Ruby had begun. Yang had capped the line, cracking her knuckles to keep anyone from trying to force their way in, while Gin remained close to Ruby. At least they scored a free lunch from the deal, the diner's owner being so ecstatic over the extra business that Ruby had brought in that he was was all too happy to give them their food on the house.

It was certainly an interesting education on the ups and downs of being a celebrity. On one hand, it was nice to interact with people who expressed so much positivity towards her. Ruby didn't normally consider herself vain, but it felt good to realize that so many people admired her, and were willing to wait for the chance to obtain something as simple as a signature from her. Seeing little boys and girls line up, some expressing a desire to become Huntsmen and Huntresses "just like you," was especially tailored to make her feel giddy. And the free food had been nice. On the other hand...some people were just plain _weird_.

In the course of her impromptu session, Ruby had dealt with a few people that creeped her out. A couple of boys, and one girl, had asked her out, right then and there. One of the boys had even led off by complimenting her scythe-handling...then immediately suggesting that they see how well she could handle his "spear." He was quickly ushered away by Gin, while Ruby herself kept Yang from following through on her threat to rip the boy's spine out through his ass (on a side note, Ruby still found it endlessly amusing that her boyfriend, the dragon-faunus, was more composed than her sister). On top of that, some of the objects that Ruby had been asked to sign, in lieu of paper, had been...odd...to say the least.

But it was over for now. Ruby walked between Yang and Gin, feeling utterly exhausted. "If that's what Pyrrha had to deal with all the time, it's no wonder she went crazy," Ruby grumbled.

Yang laughed. "Well, that's just the tip of the iceberg, Sis. You're just a semifinalist now. Think about what it'll be like if you actually win."

"Ugh..." groaned Ruby, leaning against Gin, who gave the hand he was holding a sympathetic squeeze.

"One way or another, you're famous, Ruby," said Yang. "Pyrrha won the Mistral Regional Tournament. But it was just that, a _regional_ tournament. The Vytal Festival Tournament is way bigger, the _biggest_ one. That's a huge accomplishment."

Ruby blushed at the thought. Granted, it was still too early for her to be counting on the win, particularly not with what else loomed on the horizon.

Gin smirked teasingly. "It was kinda interesting to watch," he said. "Some of those people noticed that you switched hands. At least a couple were talking about getting back in line to make sure they had both your right and left-hand autographs."

Yang burst out laughing, while Ruby's eye twitched irritably. Then she sighed. "I'm more worried what kind of story the news will make out of it," she said.

"Don't bother with it," said Yang. "Besides, your match is tomorrow. After that, the result will be the only thing people really care about."

"We'll see," said Ruby. She found herself wondering if anyone else had been inadvertently been roped into signing autographs.

* * *

"You should have seen it!" said Mercury, laughing. "All she did was do a favor for one little brat, and suddenly people were lined up around the block! Now _that's_ how things snowball out of control."

"Sounds to me like she's letting success go to her head," said Emerald with a smirk.

"Looked to me like she'd rather be anywhere else," Mercury commented. "Poor thing; she was too nice to turn all those people away, so she gave them what they wanted, even though it ran her ragged."

"Are you sympathizing with her?" asked Emerald warily.

"Hardly," scoffed Mercury. "That was the funniest thing I've seen in a while. I'm a little disappointed that her sister and boyfriend turned up, and started turning people away. Imagine if she'd been forced to sit there and sign autographs all the way through the night."

"It certainly would have impacted her performance in the ring," observed Cinder, listening in from where she sat, on her bed, reclining against the wall. "It also would have lowered her guard, and made her easier to influence. It might still work that way."

"Well, it would make it a lot harder to lose convincingly," said Mercury. "It works to our advantage if she's at least at her best."

"True," conceded Cinder, even Emerald nodding in agreement. "Now then, I'm sure you've gone through how everything is supposed to go.

"There's one thing that has me a bit worried," said Mercury.

"Oh...?"

"When she took out Liu, she punched that scythe of hers right through his stomach," said Mercury. "But Liu wasn't actually injured by it. From the looks of things, her weapon can hit people without actually harming them, Aura or no. So, if she does that tomorrow, it'll still look bad for her. But it won't have the same level of impact."

"That's what the other round is for," said Cinder, cooing eagerly. "If little Ruby Rose can't be made to act like a complete monster, then her precious friend will. One way or another, we will build upon what happened yesterday, and destroy the foundation of trust the people have."

Sweat beaded on Emerald's brow. She desperately hoped things went the way they were supposed to with Ruby. Once again, she remembered her fight with Ayumu. Once again, she felt the worry, the urge to tell Cinder just how precarious things really were. But she still remembered the sting of Cinder's disappointment. The thought of confiding the potential of failure now, of suggesting that their plans might all be for naught...of facing Cinder's wrath for letting her down at this critical juncture...there was no way Emerald could go through with it.

 _It'll be all right,_ she thought. _Ruby will fall for this; hook, line, and sinker. Everything will work out. It_ has _to._

* * *

"Sun, you don't have to," said Blake, following behind Sun as he led her through the library. "This is supposed to be your day."

"I know," said Sun, grinning. "Contrary to what you might think, I like reading too; maybe not as much as you, but I definitely dig a good book. There's one I want to show you."

"Really?" Blake blinked, trying to imagine being shown a book she hadn't read. Of course, even if it was one she'd already read, she supposed that she wouldn't mind reading it again, if it was one of the ones that she liked.

Sun turned his head, carefully surveying the titles along the shelf, before grinning, and reaching up to pull the book off. Blake's eyes widened. While she hadn't been so judgmental as to imagine Sun going after a picture book or a comic, she'd expected something less...substantial...like a brief adventure novel, or one of those young-adult titles that were all the rage lately (a guilty pleasure of hers, right up alongside her more...mature preferences). What she _hadn't_ expected was the thick tome that Sun pulled off the shelf and showed to her.

" _Journey to the West_ ," read Blake, realizing that this was a book that she hadn't read. The size might have had something to do with it.

As a member of the White Fang, Blake had been accustomed to living a life on the move. When her father had been in charge, it had been a constant rush to get from one protest to another, the interiors of inn or hotel rooms a constant. Once Sienna Khan had taken the reins, Blake's life had only become _more_ transient. They had stopped staying in inns or hotels, where they might be found and caught by the authorities, instead relying upon fortified encampments in the wilderness, often having to uproot themselves and relocate in order to maintain the pace of their guerrilla conflict. Neither set of circumstances had been conducive for lugging around large, heavy tomes of the kind that Sun was holding up in front of her now.

Of course, now that she was at Beacon, she certainly didn't have to worry about the physical weight of her reading material, she supposed. Reaching up, she traced her fingers over the cover. "Don't get me wrong, Sun," she said, "but I can't see you reading a book like this."

Sun grinned and chuckled. "Well, you're not wrong," he admitted. "Normally I like adventures and action stories, books a little on the shorter side. This one is special though."

"Why?" asked Blake.

"My mom named me after one of the characters in it," explained Sun, leading them towards a couch. "It made me want to read it, so I did. It was a pretty...heavy read. It's way more abstract and philosophical than what I normally like. But it was really interesting too...and it has its exciting moments. The main thing is that it influenced a lot of the decisions I made about myself, particularly the way I fight. When I came up with what kind of weapon I wanted to materialize, I immediately thought of the weapon my namesake used."

Blake found herself smiling more widely. "That's wonderful," she said breathlessly.

"Anyway," said Sun, "I wanted to share this with you, and since you like reading so much, and I like this book, I figured this would be the best of both worlds, when it came to a way to cap off our date." He chuckled. "Obviously, there's no way we can finish this in one evening. But I figured that means we'll have plenty for future dates."

Blake pulled the book down, then threw her arms over Sun's shoulders, pulling herself against him and kissing him deeply. When she pulled away, she took a second to savor his gobsmacked expression, before responding. "There's nothing I'd like more."

* * *

"Wow, I wish I could've been there to see that," said Nora, laughing at Ruby, who slumped tiredly on her bed, in her pajamas.

It had become something of a routine by this point. RUBY and JNAR typically spent at least a small portion of their evenings together in one team's room or another. They'd discussed what they'd learned during the day, traded intelligence, and fretted over the actions of the enemy, however fruitful or not such fretting proved to be. Not everyone was there every night, of course. And, after she had come over to their side, Neo frequently joined them as well. Other nights, someone or the other might be missing. In tonight's case, it was Blake, Yang helpfully informing everyone that she was still on her date with Sun.

"Did you get mobbed?" Jaune asked Ayumu.

"As it so happened, I managed to avoid scrutiny," said Ayumu, cheerfully serene as always. "I don't seem to stand out in a crowd all that much, so everyone seemed to pass me over."

"Yeah, that's pretty typical for you," noted Gin. Even during the peak of the harassment that the three of them had faced for the myriad controversies that had surrounded them after coming to Beacon, Ayumu had only ever been on the fringes of it. He wasn't at the forefront of the controversy, as Ruby had been, and he wasn't a dragon-faunus. Many of their fellow students still didn't seem to be aware that Ayumu was a faunus of any kind. He was someone who seemed to perpetually fly under the radar of most people, through no fault of his own.

"I don't know if that was the case for anyone else," noted Ayumu. "Ms. Penny was likely ushered away by the General's security the moment her interview was over. And Mr. Black is probably especially adept at dodging attention."

"So the papers tomorrow are probably gonna talk about how Ruby's fame is going to her head," grumbled Jaune. "Just great."

Yang elbowed him sharply. "No talking about the papers," she told him strictly. "If I can help it, we won't even see a headline before Ruby gets to the arena."

"It's not worth worrying about at this stage anyway," said Ren. "Our biggest concern will be the matches themselves. Tomorrow will likely be when the enemy springs their trap."

"We'll be ready," said Ruby, trading a nod with Ayumu.

Ayumu looked down at Neo, who was seated in his lap, curled up against him, her new favorite position. "You'll likely be called in by Cinder tomorrow," he said. "Be careful. Avoid anything that would arouse her suspicion."

Neo swallowed and nodded. In all honesty, she was both surprised and relieved that Cinder hadn't called her already, if for no other reason than to inform Neo of her part in the larger plan. Neo supposed that Cinder wanted to minimize the chance of leaks as much as possible. Even if she didn't suspect Neo of leaking the location of the White Fang hideouts to Ozpin, she still didn't trust Neo.

Conversation paused as the door swung open to reveal Blake. Their eyes widened at the sight of her. She was looking a little disheveled, her outfit hanging slightly askew, her hair slightly tangled, even her bow slightly messy, with the tip of one black ear protruding, almost unnoticeably, from within the ribbon. What was _most_ shocking was the look of blissful contentment on her face. She was presently hugging a large, heavy book to her chest.

"Wow," said Yang. "Looks like someone got lucky."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Blake, her smile not faltering the slightest, even in the face of Yang's teasing. In fact, the others weren't certain that Blake had actually listened to Yang. Her mind seemed to be somewhere else completely.

Instead, she shuffled past Yang, depositing her book on the bed, and grabbing her pajamas, before slipping into the bathroom, and closing the door behind her. The rest of the room's occupants stared at the door in stunned silence, well after the sound of the shower reached them from behind it.

"Wow...is Sun _that_ good in bed?" wondered Yang.

"I don't think they had sex," said Ayumu politely...if bluntly. "She certainly doesn't smell of it."

"True," agreed Gin.

Instead, Ayumu stood up, sliding Neo off his lap with an indignant squeak, and made his way to the book Blake had left on the bed. "It seems to me that she and Sun enjoyed an extended reading session."

"Didn't expect that," commented Jaune.

"I'm sure Ms. Blake will be happy to tell you all about it," said Ayumu cheerfully. "Besides, you seem to have been doing some reading of your own," he added, looking at the small book in Jaune's hand.

"Well...it _is_ interesting," said Jaune, turning the book and looking at the title.

"What's it about?" asked Ruby, leaning forward.

Jaune explained about the Legacies that the book was about, the weapons that apparently developed their own Aura.

"Wow! That's really cool!" exclaimed Ruby, staring at the book with wide eyes.

"Sadly, that is certainly one aspect of weaponry we won't be able to engage with," noted Ayumu, a tinge of disappointment in his voice. "After all, our weapons are born from our Auras, and cannot be passed down." He paused thoughtfully. "Although, since Aura is the basis for their creation, you might be able to say they are essentially created Legacies."

"Learn anything helpful?" asked Yang.

"Well...it's not as though its an instruction manual," said Jaune, hefting the book. "It's mostly stories about Legacy weapons. I'm trying to see if those stories might hint at something useful."

"It certainly could be useful, if that information applies to your weapon," said Ren.

Jaune's interest in the topic of Legacies was obvious in its roots. They all knew that Crocea Mors had been in Jaune's family for generations, being passed down from father to son. If there was a weapon that had developed and Aura from being used by so many different hands, it would be this one.

"Well...if your dad's still in town, maybe you could ask him," posed Nora.

She quickly regretted her suggestion, seeing the look of cloudy anger drift across Jaune's face. "Yeah right," he growled. "Even if he knew about this, there's no way he would help to me. At best, he'd probably make some bogus offer to tell me, if I came home with him."

"That sounds like something he'd do," said Yang dourly.

"I'll figure it out myself," said Jaune. "I mean...this seems like one of those things where you guys'll be able to help only so much."

"True," agreed Gin.

"Well, if your weapon has an Aura; Gin, Ruby, and I can probably give you pointers on how to become more aware of it," suggested Ayumu, before yawning. "However, that will have to come later. I'm afraid I need to retire for the evening. I have a big day tomorrow, after all."

"Me too," agreed Ruby.

"So I guess the meeting is adjourned," said Yang wryly.

They traded nods. JNAR and Neo got up to head to their room, across the hall, while Ruby, Gin, and Yang settled into their beds, waiting for Blake to finish up in the bathroom, before turning out the lights for the night.

* * *

When Ruby and the others awoke the next morning, they found themselves faced with an overcast sky. The clouds must have come in over the course of the night. Their presence muted the light of the rising sun, filling the air with a heavy sensation. Ruby really wished that this day could have been sunny, at least. As it was, the dark clouds hovered over Vale like an ominous omen.

When they'd entered the dining hall for breakfast, Ruby once again found herself the subject of intense scrutiny. She and her friends made it a point not to read any papers, but it was apparent that the story of her accidental autograph session had been making the rounds. At the fringes of her senses, she did indeed pick up angry mutterings from people who suspected that her fame was going to her head. Ruby did her best to ignore them. With what she'd been putting up with before, it was fairly easy.

Going into Vale itself seemed out of the question, considering what had happened only yesterday. Ruby didn't want to get roped into another autograph session. Unfortunately, visiting the festival didn't seem to be in the cards today either. With the weather turning sour, most of the shops and stalls hadn't bothered opening today. The students and the citizens had opted to spend as much time as they could indoors.

Only the tournament would run as scheduled, Amity Coliseum being unaffected by any but the most turbulent weather conditions. The same shields that protected it from the Grimm while in transit between the Kingdoms also served to protect its interior from the effects of the weather, allowing the matches to take place within a climate-controlled space. Of course, since the semifinals wouldn't start until the evening, there was no point to going up to the coliseum too early.

As a consequence, Ruby and her friends opted to spend the day in, reading books and watching movies. It was a fairly lazy day. Only once lunch had passed did Ruby and Ayumu go over to the training center, and borrow a sparring ring to warm up before their match. They didn't spar against each other, but instead ran through some drills to get their bodies ready to go into motion.

Neo spent as much time as she could beside Ayumu, cuddling up next to him during the movies they watched. However, right at about the time Ayumu and Ruby had opted to go warm up, she got the call they had all been both anticipating and dreading. Cinder was summoning Neo to fulfill her part of the plan. She departed after giving Ayumu one last kiss.

Finally, with the sun setting, the two teams made their way to the arena. Sadly, the cloudy weather hadn't abated at all during the day. So they made their way to the docks under a hazy darkness that Ruby really could have done without, if only for the sake of her mood.

She could have done without the wind and rain too. The rain wasn't too bad on its own. It was more than a sprinkle, but not at the level of a full-blown deluge. But the wind more than made up for that. It shifted in both power and direction, blowing the rain one way, then another. It drove the droplets against the skin like miniature shards of ice, the water and wind working in conjunction the chill them to the bone. Since the rain was just as likely to come at her sideways, Ruby's hood and cloak were of only moderate help when it came to keeping off the wet. With weather like this, it was obvious that summer was well behind them. They were thankful when the doors of the airship slid closed, providing them a shelter from the cold.

Fortunately, the docks on Amity were beneath the protective umbrella of the coliseum's shields. Ruby was glad for that, considering that the walk into the floating building itself would have been, not merely unpleasant, but treacherous as well, given what the winds must be like at this altitude. Entering the coliseum, Ruby heaved a sigh of relief, pulled her hood back off her head, and shook her hair out, scattering droplets everywhere.

"Dang, what a sucky day," muttered Yang, rubbing the skin of her bare arms.

The others nodded, doing what they could to dry off.

Ruby checked her scroll, reading the notification, which would tell her which of the waiting rooms to head to. Ayumu peeked over her shoulder. "It would seem that you and I have separate rooms this time," he noted.

Ruby nodded, her stomach squirming. It made her wonder who she would be sharing the waiting room with. She would hope that it wasn't Mercury, but that would mean Mercury would be with Ayumu instead.

 _At least Penny won't be with Mercury,_ she thought, relaxing at the idea. While she didn't think Penny figured into the enemy's plans, Ruby felt much better about knowing that Penny wasn't in proximity to one of them. At least, if Ayumu was with Mercury, he could handle himself.

Still, there was nothing but to go and see who their roommates would be for the day. Bidding farewell to her friends, for now, Ruby headed off to the ready room, Ayumu following alongside her, until it came time to part ways.

They paused at the branch in the hallway. Ruby reached out and took Ayumu's hands in her own. "Be careful," she said softly.

"You as well," Ayumu replied.

Ruby smiled, then they exchanged a hug. She felt a little guilty for finding that Ayumu's hug felt a bit nicer than Gin's right now, his warmth easily pushing away the residual chill from the rain and wind. They let go of each other, then went their separate ways.

Taking a deep breath, Ruby opened the door of the ready-room, stepping through to see the curly orange hair of the other occupant. "Hi, Penny," she said, feeling relieved.

"Salutations, Ruby!" said Penny, sounding even more enthusiastic than Ruby was. "Are you ready for your match, today?"

"I am," said Ruby. "What about you?"

"Of course!" cheered Penny. "I'm combat ready!"

 _Of course she is,_ thought Ruby with a small smile.

Penny leaned in to whisper into Ruby's ear, which wasn't really necessary. "And, just in case, I've asked Ciel to sit with your friends."

"That's a good idea," said Ruby, nodding. Here was another layer of complication to their plans. She could only hope that things with Penny went smoothly.

Her scroll buzzed. Pulling it out, Ruby was surprised to see a message from Ayumu. " _Mr. Black is here..._ " it said, " _...and so is Ms. Sustrai._ "

So Mercury and Emerald were in their ready-room. Ruby felt a cold sweat spread across her brow. Had they clued into what Ruby and the others were planning, and were planning to ambush Ayumu in the ready-room?

 _No...that doesn't seem right,_ thought Ruby. _They wouldn't resort to that right before the matches began._ Trying to ambush her or Ayumu after their respective matches, when they were tired and their Auras depleted, was something that Ruby could see them trying. But they wouldn't risk rousing suspicions by having Emerald show up prior to the match too. It would be much more effective if she remained out of sight, until the match was over.

So then...what was the reason? Ruby's eyes widened as she came to the realization. _Emerald's Semblance! That must be it!_ They'd theorized about the range of Emerald's ability, so it made sense that she'd want to get as close to the action as possible, in order to use it. The door from the ready-room was probably the place closest to the entrance of the arena that she could place herself without drawing too much suspicion. Sure, it was unconventional, but people likely wouldn't object to what they would see as Mercury's partner wanting to cheer him on from as close as she was allowed to get.

Another message appeared on the scroll. " _I've sent a message to Gin. He'll be ready._ "

Ruby nodded, even though Ayumu wasn't there to see it.

"Is everything all right?" asked Penny, rocking back and forth in one of the chairs. "You seem tense."

"It's nothing," said Ruby cheerfully.

Penny gave her an uncharacteristically sober look. "Ruby...Professor Ozpin told me that you and your friends are involved in something...a war."

"What?" gasped Ruby, a tremor of shock running down her spine. "Why-?"

"He didn't tell me and Ciel much," said Penny, getting up from her seat. "But he said I could ask you about it, and you could tell me."

"I...oh..." Ruby blinked, unsure of how to process this.

"I...I won't ask," said Penny, averting her eyes.

"You...won't?" That surprised Ruby.

"I want to help," said Penny. "But Ciel's scared. She's not sure if she can handle getting involved in something like this. I want to be there for her, and I don't want to make things harder for her, if she doesn't want to. So I won't pry."

 _That's...very sweet of her,_ thought Ruby. From Penny's mannerisms, Ruby could tell that the android very much wanted to ask about what was going on. But she was restraining her curiosity for the sake of her partner.

"But..." Penny looked Ruby in the eyes again. "...if you ever need my help, Ruby, just ask, and I'll be there for you."

Ruby smiled, and took Penny's hands in her own. "Thank you."

Penny smiled back, and the pair of them hugged tightly. Soon, Ruby was hiding a grimace as Penny's hug threatened to exceed the pressure limit of her bones.

They were interrupted by Oobleck's voice over the intercom, instructing the fighters to assemble in the ring. Ruby and Penny parted. Ruby gave Penny's hand one last squeeze. "Ready?" she asked.

"Ready," said Penny.

They let go, and headed out into the ring, Ruby swallowing and steeling herself in the face of what was to come.

* * *

 **Yeesh, things are getting pretty damn complicated now, aren't they...**

 **Looking back on this, I realized that the dynamic of the relationship between Sun, Blake, and Adam, is a lot like the one between Emmet, Wildstyle, and Batman from _The Lego Movie_ , (if Emmet was a bo-staff-twirling badass and Batman was a controlling, abusive psychopath). The girl at the center _thinks_ she's in love with the dark, brooding, anti-hero; but later warms up to the sweet, friendly, if dorky nice fuy. It's not a perfect parallel, but close enough in my books...and I find it a cute dynamic.**

 **I also like the idea of Sun being a fan of Remnant's version of _Journey to the West_ , and the literary Sun Wukong being his namesake in-universe as well. Note to self...I need to finish reading that. I've gotten a little over halfway, but that story is a _slog_. Seriously, just the first portion of the main story, after the prologue (which details the origins of Xuanzang, the monk) is _ridiculously_ protracted and convoluted. You may think _I_ draw things out, but _Journey to the West_ features an extended segment about a guy who commits suicide to enter the afterlife in on behalf of the Tang Emperor, in order to fulfill said Emperor's promise to deliver melons to a set of spirits, after said spirits helped said Emperor during _his_ journey through the afterlife (that's an even _longer_ story). Freaking _melons_! Yes...really. And all of this is part of a _huge_ chunk of narrative that precedes the titular journey. Still...it is a classic for a reason. And the prologue about the origins of Sun Wukong is a pretty awesome read in and of itself.**

 **On that note, if you want to see an abbreviated rendition of _Journey to the West_ 's prologue in animated format (with some major elements changed), look up _Uproar in Heaven_. You can find a subtitled version of it on youtube.**

 **That's all for now.**


	113. Chapter 113

**Chapter 113:**

The atmosphere within the arena was even more intense than it was two days ago. Or maybe it just felt that way because there were only four of them there, in the center of it, rather than the previous eight. Ruby couldn't be sure. But the air hummed with energy and excitement. Everyone was looking forward to a continuing crescendo, a raising of the standard set by the day before. It was hard not to get swept up into that excitement. But Ruby took a deep breath, trying to keep calm, and steeling herself for what lay ahead.

Across from her, she could see Ayumu, smiling encouragingly as he made his way out, with Mercury following behind. Her eyes searched the dark arch of the entryway for any sign of Emerald. But, if she was there, she was out of sight. What that meant, Ruby had no idea.

A low rumble, that had nothing to do with the crowd, filled the air overhead. Glancing up, Ruby saw dark clouds hovering above, catching a quick flash of lightning from within them. The shield that protected them all from the elements left her feeling strangely divorced from reality. It was surreal in a way. She resolved to try and put that uncertainty out of her head.

They lined up, just as they had before, staring out over the crowd. Ruby swept her gaze across the ringside seats, spotting Yang, Blake, Jaune, Ren, and Nora. Gin was gone, of course. However, the seat he would have occupied had a familiar, dark-skinned girl sitting in it instead.

Ruby swallowed back a lump in her throat, listening to Port and Oobleck, who were stirring up the crowd even more.

" _Ladies and gentlemen,_ " thundered Port, his bombastic voice straining the speakers, " _now we commence the Vytal Festival Tournament semifinals!_ "

A roar of approval met his announcement. Port allowed the cheers to continue for a moment, before proceeding. " _Standing before you are the elite, the finest warriors from all four Academies! They have passed the intense trials of the previous rounds to stand before you today. Now, we are left with the question: of these four, which two will continue on to represent their Kingdoms in the final round!?_ "

 _If we mess up, that question will be the_ last _thing on everyone's mind,_ thought Ruby.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She couldn't afford to get caught up in that now. She'd prepared as best she could, and would just have to roll with things as they came.

" _Without further ado, let us commence,_ " said Oobleck, breaking in with a slight urgency, which suggested he was trying to keep Port from getting lost in his rambling. " _Now we will begin the match selection!_ "

The screen above showcased the computer-generated slots, spinning through the four remaining portraits. The first one slowed to a stop, and Ruby felt her tense, then relax. It was Penny. She waited a few seconds longer, agonizing over who the android's opponent would be. Gradually, the wheel slowed to a stop, and Ruby gasped to see the face of her opponent.

It was Ayumu.

 _So it's me then,_ she thought, shooting a sideways glance at Mercury, who was smirking, as usual. Maybe it was her imagination, but she thought she detected an added hint of arrogance in his smile, like things were going the way he wanted them to. She supposed they were. The question was whether or not they would continue to.

Not needing to wait for Oobleck's instruction, Ruby turned to make her exit from the ring, shooting Penny a smile. "Good luck," she said, while walking past her friend.

Penny beamed back and nodded. Ruby and Mercury turned back to return to their ready-rooms, from which they would watch the match.

* * *

Emerald leaned against the edge of the door leading from the ready room, carefully concealing herself amidst the shadows cast by the lights above. Narrowing her eyes, she focused on the figure dressed in blue, standing in the ring, with an angry intensity. _It's payback time,_ she thought darkly.

Months ago, when she'd fought Ayumu during the combat assessment, Emerald had been painfully humiliated, goaded into revealing her Semblance, jeopardizing her position with Cinder, on top of being beaten. She'd left the ring feeling like she'd been toyed with. No matter what Cinder and Mercury might have said about Ayumu's smile, how it was likely a strategy to unnerve her, rather than actual arrogance, Emerald hadn't been able to shake the feeling of anger she felt rise up within her, whenever she thought of that smile.

Maybe Ayumu _did_ know what her Semblance was, but he wouldn't be prepared for it, not in this situation. That assurance of his, the strength of his skills, the sharpness of his sword; Emerald would turn all those things against him, here in this match. By the time it was over, Ayumu would be standing with his head bowed in humiliation...and he'd have no idea what happened.

* * *

Ayumu and Penny turned to face one another. "It's nice to see you again," said Ayumu pleasantly. "It's unfortunate that I haven't been able to spend as much time with you as Gin and Ruby have."

"That's okay," said Penny. "I look forward to a sensational match."

"As do I," said Ayumu, bringing his hands together, once again using his sleeves to mask the materialization of his weapon. "Ever since we saw your capability in Mountain Glenn, I've been looking forward to the chance to test my skills against you."

"Great!" exclaimed Penny. "Me too!" Her backpack opened up, deploying ten wired swords that floated behind her, arraying themselves almost like the feathers of a pair of invisible wings.

The platform of the inner ring was already beginning to rise. As it did, Ayumu was conscious of the eyes on his back, the intense gaze of Emerald Sustrai. _She might not wait until the next match to start using her Semblance,_ he thought warily, remembering the concerns Ruby had voiced after the previous round. That being the case, he would have to draw upon the _Shingan_ as much as possible, in order to supplement the senses that Emerald's Semblance could disrupt.

They both tensed, readying themselves for the fight. The second Oobleck shouted " _Begin!_ " Penny burst into motion. Her swords arranged themselves into a pair of ring formations behind her, transforming into their gun-modes, an explosive burst of green energy firing out from those formations, accelerating her as though she was propelled by a pair of rockets. She launched herself across the ring at Ayumu, an eager grin on her face.

Penny kicked off the floor, using her momentum to continue carrying her forward as she sent her body into a roll, sweeping her swords around her in a circle to slash at Ayumu's body in sequence. Ayumu sidestepped the attack, dancing aside from it with an easy grace. His own sword flickered out to probe her defenses. However, the last sword in the train of Penny's attack changed its angle, so that the blade swept across her body, intercepting Ayumu's attack.

Landing, Penny continued her spin, coming around to face Ayumu. Thrusting forward with her hands, she sent the swords flying point-first at Ayumu. The Green Destiny blurred and flickered, knocking way the two swords aimed at his center mass. Turning side-on, Ayumu kicked off and allowed himself to drift between Penny's other blades, gliding closer, and into range, thrusting ahead of him.

Penny crossed her arms in front of herself, bending her elbows to bring her hands back past her torso. At first, Ayumu supposed she was relying on her body's strength to take his attack. But he sensed the eagerness of her intent. It wasn't the blind flailing of someone aiming to fend off an unexpected attack, but the excitement of someone anticipating the chance to land a counterattack. Two additional swords popped out of Penny's back, their handles practically leaping into her hands. Pulling her arms back across her body, she met Ayumu's thrust with a pair of slashes that bounced his sword back.

At the same time, the swords that Penny had launched past Ayumu returned, arcing their courses to slash at him from behind and the sides. Jumping, Ayumu spun and flipped between them, letting their movements through the air guide him, telling him where they were coming from. Their edges were sharp, cutting through the air with remarkably little disturbance. But Ciar's radial attacks had been far more subtle, and harder to read. Compared to them, the movements of Penny's swords were as plain as day to Ayumu...including the fact that there were only eight of them suddenly.

The other two swords had pulled back to hover at a distance. Their blades folded down and back, and their handles rotated along the hilt to rest at an angle, transitioning into gun-like forms. Then they fired, sending bolts of emerald energy sizzling at Ayumu. Already mid-dodge, moving through the narrow spaces created by Penny's slashing swords, Ayumu was in an awkward position.

Holding up his sword, Ayumu angled it so that the flat of the blade was faced towards one of the incoming beams. At the same time, he pulled his body through the flip, wrenching it out of the way of the other. The first beam struck the flash of his sword, the impact contrasting the bright-green color of the beam with the paler, fainter green of Ayumu's Aura, before it was bounced off at an angle, striking one of Penny's other swords, which had reoriented to fly at him like an arrow. The sword was knocked away, spinning.

Continuing his flip, Ayumu touched down, then immediately launched himself into another one, Penny's blades continuing their onslaught, attacking from a wide variety of angles, with incredible persistence and ferocity. Penny was adept at calculating the vectors for her weapons, always seeking to minimize the amount of space Ayumu had to dodge through. However, despite her best efforts, she couldn't ever completely cage him in with the edges of her blades. Ayumu always seemed capable of slipping through any gap, no matter how small it appeared. At times, his body actually seemed to melt away into the air around him, and he became more like a living zephyr than a flesh and blood faunus.

Still, the continuous onslaught made it rather hard for Ayumu to find the opportunity to counter. Penny's swords were relentless in their attack. Once again, Ayumu was reminded of Ciar, and his swift radial attacks, which had been incredibly hard to read, particularly as they seemed to effectively close off the space around the man. Penny's swords weren't near as hard to counter, but there were other factors that made Ayumu wary, namely her wires.

The wires of her weapon were nearly invisible to the naked eye, rarely appearing as flickering glimmers beneath the spotlights. But Ayumu was able to sense them, barely. In some ways, they were able to move through the air with even less disturbance than her swords. As the fight continued, Ayumu found himself marveling at how Penny could use them to create such complex attack patterns without tangling them up. At first, he figured that they twined around one another, then unravelled as they needed to. When Penny had first deployed her swords, two wires had extended out from her back, one to each set, with individual wires branching off to the pommel of each sword.

When she attacked, those wires split off more, allowing the swords to move independently of one another, their trajectories leading the wires to cross with one another repeatedly. To Ayumu's amazement, rather than tangle with one another, the wires seemed to instead phase _through_ one another, as though they were liquid. At other times, the wire of one blade would merge with another, so that it became an anchor for the other blade's movement, allowing it to change trajectory abruptly. They merged and split freely, prompting Ayumu to realize that they actually _were_ liquid.

Rather than solid strands of metal, the wires were actually hair-thin (possibly even thinner) streams of some kind of liquid alloy. They were capable of liquifying and solidifying as needed, as well as conducting Penny's Aura through them to her swords, whether to slash or fire them as guns.

That being the case, Ayumu realized that there was a way he could read the movements of the swords more easily. Relaxing himself further, he opened himself to the awareness of Penny's Aura, its ebb and flow. It made her wires and swords stand out even more starkly to his senses than the disturbances they caused in the air around her. Melded all together, Ayumu found himself able to read their movements with ease.

So he charged forward, jumping, twisting, and flipping through the the rapid slashes of Penny's blade, his body seeming to dissolve into the air itself, allowing him to slip in close, like an errant breeze. Green Destiny flickered out, slashing up at Penny's torso. Yet Penny didn't falter at suddenly finding her opponent so close in. Flicking her left wrist, she used the sword in that hand to bat Ayumu's thrust away from her, before countering with a slash from her right. Ayumu easily manipulated Green Destiny into a parry, before being forced to execute a small jump, clenching his stomach and pulling his legs up to get his lower half out of the way of a powerful kick that Penny snapped out at him. The jump was so light that Ayumu barely gained an inch of height. But it was enough to allow Penny's foot to pass through the air beneath him harmlessly.

Kicking down with his feet, Ayumu actually planted them against Penny's outstretched shin, his lightened body allowing himself to push off without even moving her leg. Curling his legs again, he went into rapid backflip, without actually moving up or backwards, using the movement to conceal Green Destiny, allowing him to bring it around in an upwards slash, the beginning of which was obscured by his body.

Penny hopped back, crossing her blades, allowing her to catch Ayumu's sword. At the same time, four of her remote blades lanced down from offset angles, forcing Ayumu to push forward, before they could score the Aura on his back. Then the two more plunged down from directly above, forcing Ayumu to disengage from Penny and jump back. Even though he could clearly sense her wires through her Aura, Ayumu was startled to realize that Penny had laid a trap for him. The blades had crossed so that their wires now formed what amounted to a net behind him. The realization struck Ayumu too late, and he pressed up against them. It hadn't even occurred to him before that the wires could be weapons in their own right.

The blades immediately changed course, while Penny leapt back to open up the distance between her and Ayumu. The swords whirled around through a tightening circle, rapidly wrapping the wires around Ayumu's body. Ayumu tried to kick off the air to pull himself out of the trap, but Penny's snare closed too quickly. In a last-ditch effort, Ayumu inhaled deeply, expanding his chest, while pushing out with his arms, swelling against his bonds. But the wires didn't show any signs of snapping. At last, the four swords that had entrapped Ayumu lodged themselves into the metal surface of the ring, locking him in place.

Even while Ayumu had been caught in the wires of four of the swords, the other six had not been idle. The two that Penny had used to drive Ayumu into her trap had flown up to join the remaining four, forming into two formations of three, folding into their gun forms, and revolving around in a cylindrical pattern, while a shimmering orb of green collected in their center. Ayumu was able to recognize it easily; two miniature versions of the powerful beam attack that Penny had used in her match against Sky and Russel. These attacks would pack much less punch. But they would build up faster, and be plenty effective against someone with relatively low durability, like Ayumu. If both those beams hit, Ayumu would be out of the match, despite having not lost any Aura before now.

Despite that, Ayumu showed no signs of distress, his smile unwavering in the face of his entrapped state. Of course, that was his habit, but seeing that made Penny waver. Despite having calculated out the situation completely, despite Ayumu having fallen for her trap, a trace of uncertainty slipped in, and she paused for a fraction of a second, checking her calculations over. That tiny hesitation was all that Ayumu needed.

Suddenly, Ayumu exhaled, expelling the air from his lungs as quickly as he could, pulling his chest back in. At the same time, he pulled his arms back, suddenly narrowing his profile. For the briefest of seconds, right as Penny hesitated, her wires abruptly went limp, their hold around him slackening. Penny recovered quickly, the servos in her backpack winding, pulling the wires taut again. But it was too late. Ayumu expelled his Aura from his feet, while lightening his body as much as possible, shooting upwards like a rocket, leaving a streak of pale, ghostly green in his wake. Penny's snare snapped closed on empty air, while the beams fired, lancing uselessly through that same spot of empty space.

Up above, Ayumu tipped his body forward, kicking backwards and upwards, propelling himself downward with another explosive burst of his Aura. This time, he was flying straight for Penny. She responded with impressive speed, considering that she was still somewhat shaken by the fact that he'd escaped what should have been a perfect trap. The swords that had been firing on Ayumu before broke their formation and swept around to slash at him again. However, Ayumu shot through their midst before they could reach him, and well before Penny could pull her remaining swords free of the floor to add to the attack.

Seeing his sword descending towards her head, Penny raised her own handheld swords in response, crossing them above her. However, a light tap was the only contact that she received. Lowering her swords revealed that Ayumu had vanished from sight. In truth, his trajectory was angled just slightly over her head, carrying him past her. Increasing his weight abruptly, Ayumu dropped down almost directly behind Penny, turning and thrusting beneath his left armpit towards her back.

But Penny didn't even look as her left-handed sword swept around to parry Ayumu's thrust, her body turning in conjunction with it. Continuing her spin, she followed up with her right-handed blade, slashing at Ayumu and forcing him to jump back. Then the rest of her swords came flying past her body, four of them flying at Ayumu like arrows, while the other six came around on wider trajectories to attack from multiple angles, forcing Ayumu to dance, flip, and dodge out of the way once more, Green Destiny whipping out to parry the ones he couldn't avoid.

Drawing six of her swords back, Penny arranged them in a paired ring formation behind her again, then used them to propel herself at Ayumu, as she had at the beginning of the match. The remaining four remote blades continued to slash and thrust at Ayumu, keeping him busy while Penny herself closed in, executing a cartwheeling flip, combining another rapid slash of her remote blades with followthrough attacks from her handheld ones. With that, Ayumu discovered the other advantage Penny wielding two of her swords with her hands held over guiding them all remotely, besides providing her with a close-quarters defense, raw power.

Penny's remote blades were fast and accurate, not to mention difficult to follow, considering the bewildering number of directions they were capable of attacking from at once. But holding her swords in her hands allowed Penny to leverage the full extent of her android strength for her attacks. Ayumu managed to twist aside from the downwards sweep of Penny's remote blades, but was forced to block as Penny transitioned into a spin that allowed her to bring her right-hand blade across in a back-handed slash. The force of the attack knocked Ayumu back, sending him skidding nearly all the way to the edge of the ring.

Barely managed to stop, Ayumu found himself facing Penny, who arranged all of her swords around her in a broad formation, leveling all of them at him, including the pair in her hands. In unison, the blades folded over, transforming the swords into guns. Then, again in unison, they fired, sending lines of emerald energy lancing across the ring towards Ayumu. Undaunted, Ayumu charged forward, dancing acrobatically amidst the barrage of green lasers, even as Penny's swords began to spread, firing their beams across multiple vectors.

Still, Ayumu managed to make it through Penny's barrage unscathed, quickly closing to within melee distance again. He attacked with incredible speed and precision, albeit without much power. Penny worked her own handheld swords furiously to fend him off, while drawing her remote blades in to attack her opponent from other angles. Some of her swords slashed and stabbed in close, while others remained in gun-mode, firing from a distance. Ayumu danced around her, trying to use Penny's own body as a shield against her remote attacks. But her weapons always compensated seamlessly, often transitioning form to more quickly shift modes of attack to keep him from gaining the upper hand, always stymying him just enough that Penny was able to turn around to keep facing him directly.

In retrospect, Ayumu supposed that he shouldn't have been surprised. Given how emotive she was, it was easy to forget that Penny was an android. She might have been visually oriented, like flesh and blood people, but her cognitive functions had apparently been calibrated to ensure she wasn't overly reliant on her vision. Furthermore, her weapons were components of her own body, a true extension of her physical self. That, combined with the programming that apparently guided her attacks, enabled her to calculate the vectors of her slashes, thrusts, and shots to ensure that she always attacked with no risk of striking herself, or entangling herself with her wires, though, given their malleable nature, it was likely she didn't actually need to worry about becoming ensnared herself.

Truth be told, Ayumu was enjoying this battle a great deal. Penny was, in her own way, every bit as challenging as Ciar had been. Unlike Ciar, she wasn't unduly pressured by being forced into close-combat, and seemed to revel in it even. From the grin on her face, it was clear that Penny was having fun as well. The two of them were practically dancing, their weapons a blur of green around them, the impacts of parries leaving a constant ringing sound in the air.

Then, out of the corner of his vision, Ayumu saw a sword that hadn't been there before. It lanced out of nowhere, heading directly for his head. However, he couldn't react to it. Then, instead of striking him, it actually flashed right past his face, missing him by mere centimeters. _Odd..._

Their exchange continued, and another blade appeared out of nowhere. Once again, Ayumu didn't react to it. Then two appeared...then three...

Penny's swords appeared to be multiplying. What was more, even though he could see him, Ayumu's ability to react to them was stymied. It took a few more times before he clued in to what was happening. _Ah, Ms. Sustrai is using her Semblance._ That explained why he was having so much trouble reacting to these attacks. They were audio-visual hallucinations induced by Emerald's Semblance. But Ayumu couldn't feel the disturbance in the air created by their movement, couldn't sense the Aura that animated the blades, the intent that infused their movements. They were figments, phantoms, only existing within his mind.

But knowing that what they were didn't make them any less distracting. Ayumu could feel his awareness slipping, pressured by the effort to sort out the false images from the real swords. Perhaps that was Emerald's purpose. She was trying to distract him...but to what end? Was she trying to make it so that Penny won the match, or...

 _Or does she want me to lose control and injure Penny by accident?_ Ayumu wondered. At the end of her fight against him, during the combat assessment, Ayumu knew that Emerald's weapons had sported several nicks and cuts, the consequence of colliding against the sharp edge of his sword. Emerald and her allies were likely aware of just how devastatingly sharp Green Destiny could be. That being the case, they were also likely aware of just how much precision would be required to use it without injuring his opponent. If he was too distracted by Emerald's hallucinatory attacks, Ayumu could indeed see himself misjudging his own attacks and cutting Penny herself, rather than just her Aura.

Distracted as he was, Ayumu was forced to block another powerful slash from one of Penny's handheld blades, sending him flying back again. Skidding to a stop, Ayumu saw Penny's swords assembling in the air behind her. Then, suddenly, they multiplied, a mere ten becoming dozens, then hundreds. Ayumu felt his eyelid twitch. _Ms. Sustrai...that's a little over the top, don't you think?_ A person without Ayumu's _Shingan_ would have been fooled by Emerald's illusions earlier, swift and fleeting as they were. But there was no way any rational person could look at the swarm of swords filling the air above and behind Penny, and _not_ realize that something was amiss.

 _This won't do though,_ thought Ayumu. Even having a solid idea of what Emerald was going for didn't change the fact that her hallucinations were very distracting. It was all too likely, at this rate, that she would get what she was hoping for. Perhaps he ought to throw the match. Emerald might not suspect anything, if she thought his distraction had caused him to lose his focus and wind up costing him the chance for victory. It might not have been the result she'd been aiming for, but it would still be within her expectations, he was sure. Granted, it would mean that the plan he and Ruby had come up with would have to be altered. Its impact would be lessened, but better that than allowing Penny to come to harm as a pawn in the machinations of Emerald and her master.

Gazing across the ring, Ayumu's eyes met Penny's. He took in her smile, the glittering excitement in her gaze. Her entire being was practically alight with her energy and zest for this battle. Beyond victory and defeat, she was finding joy in the match itself, in facing a truly worthy opponent, who could battle her on even ground. But that joy was being tainted by Cinder's machinations. While her own past was quite...unusual...particularly where her origins were concerned, Penny was an innocent, when it came to the affairs that Ayumu, Ruby, and the others had involved themselves with. She didn't deserve to be pulled in as a mere piece on the board. A bubble of anger rose up in Ayumu's stomach.

He wouldn't allow it. He owed it to Penny to give her the best fight he possibly could. At the same time, he could strike a blow at Emerald and, through her, at Cinder. But it would require him to rely fully upon his _Shingan_ , to pierce through the veil of Emerald's hallucinations.

 _Why am I hesitating?_ he wondered. _This was the point of my training with Neo over the weekend, after all. Besides, Ruby did the same with Mr. Bai. If she can do that, it stands to reason that I can as well. I_ do _need to show my mettle as her senior._

His smile widening fractionally, Ayumu swept his sword through a few circular passes, before bringing it in front of him. Sliding the first two fingers of his left hand along the flat of the blade, he ran them all the way up to the tip of the sword, before lightly flicking it, producing that eerie ringing noise unique to the Green Destiny. Sinking into a crouch, Ayumu leveled the sword at Penny...then relaxed. His thoughts trailed off, then stopped completely. He completely opened himself to the flood of information provided by the _Shingan,_ and let go, giving himself over completely to the experience and technique accumulated by his body over the course of the years of training he'd received.

Ayumu lunged forward, taking long, gliding steps across the ring. Penny's swords launched for him, filling the air like a swarm of angry hornets. The whistling hum of countless edges parting the air reached his ears...or were produced directly in his auditory nerves by Emerald's Semblance. He saw the endless number of blades. But his _Shingan_ had already compensated, filtering out the swords that glowed with Penny's Aura, that radiated her intent. He didn't need to look, didn't need to listen. He could _feel_ which swords were real. The illusions pierced and sliced into him, but he didn't feel a thing.

And, all the while, Ayumu danced.

* * *

Emerald growled, narrowing her eyes and focusing. It was hard to maintain, as Ayumu's focus continued to shift. Wherever his eyes passed, she created phantom swords to threaten him with. In order to use her Semblance, Emerald had to project her consciousness to a certain extent. It wasn't just that she created hallucinations. When she was manipulating a target's perception, she was seeing through their eyes, hearing with their ears. If she really put her all into it, she could practically put herself right inside her target's body.

But it wasn't easy. The consequence was a sort of disorienting double-vision. Even as she was seeing what her victim saw, she was still seeing through her own eyes, hearing with her own ears, even if she was distracted from those things. She was there...yet here...at the same time. It was hard to describe, and equally hard to conceptualize, which made it all the harder on Emerald herself.

 _I need to push harder,_ she thought. Focusing more intently, she sank her consciousness deeply into Ayumu's body, feeling all his senses. It wasn't enough to simply bombard him with false visions and auditory hallucinations. She needed to make those illusory swords as real as possible to Ayumu's senses.

Yet it didn't seem to work. When she was "inside" someone, as Emerald sometimes put it, she got a sense of what senses they were relying on, which allowed her to tailor her hallucinations to make them more convincing. But that didn't seem to work with Ayumu. His perception was...smooth...like glass. Her best efforts seemed to slide away without leaving a mark. He might have been in danger of being distracted earlier. But now his body moved as though he were nothing more than a puppet, being guided by someone else entirely. No matter how hard Emerald tried to distract him, he didn't even seem to notice.

She pushed harder, sweat beading across her brow. No good. She tried even harder, a sharp ache building behind her eyes. Still nothing. Finally, with her head feeling like it was about to split open from the pain, Emerald relented with a pained gasp, releasing her Semblance. Her legs gave out, her entire body sagging forward, about to drop onto her knees.

An arm wrapped around her stomach, Mercury holding her up. "What the hell?" he demanded, seeing her on the verge of passing out.

"I can't...I can't do it," wheezed Emerald. "I can't get into his head."

"Geez," grumbled Mercury. Then he sighed. "All right, give it a rest. Let 'em have this one, and we'll focus on Red. You'd _better_ not miss your chance with her."

"I won't," growled Emerald, though it was hardly the most convincing assertion on her part, considering that her vision was swimming and her head was throbbing. What a waste this effort had been. Emerald supposed she could have tried to go after Penny instead. But she had wanted to make Ayumu _pay_ for humiliating her before, and use her Semblance to manipulate him, and assert control. Now she was too spent. Her efforts this match had been for naught, so she had no choice but to rest up for the chance to use her Semblance on Ruby instead.

Mercury growled, then pulled Emerald up against him, before dragging her back into the ready room to rest. She needed to be at her best for the next phase of the plan.

* * *

The phantom swords vanished, and Emerald's hallucinations relented. Ayumu found himself fully in control of his own senses once more. Even as he continued to dance amidst Penny's swords, Ayumu found himself suspecting that Emerald had tried too hard. At one point, the complexity of her illusions had increased. Ayumu had begun to feel the phantom swords, as well as see and hear them. But he had sensed the discrepancies.

 _If you look at a painting closely enough, you can see the strokes of the artist's brush._ In order to create such an immersive hallucinations, Emerald had to envision several complex factors, not merely what they looked and sounded like, but how they felt, moving through the air. Building those separate parts, then bringing them together, left tiny discrepancies that revealed their artifice. The sound and feeling of disturbed air didn't synch perfectly with their movement before his eyes. Timing and perspective revealed the tiny distortions that were the product of a conscious mind trying to compensate for several factors at once, but unable to do so completely.

There was too much conscious effort required on Emerald's part to build a complete hallucination, with perfect fidelity to reality, and keep up with the pace of such an intense battle. Even without factoring in Emerald's hallucinations, Ayumu's perspective was constantly changing and shifting, the result of his dynamic and acrobatic movements. He was continually looking in different directions, feeling the air over different parts of his body, and changing the orientation of his ears, which changed his perception of the sound that reached them. That only made it all the harder for Emerald to keep her manipulations believable. It seemed that the result of trying to keep up with him had overtaxed her, and she'd given up...or so he hoped.

In truth, Ayumu realized that Emerald still could have gotten what she'd wanted out of this match, if only she'd been more discerning about when and how to use her Semblance. Rather than using it to multiply Penny's attacks to put him under increased pressure; which had only proved to be a momentary distraction, and had instead clued him in to her interference; she would have been better served by waiting until the critical moment, then abruptly using her Semblance to distort his perception of Penny's position, relative to him, in order to throw off his attack, so that he wound up injuring her, rather than merely damaging her Aura. If only Emerald had been willing to think smaller...

But there was no point in worrying about that now. In truth, Ayumu couldn't be certain of Emerald's condition. He suspected that she'd overextended. But he wasn't in a position to check her condition for himself. It could be possible that she had clued into the same realization that she had, and was now waiting for the right moment to use a smaller, more precise application of her Semblance to achieve her aim. Ayumu couldn't afford to relax his guard, not until this match was over in its entirety.

Because of that, Ayumu didn't slack, even as the countless phantom swords vanished. He completely suspended his normal thought processes, allowed his technique to speak through him, guiding his movements, relying purely on the perception of all his senses, meshed together. In this state, he became aware of things that had escaped him earlier in the match.

He could sense the Aura pulsating up the wires Penny used to control those swords. More importantly, he realized that those pulses allowed him to read what those blades and wires would do next. That allowed him to twist and wind through them, using his sword to deflect one or another of the blades that couldn't be avoided. All the while, he closed in on Penny.

Two of her weapons transitioned into gun-mode, flanking him, and fired. Ayumu avoided the beams by jumping onto the spine of another sword, which Penny had launched straight at him. Executing a twisting flip, he slipped between the slashing edges of two more, which scissored together in his wake. Flicking his wrist, he struck out with his sword to deflect a third. Dropping down suddenly, he landed directly in front of Penny, who struck out with her handheld swords. Ayumu's own blade moved in circular arcs, countering Penny's movements, not with raw power, but by gently nudging her attacks aside, before flicking up to slash up the center of her torso, sending up a spray of Penny's Aura, while she threw herself back to get out of his range.

In spite of the damage she'd just taken, Penny didn't falter. Her remote swords immediately went on the attack. Ayumu swept his own sword around him in a broad arc, the blade trailing a wave of paie green. The wave of green wind seemed to congeal in on itself segmenting, then elongating, becoming angular, an array of blades that hung in the air around Ayumu, miniature simulacra of Green Destiny's blade, pale and translucent, almost like ghosts. They lanced out, flying to intercept Penny's swords, striking back with an eerie ringing noise. Penny's remote swords were deflected.

Tightening the arc of his sweep, Ayumu conjured more ghostly blades, these ones flying at Penny. Their emergence, seemingly from thin air, startled her, and she backpedaled. Her sensors were feeding her confused information, unable to compute that the blades seemed to suddenly just...appear...out of thin air. She saw them with her eyes easily enough. But, by the time they registered to her other senses, they were already about to strike her. Desperately, Penny worked her handheld swords to block the incoming projectiles. She felt the impacts, saw Ayumu's ghostly blades flash, then shatter, like glass.

But two made it through Penny's desperate defense, driving into her, their edge biting deep into her Aura, before the blades themselves shattered. Staggering back, Penny reeled from the hits. Her balance was disrupted. Her Aura had taken serious damage. Now she saw Ayumu flying in, ready to capitalize on her current state.

Having no other choice, Penny played her last resort. When she'd first begun the battle, she'd deployed ten swords, then two more to use with her own hands, for a total of twelve. But the truth was that Penny actually had a grand total of fourteen swords available for her use. The last two emerged from her backpack, their forms a blur as they whipped up and over her shoulders, slashing down at Ayumu.

Yet Ayumu once again showed no sign that he was even fazed by the appearance of the unexpected weapons. Twisting between them, he continued to close in on Penny without missing a beat. He attacked fiercely, the Green Destiny sometimes appearing to be in multiple places at once, while he whipped it through a complex array of slashes and thrusts. Penny worked her own swords furiously, trying to keep up with Ayumu's offense. His attacks weren't very powerful, barely even seeming to so much as tap against Penny's swords. Yet that lack of power allowed him to manipulate the course of his sword's movement to make it all the more bewildering to Penny. It allowed him to weave it between her blades, the edge and tip lightly shaving away portions of her Aura every time.

Unable to fend him off completely, Penny took desperate action once again. She jumped straight back, as far as her legs could send her...which was plenty far, considering her android strength. The resulting leap carried her well out of Ayumu's reach, and off the edge of the ring.

The audience gasped, clearly anticipating that Penny had apparently chosen a ring-out to being stripped of her Aura by Ayumu's continuous attacks. However, her swords returned to her. Eight of them transitioned into their gun-modes, forming into ring-formations at her waist. With a flash, jets of green energy burst downwards, propelling Penny upwards, making her the second student in this tournament so far to take to the sky. Penny bobbed slightly, before flying up in an arc over the ring.

Her four remaining remote swords transitioned to gun-mode as well, accompanied by the two she held in her hands. Aiming all her guns downward, Penny opened fire on Ayumu. Once again, Ayumu surprised her. Rather than simply trying to dodge or deflect her shots, he jumped up as well, kicking off the air itself to dance between her shots, while he also seemed to be able to use the air as a platform to propel himself up to her level.

Penny angled her jets, sending her into a spin to intercept Ayumu, who'd skipped to the side to avoid another shot. Their blades met, and Ayumu was knocked back. Using his Semblance to lighten himself allowed Ayumu to dance through the air like a wind-blown feather. But it also made it all the easier for him to be knocked back. At the same time, the four remote swords converted back into sword-mode and slashed at him. Adjusting her jets, Penny changed course and came flying at Ayumu as well.

Ayumu kicked off the air to execute a short hop that allowed him to flip above the level of Penny's slashing attack with her handheld blades, twisting himself along his spine to spin between two of the slashing remote swords, and swinging out with Green Destiny to deflect the remaining two. Penny quickly adjusted her propulsion to spin herself around to face him, her swords flicking out to knock aside the probing thrust that Ayumu had aimed at her back.

Too late, Penny noticed the flash of green from Ayumu's left hand. Her eyes widened as she saw four more ghostly blades, held pinched between his fingers. A flick of his left hand sent them flying, not at Penny, nor at her remote swords, but at the swords that had arranged themselves as her thrusters. They struck and shattered, their force breaking apart the formation, scattering Penny's swords...and taking away her propulsion. Devoid of anything to keep herself aloft...Penny dropped.

Ayumu kicked off the air one more time, carrying himself up above Penny's altitude, while going into a spin that allowed him to bring Green Destiny around in a wide slash. Penny quickly raised and crossed her swords over her head to block his attack. However, right at the moment of impact, Ayumu used his Semblance to increase the weight of himself and his sword. The power of his blow increased dramatically, well beyond Penny's expectations, sending her plummeting downwards.

But Penny wasn't one to allow herself to fall so easily. She relinquished her hold on the two swords in her hands, while falling through the circle of her remote blades, which the two she'd been holding joined, their circle tightening as they formed into a familiar, ring-shaped formation above her, the barrels of their gun-modes all pointed towards Ayumu, who had only just begun to lighten himself. With frightening speed, a large sphere of crackling green energy formed in the center of the ring formation. Even as she fell, Penny struck, punching out into that sphere, which unleashed a powerful beam, flying straight for Ayumu.

Despite that, Ayumu made no effort to avoid the attack. Instead, he held up his sword, bracing the flat against the first two fingers of his left hand, just behind the tip. Penny recognized the action, remembering what Ayumu had done early on in the match. "Whoops..."

That was all she had time to say before her beam struck the flat of Ayumu's sword, its bright, sizzling, emerald-green throwing up a flash of pale-green from Ayumu's weapon, before reversing course, flying back through the formation of her swords, and striking her straight on in the stomach.

Penny screamed in surprise and pain as the column of green energy drove her downwards, slamming her into the surface of the ring with enough force to shatter the metal tiles, sending fragments flying everywhere. The ring shuddered, then bobbed unsteadily, its lifters struggling to cope with the unexpectedly powerful force that had just been slammed into it. The energy of her redirected attack dissipated, and Penny's limbs flopped limply down to splay out to her sides, while her swords rained down from above to embed, point-first, into the ring with light thunks. The buzzer sounded, announcing the end fo the match.

" _And he's done it!_ " declared Oobleck. " _After a difficult bout, Ayumu Ao once again manages an impressive reversal and defeats his opponent by turning her own attack against her!_ "

Ayumu touched down lightly, before making his way to Penny, who was still lying in the crater made by her abrupt descent. "Are you all right?" he asked, leaning over her.

"I...I hurt," said Penny. "I don't fully understand how this pain thing works."

"I imagine it's a sensation you experience extremely rarely," noted Ayumu, crouching beside her and taking her hand, carefully pulling her into a sitting position. "I'm impressed that your designer had the wherewithal to give you the capability to feel pain."

"I could do without it," complained Penny, managing to sit up, with Ayumu's support.

"Pain is important," said Ayumu. "It's what alerts you to damage, and tells you when your body is over its limit. On that note...you aren't damaged are you?"

"Nope," said Penny, some of her pep returning. "All systems are green. I'm just about out of Aura though." With a whirring noise, her backpack opened up. The wires retracted, pulling her swords free from where they'd lodged, so that they could be returned to their storage.

"A rather impressive feat in its own right, considering how you were using it to fly and as a projectile attack," noted Ayumu. Thinking about it made him wonder about the nature of her Aura. _Technically, her physical body might well be nothing more than an artificial vessel for her Aura. It could be possible that, in her own way, she is even better at recharging than Ruby, Gin, and I. Her Aura might possibly be nothing_ but _the wellspring._

That was a line of inquiry for a later time though. At the very least, it had been shown that Penny's Aura could be depleted, through the inflicting of damage, if nothing else. Still, after inspecting her, Ayumu couldn't see any signs that her android nature had been exposed, so he deemed it safe to help her stand up, supporting her by her arm. Penny's body, much heavier than it looked, made that difficult. But she managed it in the end.

"Thank you," she said, giving Ayumu a warm, happy smile. "That was sensational!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," replied Ayumu.

By this point, the inner ring had descended, merging back with the whole of the arena floor. Ruby had already emerged from her ready room, dashing out to meet them. "Penny! Are you okay?" she shouted worriedly as she closed in.

"I'm fine," said Penny happily.

Ruby sighed with relief, then gladly slipped herself under Penny's other arm, allowing both her and Ayumu to support the android, and escort her off the stage, to the cheering approval of the crowd.

* * *

High above the crowds, occupying one of the coliseum skyboxes, Ironwood sat alone. The door into the luxury, high-class booth for festival VIPs was flanked by a pair of his Knights. Otherwise, he was completely alone. Of all the matches in this tournament, this had been one of the only two he'd bothered watching in person. Now that it was over, he was left staring at the ring, which showed the portrait of a smiling criminal, who'd claimed victory over Ironwood's secret weapon.

Penny had been supposed to represent the pinnacle of Atlesian achievement. She was a triumphant example of scientific progress, the ultimate result of Atlas' continuous development. This tournament had been the place where she would stand tall, and show the world the power of Atlas, to prove to the people that they could save the world from the forces that threatened it.

And now she was being supported, almost carried out of the ring, after losing...to a criminal. Ironwood's hands clenched tightly against the arms of his seat. Then, with a loud snap, the right one gave way, the wood crushed to sawdust beneath the grip of his cybernetic arm.

 _You failed me, Penny,_ he thought. _After all your posturing and defiance, you still failed me. I should have known better than to make any promises to you. I warned you there would be a price to pay. And now, I intend to collect._

Of course, that would have to come later. According to Ozpin, there would be more important matters taking place now, matters that Ironwood would have to see through before he could worry about one rogue android, who couldn't even beat a runaway Dust miner. But once that was over with, he would ensure that Penny learned the true cost of her defiance.

* * *

 **Another tricky battle to fight. Watching Penny fight in the actual series, it's hard to imagine her using her swords the way she does without tangling up the wires, so this was the explanation that I came up for them, mainly that the wires are actually capable of a form of phase-transition, becoming liquid or solid as she needs them to.**

 **Also, given that Volume 2 shows us that Penny has enough raw physical power to stop a speeding truck, it stands to reason that she'd be no slouch in melee combat either. So I figured it was natural that she would be capable of both. It would certainly explain why her swords still have handles.**


	114. Chapter 114

**Went to see _Godzilla: King of the Monsters_ last night. It's AWESOME! I'm actually going to see it again today. The reason...I'm taking my mother to see it. When I told her I was going Saturday night, she told me she wanted to see it too, so here we are. Go see it if you can.**

* * *

 **Chapter 114:**

"That was totally awesome!" exclaimed Nora, grinning like a fiend. "Ayumu is the best!"

"Penny certainly gave him a run for his money though," observed Blake with a wry smile.

"But she didn't manage to touch him once," countered Nora.

"I don't think he could _afford_ to take a hit from her," noted Jaune. "If even _one_ of Penny's attacks landed, that might have been it for Ayumu. At the very least, he would have been left in a position where he'd have been eliminated immediately."

"He was certainly walking a knife's edge," said Ren, nodding in agreement. "I think this match was harder than his match with Sun."

Yang glanced over at the person who sat beside her, having taken the seat that Gin had vacated, after receiving a message from Penny. "What do you think?" she asked.

Ciel jolted, then swallowed, before turning to look at them. "I...well...Penny did very well, but...um..."

Jaune caught on and leaned forward to look past Yang. "Yeah, I guess this puts you on pretty thin ice."

"Actually, we're covered," said Ciel. "I just hope that the General doesn't lose his head, or our protection might not be worth much after all."

"No matter what, you've got us," said Yang, resting a hand over Ciel's and giving it a squeeze.

"You really shouldn't," protested Ciel, looking worriedly at Yang. "You don't want to have General Ironwood as an enemy."

"Eh, he's not the happiest with us already," commented Jaune, sharing a look with Yang. "Besides, even though Professor Ozpin considers him a friend, I don't like the guy." The memory of Ironwood callously dismissing the threat to Yang's very soul, during the discussion of the possible Aura-transfer between her and Amber, stood out starkly in his memory. From his point of view, a guy like that didn't deserve _any_ trust.

Yang noticed that Ciel seemed to be fidgeting nervously. It took her an extra second to see why. "You want to go see her," she commented.

Ciel flinched. "I...uh..."

"You should go," said Yang, grinning. "Jaune and I will come with you. We wanted to go congratulate Ayumu on his victory." She gently nudged Jaune with her elbow. "Right?"

"Right," said Jaune, catching on to his girlfriend's idea quickly enough. He turned to the others. "Hold our seats."

"Just don't start any fights with the Atlesian military," said Blake in a somewhat strained tone, as though that was the outcome she already expected out of this.

"I can't finish what they don't start," said Yang cheerfully, already getting out of her seat, pulling Ciel up with her.

"A-are you sure it's all right?" asked Ciel.

"We've got your back," Jaune promised. "But I wouldn't worry. It's not like Ironwood would be crazy enough to try anything in the coliseum."

"I wouldn't put it past him," murmured Ciel softly, remembering the man's towering rage the previous week. Nonetheless, she allowed Yang and Jaune to lead her through Amity's hallways, her desire to see Penny overriding everything else.

* * *

Ayumu and Ruby gently settled Penny into one of the ready-room's seats. Ruby hemmed and hawed, uncertain of what to do. If it were a regular, flesh and blood, person sitting there, she'd have a better idea of what needs she might have. But, as an android, Penny's needs were a bit outside her area of expertise.

"How are you feeling?" asked Ruby.

"Quite well," said Penny. "My body feels a bit heavy. My Aura also serves as the primary power source, so my limbs aren't responding very well."

"That almost sounds like fatigue in organic bodies," noted Ayumu. He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "You know, I'd almost say that your body was engineered with an eye towards making your experience as close to a _human_ one as possible. It even seems to have taken precedent over more practical concepts, which would have potentially made you more effective in battle."

"What do you mean?" asked Penny, both her and Ruby looking at Ayumu in confusion.

"Well, it appears that, more than just your appearance, but every aspect of your design appears to have been made with consideration towards making you more human than more of a weapon," said Ayumu. "Your joints all appear to have a human range of motion, even though, as parts of an android, they could be made to be much more flexible and responsive. You have built-in weaponry, but it isn't something overly ostentatious, that someone could look at and would automatically think that you were a robot. The only hallmark of your android nature that is most apparent is your raw strength, and even that can be easily overlooked."

"So you're saying that Penny's creator wanted to make her feel human?" asked Ruby.

"I believe so," said Ayumu. "It would appear that Penny's father has prioritized her having a human experience over her usefulness."

That observation prompted Penny to brighten considerably. "That sounds like Father," she said happily. "He always told me that I should try to gain as much life experience as possible."

Ruby frowned. "If that's the case, then what Ironwood was doing with you was seriously wrong from the beginning."

"I agree," said Ayumu soberly, though, true to form, he was still smiling. "Your father apparently wanted you to experience life as a human, but Ironwood chose to prioritize your battlefield effectiveness, and ensure that you were under his control."

Penny nodded. "That's correct," she said. "I didn't think of it much, because Father trusted Ironwood, and Ironwood always told me it was for the best. I didn't actually start questioning him until recently, when he forbade me from interacting with you and Gin, Ruby."

"And now you're in a lot of trouble, because you lost," said Ruby worriedly.

"It's all right," said Penny. "We took care of that. Professor Ozpin was happy to help."

She explained what Ozpin had done for them, prompting Ruby to sag with relief. "Well that's good," she sighed, before tensing again. "Wait! Your father's still in Atlas, isn't he? What if Ironwood goes after him to get to you?"

"That's...something I'm worried about," Penny admitted. "Ironwood highly values Father's scientific acumen, and his contributions towards the advancement of Atlesian technology. But, if he's upset enough..."

"Is there anything we can do?" asked Ayumu.

"Well...I planned on calling him anyway," said Penny. "I can open a secure line to Father through the CCT. I kept from telling him about the plans Ciel and I had made, because, even if the line is secure, I didn't want to take the risk of our communication being intercepted in some way. But now...I probably should."

"Do you think your father can do anything?" asked Ruby.

"I think so," said Penny. "Father always said that preparation is important, and that he tries to prepare for any situation. I'd like to hope he has something prepared for this."

There was a knock at the door. Going to it, Ruby opened the door, already smiling when she sensed who was on the other side. "Hi, Ciel," she said, stepping aside to let Penny's partner through.

"Ciel?" Penny looked up, surprised to see the dark-skinned girl there. "What are you doing? You need to stay with Ruby's friends."

"She is," said Yang, as she and Jaune stepped through in Ciel's wake.

Ciel came closer, looking at Penny with an odd look in her eye.

"Ciel...?" Penny blinked, a bit confused by Ciel's unusual manner.

"Are you all right?" asked Ciel.

"I'm fine," said Penny. "I'll be able to move around just fine soon enough." She held up her arms to prove it.

Ciel's response was to stoop down, almost collapsing atop Penny, wrapping her arms tightly around Penny's shoulders. "Thank goodness," said Ciel, pressing her face into Penny's neck.

Still confused, Penny hugged Ciel back. Ruby and the others looked on, hiding sly, understanding smiles.

Ayumu stretched and yawned. "Well, now that all that has been seen to, I intend to take a shower." He headed towards the ready room's showers, intending to follow through on his promise.

Aware of their audience, Ciel finally pulled away from Penny, sniffling slightly. "I'm sorry," she said, blushing as she noticed all the eyes still on her.

"Not a problem," said Yang with a sly grin.

"So now what?" asked Jaune.

"Well, Penny should probably rest here for now," said Ruby. "After the matches are over, we should probably get her and Ciel back to Beacon grounds as quick as we can."

"Maybe we should go now," suggested Ciel. "The longer we take..."

"I think it'll be fine," said Ruby. "It's not as though Ironwood would be crazy enough to start a confrontation inside the coliseum."

In truth, with how he'd behaved during his argument with Penny and Ciel after their doubles match, Ruby wouldn't have put it past him. However, thanks to their plans for the next round, and her part in it, Ruby knew that Ironwood would soon have something much more important to occupy his time and attention, something that would hopefully keep him from focusing his ire on Penny until she was back in Beacon, under Ozpin's protection. What they would do after that, she wasn't sure.

Penny would have to contact her father, of course. Ruby wondered if the man would have to leave Atlas to avoid Ironwood's reprisal. It seemed a daunting possibility. What was more, even if he wasn't threatened by Ironwood, they would need the man's input, if only as Penny's creator. After all, he would be the leading authority in looking after Penny's needs. There was no telling what long-term care Penny would require. She was an android, which meant she had parts inside her body, parts that would eventually wear out. She'd need maintenance of some kind, much like how flesh and blood people needed regular checkups from their doctors.

But, again, that was an issue for later. Right now, Ruby had to steel her focus. Ayumu's match was over, which meant that she was next...going up against Mercury. Ruby didn't doubt that this would be the point where Cinder's faction put their plan into motion. They would be doing something with their match. What that something was remained to be seen. They suspected that Emerald would likely try to use her Semblance to trick Ruby into injuring Mercury, possibly in a manner that would be unsportsmanlike to the audience at large. The fact that Neo had been made to acquire and ambulance supported that hypothesis. But there were other possibilities.

Unfortunately, there was no way to be prepared for every possible eventuality, or even be able to consider them all. With all the possible plans and outcomes they had considered, it was always likely that Cinder's group could still put some other, completely different, plan into action. In the end, Ruby would just have to read the situation, and respond appropriately. In a way, it was no different from what she needed to do in order to come out on top in a straightforward fight.

After a few minutes, Ayumu emerged from the shower, looking plenty relaxed after his exertions in the ring. However, he quickly drew Ruby aside and informed her of Emerald's interference during the match.

"She came down to the ready room," Ruby noticed. "I guess that's how close she has to be in order to use her Semblance."

"Possibly," said Ayumu. He leaned in closer, almost whispering in her ear. "Gin is in position."

Ruby nodded almost imperceptibly. Feeling eyes on her, she glanced over to see Penny looking her way, momentarily distracted from a conversation with Yang, Jaune, and Ciel. Ruby recalled Penny's statement that she was aware of the conflict that Ruby and her friends were involved with. As an android, it was likely that Penny's hearing, along with her other senses, was far more acute than a human's. That being the case, she might well have heard what passed between them.

Ruby met Penny's gaze, then shook her head slightly. Given Penny's offer, Ruby knew she would have her android friend's help if she asked for it. But it was better to keep Penny clear of the conflict, particularly because Penny was invested in making sure Ciel wasn't swept up in it against her will.

Ruby turned back to Ayumu. "What else can you tell me?" she asked.

"From what I experienced during the combat assessment, I knew it took considerable concentration for Ms. Sustrai to utilize her Semblance," explained Ayumu. "From what happened out there, I suspect that said concentration puts her under a great deal of mental strain. The more dynamic the situation, the harder for her it is to construct a hallucination with enough fidelity to her target's perception that they are fooled by it. The more complex and layered it is, the more senses it affects, the more concentration required. I suspect that strain overwhelmed her before long."

"So she might not try it during the match itself," mused Ruby.

Ayumu nodded. "I think the key may lie in Mr. Black's conduct during the match. Focus on him. If you do what you did during your match with Mr. Bai, I imagine that Ms. Sustrai will have a very difficult time fooling you. Just don't let your guard down at the end, no matter what the match outcome might be."

Ruby nodded soberly.

They decided to return to the larger conversation, enjoying Penny and Ciel's company, while they waited for the replacement ring to be moved into place, and for the crowd to settle. The intermission between matches was just as much about giving the crowds a chance to visit the concession stands or use the restrooms as it was about maintenance and repair. Before long, Oobleck's voice rang out over the speakers, calling Ruby and Mercury out into the ring.

"Here I go," said Ruby standing up, and taking a deep breath.

"Good luck, Ruby!" cheered Penny, waving at her with a grin.

"Thanks," said Ruby, making her way to the door. _I'll need it,_ she thought silently.

* * *

The walk out from the ready room and into the inner ring seemed unusually long to Ruby. The arena was incredibly large to begin with. But the tense anticipation of what was to come seemed to only magnify that distance. Even as she walked, Ruby forced herself to take deep breaths, trying to drain that tension away. In the fight itself, that tension would only become a distraction. She needed to be in top form for this, ready for anything.

In the process, Ruby forced herself to drop her thoughts about the probable courses Emerald's interference could take. Going into this kind of situation with preconceptions was just as likely to backfire, if Emerald went and did something Ruby didn't expect at all, or something she superficially assumed was one of the scenarios they'd envisioned, but turned out not to be the same. Instead, she would have to place her trust in her training, allow the reflexes and instincts she had honed, along with the awareness of her _Shingan_ , to guide her actions.

Ahead of her, she saw Mercury emerge from the opposite doorway, his smug smile in place. His walk was an easygoing saunter, a gesture of absolute confidence. The crowd probably saw it as a sign of his faith in his ability to win the match. But Ruby could discreetly sense the underlying malice beneath that smile. Mercury had something nasty in mind...and he was planning to enjoy watching her fall victim to it. As an assassin, he'd been trained to conceal his malice when it came to the kill itself. But it seemed that, when he was an accessory to something that didn't involve outright murder, his control lapsed somewhat.

They stepped out onto the octagon of the inner ring, which began to rise as soon as they were both atop it. Port and Oobleck's voices boomed across the arena, hyping the crowd up for the coming battle.

" _The final match of the semifinals round is Mercury Black, from Haven, versus Ruby Rose, from Beacon!_ " declared Port excitedly. " _As before, this promises to be an exciting battle. Both combatants have shown their mettle in previous rounds._ "

" _Ruby Rose has already drawn considerable acclaim for advancing so far, despite being admitted into Beacon two years early,_ " added Oobleck. " _Her performance thus far has been nothing short of astounding._ "

 _And controversial,_ thought Ruby. Frankly, she was surprised that none of the commentators had brought her age up before. Then again, they'd likely been advised that it was a bad idea by Ozpin. But she supposed that some mention of her background was inevitable at this point. After all, she'd been subjected to two separate attempts on her life during the Vytal Festival alone, not to mention the original attempt on her life by Weiss and Pyrrha, which had ignited the original firestorm of controversy around her. Despite every effort to the contrary, nearly every mention of her was practically guaranteed to bring that old conflict to the forefront in some way or another.

Ruby had many faces in the public eye, some of which she was more conscious of than others. She was the prodigy who had been directly invited into Beacon by Professor Ozpin himself. She'd been the victim of an attempted murder by two of her own classmates, the exposure of which had led to the messy downfall of two of Beacon's most high-profile students. The resulting fallout of that situation had resulted in a stream of constant issues, large and small, leading to discussions, both within and without Beacon, about whether or not it was right for her to even _be_ there. She was also a hero, credited with bringing down the White Fang's attempt to launch a massive terrorist attack out of Mountain Glenn. On top of that, she, Gin, and Ayumu had brought down the Grimm Dragon that had menaced Vale's walls.

All that collective layering to her reputation only served to _add_ to the atmosphere of anticipation hanging over the arena, as she and Mercury stopped, facing each other. Reaching behind her, Ruby pulled forth Shining Rose, allowing the weapon to unfold to its full length, the bright-red blade igniting and surging forth with a soft hiss. Across from her, Mercury took a conventional stance, almost like an unarmed fighter.

Relaxing, Ruby allowed her senses to merge and gel together, building a complete picture of her situation and surroundings. Her senses encompassed the entirety of the ring, along with a significant portion of the air above and below it. After her match against Liu, Ruby found that her senses had been sharpened further. It seemed that the conflict, that unique experience, had triggered additional growth in her awareness. She could sense nearly everything about her opponent, including the nature of his weapons, his legs.

As Ayumu and Gin had said, they were indeed prosthetics. The loose pants that he wore obscured their shape, but Ruby could actually sense their contours, highlighted by Mercury's Aura, not unexpected, as they would act as an extension of his body when he fought. What was more, she could sense the latent energy of the Dust-based weaponry built into them. Strangely, she felt an unexpected strain from them, as though the parts were...restricted in some way.

It took her a second to realize it. Her experience with designing and building weapons of her own had covered a variety of topics. Among those topics were methods to muffle, or even silence, the sounds produced by a mechashift weapon's various apparatuses. Most Huntsmen and Huntresses didn't worry about such things. Who cared if their weapons were a little noisy, when they were deploying and shifting? It wasn't as though said weapons were making those sounds constantly.

But there had still been such mufflers in use, particularly amongst those fighters who preferred more stealthy modes of combat. That being the case, Ruby realized that Mercury's legs were likely outfitted with several such dampeners, meant to completely kill the sound of the mechanical components of his prosthetics, making it less likely that anyone would notice anything unusual about them.

Such a realization was interesting for a number of reasons. Sound dampening systems on mechanical weapons were often active in nature, physically restricting the movements of mechanical components to reduce the noise they made. Others were forms of active noise-cancelation, producing frequencies that canceled out the sounds produced by mechanical components, drawing extra power. For most weapons, that was not a major concern, as the sound only needed to be deadened during the transition from one mode to the next. But, in the case of Mercury's legs, where the mechanical apparatuses involved were a critical part of every movement, attack, and defense he made, such noise cancelling would have to be constant.

Just as suppressing the sound of a gunshot reduced a bullet's noise by lowering its velocity, the noise cancellation systems that Mercury relied to keep the true nature of his legs a secret drew power from or restricted the full power of his own legs' movements. That knowledge allowed Ruby to come to a realization that Mercury, in his fights thus far, had likely not been using the full power of his weapons...which also meant that, if things got really serious, there was the possibility that Mercury could remove the limiters on his prosthetics, indicating that he was far more dangerous than one might initially assume.

But there was nothing to be had from agonizing over it. Given how much of an interest Mercury had in keeping his prosthetics concealed from the world at large, he wasn't likely to disengage his limiters during the match. But, if they came to blows outside the ring, and outside the public eye (a very real possibility), Ruby would need to remember that Mercury's capability was likely far greater than what he'd displayed so far.

Setting those thoughts aside, Ruby twirled her scythe around her body, before settling into a ready stance, running the shaft diagonally across her back, extending down her right hip, with the blade curving upwards from the floor. The two of them went still, waiting for the signal to begin.

When it arrived, they exploded into motion simultaneously. Ruby led with a swift, rising slash from Shining Rose. Mercury's response was to go low, ducking beneath the arc of her swing, sinking into a deep crouch, while turning his body so that he could lash out with one leg in a low sweep, targeting Ruby's own legs. Ruby jumped, firing her Semblance from the soles of her feet to accelerate in a low flight over Mercury's head, the sudden acceleration throwing off his aim as he followed his sweep by planting his hands, and kicking his other foot up in a move similar to an uppercut. Had Ruby been caught by his sweep, she would have dropped her chin right into the heel of his rising boot. If she'd been slightly slower on her dodge, she likely would have taken the vertical kick straight in the stomach.

While dodging, Ruby executed a straightforward front-flip, that allowed her to bring her scythe around in a vertical slash, slicing up behind her while she turned her body. Mercury's response was to dip his top half forward, hooking the leg he'd just kicked up with over his body, while continuing his spin, using its movement to deflect Ruby's slash aside. Spinning even more, Mercury brought the leg he'd attempted his sweep with around, kicking it straight out at Ruby. A gunshot echoed through the air, and a bolt of white-colored compressed air flew at her like a bullet.

By that point, Ruby had landed, and was going into a spin of her own, turning to face Mercury, already sweeping her scythe out to intercept the incoming bolt. Rather than block it, Ruby instead redirected it sweeping it up into the spin of her scythe, and sending it flying away, before whirling her weapon back around behind her shoulders, positioning it to bring it swinging up overhead, and straight down at Mercury, aiming her attack right for the axis of his spin.

As she'd expected, her attack forced Mercury to abandon his position. Pushing off with his hands, he kicked out with one foot, firing off another bolt, which served both as propellant and counterattack, pushing him back away, out of the range of Ruby's attack, while the bolt itself flew right at her chest. Using the momentum of her swing, Ruby pulled her scythe into a spin that allowed her deflect this bolt as well. In the meantime, Mercury landed, snapping out a leg in a side-kick, which fired yet another bolt at her, which Ruby deflected as well, even as she almost flew in pursuit, her footsteps leaving brief flurries of red in their wake.

Mercury's weapons were interesting. They fired what were clearly bullets of compressed air, from what Ruby's senses could tell. However, they lacked that greenish tinge that was the typical hallmark of wind-Dust. Instead, they were a silvery-white. Ruby's senses detected the faintest tingle of energy, suggesting the presence of lightning-Dust, and possibly a few other ingredients as well. Whatever it was, they served to further compress the air-bullets fired, which enhanced their power and accuracy, and granted them a few extra... _interesting_ properties.

Ruby remembered all too well the tactic that Mercury had used to devastating effect in the previous two matches she had watched him fight in. Spinning his body with those breakdancing movements of his, he would fire off several shots in succession, well over a dozen, which would then be directed into a cyclonic motion that served as a sort of holding pattern for them. Then, when he was ready, he could direct those circling shots to converge upon a single target or location in unison, allowing him to set up a very powerful attack, formed from several smaller ones.

And he was quick with it too. In his match against Coco and Yatsuhashi from Team CFVY, all it had taken was a couple of shots to distract the opposing pair for just a few seconds. In the brief time it had taken them to knock aside those two shots, Mercury had already set up his real attack. On top of that, those bolts, when they struck, exploded into a white mist that served as a smokescreen, allowing Mercury to close in and strike. In the quarterfinals, that move had apparently proved to be Lloyd's downfall.

The one thing Ruby was sure of, however, was that however brief the interval he needed to set up that attack was, Mercury still needed both time and distance to do so. If she kept the match close, constantly pressuring him, she cold avoid giving him the opening he needed to set up that kind of attack in this match.

As such, Mercury was forced to sweep one leg up in a wide crescent, catching the head of Ruby's scythe from below, while he leaned back away to avoid that glowing blade. He used the same movement to throw his body into a spin, which allowed him to use a back-kick to launch another white bolt. Ruby shifted the axis of her spin to deflect that one as well. But doing so shifted her from attack to defense, giving Mercury the time he needed to step closer. Landing after his spin, he planted the foot he'd just kicked with, while he fired a bolt from the other, while it was still against the ground. This time, he was relying on the recoil to accelerate his other leg into a swift roundhouse kick. Continuing the spin of her scythe, Ruby interposed the shaft in the path of Mercury's kick, which slammed home, both with the weight of his prosthetic limb and the force imparted by recoil of the weapon built into it.

The power behind the blow would have been enough to send Ruby skidding halfway across the ring. By the time she managed to stop and reverse her momentum, Mercury would likely have been able to set up another of his cyclonic barrage attacks. However, at the very second the top of Mercury's boot impacted the shaft of her scythe, Ruby jumped. Her feet barely separated an inch from the surface of the ring, leaving her floating in the air, right as the force of Mercury's kick struck her weapon.

The kick itself had been aimed at her head. Because of that, Ruby was able to take the momentum of the blow, and use it to impart a spin to her body, which allowed her to deal with the power of Mercury's attack without being blown away from him. It also inverted her, allowing her to bring her scythe around in a low, sweeping attack, aimed at Mercury's supporting leg. But he wasn't about to be caught that easily.

Following through from his kick, Mercury combined a shift of the weight of his upper body with a forceful twist of his hips, allowing him to pull his supporting leg off the floor, while tipping his body downwards. Ruby's scythe flashed through where his shin would have been. Not even pausing, Mercury reached down to catch his body with his hands, while using the leftover momentum to continue his spin, now from an inverted position himself. Mercury flared his legs out, firing a shot from each one as he lined it up with Ruby's position.

Ruby continued her floating cartwheel, touching down right as Mercury fired the first of his two shots. Once again, she swept it up into the spin of her scythe, using the movement to redirect the attack with minimum effort. When the second shot came, Ruby blurred, then vanished, leaving a brief flurry of petals, which were further scattered by the silver bolt that passed through their midst. She reappeared on the opposite side of Mercury, continuing the spin of her scythe, allowing her to slash in the direction counter to Mercury's spin.

Her blade struck Mercury's black boot, at the level of his shin, with a clang of impact. The force of the blows meeting knocked Mercury up off the floor, lifting him into the air slightly, while killing his spin as well. Ruby's scythe rebounded backwards, the momentum of her own strike killed as well. With an angry grunt, Mercury forcefully twisted his hips, in order to start a spin in the opposite direction. Rather than try to restart his inverted kicking attack again, he reached down with his hands, pushing himself further up off the floor, and into the air, with a handspring. Leveling his body out, he kicked out at Ruby with both feet, pressing the sides of his boots together.

The result was a powerful, silvery whirlwind. It had no real destructive force, barely even grazing Ruby's Aura. However, it succeeded in what Mercury's previous efforts had failed to do, blowing Ruby away from him. At the same time, Mercury was blown away from her...and all the way off the edge of the ring.

That was hardly the match-ending mistake it might have appeared at first blush. The rules governing the nature of a ring-out required that the combatant make contact with the floor or wall outside the boundary of the ring, in order for it to count. Considering the wide variety of ways Huntsmen and Huntresses had developed to alter and control their movement through the air, it meant that there was always still a chance for recovery. Mercury leaving the boundary of the ring was not the end of the match.

Riding the force of his propulsion, Mercury allowed it to send him into a backflip. Coming out of it, he was facing back towards the ring, allowing him to kick downwards with both feet, in a repeat of the same technique he'd just used, creating another whirlwind, which completely reversed his course, and sent him in an arcing flight, right back up and into the ring.

But Mercury had put more power into this second whirlwind, launching him in a high arc over the ring itself. Tucking his legs, Mercury allowed his momentum to carry him into a forward flip, extending one leg out and bringing it down in an axe-kick, aiming right for Ruby's head. Of course, the wide, exaggerated movements leading up to the kick had telegraphed Mercury's attack to a remarkable degree. Ruby was easily able to sidestep the blow, using that step to turn and slash at Mercury's neck, which the crouch he'd landed in conveniently brought down to the level of her stomach.

Mercury's response was to kick the leg he'd landed on back, in the opposite direction of the leg he'd already extended in that axe-kick, sinking into a split that, just barely, allowed him to duck beneath Ruby's slash. Firing bolts from both feet pushed them back, which, combined with tight movements from his thigh muscles, allowed Mercury to pull himself back up into a standing position nigh instantaneously. Turning, he stepped close to Ruby, closer than he'd ever gotten before...too close for him to be able to kick her effectively.

But that didn't seem to matter. Instead, as Ruby brought her scythe into another spin, Mercury extended his own hands out, catching the shaft as Ruby was in the process of passing it from one hand to the other, that brief interval where her grip would be at its weakest, the weak point of any style that involved spinning one's weapon. Rather than trying to stop the scythe's spin, Mercury instead cooperated with it, allowing him to wrench the scythe from Ruby's hands, and send it whirling up into the air.

The move _should_ have been surprising. Mercury's fighting style was built around his weaponized prosthetic legs after all. However, Ruby had been taught by Yu Yuen, who was nothing if not a master of combat pragmatism, even if he never needed to be pragmatic himself. One of the lessons he had thoroughly hammered into Ruby's head was the importance of launching the most effective attack she could from any given position. Even if it was more awkward, or less powerful, than her usual attacks, there were many times where she was likely to get more out of using an effective attack from a current position, than wasting the time it would take to get into position to use a more powerful attack.

Thus, Ruby wasn't at all surprised that Mercury would have adopted such a mindset as well. He was an assassin, after all. As such, he would always use the most advantageous strike from his present position, rather than try to set up an advantageous position for a better strike. Even if his vambraces weren't weaponized in a manner like Yang's gauntlets, they afforded more than enough protection to allow him to literally get his hands dirty. Because of that, Ruby wasn't caught off-guard nearly as much as she appeared to be.

Nor was she caught off-guard when Mercury followed through from his disarming her by lashing out with a punch, aimed at her face. Continuing the motion of her arms that she'd been using to spin her weapon, Ruby brought a hand up and around seamlessly to deflect Mercury's punch. Now Ruby was the one who countered in an unexpected manner, jumping off the floor, while turning her body to lash out with a kick of her own, striking Mercury in the chest.

It didn't do much. Mercury's Aura barely even flickered at the impact. Even being able to put her weight, and the momentum of her spin, behind the attack, Ruby was just too light to be able to feed all that much power into her kick. However, it did cause Mercury to stumble backwards by half a step. Meanwhile, in the midst of the same motion, Ruby reached up with her left hand, and caught her scythe. Continuing her spin, she came back down. A burst of petals exploded from Shining Rose's wing, accelerating her spin even more, allowing her to bring her scythe around in a slash so swift, it might as well have been a streak of crimson light. slashing across Mercury's chest, and blowing him across the ring.

Ruby's attack took off a quarter of Mercury's Aura, landing the first decisive blow of the match. However, it had also given Mercury exactly what he needed...distance. Riding the force of the blow, Mercury landed on his shoulders, kicking up with his legs, before going into another inverted spin, flaring his legs out, firing several bolts into the air, seemingly at random. But Ruby could see those shots curve their courses, adopting a flight that took them into an orbit around the ring.

She was already closing in, aiming to catch Mercury before he could build up too many shots. He escaped the next slash from her scythe by executing another handspring, flipping and kicking another bolt at her chest, forcing Ruby to deflect it. By the time she was done, Mercury had landed and, from a standing position, extended one leg out, and began to fire more bolts with machine-gun rapidity, their continuous recoil pushing him around in a complete circle, turning the few bolts that circled the ring into a veritable swarm.

While trying to cut Mercury off from adding still more to his attack, Ruby let her senses explore the framework of Mercury's attack. It was interesting, to say the least. Now that there were so many bolts circulating through the air around the ring, Ruby became aware of a crackling field that had come to fill the space encompassed by their swirling cyclone. It was barely perceptible, not unlike the feeling of static electricity. Without her _Shingan,_ Ruby wouldn't have even realized the field was there. It seemed that this field was how Mercury was able to keep those bolts flying in a continuous circle about the ring. Ruby couldn't be sure whether that was a product of the mix of Dust that fueled these bullets, Mercury's Semblance (whatever it was), some kind of technique, or something that straddled those areas.

Her rush to catch Mercury turned to be to her disadvantage. Mercury had clearly been expecting her attempt, and was more than ready to counter. When she slashed down with her scythe, he swept his leg through a rising crescent, that allowed him to strike the head of her weapon in the side, deflecting her swing away from his body. Then Mercury stepped in again, reaching out to grab the shaft of her scythe with one hand, catching it before Ruby could start a spin. With his other hand, he punched at her, aiming right for her jaw.

Releasing Shining Rose with one hand, Ruby snapped her free arm up to block Mercury's punch, managing to knock it aside before it could hit her. However, that had been Mercury's intention from the beginning. There was the explosive crack of his boot discharging. Once again, he had fired the weapon built into his prosthetic leg against the arena, using the recoil to accelerate the limb's motion. But, at this range, instead of aiming for a full kick, he instead used that recoil to drive his knee directly into Ruby's stomach, causing her breath to explode from her lungs, as the force of the blow lifted her own boots clear of the floor.

Mercury released his hold in Ruby's scythe, and followed his knee-strike by snapping out his lower leg in a roundhouse. At the last second, Ruby managed to interpose the shaft of her scythe between herself and the incoming kick, awkwardly bracing it against the forearm she'd just used to block his punch, not having enough time to bring that hand down to grip her weapon again. The impact sent her flying back away from Mercury.

The hits had hurt, and Ruby lost a good chunk of her Aura from the impact, particularly from the knee-strike. She was staggered, her breathing disrupted. Despite that, she didn't miss the shift in the air around her. From what she could tell, the change had occurred the second Mercury had gripped Shining Rose's shaft. There had been a faint snap, fittingly very much like a discharge of static. When Ruby was blown away from Mercury, she found that she suddenly carried a charge herself, a charge that exceeded that of the field in the air around her. And now, all those circling bullets of compressed air were being drawn to that charge, rapidly swirling inward to converge on her from all directions.

Mercury's execution had been well-timed. By the time Ruby was knocked away from him, those bolts had already closed in, cutting off all possible routes of escape. They were coming from far too many directions for Ruby to effectively block them. There seemed to be no recourse for escape or defense.

Once again, Ruby found herself faced with that seemingly impossible situation, just as she had when Liu Bai had used his Semblance. There was no time for thought. She didn't have the energy to spare for it either. So, instead, she ceased thinking altogether, allowing her training to illuminate the way forward.

Ruby began to spin Shining Rose over her head, firing her Semblance from the wing to accelerate its movement even more. The charge Mercury had imparted was centered on the scythe's shaft. By spinning it, Ruby actually felt that charge increase, Shining Rose almost acting as a sort of dynamo, that rapid spin feeding the charge that had been imparted on it, thus ensuring that Mercury's bolts were actually drawn to the scythe, rather than her body. Mercury's bullets were drawn in, circling together more and more, until they began to come in contact with one another. Rather than exploding or bouncing off each other, they instead began to merge.

Ruby's spinning scythe was soon surrounded by a whirling, silver halo of what seemed to be electrified wind. Then, not even thinking about it, Ruby allowed her Aura to flow out and into that energy. The halo's color changed, washing from silver to a shimmering, light-red color. The bullets were no longer Mercury's, but hers. Ruby had effectively Dust-hacked them.

In front of her, Mercury stared on, slack-jawed, arms hanging limply at his sides, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. This attack had worked against all the previous opponents he'd used it on. His body jerked, and he started towards her, only to balk.

That second of hesitation didn't go unnoticed by Ruby. Now that she'd brought the destructive energy of Mercury's attack under her control, she put it to use, feeding it into the blade of Shining Rose, making it a part of her scythe's manifestation. At the same time, she transitioned her spin into a wide swing of Shining Rose around her body. The scythe's head tilted, extending all the way forward, so that blade now extended almost straight out from the shaft, the only deviation being from its graceful curve. The wing retracted, the back of the head folding flush with the shaft, while the blade extended to several-times its original length.

Continuing that smooth motion, Ruby kicked off the ground with another light application of her Semblance through her feet, shooting across the distance between her and Mercury, executing a spectacular slash. At the last second, Mercury pulled himself out of his shocked stupor and raised a leg to defend, catching Shining Rose's blade on his shin. However, that effort proved futile. At the instant of contact, Shining Rose's blade fragmented, dissolving into dozens of miniature crescents, which circled in on Mercury in the same manner his attack had closed in on Ruby just before. The main difference was the distance from which this was occurring. At melee range, there was no space for Mercury to react properly, and he yelled in surprise and pain as shining crescents carved into his Aura from all directions, easily slicing away what remained, scattering into red petals after they struck, circling around his body in a brief cyclone, before exploding outward and fading.

Mercury collapsed forward onto his knees, then pitched forward, falling flat to the floor, the buzzer sounding the end of the match.

" _And Ruby Rose wins!_ " shouted Oobleck, his voice sounding strangely exultant.

There was a moment of brief silence, the audience caught off-guard by the sudden reversal, just as much as Mercury had been. Then they exploded into cheers.

Ruby panted softly, feeling slightly dazed as she came back within herself, returning her body to more conscious control, while remaining on-guard. Despite how good it felt to win, she had to remind herself the real battle wasn't over just yet.

She'd sensed the hesitation from Mercury that had given her the opening she needed to strike the final blow of the match. What she had immediately realized was that the hesitation had been deliberate. When Ruby had caught Mercury's attack, and was bringing all that Dust energy under her control, she'd left herself open. In that instant, Mercury's training had screamed for him to attack, to exploit that opening for all that it was worth, before she could do...what she'd wound up doing.

But Mercury had stopped himself instead. To the audience, it had just been the result of his surprise, his inability to process what was happening before his eyes, a surefire technique being turned against him. But Ruby had seen the invitation. Mercury had wanted her to strike the finishing blow. He'd thrown the match, in an extremely convincing manner.

Ruby could see that assassin's logic in the move (or lack of a move, as it were). It was inverted in a sense. Mercury had fought fiercely, but Ruby hadn't felt an intent to win from him while the match was on. All things considered, given the way he'd staggered her with that knee earlier, he likely would have been able to press her much harder, if he wanted to. But winning against her wasn't part of the plan. So, rather than seizing the moment to strike, when he'd seen the opening she'd presented, he'd instead seized the moment to give her the opening _she_ needed to bring the match to a close, in a way that wouldn't arouse suspicions.

The sum total of all of this was that, even though Ruby had won the match, this was the moment when Mercury would aim to strike his real blow...presumably with Emerald's help. Taking a deep breath, Ruby relaxed her body, and maintained her _Shingan's_ awareness as much as possible. Collapsing Shining Rose down, she holstered the weapon, and turned towards Mercury with a smile, walking towards him.

* * *

Hovering in the doorway leading to Mercury's ready-room, Emerald narrowed her eyes, gathering her focus, and preparing to construct the most immersive illusion she could. This was it. This was where Cinder's plan would come together. The White Fang were poised to deploy. Cinder and Neo were standing by in the ambulance, ready to evacuate them. This was the moment they'd been waiting for. All the past months of careful preparations had come down to this. _Here we go. Get ready, you little red brat!_

* * *

"Are you okay?" asked Ruby, crouching by of Mercury, who rolled over with a low groan.

She offered her hand, and Mercury took it, allowing her to pull him to his feet. Mercury staggered a little, shifting and wobbling on his legs. Ruby was able to sense that his condition was actually a little exaggerated, feeling him deliberately shifting his weight around to sway more dramatically than he actually should have.

"That was a good match," said Ruby, beaming at him, trying her hardest to appear innocent and guileless, the perfect unsuspecting victim. _It's coming_! She couldn't quite tell how she knew. She could actually feel Emerald's intent, the narrowing of her focus from all the way over at the edge of the ring, filled with hostility and a vindictive malice. It made her muscles want to coil in anticipation of an impending attack, but Ruby relaxed them instead, entrusting the whole of her senses to show her the truth behind whatever illusion Emerald planted within her head. She turned to head towards the edge of the descending ring.

"Enjoy it," came Mercury's voice behind her, "'cause it's gonna be your last."

At the sound of his voice, Ruby turned, her eyes widening as she saw Mercury launch himself in a flying kick, aimed right for her head.

* * *

 **Ruby vs Mercury came out a bit more brief than the last few fights. Of course, that's to be expected, seeing as Mercury was mostly looking for a way to lose as convincingly as possible. And now comes the real moment of truth.**


	115. Chapter 115

**Chapter 115:**

Ruby shuddered, her entire body flinching at the approaching blow. Her hand automatically began to drift towards the small of her back, before she stopped herself. It wasn't even a conscious decision on her part. Ruby's _Shingan_ had successfully picked up on the discrepancies that revealed the truth of her situation.

Emerald's illusion was convincing for sure. It was well-layered, affecting the senses of sight, sound, and touch. Ruby could see Mercury coming at her, heard his pronouncement, felt the rush of air from his incoming attack. Had she not been through Yu's training, and the experiences of the past few months, it would have taken her completely by surprise, and she likely would have fallen for it. Heck! If she hadn't known about Emerald's Semblance ahead of time, and expected something like this, she _still_ might have fallen for it.

But, as Ayumu had once said, looking closely enough at the painting, she could see Emerald's brushstrokes. There was something slightly off about the angle of Mercury's movement, as opposed to the rush of air Ruby felt against her, as though his angle of approach was slightly divorced from what she was seeing. When his weapon discharged with a silver flash, the sound of it firing actually came the tiniest fraction of a second before the flash of light from the concealed barrel. Even though Ruby felt the surge of air against her, her sense of her own body failed to produce the telltale sensations of being affected by it. She didn't feel her hair stir, nor the folds of her cloak.

Most importantly of all, the movement lacked Mercury's intent. There was no sudden surge animosity that would accompany a serious attack. Instead, Mercury continued to exude that casual, understated malice of his, with a slight sense of trepidation. He was stealing himself to take a hit.

All of these factors, tiny and insignificant as they were individually, were enough to reveal the reality of the situation to Ruby. Mercury wasn't attacking her. He was standing still, just a few feet away, right within reach of her scythe. Mercury expected Ruby to draw Shining Rose and counter. With his own Aura completely depleted, he expected whatever hit he took to inflict actual damage to his body in some way.

But Ruby didn't rise to the bait. Having seen through Emerald's illusion, Ruby allowed herself to relax, allowing the attack to strike home...only to vanish the second it made contact. All of a sudden, the illusion was gone, and Mercury was where she knew he was. Even though she'd been expecting it, Ruby found the return to reality to be slightly disconcerting. She blinked, then let out a breath.

"Uh...Everything okay?" asked Mercury, watching Ruby intently.

Ruby smiled sweetly. "Yeah. I guess I'm a little more worn out than I thought." She wasn't really the sort to gloat, but she couldn't help but feel a little smug at the uneasy expression on his face. Even though he was trying to hide it, she could sense that he was unnerved by the fact that nothing had happened. At most, he'd seen Ruby's flinch. But when nothing happened afterwards, he was left with no idea of how to respond.

"O-okay," said Mercury nervously, his eyes darting to the side, in the direction of the doorway, where Emerald lurked.

* * *

Emerald's eyes widened. She could tell that Ruby had been affected by the illusion. She'd seen, heard, and felt the image that Emerald had sent straight into her head. And yet...there was nothing, no response, no counterattack against Mercury. Ruby had just...brushed it off, somehow. Swallowing, Emerald was reminded of Ayumu.

Her eyes met Mercury's as he glanced over at her questioningly. Emerald shook her head slightly, imparting her own confusion. Mercury's eyes narrowed dangerously, the demand implied without a single word needing to be exchanged, not that they could exchange words right now. _Try again!_ Not that Emerald needed Mercury's look to be impelled to make another attempt.

Their entire plan hinged upon this moment. Using the hallucination of Mercury trying to attack her, they would bait Ruby into striking out. In that moment, Mercury, bereft of the protection his Aura would normally afford him, would collapse, screaming in pain, the victim of a severe injury. While the security closed in on Ruby, Emerald would put the medics under her Semblance, and whisk Mercury away to the ambulance that Neo had procured. From there, they would disappear.

The consequences would be substantial. Ruby would be completely disgraced by the action. Commentators would likely suggest that she had snapped under the pressure of the numerous issues surrounding her, from the attempts on her life, to the scandal with Whitley Schnee. It would lead to people questioning why she was even in the Vytal Festival Tournament to begin with, possibly how Ozpin could allow someone who caused so much discord to enter Beacon. The negative emotions would mount, and then Cinder would use some carefully-crafted words to push them over the edge.

That had been the plan, at least. But they needed for Ruby to fall for the illusion. Besides Mercury's gaze, Emerald's mind's eye conjured the terrifying image of Cinder, furious at her for her failure. There was no way Emerald could allow herself to let Cinder down.

Narrowing her eyes, gathering her focus, creating the image of Mercury attacking. This time, she had his eyes narrow in a glare, then had him surge forward, launching a kick straight for Ruby's chin, which would snap her head back if it connected. _Come on..._

* * *

Ruby stared as Mercury launched into another attack, snarling, then lashing out with a fierce kick. This time, she didn't need nearly as much awareness as she did to pierce the illusion. Emerald was clearly desperate, and thrown off by having her first attempt fail. The result was that the disparate effects of Emerald's Semblance on Ruby's senses were even more discordant with one another, making the artifice all the clearer. This time, Ruby didn't even flinch, letting the kick hit her, then allowing the false image to vanish.

"Um..."

It was hard to keep from smirking at the sound of Mercury's uncertain grunt. Once again, he was stumped by her lack of reaction to Emerald's illusion.

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Mercury, frowning at her.

"Oh, I'm fine," said Ruby, her smile even sunnier than before. "What about you? You look like you're expecting something."

Of course, she hit the nail on the head, with Mercury flinching appropriately. The ring settled into place with a slight jolt that transferred through the floor. Ruby turned slightly, heading for the door to the ready-room. "This was a great match," she said to Mercury. Right before she walked out of earshot of her normal speaking voice, she added, "Of course, if you'd been serious about winning, it probably would have been better."

For a second, Mercury was frozen in place. His own mind was racing as he struggled to keep up with the situation. _If Emerald's Semblance isn't working, then..._ He almost slumped in disappointment. _Plan B then. Just great...I_ hate _Plan B._

As important as Emerald's Semblance was, they had always known better than to bank absolutely _everything_ on it. Granted, they'd never anticipated a situation where her power flat out _didn't_ work against their chosen target. But they had built plans based around the possibility of her being incapacitated, or unable to get into position to use it. So they did have a backup plan. Unfortunately...their backup plan was a sacrificial one...for Mercury.

 _Just great,_ thought Mercury, taking a deep breath. _Here goes..._ Out loud, he called out, "Hey, wait up for a second." He took the first step towards her.

"Hmm?" hummed Ruby, turning around. Her body tensed in readiness. Mercury's voice had probably been the easiest part of Emerald's hallucinations to fake. But, this time, it was accompanied by the faint vibrations of his footsteps through the floor, the slight variants in intonation which struck her as more real. She wasn't hearing another of Emerald's illusions.

But what gave it away, more than anything else, was Mercury's intent...or rather...his lack thereof. Before now, he had constantly exuded a subtle undercurrent of casual malice, the kind of a person she knew didn't like her, who was looking forward to the moment she was beaten and humiliated, the presence of an almost typical bully. But the moment Mercury had called out to her, his malice vanished entirely. He became almost a completely ordinary person to her senses.

But she could feel the shift in his balance, the way he lightened his footsteps. He closed the distance efficiently, while making it look perfectly casual. But Ruby could tell that he was ready to strike. This was no illusion. Mercury really was about to attack her. And, strangely enough, this made Ruby feel far more indecisive than any illusion.

Their plan for thwarting Cinder's plan had been relatively simple. Ruby (or Ayumu, if he had been the one to go up against Mercury) would shrug off Emerald's illusion, and calmly proceed as though nothing had happened. They'd act like nothing out of the ordinary had occurred, leaving the tournament to proceed as normal. Then, with Mercury safely eliminated from the tournament, it would leave the authorities free to descend upon Team CMSN at their leisure, and take them into custody.

But now Mercury was about to literally kick that plan to the curb. If he attacked now, Ruby had no idea what the outcome would be.

 _At the very least, I can make sure Little Red winds up in Cinder's hands,_ thought Mercury, feeling at least a little smug about what he was about to do. It seemed that the purloined ambulance would see use after all. Ruby still had plenty of Aura left, more than he'd intended to leave her, having calculated his blitz earlier to leave her just barely above the critical zone, with just enough room to mount a comeback. But she'd managed to turn it against him, which had been a surprise. Fortunately, an assassin was not without means against an opponent who had the protection of Aura, particularly an opponent who didn't know an attack was coming.

When he came into reach, Mercury struck. The move was blindingly fast, faster than any of his techniques during the match. A mechanical whine accompanied the attack, the sound of the servos in his legs running at max-power, as Mercury deactivated the sound-cancelling bafflers that killed the mechanical noises emitted by his prosthetics, as well as the limiters that kept them from utilizing their full power (which had a tendency to overpower the bafflers, if he was going all out). The resulting blow, behind the strength of his most powerful shot, was easily capable of piercing straight through a person's Aura, especially at point-blank range, and especially when that person was off-guard. Heck, even a person _on_ their guard would still need to know exactly where to block, and concentrate their defense accordingly. There was no way Ruby would be able to defend against this. If Mercury was lucky, he'd blow a hole straight through her stomach.

Except that his leg passed through empty space. Ruby had vanished from in front of him, leaving only a few petals that were tossed about by the wind of his attack. Mercury's eyes widened and he blinked, before he caught a flash of red out of the corner of his eye. Ruby had sidestepped his attack with blinding speed, and followed up by bringing the glowing blade of her scythe straight down at his extended leg.

At the same time, a second blade, little more than a thin crescent of crimson, appeared out of nowhere in the space directly behind Mercury's supporting leg. Both blades struck home, shearing through Mercury's prosthetics right below where they met his flesh and blood legs. Mercury collapsed, Ruby having literally cut his legs out from under him.

Mercury collapsed, hitting the floor with a pained yelp, bouncing from the impact. Ahead of him, he saw the leg he'd used to attack go clattering across the floor of the ring, propelled by the leftover momentum of his own kick, while the other one toppled over behind him. Jolts of pain shot through his nerves, as though someone had shoved red-hot wires right up his thighs. "What did you do you...bitch!?" he demanded, rage and pain contorting his face as he glared up at Ruby.

Ruby spun her scythe in one hand, the weapon folding back in on itself with the movement, allowing her to holster it behind her once more. "I did what I had to," she said, sounding almost...sad. There was a steely look to her eyes that hadn't been there before, one that sent a chill down Mercury's spine.

" _What on earth!_ " exclaimed Oobleck, only now just catching up with what had happened in the ring.

"I don't believe it!" added Port. " _This is...Hold on...we're reviewing the footage now!_ "

The service doors at the edge of the arena opened, letting a dozen armed soldiers come running into the ring. Ruby had already stepped back, holding her hands up, still as calm as ever.

Up above, the screen showed a replay of what had happened. Mercury and Ruby's bodies had blurred in almost perfect unison, before Mercury collapsed and his legs went flying. Then it replayed again, this time the recording slowing down to reveal the incident with more clarity. It showed Mercury executing his attack. Ruby had been turning, her arm already reaching behind her for her weapon. It showed her sidestep, the movement still occurring so quickly that it appeared as a blur, even with the playback slowed down.

The shot Mercury had fired was a white pillar, stretching across the screen, and out of frame, undisputedly more powerful than anything he'd done during the match. Then Ruby brought her scythe down on his extended leg, while another manifested blade appeared behind his supporting leg. Both attacks were even faster than Mercury's kick.

" _Please hold, we're still trying to get a proper understanding here,_ " said Oobleck.

" _It's hard to determine, but it would appear that Mercury Black attempted to launch an attack on Ruby Rose,_ " declared Port.

 _How? I thought it was perfect._ Mercury glared up at Ruby, trying to comprehend how she'd managed to dodge. She should have been completely flat-footed. "How did you know?" he ground out, as the soldiers closed in. "You shouldn't have noticed anything."

Ruby sighed, looking down at Mercury with a sad expression. "It's because I _didn't_ feel anything that I knew it was coming. Your own skill betrayed you."

Mercury's eyes widened, and a gasp escaped him. _How did she know?_

" _From observation, it would be apparent that Mercury's attack carried much more force than any of the ones he used during the match,_ " observed Oobleck.

" _Yes, upon further analysis, it's clear that it carried lethal force,_ " added Port.

Mercury grunted, grimacing as the guards approached him. A pair flanked Ruby, and she quietly and calmly surrendered her weapon to them. One of them took her weapon, while the other nodded to her. Both of them kept their weapons lowered, making it clear that they didn't regard her as a threat. It was merely procedure at this point. However, the ones that came upon Mercury had their guns trained on him, even though Mercury was laid out flat, with only his arms to support him.

"It appears that Mercury's legs are prosthetic," said Oobleck. "Furthermore, while it was assumed that his weapon was mounted on the greaves of his boots, it appears that it was actually built directly into the prosthetics themselves."

Two of the guards lowered their guns, then hauled Mercury up by his armpits. "Hey! Take it easy, would ya?" he snapped at them.

"Shut it!" snapped the guard on his right, the pair already hauling him towards an exit, while the others followed, guns still trained on him. Ruby followed behind them, still flanked by the pair that had approached her, one carefully cradling her weapon in his arms. All around them, startled, confused, angry, and frightened mutters ran through the crowd.

* * *

The Grimm Dragon's awakening had shattered the summit of Mount Glenn. Now its top was a concave bowl, more of a crater than a mountaintop, giving it a shape almost akin to that of an extinct volcano. In the center of that bowl, the seed of Yu Yuen's Grimm resided.

He hadn't even bothered to hide it, placing the seed in the most obvious location imaginable. Even though it was only about the size of basketball now, it would not have been hard to notice. It had certainly grown since Yu had planted it. Ruby and her friends had done well enough to keep from inciting too much negativity. But the tumultuous events that they had been swept up in had taken their toll. The seed had grown considerably from its original size.

And now, there was a surge those negative emotions from Vale. As people came to realize what had just happened in the ring, their emotions soured. Most of that anger was directed at Mercury and his behavior. There was fear amongst those who wondered if he represented the kind people who were expected to protect them from the monsters beyond the walls.

There was confusion and resentment, people wondering what it was about Ruby that goaded so many people to aim for her life. First had been her own partner and Pyrrha Nikos. Then there had been Dunstan, then Liu Bai, and now Mercury. It almost seemed as though he poor girl was a magnet for assassination attempts. And, while most viewed her as merely unfortunate, others wondered if there was some quality of hers that invited such hostility. That question unsettled people, made them uneasy. While it was relatively mild, as negative emotions went, it was still negative, and a sentiment expressed by hundreds, on some level.

With that surge, there was an angry pulse from the black orb. Like a beating heart, it contracted in on itself, then expanded outwards, swelling explosively, easily quadrupling in size. Its inky-black surface began to take on the qualities of flesh, branching veins spreading across it. Then its skin began to contract again, tightening around something within...which writhed, as though there were countless serpents twisting about one another within.

* * *

"Dammit!" snapped Adam, slamming his fist against the console next to the monitor. The impact caused the image to jump, then flicker. "After everything Cinder said, after all her accusations about our competence, it looks like her subordinates are even _more_ incapable."

"Brother Adam," ventured the pilot of the bullhead, seated next to him, "suppose we launched the attack anyway?"

"It's no good," growled Adam. "The fallout from this was supposed to awaken the Grimm that Cinder told us about. Without it to draw the attention of Vale's forces, we'd be spotted far enough out for them to intercept us. We'd lose the element of surprise, and most of us would be eliminated before we could make it to Beacon."

He settled back into his seat, folding his arms across his chest. _Naia and Nereus would undoubtedly say "I told you so,"_ he thought bitterly. Still, there was nothing to be done. They would simply have to wait until the next opportunity presented itself. Where Cinder had failed, hopefully Watts would succeed.

* * *

Emerald swallowed. Plan B had not worked like they thought it would. She'd expected Mercury to do some serious damage to Ruby, maybe even splatter her entrails across the ring, if they were lucky. But instead, Ruby had avoided his attack, and even taken out his legs. The audience wasn't as upset as they would have been, had Mercury's hit landed, but they were upset all the same.

But it wasn't enough. Already, Emerald could feel it in her gut, that sense of disappointment, the sting of failure. Nothing had gone the way it was supposed to. Now Emerald would have to go out to Cinder, look her in the eyes, and tell her that they'd failed. The thought of having to say those words to Cinder made Emerald sick to her stomach. Cinder would look at her with those eyes, that look of contempt that made Emerald feel lower than garbage, a look that reduced her to the piece of gutter-trash she'd been when Cinder had first found her.

Worse still, even if they'd succeeded, the plan would have succeeded _in spite_ of Emerald, not because of her, only through Mercury's sacrifice, a sacrifice that would not have been necessary, had Emerald succeeded. But Mercury's sacrifice had been in vain. Now there was nothing left but to retreat and lick their wounds, for now.

Emerald stepped back away from the doorway, heading back towards the ready-room, where she would slip out and into the coliseum's corridors, then rendezvous with Cinder and Neo. The three of them would slip away before the Coliseum security's net could close around them.

Turning around, Emerald came to an abrupt halt whens he found herself face-to-face with Gin, who watched her with an impassive expression.

"Going somewhere?" he asked calmly.

 _Where did he come from? How long has he been here?_ Emerald did her best to hide her surprise. "What do you want?" she asked tersely.

"I figured that you should hang around," said Gin, smirking, "particularly since security is going to want to ask you some questions about what you knew about Mercury's actions...and maybe your other teammates as well."

Emerald's eyelid twitched, her hands slowly lowered to her waist, her eyes narrowing.

Gin's response was terrifyingly swift. He took a single step, moving just close enough to get within striking distance of her, his right hand blurring up, claws extending from the tips of his fingers to tickle her neck, just below her chin. Emerald swallowed down the lump that formed in her throat, feeling the edges of Gin's claws gently scraping against the Aura protecting her. It took her all of a second to realize that, if he concentrated his own Aura into those tips and edges, he could easily penetrate the meager protection of her own Aura, and tear her throat right out.

"Don't even think about it," he advised her calmly. "I got to see you use your Semblance plenty today. I'll know when you try to use it. Now...pull your weapons out...and drop them."

Emerald remained frozen for several seconds, plans and counter-plans flashing through her mind as she tried to think up a way out of this situation. As improbable as it seemed, she could tell that Gin wasn't bluffing about being able to anticipate her Semblance. At this range, if she tried to attack him, he'd be able to counter before she could complete the movements. She'd been checkmated.

With a shuddering sob, Emerald's eyes teared up, then she reached back and drew her weapons, before releasing them to clatter to the floor. Her failure was complete.

"Good," said Gin simply. "Now, let's go join your friend."

* * *

"I beg your pardon, but may I ask you wait a moment?" Ayumu asked politely, standing before the guards, in the utility corridor they were hauling Mercury through.

"Sir, you need to step aside," said the guard in the lead. "We'll handle this."

"I will," promised Ayumu. "But first..."

He calmly brushed past the lead guard, going straight to the pair that were holding Mercury, before calmly stepping past them around. His movements were so smooth and fluid that it actually took the guards a second to realize that Ayumu had been moving at all. By the time he did, he was already standing directly behind Mercury. Abruptly, he lashed out with his right hand in a sharp palm-strike, hitting Mercury in the back of the head, just above where his skull joined with his neck. There was a green flash of his Aura discharging.

Mercury's head jolted, jerking forward sharply, his jaw dropped open, expelling a mouthful of spittle...and something else, a tiny object that dropped to the floor with an almost inaudible clatter.

"Hey!" shouted one of the guards behind Ayumu, training his rifle on him.

Ayumu ignored the man, stepping past Mercury and his carriers once again, crossing in front of them and stooping down to pick up the tiny object on the floor, revealed to be a small, clear capsule, within which swirled a tiny bead of violet liquid.

"It would seem you are _quite_ the professional, Mr. Black," said Ayumu, holding up the capsule.

Mercury coughed, still recovering from the hit to the back of his head. When his vision swam into focus, and he saw what Ayumu was holding, he gasped, then glared.

Ayumu turned and held the capsule up for the lead guard to see. The man's eyes were unreadable from behind his helmet's visor, but the slightly slack position of his jaw betrayed his surprise. Wordlessly, he held out his hand, and allowed Ayumu to deposit the capsule in it.

"How did you know?" the guard asked.

"Mr. Black has a _true_ assassin's bearing," said Ayumu. "Ironically enough, that was what gave him away, when he decided to attack Ruby. It only stands to reason that he would have a means of making sure he didn't betray his employer. It's only professional, after all."

Mercury glared daggers at Ayumu's back.

"Thank you for your help then," said the guard, closing his fingers around the capsule.

Ayumu nodded slowly, then stepped aside, allowing the guards to pass. Ruby walked past him as well, the two of them exchanging a warm smile, before Ruby continued on.

Ayumu watched them go, until they disappeared around the bend in the corridor. He stood there silently for a moment longer, than clapped his hands together. "Now then...onto more pressing matters."

* * *

Cinder's body practically trembled with rage. Her eyes were glued to the screen of her scroll. She'd been watching the match between Mercury and Ruby with a sense of eagerness. This would be the moment all their plans came together. In one instant, they would trigger the end of Vale and Beacon, deal a blow to those incessant annoyances that had been a thorn in her side for months now, and allow Cinder to claim the power that she had long deserved.

Except...that wasn't what had happened. Instead, for whatever reason, Ruby didn't show any signs of being under the effect of Emerald's Semblance. Instead, Mercury had been forced to attack her. That wouldn't have been terrible in and of itself, especially not if Mercury had been able to inflict real damage on that little red brat. But Ruby had dodged Mercury's unrestricted kick with a speed that completely flummoxed Cinder, and she could only watch helplessly as Mercury's legs were severed, exposing the truth of his weapons to the world.

Growling, Cinder nibbled on her thumb, pondering what to do now. Mercury's attempt on Ruby's life had raised the ire of the audience, leading to a surge of negativity...but not enough...not _nearly_ enough. She could still use the backdoor Watts had supplied her with in order to gain access the speakers, then deliver her address. Yet that wouldn't work now.

 _Maybe...if I choose the right words..._ thought Cinder, trying to think how she could turn things to her advantage. If she chose well, then maybe, just maybe, her address could push people over the edge. None of her planned speeches were crafted for this possibility. She didn't think she could ad-lib a speech to fit this situation.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. This was a severe setback. There was no debating that. But they could try again. The Vytal Festival had been a wash, but surely there were other routes into Beacon that could be exploited. She would get her chance to bring the Academy down. But first...the failures that had led to this turn of affairs needed to be addressed. _Emerald...I will have words for you, when you get back._

Time passed, yet with no sign of Emerald. Cinder's patience frayed. _She'd better not be stalling,_ she thought. She wouldn't have been surprised if that was the case. Emerald's need to please Cinder bordered on a dependency. There was nothing in the world that Emerald feared more than disappointing Cinder, and losing her trust. It was a trait that Cinder had found useful, and never failed to foster. However, if Emerald thought she could blunt Cinder's wrath by delaying the inevitable, she was about to be sorely mistaken.

But still, there was no sign of Emerald. A different worry began to creep up from within Cinder's gut. _Don't tell me she's been caught too._ That would have been the ultimate failure.

Or perhaps Emerald had thought that trying to make the rendezvous in Amity would be too risky right now, and had decided to return to their fallback position. That was a possibility too. But why hadn't she sent Cinder a text to that end.

Whatever the case, waiting was not going to work. The longer Cinder and Neo stayed here, the more they risked drawing notice. It was time for them to take their leave, Emerald or no Emerald. With a sigh, Cinder turned and stalked aboard the ambulance. "Take us back, Neo," she said, once she reached the cockpit.

Watching Cinder warily, Neo nodded, then closed the hatch and started up the engines. Within a few seconds, the ambulance was lifting off. Cinder noted, with a small degree of satisfaction, that Neo was still watching her out of the corner of her eye.

"Don't worry," cooed Cinder, giving Neo one of her sly smiles. "Compared to all the others, you've performed most admirably. You've done nothing but reward my faith in your abilities. Continue to serve me as well as you already have, and I will assure you that your precious Roman will be safe and sound, when this was over."

From the way her throat bobbed, Cinder could see that Neo was not reassured. Instead, Neo had picked up the alternative meaning, that which had _not_ been said, that if she failed in any way, Roman's life was forfeit. In spite of all the setbacks, Neo was still terrified of Cinder. _Good,_ Cinder thought, _that's the way it should be._

Within minutes, they had arrived at an empty warehouse, one that was owned by a shipping company that existed only on paper. It was far more effective cover than any of the ones the White Fang utilized. Because Cinder "owned" this warehouse, they didn't need to worry about hiding from the workers, as there was actually no one to ship cargo that did not exist.

As the ambulance touched down, Cinder got to her feet and headed for the exit. "Dispose of it as we planned," she told Neo, who nodded dutifully.

Neo lifted off with almost indecent haste, the ambulance rising up almost before Cinder's foot had left the boarding ramp, actually closing the ramp after she had taken to the air, before flying away. Cinder found herself chuckling at Neo's haste, finding it amusing. Clearly, after everything that had happened, Neo didn't want to be the next person to disappoint Cinder.

Cinder's smile died, a scowl replacing it. She turned to the door to the warehouse, eyes narrowing in angry glare. _You had better be here, Emerald, and you'd better have a very good explanation for why you failed me._

Opening the door, Cinder strode between the rows of empty crates, stacked on towering shelves, giving the illusion of a warehouse in use. She approached the simple setup of chairs and a table, which served as the "living room" of their little shelter. Down another line of shelves were a set of cots that they slept on, during that period where they'd been living out in Vale, rather than at Beacon. It was a rough setup, but one that suited them well enough.

"Emerald," growled Cinder, looking around.

She froze at the sound of footsteps. That wasn't right, Emerald was a thief. She had long mastered the art of muffling her footfalls, almost to the point of complete silence, even while walking casually. Even then, these were not the sounds her feet were supposed to make. These were the hard clicks of heels on the concrete floor of the warehouse. The strides were measured, purposeful...and there was more than one pair of feet making them.

Two women appeared between a row of shelves, emerging from the darkness on either side of it, and turning to face Cinder. Her eyes widened as she took them in. One was blonde, with the strict bearing of a disciplinarian, green eyes glaring harshly out from behind ovular glasses, a black cape fluttering behind her white blouse. The other woman had silvery-white hair, tied in a tight bun behind her hair, her posture straight, like a soldier's, also glaring at Cinder with a pair of pale-blue eyes.

Glynda Goodwitch and Winter Schnee, the right hand women of Ozpin and Ironwood respectively.

"Cinder Fall," said Winter, in a tone as icy and cold as the winds that ripped across Solitas in the depths of the season she was named for, "you are under arrest for crimes against Vale and the world."

Winter drew her saber, while Glynda pulled her riding crop out, the two of them leveling their weapons at Cinder. "Surrender now," said Glynda just as harshly.

Cinder's eyes narrowed, fury rippling across her. Soon, the air around her began to ripple as well. Shimmering arrays of orange light formed ring-like circles around her body, rising up and down, replacing the medic disguise she'd been wearing with her regular, orange and red dress, fiery light climbing in curving lines up and down its length. She whipped her arms out to her side, a pair of curved dao appearing with an orange flash.

Neither Glynda nor Winter looked surprised by this development. Instead, they merely readied themselves. Winter sank into a crouch, while Glynda held up her riding crop, pointing it up towards the ceiling.

Cinder charged with a shriek of rage, flames streaming from the corner of her right eye. A white glyph appeared behind Winter, shooting her forward like an arrow, her saber aimed right for Cinder's chest. Behind her, Glynda whipped her crop downwards, launching a barrage of violet bolts that curved through the air, passing Winter and converging on the incoming Cinder.

* * *

"Thank you for your cooperation, Ms. Rose," said the guard, holding open the door for her.

Ruby gave him a smile and stepped past, leaving the very same room she'd been brought to after her match with Liu. The questions directed her way had been a bit more pointed this time. The film of Mercury's attack had not been definitive proof of her innocence on its own. After all, when slowed down, it showed her hand already reaching for her weapon, even as she'd turned to face Mercury.

While it could simply mean that she'd anticipated his attack (which was the truth), it could also be interpreted as an act of hostility on her part, that she'd been planning to attack Mercury. Fortunately, she'd been able to sufficiently allay their suspicions with her explanation, though they'd expressed some doubt about her perspective, and her ability to anticipate Mercury's actions. Still, they'd wound up defaulting to her judgment, as a girl who'd survived multiple attempts on her life within the past year. It probably helped that Ozpin had most likely put in a good word for her.

Exiting into the hallway, Ruby's smile widened when she saw Gin waiting for her. She immediately threw herself at the boy, who wrapped her up in a tight hug. They stayed like that for a moment, before finally pulling away. Still holding hands, they made their way down the hall.

"I got word from Ayumu," said Gin. "They got Penny and Ciel back to Beacon safely. Ozpin's already arranged a room for them in the student dormitories."

Ruby sighed in relief, her entire body sagging slightly. "That's great," she said. "It looks like we've cleared all our goals so far."

"Looks that way," said Gin. "This just leaves the finals, which people are already talking about."

"Yeah, I figured it was going to be a doozy already." Ruby sighed. "I just wish I wasn't dragging all this baggage in along with me."

"You'll manage," said Gin. "It's almost over. After that..."

"We find Yu's Grimm," said Ruby, a dark frown appearing on her face. "I won't wait to see when he's going to wake it up himself. We'll deal with it on our own time."

"Even though that's probably gonna wake it up," said Gin.

"We'll have to make due," said Ruby. "I won't let him put Vale in danger like he did before, not again."

"So long as he gets what he wants out of it, I suppose that's good enough," said Gin. "He doesn't care if the Grimm makes it to Vale or not. What matters is that we fight it."

"Right," said Ruby. "I hope they can catch Cinder. I don't want her getting away to cause even more trouble."

"Yeah," agreed Gin. "If we can just round her up, then at least Neo will be able to breathe easy...though we still have Watts and Pyrrha to worry about."

"They might back off if Cinder goes down," said Ruby. "But I guess we'll just have to see."

"We will," agreed Gin.

* * *

Cinder kicked off the floor, jumping into a twisting, acrobatic flip, which carried her between Glynda's violet bolts. They struck all around her, shattering metal shelves and blowing wooden crates to smithereens. Touching down, Cinder spun to meet the incoming Winter head-on. With a click, a dagger separated from the blade of Winter's saber, jumping across to her left hand. Leading with a slash from her Saber, Winter brought it down towards Cinder's head. Cinder raised her left-handed sword to catch the descending blade, while thrusting out with her right. Bringing the dagger across, Winter deflected the attack out to the side.

The two women paused for the briefest of seconds, before disengaging, jumping apart, then coming back together, and fencing furiously. They danced around one another, their blades ringing against each other. Glynda stood by, her crop at the ready. With Winter engaged in a tense melee, Glynda didn't dare attack, until she was sure that her attacks wouldn't hit Winter by accident. So she stood by and waited for her opportunity.

Then Cinder ducked a slash of Winter's saber, stepping in slightly closer, she lashed out with one sword to knock away Winter's dagger. Her other sword was out of position to follow through with an attack, so she lashed out with a kick, which caught Winter in the stomach. Winter was sent flying back, her breath exploding from her lungs, landing amidst a pile of debris created by Glynda's earlier attack with a crash, raising a cloud of dust that obscured her for a second.

Now Glynda went on the attack, flicking her crop. All around Cinder, pieces of shelving and smashed crates rose up in a cloud, then converged on Cinder from all directions. Crossing her arms, Cinder growled. Fiery light climbed up her dress, streaming off, congealing into more arrays around her body, which then exploded outward in a furious burst of heat and flame that immolated the debris, turning it into a swirling cloud of ash and embers. The attack also shattered the swords in Cinder's hands, breaking them down into fragments that mixed with the particulate matter swirling around her.

Cinder switched gears, moving her arms in smooth, circular motions. All around her, the dust began to condense inwards, congealing together, igniting with light, then merging into what seemed like shards of glass, veined with molten lines. Stepping forward, Cinder swept her right arm out in front of her, launching those shards at Glynda in a fiery barrage.

Taking a step back, Glynda swept her crop through a circular motion in the air in front of her, a circular array of violet energy appearing between her and the incoming shards, which struck with explosive force, shattering and scattering to break down more shelves and crates around Glynda. Executing a wide sweep with her crop, Glynda seized the resulting debris, bringing it under the control of her Semblance, directing it to converge in front of her, chunks of wood and metal swirling together, forming an elongated form, like the tip of a massive spear. With another wave of her weapon, Glynda sent that spearlike formation of debris flying straight at Cinder.

Drawing her right arm back, Cinder clenched her hand into a fist. Glowing lines of light crawled off her dress, the power of Dust mingling and merging with another, more dangerous, power. When she opened her palm, a swirling sphere of flame burst into life. Thrusting it forward, she launched it, the first of a succession of fireballs, at the incoming attack, incinerating the chunks of wood and metal as they approached.

Glynda switched tactics, flicking her crop again, causing the formation to dissolve into several tendrils of debris, which wound through the air around Cinder. At the same time, something else began to happen.

There was a flash from the pile of broken crates that Winter had vanished into. Freezing winds, carrying swirling snow spun into being, sweeping outward to form a dome around Cinder and Glynda. From within that miniature blizzard, the snow seemed to condense, merging together to form solid, lupine bodies, with snow-white fur, pale-blue eyes glowing with angry malice. They were Beowolves, but not like any seen by Cinder before.

 _So this is the fabled Schnee Semblance,_ she thought, watching the circling monsters warily.

With an eerie howl, the Beowolves charged, loping forward on all fours, leaping for Cinder. She ducked the first one, thrusting up with one hand and slamming a jet of flame into its belly that blew it apart. From there, she dodged aside from the slashing claws through another, putting her body through a spin. Coming out of it, she conjured another pair of black, glassy blades, then leapt right into the fray. She danced amidst the pack of Beowolves, slashing and stabbing, moving with grace and precision.

But the Beowolves were not her only opponents. A stream of rubble wound downwards and struck, Cinder forced to jump back to avoid being crushed. Landing she turned, whipping her sword around to take the head from another Beowolf. A metal rod, a piece of a destroyed set of shelves, slammed into her back, making Cinder grunt in pain, her stance faltering.

Three more Beowolves converged on her. At the last second, she managed to jump away from them, going into a back-handspring, then launching herself into the air. In the same movement, she brought the pommels of her swords together, a string stretching to connected the blades' curved tips. A trio of arrows appeared with a flash, being drawn back by Cinder, who released them. The arrows pierced the Beowolves from above, then exploded, the fiery blast incinerating more of the debris being controlled by Glynda.

Landing, Cinder turned about once more, separating her bow into swords again. This time, her rising blades met Winter's own, the weapons meeting with a ring of steel on glass. The two fighters danced furiously, exchanging rapid blows, though neither seemed to have a definitive advantage. With an extra-powerful slash, Cinder sent Winter skidding away, only to arch her back in pain as claws raked across it, scoring her Aura. Turning around, Cinder thrust upwards, driving the blade of one sword straight into the Beowolf's chest. The creature lurched, then went still, its body disintegrating off her sword.

In the meantime, Cinder used her other sword to fend off another strike from Winter, who struck downwards with her saber. While Cinder's sword was occupied with blocking it, Winter abruptly stepped closer and whipped her curved dagger across the side of Cinder's torso. Screeching, Cinder reeled back, her steps staggering. Four Beowolves converged upon her from all directions, while more clouds of debris, wielded by Glynda, wound through the gaps between them, all coming together to hammer down on her.

At the last second, Cinder dropped her swords, crossing her arms and raising them up her body. The light of the Dust woven into her dress flared brighter than ever, more ring-like arrays forming around her. Seeing what was about to happen, Winter jumped back desperately. But she wasn't quite fast enough, as a wave of fire exploded out from Cinder in all directions, immolating Winter's summons, while shattering the airborne rubble. The shockwave struck Winter, knocking her back farther, sending her slamming into one of the warehouse's walls. Stunned, Winter sank down, struggling to remain standing as she tried to regather her strength.

Cinder stood in the midst of a ring of blackened concrete. The swirling winds produced by Winter's Semblance vanished, as had all the summoned Beowolves. Cinder herself was worse for wear, panting and sweating, her arms hanging slack at her sides. But her eyes still burned (literally, in the case of her right eye) with anger and defiance. But then a loud ping sounded from above. The lights of the warehouse rafters dimmed and darkened, and Cinder felt a powerful chill descend from above. Looking up, her eyes widened when she saw a swirling mass of dark clouds, a storm summoned indoors, gathering, with her standing directly beneath it.

At the other end of the warehouse, Glynda swept her crop downwards with a sharp motion. Spearlike shards of ice rained down from the cloud in a barrage. Desperately, Cinder held up her hands between her and the incoming attack. Shards of ice shattered against the barrier. But its coverage wasn't total. Several flashed down past it, slashing along Cinder's sides and legs, bursting into more fragments at her feet, which battered her ankles.

While Cinder had been distracted by Glynda's impending attack, Winter grit her teeth and forced herself to rally. She couldn't afford to wait around stunned, after all. She had to bring this to an end. Gathering her wits together, she sank into another stance, twisting her torso around to bring her saber up and over her right shoulder, while crossing her left arm and the shorter sword in front of her chest, with the blade pointing backwards. With a flash, the spinning, snowflake glyph of her Semblance appeared directly behind her. Then she kicked off. The glyph flashed again, launching her forward at Cinder, plunging right through the hail of ice shards, which had only begun to taper off.

It was a risky move, borderline reckless even. Winter threw herself right through the hail, feeling lines of freezing pain lance along her body, as Glynda's attack scored her Aura. But Winter soldiered on, flying like a projectile herself, weathering the barrage in order to reach her target. Because of that, she struck while Cinder's attention was directed upwards, whipping her blades around through a devastating double-slash that bit into Cinder with the full force of her momentum behind them. Cinder screamed, thrown off her feet, hands parting, barrier dissolving. The last of Glynda's shards rained down, striking with all their ferocity, powered by Glynda's Semblance, gravity, and the wind-Dust worked into the clouds above.

Cinder slammed into the floor, bouncing to and lying still. On the other side of her attack, Winter stumbled to a faltering stop, legs giving out. She fell to her knees, needing to plant the blade of her saber to remain upright. Her white uniform was scored with lines cut through it, blood beginning to leak out from the thin incisions made by Glynda's ice, staining the pristine cloth.

Behind her, Cinder was much worse for wear. A pair of lines cut through the fabric of her dress, and also bit into the skin beneath it, blood oozing out. Her legs were decorated by vertical lacerations, leaking still more blood across the concrete floor. The orange light of her Aura flickered, then vanished, dissipating into the air around her.

Glynda lowered her crop, the skin of her face gleaming with the sheen of sweat. While she had avoided fighting directly, attacking remotely, the continuous use of Dust and Semblance had taken its toll on her stamina. But now the fight was over. They'd done it. They'd subdued Amber's attacker, brought her down. Now all that was left was to take her into custody. Her heels clicking against the floor, Glynda strode determinedly towards Cinder's prone form.

"Cinder Fall, you are now under arrest for conspiracy to incite a mass Grimm incursion, aiding and abetting terrorist and criminal operations, and a laundry list of other crimes," she said, coming to a stop just a few steps away from Cinder. Slowly, she lifted her crop, pointing it at Cinder's prone form.

But Cinder's eyes, which had been closed before, suddenly snapped open. Flames exploded from the corner of her right eye. Abruptly sitting up, Cinder whipped her right arm out across her body, flinging a powerful wave of flame at Glynda, knocking her back with a cry of pain, scorched by the heat and battered by the shockwaves. Glynda was knocked sprawling, her crop bouncing across the floor, and out of her reach.

Silently, Glynda chided herself for letting her guard down. Cinder's Aura might have been depleted, but the Maiden's magic was still there. She might have only had a portion of it, but that was more than enough for Cinder to remain dangerous, even without her Aura. Now Cinder pushed herself to her feet, a crazed look in her eyes. Now _she_ was the one standing over Glynda.

Cinder was gasping for breath. Her hair was matted and tangled with sweat. More cuts decorated her face, including one that had come dangerously close to her right eye. Her lips pulled back in a snarl, baring bloody teeth. The composed, sultry woman from before, who'd exuded a constant undercurrent of menace, was gone. In her place stood a crazed madwoman, eyes gleaming with unsuppressed rage.

"You..." she gasped, "...all of you...mocking me...You're nothing but worthless worms, doomed to die..." She raised her hands overhead.

Slowly, flames streamed off her dress, congealing together to form a fireball much larger than the ones she'd been using earlier. It was clearly a monumental effort on her part. But Glynda was still stunned from the unexpected hit she'd taken, while Winter was almost completely spent from her own exertions. The two of them were in no position to defend themselves.

"You...you'll all BURN!" shouted Cinder, bringing the fire down.

* * *

 **So the basis behind the idea of how Emerald's Semblance could be countered is based on some of the observations I've made from the actual show. At the moment, the only real weakness we know of is that Emerald needs to concentrate, in order to create her illusions, and that it works best on one person at a time; two, if she wants to give herself a headache; several more people, if she's in a state of extreme emotional distress, and wants to knock herself out afterwards. Obviously, it's not something that she's able to use in the middle of pitched battle, at least, not without creating the right openings to use it.**

 **From there, I got the idea of the aspects that would need to go into it being an effective weapon. In the show, it's Emerald wants a person to see and hear something, so they see it. But there's a lot more to that than you might think. She's always using her Semblance from a separate perspective from the one it's being _used_ _on_. So, if she's standing to the left of her target, she still has to have some way of figuring how her illusion would look when it's appearing directly in front of them. So either she's really good at considering those things, or...she can access her targets' perceptions directly (i.e. see through their own eyes, etc) in order to properly present her illusions from their perspective. It would certainly explain why trying to do that for more than one person at once would give her a serious headache, much less how exruciating it must have been to do it for so many people at the end of Volume 5.**

 **Then there are the layers I kept mentioning. In a rush, a audio-visual hallucination wouldn't be too hard for Emerald. But, the more skilled her opponents are, particularly when it comes to perception, the more layers she has to add: tactile sensations, position, perspective, the doppler effect, and so on... On the show, where they don't really have the time or means to hash out the nitty gritty of how Emerald's Semblance works, it basically boils down to Emerald wants Yang to see Mercury attacking her, so Yang sees Mercury attacking her. But, putting together an image, and marying it to all the complex minutia that would have to accompany it, in order to make it truly convincing, would actually be a pretty tricky task for the human mind. Of course, in a pinch, most people wouldn't notice such minor discrepancies, or missing stimuli. Something might feel off, but Emerald generally uses her Semblance in such a way that they don't have time to worry about all those itty bitty details. But, in this story, there are characters who are trained to be extremely sensitive to all the input they receive from all their senses, which leads to them noticing those things, hence the "brushstrokes."**

 **Hopefully, this comes off as a convincing and feasible way that Emerald's Semblance can be countered.**


	116. Chapter 116

**Chapter 116:**

A gunshot cracked through the air of the warehouse. Cinder abruptly jolted, her body jerking sharply. The flames she held above her head dissipated, scattering impotently. Blood fountained out from the right side of her stomach, the fabric of her dress ripping to reveal a bloody hole through her torso. She took a staggering step forward.

In her anger, Cinder hadn't noticed a black shape drop down from above, landing silently behind her. Right as she'd been about to burn Glynda from existence, the figure had leveled one arm at Cinder, the limb converting into a rifle, and firing. The bullet had torn right through Cinder's unprotected body. Slowly turning, Cinder took in the humanoid shape, with the glowing red lines that ran down its limbs, and the shining cyclopean eye of the same shade gleaming from the center of its domed head.

Another, identical, figure dropped down between Cinder and Glynda, this one much closer. Cinder turned towards it, eyes widening as she saw it already swinging towards her, aiming right for her neck. She expected to see a blade of some kind, slashing her throat. Instead, she saw come kind of thin, crescent shape, held in its attacking hand. It struck Cinder in the neck, flinging her back to the floor. The crescent closed with a click, becoming a circle around Cinder's neck, an Aura-suppression collar. Hitting the floor, Cinder went limp, and did not move again.

A startled silence sank over the warehouse, broken only by the crackling of small fires burning. The two androids lowered their arms, standing silent and still.

Finally, Glynda broke the silence. "Winter...are you all right?" she asked.

"I'll be fine," said Winter, forcing herself to stand, still swaying unsteadily. "And you?"

"I am well," said Glynda, getting to her feet. She was in much better shape than Winter, Cinder's last attack not even inflicting all that much damage, despite Glynda's unguarded state at the time. The two of them carefully walked towards Cinder's still body.

Cinder was alive, but badly injured. Blood was leaking from the hole carved by the Jaeger's bullet through her torso. Left that way, she would probably bleed out within minutes. Glynda was sorely tempted to let her.

"I'll have to thank Whitley for letting me borrow his Jaegers again," said Winter, already crouching down beside Cinder, pulling a medkit out. "They certainly showed their worth here."

Glynda nodded, regarding the two androids warily. It had been Winter's idea to have them wait in the wings. While the two women fought Cinder, they would keep her attention focused on them, while the Jaegers remained camouflaged in the rafters above. They would only act if things looked too dangerous for Winter and Glynda, at which point, Winter would signal them to attack.

It turned out to be a wise investment. Glynda was still berating herself for underestimating their opponent so badly. It was the kind of mistake she had chewed out countless students for before, yet she had made it herself in this fight; particularly galling as, unlike Winter, Glynda knew full well what they were up against. Considering what she had seen, Winter would undoubtedly have some uncomfortable questions about what had just taken place, but it would be up to Ironwood whether or not she learned the full extent of the situation.

An unfortunate part of that problem was the fact that Cinder was still alive. The Jaegers had been instructed to attack as non-lethally as possible. Granted, there was every chance Cinder still _might_ die from her wounds, with her Aura unable to help with the healing, now that it was both depleted and suppressed. But she could still survive, with treatment...and that left Glynda in a very difficult spot.

The purpose of this operation had been to capture Cinder. But it would have been far more beneficial if Cinder had died over the course of the battle instead. After all, that would allow the stolen portion of Amber's power to return to her, thus ending the threat Cinder presented. But Cinder had survived...and that presented a dilemma. As long as Cinder lived, she presented a threat. According to what Gin, Ayumu, and Ruby had discovered, the stolen portion of magic was calling the remainder. While Amber herself was in no longer in danger of dying, her power was now on the verge of being pulled away from her to join its missing half. If that happened...there was no telling what disaster might result.

Thus, standing over Cinder, Glynda was sorely tempted to blast her head open or, barring that, simply order Winter to stand back, and allow the woman to bleed out on the floor. But she couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to execute a helpless prisoner in cold blood, or abandon her to her fate. Glynda had spent her life dedicating herself to fighting the monsters that preyed upon humanity from the shadows. But what good was it if, in the process, she _became_ one of those monsters herself? It was this inner conflict that had distracted her earlier, allowing Cinder to get one last hit in.

In a way, she envied Ironwood, and his black and white view of the situation. If he was here, he'd likely shoot Cinder in the head and be done with it. But he wasn't. Ironwood was helping oversee the rounding up of Cinder's compatriots. Now Glynda was left with a difficult dilemma, and no easy resolution. She silently prayed that Ozpin would have an answer for her.

"Finished," said Winter, pulling back, using a sanitary wipe to clean the blood from her hands. "I've done all that I can. Now it's up to her, whether or not she survives."

Silently, Glynda hoped that Cinder wouldn't survive...and shuddered with disgust at the fact she was hoping for that. But she kept her thoughts to herself. Picking up her crop, she flicked it, using her Semblance to levitate Cinder's unconscious body off the floor. It floated behind her as Glynda headed for the large loading doors of the warehouse, Winter bringing up the rear. With another flick of Glynda's crop, the large doors slid open, revealing the familiar profile of an ambulance waiting outside...the very same ambulance that had brought Cinder over earlier. Its ramp was down, with Neo waiting beside it, a wary look on her face. She was no longer disguised as a medic herself, instead wearing her usual outfit, having never really changed out of it, thanks to her Semblance.

Glynda didn't blame her for her wariness. After all, Ironwood was still vigorously calling for her arrest, an attitude that might well have filtered down to Winter, despite the fact that Neo's cooperation had been what had enabled this sting to happen at all. Granted, Neo still had a long list of crimes to be called to account for, and it remained to be debated whether or not this would exonerate her of them. But, for now, Glynda was glad to call Neo an ally. At least they could take some degree of amusement in the fact that the ambulance was now serving its intended purpose.

Stepping aboard, Glynda settled Cinder onto the gurney inside, with Winter moving to strap her down. Neo was already in the cockpit, going through the preflight procedure, and closing the ramp behind them.

Finally, as the ambulance lifted off, Glynda collapsed into one of the passenger seats, Winter doing the same across from her, gladly allowing her mind to slip away for a little, and put the painful conundrum aside for at least a few brief moments.

* * *

Ruby put down her scroll, having received a notification from Ozpin. "They got Cinder," she said, looking up at her assembled friends, the group having gathered in JNAR's dorm to await the cumulative results of the evening's events.

"All right!" cheered Nora, pumping a victorious fist in the air.

"Thank God," groaned Jaune, sagging back onto his bed.

"We are _so_ partying it up this weekend!" added Yang excitedly.

"Just to be clear," said Gin, raising a hand, "did they say they got her...or that they _got_ her?"

Ruby sighed. "They captured her alive."

"Well...that's..." Yang wasn't sure what to say about that, nor were the others.

Ruby wasn't sure if she should feel relieved at that. The fact of the matter was, if they wanted Amber's magic to be whole again, Cinder likely needed to die...at least, there seemed to be no alternative to killing her that would allow the Maiden's magic to return to its original host. In some ways, it would be better, certainly more convenient, for Cinder to have been killed, when Glynda and Winter had gone after her. With Cinder alive, Amber was still in much the same situation as before, and, to make matters worse, what magic remained in her was still gradually separating. At some point, it would part from her and merge with what Cinder had stolen, making Cinder the Fall Maiden, which was an unacceptable outcome.

But, at the same time, despite the conviction she'd voiced, back when they'd all learned the truth of what was at stake, Ruby nonetheless wasn't fully comfortable with the idea of killing someone in cold blood, even if she was someone who'd performed such abhorrent deeds as Cinder had. It was even worse, now that she was in captivity. It was one thing to be able, and willing, to kill someone in the heat of battle; but completely another to be willing to execute a captive in cold blood, for the sake of a particular end, no matter how good it might be, or how much evil said execution might prevent.

"There's no point in worrying about it overly much," said Ayumu, smiling as always. "If she is in their custody, it will be up to Professor Ozpin and the others to decide what to do with Ms. Fall. The matter is likely out of our hands. I highly doubt that the Professor would be willing to ask us to go through with Ms. Fall's death ourselves."

"Yeah, that's true," admitted Ruby, sagging a little. This time, she felt genuinely relieved. For all the burdens that they had shouldered themselves, Ruby was, at least this once, all too happy to step back and leave the rest of this matter to the adults. For now, they could go back to being students and participants in the Vytal Festival Tournament. She and Ayumu had their plan for the finals, but that didn't feel nearly as tense as the knife-edge they'd been forced to walk in order to come out of the other end of Cinder's machinations in one piece.

"We shouldn't let our guards down all the way," said Ren. "There's still that Watts-person, who's been helping Cinder."

"Yeah..." agreed Jaune, "...and Pyrrha."

Everyone except Gin and Ayumu winced at that. The two of them had only ever really known Pyrrha as one of the two girls who'd tried to murder Ruby. But, for everyone else in the room, Ruby included, it felt surreal to think that someone they'd once considered such a dear friend was now a dangerous enemy. And, considering what Jaune had seen of her, she was completely lacking in inhibitions right now. There was no telling what she was capable of.

The mysterious Dr. Watts, while far less intimidating, was also daunting, if only for the sheer number of unknowns he represented. Right now, the sole extent of their knowledge concerning him was that he was likely the architect behind the virus Cinder had planted during the first Beacon Dance. When he was called in by Ironwood, Watts had apparently removed the virus, but left himself with a means to affect the systems the virus would have subverted originally. He'd likely been manipulating things behind the scenes, over the course of the tournament, considering how Ruby had found herself up against Liu Bai in the quarterfinals, then Mercury in the semifinals.

Sadly, there was currently little to be done about him and Pyrrha, so long as they weren't able to find where the pair was operating from. Neo had said that they were hidden somewhere in the Emerald Forest. But that still left a large swath of land to survey, if they wanted any chance of finding the dastardly duo, with it likely that Watts knew how to hide from most forms of surveillance.

"There's still the White Fang too," added Blake. "Most of them might have been caught in that last sting, but Adam is still out there...with the Shrimps."

"You know, it's really hard to take them seriously, when they have a nickname like that," Jaune pointed out.

"Shimizu then," said Blake, sighing. "The main point is that those two are even _more_ dangerous than Adam, and we don't know what their objectives are." The worst case scenario, of course, was that they represented the main branch of the White Fang, along with Sienna Khan herself, throwing their support behind Adam and the Vale Branch, which meant that the Taurus Faction might not be the dwindling, decimated force it was before.

"Well, we'll just have to stay on our toes," said Ruby finally. She shared a wry smile with Gin and Ayumu. "It's not as though Master Yu would want us to lower our guards anyway."

"We still have to locate that Grimm he's made," added Ayumu. "All things considered, we have an excellent chance of finishing the tournament without awakening it, now that the ones trying to instigate said awakening have been mostly dealt with. With Master Yu's promise, we'll have a small grace period to locate and dispose of it."

Ruby and Gin nodded. The others were unsettled, as they always were, when the fact that the trio's teacher had apparently created a super-dangerous Grimm as a test for them was brought up once again.

A faint knock at the door prompted Ayumu to get up, his smile both widening and softening. Pulling it open, he opened his arms to catch Neo as she threw herself at him with a radiant smile of her own. Ren reached over to close the door behind her, allowing the pair to embrace out of view of any potential bystanders in the hall.

"She looks happy," observed Blake with a slight edge of amusement in her voice.

Neo did indeed look happy. She looked as though an incredible weight had been lifted from her shoulders, which was understandable, seeing as the woman who'd kept her and Roman virtually enslaved, through the threat of violence, had finally been brought down. While it didn't guarantee Roman's release, or that Neo herself would be pardoned of her previous crimes, just the fact that the threat of Cinder's wrath no longer hung over their heads was enough to make Neo giddy with joy. Jumping up, she wrapped her arms and legs around Ayumu in order to keep her face level with his, so she could pepper him with excited kisses.

Ayumu laughed and allowed Neo to do so, hugging her back tightly. The others looked on with fond smiles.

Finally, Neo's barrage of affection slowed down and petered out. Still wrapped around Ayumu, she leaned forward to rest her chin in his shoulder, while Ayumu carried her to the bed and sat down, so that she was now sitting on his lap. Reaching up, he gently pulled his fingers through her hair.

Ruby opened her mouth to comment on them, but found her voice cut off by the yawn that emerged. Instead, she stretched her arms over her head. "Well, I'm gonna get ready for bed," she said. "I've just had two people try to kill me over two separate matches. I'm bushed."

"That _would_ tire someone out," agreed Gin.

"Yeah," said Ruby, her smile taking on a wan quality. "And I get the feeling that tomorrow's interview is gonna be a doozy."

"Yeah...this is gonna be tricky to explain," added Jaune.

After all, it wasn't as though they could reveal everything that had been going on in the background of the tournament, certainly not anything pertaining to the secret war being waged on the world's behalf. Besides the obvious reasons, Ruby had no doubt that people would be incensed at the idea that the tournament had been essentially hijacked and used as proxy for someone else's conflict, no matter how important said conflict was. It was the kind of thing that would make those who lost feel belittled, that the outcomes of their own matches were completely unimportant. It would be tricky to play off Mercury's actions, particularly since it felt especially...unusual, considering that Ruby's previous opponent had tried to kill her as well.

Ayumu beamed at her over Neo's shoulder. "Well, if nothing else, I can promise that I _won't_ try to kill you during our match."

"Thanks," said Ruby sarcastically.

"Likewise, I also promise to be gracious in victory," added Ayumu, a slight teasing tone in his voice.

"Don't bet on it pal," Ruby teased back with a grin. "I'm going to win on Friday...and I'll be anything _but_ gracious about it, when I do."

"You'll try," Ayumu replied.

"So you guys are gonna fight for real?" asked Yang, looking back and forth between the pair.

"Of course," they said in unison.

"Our plan has no bearing on the match itself," said Ayumu. "It's just that Ruby's victory isn't in the cards." Neo was now quaking against him in silent laughter.

"We'll see about that," said Ruby, before sticking her tongue out at Ayumu. "Good night."

"Good night," replied Ayumu, allowing her the last word...this time.

The rest of Ruby's team decided to leave with her, Yang pausing to give Jaune a goodnight kiss. They made their way across the hall, and settled in for the night, going to sleep with hopeful thoughts for what the next day would bring.

* * *

Watts slowly set his scroll down on the table. "I've lost contact with Cinder," he said. "From the look of things, it appears she has been apprehended."

"That's...unfortunate," said Pyrrha.

"That's putting it mildly," said Watts with a disappointed sigh, shaking his head slowly. "I knew she was incompetent, but to think she would bungle things this badly...it truly boggles the mind."

"That's just how it is," said Pyrrha, using her scroll to interface with the holoscreen across from her, bringing up a replay of Ruby's match against Mercury. "It's likely that the enemy was just that much better than her and her disciples." She played back the moment of Mercury's post-match attack on Ruby, which showed Ruby smoothly dodge, then counterattack, robbing Mercury of his legs.

Seeing that only made Watts sigh again. "I put a great deal of work into those legs of his. Now they are little more than scrap."

"And what do we do now?" asked Pyrrha.

"We need more information," said Watts, stroking his mustache. "Right now, I don't know if Cinder has been killed, or merely captured. If the former, then the plan, like Mercury's legs, is scrapped. We will have to pull back, lick our wounds, and come back with something else. It will take work and time, and a great deal of preparation."

Watts was so lost in his thought that he missed the slight narrowing of Pyrrha's eyes. The thought of having to put off her own plans was galling enough. But she'd resolved to be patient before...and she could do it again. She'd previously been willing to spend years in prison, awaiting her parole, all for the opportunity to take her revenge. She supposed this time might be no different, even if it was all the more frustrating to have that opportunity so close, only to be snatched away.

"However, if she's alive, there may yet be hope," Watts continued. "For now, we shall wait and see." He glanced over at her. "Should it come down to it, and Cinder is dead, even if we have to fall back, I suspect it will present an excellent opportunity for you. After all, with dear Cinder gone, someone else will have to take on the job of securing the Maidens' power."

 _Yes,_ thought Pyrrha darkly, _I can wait...as long as it takes._

* * *

"It seems that the past few days have been quite eventful for you," said Lisa, looking at Ruby with a playful twinkle in her eye, "even by the standards of the Vytal Festival."

"You could say that," said Ruby, blushing at the implication. "I'd say I'm sorry that things kept getting complicated, when it came to my matches, but I'm not, since I didn't exactly ask those people to try and kill me."

"There has been some speculation as to the reason," said Lisa. "Some people believe that Mercury Black attacked you out of spite for removing Haven from the running in the tournament."

"I...find that hard to believe," said Ruby, with more truth than Lisa knew to her words. "I mean, it's possible. I know that the tournament is incredibly important, especially with the prestige it brings to the winner. But still...it's a tournament. To try and kill over that..."

"It _is_ quite unbecoming," said Lisa. "Professor Lionheart, Headmaster of Haven Academy, released a statement condemning Mercury's actions. What do you think?"

Ruby shrugged. "I don't know if there's much to think about it," she said. "I'm sure Professor Lionheart is sincere. I definitely have no reason to think otherwise."

Well...that wasn't entirely true. While it was one thing for Mercury, as well as Cinder and the rest of their team, to have falsified their status as Haven students for the tournament; the fact remained the Liu Bai and his...questionable...teammates had been permitted to participate, despite the fact that Liu was so obviously unstable that it couldn't have been more apparent if he'd shown up to Beacon in a straitjacket. Of course, considering how strong they were, it might be that Haven had valued their strength over their...other issues. But Ruby wasn't about to say that out loud. The idea was to _prevent_ conflict, not stir up more.

"And what do you think about your upcoming match?" asked Lisa, thankfully, changing the subject.

"I'm looking forward to it," said Ruby, beaming.

"I understand that you know your opponent quite well," said Lisa, a sly smile appearing on her face.

"I do," said Ruby. "Ayumu is one of the boys who found me, after Weiss and Pyrrha tried to kill me," she said frankly. "He's like a brother to me now."

"And do you think that will have any bearing on your match?" asked Lisa.

"Well...yes and no," said Ruby.

"What do you mean?"

Ruby fidgeted a little. "Well, we'll both definitely give it our all in the ring. We're close, but that's no reason to not take the match seriously. But...Ayumu was with me during all the time we were walking back to Beacon. We learned under the same teacher. But Ayumu has studied under him for years, while I've only been learning from him for a few months. Some of the things I can do now, Ayumu taught me himself. So it's going to be a lot harder than my previous matches."

"I see," said Lisa. "You mentioned a teacher. I don't believe this has come up before."

"W-well...it's a bit hard to talk about him," said Ruby, pressing the tips of her index fingers together. "He's a controversial topic. I might talk about him after the finals are over."

"Well, I'll look forward to that," said Lisa. "It's worth bringing up what a remarkable journey you've had to reach this point Ruby. It isn't merely your progress through the tournament, but the whole of your time as a student of Beacon that has proven to be an incredible story.

"You were invited in, two years early, by Professor Ozpin himself. From there, you earned a position as the leader of your team. Then, after surviving an attempt on your life by two of your fellow students, you undertook an arduous journey, on foot, from the outer reaches of Vale's territory, undergoing intensive training in order to see justice done. Then you thwarted a mass terrorist attack by the White Fang, out in Mountain Glenn. After returning, you exposed your attackers, and reclaimed your place at Beacon.

"From there, you went on to play a key role during the Grimm attack on the walls by bringing down the Grimm Dragon. And, finally, you entered the Vytal Festival Tournament, and have fought your way all the way through to the finals. Your entire career at Beacon seems to be a long string of remarkable achievements."

By the time Lisa's monologue wound down, Ruby's face was almost glowing red. It was one thing to think of all that she'd been through in her, still incomplete, first year of Beacon. It was another thing to hear it all laid out by someone else. Of course, it hadn't all been "remarkable achievements," as Lisa had put it. Ruby still remembered the weeks of time she'd had to put in to finish the makeup work for the semester she'd missed, which had been more arduous than her journey back to Beacon, in some ways. Whatever else she could say about Yu, at least he'd never demanded a round dozen essays.

"Considering all that you've been through, do you have anything to say about it?" asked Lisa.

"Um...Well..." Ruby pursed her lips. "I mean, it sounds impressive when you put it all like that. But the fact of the matter was that a lot of those were things that I never expected to happen. I didn't want Weiss and Pyrrha to try and kill me, after all. But...at the same time...I'm grateful."

"Grateful?" Lisa frowned in confusion.

Ruby nodded. "Because of what they did, I met people I never would have gotten to otherwise. I'd have never met Ayumu...or Gin." Her cheeks reddened again at the mention of her boyfriend. "I got to experience things I wouldn't have had the chance to, learned things I'd never been able to, and gained strength I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. In the end, it actually comes back to what Weiss and Pyrrha did to me.

"We weren't expecting to find the White Fang, out in Mountain Glenn. And I wouldn't have ever wanted the Grimm to attack Vale like they did. I _certainly_ could have done without having to fight the Dragon. But those things still happened, whether I wanted them to or not. One of the most important things I learned, during the journey back, was to never pass up an opportunity to improve."

"So your hardships, instead of dragging you down, become the foundation of your strength," summarized Lisa with a pleased smile.

"P-pretty much," said Ruby.

"Considering that, it becomes much easier to understand how you've managed to do so well in this tournament," said Lisa. "I'm sure future participants, and even your fellow students could appreciate the weight of your experiences."

"I...I guess so," said Ruby.

"And what about _after_ the tournament?" asked Lisa.

"After...?" Ruby frowned.

It felt like an unusual question to her. It certainly wasn't an easy one to answer, not on a live broadcast. She couldn't exactly tell Lisa that she meant to continue the fight against Cinder's master, and work to stop whatever else this Salem entity had planned for the Kingdoms. Even if Cinder's plot for the Vytal Festival had been stopped, the fact remained that the one behind her, the one who'd instigated the whole affair, was still out there. Of course, the question remained as to how they could fight Salem. And, of course, there was still the fact that Yu was willing to do God-knew-what to Vale, in an effort to force Ruby to improve.

But Lisa was actually thinking about something else. "From what I have heard, there have been a number of sponsorships and endorsements that are being offered to you. The fact that you're a finalist in the tournament has made your name a valuable one."

"Huh? Endorsements?" Ruby blinked. "I...I haven't heard anything about that."

"You haven't?" Now it was Lisa's turn to look confused again. "From what I understand, your father has received a number of calls."

"Dad has...?" Ruby raised her eyebrows. "He never told me. I guess he wants me to focus on my schoolwork."

"So you're not interested?" asked Lisa.

"N-not really," said Ruby. "I mean...I've never really wanted to be a celebrity. That sounds like even more work than being a Huntress."

Lisa laughed at that, and Ruby had no doubt that quite a few members of the audience were laughing as well. But the remark hadn't been made entirely in jest. Ruby truly didn't want to be a celebrity. Even before Pyrrha had gone over the deep end, Ruby remembered hearing from her about just how much pressure and scrutiny a celebrity like her was under. The last thing Ruby wanted was to subject herself to something like that, instead preferring to focus her attention on her studies.

"Are you sure?" asked Lisa. "From what I heard, you had quite a bit of fun signing autographs the other day?"

Ruby let out a shocked "Eep!" Her entire face turned crimson. "I-I didn't mean to do that," she protested, ducking her head. "This little girl just wanted an autograph, and I couldn't say no to her. Then there were so many people, and then...things just...well...uh..."

Lisa laughed more earnestly. "I think I get it," she said. "I'm sure you and Ayumu are proud of what you've done."

"I...I guess," said Ruby. "It feels strange, to have gotten this far."

"That's true," agreed Lisa. "But I was thinking about something else. You do realize what the two of you have done, right?"

"What we've done?" Ruby gave Lisa a blank look.

"With both of you winning your semifinal matches, regardless of the outcome of the finals, you've secured the win for Beacon and Vale," said Lisa. "That's an impressive feat as well. This kind of thing has only ever happened three other times over the course of the tournament's history."

Ruby's eyes widened. She hadn't thought about that. Beacon's History class was generally focused on other events, rather than the outcomes of previous Vytal Festival Tournaments. With just how many teams each school had sent, Ruby was a little surprised that this kind of outcome hadn't turned up more often. She'd have thought it would have been a bit more common for one Academy or another to have two participants wind up facing each other in the finals.

 _Of course, the bad guys might have had something to do with that,_ thought Ruby, thinking about how the matches had been arranged. While it might not have been Watts' intention, it could easily be suggested that the current state of affairs was the result of his rigging of the matches.

"I hadn't really noticed," Ruby admitted truthfully enough. "I hope that doesn't make people lose interest."

"Considering the kind of show you're expected to put on for the finals, I don't think that will be a problem," said Lisa with a warm smile. "Well, that just about covers everything. Is there anything else you want to add?"

"Not right now," said Ruby.

"Well then, I wish you the best of luck," said Lisa.

"Thank you," said Ruby, bobbing her head politely.

With that, they wrapped up the second-to-last post-match interview Ruby would have to participate in over the course of the festival. This latest round of interviews was a bit more leisurely than the last one had been, with there only being three, as opposed to the seven after the quarterfinals. Penny had been the first one interviewed, while Ayumu would go after Ruby. Naturally, just like with Liu from before, Mercury would _not_ have an interview of his own.

Taking her leave from the station, Ruby set out for the docks, silently praying that she wouldn't get roped into anymore impromptu autograph sessions. It helped that Gin had been waiting for her outside, all too glad to use his presence to fend off anyone who might be looking to get close. Silently, Ruby hoped everything would go well for the final round.

* * *

"Quite the unfortunate position you find yourself in, Ms. Sustrai," said Ozpin, calmly seating himself before Emerald, looking at her over the metal surface of the interrogation room table.

The dark-skinned girl scowled at him, narrowing dark-red eyes at Ozpin. She would have liked nothing more than to use her Semblance to send him an illusion of his heart being ripped out of his chest...or worse. Before refining it to use in the fashion she currently did, Emerald had often used her Semblance to subdue attackers by subjecting them to nightmarish visions that sprang from her _own_ worst nightmares. It was something she was still inclined to do to people who'd particularly vexed her. She had a special nightmare she was reserving for Ruby Rose in particular.

But that wasn't possible, not with the Aura-suppression collar around her neck. So, instead, she settled for keeping her mouth shut. If she couldn't currently do anything about her situation, she could at least avoid giving anything away. Cinder wold never forgive her if Emerald cracked under such a basic interrogation. Besides, Emerald was sure she would have her opportunity soon enough. She was a thief, after all. There was nothing a thief like her excelled at more than breaking in and out of places. She'd never allowed herself to rely on her Semblance to the point that her basic skills had degraded.

"You have a great deal of potential," continued Ozpin, seemingly untroubled by her silence. "I find it sad that you put it to use for such dark ends. Are you aware of what Cinder, and her mistress, had planned for Vale?"

Emerald merely scowled, keeping her mouth shut.

"It would seem so," said Ozpin softly. "It pains me to think that someone as young as you would willingly be a party to such bloodshed and madness."

Emerald's eyelid twitched, which Ozpin didn't miss.

For her part, Emerald hadn't been totally on-board with having Grimm overrun Vale and Beacon. She was a thief, after all. She'd never truly enjoyed bloodshed the way Mercury and Cinder seemed to. What she _did_ like, however, was the notion of hitting back at society, at the people who were just like those who'd ignored her as a lost, homeless child; the people who'd scoffed and kicked at her for simply trying to survive, who'd called her names like "street rat" or "gutter trash." She still remembered being attacked by people for going through their garbage to find scraps to feed herself. It was the things they were throwing away, that they _weren't_ going to eat themselves, yet they felt as though there was an obligation for those things to wind up in the dump, rather than her stomach. Getting back at those people had always been an encouraging notion to her.

But she still wouldn't have willingly gone so far...if it weren't for Cinder. Cinder was _everything_ to her. Where other people had either ignored or attacked her, Cinder had expressed appreciation for what Emerald had done to survive. She'd given Emerald a place and a purpose, by her side. So, even if it meant being a party to such vile acts as engineering the destruction of an entire Kingdom, Emerald would go through with it, for Cinder's sake.

"I had thought that, perhaps, you might be a bit reluctant to be a part of such an atrocity," said Ozpin softly. "Is it because you admire Ms. Fall that much?"

A strangled grunt, and the agitated bob of Emerald's throat, were all the answer he needed.

"I see," said Ozpin. "That being the case, it makes me wonder...why didn't you tell Ms. Fall that your Semblance had been uncovered?"

That broke through Emerald's stoic silence completely. She gasped, her eyes going wide. "How-?"

"Given the critical nature of your role in Cinder's plan, it was rather easy to surmise," said Ozpin. "You went through great pains to keep your Semblance under wraps, to the point that you didn't even register it for the tournament, an oversight that would have led to the disqualification of your entire team, had anyone realized you were lying about it.

"Considering that, it seems that using your Semblance against Mr. Ao, back during the combat assessment, was a slip on your part, a surrender to impulse. But, when you realized that he knew what your Semblance was, even if he wasn't aware of your allegiance at the time, it should have been a red flag, something that Ms. Fall should have been made aware of, particularly as you adjusted your plan to account for him and Mr. Ueno."

Emerald swallowed nervously, feeling sick.

"Because we were aware of your Semblance, we were able to anticipate various ways you could use it to execute your intended plan for the tournament," continued Ozpin. "So I was genuinely surprised when your use of it fell so far within the boundaries of our expectations. It indicates that you made virtually no effort to accommodate the fact that your Semblance was no longer an unknown quantity to us, which leads me to believe that you did _not_ inform Ms. Fall at all."

Emerald's skin lightened considerably, as did her head. She began to take shallow, panicked breaths.

"Which brings us back to the critical question, why would you not inform Ms. Fall that the intended plan was no longer viable?" said Ozpin. Picking up, his mug, he took a slow sip of its contents. "It seems to me that you are not as loyal to Ms. Fall as even you believe yourself to be."

"Liar!" shouted Emerald, surging to her feet, knocking her chair back. "Cinder means _everything_ to me!"

"But apparently not enough for you to be willing to inform her that her plan sported such a critical flaw," said Ozpin, not even flinching before Emerald's anger, his words completely deflating her rage, like a hole punched through the side of a balloon. She visibly slumped, arms falling limp, shoulders sagging.

Ozpin took another sip of his coffee. "Of course, that is actually quite understandable. After all, how would Ms. Fall have reacted, had she known that you'd exposed your Semblance on impulse?"

If Emerald had been pale before, it didn't compare to now. She stumbled back, practically falling down into the chair, which was still standing upright, thankfully. A crawling sensation worked its way across her skin.

Ozpin sighed. "I imagine that things would have gone very poorly for you, if you'd informed Ms. Fall of what you'd done. I am sure that her anger would be terrifying to behold, and it would be directed at you without reservation, which is truly saddening. Ms. Fall never truly appreciated you for anything beyond your immediate use. To her, you were a tool, and nothing more. She never cared about your feelings, did she?"

Emerald made no response.

"Yet, I imagine you believe you don't care," said Ozpin. "You clearly care a great deal for Ms. Fall. You would say that don't care that she thinks of you as a tool, more to the point, you would resolve to be of the greatest possible use to her, as thanks for all that she has done for you."

"Of course!" exclaimed Emerald, some excitement coming back to her.

"And yet, that is also why I question the true depth of your loyalty," said Ozpin, once again taking the wind out of Emerald's sails. "As someone truly loyal to her, you would have been _obligated_ to inform Ms. Fall that her plan was critically flawed, even if it meant she dispensed with you as someone of use, because ensuring that she achieved her goals would trump maintaining her approval of you. However, the moment you resolved _not_ to inform her your Semblance had been leaked, you chose to put _your_ feelings, and the feelings you wanted her to have for you, above Ms. Fall's own objectives. You put your own satisfaction over truly being a useful tool to her."

Emerald's jaw sagged. "No! I..."

"And...the true tragedy of it...is that you are _not_ wrong," said Ozpin.

"What?" gasped Emerald, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"You are not wrong to want affection and approval," said Ozpin. "You weren't wrong to not want to be discarded the moment your usefulness was diminished. You deserve affection and care. It genuinely saddens me that you were denied them during your childhood. Ironically, if Ms. Fall truly _had_ cared about you, beyond your use to her, this plan of hers might not have gone so catastrophically awry."

"What do you mean?" asked Emerald.

"Had she truly cared, and had you known, you would have probably felt comfortable enough to tell her about your error," explained Ozpin. "Knowing that, she would have been able to modify the plan, possibly to the extent of taking advantage of our knowledge, by using our own expectations against us, which might well have had devastating consequences. But Ms. Fall, in her unrelenting focus on her own gratification, to the point of seeing the people closest to her as means to those ends, ironically worked against herself. In her self-serving perception of you as nothing more than a tool, Cinder Fall ironically degraded your own usefulness to her."

Emerald slumped back into her seat, scarcely even comprehending such a notion. The fight went out of her at that moment. Physically and spiritually, she felt defeated, realizing that she had betrayed Cinder on a fundamental level, almost from the very beginning.

"But, as I said, you are not wrong to want affection," said Ozpin. "There is nothing that can be done about your past, which saddens me. But your future need not be a bleak one."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Emerald. "What do you want?"

"I want to offer you hope," said Ozpin. "It is never too late for you to find a way into the light, particularly for someone as young and full of possibility as you are. "

Of all the things Emerald had expected from this interrogation, this had not been one of them. "What are you saying?" she asked. "You expect me to make some kind of deal?"

"I suppose a deal is the operative term," said Ozpin. "But I do not wish to imply anything overly coercive. It is not as though I intend to use your crimes, and the possible punishment for them, as leverage over you. What I wish to do, is give you an opportunity. The true question is whether or not you'll be willing to take it."

"How?!" demanded Emerald, slapping her hands against the table. "How can you do that for me? You know who I am, what I've done, what we've been planning to do...How could you possibly offer something like that to someone like me?"

"Because I still see hope for you," said Ozpin simply. "You are not beyond redemption, Ms. Sustrai, no matter how stained by the darkness you might believe yourself to be. People with terrible pasts have gone on to truly achieve something good and great. One of the students, with whom I have invested the greatest trust, throughout these affairs, happens to have quite the dark past of his own.

"He is guilty of multiple counts of murder and manslaughter, someone who has killed with less cause than you. Yet, he was still able to become someone genuinely good. I believe you might have an idea of who I am speaking."

Emerald nodded slowly.

"So it goes without saying, if he can change his life so dramatically, such is possible for you as well," continued Ozpin.

Emerald's head slowly tilted down. She stared at the table, scarcely able to believe what she was hearing. Here she was, sitting across a table from the man who was supposed to be the ultimate enemy of Cinder and Salem, someone whose downfall she and the others had been planning and setting up for over a year. After everything she had done, he would have been within his rights to simply leave her to her fate...or bury her in a dark hole, a fitting fate for someone like her, a part of this war in the shadows. Yet he was earnestly offering her a chance at redemption, knowing full well she could, and might well be willing to, turn his own kindness against him at the first possible opportunity.

She would have called it naive, stupidly idealistic. But the man sitting across from her couldn't possibly be that stupid. He was the Wizard, the one who had originally gifted the Maidens with their power, who had waged war against Salem for untold centuries. That kind of experience should have left him with the savvy to know better than to make that kind of offer to someone like her. There had to be some angle to it, some way he was planning to turn this to his advantage.

"I can see that you are understandably wary," said Ozpin, definitely taking note of Emerald's unease. "You find it difficult to believe that I would make such an idealistic offer, not without some manner of agenda."

Once again, Emerald was rattled by how easily Ozpin could read her.

Ozpin leaned back in his seat. "Truth be told, despite everything I have experienced, I have chosen to have faith in the inherent good of others, that people can become more than who they already are. I suppose it would be disingenuous to say that it would not be helpful for you to have a change of heart, if only because you, and your potent abilities, would no longer be at Salem's disposal. But, at the end of the day, I have always wanted to believe that, given the opportunity and means, someone like you truly can come back from the brink."

"Are you crazy?" demanded Emerald. "How can you possibly believe something like that? It's not logical at all!"

"Of course not," agreed Ozpin, once again surprising her. "At the end of the day, that is the essence of faith. You can use logic to reason and justify trusting another. You can comprehend and catalogue all the feasible reasons why they would remain true to you. But, at the end of the day, there will always remain that possibility that they can turn your trust on its head.

"I have experienced that numerous times. I have seen people who, according to all reason, were trustworthy, who'd never given me any reason to suspect that they were false, only for them to turn against me at the worst possible time. I have seen those with unmatched compassion turn cruel. I have seen courageous men and women bow to fear at a critical juncture. I have seen the selfless swayed by greed. These were people who have given me countless reasons to trust them, yet they ultimately betrayed that trust.

"By its very nature, faith is irrational, something existing beyond the realm of logic and reason. It can be reinforced or enhanced by those things. But faith ultimately requires a jump based purely on trust, the ability to step beyond that realm of reason. True faith requires a willingness to take a chance. And, as much as I have had my faith shaken, my trust betrayed, throughout the ages, I have still found it worth my while to believe, if only that it makes those occasions where my faith is upheld all the more magnificent."

"You shouldn't have any faith in me," growled Emerald.

"I do not, yet," said Ozpin. "You haven't shown that you desire someone to have faith in your redeeming qualities. However, I do believe that desire lies within you. That was why you so desperately yearned for Ms. Fall's affection, treasuring that even above the act of serving her. You love, and wish to _be_ loved, Ms. Sustrai. The existence of those feelings alone show that you are not beyond all hope."

Emerald clenched her hands together, her entire body tensing. Her first impulse was to reject this out of hand. If Ozpin was actually being honest about this, and it wasn't an effort to turn her into a weapon against Cinder and Salem, then it was ridiculous. Emerald could scarcely believe that someone so experienced and worldly could still be so naive. It would be far too easy for her to turn that against him, to use it to deal a deadly blow.

So why didn't she?

It would be easy. All she had to do was tell Ozpin she believed him, that she would be willing to take her chance at redemption. It probably wouldn't lead to her immediate release, or any great trust in her. But it would be the start. Then, once she'd earned his trust, she'd have more freedom to move, to turn that trust against him, and use it to strike back at him. So why _didn't_ she do exactly that? Why was her impulse to turn him down?

"You're wary," observed Ozpin, once again surprising and irking Emerald with his ability to see into the recesses of her mind. "Yet your first thought is not to turn my kindness against me, but instead to reject it out of hand. The truth is...you yearn for that kind of trust. Ms. Fall, for all the stock she put in your abilities...never _truly_ trusted you, did she?"

Emerald swallowed, feeling bile rise into her throat. She wanted to deny it, to say that Cinder trusted and valued her. She had made Emerald the key piece of her plans after all. But...at the same time.

 _"_ _Don't think. Obey."_ Those had been Cinder's words. Emerald had undertaken the task of killing the White Fang deserter, Tuckson, after Torchwick had ignored his responsibility, only to be upbraided. _"Not a foot out of place."_ Emerald had been trusted only so far as to do exactly what she was told. She couldn't be allowed to act out on her own, to take any kind of initiative. Cinder only trusted her when her every action was directed.

Unbidden, tears began to gather in her eyes. She didn't want this. She didn't want to feel this. Ozpin had gone over her past with incredible skill, observing minute reactions to his words, combining them with what little he knew about her and her history, and using it to read her like a book. What was more, he wasn't using that to wring her for information that he could use against Cinder or Salem. He used that information only to build a deeper understanding, to draw out what Emerald actually wanted, from Cinder, from life in general...and then use that offer her far more than Cinder ever would have.

Cinder had once promised Emerald that she would never be hungry again. But she had _never_ promised that Emerald would be happy, fulfilled, or loved. It was true enough that Emerald had never been lacking for meals, since coming to serve Cinder. But that satisfaction had only been made hollow by the absence of the other things she had craved, craved even more than food, things that Cinder would never offer her. Those were the things Ozpin was now offering her.

 _It's not fair!_ she thought bitterly. _If that's the case, then why couldn't_ he _have been the one who found me?_

Ozpin's lips ticked up in a slight smile, the subtle expression of a man who, somehow, knew he'd won...something. "I know better than to expect an answer from you right away," he said, essentially announcing an end to their discussion. "You have a great deal to think about. Of course, the situation being what it is, you will remain in confinement for the foreseeable future."

He got up from the table. "However," he continued, "should you express interest, even if it is not full commitment to the idea of seeking that redemption, I would like to introduce you to a colleague of mine. She is someone who excels in reaching out to people in situations like yours. It is my hope that she will be able to make you see that such a choice is worth embracing."

With that, he left, closing the door behind him. Emerald was left, staring at the table, until the guards came to collect her, and return her to her cell.

* * *

 **Phew...pretty busy aftermath chapter. And there's still more coming. I get the feeling that this kind of motivation is central to Canon Emerald's actions. She isn't so much loyal to Cinder's agenda, as she is to Cinder herself. However, at the same time, what Emerald wants are the things Cinder would never provide her. Cinder can't love Emerald, because Cinder is too busy loving herself. Strange how that really worked against her this time. It's almost like love and compassion _aren't_ the weaknesses the bad guys would make them out to be.**

 **Obviously, being the Wizard, and having multiple lifetimes worth of experience, Ozpin can handle an interrogation pretty well, I'd think. That being said, this chapter was written before Volume 6 came out, and we were exposed to the full depth of the hidden cynicism that Ozpin has within him. So my version of him turned out a lot more idealistic, and less jaded.**

* * *

 **On a different topic, those of you who follow my other story, _Crimson Eyes_ , are aware that that story has wrapped up, as of yesterday, meaning that this remains the only story I currently have active, as I do not have another one on the slate at the moment. I have another project currently in the works, but it is not one I'm ready to start posting yet. However, despite that, I will not be deviating from the current every-other-day schedule I've started since I began posting these two stories in tandem.**

 **I will readily admit that my main reasons for doing this are mainly self-serving. My primary reason for doing this is, as those hip youtubers would say, "For the views!" My main reasoning for the pace of my posting is to ensure that my story gets bumped to the top of the cue as much as possible, and I've found that unlike some sites, this one won't bump a story to the top if a new chapter is posted within 24 hours of the last one. To keep from having to micromanage by minutes, I'm just keeping to posting every-other-day, which is still a _way_ better rate than you get from most other fics and writers. Even Coer Al'Aran, probably the most prolific writer in this particular nook of the fandom, keeps his updates weekly, or even bi-weekly. Yes, this is a cynical and self-serving grab to get my story as much exposure as I can.**

 **The other reason, and equally as selfish, for the most part, is to increase my story's run, that is, how many days pass before I'm officially done posting it. My next project is pretty far along, but not there yet. Since I don't want to start posting something until I'm fairly certain that I can deliver you a finished product in a timely manner, I will hold off posting my next story until it is close to finished, or actually finished, which will result in a delay between the completion of this one, and the start of the next one. Keeping the time spent posting chapters for this one drawn out will decrease the amount of time you have to wait for my next story to arrive, which I hope is sufficient reason for you folks to be patient with me.**

 **That's all for now...**


	117. Chapter 117

**Chapter 117:**

"Yo, General," said Mercury, wearing his trademark grin, "how's it hangin'?" He leaned back in his seat, crossing one leg over the other, the very picture of casual disrespect for the man sitting across the table from him.

Like Emerald, Mercury had also been shown to an interrogation room. He'd also been outfitted with new prosthetics. It went without saying that they were cheap, nothing more than the absolutely most basic models available. He was fortunate to have a pair that actually came with articulating knees. Of course, it went without saying that that they were completely unsuited to combat. Mercury didn't even need to _try_ to use them to know that they had all the durability of a couple of toothpicks, without even the grace of being pointed at one end.

Despite that, he reacted as though this were a regular meeting, and that he wasn't about to be grilled by the head of the Atlesian Military.

"You don't seem to have a proper understanding of your situation," growled Ironwood, reminded all too well of a certain other pair of boys who had failed to be cowed by his presence.

"What?" asked Mercury. "Were you expecting me to stand at attention when you came in...maybe a little salute?" He laughed. "Too bad. I ain't the respectful type. Sorry about not quaking in my..." He looked down at his prosthetics, which ended with curved slats that could scarcely even be called feet. "...boots. But we both know I've seen _way_ worse than you."

Ironwood stifled another growl, once again getting an irritating sense of deja vu about this situation. "I'm surprised that you're so easygoing," he said instead. "Our scientists got a look at the substance that capsule contained. They've never seen such a potent neurotoxin, more than enough to kill you twenty times over, all within a fraction of a second."

 _Leave it to Tyrian to not take chances,_ thought Mercury. _At least he gave me a fast-acting poison._ It took some effort to keep his smug demeanor up, once Ironwood had brought attention to the fact that Mercury had been prepared to end his own life to keep from talking...but had been robbed of the means to do so now. "What can I say," he said, maintaining a casual attitude, "I'm a professional. A pro doesn't give stuff up, particularly not stuff about their employers."

"Honor among thieves?" growled Ironwood.

"Honor's about the only thing people like us have," said Mercury with a shrug. "Granted, it's not exactly the same kind of 'honor' you're probably thinking of. My honor is getting the job done, no matter what means I use. If I have to stoop to low methods and use dirty tricks to get the goal, so be it. That's what allows me to do things others can't...or won't...that's why there's a market for people like me."

"And people like your father, I suppose," said Ironwood, throwing a folder on the table with a loud slapping noise.

Mercury flinched, his expression faltering for the first time since Ironwood had entered the room. Ironwood let a small smile slip onto his face, glad to have rattled Mercury's cage, if only a little. "You seem a little surprised," he noted.

"Hey, I just didn't figure there was any need to drag my old man into this," said Mercury, struggling to keep up the confident front. _Dammit! I thought Watts had scrubbed any info on Dad from the system._ "I'm surprised there was anything worth mentioning."

"If anything, the _lack_ of information was worth mentioning," said Ironwood. "Once we became aware of who you were, I put people on looking up everything they could find about your personal histories. Information on your partner and Cinder Fall was especially scarce. But we managed to find some information about you...and one Marcus Black. There was hardly a mention of him in the International Criminal Database, which I found unusual. So I had my people look through our paper records."

 _Paper, huh? That explains it._ Mercury frowned. Watts was a wizard on the CCT, probably able to hack his way into any system, given time and access. But there was nothing he could do to erase a literal paper-trail. Still, Mercury knew that his father had always been good at covering his tracks.

"Marcus Black," recited Ironwood, "known in the underworld as a combat assassin. He's been attributed with thirteen kills that we know of."

 _That you know of,_ thought Mercury wryly, knowing that his father's headcount, to the extent that he bothered keeping count, was much higher. Of course, with Watts' covering of Marcus' tracks, the knowledge of which hits could be attributed to him was going to be spotty at best...and ultimately irrelevant to this conversation.

That was the truth about this revelation. The fact that Ironwood knew who Mercury's father was didn't exactly give him a leg up in this particular situation. It was information Ironwood was throwing out to rattle Mercury, let him know that they knew more than he thought about him. But none of this had any bearing on why Mercury was here in this room right now.

"What I wish to know...is if you've followed your father into what appears to be a family business?" asked Ironwood.

"What can I say," said Mercury, smug grin back in place. "It _is_ a family business after all."

Ironwood's eyes narrowed. "So you're an assassin, yet your attempt on Ms. Rose was clearly an act of last resort. It seems you haven't been doing much assassinating lately."

"Hey, in work like this, the timing is everything," said Mercury. "My dad and I are mainly assassins, but we can diversify."

"Oh? And what are the particulars of your current contract?" asked Ironwood.

"Confidential," answered Mercury. "Come on, General! You should know better than to ask questions you know you won't get the answers to."

"We'll see about that," growled Ironwood. "The fact that you had poison ready shows you aren't entirely confident in your ability to keep your silence." He picked up the file he'd slapped down on the table. "It might have been better for you if you'd taken it the second you'd failed to kill Ms. Rose."

Ironwood left, slamming the door shut behind him. Now that his interrogator was gone, Mercury relaxed a little, a pensive expression slipping into place on his face as he contemplated his situation. From what little he'd heard, they were in quite the pickle. They'd nabbed everyone, including Cinder. Their plans had gone up in smoke. He doubted he could count on Watts to bail him out.

When the guards arrived to take Mercury back to his cell, he went quietly, still mulling the situation over. They led him down the halls of Vale Penitentiary, the Kingdom's primary, and highest-security, prison. It only made sense that he'd be brought here. Aside from the Academies themselves, only a few prisons were equipped to hold Huntsmen, and other Aura-unlocked criminals. Mercury resisted the urge to finger the suppression collar around his neck. It chafed, and he silently looked forward to taking it off, once he got into his cell.

Not moving his head, he let his gaze slip to one side, then the other, taking in the state of the guards escorting him. The men were well-trained, wary for trickery, but not wary enough, by Mercury's measure. Even without his Aura or fighting legs, Mercury could still think of two or three ways to take these two men down.

The guard on his left, in particular, was holding his rifle with a looser grip than was wise. It would be the work of a few seconds to lunge, seize the weapon, twist it out of the man's hands, even if there was nothing to be done about the strap that kept it slung over the man's shoulder. Mercury could pull it across his body to shoot the opposite guard, before the man could react, before turning the rifle back on its owner. Then he'd be both free _and_ armed.

But that was just the beginning. If he did that, the rest of the prison's security would come down on him like a hammer. For all he knew, his suppression collar also doubled as a shock collar. It wouldn't have surprised him, even if they hadn't said anything to him about it. It was the perfect secret weapon to catch him if he tried to break out. Even if that wasn't the case, the hallway would probably be swarming with enough men to gun him down in seconds, and the place was painfully devoid of cover.

So no, now was _not_ the time to make an escape attempt. Mercury would have to bide his time. He remained docile, but kept his wits about him, taking in his surroundings, even looking through the transparisteel doors of the cells that housed his nearest neighbors. He wasn't surprised that Emerald was being held in a cell that wasn't near his own, possibly in a different block entirely. They wouldn't want to risk the pair of cohorts communicating in any fashion. Isolating them from each other was a good way to wear down their resistance.

Walking past a cell, Mercury took in the appearance of the burly, brown-haired man lounging inside of it, a man who reminded him a little of Hazel, now that he thought about it. The next cell held a more effeminate man. The cell next to his own, to his surprise, held a woman...a woman with white hair and ice-blue eyes. _Weiss?_

Except, it _couldn't_ be Weiss. The woman in the cell was definitely older, for one. Also, she lacked the telltale scar over her left eye. Even though she was locked in a cell, in the highest-security section of Vale's most secure prison, she looked completely relaxed and at ease, her lips quirked up in a slight smile. What was more, she appeared to notice Mercury's gaze, as discreet as it was. Her eyes, somehow, met his, and she threw a cheeky wink his way.

 _Who is she?_ wondered Mercury, struggling to hide his surprise and confusion. However, satisfying his curiosity would have to wait for later. Mercury was unceremoniously shoved inside his own cell, where the guards kept him covered while the door slid shut. Only once it was locked, and the dampening field engaged, was his collar unlocked, and he was permitted to remove it.

Silently, Mercury glanced at the wall that he shared with the woman, in the cell next to his. There was no vent, no means that they could use to talk to one another. The guards had already left, so Mercury was left with nothing to do, save sprawl out on his bunk, which was actually attached to that same wall. As he did, he twitched when he heard something from the other side...a series of light taps.

They weren't just any taps either. Mercury recognized the pattern, short stops and longer ones. _Basic Code!_ It was an old form of communication, one that was all but forgotten in this modern age. But there were people in certain circles who had plenty of use of such an arcane means of communication...including Mercury.

The taps were faint, barely audible through the wall. Mercury had to almost rest his ear up against the wall itself to hear them. Carefully, he pieced together their meaning.

 _"_ _See something you like?"_

So she had noticed him looking at her. Idly, he raised a finger and rapped out a response on the wall. _"Just thought you looked familiar."_

 _"_ _I get that a lot,"_ came the reply. _"What are you in for?"_

 _"_ _Plan went south,"_ answered Mercury. _"Partner screwed up, boss caught...the usual."_

 _"_ _That's too bad,"_ said his neighbor. _"What are you going to do?"_

Mercury frowned. That _was_ the question. Escape was on the table, of course. But unless he could get Cinder out of wherever she was being held, and they could build a workable plan after the debacle that had been the aftermath of his match, they weren't going to accomplish much. And he definitely did not look forward to dealing with Salem, once she found out about his failure. _"Don't know,"_ he admitted.

 _"_ _Don't give up just yet,"_ said his neighbor. _"There's always a chance to turn things around. The game doesn't end just because the queen is captured, you know."_

* * *

"You never told me you were getting calls about sponsorships, Dad," said Ruby into her scroll.

While waiting for the airship to arrive at Beacon, Ruby had decided to place a call to her father to inquire about these calls that Lisa had told her about. Thankfully, she and Gin had managed to reach the docks without getting roped into another impromptu autograph session.

" _Yeah, well, I figured you didn't want to be bothered by them,_ " said Taiyang. " _It's been annoying, but I'm the only one they_ can _call. Your scroll is calibrated by Beacon's network to filter out calls from people like that. If you didn't have that, you'd have been drowned by solicitations by the time you made it to the quarterfinals._ "

"How bad is it?" asked Ruby worriedly.

" _I thought I was gonna go crazy, after you got into that autograph session in the street,_ " said Taiyang, a slight warble of laughter in his voice belying his words. " _There must have been at least twenty potential agents, all scrambling to offer to manage your 'future PR sessions._ "

"I'm sorry," squeaked Ruby.

" _Not your fault,_ " said Taiyang dismissively. " _Half the fun is waiting for those jokers to get way into their spiel, then hang up on them mid-sentence. Aside from them, I got quite a few offers from weapon manufacturers offering all kinds of deals for endorsements. There was even a proposal from a clothing company that wanted to base a fashion line around your combat outfit._ "

"Huh?" Ruby was baffled. Sure, she thought she looked good in her outfit, but she'd never thought it to be the basis of a fashion trend.

" _That was my thought too,_ " said Taiyang with another laugh. " _Even with that interview you just gave, these people aren't going to give up. There are three other callers on hold, right now, and they're all people looking to profit off you._ "

"Oh..." Ruby wasn't sure just what to say that.

" _Don't worry about it, Ruby,_ " said Taiyang, his usual warm, fatherly fondness suffusing his voice. " _You're doing incredible out there. No matter what happens, I couldn't be prouder of you._ "

"Thanks," whispered Ruby.

" _I'm looking forward to the finals tomorrow,_ " added Taiyang. " _I'm pretty sure that, after that, you won't be getting so many endorsement offers from weapon companies._ "

"That's true," said Ruby, letting out a laugh of her own.

There was a brief pause from her father, before he spoke again. " _Listen, Ruby. I know I say this a lot, but I always feel like I never say it enough. I love you._ "

Ruby sniffled. "I love you too, Dad."

" _I..._ " Taiyang paused uncertainly. " _...Ever since that time, since you and Yang scared me out of my funk, I've tried to do everything I could to support you. I have to admit, after thinking I'd lost you all those months ago, seeing and hearing about three different people trying to kill you during this tournament has really had me on edge. So...please...whatever else happens, be careful._ "

"I will, Dad," said Ruby. "But we don't have anything to worry about." _For the tournament, at least,_ she added to herself. "I'm up against Ayumu, and I know he'd never try to kill me."

" _I know,_ " said Taiyang. " _I still worry._ "

"I know," Ruby said back. "I'm glad you do. I'll talk to you again soon."

" _Will do,_ " said Taiyang. " _Bye for now._ "

"Yeah, bye," said Ruby, hanging up.

She leaned back with a sigh, then rested her head against Gin's shoulder. "I guess it's a good thing you didn't tell him about all the other stuff going on," said Gin.

"Yeah," agreed Ruby. "It doesn't sound like he knows about Uncle Qrow yet."

Gin nodded. "Even with Cinder and her people off the table, we've still got plenty of problems left over."

Now it was Ruby's turn to nod. "We'll deal with them as they come. Ayumu and I are probably going to have a busy weekend."

"We all will," said Gin.

A moment later, the airship settled onto the pad at the docks, allowing Ruby, Gin, and the other passengers to disembark. Making her way across campus, Ruby was hailed by several students, many offering words of praise or encouragement. It surprised her. Just the other day, she'd seen at least a few of them muttering in resentment over her "letting her fame go to her head," after finding out about the spontaneous autograph session she'd unintentionally started in Vale.

She supposed that her interview might have mollified some of those opinions, seeing as it explained how things went, while also showing that Ruby wasn't overly interested in taking advantage of the fame that would be afforded to someone who'd made it all the way to the finals of the Vytal Festival Tournament. However, she was reminded of the other point Lisa had brought up, when she realized that most of the students calling out to her were Beacon students. Regardless of the outcome of the finals, she and Ayumu had already clinched the win for Beacon, something that her fellow students were already ecstatic about.

Checking the news, once she got back to her dorm with Gin, confirmed her suspicions. Preemptive celebrations were springing up around Vale, with citizens flooding into bars and restaurants, parties even spilling out into the streets. She could even hear the distant boom of fireworks over the Vale skyline.

Briefly, she wondered if any of the visiting students, or visiting civilians for that matter, from the other Kingdoms resented her and Ayumu for locking the other Academies and Kingdoms out of the final round of the tournament. That felt like a silly thing to consider. Coming this far, it was only natural that at least two of the remaining Academies would have been eliminated from the competition. But Ruby had already learned, quite harshly, that pride did not always play nicely with logic. At the end of the day, all she could do was bear with it. Besides, by the time tomorrow's match was over, the people would likely be talking about something _other_ than which Kingdom had won the tournament.

As she slipped into bed for the night, Ruby was grateful for Gin. Without him to wrap his arms around her, she might have endured a troubled sleep. Thanks to him though, she dropped off without a care in the world.

* * *

Jaune stood at the center of the roof. This was probably the best spot for him to try this. After all, when it came to training, this was the place where he felt the most comfortable. This was where he and Pyrrha had trained, before he'd learned what Pyrrha had done. Afterwards, it was where he and Ayumu had trained, prior to the festival. Standing here put his mind at ease, and helped him focus on what he needed to accomplish.

The book he'd borrowed form the library had been inspirational, if not directly helpful. It wasn't an instruction or training manual, but a collection of stories, most of them related in an anecdotal manner that cast no small amount of doubt upon their veracity, with many a "supposedly," or "some have said," or "reputedly" sprinkled throughout the text, indicating that much of what he was reading was hearsay, from sources that were occasionally quite dubious.

The stories related spoke of the different manners in which the wielders of so-called Legacies had awakened their weapons' powers. Some had done it in the midst of battle. Others had done so through intensive training. Others had apparently just come by it spontaneously. There seemed to be no common thread that he could latch onto.

Jaune drew his sword, holding it up before his face, eying his reflection in the steel of the blade. _Everyone is different,_ he thought with a pensive frown. _I guess weapons are like people that way. If no two are the same, then it's only natural that they'd work differently from one another._

In a way, that was a hint in and of itself, he supposed. He couldn't tap into this mysterious power an ancient, storied weapon like his supposedly possessed simply by imitating others. That was, of course, assuming that this power existed at all. While the book he'd borrowed had been from the non-fiction section of the library, it presented its own contents as more a collection of folktales than anything else.

It made him wonder why he was so interested. All it had been was running into a young boy who'd been reading that same book earlier, and getting an idea from it. _So why am I doing this at all?_

Jaune frowned, the half-reflection of his face doing the same back at him. With a sigh, he took a deep breath, then closed his eyes. Having little else to do, the best he could think of was to try to imitate his partner. Ayumu had always told him that Jaune would learn to expand his awareness after he'd trained himself not to narrow his focus too much. But Ayumu, Ruby, and Gin were also always talking about sensing people's Auras. Maybe that was an aspect of training in what they called the _Shingan_ , but Jaune wondered if, by limiting himself to the object he was holding in his hand, a neophyte like him might be able to do something similar, if only on a much smaller, more intimate scale.

First, Jaune relaxed, allowing himself to feel his own Aura, something Ayumu, and Pyrrah before him, had been schooling Jaune in. Feeling his Aura was central to being able to control it, after all. Closing off his other senses, and turning his focus inward made it possible. When he did that, he could feel it welling up within him, like water flowing out from a spring, spreading through his body, then covering his skin, like a paper-thin layer of the lightest silk.

Following his sense of his Aura, Jaune brought his awareness to his hands, and the object held within them. He could feel the texture and weight of the handle easily enough. Gradually, he directed his Aura to flow into the blade. When he did that, it surprised him to realize that he could begin to feel his sword's shape beyond what was touched merely by his hands. He could feel the cross-guard, the dual edges, the tapering length, the chiseled tip. In a way, it made him appreciate the craftsmanship of this sword all the more. Part of him was ashamed that he'd once thought of it as nothing more than a mere hand-me-down.

Then Jaune frowned once again. Was his sword getting...warmer? It was hard to say. Maybe his Aura was heating it up somehow. But that wasn't right. If anything, through his Aura, it almost felt as though the heat was coming from within the sword itself. It wasn't an uncomfortable heat, as though the metal was being exposed to a forge. It was a heat like the kind Jaune would have felt by being close to another person, the heat of a living thing.

There was a faint surge of that warmth, a surge that pressed up against Jaune's Aura itself. It felt...almost like a pulse.

Had Jaune's eyes been open, he would have seen the blade of his sword begin to lighten, almost as though something were illuminating it from within.

"What are you doing?"

And just like that, the moment was gone, the gruff voice tearing through the meditative silence with all the grace of a rusty axe. Jaune jolted, snapping out of his almost-trance, lowering his sword and turning towards the source of the voice, his mind so distracted by what he'd been feeling that he wasn't able to place the voice until he saw the speaker's face. When he did, Jaune scowled. "What are you doing here?" he growled.

Blaine Arc stepped out from the doorway, a harsh look that bordered on contemptuous appearing on his face as he regarded his son. "I should be asking you that," he growled. "Just look at you, standing here on an empty rooftop, staring off into space like an idiot. Why are you wasting your time like this?"

Jaune knew better than to even try to explain what he'd been doing to his father. He got the impression that saying anything at all regarding Legacies was likely to get Blaine to think that Jaune had gone completely around the bend. "I like peace and quiet sometimes," he said. "Is that a crime, Dad?"

Blaine snorted. "Sounds like an excuse to me," he growled. "If it's too much pressure to be around friends who obviously see you as dead weight, then you should at least cotton onto the fact that you don't belong here."

"There's no pleasing you, is there?" scoffed Jaune. "If I put my trust in my friends, I'm weak, because I'm supposed to do all the fighting for them, apparently. If I'm off on my own, it's because I'm too weak to be around my friends. Do yourself a favor and stop flat out making stuff up to justify your stupidity, Dad."

Blaine growled. "I should tan your hide for talking to me like that, boy."

Jaune's eyes narrowed in a glare. "You can try," he answered coldly. "But I'm not going to roll over and just do what you say anymore. I'm not going anywhere, least of all back home. And if this is the kind of attitude I'm in for there, then it's going to be a long time before I drop back for a visit...if ever."

Blaine growled, the sound low and threatening, carrying an actual force that Jaune felt in his bones. "I'm getting tired of your lip, Jaune. I've already let this go on far longer than it should have. I've been stuck in an overpriced hotel room, while your mother and sisters call daily, sometimes more than that, wanting to know when we're heading back. It's been a drain on our money to keep indulging your stubbornness."

"So go home then," said Jaune dismissively. " _I'm_ not the one making you stay here. I gave you my answer, Dad. I'm not going anywhere. _You're_ the one wasting money by sticking around, when you know you can't change my mind."

"I don't care about your mind," growled Blaine. "If you won't listen to reason, then I've got no choice but to drag you back by the scruff of your neck."

"Don't even think about it," Jaune growled, his fingers clenching tighter around the handle of his sword. "I'm not going anywhere, and I'm not about to let you make me."

"Oh, you might try," said Blaine dismissively. "But you don't have any of your friends to do your fighting for you, so it's not like you can stop me, not a barely-trained brat with no aptitude for the sword he swings."

Blaine stepped closer, raising a hand towards Jaune. Jaune hesitated, unsure of what to do. It wasn't that he didn't contest his father's assertion. Jaune fully intended to struggle and fight for his right to remain at Beacon. But this situation left him a bit at a loss. Did he attack his father? Did he swing at an unarmed man with the sword he held in his hand? Blaine hadn't brought any weapon with him, so all he had was the brute strength of his limbs. That was not insubstantial. Jaune wasn't under any illusions that he would be a match for a fully-trained Huntsman with decades of experience under his belt, not if they just went hand to hand. But, as much as Jaune was absolutely livid with his father's attitude, striking Blaine with Crocea Mors seemed like too much.

But he wasn't about to let Blaine just up and drag him out of Beacon either. So Jaune settled on a compromise. He raised his sword up, holding the blade vertically, the tip pointed up towards the sky. It wasn't a stance, so much as it was a gesture, a signal of his resolve. He was prepared to resist, with all his strength.

The sight of the sword lifted up made Blaine growl more loudly, his lips pulling back to reveal his teeth. "Threatening me...you ungrateful brat. When I get you home, I'm gonna work you raw."

"I'm not threatening," Jaune said back. "I'm promising. Get out of here, Dad. I'm not leaving Beacon."

"That's not your decision to make," snarled Blaine, his hand lashing out with surprising speed, snapping up to grab Crocea Mors by its cross-guard, the sudden grip and pull threatening to wrench the old blade from Jaune's hands. Jaune tightened his grip desperately, determined to hold onto the sword, as though it was his only lifeline.

Something snapped. But it wasn't a sound Jaune heard with his ears. He couldn't quite describe it. It felt like a pop, or a jolt of static electricity. It shot through the handle of the sword in a flash. However, that was all Jaune felt. Despite it feeling akin to a static discharge, there was no jolt of pain.

Blaine, on the other hand, yowled and let go of the sword, pulling his hand away as though the cross-guard had been red-hot. The burly man staggered back, shaking his hand vigorously. "What in the Hell did you do?" he snapped, glaring at Jaune.

For his part, Jaune was completely stumped. "I...I didn't do anything," he said. He looked down at the sword in his hand. He wasn't sure how, but he knew that Crocea Mors itself, somehow, had been behind that. It was almost as though the sword didn't _want_ Blaine to touch it.

"Damn brat!" snarled Blaine, massaging his hand. "You did something to the sword, didn't you. It's bad enough that you ran off with a family heirloom, but now you've gone and tinkered with it, added some cheap gimmick."

"I haven't done anything with it," said Jaune, only half paying attention to Blaine's words, still staring at his blade in fascination. If the sword really had done that to Blaine's hand, then maybe it really was one of those Legacies that the book had been talking about.

"You shame our family by trying to wield that sword," snarled Blaine. "Give it here!"

"Not a chance," said Jaune, looking up and glaring at his father again. "Get lost, Dad. Stop wasting my time, and yours."

Growling again, Blaine stomped forward. Jaune was tempted to brandish his sword more aggressively to warn the man off, but held off. Part of him was wondering if the same thing would happen again, if Blaine made another attempt to wrest the sword from his grip. So Jaune kept his eyes fixed pointedly on his father's, while Blaine closed the distance between them.

Almost too late, Jaune realized that Blaine had gotten a lot closer than he needed to be in order to reach out and take the sword. While his eyes were fixed on Blaine's, Jaune caught a shift in the man's right shoulder with his peripheral vision. Reflexively, Jaune ducked, leaning to his right as he did so. Blaine's fist came sailing out of his field of view, a blur to his eyes, the air rushing as the punch passed just above his head. Blaine had closed in precisely so that Jaune wouldn't be able to see the punch coming. Only the training Jaune had done with Ayumu had allowed him to realize what his father had been about to do, and react in time.

Now that Blaine had actually attacked him, Jaune's body responded automatically, his training taking over as he stepped in close, and drove his shoulder into Blaine's chest. The large man grunted, stumbling back from the hit. It wasn't as far as Jaune would have liked. Slamming his shoulder into his father's chest had felt like smacking it against a wall of stone. Blaine was many things, but soft was not one of them.

 _Dammit! This is getting ridiculous,_ thought Jaune, glaring at his father. Apparently, now that he'd realized he couldn't badger Jaune into giving up and coming home, Blaine had apparently decided to just beat him into submission and drag him back. If that was the case, Jaune wasn't about to go down without a fight. This fight might be a losing proposition. But if Jaune made enough noise, then the staff would be alerted, and someone would step in to stop Blaine.

That was his hope anyway. Jaune swallowed, seeing the anger in Blaine's eyes increase in intensity. His father was already agitated, but now the man was livid. Bringing his hands together, Blaine cracked his knuckles. "Dammit, boy," he growled. "I'm not normally one for corporal punishment. But I'm going to make you regret this with your whole body now."

Jaune's mouth went dry. He could feel the weight of Blaine's anger, almost like a hot wind blowing directly into his face. Even without Ayumu's training, Jaune wouldn't have any trouble sensing the surge of Blaine's Aura. It was almost like Yang's, though not nearly as explosive. Seeing that his father was serious about this, Jaune decided to let go of his reservations. Reaching down, he pulled his sheath free from his belt, sliding his arm through the straps and letting it expand out into its shield. Striking his regular stance, Jaune faced his father, ready for battle.

"You dare...?" growled Blaine.

"I told you that I wouldn't let you take me," Jaune growled back. "If you're going to make a fight out of this, then I'm gonna give it everything I've got."

"You barely know how to swing those things," snarled Blaine, balling his hands into fists. "You don't have what it takes, Jaune. I'm going to make that painfully clear now."

Despite his outward confidence, Jaune did feel more than a little worry. Even with his weapons, he probably still came up short against his father. Now that he was committed, Blaine would probably beat him down, making it apparent that, even with both sword and shield, Jaune wasn't a match for him, intending it to make it a total defeat.

 _"_ _Don't let tension cloud your mind."_

"Huh?" Jaune blinked, twitching at the voice that had suddenly whispered into his ear.

 _"_ _Relax your body,"_ the voice continued. There was something lilting, light, and familiar about it. _"You can do this with just one swing, if you do it right."_

Despite the strangeness of the situation, Jaune felt something, an impulse, almost a compulsion, to follow the instructions the voice was giving him.

 _"_ _Wipe your mind of any thoughts about who stands before you. He is just another opponent, that's all. Abandon thoughts of your relative strength."_

Taking a deep breath, Jaune did as he was told, allowing any thought about the fact that he was facing down his father; a Huntsman far older, stronger, and more experienced than him; to drain away. At the end of the day, Blaine was just an obstacle, one that stood between Jaune and his lifelong goal.

 _"_ _Relax your right arm. Loosen your grip on your sword, until it almost feels like it's going to fall out of your fingers."_

Once again, Jaune obeyed.

 _"_ _Just let go of your sensation there,"_ continued the voice. _"It will be as though your arm is numb, as though you aren't even thinking about the feeling of holding your sword. Let go of your sense of it...let go of yourself."_

Jaune wasn't even sure what the voice was saying anymore. It seemed like nonsense to his ears. Despite that, he somehow complied with instructions he couldn't fully comprehend. He relaxed, abandoning any thought about the opponent before him. His arm felt so light, almost as though it could detach and float away at any moment. Even the metal of his sword felt as light as a feather.

It was then that the sensation of warmth returned to his right hand...and his left arm as well. Once again, he felt that faint surge against him, like a pulse, like his right hand was closed around a single large artery. His left arm felt similar.

 _"_ _When you strike, don't think about it. Just swing. Put the whole of yourself into the act. Call out...and let your sword add its voice to your own."_

Once again, Jaune struggled to comprehend what he was being told to do. Despite that, he once again somehow knew what to do, despite not fully understanding it. In front of him, Blaine surged forward, fists held up, ready to strike. Jaune stepped forward himself, swinging his sword around in a wide arc across his body. There was a sharp, ringing noise from the blade, like bell. The blade sparked, then flashed a brilliant white. Sweeping the sword in front of him, that light became a crescent-shaped wave that flew free from the blade of his sword, heading right for Blaine.

Blaine's eyes widened. He aborted his attack, holding up his arms and bracing against the incoming blow. Despite that, he was blasted off his feet, and sent flying back to slam into the wall beside the door. His breath exploded from his lungs, as the brickwork cracked and crumbled behind his back. For a second, feeling escaped Blaine's body, and he was left helpless, arms hanging limp.

Meanwhile, Jaune blinked, then started, feeling as though he was snapping out of a trance. "What the-? Did...did I do that?" he asked softly to himself, before looking down at his sword.

The glow had faded, but Jaune remembered that it felt familiar. He'd done something similar during the sparring match with RUBY, back on Patch. He hadn't given it much thought at the time, but now he wondered if that was what he'd been doing, even then. His gaze transferred to the shield, and Jaune remembered the times it had flared up, forcing back blows he shouldn't have been able to defend against, even the full weight of an Atlesian Paladin at one point.

If what he'd read and thought about Legacies was true, did that mean he'd been tapping into his weapons' power, even back then? "Wow..." he whispered, stunned at the thought.

Something else confused him. That mysterious voice that had whispered into his ear. There was something familiar about it. He'd heard it before, he was sure, though he couldn't quite remember where. Someone had been giving him a little extra instruction, helping him through this crisis. Jaune frowned, glancing down at his sword. It was a silly thing to wonder, but Jaune found himself curious if his sword itself had been speaking to him. _Nah...that's not right._ Jaune had the feeling that, if his sword could speak, it wouldn't be like this. Jaune was sure that the voice was something he'd actually heard with his ears...or maybe it had all just been his imagination.

Although, if it was just his imagination, then his imagination was a _very_ good teacher. Jaune only had to take one look to confirm that, no matter how illusory the phantom voice had seemed to be, the results it had produced were very real. Blaine was still stunned, the wall supporting him more than his own legs at the moment. Jaune had a hard time believing that he'd slammed his father against the wall that hard, and with a single swing of his sword, which hadn't felt all that hard, now that Jaune thought about it.

Finally, Blaine grunted, then blinked, inhaling deeply and abruptly. His body jerked, and he pulled himself out of the indent his back had made in the wall, accompanied by the sound of crumbling masonry. "Wha-what did you do?" he snarled, shaking himself, as though trying to dislodge the very feeling of the hit he'd just taken. "You're gonna pay dearly for this, Jaune."

"I warned you that I was serious," said Jaune. "You're the one who paid the price for ignoring it."

Blaine growled again, his entire body tensing. "Don't think that a single lucky hit is going to change anything," he hissed. "There's nothing a talentless weakling like you can do. Quit putting off the inevitable."

Jaune said nothing, already trying to remember the feeling of what he'd just done. It was still there, that sensation. When he relaxed his right arm and hand, he felt that warmth emanating from his sword again. He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, poising himself to strike.

Blaine took a threatening step forward, raising his fists once again, only to freeze in place as his body was suddenly surrounded by an outline of violet light. Growling, Blaine struggled, straining against it, only to find his body held fast.

"Just what do you think you're doing, Mr. Arc?" demanded a harsh voice from the darkness of the doorway.

Jaune opened his mouth to respond reflexively, before stopping as he realized the "Mr. Arc" being addressed wasn't him. Instead, he relaxed slightly, lowering his weapons as Glynda Goodwitch stepped through the doorway, her riding crop up and ready, eyes narrowed in an angry glare at Blaine, who continued to struggle against her telekinesis.

"I'm doing what I should have done months ago!" snapped Blaine, glaring at the Deputy Headmistress. "I'm taking this deadbeat boy back home with me! You have no right to stop me!"

"I have every right to stop the forceful abduction of a student in good standing," replied Glynda, shifting her gaze to Jaune, who actually felt his cheeks heat up to hear Glynda refer to him as such. She turned her attention back to Jaune's father. "You've abused your privileges as an alumnus of Beacon Academy, even going so far as to flaunt the law itself and engage in what is essentially an attempted kidnapping. Considering the circumstances, it's possible to overlook your offense, just this once, which means that your borderline criminal behavior will _not_ be reported to the authorities. I think you understand the consequences, if you strain the limits of our ability to forgive."

Angry as he was, Blaine paled. Jaune could understand why. Dealing with Weiss and Pyrrha, and the fallout of their actions, had led them all through what had basically been a crash course of the Criminal Justice System, and how it dealt with Huntsmen and Huntresses who crossed the line.

By the nature of their position, and the wide range of privileges afforded to them, there was a lot Huntsmen and Huntresses could get away with, even student ones; the main reason why Jaune and his friends (then WBY and JNPR, along with Sun and Neptune) had gotten away with their little vigilante investigation into the White Fang, which had ended with a brawl with a stolen Atlesian Paladin. Likewise, it was how Beacon, and the police, were able to overlook the...dubious...legality of RWBY's little adventure at the docks the semester before that.

Of course, that kind of privilege was practically ripe to be abused by those with less restraint or ill intentions. Because of that, when a Huntsman or Huntress who had been determined to have truly broken the law and committed malicious acts, the punishment was especially severe, and the resulting trial definitely leaned more towards the presumption of guilt than a standard one normally would. Just being reported for his actions could lead to Blaine being slapped with severe fines, and restrictions on the work he could take as a Huntsman, until the case had been settled. For a man supporting a large family, that was a very severe punishment indeed.

"I am going to escort you to the docks now, Mr. Arc," said Glynda, glaring at Blaine. "Your visitation rights will be removed, and you will be banned from the Beacon campus, including the festival grounds. If I need to, I will file an official restraining order to keep you from approaching your son off-campus as well. It is my suggestion that you catch the next airship back home, Mr. Arc."

Blaine growled wordlessly, glaring furiously at Glynda. Given that he was Jaune's father, and, subsequently, was possessed of the same immense pool of Aura that Jaune had, he probably could have broken free of Glynda's telekinetic hold on him with brute force...except that doing so would undoubtedly convince her that he would need to be officially reported to the authorities.

Instead he relaxed slightly. He turned his angry gaze back to Jaune. "I'm giving you one last chance, Jaune. As your _father_ , I'm _ordering_ you to come back home...right _now_."

"I refuse," said Jaune firmly.

"Fine then," snarled Blaine. "If you're so insistent on getting yourself killed with your own stupidity, then you might as well be dead already. So dead you are. From this point onward, I have no son. You're dead to me, and the rest of your family. You said it would be some time before you ever came home again, well don't bother. I officially disown you."

Not even Glynda could contain her gasp at the severity of Blaine's declaration. Despite his resolve, Jaune was shaken to his core, never imagining that his father would do this to him. A sick quiver ran through his stomach, and he felt tears gather in his eyes. His family...disowning him...never in his worst nightmares had he ever envisioned such a scenario. Now it was a reality, one that he'd never seen coming.

Another gasp reached his ears. Jaune's eyes widened as he saw another figure, now standing in the doorway behind Glynda. There was Yang, staring at the scene before her with a look of complete shock and horror. Then she turned her gaze on Blaine. Her entire body began to shine, her eyes turning a luminous crimson, as she bared her teeth at the man. "How could you?" she hissed at him. "You sick bastard!"

"Ms. Xiao Long," said Glynda, whipping her head around to tag Yang with a stern glare. "Please refrain from making things worse. I'm afraid we have no say on such personal matters. That said..." She returned her attention to Blaine, her gaze nearly as furious as Yang's. "...you disgust me, Mr. Arc. Someone such as you doesn't deserve to consider themselves a father. We're leaving, before you do anymore harm."

Glynda released her telekinesis, and headed for the door, Blaine following meekly in her wake. Yang was forced to step aside to let them past, throwing one last furious glare at Blaine, before rushing to Jaune's side, catching him just as his legs threatened to give out, supporting him by hugging him tightly.

"Jaune!" she called plaintively. "I'm so sorry! I had no idea your dad would..."

"It's not your fault," said Jaune tiredly, managing to find the strength to stand under his own power. Pulling out of Yang's arms, he sheathed his sword, then returned it to his belt. Then he threw his arms around Yang, prompting another hug from her in return. Jaune pressed his face into her soft, wavy locks. "I never thought...I thought they loved me. I never believed that Dad would do something like this."

"I know," whispered Yang, holding tight to him. "I know. I can't believe it either. I can't understand why." Her gaze hardened. "But it doesn't matter," she said firmly.

"Huh?" Jaune blinked, staring at his girlfriend in confusion.

Yang smiled at him, her eyes ablaze with passion. "If those jerks who called themselves your family can't appreciate or support you, then you don't need them. You have us: me, Ruby, Gin, Blake, your teammates. _We're_ your family, and we'll be there for you...especially me."

Yang leaned in and pressed her lips to his. Jaune's arms tightened their hold around her, pulling her body up against his own as the kiss deepened. Finally, after several minutes, they pulled away, Yang's tongue still slightly extended from mingling with Jaune's own. Blinking away the haze of passion that had come from the kiss, she smiled warmly at Jaune. "I love you."

Jaune smiled back. "I love you too," he replied. "And I'm happy to consider all of you my family." He sniffled, then closed his eyes, shaking his head slightly, before opening them again. When he did, there was spark of mischief in those eyes. "Although...if we're family now...does that make what we're doing incest?"

Yang's eyes widened and she jumped away from Jaune with a yelp. "Ew! No! Do _not_ go there!"

"I'd think you'd be used to that," Jaune continued to tease. "I mean...Ruby considers Ayumu her brother, and Gin and Ayumu are like brothers, so isn't Ruby doing it too?"

"Gross! No! Don't say stuff like that!" exclaimed Yang in a flustered panic, her cheeks heating up at the idea. She glared at Jaune, then relaxed when she saw the playful gleam in his eye. "You are the _worst_ ," she snapped punching him lightly in the shoulder.

"But I'm yours," said Jaune with a laugh, rubbing the spot she'd just hit.

They stood, staring at each other for a few seconds. Then Yang snorted. Finally, the dam broke, and the pair broke down laughing, holding onto each other once more. Jaune laughed as hard as he could, if only because, if he couldn't laugh, he was afraid he'd start crying instead.

He was so glad that Yang and the others would be there for him. If the family he'd left at home refused to believe in him, at least he had a family at Beacon that would truly support him from now on.

After they recovered, they were about to make their way in. On impulse, Jaune thought to the strange voice that had instructed him during his brief fight with his father, the voice that had offered him the keys to beginning to unlock the secrets of his weapon. Pausing, Jaune swept his eyes about the rooftop, looking for any sign of the mysterious speaker. There was no one there. But then, in one of the trees, out away from the buildings, Jaune caught a flash of a pair of emerald-green eyes. A shudder of fear ran through him, and his first thought was of Pyrrha.

But that fear was quickly replaced by confusion. Those eyes didn't belong to a tall, statuesque warrior-girl. Instead, they belonged to a short boy, whose blonde hair was tucked beneath a cap. He was sitting casually on a branch, a hand resting against the trunk of the tree to steady himself. His eyes met Jaune's for a few seconds. Then the boy beamed brightly at Jaune, before leaning back and allowing himself to topple backwards off the branch, and out of sight.

Jaune lurched, wanting to rush to check on the child he'd just seen drop right off such a high perch, only to stop himself, realizing he wasn't likely to find anything. Now he remembered where he'd heard that voice before. _Tip...?_

"Jaune? Is everything okay?" asked Yang, worried by his hesitation, before realizing what she'd just asked. "I mean, besides the obvious?"

"It's fine," said Jaune, rubbing his head. "Let's go back in."

They left the roof, Jaune thinking over what had just happened.

That night, Yang waited for Jaune to change into his pajamas, then pulled him into Team RUBY's room with her. The pair carefully climbed up into Yang's bed, trying not to disturb a sleeping Blake. While they lay there, Yang quietly informed Jaune about how she'd known to come to the roof.

It turned out that Cardin, whose team's room was directly below that rooftop, had overheard the confrontation between Jaune and his father. It had been Cardin who'd notified Glynda, then Yang herself about the situation. It made Jaune glad to know that his circle of friends was even wider than just the two teams' worth of people he spent most of his time around. Because of that, he was able to fall into a relaxed sleep, his body entangled with the girl he loved.

* * *

 **Yeah...Blaine came out kinda flat. But this was largely meant to show how deep Jaune's family issues were, and why he went to such lengths to get into Beacon, even if that meant activities of...dubious...legality. This was written a fair bit before Volume 6, and us meeting Saphron. That said...maybe Blaine isn't speaking for the _whole_ Arc family...maybe. Sadly, there are bigger issues at stake at the moment.**

 **Oh...And look who's back.**


	118. Chapter 118

**Chapter 118:**

Ruby's morning was rather uneventful, which seemed almost odd, considering everything she had gone through. There weren't any real dark portents looming, when she got up. The only note that soured her morning was learning that Jaune's family had disowned him, something she, and the rest of Jaune's friends, were quick to console him over, though he seemed to be coping well, all things considered.

Getting up, washed, and dressed, she and her friends made their way to the dining hall for breakfast, where she abruptly learned that she and Ayumu had apparently morphed from minor celebrities to major ones, in the two days since they'd won their respective semifinal matches. They entered the hall to cheers and applause, something that made their faces turn bright-red.

It was a celebratory fervor that had apparently been building over the past two days. She and Ayumu had already won the tournament for Beacon and Vale. Because of that, many of the students in the dining hall clearly saw the finals as nothing more than a victory lap for the pair of them. Once again, Ruby was discomfited by the fact that she identified several people who'd previously been, if not harassing her, then at least muttering irritably about her earlier on in the year, now openly cheering for her. It felt strange.

She supposed she could charitably say that her performance over the course of the tournament had cleared away their doubts concerning her fitness to be at Beacon. After all, if Ruby was one of the two finalists of the Vytal Festival Tournament, a clash of students from all four Academies, across all four years, then it stood to reason that she was _more_ than fit to be a Beacon first-year. Of course, a more cynical view was that they'd changed their tune, now that she was bringing Beacon glory, rather than sordid rumors, which had been running on various tracks as recently as two days ago.

Despite the sudden turn in popular opinion towards her, Ruby felt more than a little uncomfortable. The wave of adoration swamped her, making her feel weighed down by the expectations of all her peers. Overnight, she'd gone from pariah to paragon, and it was unsettling.

Another worry niggling at her, Ruby discreetly cast her gaze about, looking for students from some of the other Academies. She spotted them here and there, congregating together. She wondered if they'd been subjected to taunting from Beacon students, and hoped that wasn't the case. More than a few looked her way. For the most part, their expressions weren't resentful. She and Ayumu had won their matches legitimately after all. In many ways, it was the luck of the draw that they'd made their way through the quarter and semifinals without having to fight each other (though said luck could be attributed to Watts, who Ruby and her friends were sure had rigged the matches to put Ruby and Ayumu up against specific opponents instead).

Instead, as Ruby's gaze met a few of their own, the visiting students would smile, then nod politely at her, apparently bearing her no ill will, for the most part. There were a few angry ones, but they were few and far between.

Instead, as she and her team settled into their seats with their meals, they were joined by a cheerful Sun, at the head of his own team, who mingled gladly with them, Sun happily taking the open seat next to Blake, who surprised everyone by giving him a lingering kiss on the cheek in greeting. They weren't the only ones. A few minutes later, they were joined by NDGO. Then Neon and Flynt from FNKI happily joined in, Neon expressing only a little discomfort at being seated in the vicinity of Gin.

Breakfast passed in excited conversation. Much to Ruby's relief, her upcoming match with Ayumu, and the previous rounds, were quickly glossed over in favor of other topics. The visiting students started going over their travel plans for the journey back to their respective Kingdoms and schools.

It was a bittersweet topic, a reminder that the Vytal Festival was a temporary affair. Once it was over, these friends they'd made from across the world would return to their respective homes. Sure, the CCT meant that keeping in touch was as easy as scheduling a call, but that only made the prospect of long-distance relationships only _slightly_ less-daunting.

Then Sun dropped a bombshell, saying that he and his team were signing up for a continued long-term exchange, which would allow them to remain at Beacon up until the end of the year. From the look he cast at his girlfriend, it was apparent to everyone that Blake was his reason for staying, not that she minded in the slightest. Since none of his teammates seemed bothered by the notion, everyone figured that they weren't simply indulging Sun's selfish desire to remain close to Blake a while longer.

Finishing her breakfast, Ruby sat back and listened to the conversation, only really contributing when someone talked to her specifically. Instead, she was largely content to sit back and enjoy not being the center of attention, amongst this small group of people at least. She could tell that Ayumu felt the same.

Then her scroll buzzed in her pocket. Seeing the contact information, Ruby gasped. She had, not one, but _two_ different calls waiting for her at the CCT Call Center. What was more, while there weren't specific names attached to them, their points of origin stood out starkly in her mind: Brandywine and Withywindle.

"Excuse me!" squeaked Ruby, quickly sliding out of her seat.

"What's up, Sis?" asked Yang, looking at Ruby, a little worry in her eyes.

"I've got some people calling," explained Ruby fighting to keep from breaking out in a grin.

"Who?" asked Blake.

Ruby quickly related the calls' points of origin, prompting surprise amongst her friends. A few seconds later, both Gin and Yang were joining her in taking their trays to the washers. Several of the others had wanted to come as well, but had opted not to, if only so that they didn't overcrowd Ruby at whatever terminal she ended up taking the call at. Instead, they were left to fill in their friends from the other Academies about what was going on.

Ruby left Gin and Yang in her wake, along with a trail of petals, as she rushed to Beacon Tower to take the calls.

* * *

"Tawny!" exclaimed Ruby, ecstatic to see her friend from Brandywine on the other end of the call.

The brown-haired waitress laughed and grinned on the other side fo the screen. " _It's good to see you again, Ruby,_ " she said. " _I know we've called each other before, but it's just not the same._ "

"No, it isn't," conceded Ruby, wiping the happy tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. "I've missed you."

While they'd kept in touch by scroll ,in the weeks since RUBY and JNAR's visit to Brandywine, Ruby still missed being able to talk to Tawny in person. Speaking by terminal like this was a step up, but still not as nice as being able to touch and exchange hugs with her.

" _We've all missed you too,_ " said Tawny brightly, sniffling a little as well, making Ruby glad that she wasn't the only one struggling to keep from being overcome by emotion. " _I see you've got your sister and boyfriend there._ "

"Uh huh," said Ruby, glancing back at Gin and Yang, both of whom smiled and waved at Tawny. "Is there anyone else with you?" Ruby asked, turning back to her friend.

" _Not right now,_ " said Tawny. " _It was decided that I should do this myself, otherwise half the town would probably be trying to squeeze in here with me._ "

Ruby and the others laughed at that.

Tawny grinned and continued. " _It's just like I told you,_ " she said. " _The Mayor set up a huge projector in the town square. They've been broadcasting the tournament nonstop. When you or your friends are on, everyone drops what they're doing to watch._ "

Ruby blushed furiously, a blush that only deepened as Tawny went on.

" _Everyone's so proud of you,_ " she exclaimed. " _One of our farmers is even planning to name a new tomato cultivar after you._ "

"Huuuuuuuh?" exclaimed Ruby, her face doing a remarkable impression of a tomato in its own right.

"Wow! Good on you, Ruby!" teased Yang, slapping her sister on the back.

"Now _there's_ a product you might not mind endorsing," Gin added with a smirk.

Ruby let out a wordless squeal and ducked forward, pulling her hood up and over her head, making all three of the others laugh.

" _Don't worry too much,_ " said Tawny. " _Everyone's just so happy for you, Ruby. We've been cheering you on._ "

"Thank you," Ruby whispered.

" _Congratulations to you and Ayumu for making it to the finals, by the way,_ " she added. " _We're looking forward to seeing the two of you go at it._ "

"We'll do our best," Ruby promised.

Tawny's expression softened. " _I hope you can visit us sometime soon,_ " she said. " _Remember, you're always welcome here._ "

"Thank you," said Ruby, sniffling.

" _I guess I should go now,_ " said Tawny. " _I hear you've got one other call waiting._ "

"That's right," said Ruby, her gaze misting up at the thought of ending their conversation so soon. But it wasn't right to keep their other caller waiting, particularly if it was who she thought it was.

" _Good luck today,_ " said Tawny. " _Give Ayumu my best too._ "

"I will," promised Ruby.

They said their goodbyes, then Tawny's image winked out. A few seconds later, the other call connected, and Ruby found herself looking at the dull expression of a man with sunken cheeks, messy black hair, with a pair of wolf-ears protruding from atop his head.

"Hi," said Ruby, a bit surprised to be getting a call from Farran. While she, Gin, and Ayumu had enjoyed something of a pleasant relationship with him during their time in Withywindle, which included arranging for him and the faunus population of the settlement to hand a few White Fang recruiters over to the authorities, she'd never really had the impetus to call him before. Unlike Tawny, she wouldn't have really considered Farran an outright friend, more of a friendly acquaintance that she and the boys had done a favor for. On top of that, Gin's identity as a dragon-faunus had been broadcast across the world at this point, something that could potentially make future interactions...difficult...to say the least.

" _Hey there,_ " said Farran, his tone as dour and dull as Ruby remembered him being, whenever he wasn't wearing his bandana. " _Just thought I'd keep in touch. We've been hearing a lot about you over here._ "

"Y-you have," said Ruby, blushing again.

To her surprise, Farran's lips curled up in a lazy smile. " _Well, it's not every day you get to say a Vytal Tournament finalist was a patron of your establishment, much less_ two _of them. It's a pretty nice feather in our caps._ "

"O-oh...um...thanks," said Ruby, finding herself blushing again.

" _I don't have anything pressing,_ " he said. " _Things are actually going pretty good now. I've even had a few more humans come into my place, without the usual patrons trying to run them off._ "

"That's good," said Ruby, remembering the tension between the human and faunus residents of Withywindle. It was fulfilling to know that she and her friends had made a positive impact on the place.

" _The main reason I called is that I wanted to remind you that I still owe you and your friends one of my specialties,_ " said Farran, his smile widening. " _If you find yourself with some time after the festival, I recommend you swing by for a visit. Fall is the harvest season after all, so it's when we get in some of our best ingredients._ "

"I'd love that!" exclaimed Ruby, already enthused by the idea, even if the logistics of it were somewhat tricky.

Seeing as the Vytal Festival itself doubled as a substantial vacation period for the students, there weren't going to be any further breaks between now and their winter vacation. Perhaps a mission was possible, but a well-defended settlement like Withywindle wasn't likely to have any need for Huntsmen or Huntresses. Ruby also didn't think they'd get away with using a mission as an informal vacation a second time, particularly since it had been Ozpin's idea last time. He'd been more than accommodating, but even his generosity had to have limits.

" _Good,_ " said Farran. " _You're all welcome here. I hear you've got a few more friends, besides the two you passed through with. They're welcome as well?_ "

"Even me?" asked Gin, a bit surprised.

" _Kid,_ " said Farran, his eyes drifting to Gin, " _what are my rules?_ "

"Do what you say, and pay for what we eat," recited Gin dutifully.

" _That's right,_ " said Farran. " _Do those two things and it doesn't matter who you are. You're my customer, even if you're a dragon-faunus. It might be touch and go, now that people know what you are, but I don't give a damn about them. It's_ my _place, so they follow my rules._ "

"Thanks," said Gin.

" _I'm still the one thanking you,_ " said Farran. " _You shouldn't have to thank me for basic courtesy._ "

"Even so, I'll still thank you," said Gin.

" _Fine then,_ " conceded Farran, before returning his attention to Ruby. " _In any case, that's all that I wanted to say, besides wishing you luck in the finals._ "

"Thank you," said Ruby, beaming brightly.

They said their farewells and ended the call. Ruby, Gin, and Yang left Beacon Tower with light hearts. Ruby found herself looking forward to the final round of the tournament, her trepidation draining away.

* * *

In the tower above, Ozpin looked down from his window, sipping calmly from his mug. He even saw Ruby, Yang, and Gin take their leave and head across the campus, causing his lips to twitch upwards in a smile. He looked forward to the results of Ruby and Ayumu's plan coming to fruition. Ironically enough, through his efforts to sabotage them, Watts had inadvertently prepared a stage that would maximize the plan's impact, despite him not having any idea of said plan's existence.

The elevator chimed behind him, and Ozpin turned to see Glynda emerge from the doors. "What word?" he asked.

"I have confirmation that Blaine Arc boarded an airship bound for Ansel, first thing this morning," said Glynda cooly. "That scum should be halfway there by now."

"Please remain calm, Glynda," chided Ozpin gently, despite finding himself sharing her sentiments. "Mr. Arc's attitude is a disappointment, but he has always been a capable Huntsman. Even if he chose to express it in the worst possible fashion, his attempts to remove Jaune from Beacon were borne of love for him."

"If so, it's an extremely twisted love," growled Glynda. "It's stifling and controlling, not at all appropriate for someone who considers himself a parent."

"And yet, there's nothing to be done," said Ozpin with a sigh. "At this point, the only thing we can do is wait, and hope that Mr. Arc comes to his senses. If we're lucky, his family will not agree to his decision to disown. But all we can do is leave it to them." He took another sip. "And what of the other matters?"

Glynda checked her scroll. "We just received confirmation that Liu Bai has arrived in Mistral, and has been fully taken into custody there."

"Excellent," said Ozpin, letting out a breath.

Following the events of the quarterfinals, the last thing Ozpin and Glynda wanted to risk was the possibility of Cinder's faction finding _another_ potential recruit hanging around in their vicinity, and had made the request to expedite Liu Bai's deportation, with the hope that, unlike Pyrrha, he would actually _make_ it to Mistral. Considering what Ruby had said about Liu's actions, and how Pyrrha had directly encouraged them, they had been worried. However, news of his arrival would mean that Cinder's people no longer saw any use for him.

"Moving on," Ozpin prompted, nodding at Glynda, and encouraging her to continue.

"Cinder still hasn't regained consciousness," said Glynda. "We're keeping her sedated in the infirmary, under guard, of course. Winter's brother has agreed to lend those Jaegers of his to stand guard, despite not knowing what they're being used for."

"Quite generous of him," said Ozpin. While he considered reliance on automatons a potentially dangerous dependency, there was no doubt that these Jaegers were proving their worth, having been of considerable aid in the raid on the White Fang, and decisive in the fight against Cinder. Of course, they had to keep in mind the other side of the equation, when it came to relying on androids. "...On that note, have you advised Ms. Schnee on the precautions regarding their control protocols?"

Glynda nodded. "Winter's scroll is set to local only. It will make it harder for James to get ahold of her, if he needs to, but she doesn't seem to mind that as much as I thought."

Remembering Winter's desire to remain close to Qrow while he recovered, Ozpin imagined she _wouldn't_ mind all that much, despite her normally fervent loyalty to Ironwood.

"And finally..." prompted Ozpin.

"It would seem that James is not yet aware of Ms. Polendina and Ms. Soleil's transfer," said Glynda. "He has not checked the student roster, nor has anyone notified him, despite the fact that the student rosters for both Beacon and Atlas updated automatically, the moment the transfer went through."

If Ironwood had learned about Penny and Ciel's transfer to Beacon, he most certainly would have caused a ruckus. Ozpin could easily imagine Ironwood rushing out of the elevator, thunderously demanding his students back, mainly so that he could punish them for their failure in the tournament. "Has Ms. Polendina contacted her father yet?"

"Not yet," said Glynda. "I will advise her to do it today, preferably before the final round of matches. It won't be long before James learns, and it would be best if Ms. Polendina made arrangements with her father before then."

"Agreed," said Ozpin.

"Should we advise them to remain on campus?" asked Glynda.

"That would be best," said Ozpin. "However, I will not mandate their confinement. If they do head out, tell them they are to remain with either Ruby or January, or both. We are better able to protect them if they remain on Beacon grounds for the time being."

"I will inform them," said Glynda.

"I'll leave it to you," said Ozpin.

Glynda turned and headed out. Once the elevator doors closed, Ozpin lowered himself into his chair, and relaxed with a sigh. "I have yet to thank you for your assistance, last evening," he said. "I had no idea you were even _in_ Vale."

A lilting giggle drifted out from behind one of the pillars that lined the circumference of the office. A short figure skipped out into the open, Tip beaming cheerfully at Ozpin, with his hands clasped behind his back. "For my part, I'm glad you've learned to bend a little, Ozpin," he said. "You were always so rigid in the past."

"To be honest, I'm surprised that Mombi has allowed you to roam so far afield," noted Ozpin.

"Well...she hasn't 'allowed' it explicitly," said Tip, his voice laden with good-natured mischief. "But I've always been one to favor asking forgiveness over permission."

"That is likely to get you into trouble," said Ozpin with a low chuckle. "Mombi takes her duties quite seriously."

Tip laughed. "Oh, I'm sure my ears will be blistered, when I get back. But it's worth it to get a look at your children. Ms. Rose and Mr. Arc in particular are _very_ promising."

"They all are," said Ozpin, before raising a hand. "And before you ask, no, you can't have them?"

"Awww..." moaned Tip in mock-disappointment.

"In any case, I'm grateful for your assistance," said Ozpin, folding his hands together. "What brings you to Vale in the first place?"

"To assist," answered Tip earnestly enough. "I'm a bit surprised that, despite knowing Mr. Arc's history, you never brought up the subject of his Legacy to him."

"I was not yet certain if he was ready to try tapping into its power," said Ozpin. "Without sufficient training, he likely would have only hampered himself, attempting something he was not prepared to do. At the very worst, his own weapon might well have ended up rejecting him."

"I find that unlikely," said Tip. "He and Crocea Mors are a good match for each other. Their natures suit one another perfectly. He reminds me of his great-grandfather, albeit a bit less stiff, which is to his credit."

"Very true," said Ozpin.

"In any case, you need to pay more attention," said Tip. "It's the little things that can lead to the biggest changes. That boy's Legacy could be a deciding factor in what's coming. On top of that, you nearly let Her people slide right by under your nose. If it hadn't been for Mr. Ao, you likely wouldn't have realized who they were until _far_ too late. You chide James for it at times, but you are just as susceptible to being distracted by the big picture as he is. You need to think smaller, Ozpin."

"That is a phrase I have begun to hear with remarkable regularity lately," noted Ozpin dryly, "often in connection with a certain troublesome individual."

"Yes, well, he did get it from me," said Tip with a sigh. "Back then, even _I_ never imagined how far he would take that, so it isn't as though I could credit myself as being his teacher."

"I doubt anyone would wish to credit themselves as that, in this day and age," said Ozpin with a sigh of his own.

"And yet, however indirectly, he has done you several favors," noted Tip. "Helping you was never his intention, of course. But Yu detests Salem as much as anyone, even if he's more inclined to torment her than actually fight against her."

"But it is not the kind of assistance we can count on," said Ozpin.

"True enough," agreed Tip.

Ozpin's eyes narrowed slightly. "And now...seeing as you've done what you wanted to help Mr. Arc, do you have any other reasons for lingering?"

Tip's smile took on a wistful quality. "Well, I _did_ want to pay a visit to my son, before I went on my way. I don't get to see him nearly as often as I'd like, after all. I wanted to congratulate him on doing so well...far better than even I could have ever imagined."

"I am sure he would appreciate that," said Ozpin. "You always did dote on your children so."

Smiling wider than ever, Tip flashed one last look at Ozpin. "Of course. It _is_ a mother's prerogative after all."

* * *

The rest of the morning and afternoon went by in a blur to Ruby. Quickly tiring of the constant attention from her peers, she retired to the copse where she and Ayumu had practiced with Neo over the weekend. The rest of her friends joined her, even going so far as to arrange a picnic lunch to avoid having to go back to the dining hall before her and Ayumu's match. After lunch, Ruby gladly relaxed in Gin's arms, enjoying listening and watching the others, particularly watching Ayumu continuing to guide Neo's practice with manifestation.

The tranquil period was interrupted by the sound of Ruby's scroll. Pulling it out, she was surprised to see that Penny was calling her. "Hello? Is everything okay?"

"Oh, yes," said Penny, "everything is sensational. I was just talking with Professor Goodwitch, and she was giving me some advice. I'm going to call Father now. I was wondering if you wanted to come along and meet him."

"Sure," said Ruby, sitting up, pulling out of Gin's arms.

"Okay," said Penny. "I'll meet you at Beacon Tower."

"All right. I'll see you there." Ruby hung up and turned to Gin with an apologetic smile.

"Going back to the tower?" asked Gin, already knowing the answer. He'd been close enough to hear the entirety of the call after all.

"Yeah," said Ruby. "Want to come?"

"Sure, sounds like fun," said Gin, getting to his feet and stretching his arms up, before helping Ruby up.

It took them an extra minute to explain things to the others. But, before long, they were on their way. It only took them a few minutes to reach the tower. It felt a bit silly to Ruby to be coming back in the afternoon, after having already spent the morning here, talking with Tawny and Farran. But she was all too happy to join Penny in talking with her father.

To their complete lack of surprise, Ciel was there as well, the other pair waiting in the tower's lobby. Penny popped up out of her seat as though she'd been seated on a set of springs, waving excitedly. Ciel stood up at a more sedate pace, but smiled as well. The four of them quickly made their way into the elevator.

"What did Professor Goodwitch want to talk to you about?" asked Ruby, while they waited.

"She told me that the General doesn't seem aware that Ciel and I have transferred yet," said Penny. "So she advised me to call Father as soon as possible, so that we can warn him."

"Wasn't that the plan already?" asked Gin.

"Ideally, we should have made that call _before_ we transferred," said Ciel. "We're fortunate the General was not alerted the moment it was completed."

"Yes, but I got a little caught up in all the things concerning the match," said Penny, tapping her index fingers together in an imitation of Ruby's normal nervous fidgeting.

Exiting into the call center, Penny approached the holographic receptionist.

"Hello, how may I help you?" asked the hologram in her normal, cheery tone.

"I would like to place a call to my father, Doctor Albus Polendina, in Atlas...if you please," said Penny.

"Of course," said the receptionist. "If you would head over to Terminal Five, I'll go ahead and patch you through."

"Thank you," said Penny, cheerfully following the receptionist's instructions.

Ciel, Ruby, and Gin followed behind her, watching over Penny's shoulders as she took a seat at the terminal. For a moment, they watched the rotating image of Vale's insignia. After a moment, the insignia was replaced by the image of a boy, who looked to be about Penny's age. His head was topped by short, curly, dark-brown hair, with the bangs threatening to spread down over his steel-gray eyes. Like Penny, his cheeks were dusted by freckles. Below his neck, they saw curving plates of what almost seemed to be gray armor of some kind.

" _Hello, Penny,_ " he said.

Ruby and Ciel blinked. There was something...off...about the boy. He sounded happy, but there was a certain flatness to his speech that made it unclear. His expression was likewise uninflected.

"Salutations, Peter," said Penny, sounding as cheerful as ever. "Is Father in? I need to speak to him."

" _Of course,_ " said Peter, sounding as pleasant as before. " _I'll patch you through right away._ "

"Uh...Penny...who is this?" asked Ruby, leaning over Penny's shoulder to get a better look at the boy.

"That's Peter," said Penny, glancing up at Ruby. "He's my older brother."

"Oh," said Ruby, standing back up. A few seconds ticked by before the implications sank in.

"HUUUH!" exclaimed Ruby and Ciel in unison. Even Gin looked surprised at the revelation.

"You never said anything about having a brother!" said Ciel.

"Yeah!" agreed Ruby.

"Sorry," said Penny, managing to look sheepish at her oversight.

" _Penny tends to forget sometimes,_ " said Peter. " _For someone with her memory, it is unusual._ " Strangely, he didn't seem bothered by the notion that Penny had never mentioned him to her friends.

"Uh...is it because..." Ruby began to ask, trying to think about how to phrase it, "...Um...because, you know...the robot thing?"

"Um...Not really," said Penny, her voice a tad nervous. "Peter isn't an android, like I am."

" _Do they know?_ " asked Peter, his eyes swiveling in a manner that was jarring, considering how still the rest of his head was.

"Yes, they do," said Penny. "It's a bit complicated."

" _Oh,_ " said Peter. His eyes shifted to Ruby, who flinched slightly at that strange gaze landing on her. _"No, unlike Penny, I am not an android. However, due to a severe accident in my younger years, my body is over eighty-percent cybernetic, so I may as well be an android. However, due to certain limitations with facial prosthetics, I do not emote very well, so it is understandable if I do not appear to be human."_

"That's...weird," said Ruby frankly.

" _I know it is outside the norm,_ " said Peter. _"Penny's 'birth' was derived from attempts to improve my own prosthetics, with Father considering shifting my Aura into an entirely robotic body. However, we are still not certain about the means by which Penny was 'born,' and it is a process that has yet to be successfully replicated."_

 _I almost feel that's a good thing,_ thought Gin. After all, the notion that living, feeling humans could simply be manufactured was rather disconcerting.

"Peter is Father's lab assistant," added Penny.

Peter's eyes swiveled back to Penny. "Y _ou wished to talk to Father, correct?_ " At Penny's nod, he responded, " _Then I shall connect you now._ "

His face was replaced by an image of a squat, older man. A light from above gleamed off the bald crown of his head, which was ringed with upward and outward sweeping tufts of white hair. A pair of blue eyes stared back at Penny, above the curling white of a thick mustache, which spread to join an even thicker, equally curly beard that framed his mouth and descended off his chin. Through the screen, they also caught sight of the shoulders, and collars of what looked like a white lab-coat.

" _Hello?_ " said the man in a slightly wheezy voice, before he saw who was on the other side of the screen. Immediately, his face lit up. " _Salutations, Penny!_ " he said, his cheerful voice perfectly mimicking the intonation and unique emphasis that Penny used when giving her trademark greeting.

Behind Penny, Ruby and Ciel covered their mouths, a muffled snort bursting out of Ruby's nose, while Gin raised an amused eyebrow.

"Salutations, Father!" said Penny, highlighting the striking similarity in their greetings. "It's sensational to see you again."

" _I agree,_ " said her father, whose manner definitely suggested a father more than it did an inventor. " _It's good to see your face again. Have you been well?_ "

"I have been very well, Father," said Penny. "My systems are functioning at peak efficiency."

" _That isn't quite what I was asking,_ " said the man with a slight chuckle in his voice. " _Have you learned and experienced anything new?_ "

"I have had a great many experiences, Father," said Penny. "This trip has been most educational."

" _That's good to hear,_ " said Albus. " _And these people behind you, I assume they are your friends._ "

"They are, Father," said Penny, nodding. Reaching over, she took Ciel's hand and pulled her down slightly so that Ciel was more directly in his field of view. "This is my partner, Ciel Soleil."

"It is an honor to finally make your acquaintance, Doctor," said Ciel.

" _It is good to meet you too,_ " said Albus. " _I have been wanting to know more about my daughter's teammates for a while now._ "

Penny let go, then gestured to the other two behind her. "This is Ruby Rose, and her boyfriend, Gin Ueno. They are friends that I've made at Beacon Academy."

"Hi there," said Ruby.

Gin raised a hand in silent greeting.

" _Ah, so you've made friends at another school; that's sensational_!" said Albus, once again matching the unique way Penny said one of her favorite words to such a degree that it forced Ruby to stifle another mirthful outburst. " _I knew it was the right decision to allow you to accompany the Atlas students to the Vytal Festival. I'm sure you've made even more friends._ "

"I have," agreed Penny.

" _I will have to thank James for taking such good care of you,_ " said Albus.

"Um...About that..." Penny's face fell.

Seeing his daughter's distress, Albus' smile faded. " _Penny...what's wrong?_ "

"Well, Father...you see..." Penny looked down. "I...I have some difficult news."

" _What's going on?_ " asked Albus.

"There's a bit to explain," said Penny. "I don't want to sound like I'm complaining, but...the General has not been treating me all that well. Most of the friends I've made I had to meet behind his back."

" _What?_ " gasped Albus. " _Penny, please explain._ "

Penny did so, going over Ironwood's efforts to control and restrict her movements, his efforts to isolate her from other people as much as possible, his ordering Penny to stay away from two of her best friends; and, finally, his treatment of Ciel, and the threats he'd made to both Ciel and Penny.

When she'd finished, Albus looked considerably more depressed, and disappointed. " _That is...Penny...I don't know what to say. James' status reports_ were _rather sterile, and he never commented on your level of happiness, which I found odd, as odd that you never contacted me directly, before this._ "

"The General told me not to bother trying to call you," said Penny. "Before things got bad, I really thought it was because he didn't want me bothering you with unnecessary information."

" _Nonsense,_ " scoffed Albus. " _Hearing from you is never a bother._ "

Penny smiled at that. "After he got worse, I thought about calling you, but I didn't want to risk revealing our secure line. I know it will keep our conversation private, but the General will probably be alerted that I made contact with you soon."

" _I am most disappointed in James,_ " said Albus. " _I genuinely thought he was better than this. It sickens me to think that he has been treating you in such a fashion."_ His gaze turned to Ciel. _"You have my deepest apologies. I am grateful that you are willing to remain Penny's friend, despite the difficult circumstances you've found yourself in._ "

"She's worth any circumstance," said Ciel, smiling warmly.

" _And so these friends of yours know the truth about you?_ " asked Albus, his gaze moving across the three people behind Penny.

"Most of them do," said Penny. "They've all accepted me, despite how strange it is."

" _I'm glad,_ " said Albus, a warm smile returning to his face. _"I wanted you to keep it a secret as much as possible, because I wasn't sure if people would accept you. But it makes me happy that you've met people who can._ "

"Yes," agreed Penny. "But Father, there's something important I have to tell you."

" _What is that?_ " asked Albus.

"I've transferred to Beacon," said Penny. "So has Ciel."

Albus blinked for a second, then his eyes widened. " _Wait! How? James would never allow that, considering what you've told me._ "

"We went to Professor Ozpin," said Penny. "He granted our request to transfer, so that I became a student of Beacon as soon as I was out of the tournament."

" _Once you were out of the tournament...I see..._ " said Albus, stroking his beard. " _Well...this is an unexpected development. You're_ that _worried about James' reprisal?_ "

"I am worried," said Penny. "But there's more to it than that. I love Beacon and Vale. Most of the friends I've made are here. I really _do_ want to stay with them."

" _I see,_ " said Albus. " _Well, you are my daughter, and I've only ever truly wanted you to be happy._ " He sighed. " _This does put me in a difficult situation, though._ "

"I'm sorry, Father," said Penny, lowering her eyes.

" _It's all right, Penny,_ " said Albus, smiling again. " _I know you're doing the best you can. I never imagined that James would be so petty and vindictive. Now that I know how he's treated you, there is no way I could support leaving you in his custody any longer, so it's just as well that you've transferred to Beacon. James has too much support in Atlas, what with him holding two Council seats,_ and _control of the military. Of course, if he's become as vindictive as you say he has, clearly_ I _need to consider a change of scenery as well._ "

"What will you do, Father?" asked Penny.

" _I think Peter and I shall come to Vale,_ " said Albus cheerfully. " _Atlesian winters make my joints stiff as it is, so it would do me well to move to a warmer clime, I should think. We'll take whatever else we can bring. Hopefully, Professor Ozpin would be willing to accommodate me. I shall probably want to speak with him, once we are underway. Besides, you will still need someone to help with your upkeep. I've actually been developing some modifications for you that I can apply, once we get there._ "

"That sounds wonderful," said Penny. "But...won't that get you in trouble with the General."

Albus laughed. " _Penny, my dear, I probably already_ am _in trouble. James just hasn't realized it, yet. So it would be best if I took my leave before he does. However, speaking of trouble..._ " His gaze transferred to Ciel. " _Ms. Soleil, do you have family in Atlas?_ "

"Yes, I do," said Ciel, nodding, her expression growing more tense.

" _As I thought,_ " said Albus. " _It is likely that they will be in a difficult position as well. Given that I have your full name, it won't be any trouble for me to discreetly track them down, and make contact with them. It would probably be best if I acted in your behalf in this matter. What would you have them do?_ "

"To be honest, it is probably best if they disown me," said Ciel, drawing a shocked gasp from Ruby, along with a sorrowful look from Penny. Gin merely closed his eyes in acceptance. "If they disassociate themselves from me, then they might avoid the General's wrath. Actually, if they were to report my defection to the General, and present it to him as though they'd discovered it from me, then that would work out best, provided it can be done in such a way that it doesn't complicate your departure."

" _Hmm..._ " hummed Albus, stroking his beard. " _Well...that will tighten my timeframe a bit, but I believe I can make it work with minimal difficulty. I'm sorry that you have had to do this, Ms. Soleil._ "

"As am I," said Ciel earnestly. Despite that, she smiled. "But...I find that your daughter is well worth the risk."

 _"Oh? Is that so?_ " Albus' expression brightened considerably." _I'm glad to hear that. In that case, I wish you both the best of luck. I hope that your friends will look after you, Penny._ "

"We will," promised Ruby.

" _Then I shall see you soon,_ " said Albus. " _Goodbye, Penny._ "

"Bye, Father," said Penny.

Albus' image winked out, the rotating insignia of Vale replacing it once again. Penny stood up with with a good imitation of a sigh. "Thank you for coming," she said to Ruby and Gin.

"We're glad to be here for you," said Ruby, taking Penny's hands.

"What now?" asked Gin.

"For now, Professor Goodwitch has said that we should stay on Beacon grounds," explained Penny. "The General won't be able to threaten me and Ciel as easily, if we are on-campus. But we can leave, if we want to, but she said we should stay with Ruby and January, if we do."

"Well, it's up to you," said Gin. "If you want to watch the finals, I don't think there will be a problem if you two stick with us."

"I want to watch," said Penny eagerly, before faltering. "Um...If it's okay with you, Ciel."

Ciel smiled. "Of course it is," she said. "The risk is greater. But if Professor Goodwitch thinks we'll be safe by staying with Ruby and January, then I think it will be fine." She remembered Ozpin mentioning the conflict that the two Beacon teams were apparently involved in. If he trusted them to that degree, then it was likely that they were the kind of people more than able to stand up to Ironwood. Besides, she was curious to see more of this incredible strength that Ruby and Ayumu had demonstrated.

"All right," said Ruby. "It's almost time for me and Ayumu to head up anyway. I'm pretty sure they've already opened the ready-rooms for us."

"Let's go then!" cheered Penny.

* * *

As Ruby had expected, the ready rooms had already been made available for the contestants, a fact that was taken advantage of by Ruby, her team, Penny and Ciel. Even Sun joined them. The atmosphere at lunch had been relaxed and easygoing. But sitting in the middle of the ready room really drove home to Ruby that she was _here_. Not only had she participated in the Vytal Festival Tournament, she was a finalist. More than that, she and Ayumu were about to reveal the secret of their weapons to the entire world. The consequences of that could be earthshaking. All those realizations swirled around inside Ruby, threatening to tie her body and soul in a knot of tension.

Fortunately, she had Gin, who kept his hand resting against her forehead throughout nearly the entirety of the remaining time they spent waiting for the the final round to begin. A few minutes out from the beginning of the match, her friends took their leave to head for their seats. Only Gin remained behind, a continuous bulwark against the waves of tension and nervousness that threatened to engulf her.

"You okay?" he asked her softly.

"I am," said Ruby, smiling at him, before tucking her head into his neck. "It's just...there's a lot riding on this, even if the championship doesn't really matter. Ayumu and I..."

"Just go out there and do what you need to do," said Gin, reaching over with the hand he wasn't resting on her forehead to take her hand. "Otherwise, give Ayumu the best fight you can. You know...I don't think you've ever gotten the chance to fight against him for real."

"I haven't," admitted Ruby. When she sparred, it was usually against Gin. During her training, all of her sparring had been against Yu, if it could be called sparring. But she'd never faced Ayumu, and definitely never when he was genuinely trying to win. Watching his previous matches had given her a lot of insight into his style, but still left her feeling that winning would be a difficult task. Ayumu was elusive, and fighting him would be like trying to catch a cloud of wind-blown dust in her hand.

Still, she had faith in her own strength, in how much she had grown in the months since she'd first met these two boys. Ruby fully intended to put everything she had into this match, if only as a way to thank Ayumu for everything that he and Gin had done for her.

Earlier in the day, the time until her match seemed to drag on. But now, to Ruby's mind, it passed far too quickly. The announcement arrived over the intercom for the two finalists to enter the ring. Pulling out of Gin's embrace, Ruby headed for the door. Steeling herself, she headed out into the arena.

As she did, she heard Port's voice from the speakers, already riling people up for the match.

" _Ladies and gentlemen...!_ " he boomed loudly. " _This is it, the moment you've all been waiting for...the Vytal Festival Tournament final round!_ "

A roar of approval greeted his announcement.

Oobleck picked up the thread from there. " _Tonight, we bear witness to the two most accomplished fighters in this tournament! They have struggled here, across four grueling matches, showcasing the highest degree of skill, strength, and endurance!_ "

" _And now, they shall face each other,_ " declared Port, _"this match will determine, once and for all, who will be the Vytal Festival Tournament Champion!_ "

Another roar greeted this.

" _And now, let us introduce the contestants in the final match,_ " said Oobleck. " _Both hailing from Beacon Academy, we now introduce...Ruby Rose...and Ayumu Ao!_ "

Recognizing her cue, Ruby made the final few steps out into the open.

Ruby had thought, after she and Ayumu had assured that Beacon would be the winning Academy, some of the enthusiasm and interest would die down, possibly one of those rare occasions where audience engagement during the semifinals would be higher than for the finals. She was very wrong.

Hitting the wall of noise as she passed through the door was like walking into a solid impediment, so much so that she actually stalled for a step, before finding the strength to force her way past it. The excitement and tension gave the air the quality of thick syrup, which she felt she was fighting through, all the way along her walk into the inner ring. Each step forward required far more effort than it should have.

Across from her, Ruby could see Ayumu. As usual, his serene smile was in place, and he looked completely unbothered by the circumstances. But Ruby knew better. His lips were pressed together a little too tightly. A faint sheen of nervous sweat decorated his forehead. His posture looked relaxed...mostly...but there was a tightness to his shoulders that showed his hidden tension. On top of that, like her, it seemed that he too was struggling a little to make it through all the excitement in the air.

Nonetheless, they arrived at the inner ring. As they did, some of the cheering began to die down, particularly as Ruby's cloak billowed behind her. That was when the murmuring began to start, barely audible beneath most of the cheers, but people had noticed something was miss.

Ruby's weapon wasn't holstered in its usual place, at the small of her back. In fact, there was no sign of her weapon at all. Likewise, as Ayumu approached her, he stretched his arms up over his head, letting his sleeves fall down to bare his feather-covered arms, a nonverbal way of saying "nothing up my sleeves." The cheering died down even more, as people began to express confusion over why neither of the participants seemed to be armed.

"Ready, Ruby?" asked Ayumu, now close enough for Ruby to hear his voice over the crowd.

"Yep," said Ruby, giving Ayumu her most confident smile.

" _How odd,_ " said Oobleck, the excitement in his voice waning, replaced by confusion. " _Our two finalists appear to be completely unarmed. Do they intend to fight without weapons?_ "

" _This is most unusual,_ " added Port.

Despite that, the inner ring was already rising up towards the descending lighting rig, the spotlights stabbing down to illuminate the surface. As they did, the cheering had all but died, confused mutters filling the air instead, people wondering if the pair wasn't intending to take the match seriously, now that Beacon and Vale had already won the tournament.

"Here we go," said Ruby.

With a shift of her shoulders, she allowed her cloak to billow behind her, once again completely revealing the weaponless holster behind her. Reaching back, Ruby closed her hand around empty air...

...Except that the air _wasn't_ empty anymore. Her hand closed around a dark-red handle, which connected to the body and barrel of a broad, dark-red rifle. Pulling it out from behind her, the handle folded out, becoming part of an extending shaft, while the body swiveled, becoming the head of her scythe, the blade and wing of her manifested Aura igniting into existence with a sharp hiss.

At the same time, in front of her, Ayumu brought his hands together, this time making sure the gesture wasn't masked by his sleeves, before curling the fingers of his right around the dark-green handle of his sword, which he pulled out from his left, as though he were drawing it from an invisible sheath.

The two of them worked their weapons through circular passes, Ruby spinning Shining Rose to make the blade become a bright-red ring on the darker blur of the shaft. Ayumu whipped Green Destiny through several tight crescents. In unison, they snapped into their starting positions, Ayumu flicking his wrist to flex the blade of his sword slightly, producing its eerie, trademark ringing sound.

The pair froze, locked into place, awaiting the signal to start their match, while, all around them, utter silence descended.

"Think we made an impression?" asked Ruby wryly.

"I believe we did," Ayumu replied cheerfully.

* * *

 **Peter Polendina is another of my spur-of-the-moment characters. Unlike the Shimizu twins, he didn't _really_ come into being to being to serve a specific purpose in the narrative...but mostly because I had this idea for a corny joke. I know that there's already a Peter in the cast (Port), but I couldn't quite resist the chance to make a reference. Peter, of course, derives from the Greek word, "Petros," meaning "Rock." Albus (Peter and Penny's father), means "White," but also "Bright," which references light. Meanwhile Penny is, of course, named for the coin, which often comes in a "Roll."**

 **...**

 **I'll leave the rest for you to figure out. Yeah, it's a pretty dumb joke, but I had fun with it nonetheless.**


	119. Chapter 119

**Chapter 119:**

Silence, such total and absolute silence, was a rarity in Amity Coliseum. The air of the arena was nearly always filled with noise. Even during the most shocking developments of the Vytal Festival Tournament, the noise of the spectators had rarely ever vanished entirely. If it ever did, it was usually on the order of just a few seconds. But now, that silence seemed to stretch on as people tried to process the incomprehensible event that had just occurred before their eyes.

Ciel and Penny were seated between the remaining members of RUBY and JNAR, both of them staring into the ring with manifest shock. A glance to either side told them that Ruby and Ayumu's teammates were not at all surprised by the development. Instead, they saw satisfied smiles or excited grins.

"Heh," snorted Yang. " _That_ knocked everyone for a loop."

"Wha-wha-what's going on?" stammered Ciel, having difficulty even forming words in response to what they'd just seen.

Her exclamation was the first crack in a dam of silence, which rapidly crumbled as more shocked and confused exclamations filled the air. Quickly, the noise of confusion was rising almost to the level of the previous cheering. No one knew what to make of this seemingly supernatural occurrence that had happened right before the eyes of the entire world.

* * *

Whitley Schnee settled back into his seat, crossing his right leg over his left, relaxing his body. In the previous rounds of the tournament, the skybox he'd rented had been occupied with investors, business partners, and other high rollers. They were people he was supposed to be seen around, and who wanted to be seen around him. It was an extension of his duties as the current heir to the SDC. But, for today, he had opted to watch alone, if only so that he could cheer Ruby on in his own way, without having to worry about what others thought of him.

Like everyone else, he had been shocked to see Ruby and Ayumu produce their weapons from nowhere. However, his mind was already fitting together the pieces of what he'd seen, along with what he knew about the two participants.

Ruby, of course, he'd met and spoken with personally. He wasn't surprised that she hadn't brought this up. From the way the pair had been acting, this was clearly a secret they'd been keeping for some time. What was more, it appeared that this revelation had been part of their plan for the Vytal Festival Tournament the whole time.

 _I wonder what mechanism they employed to accomplish that,_ he thought. _And why did they choose to reveal this to the world here and now?_

Whitley was certain that his answer would come soon.

* * *

Just down the hall from the skybox Whitley had rented, General Ironwood occupied a skybox of his own. The only others present were two of his Knights, standing a silent vigil beside the door. He'd originally not intended to attend. After all, there were a great many other matters to settle, now that Cinder Fall and her associates had been apprehended.

Near the top of the list was finally addressing the matter of Penny and Ciel, and their flaunting of his orders. Following Penny's disgraceful defeat to the boy standing in the ring right now, Ironwood had received reports of odd, borderline insubordinate behavior on the part of the pair, including allegations that they might have been meeting with Yu's students against his orders again. However, Ironwood had been distracted by the logistics of organizing the arrest of Cinder Fall's ring, and dealing with the resulting aftermath. He would have made a point of doing something this very day, had he not received a message from Ozpin, advising him to attend the tournament finals in person.

When Ruby and Ayumu had produced their weapons, he'd lurched to his feet, stepping forward almost to the extent of pressing his face up against the glass, his eyes wide.

"Ozpin! What is this?" he growled furiously, despite knowing that Ozpin couldn't hear him at the moment.

Ironwood's mind was catapulted to that day, beneath the Academy, down in the vaults. There, Ayumu had seemingly pulled his sword from nowhere to stop Ironwood from attacking Ruby. At the time, Ironwood had simply thought the weapon cunningly concealed. But now, he realized that the boy had simply been disguising the fact that he could produce his weapon at will.

 _This changes everything!_ thought Ironwood. _These two-No!-all three of Yu's students are perpetual security risks. There's no telling whether or not they are unarmed. If they can produce their weapons like this, they could bring them anywhere! This is unacceptable!_

But then the question became "Why?" With an ability like that, they could infiltrate just about any place in the world and present and overwhelming threat, no matter how thoroughly they were searched. That being the case, it was the kind of trump card that they should have kept completely hidden. Why reveal it now, on such a public stage?

"What are they planning?" wondered Ironwood, already thinking that he would not like the answer to that question.

* * *

"M-m-m-my word," stuttered Oobleck, adjusting his glasses, which had been knocked askew by his startled lurch at the sight of Ruby and Ayumu pulling their weapons out of thin air. "This is..."

"It's incredible!" boomed Port. In his excitement, he hadn't remembered to hold down the talk button on his microphone, not realizing that no one in the audience could hear him at the moment.

"It is remarkable," agreed Oobleck, choosing not to use his microphone at the moment, instead addressing his colleague directly. "But what do we do about this? This situation is unprecedented."

A faint hiss of static came from the intercom speaker in the commentator booth. "Please begin the match as planned, gentlemen," directed Ozpin.

"Professor, what is the meaning of this?" asked Oobleck. "Are you saying that we not address this?"

"Not at all," replied Ozpin. "Worry not. I have arranged for a special commentator to join you, and help provide understanding for what has just happened. He should be arriving momentarily. In the meantime, the match is still paramount, so if you would provide the starting signal. Our finalists are waiting quite patiently."

Indeed, neither Ayumu nor Ruby had moved from their starting positions, both of them standing at the ready, prepared to begin their match at any second.

"Um...Very well," said Oobleck, once again adjusting his glasses, then speaking into the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, while this is indeed an unexpected development, I have been informed that it will be explained momentarily. In the meantime, the match shall proceed as planned.

"Combatants ready..."

Down in the ring, Ruby and Ayumu remained where they were, neither so much as twitching, behaving as though their entire world was nothing more than what was encompassed by the metal octagon upon which they stood.

"...Three...two...one...Begin!" shouted Oobleck.

* * *

Ruby and Ayumu blurred, coming together in a clash of green against red. Their weapons seemed less like physical objects, and more like streaks of light, coming together with an echoing clang that snapped the audience out of their confusion, everyone focusing their attention on the ring once more, as the pair in front of them shifted into top gear from the very beginning.

Ruby struck first, naturally. However good Ayumu might have been, Ruby would always have the edge in speed over him. A single burst of petals scattered from her foot as she stepped off with a precise application of her Semblance, her body becoming a blur to cover the distance between them.

Surprisingly, rather than wait for her, Ayumu moved forward as well, trying to throw off Ruby's sense of distance, and catch her before she could get off her swing. Against the reach of her scythe, Ayumu's best bet was to get as close as he could, in order to turn her weapon's own length against her. Unlike Sun, Ruby could not freely control the length of her weapon, so her effective fighting distance was limited.

However, Ayumu's tactic failed. Ruby had already anticipated his own charge and swung early, aided by a burst of petals from her weapon's wing, forcing Ayumu to raise his sword in a parry. Against the superior weight and heft of her weapon, outright blocking wasn't a good strategy for him. Angling it over his head, while planting the palm of his left hand against the flat of the blade, Ayumu caught Shining Rose's blade almost at the tip, so that the line of Ruby's swing skipped up the length of the Green Destiny, and above Ayumu, who followed through by stepping forward, trying to get the rest of the way inside Ruby's range.

Except that Ruby wasn't caught unprepared by his defense. When her scythe's blade skipped past Ayumu's pary, Ruby immediately activated her Semblance again, this time firing it from the wing on the back of Shining Rose's head, allowing her to give her scythe a rapid burst of acceleration, while whipping it around behind her body, then back around in a full circle, this time swinging in on a lower trajectory, aiming right for Ayumu's waist, an angle that would make it hard for him to deflect her next swing.

But her blade cut through empty space instead. Ayumu took to the air, gracefully hopping up, and diving forward, lunging in with Green Destiny leading the way in a thrust, aimed directly for Ruby's chest. His movement had taken him into Ruby's space at the same time as he had evaded her attack. With that timing, his blow should have landed before she could adjust and defend. But Ruby countered with another brilliantly refined application of her Semblance, another light burst from the tip of her front foot causing her to flicker backwards with such speed that Ayumu thought he'd hit her for a second, before realizing that it was only her afterimage.

With his forward momentum, Ayumu would easily be able to continue forward and reach Ruby, considering how little she had backed away. But the brief delay afforded by her retreat had given her the time she'd needed, using the leftover momentum of her swing, altering the trajectory to bring Shining Rose into a spin directly in front of her, allowing her to bring the shaft across to intercept the Green Destiny's tip, knocking Ayumu's thrust aside. The impact actually bounced Ayumu upright, while killing the remainder of his forward momentum.

Not slowing or faltering for a second, Ruby swerved her scythe's movement once again, bringing it down and back around so that it was swinging towards Ayumu once more. But Ayumu was now close enough that he was well inside the reach of the blade. If Ruby swung as normal, she would simply bat him with the shaft.

But then Ruby did something different, turning her body she lashed out with a side-kick, aiming right for Ayumu's stomach. Ayumu interposed his hand between himself and Ruby's incoming boot, releasing a burst of Aura from his palm to dissipate the impact of her kick. The flash of green met a flash of red, and another scattering of petals, resulting from Ruby triggering her Semblance again. This time, the affect was twofold. With his lightened body, Ayumu was knocked backwards, despite blocking, while Ruby's use of her Semblance propelled herself away from him.

In the same movement as her kick, she'd turned her torso so that she pulled the shaft of her scythe straight back towards herself. It was an attack that took advantage of the unique shape of Ruby's scythe. With her current position, along with her and Ayumu's respective trajectories, Ayumu was now in danger of being cut down from directly behind.

Despite this, Ayumu didn't falter, instead kicking down with his foot, propelling his body up into the air, arcing his back to pull his legs all the way up and out of the path of Ruby's slash, barely managing to avoid her. Going through the flip, Ayumu angled his body so that he was inverted in the air, with his head and torso pointing down towards Ruby, before kicking out behind him, launching himself off the air, and flying at Ruby. In the same instant, Ruby's body blurred as she stepped sharply to the side, closing with Ayumu from an offset angle, her scythe whirling. Ayumu spun his own body to intercept, their blades coming together once more.

In the stands, the atmosphere of confusion was dissipating, being replaced with excitement as the two fighters put on a brilliant display in the ring. Questions about the strangeness that their weapons exhibited still swirled, but now the members of the audience were more excited, and concerned with how that affected the match, speculating about what their weapons could do.

* * *

Up in the commentators' booth, Oobleck and Port had already given up trying to keep pace with the flow of events in the ring. Ruby and Ayumu's opening clash was happening at such a rapid pace that it was all but impossible to properly commentate on their movements, before they had already shifted to another startling display, which left the two professors with very little they could talk about.

That changed when the door to the booth slid open to reveal a familiar boy with silver hair and amber eyes.

"Ah ha!" declared Oobleck, excited now that he was finally able to have something to talk about once more. "We are now joined in the booth by Gin Ueno, of Team RUBY, here to enlighten us on the unique nature of the weapons being used by Ruby Rose and Ayumu Ao." He paused, turning away from the microphone to look at Gin again. "That _is_ why you are here, right?"

"Right," said Gin, the right side of his mouth twitching up in a lopsided smirk.

Port and Oobleck scooted aside to allow Gin to sit between them.

"So then, please enlighten us," said Port. "Just where did Ruby and Ayumu obtain their weapons?"

"Well, if you're talking about it in technical terms, then they're both _still_ unarmed," said Gin, speaking into the microphone the way Oobleck had indicated. "What they are currently wielding are constructs, created from their own Aura."

Even within the insulated confines of the commentators' booth, the change in atmosphere was palpable, confusion and shock being replaced with even more shock.

"Wait! That's possible!" exclaimed Oobleck. "But those weapons are-"

"Physical objects," confirmed Gin. "The potential of Aura is far beyond what most people realize. Huntsmen and Huntresses already use it to fight the Grimm by channeling it through more mundane weapons. Ayumu and Ruby have obtained the skill to...cut out the middleman...as it were. This is a technique known as materialization, the transformation of one's Aura into physical matter."

"This is unprecedented!" exclaimed Oobleck. "What you're saying completely turns the logic of the world on its head!"

"It's true," said Gin. "What's more, because these weapons are born from one's Aura, they aren't beholden to the same rules as more mundane matter. Materialization allows for the creation of substances that can do things no ordinary material, no matter how advanced, can. For example, you've probably noticed how thin and sharp Ayumu's sword is."

"Most definitely," said Port.

"Despite how thin and supple Ayumu's sword is, it has proven, to date, to be unbreakable," explained Gin. "We have yet to experience any force that can actually damage his sword. The same is true for Ruby's scythe. As long as they have Aura, their weapons are all but indestructible. And that's only scratching the surface of their potential, which I think you'll get a chance to see as this match progresses."

"How so?" asked Oobleck.

"Materialization is an advancement on another skill, known as manifestation," said Gin. "That skill is much simpler to explain, as it's simply working your Aura into a shape capable of affecting the physical world. Materialization is manifestation carried out to the extreme, you could say. Because of that, by combining different aspects of those two skills, an endless variety of things become possible."

* * *

Ayumu and Ruby's weapons were blurs, practically streaks of light, the trails of Aura they left in their wakes more visible than the weapons themselves. At the same time, the pair were also blurs, moving constantly, shifting position and orientation, moving and circling, darting from one spot on the ring to another, before blurring off to another position. Their movement wasn't merely in two dimensions, the pair often shooting up or down at a moment's notice.

Of the two, Ruby was definitely the faster. Her Semblance, refined through her continuous training under Yu, allowed her to circle constantly, shifting from one point to another, bombarding Ayumu with attacks from all directions, while zipping away to escape his counters. She had the advantage in both speed and heft, her weapon being heavier and stronger than Ayumu's light blade, along with the build to wield it. Given the nature of their weapons, Ruby didn't have to worry about cutting through Ayumu's sword or vice-versa (although she didn't need to worry about that anyway). Of the two, she was definitely the one moving the most, while Ayumu did his best to keep up.

But Ayumu's best was _more_ than up to the task. Even though he was physically slower than her, Ayumu was better at reading ahead, his _Shingan_ more refined. Through all her dodges and darting, he tracked her almost effortlessly. More often than not, Ruby moved to attack, only to find Ayumu's sword already positioned to parry, before countering with a riposte that forced her to defend or evade. Each counter was dangerous, as it threatened to break Ruby's rhythm, and open her up to attack. While Ayumu was slower than her, he was fast enough that the slightest faltering or delay in Ruby's movements would present him with an opportunity to take control of the match. The result was that, to the eyes of almost everybody watching, the two were nearly equal in speed, their movements blurred to such a degree that no one but a skilled and detailed observer could deduce the differences in their respective abilities.

It was a dangerous position for Ruby to be in. Not only was she flirting with disaster, but she was also expending more energy than her opponent. Her movement was far more continuous and frenetic. In contrast, Ayumu's movements were smooth and graceful. When Ruby moved around him, he turned in place. He acted with the minimum expenditure of energy, never meeting power with power, if he could avoid it. The result was that Ruby was burning through her stamina faster. If this match dragged on, then Ayumu was sure to win, simply by virtue of attrition.

Neither of them paid any attention to the commentary. They'd both noted the unexpected presence of Gin's voice in the back of their heads. But otherwise, the entirety of their focus was on each other.

Despite the difficulties she was encountering, Ruby couldn't help it as her lips pulled up in an excited smile. Her blood was humming through her veins. She could feel Ayumu's presence so vividly, the entirety of his being. In this state, she felt closer to him than she ever had before, and that filled her with excitement and satisfaction. Even though Ayumu's smile was as composed as always, she could feel his own excitement through his Aura, every time their weapons clashed. In some ways, she felt as though they were talking, having an intense conversation with one another. If fighting seriously with Ayumu made her feel like this, then it was a shame they'd never done this before.

* * *

Ciel and Penny were thunderstruck by the revelation. "You m-mean...they _made_ those weapons from their Auras?" asked Ciel, trying to process what she'd just heard.

"Yep," said Yang. "Pretty awesome, isn't it?"

"It's sensational!" exclaimed Penny, throwing her arms in the air. "Can I learn how to do it?"

Yang grinned, then glanced at her friends. "I think Ruby or Ayumu would be happy to help you," she said.

"Yeah," agreed Blake.

"But why would they?" asked Ciel. "This ability gives them an incredible advantage. It's allowed them to dominate the entire tournament."

"Hardly," said Blake. "Yes, their weapons are powerful. But they've come this far because it's about more than just weapons."

As if on cue, Port's voice came on over the speakers. " _Are we to assume then that this ability has given them a serious edge over the competition in this tournament?_ "

" _Not quite,_ " said Gin. " _It's true that materialized weapons are capable of some amazing things, especially Ruby's. But being able to make a weapon doesn't immediately translate to knowing how to wield it. They've both trained extensively with their respective weapon-arts in order to utilize their weapons to the fullest. It's true that many of their skills are offshoots of the arts that created those weapons in the first place, but those skills had to be developed, learned, and mastered in the same way that fighters master everything else._ "

"What he said," said Jaune.

"As for _why_ they would help people learn this," said Ren, "they've been planning to do that since the beginning, before this tournament even began."

"What do you mean?" asked Penny.

"If you think about it, why would they go through the trouble of revealing that they can create their weapons like this?" asked Blake.

"They went through the trouble of showing people, and even having Gin explain how," said Ren. _Though Gin's commentary wasn't part of the original plan,_ he thought silently. "That's because they've always intended to share how this was done with everybody, and help anyone who wants to learn these skills."

"But why?" asked Ciel, reiterating her original question. "Why do this?"

"Well..." said Yang.

Then the commentary butted in, supplementing their conversation once more.

" _This is truly a remarkable development,_ " declared Oobleck, apparently thinking the same thing as Ciel. " _But why put it on display like this?_ "

" _Because there's an important factor of this fight,_ " said Gin. " _The skills of manifestation and materialization are important. But what's_ more _important to Ruby and Ayumu is what they're_ not _doing in the ring, or rather...what they're not_ using _._ "

" _And what is that?_ " asked Port.

" _Neither of them is using Dust,_ " said Gin frankly.

" _WHAAAAAAAAAT!?_ " Oobleck's voice boomed through the air, his exclamation finding an echo in countless voices throughout the crowd.

" _Neither of them is using a single speck of Dust,_ " continued Gin. " _The blade of Ruby's scythe is a manifestation of her Aura. When she uses it as a rifle, what she's shooting is a bullet made from her Aura. Ayumu blends his Aura with the air around him, allowing him to use it in attacks, or in conjunction with his Semblance to maneuver. He can't use wind for powerful attacks, the way a Dustweaver might use wind-Dust, but by combining it with his fighting style, it's singularly effective for him._ "

Ciel's jaw dropped. " _That's_ it!" she exclaimed. " _That's_ what this is about!"

"Yep," said Nora cheerfully.

"They're showing what a Huntsman or Huntress could potentially be capable of _without_ Dust," said Ren.

Ciel frowned, her mind going back to the dossiers she'd studied. Ayumu's had been among them. Unlike Gin, Ayumu's history was well-documented, up to a certain point. He was the son of a pair of Dust miners, working at an SDC quarry. From what it had said, Ayumu had inherited his parents' debt to the company, after their deaths in a mining accident. He had apparently suffered an injury in the mines as well, before fleeing the mining town, disappearing until he'd reappeared as a student of Yu Yuen. Ayumu was officially wanted for defaulting on his debt to the Schnee Dust Company.

Given her position and duties, Ciel had spared little thought for the treatment of the SDC's workers, particularly the faunus ones. That had been something outside her consideration. However, it was common knowledge that the Schnees' near-monopoly on the single most-important resource in the world allowed them to get away with things that any other company in Remnant never could, including exploitative labor practices that would get less-influential companies shut down, and their executives hit with prison terms.

With that general knowledge, Ciel was able to realize what Ayumu and Ruby were going for. They were striking out at the SDC, not by attacking the company directly, but by attacking the importance of _Dust itself_. This fight was essentially a statement that, if they could do this much with their Auras alone, then Dust wasn't so unquestionably critical to the world that the Schnees could be allowed to get away with what they did.

Just the thought made Ciel's stomach churn uneasily. General Ironwood, for all that he'd shown himself to be vindictive and petty, was still a man of principle, when all was said and done. He believed in his duty to protect the people of Remnant wholeheartedly, even if the methods he endorsed were beyond questionable. But Ruby and Ayumu (and, by extension, their entire circle of friends) had now picked a fight with a far more dangerous man, someone infinitely more petty and vindictive than Ironwood, someone without Ironwood's principles and sense of duty.

Despite having never met the man in person, Ciel knew plenty about Jacques Schnee. The man was a consummate businessman, someone who dedicated himself to growing his corporation, his every action directed towards that end. And now, Ruby and Ayumu were attacking the most important thing to a man like that...his profits. Ciel's fingers clenched against the arms of her seat, until her knuckles turned white.

She'd thought Ironwood had been frightening, in his wrath. But she'd underestimated her new friends. _They_ were terrifying in their own way. What little she'd heard about the "war" they'd been involved with was bad enough. But now they were picking a fight with someone, whose threat Ciel could understand all too clearly. It seemed that they were all too happy to pick battles against foes wielding incredible power and influence, and with nary a second thought, from what she could see.

 _What have I gotten myself into?_ she wondered.

* * *

Qrow was glad that Winter had been with him, when they watched the match begin on the infirmary's projector. The look on her face when Ruby and Ayumu had pulled their weapons out of thin air had been priceless. He'd never seen his Ice Queen gape so unashamedly. Just the sight of her unhinged jaw was enough to send him into gales of laughter that made his ribs ache fiercely. Despite that, he couldn't stop laughing for the better part of a minute, while Winter simply stared on, ignoring him.

Then the commentary had begun, with Gin explaining the nature of Ayumu and Ruby's weapons. When he'd gotten to the part about them not needing Dust, Winter had all but keeled over in shock, prompting another wave of laughter from Qrow.

"Damn, you're a riot, Winter," he said, once he recovered. "I never thought _anyone_ could knock you for a loop the way those two did."

Winter whipped her head around to throw a glare at Qrow. "Don't you realize what they've just done? This is a direct attack on Father, on the company! They've just as well announced that they intend to devalue Dust, and wreck the SDC's profits."

"I wouldn't go that far," said Qrow, calming down a little, having to sacrifice some of what little dignity he had by shifting his head to wipe the tears of mirth on his cheeks off on the shoulders of his hosptial gown. "Yeah, if Huntsmen and Huntresses start picking up this trick in numbers, you can bet Dust consumption is gonna take a hit. But it's hardly gonna erase the stuff's importance. Dust is still the centerpiece of civilization right now. Almost all our technology runs on it after all. With that, there's no way that the market for Dust is gonna be in any danger of disappearing."

Winter frowned. "But it's Huntsmen and Huntresses who are the most visible demonstrators of Dust's power. It's their use of it that makes it known as Nature's Wrath. If the idea of not needing to rely on Dust becomes prominent among Huntsmen, then..."

"Then maybe the Kingdoms will stop being so willing to kowtow to Jacques' every whim," growled Qrow. "It might even make them consider other options, even amongst mundane things. It means that they can start taking a harder look at the way Jacques runs his business...and how he uses his people."

"Yes," said Winter. "My problem with that is…they've just made an enemy of Father…and he is _far_ more dangerous than most people realize, even knowing that he's the head of the most powerful corporation on Remnant. Those children have virtually no idea what they've gotten themselves into."

"They've got a pretty good one," said Qrow. "Yeah, they're in for a serious fight. I've got no doubt your old man is gonna throw the book at 'em, first chance he gets. They've picked a tough battle for sure, but…it's a fight that's gotta be fought. Jacques' crap is making him and the SDC into a walking White Fang recruitment tool. He's the perfect enemy for the faunus to unite against.

"But now…things'll be different. These kids, they're showing people, including faunus, a whole _different_ way to fight. This is a way that people can stand up to the SDC that doesn't rely on illegal activities. Even if it doesn't amount to a huge change, it's still something that people will see, that will make them question."

"Yes," said Winter. "But only if Father allows this to go on. I hope those children can handle the storm that they've just brought onto their doorstep."

"Heh," snorted Qrow. _Compared to who they were fighting before, Jacques is a pushover._

Winter bit the inside of her lip, wondering just what was about to unfold. She glued her eyes to the screen, watching the match with baited breath, hanging on to every word of the commentary. A stray thought occurred to her, as she remembered her brother, who had taken quite the fancy to Ruby. She found herself wondering how Whitley was taking this revelation.

* * *

"My my…" mused Whitley with a chuckle. _You never fail to surprise me, Ruby. It makes me almost glad we didn't work out. I still can't help but like you, but I dodged quite the bullet, it would seem. Father would have been upset if we had wound up courting. But he would be_ livid _,_ _if you then went on to do this…On second thought, he probably is livid anyway._

He certainly found it interesting. He and Ruby had talked about what it would take to change the SDC, to make it a better employer for people, particularly faunus, to work for. But, of all the potential forms of activism he had imagined people taking, with regard to the company, he'd never envisioned someone willing, much less able, to attack the value of the SDC's chief product itself. It was an impressive gambit, one that stood a good chance of having an effect…in the long term, at least.

But, in the short term, Whitley could see this revelation being something of a double-edged sword. His mind turned to the various countermeasures Jacques might use to offset the damage a revelation of this nature could potentially cause. Unfortunately, it meant that things were likely to get worse, before they got better.

 _Father will most likely go into full damage-control mode,_ thought Whitley, frowning. _A revelation of this kind will incite the anxieties of our investors and shareholders, which could lead to damage in the value of our stock. Most likely, Father would start considering further cost-saving measures, which would result in even more exploitative practices regarding our labor. But just the act of proposing such measures could heighten anxiety even more, as it would mean that Father regards this as a credible threat to the company._

 _What that ultimately means is that Father's most likely recourse will be to make this problem disappear…by whatever means necessary. I hope you're prepared for this, Ruby. There's only so much help I can give you on the path you've chosen._

Whitley's lips pressed together more tightly. He realized that this situation could have severe consequences for himself as well. He might well be asked to publicly denounce Ruby, and renounce their friendship, over this. He didn't want to, but defiance on something like this would severely strain his Father's willingness to put up with Whitley's choices as the only remaining heir to the SDC.

While Whitley appreciated what Ruby was doing, and wanted to support her ultimate goal of making things better for the faunus stuck beneath his father's thumb, expressing that support publicly might mean the end of him as the SDC's heir, and Whitley still believed that the best course was to assume control of the company himself. He had to think carefully about whether or not supporting Ruby was a risk he could afford to take.

However, as severe as the situation was, Whitley couldn't stop his lips from quirking up in a smile. If nothing else, he could admire the canniness of Ruby's strategy, and her willingness to use such a massive stage as the Vytal Festival Tournament as a means to strike back at the SDC. _She must have had this plan in mind well before she met me,_ he thought. _Perhaps her commitment to Ueno was not the_ only _reason she had reservations about a relationship with me._

He chuckled, and resolved to relax and enjoy the match. The context regardless, Ruby and Ayumu were putting on a spectacular display down below, a demonstration of skill and ability that was as enthralling as the revelation of the mechanics behind it was shocking. One way or another, both now and in the future, Whitley knew he was in for one heck of a show.

His smile widened as another stray thought occurred to him. _I wonder how Weiss is processing this._

* * *

Roman glanced sidelong at Weiss, taking in her reaction to everything that had just been revealed about the final round of the tournament. In the earlier days of their association, he would have taken more than a little amusement at the flabbergasted look on Weiss' face. She stared at the screen, eyes practically threatening to bulge out of their sockets, her mouth opening and closing silently, like a fish's. _Yeah…it's still pretty funny._

As usual, Weiss had once again been permitted to watch the final rounds of the tournament, and Roman had been permitted to watch with her. They sat together in the lounge, observing the stages of the finals on that flickering holoscreen. In many ways, it was a routine that had become quite comfortable for both of them.

In fact, it had become even more comfortable since the weekend. Weiss was more…relaxed, as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. There was a smile on her face, when she watched Ruby triumph in the ring. No longer did she wear that conflicted look of a girl wrestling with whether or not she hated the one who'd landed her in this prison. Indeed, there had been moments where Weiss had outright jumped and cheered. And, as much as Roman was inclined to tease her for the shift in her attitude and behavior, he instead found himself more taken with the sight of her smiling so freely.

After all, it was a really good look for her, if he did say so himself.

There had been dark moments too, though. Weiss had been on the edge of her seat, when Liu Bai had revealed his intention to kill Ruby in the ring, going even more pale than her usual complexion. That was understandable, considering that she was probably getting a sense of deja vu from the affair, although she was watching from the outside this time. She'd shot to her feet with a scream, when Mercury had launched his attack on Ruby, after she bested him in the semifinal round.

And now…Weiss was stunned into silence by the earth-shattering revelation of the nature of Ruby's weapon. Her mind was struggling to process all the myriad implications of what she'd just learned. However, her thoughts were primarily dominated by the realization of _what_ she'd been up against all those months ago…the day Ruby had come back, seemingly out of nowhere, then bested both her and Pyrrha as though they were untrained novices.

 _"_ _This is Shining Rose,"_ Ruby had said. _"After I laid Crescent Rose to rest, I forged her with all my heart to embody my will as a Huntress."_

When she'd heard that, Weiss had assumed that Ruby was being hyperbolic. Considering the nature of Shining Rose's energy blade, Weiss assumed that Ruby had, somehow, gotten her hands on incredibly advanced and restricted (not to mention expensive) technology. _Now_ she realized that Ruby had meant what she said...in the most literal manner possible.

On top of that, Weiss retained enough awareness to catch Gin's explanation of the nature of the material that could be created through materialization. Thinking about that brought about another realization. _So that's-_

* * *

 _-how she did it,_ thought Pyrrha, her eyes narrowing dangerously. That had always been the greatest mystery about her fight against Ruby, the one unknown variable that had thwarted all Pyrrha's reasoning for how she and Weiss could have been defeated by Ruby.

No matter how hard she'd trained, no matter how much she refined her technique, Ruby shouldn't have been able to defeat Weiss and Pyrrha at once, mainly because Pyrrha had her trump card...her Semblance. Regardless of Ruby's skill, Pyrrha could have made it not matter in the slightest, using her Polarity to control Ruby's scythe, hobbling her both offensively and defensively, if Pyrrha didn't just try doing the same thing she had done to Crescent Rose, and shredded it to pieces on the spot. But, for some reason, Pyrrha's Semblance had sloughed off Shining Rose like water from a stone, her power finding no purchase of the scythe's metal body.

But now it was apparent why. If Ruby could determine the nature of the material that made up her weapon, then she could choose to create a metal that could not be affected by Pyrrha's Semblance. It was the perfect counter, the ultimate cheat. And Pyrrha would have been livid…had she not been busy admiring the brilliance of a technique that could allow one to create matter from their own Aura.

"I must say," said Watts, completely unaware of Pyrrha's thoughts, "this is a truly unexpected development. I wish I could say that this is beneficial to us."

"Could it be?" asked Pyrrha.

"Quite possibly," said Watts. "After all, Ms. Rose and Mr. Ao are essentially picking a fight with the Schnee Dust Company itself. They are attacking the importance of the single most-valuable commodity in the world, questioning decades of longstanding belief, challenging the status quo in a manner thought all but impossible. That is bound to create a disturbance, and a significant one."

"But you don't think it will work for us?" noted Pyrrha.

"No," said Watts, shaking his head slowly. "We didn't see this coming at all. If we had, I am sure that we could have found a way to capitalize on it, and turn it to our advantage. Instead, we wound up creating the ideal stage for those two to make their statement.

"There will be turmoil, to be sure. But there will mostly be _debate_. People will talk…and think. Sadly, it is to our greatest advantage when the masses _forget_ to think, and react blindly. But we unwittingly destroyed the opportunity to induce that for ourselves. It's possible that outside circumstances might give us a hand in that regard, particularly considering how Mr. Schnee is likely to react. But that is up in the air at the moment."

He chuckled. "For now, I suppose I can simply sit back, content, and admire a hand well-played."

Pyrrha turned her eyes back to the screen, a similar feeling settling within her. _Well-played indeed._ She knew she'd been right to maintain a healthy respect for the new Ruby, to not assume that victory would be hers, just because she'd gotten herself back up to fighting trim. She needed a trump card of her own, something that she could use to ensure her advantage over Ruby, the next time they crossed blades.

 _And I know just the thing,_ thought Pyrrha. _After all, it's not as though Cinder has done anything worthwhile with it._

* * *

Ayumu and Ruby's clash continued to increase in intensity, their weapons moving almost independently, as though they were alive in their own right. At the moment, Ayumu seemed content to play things safely, allowing Ruby to play herself out against his airtight defense. The smaller size of his sword meant he could maneuver it more quickly and precisely, allowing him to defend himself with a minimal expenditure of energy, compared to Ruby's blistering offense.

Abruptly, Ayumu sensed a shift in Ruby's Aura, right as she began another series of slashes with Shining Rose. To his perception, it was almost as though the scythe had abruptly cloned itself, but insubstantially, the extras barely registering to his senses at all. They spread out around him on multiple paths, converging from different directions. Then, right as they closed in, Ayumu felt their Aura concentrate and condense together, right at the edge of the phantom scythes' blades, manifesting them.

Three crimson crescents appeared in the air around Ayumu, slashing at him with the same speed as Ruby's actual weapon. Ayumu quickly executed a swift, acrobatic series of flips and spins, barely managing to escape them, making him the first person to actually do so, something that was only possible because Ayumu had already sensed the beginning of the attack, barely managing to realize what it was in time. As it was, he felt one of the edges shave off a few threads from his hakama, while another one clipped a few hairs from his bangs, when he twisted over backwards to slip between the different attacks.

Even as he spun about in the air, Ayumu suddenly felt the blade of Shining Rose itself at his back, his twisting evasion having carried him directly into the path of Ruby's real attack. It was then that he realized that having the _Shingan_ had not given him the advantage he might have assumed. As she was aware of his _Shingan,_ Ruby had assumed that Ayumu would sense her attack coming, and then dodge. So she'd deliberately used the course of her attacks to guide his path of escape right into the swing of her scythe.

Out of position, Ayumu desperately flicked his foot, barely managing to push off the air to turn slightly. It allowed him to interpose his sword between himself and the incoming slash. His left hand hand was out of position to reach the flat of his blade, so he wasn't in a position to rebound the slash. At the same time, the way he'd been expertly maneuvered into this position had left him with no means to utilize the timing needed to rebound her attack. And, even if he could, Ruby would have used her Semblance to abruptly accelerate her swing, and throw off his timing anyway. Still, at the very least, Ayumu could block with his sword, which would prevent him from being cut, even if it resulted in him being thrown across the ring.

Then the blade of Ruby's scythe vanished. Ayumu's eyes widened. Ruby continued her weapon's swing past the point where the blade would have struck Ayumu's sword, before it flared back into being on the other side, cutting into Ayumu's Aura uninhibited. With a yell of surprise and pain, Ayumu was blown backwards across the ring, slamming his shoulder hard against the surface, before sliding to a stop.

Almost no one else had seen it. The attack sequence had been so fast that, to the audience, there had been nothing more than a slight flicker in the light of Ruby's blade, before her swing seemed to simply phase through Ayumu's sword and strike home. Massive portions of the audience surged to their feet, yelling with excitement, cheering with all their hearts. Whatever emotions elicited by the revelations of the fighters' weapons, no one could contest that this was a battle worthy of the Vytal Festival Tournament's final round.

Up above, Ayumu's Aura meter, displayed on the massive, floating screens, dropped by more than half. Another hit like that, and Ayumu would be out of the match. Just like that, the balance suddenly tilted Ruby's way...or so it seemed.

Ruby abruptly staggered with a pained gasp, her right hand letting go of Shining Rose to go to her chest. In the instant her attack had landed, there had been a flash of green crossing her own torso, cutting into her Aura, and shaving away nearly a quarter of it.

Ayumu had had another option besides defense, when facing Ruby's strike. He could have chosen to abandon defense altogether, and lashed out with a slash to cut Ruby before he was blown away by her scythe. Ayumu hadn't needed to think consciously about it. His training had shown him the potential options, and Ayumu had responded automatically...choosing to do _both_ , visualizing the path of his attack, then manifesting the edge of his sword right at the instant he landed it...the very technique Ruby had just used, the one _she_ had _created_.

Planting the butt of Shining Rose, Ruby kept herself upright, watching as Ayumu got to his feet. "You sneak," she said, wearing a teasing grin.

Ayumu beamed back. "In battle, any tactic is valid...including plagiarism. If it works, it doesn't matter _who_ came up with it."

Ruby laughed, then took up her scythe again. "I'm amazed you could make it work," she said.

Ayumu's smile took on a shy quality, and he averted his gaze slightly, lifting his left hand to scratch his head. "Well, even if I don't have your talent, I have been training at this for longer than you have. I've always had the means to do what you do." His smile took on a radiant quality. "I just needed you to show me it could be done." He slid into a ready stance, extending Green Destiny ahead of him. "Tread carefully, Ruby. My sword attacks in a closer space than your scythe, which leaves less of an interval to respond to. I hope you can think small enough."

Ruby spun her scythe in a flourish, before settling into an attacking stance once again. "We'll see," she said. "You might be my senior under Master Yu. But, when it comes to that technique, I'm _your_ senior."

"True enough," agreed Ayumu.

The two of them bent their legs, then pushed off, hurtling towards each other once again.

* * *

 **This was a lot of fun to write, particularly the different reaction shots. It gets a bit difficult to remember all the different tricks my characters can pull off, so I'm often left thinking, "Oh, maybe they should've done it this way." Right now, I think I have it down to the best way things could be going. It's certainly a blast to think about Ruby and Ayumu fighting each other seriously.**


	120. Chapter 120

**Chapter 120:**

" _Brilliant!_ Ruby manages to land a solid hit against Ayumu, possibly a decisive one!" declared Oobleck, his commentary returning to the match itself, now that the separation of the fighters had given him a lull to speak about it.

"He certainly doesn't have much Aura remaining," commented Port.

"Ayumu's durability has always been a bit of an issue," said Gin with a smirk. "All his previous fights have been thin lines he needed to tread. Against Penny, her landing a single hit against him would have likely ended the match then and there." He chuckled. "But he's not going to make it easy for Ruby."

That was when Ruby staggered.

"Wait! What happened?" asked Oobleck. "Ruby _also_ appears to have taken a solid hit, if the state of her Aura is any indication. But Ayumu was defending, not in a position to attack."

"If you rewind the footage, and slow it down, you might see it," said Gin.

While the two fighters rallied from the hits they'd taken, Oobleck and Port did exactly that, posting the replay of the exchange on the holoscreens above the arena for the entire audience to see. Slowing down the footage as much as they could, they managed to see what happened, a streak of green light slashing across Ruby's chest, right as her own slash landed. It also showed Shining Rose's blade disappearing for an instant, before reappearing to land Ruby's attack.

"What just happened?" asked Oobleck, looking to Gin for an explanation.

"I told you before that the combination of materialization and manifestation gives rise to any number of possibilities," Gin reminded him. "That's what we're seeing here. The technique that Ruby used right before this, which was the one she debuted in the doubles round, is based on that property. She visualizes the possible attack paths she can take from a given position, then manifests her Aura right as those conceptual attacks are about to land, manifesting just the edge of her blade. Even for skilled opponents, it's a nigh unreadable attack that is all but impossible to evade...unless you have training in those same basic skills."

"Which Ayumu does, I assume," said Port.

"That's right," said Gin. "Through their training with Aura, they've learned to sense the flow of Aura in their opponents, during battle. That, along with other things, allowed Ayumu to sense Ruby's attacks in their conceptual stage, and respond accordingly."

"But it appears that Ruby anticipated that," noted Oobleck.

"She did," said Gin. "What she _didn't_ anticipate was Ayumu being able to do the same thing. After all, he's learned the same requisite skills she has. She merely showed him how to put them together, in order to use the same technique she does."

"Remarkable!" said Oobleck excitedly.

"And what about what happened with Ruby's blade?" asked Port. "It almost seemed to pass through Ayumu's."

"The thing about Ruby's weapon is that, while the body is materialized, the blade is manifested," explained Gin. "It's a unique variation of the materialization she learned from Ayumu, which she created for her weapon. Because of that, she can adjust the shape and form of her scythe's blade on the fly, while maintaining its cohesion as a weapon. What she did was disengage the blade's manifestation mid-swing, then reactivated it as soon as her swing had passed through Ayumu's defense."

Port and Oobleck were quick to express their excitement at this revelation. Gin softly chuckled, thinking back to that night, feeling oh so long ago, back in Withywindle, when Ruby had used the same tactic with her manifested scythe against a White Fang soldier. _She's been capable of doing that all along,_ he thought. _But she didn't use it in any of her previous matches. Was she saving it for Ayumu, or was he the first person she felt the need to use it against?_

"Still, the combatants are remarkable, if they have the talent to envision so many attacks simultaneously," said Oobleck.

"Talent only plays a small part of it," said Gin. "The rest is training."

"How so?" asked Port.

"They can only visualize those different attacks because they've practiced them continuously," explained Gin. "That same training is what allows their muscle memory to take control, allowing them to wield their _actual_ weapons without faltering, even while their brains are otherwise occupied."

"So they've trained extensively then?" asked Oobleck.

"Very," said Gin. "Materializing a weapon isn't some shortcut to mastering it. Both Ruby and Ayumu trained extensively with their respective weapon-styles before they managed materialization, and have continued to refine their styles.

"Even if you're just using your own body, you still need training to be capable of fighting, because you're conditioning your body to utilize movements that it normally wouldn't execute. Weapons, even if they're born from your own soul, are no different. You still have to train to be able to use them. On top of that, Ruby and Ayumu have trained to leverage their unique capabilities, like their Semblances, as well as develop the skills to read the ebb and flow of battle, which they then had to combine all together to form a cohesive style. That only comes about through continuous training."

"That only makes it all the more spectacular!" declared Port.

Down below, Ruby and Ayumu rushed each other again.

* * *

Ayumu thrust out with Green Destiny, Ruby swinging her scythe to meet it directly. Her eyes widened as she sensed the branching of Ayumu's Aura, feeling him conceptualizing all the other attacks he could have made from his starting position. As they reached her, his Aura manifested along the edges of those imagined blades, resulting in green flashes of light in what almost seemed like a random arrangement around his thrusting sword.

Ruby bent her swing into a rapid spin, Shining Rose's shaft becoming a dark-red blur, ringed by the brighter red of its blade and wing. She caught most of the attacks, along with Ayumu's main thrust. But two of the phantom slashes managed to get through her defense, striking her right shoulder and opposite hip respectively. Ruby wasn't surprised. She'd angled her defense to get the most coverage possible. But there was no way to cover absolutely everything. As Ayumu had warned, the fact that he attacked from closer in meant that there was less lag from when he initiated those attacks to when they landed, leaving Ruby with even less time to respond.

Stepping forward, Ayumu attacked again. His blade seemed to branch off, several flashing lines of green Aura appearing in the air again. This time, all his attacks missed, as Ruby backpedaled, adding a burst of her Semblance through her foot, leaving his range of attack entirely. Falling back, Ruby leveled Shining Rose in Ayumu's direction, the shaft collapsing down, while the head folded down, the scythe blade and wing vanishing. The back of the head now extended straight ahead from the body of the oddly-shaped rifle that Ruby wielded with one hand, aiming squarely at Ayumu's chest .

Pulling the trigger, Ruby fired, her rifle discharging a bullet of manifested Aura with an explosive crack, a line of crimson light lancing out at Ayumu. But Ayumu had already seen Ruby's attack coming. Holding his sword across his chest, he braced the first two fingers of his left hand against the flat of the blade, near the tip. When Ruby's bullet struck Green Destiny's flat, there was a flash of Ayumu's green Aura against Ruby's red, then Ruby's bullet abruptly reversed direction, traveling right back along the path it had been fired.

It struck home right in the barrel of Ruby's rifle, the impact nearly tearing the weapon from Ruby's grip. As it was, her weapon and arm were wrenched upwards by the hit, leaving her body open.

Ayumu swiftly whipped his sword around in a tight, circular motion through the air in front of him. Swirls of green Aura condensed together, forming into semi-transparent, smaller facsimiles of the Green Destiny, minus the hilt and handle, which leapt out at Ruby in a spiraling flight, converging on her body from multiple angles.

With a yell of determination, Ruby forced her arm to overcome the momentum imparted by the impact of her own shot against her weapon. Shining Rose's shaft extended again, the head folding back out, the blade and wing both reigniting. Red petals burst out from the wing, reversing the direction of the scythe's movement so that it swung down once more. Angling her slash, Ruby cut down several of the spectral blades flying her way. But three of them flew in past the angle of her counter, two stabbing her in the torso, while the third slashed across her cheek.

Up above, the meter display Ruby's Aura dropped rapidly, Ayumu's attacks having nearly dropped it down halfway. Of the two of them, Ayumu still had less Aura remaining. But he had closed the gap considerably, in just a few seconds.

Because of the awkward manner of her swing, and the hits she'd just taken, Ruby faltered in getting back into position. In the meantime, Ayumu had already begun to advance, gliding forward in the wake of his attacks, sweeping Green Destiny up in a slash, aiming for the side of Ruby's stomach, slashing diagonally upward. At the same time, green lines of light flickered into being, tracking in from different angles around Ruby.

Despite how hard-pressed she was, Ruby's lips curled up in a smile. There was a relaxed look on her face, reminiscent of the serene smile Ayumu wore habitually. She was already spinning Shining Rose to deflect Green Destiny's slash. As before, there was no way she could catch all of the incoming attacks at once.

But then streaks of red light spun into being out of nothingness, meeting the incoming green of Ayumu's slashes, the green edges of manifested Aura shattering into scattered motes of green light. At the same time, more razor-edged crescents flickered into being around Ayumu, forcing him to contort himself, even as he flung himself into the air. His evasion wasn't perfect though, and he felt a line of pain etch its way across his back, before he flung himself clear, and out of Ruby's reach.

When he touched down, he took a second to regain his bearings. Ruby smirked at him. "I told you _I_ was _your_ senior, when it comes to this technique," she said.

Ayumu chuckled. "Well, there's no denying that," he admitted. He flicked Green Destiny, producing the sword's trademark ring, the blade almost sounding as excited as Ayumu felt.

The two of them surged forward once more, coming together with a ringing clash. Lines and bursts of red and green light exploded about them. Ayumu was like an acrobat, whirling through the air in flips and twists, sometimes seeming to merge with the air itself to slip between the red crescents of Ruby's slashes as they appeared. Straight lines of vivid green cleaved through the air, slashing at Ruby from every conceivable angle. They were intercepted by curling spirals of red that seemed to spin out of nowhere. All the while, Shining Rose swung and clashed against Green Desinty over and over again, while the two fighters were surrounded by a virtual maelstrom of green and red light.

It was an exchange, the likes of which had never been seen before in the Vytal Festival Tournament. Even as Ruby and Ayumu wielded their weapons against each other, they carved out something far more significant than victory or defeat. More than who won, history would remember what they had revealed this day, and the spectacular display they produced as a result, fighting the most important match in the history of the entire Vytal Festival.

* * *

Yu Yuen was once again perched atop Amity Coliseum's wall, his head tilted inwards towards the ring, his senses easily following every move the two fighters made. "Damn brats," he grumbled, his irritated tone clashing with the wide grin on his face. "If you boys weren't such bleeding hearts, you could've been doing this with Ruby from the very beginning. Think about how far you would have come if you'd been doing it for _that_ long." He huffed and sighed. "Still, at least they've picked the best stage to finally do things right. Though it would be better if they were trying to kill each other."

Ayumu and Ruby were only vaguely aware of it, but Yu could see it clearly. They were improving by leaps and bounds, refining their technique, developing their skills, even in the midst of their fight. Observing this filled Yu with a sense of nostalgia, and he yearned for the days when he had faced battles like this, where he'd been forced to reach out past his limits to overcome the obstacles and opponents before him. Those days were in the far-flung reaches of the past.

"Enjoy the struggle, brats," grumbled Yu. "I'm still waiting for the day you can make _me_ struggle like that. The more you push yourselves, the sooner it comes."

* * *

Ruby and Ayumu continued to clash, their bodies and weapons blurring together, the lights of their respective Auras becoming nothing more than a brilliant light-show to the audience, attack and defense becoming indistinguishable. Then Ayumu abruptly shot upwards out of the maelstrom, flying high into the air. Sweeping his sword through another wide, circular motion, he created several more phantasmal blades, which rained downwards towards Ruby, their flights spreading out to converge on her from different trajectories again.

This time, Ruby used the same defense she had against Ayumu's Aura blades. Flashes of red spiraled out of thin air around her, even as she spun Shining Rose, striking down each of the incoming blades. Not pausing her spin, Ruby whirled her scythe around so that she could stand upon the shaft, while the head folded down, so that the wing extended out. The wing split and grew, propelling Ruby up after Ayumu.

Ayumu met her with a slash, but Ruby defended by kicking up Shining Rose to intercept the blow. Two more green lines, the manifested edges of Ayumu's conceptual swords, appeared to either side of her, scissoring together. But the wings of Shining Rose beat swiftly, and Ruby blurred away in a flurry of petals. She was behind and above Ayumu in an instant, kicking her weapon back up into her hands, and swinging down with the extending scythe blade. Ayumu spun to intercept her attack, pressing the first two fingers of his left hand against the flat of the blade, near the tip, but another burst of Ruby's Semblance from the wing caused her swing to accelerate, which caused Ayumu to misjudge the timing he needed to execute his rebound-technique. The result was that Ruby's attack clanged harshly off the Green Destiny's blade.

The sword was nearly ripped from Ayumu's grip, and his body was knocked spinning through the air. Ruby spun Shining Rose down to plant her feet on the shaft again, its wings spreading, and rushed after Ayumu, trying to close the distance before he could recover. In a fraction of a second, she'd returned her scythe to her hands, the blade extending once more as she transitioned into a slash in a single, perfect movement.

Rather than try to stop his spin, Ayumu merely kicked out while continuing it, kicking off the air and using that to propel his whirling body over the line of Ruby's attack. At the same time, he swept Green Destiny around him, conjuring another barrage of spectral swords, which spread into the air, before circling in towards Ruby. Once again, Ruby called upon both her weapon and Aura to defend herself, batting away Ayumu's attack. But her defense gave Ayumu the time he needed to bring his spin back under control, allowing him to reverse his course and come at Ruby again. Once again, the green lines of his Aura flashed out at Ruby, forcing her to fend them off, even as she wielded Shining Rose to block Green Destiny's slashes.

More red crescents appeared around Ayumu, but he was able to kick off the air again to slip between them. The ultimate limitation of the technique Ruby had created was that the user was limited in just how many attacks they could conceptualize simultaneously. The difficulty was even greater for Ruby, who was attempting to use the technique offensively and defensively at the same time. Her attack and defense had separate timings to consider, which made it all the harder for her to use them effectively. Because of that, she couldn't use her attacks to fully limit Ayumu's movements.

She was at another disadvantage. In order to follow Ayumu into this aerial battle, she'd needed to use her weapon's flight capability, which required her to be mounted on the shaft of it, if she wanted to fly. If she wanted to attack, Ruby needed to return her weapon to her hands, which meant she remained airborne purely by virtue of her own momentum. She could use her Semblance for aerial maneuvers (indeed, that had been the basis for developing this technique in the first place), but not with the same ease and precision that Ayumu could use his.

In many ways, Ruby's aerial style had become like Reese's-the girl she and Blake had fought during the qualifiers-in that Shining Rose served both as vehicle and weapon. But, unlike Reese, the distinction between the two was far more dramatic for Ruby, as she had almost no way to attack while flying.

Even now, Ayumu was able to use his unique combination of Semblance and technique to flow through the air around her, continuously shifting the direction of his attacks. Ruby used brief bursts of her Semblance to jerk herself around and keep him from completely boxing her in. But her overall momentum had petered out, and she was beginning to fall back down towards the ring.

So she didn't fight the pull of gravity. Instead, Ruby cooperated and boosted it, firing a burst of Semblance from Shining Rose's wing to spin her body out of the way of one of Ayumu's slashes, then kicking upwards, firing her Semblance out through her feet to send her diving straight downwards. The sudden move carried her out of Ayumu's immediate reach, allowing her the time to position Shining Rose below her feet once more. However, instead of stopping her descent, she continued to accelerate it.

Ayumu pursued, kicking off the air, then dramatically increasing his weight with his Semblance, his body becoming a blue blur in pursuit of Ruby's red one. Ruby sensed this...and grinned. Executing a cartwheeling flip, she kept her feet balanced on Shining Rose's shaft, keeping its blade extended, rather than spreading its wings. Her move sent Shining Rose's blade plunging into the floor of the ring, bringing her to an abrupt stop.

In pursuit, Ayumu had been poised to attack Ruby, upon reaching her. But her abrupt stop, at least a full meter higher and a fraction of a second sooner, threw off his timing. His swing could still connect, but he saw Ruby's intent when she raised her empty hands up towards him.

Ruby caught Ayumu's descending slash by catching his right forearm. Rather than try to stop it, she instead guided the flow of his movement, turning aside Ayumu's strike, while using the power and speed behind his own attack to shift his entire body, flipping him around and throwing him to the floor with a loud clang that caused several of the members of the audience to wince sympathetically.

The breath exploded out from Ayumu's lungs, his smile momentarily vanishing in the pained gasp he released, his back arcing as he rebounded off the floor. Ruby bent forward, grabbing her weapon's shaft, while kicking off with her feet, going into a handstand that ultimately sent her flipping around, as though her scythe had become a gymnastics bar, curling her left leg in, while bringing the heel of her right boot down towards Ayumu's head in an acrobatic axe-kick.

Ayumu jerked his back, slapping his left hand, palm-down, against the ring. There was a flash of his green Aura, and he was launched away, barely escaping the descending arc of Ruby's foot. In the meantime, Ayumu flicked his right hand, releasing his grip on Green Destiny, sending the sword whirling up into the air. His launch had spun his body around so that he could whip his right arm around through a backhanded swing, snapping his wrist out to reveal two more of his spectral blades, protruding from between the curled fingers of his hand, which he flung at Ruby like throwing knives. Unlike the ones he had created earlier, these ones flew on straight paths, arrowing right towards Ruby's chest.

Firing her Semblance from her left foot, Ruby reversed her course, maintaining her hold on Shining Rose's shaft to swing up and around, the move carrying her out of the path of Ayumu's attack. Shining Rose's blade vanished, enabling her to free the scythe from where she'd planted it with ease, her momentum carrying her and the weapon up into the air, before she came back down. The blade reappeared as soon as she hefted it again. A burst of petals exploded out from beneath her feet, and Ruby launched herself at Ayumu once more. In the meantime, Ayumu landed back on his feet, his right hand extending up to catch Green Destiny, the sword's hilt thumping down gracefully into his palm, and he glided forward as well.

* * *

Ozpin chuckled, taking a sip from his mug, enjoying the match on the holoscreen in his office. The continuous image of the battle taking place was occasionally accompanied by a slow-motion replay of a particular exchange. Oobleck, Port, and Gin weren't so much as trying to keep pace with the moves as they were using the battle as a backdrop for Gin to explain the underlying principles behind the techniques the two fighters were using.

"Quite the display, don't you think?" he asked Glynda, who was staring at the screen, her jaw hanging slack.

"I knew their level was high," said Glynda, eyes wide. "But this...There are professional Huntsmen who aren't _near_ this skilled. If we could train all our students to this level..."

"That might be a little overly optimistic," said Ozpin with a sigh.

Glynda gave him a flat look. "It's not like you to be the pessimist."

"While the foundation of their training is solid," explained Ozpin, "we mustn't forget that the bulk of their monstrous growth comes from Yu's training. He takes risks with his students we could never allow, and is fully willing to allow them to die, if they fail to meet his challenges. Still, we can take advantage of their experience in a limited capacity, and use it to raise the standard of future Huntsmen and Huntresses by a substantial degree."

"The real question is how willing the other schools will be to go along with this," noted Glynda.

"Forging one's weapon is a time-honored tradition in Combat Schools," said Ozpin. "This simply changes the _nature_ of one's forging."

"Yes," said Glynda. "From what we know about this method, it requires a great deal of commitment. Unlike regular weapons, these materialized ones cannot be easily modified, so a student must consider their design very carefully. If they wind up creating something unsuited to them, it would be very difficult for them to change."

Ozpin nodded. "It would require a great deal of self-knowledge to construct the weapon best-suited to them. We would have to consider how this is integrated into our schools very carefully."

"At this point, I'm more worried about the periphery industries associated with Combat Schools and our Academies," said Glynda. "Adopting this method of weapon creation might trigger and outright rebellion amongst the businesses that our students and alumni currently support."

Ozpin nodded. "However, I suspect that the adoption of materialization will hardly ever become universal. Some may always prefer weapons that they can change or modify on a whim, not to mention the difficulty most would have with anything but the most basic of weapon designs. But still...I believe that this may well be the future for us. If teaching manifestation and materialization results in even one Huntsman not perishing in the field, because he ran out of Dust or a component of his weapon failed at a critical moment, then I will mark it as a victory."

"When you put it like that..." Glynda adjusted her glasses. "...then presenting it as an option for future students is certainly a good idea."

* * *

 _This is a terrible idea!_ thought Ironwood, staring down into the ring in horror. The former-bandit, Gin Ueno, had been brought into the commentary booth, possibly invited by Ozpin himself, and was now espousing about the benefits of "manifestation" and "materialization." It was enough to make Ironwood grit his teeth, and consider marching straight into the booth, demanding an immediate end to the broadcast. Oobleck and Port were clearly too swept up in the excitement of the moment to consider the far-reaching implications of what was being put on display.

Already, Ironwood's mind was whirling through nightmare scenarios. He could see a terrorist brazenly marching into a heavily secure location, passing undetected through security, then conjuring a weapon and going on the attack on the other side, slaughtering untold innocents. He envisioned infiltrators easily evading the current detection technologies used to find hidden weapons or concealed Dust. With this kind of skill, criminals and terrorists could inflict untold damage with ease.

And Gin Ueno was currently giving a brief primer on exactly how this skill worked to the entire world. Granted, his explanation was basic, but so was the underlying nature of manifestation and materialization. Everyone currently in the audience already had all the information they needed to begin thinking about it. Those with unlocked Auras could begin working on creating weapons for themselves, right _now_. The cat was out of the bag, the lid was off the box...and there would be no going back.

He also hadn't missed the real point of this demonstration. Ruby and Ayumu weren't simply showing off for the sake of impressing everyone with an arcane skill. They were deliberately targeting the value of Dust. Ironwood remembered Ayumu upbraiding him in the Vault, for allowing Jacques to get away with his "questionable" labor practices, completely overlooking the necessities and realities of their struggle. Ayumu had clearly decided to take matters into his own hands, dragging Ruby in along with him. Now, in their desire to strike back at Ironwood, in some misguided attempt to alleviate the "plight" of the faunus, they'd possibly unleashed a more terrible threat.

If it weren't for the fact that it would be too little, too late, Ironwood would have considered ordering the end of the match, and the immediate arrest of the participants. If the tournament had been taking place in Atlas, that was likely _exactly_ what he would have done. This information couldn't be allowed to proliferate. Yet there was now almost nothing he could do to stop it.

There was one more thought that caused Ironwood to plant the palm of his left hand against his face, massaging his temples. _Jacques is going to be furious._ Ironwood was not looking forward to taking the call he was sure was coming.

* * *

"They're almost dead-even," said Jaune, glancing up at the screen.

At the moment, Ruby held a slight edge over Ayumu. Her throw had slammed Ayumu down with all the momentum of his dive, further enhanced by Ruby's own strength, which had knocked his Aura down into its last quarter. But Ruby wasn't far behind. When she landed them, her hits were proving devastating to Ayumu, but he made up the difference by hitting more often, shaving her Aura away, little by little, while proving to be better at reading the situation and controlling the flow of battle.

"Why don't they try recharging?" asked Yang.

"I don't think they can," said Blake. "They're not at the point where either of them can use it, not without having to stop, which the other wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of."

"Even if they could, I don't think they would," said Ren. "Continuously recharging throughout the match would just have it drag on incessantly. They'd probably leave themselves with their base Aura, just to keep it reasonable."

"Recharging?" Ciel frowned at the introduction of yet another familiar term.

"Basically, they've learned to produce extra Aura," explained Nora, grinning.

Ruby and Ayumu's friends laid out the basis behind the technique, leaving Ciel gaping yet again.

"Are you serious?" she asked. "How is that even possible?"

"Well, as Ruby keeps saying, Aura is the power of your soul," said Yang, "and how can a person ever run out of soul?"

"The more they've been using it, the easier it's been getting for them," said Blake. "By practicing recharging their Aura, they increase their ability to produce more. They describe it as widening the wellspring."

"What's a wellspring?" asked Penny.

"According to those three," said Jaune, gesturing out to the pair currently in the ring, "it's the point where a person's soul comes into the world, and becomes Aura."

"Its capacity is inherently restricted," said Ren. "But by practicing this recharging art of theirs, they can increase that capacity over time, as well as the ease and speed with which they can recharge."

"Their goal is to be able to recharge while on the move," said Blake, "to the point where their Aura can be used to fuel even the most basic bodily functions."

"Meaning...?" prodded Ciel.

"They wouldn't need to eat or drink," said Yang, "or maybe even breathe, come to think of it."

"That's crazy!" exclaimed Ciel.

The others laughed, but not derisively.

"I can't really wrap my head around it either," said Yang, patting Ciel on the shoulder. "But...for those three, it might just be possible." Her expression became strangely sober. "Back during our break on Patch, they started this all-day sparring session; not stopping the entire time, not eating, not drinking. They just kept going by taking brief breathers to recharge their Auras, then kept right on going."

"They were doing the same thing during the Grimm attack," added Blake. "Once they'd brought down the Dragon, they kept the rest of the attacking Grimm off themselves until we got there, switching out to recharge, one at a time. It was amazing."

"They probably aren't going to talk about it here though," said Ren, taking a moment to listen in on the commentary. "Things are already technical enough, with Gin talking about manifestation and materialization."

"Yeah," agreed Jaune. "He probably thinks they've dropped enough bombshells during this match."

 _Well, he's not wrong,_ thought Ciel, her mind already whirling through the dizzying possibilities that this match presented on its own. She decided it wasn't worth bothering over, instead deciding to focus her attention on the remaining minutes of the match.

* * *

Ruby attacked with a downward swing. With a graceful move of his sword, Ayumu met her attack on an almost-parallel trajectory, before gently pushing, sliding her slash aside, prompting the scythe to plunge down to plant the blade into the ring. Ruby had already shown that wasn't enough to immobilize her, as she could extinguish, then reignite Shining Rose's blade at will. But his objective had been to get past her initial attack, and move inside her each. Rather than maneuver his sword back around, he instead stepped in even closer, his left hand blurring out in a fist, with the first two knuckles slightly extended, aiming for her right arm.

Rather than trying to free her blade, Ruby pushed off the floor, once again using the shaft of her scythe as a fulcrum, allowing her to use her forward momentum to shift out of the path of Ayumu's strike. From there, she pivoted by repositioning her hands on Shining Rose's shaft, her inverted position actually making it something of an imitation of Mercury's attacks, allowing her to lash out with a booted foot at Ayumu's head.

Bending his spine, Ayumu leaned backwards, allowing his forward momentum to keep him sliding forward as he ducked beneath the path of Ruby's kick. In the same movement, he lashed out with Green Destiny, the blade a flashing blur, aiming to strike at Ruby's still spinning body. Shining Rose's blade vanished, but the wing remained, a burst of Ruby's Semblance firing out to allow her to bring it into a rapid spin, which brought the shaft around to deflect Ayumu's thrust. Her body now floating freely, Ruby used her remaining momentum to spin upright, while bringing her weapon back around, the blade returning just in time to slash at Ayumu.

Bringing up Green Destiny, Ayumu braced the sword with his right hand, catching the shaft of her scythe at the base of the head, stopping Ruby from continuing her spin. If she could make the blade disappear and reappear at will, then he would counter by blocking the body of her weapon. A materialized weapon could not be made to appear and vanish so easily, after all. However, Ayumu then realized that he was now positioned with Shining Rose's blade behind him. Ruby met his eyes and smirked, then triggered her Semblance once more...while pulling the shaft towards herself.

Ayumu met Ruby's smile with his own. Right as she used her Semblance, the first two fingers of his left hand came to rest on the flat of Green Destiny's blade, near the tip of the sword. There was a bright flash of green, and Ruby's weapon rebounded, the course of her pull reversing, and pulling her along with it. Ayumu was already raising one leg to kick Ruby in the midsection, right as she was about to pulled in by the force of her attack.

Except that Ruby's smile hadn't faltered. Indeed, she actually leaned into the movement, letting her feet come off the floor, even firing her Semblance off to accelerate in the direction Ayumu had just rebounded her in. Too late, Ayumu realized that Ruby had been aiming for this outcome. Because of that, she flashed past the radius of Ayumu's incoming kick, stepping too far into his space for him to use his sword, but also too close for her to punch or kick either.

But Ruby had turned her body, maintaining her grip on the shaft of her weapon with her right hand, while turning her left forward, in towards the shaft. Her left arm and hand curled inward, allowing her to thrust out with her elbow, driving it straight into the side of Ayumu's abdomen, channeling a burst of offensive Aura out through the point of impact, which made it look as though Ayumu had been impaled, the flash of red passing completely through his body.

The impact halted Ruby's forward movement, as she'd channeled it all into her hit. Now Ayumu was flying back, threatening to catch his body on the blade of Ruby's scythe. At the last instant, he managed the wherewithal to kick down, launching himself up and over the line of Ruby's blade. He was fortunate that Ruby had not been in position to execute another pulling movement, or he likely would have been caught before he could evade.

Instead, Shining Rose folded in on itself, converting into its rifle-mode once more. Ruby's left hand came up to steady the barrel, and she fired a shot straight at Ayumu's chest. Still reeling from the hit he'd taken, Ayumu was turning back towards Ruby, unwittingly providing her with a larger target, as he exposed more of his torso to her. However, Green Destiny moved almost as though it had a mind of its own, the sword flicking up, then turning, so that the edge faced straight out from Ayumu. Ruby's shot struck it...and was split in two, the two halves of the bullet passing by either side of Ayumu's body.

" _Oh! So close!_ " exclaimed Oobleck. " _Ruby nearly ended the match, right there!_ "

" _Ayumu's Aura is at the limit,_ " said Port. " _One more hit and he'll have lost!_ "

At the moment, Ayumu was paying no mind to the commentary, instead keeping his focus on Ruby. Surprise surged through him as he realized that she had out-read him. What was more, she had chosen her actions to guide him towards a particular outcome. She'd attacked in a particular manner, knowing he would defend in a particular way, using that to set up an attack that took advantage of his defense.

In that moment, Ruby had controlled his ability to _choose_ what to do. His eyes widened as the implications sank in. _This is..._

* * *

Yu cackled gleefully. _Glad to see you're getting it,_ he thought, noting Ayumu's realization, a realization Ruby had already come to unconsciously. _When you Know, when you can read your opponent, use the Knowledge you have about him, you can do more than simply anticipate his next move. If you know how he'll respond to a particular move, you can use that to Choose which move he'll make next. That's the basis for Choice, in a nutshell._

He clicked his tongue. _Still, for all that she's a hard worker, that girl's talent is insane. She was able to put that to use in this match, despite the fact Ayumu's_ Shingan _should have the edge on hers._ He snorted. _And she called_ me _a monster, once upon a time._

* * *

Ayumu and Ruby both paused for a few seconds, taking stock of their situation. Neither of them needed to look up at the screens to know they were near their limit. Their reading of their own Aura levels was enough for that. Ayumu was definitely closer to the critical zone, but Ruby was also low, close enough that she could be knocked out by a single hit, if Ayumu could land a decisive one.

This was the endgame, the final phase of the match, where the outcome would be decided. For them, time seemed to stop completely. Before their minds' eyes, the upcoming final seconds of the battle played out over and over again, each of them flashing through different possible paths of attack and defense. With the flickering of their intent, the subtle shifts of their Auras, they were even reading how each would adapt to the other, modifying plans of attack on the fly, dozens of blows, and their resulting outcomes, playing out without either of them making a single move.

Neither of them had experienced this state before. The resulting clash between them had heightened their awareness to the extent that the battle had ascended to another plane entirely. Even more incredibly, neither of them was actively thinking. All those different paths of attack and response, countless ways down the decision-tree, all played out automatically. And yet, neither of them could see a clear path to victory. At best, they both saw ways that ended either in defeat or a mutual strike.

It was Ruby who ended that particular silent battle, levering back Shining Rose, readying herself to strike. Ayumu, realizing what she was doing, drew back Green Destiny, pulling his right arm back, while leveling the blade at her in preparation for a thrust.

It was all-or-nothing. If neither of them could find a path to victory through the myriad patterns of attack and defense that flashed through their minds, then they would simply put everything they had into their next attack. The one who landed it would come out victorious.

A tense silence settled over the arena. The cheers of the spectators died off. Even the commentators didn't breathe a word. The silent stillness dragged on, not a single person watching even thinking of trying to break it. All their attention was squarely focused on the pair at the center of the ring, even as the fighters' attention was focused on each other, a dilemma hovering between them; take the initiative and strike first, or give away the next move and be countered. Neither of them knew what would happen. Would moving first give the advantage...or would it give their next move away?

Ruby inhaled slowly. She'd pushed herself harder and further than she'd ever thought possible, doing things that had surprised _herself_. She was amazed by how much she'd learned in this match alone. The consequence of all that effort was that she stood on the border of exhaustion. By all rights, her limbs should have felt like they were made of lead. Yet she felt light, her breath making her entire body feel as though it was on the verge of floating away, like she'd magically acquired Ayumu's Semblance.

While her stance didn't change, her entire bearing relaxed, her expression going slack, a dreamlike smile appearing on her face, one that was almost a perfect match for the serene expression that Ayumu wore habitually. The world around her went dark, and she slipped into a state that bordered on complete unconsciousness.

Ayumu didn't fail to notice the change that came over Ruby. The shift in her demeanor alerted him to what was coming. His body tensed in readiness...and that was what cost him the match. That tiny tightening of his muscles, his own anticipation betraying him, seized his body up for the tiniest fraction of a second. Before his eyes, Ruby's form seemed to blend with the air itself, a phenomenon Ayumu knew that his opponents had sometimes experienced with him. He was already moving, shifting forward with his thrust, trying to dive right inside Ruby's range again.

But that tiny bit of anticipation, the slight tension, made all the difference. It was over in a flash. A green line intersected with a crimson arc. Ayumu felt Shining Rose's blade bite through him, Ruby's slash cleaving through his body in a blinding strobe of light. An arc of red petals scattered out ahead of her, almost seeming to simulate the spray of blood that would have resulted, had she actually cut through Ayumu's body. Ayumu thrust forward, the very tip of Green Destiny scraping at Ruby's Aura, threatening to carve what remained of it away. But then it was gone, the blade shattering into countless dust-like motes of light.

The buzzer blared, announcing the end of the fight.

They surged past each other, coming to a stop. Ayumu's now-empty hand was still extended, his eyes fixed forward. Behind him, Ruby faced the opposite direction, Shining Rose angled behind her, the blade curling up across her back. Once again, time seemed to stop, albeit more briefly this time. Then Ayumu fell forward, collapsing onto the floor, sprawled out motionlessly. Up above him, the screen showed that his Aura had been reduced all the way to zero.

In contrast, Ruby's Aura, which had taken a slight hit from Ayumu's sword, now hovered at the edge of the critical-zone. Their match had been a hair away from ending in a draw, with both of them reaching the disqualification point close enough together that the system wouldn't have been able to tell which had crossed the line first. Even then, though, it would have been Ruby's victory, by virtue of the fact that she still had Aura remaining, the rules governing such turns (rare as they were) awarding victory to whoever had the most Aura remaining.

Ruby's victory was complete and undeniable.

The end of the match came so suddenly that it took a few extra seconds for the spectators' minds to wrap around what had just happened.

" _The-th-the winner is...Ruby Rose!_ " Oobleck finally managed to shout.

* * *

 **And that's a wrap. There were a lot of different ways I considered this match playing out. It's fun to see and think about just how much Ruby's grown since the beginning of the story. Of course, there's still a lot of fallout to process as well. Ruby and Ayumu blew people's minds, and now the consequences of that, positive and negative, are gonna come in.**


	121. Chapter 121

**Chapter 121:**

The crowd roared, spectators surging to their feet, cheering and applauding for all they were worth. The noise was thunderous, causing the entire coliseum to vibrate from the force of all those jubilant voices. On a certain level, the match had seemed unimportant. Beacon and Vale had already won the tournament. The final round was just an extra at this point. But the two combatants had put on one of, if not _the_ , most impressive fights in the history of the tournament, defying expectations and performing seemingly impossible feats the whole way through. The balance had tilted back and forth, over and over again. Ironically, without any real interest vested in the outcome, the spectators were able to even _better_ appreciate the incredible level of skill and ability put on display.

Ruby hardly noticed that at all, despite the voices of the crowd almost physically pummeling her ears. Relaxing out of her stance, she folded Shining Rose up, reabsorbing the weapon into her Aura once more, causing it to vanish from her grip. Turning with tired, staggering steps, Ruby hobbled towards Ayumu, before collapsing on her knees, her energy completely draining out of her. She might still have had Aura remaining, but that last move had sent her strength and stamina barreling past their limits.

"Ayumu," she called out, "are you okay?"

Ayumu let out a soft groan, and then twitched, arms and legs sliding over the surface of the ring, as he moved them. In his current state, he had neither the purchase, leverage, nor strength to push himself up. "I'll...live," he called back, his voice laden with exhaustion. "Congratulations, Ruby. That last move was magnificent."

Ruby giggled lightly. "Thanks."

The ring lurched slightly, then began to descend. Glancing towards the edge, Ruby could see the tournament staff running out to meet them. While their help would be appreciated, Ruby instead opted to turn her focus inwards, taking deep, slow breaths. Slowly at first, but getting faster with each breath she took, Ruby breathed new life into her Aura, drawing more through the wellspring, flushing it out through her body and limbs, washing away the leaden feeling of exhaustion that weighed her down. Nearby, she could feel Ayumu begin to do the same.

By the time the staff reached them, Ruby was able to get to her feet without assistance. Ayumu required some help out of his prone position. Ruby moved over to support him, sliding his arm over her shoulders. But then, to her surprise, Ayumu turned his body, and pulled Ruby into a tight hug.

"Congratulations," he whispered into her ear. "I'm so proud of you. I know Gin is too."

Ruby's cheeks ached from smiling so hard, happy tears beginning to stream from her eyes. "Thank you, Ayumu," she said, returning the embrace.

Finally, they disengaged. Ruby still supporting Ayumu, the two of them hobbled towards the exit, all while the cheers of the crowd continued to thunder around them.

* * *

"What a spectacular finish to a magnificent match!" declared Oobleck.

"Indeed, truly a match worthy of the tournament's final round," added Port.

"It would appear that Ruby's advantage of reach and speed was decisive," declared Oobleck.

"Thanks to those aspects, she was able to connect her blow, before Ayumu's could fully land," added Port.

Gin said nothing at the moment, still processing what had happened himself. _With Ayumu's edge on reading the situation, he should have been able to anticipate her strike,_ he thought. _But, at the final moment, Ruby completely surrendered to her technique, and struck without preamble. She completely eliminated the start-up to her attack, while Ayumu still had to ready. So her final attack was two beats to his three. It's no wonder that she landed her hit first._ He smiled. _In that one move, she completely surpassed Ayumu, even if it was only for a fraction of a second. At this rate, she's going to completely leave us in the dust._

A few seconds later, his thoughts were distracted by Port and Oobleck drawing him back into the commentary for the post-match analysis.

"What do you think contributed the most to Ruby's victory?" asked Port.

Gin frowned, scratching his chin slightly. "That's tricky," he said. "Truth be told, I'm thrown by the fact that she _did_ win. Eight times out of ten-seven, if I'm being generous-I would have called this match for Ayumu. Ruby's faster and more durable, but Ayumu has a big leg up on her when it comes to experience and reading his opponent. It was a shock to see her completely surpass him in that final blow."

"Surpass him?" asked Oobleck.

"It's a bit tricky to explain," said Gin. "You're Huntsmen yourselves, so you probably have an idea of what I'm talking about. Thinking during a fight is actually disadvantageous, particularly in the highest-intensity battles. Because of that, the aspiration of anyone who wants to become a truly effective fighter is to be able to fight in such a way that they can act without the need to think at all."

"Y-yes, I have heard things about that," said Oobleck. "I had always assumed that it was more of a myth, or an impossible goal to strive for, albeit one worth pursuing all the same."

"It _is_ possible," said Gin. "That state has a few different names: Mu, Wu, Nothingness, the Void. But the basis is always the same, completely voiding oneself of all thought, allowing pure technique to take control, tying it with your ability to read your opponent. One who does this can completely eliminate any delay in reaction, and still act as though they've planned ahead."

"And you're saying that Ruby managed this?" asked Port.

"At the end, yes," said Gin. "She's been brushing up against it throughout her previous matches, particularly her fight against Liu, which was how she was able to overcome the reaction speed of his Semblance. But, at the very end, she managed to completely enter that state. Because of that, even though Ayumu was better at reading her and anticipating her moves than she was him, she still managed to land her hit first."

"Simply magnificent!" declared Oobleck.

"Well, it's still nascent," said Gin, leaning back and folding his arms. "She managed it for all of a second in the ring, if that. But the key will be learning to enter that state at will, and maintain it constantly. She took a big step forward today. Simply the act of struggling and fighting against someone who is technically superior to her was a huge impetus to grow and improve."

"We will definitely be looking forward to that," declared Port. "And that brings the final round of the Vytal Festival Tournament to an end. The awards ceremony will be held tomorrow afternoon. I hope that was as exciting for all of you as it was for us, here."

* * *

In contrast to the thunderous excitement that filled the air in the arena outside, the silence of the ready-room was almost eerie in its contrast. Neither Ruby nor Ayumu were disconcerted though. Instead, they relished in that silence. Rather than try to fill it, they had seated themselves on the couches, not even bothering to head for the showers yet. They bowed their heads, closed their eyes, and breathed deeply, breathing new life into the sputtering embers of their Auras.

It was an almost euphoric feeling. Ruby felt her Aura slowly washing through her body, seeming to brush away the webs gathering at the edge of her consciousness. The aches in her limbs faded away, and the shaky feeling she'd been getting earlier calmed. Ayumu was in a similar state.

Finally, she opened her eyes, and met Ayumu's, the two of them stopping at the same time, not yet feeling the need to completely recharge their Auras.

"Well...we did it," said Ruby.

"That we did," agreed Ayumu. "Though I wonder how long it will take Mr. Schnee to take action against us."

"Pretty soon," said Ruby, wondering how he would go about it. She remembered Qrow's warning to her about all the different ways people might try to undermine what they'd just done, particularly his warning about them trying to delegitimize the outcome of the match, though that was hardly the only approach that they could take. "I wonder what's going to happen next."

As if in response to that very question, Ruby's scroll buzzed in her pocket. She fished it out, surprised to see a familiar contact, and answered it. "Lisa?"

" _Hi, Ruby,_ " said Lisa happily. " _Congratulations on winning the tournament._ "

"Thank you," said Ruby, her cheeks flushing slightly. It felt strange. Here, in the ready room, with just Ayumu, the outcome of the match felt distant, unimportant even. But she'd actually _done_ it. She, Ruby Rose, a first-year student of Beacon Academy, one two years younger than the norm for that matter, had won the Vytal Festival Tournament. Out of all four Academies, all four years' worth of students, she had fought and come out on top. The realization of that felt...surreal.

" _Anyway,_ " said Lisa. " _I wanted to ask you something._ "

"What is it?"

" _I was wondering if, perhaps, instead of holding the post-match interview tomorrow, as originally scheduled, if you would be willing to hold it tonight._ "

"Tonight?" Ruby's eyes widened.

" _I'm sorry if that seems like a lot of trouble,_ " said Lisa, sounding genuinely apologetic. " _I can understand if you feel too worn out to do something like that. We can still hold it tomorrow, if you really want. But I figured, considering the bombshells you and Ayumu dropped during the match, you might want to talk more about it and elaborate on what the two of you were doing, while it's still fresh in people's minds. Since you and Ayumu left the ring together, we could interview you together as well, and save the trouble of each of you having separate interviews._ "

"Oh!" Ruby's eyes widened as she realized what Lisa was doing.

She'd just been thinking about the ways in which certain people might try to reduce, or eliminate, the impact of the match, particularly Jacques Schnee. By moving the post-match interview up to this evening, Lisa was giving them a chance to preempt those efforts, and get their message out before their actions were undercut by the opposition.

"In that case, I'd be happy to," said Ruby, smiling brightly, even though she knew Lisa couldn't see it. "Let me check with Ayumu."

"What's going on?" asked Ayumu.

Ruby filled him in on Lisa's offer, and he nodded. "That sounds like a fine plan."

"We're in," said Ruby into her scroll.

" _All right then,_ " said Lisa. _"I'll make arrangements with the network. I think they'll love this. I'll be over to the ready room with the crew in an hour. That should give you some time to get cleaned up._ "

"Thank you," said Ruby earnestly, filled with gratitude for Lisa's genuine desire to help their cause. She wouldn't have posed such a drastic change to the schedule otherwise.

" _I'll see you in an hour then,_ " said Lisa, hanging up.

Ruby set her scroll down, then reached up to finger her hair, making a face when she felt how sticky and matted it was. Recharge or no recharge, she was still sweaty and scraggly from one of the most intense fights she'd ever been in. Her clothes were stained with sweat as well. As serene and composed as his face was, Ayumu looked no better. "I guess we'd better get showered," said Ruby.

Ayumu nodded, and the two of them moved to clean away the grimy feeling that had resulted from their match.

* * *

The Vytal Festival Tournament Committee was an assembly of independent experts, formed with even representation from all four Kingdoms, holding no allegiance to any of the Academies. Their duty was to oversee the execution of the tournament, ensuring that everything ran smoothly. Amongst their duties was screening for signs of foul play and cheating, as well as deciding how to handle any...unusual...situations that might have cropped up.

Said unusual situations had arisen more than they were comfortable with, in this particular tournament. That said unusual situations seemed to always revolve around one competitor in particular, a competitor who was now the champion; the outcome of the tournament left all of them feeling at least a little uneasy...an uneasiness that was magnified by the presence of their unexpected guest, and what she had asked of them.

The chief representative of the committee, a man from Vale (the chief representative always being from the Kingdom hosting the festival that year), leaned forward with narrowed eyes as he stared at their guest. "You want us to review the outcome of the match?" he asked warily.

"Correct," said the guest, an inscrutable smile on her lips. "The events of this match cast the entire progression of this tournament in a different light, particularly every match those two have participated in. What is needed then, is a comprehensive review of the rules, and a firm decision on how they apply to the situation at hand."

"Are you looking to delegitimize this outcome?" asked another of the members.

"Only if that is the overwhelming conclusion that you committee members come to," she said. "More to the point, I would rather be sure that, if the outcome is questioned by outside sources, that you have a firm, detailed, and comprehensive argument _in favor_ of upholding the end result, assuming that you truly determine that the participants' actions are fully within the bounds of the rules set by for the tournament."

The chief representative nodded. "That makes sense," he said. "The...unusual circumstances of this tournament are certainly going to lead to such questions. It is best that we have an answer ready."

"I find it all the more unusual that _you_ are the one requesting this," said one of the other committee members, eying their guest curiously. "You'd go out of your way to assure your rival's victory?"

She merely giggled. "I'm not so petty as to hold the victory of Ozpin's students against him. They fought a match worthy of this tournament, and I personally believe that Ms. Rose deserves all the accolades that are her due. In truth, I believe that questioning things at this stage might do more harm than good. Throwing the outcome of the tournament into doubt could lead to unpleasant discord." She shrugged. "If _I_ were in charge, I would probably overlook any issues their methods might have with the rules. But that's why I'm _not_ in charge, and it's even more important that any affirmation of Ms. Rose's victory be completely above-board."

"Understood," said the chief representative. "We'll begin our review immediately. Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. If it had been Ozpin asking this of us, there definitely would have been speculations of favoritism. But since it's you...we can proceed without issue."

She tittered lightly. "That is my hope."

* * *

By the time Ruby and Ayumu had finished their showers and dressed, their friends were already waiting for them in the ready-room, including Gin, who'd wrapped Ruby in a tight hug, pulling her into a deep kiss. Ayumu noted Neo's absence, feeling a bit disappointed, but knowing that she couldn't exactly show herself with Ciel and Penny already there. There would be awkward explanations aplenty, if they saw her. More to the point, they didn't want to risk Lisa or her cameras catching Neo's presence, particularly since Neo was still officially wanted by the Kingdom.

Their friends surrounded them, chattering excitedly about the match, particularly Nora and Penny. Ruby and Ayumu enjoyed several minutes of basking in their friends' praise, before a tone from the door signaled the arrival of Lisa and her film crew. After that, everyone but the two people of the hour had to step back and allow the crew to set up. It was the work of just a few minutes, not surprising, considering the number of times they'd done this over the course of the tournament already.

Lisa started with a special introduction. "This is Lisa Lavender with the Vale News Network, coming to you, live, with a special event. In light of the remarkable circumstances surrounding the final match of the Vytal Festival Tournament; the champion, Ms. Ruby Rose; and the runner-up, Mr. Ayumu Ao; have agreed to an immediate interview, following their spectacular performance in the tournament, as well as explaining further about their methods, and the reasoning behind them." She nodded in Ruby and Ayumu's direction, signaling the camera to pan their way. "Thank you for agreeing to this. I imagine the two of you must be quite tired after your match."

"We are a bit worn out, yes," said Ruby. "But we can talk."

"We're grateful for this opportunity," added Ayumu.

"Now then, I understand that there are no hard feelings about the outcome of the match," said Lisa.

"Not at all," said Ayumu cheerfully. "On behalf of my team, it has always been my ambition to perform to the best of my abilities, and do everything I can to secure victory for them. However, my personal ambition was not related to the overall outcome of the tournament."

"Do you feel the same way?" asked Lisa, addressing the question to Ruby.

"Yeah...sort of," said Ruby. "It feels weird to say that I won, like it doesn't feel real. I wanted to do my best for my team, and Beacon too, but that wasn't our main ambition in the tournament."

"So your primary ambition was to face one another in the ring, and reveal the nature of your weapons to the world," noted Lisa.

"That's it," said Ruby. "We figured that, if our teams could get through the team and doubles rounds of the tournament without facing each other, then we'd wind up against one another in the finals...assuming we kept winning our matches. I'm...I'm a little surprised that it shook out so that we wound up facing each other during the _final_ -final match like that."

Lisa tittered at Ruby's term for the last round of the tournament, not being the only one. "So, you were both fighting to win then?"

"Absolutely," said Ayumu. "It would be disrespectful to all the opponents who came before us, if we didn't give it our all in the match. So we did fight to the best of our abilities...a little bit more than the best, when it comes to Ruby."

Ruby blushed at Ayumu's praise.

"So I take it that Ms. Rose's victory came as a surprise," said Lisa.

" _I'm_ surprised," said Ruby, to everyone's amusement.

"Not to try and sound condescending, but I have more experience and training than Ruby, particularly in those skills we have been using primarily through this match," said Ayumu. "So, yes...I was very much surprised by Ruby's development. She actually grew and improved throughout the match itself."

"So did you," added Ruby, sharing a smile with Ayumu.

"It's good to see that you both clearly put forth your best effort," said Lisa. "So, that having been established, please elaborate on your main ambitions for the tournament."

"Well, we actually came up with this plan several months ago," explained Ayumu. "Back then, we were still making our way back to Vale. Ruby got the idea of using our weapons as a means of affecting a change on the world to better the lot of certain...other people."

"And I assume that the fact that your weapons and styles have no reliance on Dust have something to do with this," said Lisa.

"That is correct," said Ayumu.

Lisa smiled. "And you believe that this materialization you've learned is a way that can allow Huntsmen to remain effective, even without Dust."

Ruby nodded eagerly. "It really is. If you can learn to do it, you can do amazing things."

"Truth be told, even _I'm_ amazed at the potential applications of it," said Ayumu, adopting a sheepish smile once more. "At present, there are only three particular materializations that I'm aware of, but Ruby completely defied my expectations with just hers alone. Our teacher materialized objects for us as a proof-of-concept, but I don't believe any of them were actually a materialization that he would use...not that he needs to create a weapon. Anyway, the fact is that, with the right kind of creativity, there is an unbelievable plethora of possibilities."

Lisa blinked. "You said that there were three materializations you knew of. You and Ms. Rose are obviously two of them. So then, does that mean your other friend...?"

"Ah, no, Gin does not have a materialization," replied Ayumu.

"He doesn't need one," added Ruby with a giggle.

"Actually, the third person currently capable of materialization was _another_ participant in this tournament," said Ayumu, drawing a surprised gasp from Lisa. "If you think about it, there was one other person who wielded a weapon that defied expectations, and seemed capable of things that weren't quite explainable."

Lisa's eyes widened. "You mean...Sun Wukong?"

Sun's new staff had been a source of much speculation and confusion, with many people scratching their heads at how dramatically Sun could lengthen and collapse his Nyoi Bo.

"That's right," said Ruby. "Sun's actually another good friend of ours. Ayumu taught him the basics of materialization a few months ago, and he used it to create his own weapon. We were actually really surprised, when he used it in the tournament."

"Both Sun and Ruby utilized materialization to create weapons capable of things that I hadn't thought possible," said Ayumu. "Ruby integrated manifestation into her materialization to create a weapon uniquely suited to her, a weapon that can do things that mine is incapable of on a fundamental level, and not simply because she chose a scythe, instead of a sword. Likewise, Sun created a weapon that defied my expectations, in a completely different way from Ruby. It may well be that the true limits of such a technique are only limited by the user's flexibility and creativity."

"So, was Mr. Wukong aware of your plan as well?" asked Lisa.

"Yeah, he was," said Ruby. "Like I said, Sun and his team are really good friends of ours. We've been hanging out a lot, both before and during the festival."

"When we were in the ready-room, before our match, he offered to carry on the plan, if he wound up beating me," said Ayumu, drawing a laugh from Lisa.

"So then, let me see if I can get the gist of this," said Lisa. "Materialized weapons are nigh indestructible; capable of incredible feats, without needing to utilize Dust; and can be brought out at any time, so long as you have Aura."

"That's a concise summary of the benefits," said Ayumu.

"So then, I'm assuming that there are drawbacks as well," said Lisa.

"That's right," said Ruby. "It takes a lot of work to make one, maybe not the kind of heavy lifting or machining that you'd need to do to make a really good custom weapon from regular materials, but still a lot of work. In this case, it's all up here." She tapped her head.

"In order to materialize a weapon, you first need to learn to manifest your Aura," said Ayumu. "Manifestation, in the simplest terms, is forming your Aura into a shape outside your body. First, you need to be capable of a stable, consistent manifestation."

"Then you need to design your weapon," said Ruby. "And you have to memorize that design, every single part of it."

Ayumu nodded. "That requires a great deal of focus on that single act of holding an image inside your head. Ideally, you combine the image in your mind with your manifestation, which prompts your Aura to shift into material form, at which point your materialization is complete. But it is a process that took months for all three of us."

"Yep," agreed Ruby. "And, the more complicated your weapon is, the harder it is to do it."

"Ruby's is especially impressive, considering how many moving parts it has, and the forms it can take," added Ayumu, making Ruby blush. "In general, materialization is a skill that favors a simpler design. Sun actually used that to his advantage, using an extremely simple design for his weapon, which actually allows him to envision it consistently, despite changing its length, which is what gives his weapon such an unusual ability."

"So the more basic the weapon, the easier it is to create," summarized Lisa.

Ayumu and Ruby both nodded. "There's one other aspect of difficulty," continued Ayumu. "I wouldn't go so far as to call it a drawback, but more of a consideration. Theoretically, any weapon can be created through materialization. But, as Gin pointed out, being able to create a weapon does not automatically mean that the creator knows how to use it. He or she must consider their design carefully, being sure of their affinity for the weapon they are trying to create, and carefully considering how it suits their style. It's not something that should be done lightly, or the consequence would be a weapon that might inhibit the one who wields it more than anything else, in which case, the only solution would be to essentially start over from square-one and design a new weapon, which would be difficult and time consuming."

"I see," said Lisa. "It's certainly interesting, and remarkable. I imagine that there will be a number of people eager to learn the aspects of this skill. "

"Perhaps," said Ayumu. "It will take some time for this skill to gain ground. I have my doubts as to whether or not it will become a mainstream technique for Huntsmen. Even knowing full well the potential applications of this skill, none of our immediate friends, aside from Sun, have expressed an interest in learning this skill for themselves. Of course, they are also Academy students, so the claims on their time aren't necessarily conducive to such a time consuming method of development."

"Yeah," agreed Ruby. "There are few other worries if this catches on. I bet certain people involved with security are pulling their hair out at the idea of someone being able to pull a weapon out of thin-air, no matter where they are." _Like Ironwood,_ she thought.

"And, despite all that, you believe it to be worthwhile?" asked Lisa.

"We do," said Ruby.

"How so?" asked Lisa.

"I can shed some light on that," said Ayumu, scratching his head nervously. "To be honest, I believe this is a matter of public record, but I _do_ feel the need to disclose that I have a criminal background."

"That's right," said Lisa. "The official record states that you defaulted on your debt to the Schnee Dust Company, for quite the substantial sum."

"A sum I accrued the bulk of when I was seven," replied Ayumu simply.

The revelation of this was like a slap to the face to Lisa, who let out an audible gasp. She wasn't the only one. While RUBY and JNAR were privy to the details of Ayumu's past, this was the first Ciel and Penny had heard about it, both girls covering their mouths to keep their gasps from disrupting the interview.

Ayumu proceeded to discuss his past with Lisa, explaining how he'd wound up shouldering his parents' debt, after they died in a mining accident, and the practices the SDC used to create such staggering debts in the first place. He even showed Lisa the scar on his left arm, revealing the reasons for fleeing the company town he'd been born in.

"Originally, my intent had been to get away and join the White Fang," said Ayumu, drawing another gasp from Lisa. "This was back before they had radicalized, of course. Amongst the many things they did for faunus at the time, arranging for covert passage to Menagerie was one of their specialties."

"But you didn't join them?" asked Lisa.

"I never got the chance," said Ayumu. "I was an unprepared child, wandering the wilderness with barely even the slightest idea of where I was going. I almost died my first night out. I would have never made it to any safe haven, had my teacher not found me."

"Your teacher, yes..." said Lisa. "It seems to be a touchy subject for the three of you." She threw a glance Gin's way to confirm his inclusion.

"Yes, well...as Ruby said, he's controversial," said Ayumu. "At this point, I suppose it's as good a time as any. Our teacher is Yu Yuen."

Lisa's eyes looked like they might leap off her face entirely. "The Blind Demon of the East!" she gasped.

"That's him," said Ruby dourly.

"At the time, Master Yu found me, he saved me from being killed by a pack of Beowolves," explained Ayumu. "It was merely an act of curiosity on his part. He wanted to know what all the noise was about. Afterwards, he nearly left me on the spot...before getting the idea to take me on as a student."

"And you agreed to it?" asked Lisa.

"I was low on...options," said Ayumu, his smile becoming wan. "Master Yu is many things, but a philanthropist is not one of them. If I had turned him down, he would have left, and I would have certainly died to the next Grimm I came across, if I didn't simply die of exposure or starvation first. I favored living, so I took him up on it. Also..." Ayumu scratched his head nervously. "However absent his redeeming qualities may be, the ultimate fact of the matter is...he's strong. Faced with an opportunity to acquire that kind of strength for myself, I chose to embrace it."

"That seems to be a dangerous association to make," said Lisa.

"Well, as we've already established, I was already a criminal, on the run from the law," said Ayumu. "The only place where I would have been able to find any semblance of safety and peace would have been Menagerie, the only place where the SDC doesn't wield the influence that allows them to criminalize a person in all four Kingdoms for being subject to a debt that the company all but engineers to maximize their profits. Associating with Master Yu would have hardly made anything worse for me.

"Besides, the only thing he ever forced upon us was training. He has his own philosophy, which, while I wouldn't go so far as to call it evil, is completely self-centered. But he never tried to push that philosophy onto us, nor tried to indoctrinate us into being like him. Indeed, he even seemed to encourage our dislike of him, and the kind of person he is."

Ruby nodded. "He may be a jerk, and a criminal, but he knows what he's doing. It's actually scary sometimes."

"Ruby, Gin, and I have completely different styles," said Ayumu. "We each have different strengths and weaknesses. Yet Master Yu was able to tailor his teaching style to suit each of us individually, in order to best promote our development."

"So he's an incredible teacher then?" asked Lisa.

"Probably the best," said Ruby simply, before sighing. "I don't want to admit it, but no one probably knows more about fighting than him."

"Of course, all of that is countered by the fact that his training involves willingly risking the lives of his students," said Ayumu. "He's been all too happy to throw us into situations where we were in over our heads, in order to create an even greater impetus for growth, such as leaving us trapped in the middle of a Grimm horde, at the edge of exhaustion."

"And he wouldn't have been bothered one bit if we died," added Ruby.

"So we can't exactly recommend him as a teacher in good conscience," finished Ayumu.

"That having been said, it would seem that the skills you debuted in this match, manifestation and materialization, were taught to you by him," said Lisa, bringing the conversation back to its original point.

Ruby and Ayumu nodded. "That's right," said Ruby.

"So then, your ultimate point was to show off weapons that can be used effectively, without needing to rely on Dust," said Lisa. "How does that go back to your history with the SDC?"

"Well, this was actually Ruby's idea," said Ayumu cheerfully. "You see, while Master Yu's training was effective at making me a better fighter, it never gave me any real insight into what I wanted to do with my life. There were times I thought about fighting back against the SDC in a more...active...manner, like the White Fang have...or even joining the White Fang outright. But, by that point, I had learned enough about the world works to realize that would hardly be of much help to the people in similar straits to me."

"And how does revealing these techniques to the world help?" pressed Lisa.

"It shows that Dust isn't absolute," said Ruby, her tone filled with conviction. "I can't deny that we use it for almost everything, even when it comes to the little, everyday things of our lives. All our technology is built around Dust. But it's Huntsmen and Huntresses who make Dust 'Nature's Wrath.' We're the ones who use it most visibly and dramatically. So, even when we're just trying to help people, and make the world a better place, we're like walking billboards for Dust's importance.

"Even if it doesn't make a major change in how much Dust people use regularly, if we can just plant that seed, that idea that Dust isn't of such overwhelming importance, that we _don't_ need to let the SDC get away with anything they want, just because they control nearly all of it, then we can start making a real difference."

Lisa stared at Ruby, a trace of awe in her expression. "I had no idea you felt this strongly about this."

"After learning what Ayumu went through, I can't _help_ but feel strongly about this," said Ruby. "Ayumu's so lucky. He got away, while so many others are still stuck in the SDC Company towns, working like slaves. Maybe Mr. Schnee's allowed to do that. He'd probably say that it's all legal, and he's right. But something being legal doesn't make it _right_. Sometimes, the law is wrong, and it has to be changed."

"I'm surprised that they would actually _be_ allowed to do this," admitted Lisa.

"Yes, well, it certainly shows how much influence the SDC has," said Ayumu with a sigh. "And, while I imagine that I will undoubtedly be maligned for saying this, the fact that those who suffer this treatment are almost entirely faunus smooths things over for them considerably.

"After all, if the SDC had been treating humans like this, the outcry would be immediate and dramatic. There would probably be demonstrations in the streets, within hours of learning about such practices. But, because it's faunus suffering this treatment, many are content to look the other way. Mr. Schnee might not even be a racist himself. Having never met the man, I couldn't say. But he chooses to benefit from the current atmosphere, because it's convenient, because it allows him to get away with what he never could, if he tried doing it to humans."

Turning his head, Ayumu looked squarely into the camera. With a visible effort, he flattened out his smile to give himself a stern expression. "But I sit before you now, a faunus, yes; but also a finalist of the Vytal Festival Tournament. I know that there are those out there who will still dismiss my words, call me nothing more than an animal. Likewise, I know that there are those who will ignore our message, and choose to make the conversation about anything else, who will decry me and Ruby for 'tainting' the tournament with politics. But we won't let this chance pass. The Vytal Festival exists to remind the people of Remnant of the importance of peace, to celebrate the end of a great and terrible conflict. But we need to remember that, even if such a war is past, the world is still a far cry from being perfect, and we can't afford to miss the chance to make it better."

"And those are your sentiments as well, Ms. Rose?" asked Lisa, looking to Ruby.

Ruby smiled brightly and nodded. "That's right," she said. "If I'm honest, while I did give my all for my team and Beacon, I was mainly giving it my all for Ayumu too. I want to give the words he says as much weight as I can."

"You wish to say your win was _for_ him," said Lisa, "even though it was _over_ him?"

"Yep," said Ruby. "Ayumu might be a faunus, but he's also family to me now, my brother, one of the most important people in my life.

"But, more importantly, I feel that, as a Huntress, it's my duty to do what I can to make the world a better place. Fighting the Grimm is a big part of that, yeah. But if I can get the chance to make the world a better place, then I shouldn't pass it up. Like Ayumu said, we're celebrating the end of the Great War, celebrating peace, but we shouldn't ignore the opportunity to do even better than we already have. I refuse to stop at 'good enough.'"

Lisa was silent for a moment, actually seeming almost awestruck by what Ruby and Ayumu were saying. After a second, she recovered. "That's truly remarkable," she said earnestly. "And are your friends supporting of this."

"Perhaps you ought to ask them yourself," said Ayumu, cheerfully gesturing behind him at the group assembled around the edges of the room.

Lisa nodded, signaling one of the cameramen to pan the camera around the ready room, showcasing the members of RUBY and JNAR, along with Penny and Ciel. Ciel winced slightly at being drawn into the limelight. It was inevitable that Ironwood would find out about her and Penny's defection sooner or later. But this was _not_ the way she would have wanted her and Penny's continued association with people Ironwood had banned them from interacting with being drawn into the light.

"And how do you feel about it?" asked Lisa, looking between the different people of the group.

"We've been behind Ruby and Ayumu all the way on this," said Jaune firmly.

"Yep!" agreed Nora in a chipper tone, like always.

"We can't stand by and allow the kind of injustice people like Ayumu have suffered through to continue," added Ren.

"I've always got Ruby's back," said Yang.

Lisa's gaze went to Gin, who merely raised an eyebrow at her. "You really need to ask?"

Lisa laughed. "I suppose not."

Blake was next. She was silent for several long seconds. Closing her eyes. She took a deep breath, then opened them again, seemingly deciding something important. "I support Ruby and Ayumu," she said.

"You hesitated for a moment," noted Lisa.

"Yes, but not because of whether or not I support them," said Blake. "If Ayumu is going to be so honest about his background, then I need to be honest as well. Otherwise, I would just be a hypocrite."

"Blake!" said Yang worriedly, turning to look at her partner. "Are you sure?"

Blake smiled at Yang, and nodded. Then she reached up...and untied the bow on top of her head, pulling it away to reveal the black cat-ears there. "I am a faunus too," she said. "Because I didn't want to be treated differently, I hid my nature, because I was afraid, even afraid of my own friends. It was a relief to know they accepted me, even after they found out what I am. But I still didn't have the confidence to let the rest of the world see me this way. But...after everything Ruby and Ayumu have done, I'm through hiding."

Lisa opened her mouth, unsure of what to say. This revelation was another incredible bombshell, on top of what had already been revealed. "You were that afraid of people finding out you were a faunus?"

"I was," said Blake. "To be honest, I still am. I know well enough that even Beacon is not some perfect place where a faunus can be free of harassment. I've seen, first-hand, how some of us have been treated, even by our fellow students. But I refuse to hide any longer. I can't, if I truly want to stand behind what my friends are trying to do."

"That takes a great deal of courage, Ms. Belladonna," said Lisa.

Blake's smile thinned out. "Well, that's just the start," she said, making her friends look at her even more worriedly. "Ayumu was willing to talk about his background, so I need to be willing to do the same. Until a few months ago, I was an active member of the White Fang."

Lisa's jaw dropped. Several members of the crew were also visibly surprised by the revelation. It took her almost a full minute to remember how to speak, giving Blake plenty of time for her revelation to sink in. "And you were willing to reveal that here?" she asked finally.

"I am," said Blake. "Professor Ozpin already knows. My place at Beacon protects me in the same manner that it does Ayumu. I know that, if I fail to graduate from Beacon, I will be subject to the law, but I'm done with hiding and running from who I am...and who I was."

"I see," said Lisa. "I suppose you have more reason than most to support your friends in this."

Blake nodded. "I've never been to an SDC company town," she admitted. "All I have are the stories that some members of the White Fang, themselves escaped inhabitants, have told me. I fought for the White Fang because I believed we were fighting for the rights and future of our people, against a world that refused to change...unless we _made_ it change.

"I honestly felt that way for much longer than I should have. It took me too long to realize how far the White Fang had fallen from what they represented, what they were supposed to be. What the White Fang is doing now, the way they're fighting is _wrong_. I understand that now. More importantly, I understand that there are other ways to fight... _better_ ways to fight, like how Ruby and Ayumu are fighting right now. If I wasn't honest about myself the way they have been, then I couldn't stand by them and call myself their friend."

"Well...this is..." Lisa was once again struggling to figure out what to say. "This has definitely been an enlightening interview." She turned back to Ruby and Ayumu. Her mind was still so busy coming to grips with what Blake had revealed that the thought of continuing on with Penny and Ciel had slipped her mind. When she regained her composure, Lisa smiled. "Ms. Rose, you previously expressed reluctance to engage in celebrity work, but it seems that you've chosen to make yourself a celebrity of a sort, an activist. Continuing to push and support this will require a willingness to remain in the spotlight, something you've previously expressed reluctance about."

"Urk!" Ruby grunted, her smile becoming brittle.

Lisa's smile widened a little more. "What's more, as an activist, you're going to be faced with a great deal more contention than you would as a typical celebrity. Are you prepared for that?"

"Ugh...I guess I'll have to be," said Ruby slumping. "I didn't really think that through," she admitted. "But I still want to stand behind what I've said and done, so I'll just have to stick with it."

"And you, Mr. Ao?" asked Lisa.

"Well, I'm not exactly one for the spotlight either," said Ayumu, grinning sheepishly. "But I will do what I must."

"Then I look forward to seeing what will come after this," said Lisa. "Thank you, all of you, for your time and your willingness to be so forthcoming."

"Thank you for giving us our opportunity to speak," said Ruby.

With a covert motion of her finger, Lisa signaled the cameraman to focus on her, so that she could wrap up the interview. "Thank you everyone for tuning in to this special interview with the winner and runner-up of the Vytal Festival Tournament. This is Lisa Lavender of the Vale News Network, signing off."

* * *

 **Ayumu and Ruby throw down the gauntlet. This interview ended up taking up more space than I thought, hence why it occupies almost the entirety of the chapter. But this _is_ basically the thing that Ruby and Ayumu have been gunning for since before the tournament began, so it's understandable that, once they got the chance to say their piece, it would be a pretty substantial thing.**


	122. Chapter 122

**Chapter 122:**

The cameras shut down, and the students relaxed with sighs. Lisa smiled warmly at them. "I'm grateful for all your participation," she said earnestly, "especially you, Ms. Belladonna, I imagine that must have been an extremely difficult choice for you to make."

Blake slumped, looking a little pale after wrestling with her fear of exposing herself. "It was," she admitted. "It was kinda spur of the moment too. But I meant what I said."

"Will you be all right?" asked Ruby, looking at Lisa worriedly. "This could get you in trouble, couldn't it?"

"It could," agreed Lisa. "There are probably at least a few advertisers who would be willing to drop out over this, particularly those with ties to the SDC. Still, I believe it'll be worthwhile in the long run. A development like this will send ratings through the roof, which will attract more advertisers than it'll repel. It's going to generate months of content: follow-up stories, further interviews, investigations, political campaigns, discussion panels, and more besides." She let a giddy giggle escape her. "I'm a bit sorry to admit this, but something like this could make my career. That's one of the reasons I wanted to try and interview you as early as I could."

"That's okay," said Ruby, exchanging a smile with Ayumu. "We're not exactly strangers to selfish moments ourselves."

Ayumu blushed more intensely, as his friends also fixed him with mischievous looks and playful glares, reminded that, for all that it turned out well for them, how initially self-centered his desire to win over Neo was. The unspoken taunts didn't go unnoticed by Lisa, her journalistic instincts telling her there was another story here. However, she also understood that the students were less likely to be forthcoming about that, so she left it alone...for the time being.

"Although," she said instead, "if we're talking about borrowing trouble, it seems to me like _you're_ the ones putting yourselves at the greatest risk. You've made an enemy of a very dangerous man. It would likely never be admitted publicly, but he's a man of few scruples as well. You're in for an uphill battle against him, even _with_ the clout being the tournament finalists gives you."

The students nodded, save for Ciel, who folder her arms and stared down, her eyes quivering with worry. _And it's not just Jacques Schnee,_ she thought. It hadn't come up during the course of the interview, but there was one other person who benefitted extensively from the SDC's practices, and he was the most powerful man in Atlas. The thought of how Ironwood might react to this was a terrifying one, particularly now that he knew Ciel and Penny stood with Ruby and Ayumu.

Sure enough, while Lisa and her crew were packing up their equipment and saying their goodbyes, Ciel's scroll buzzed in her pocket. Taking a deep breath, she pulled it out with trembling fingers, holding it up so that she could see the message. Sure enough, it was Ironwood.

"Report _to me. Now!_ " was all that it said.

Swallowing, Ciel slipped it back into her pocket. She managed to keep it together until Lisa and the crew left the room. Once the door closed behind them, Ciel let out a long breath and slumped down, her legs giving out, causing her to slide down the wall, sinking straight to the floor.

"Are you okay?" asked Penny, crouching beside her worriedly.

Ciel looked up at Penny. "The General's summoned us," she said.

Penny blinked, then here eyes widened. "Oh!" She paused. "What do we do?"

"We...I...I don't know," admitted Ciel.

"You ignore him," said Yang firmly, crouching beside Ciel, gently helping her to her feet, before moving Ciel to the couch so that she could sit down somewhere more comfortable. "You're not his students anymore, and you're not in Atlas. So you don't have to do anything he tells you."

The others exchanged wary looks. "We should at least get back to Beacon," said Ruby firmly. "We know that they'll be safe there."

"Probably a good idea," agreed Jaune.

Penny settled by Ciel, taking her partner's hand in her own. "Let her rest a bit," she said. "She was really stressed out by that interview, even if they didn't ask us anything."

"We won't want to dally too long," said Ren. "The General knows they are here, in the ready-room. Assuming you don't answer him soon, he might decide to come here himself."

"Aww, but we can take him," declared Nora.

"Mayhap," said Ayumu. "But I'm fairly sure that starting a dustup with General Ironwood, right after an interview where we publicly lambasted the chief supplier of his military power, is not the sort of thing we want."

"If we don't start it, it shouldn't be an issue," said Gin.

"Well, when it comes to that, it comes down to the question of whether or not us standing between Ironwood and them would count as 'starting' it," said Blake.

"Well, they _are_ officially Beacon students now," said Ruby, smirking.

Penny wrapped Ciel in a hug, moderating her strength to keep from crushing the other, non-android, girl. It was something that Penny had been getting the knack of more and more, the more she hugged others. She made a mental note on her CPU to talk to her father about getting her tactile sensors more precisely calibrated, once he got to Vale. Seeing as Ciel made no sounds of protest, and even leaned into the embrace, Penny figured she'd gotten it right this time, tightening it just a little bit more, but not enough to inflict pain, she hoped.

For a few minutes, they rested like that, while the others waited. Finally, Penny felt Ciel pull away from her slightly, and let her go. "Do you feel better?" she asked.

Ciel smiled weakly. "I do," she said. She sighed. "You know, I don't know why I bother worrying about all of you. You'll pick the hardest path without hesitation, won't you?"

"I suppose that has been a trend of sorts with us," noted Ayumu, sheepishly twirling a lock of his ebony hair.

"I know your feeling," said Blake, resting a hand on Ciel's shoulder. "We have so much on our plates, I'm pretty sure something is about to give sooner or later."

"But it's amazing that you're doing all this for the faunus," said Penny.

"Well, we're trying our best," said Ruby. "I guess we'll see if this comes to anything."

"Even if materialization doesn't catch on, you guys have done something pretty monumental here," said Jaune. "You spoke truth to power, even if they weren't in the room with us. That doesn't happen a lot."

"True," agreed Yang. "I'm curious how everyone's taking this."

"Getting reactions is probably going to net Lisa another week of programming," said Nora, earning a laugh from everyone else.

Now it was time for _Ruby's_ scroll to ring, surprising her. Fishing it out, her eyes widened when she saw the contact. "Whitley?" she said, answering the call.

"Uh oh," Yang whispered.

" _Well well, Ruby,_ " said Whitley, his tone teasingly amused, " _I must say, you never mentioned anything like_ this _when we had dinner together._ "

"I...uh...well..." Ruby was at a bit of a loss about what to say. She'd known that her plan might not sit well with Whitley. She was suddenly beset by the worry that their friendship was about to come to an abrupt end.

" _You couldn't exactly trust such an important plan to the discretion of a boy you'd only known for a couple of hours,_ " said Whitley, guessing her line of thought fairly accurately. He chuckled. " _One date would hardly be grounds for calling off a plan that has been in the works for such a long time, even if you felt it might...raise my ire._ "

"I...I guess so," said Ruby. "Are you mad?"

" _Not really,_ " said Whitley. " _As ways to fight against Father's influence go, your approach is certainly a novel one. Even without this materialization of yours, simply daring to say such things about company practices would have been_ more _than enough to earn his enmity. Deliberately developing a means to reduce Dust's demand as a resource, however slight, is tantamount to declaring war._ "

"How do you think he'll react?" asked Ruby.

" _Quite violently,_ " said Whitley. Ruby swore she could hear his eyelid twitching over the audio-only connection. " _I imagine that he's currently barking orders to assemble his legal team, drafting nondisclosure agreements, preparing gag-orders, and searching for the grounds to sue you for slander. Even if he lacks the grounds, he may try anyway, if only to force you into a court battle, and drain your resources and will._ "

"Do you think we can fight him?" asked Ruby.

" _It depends on a number of factors,_ " said Whitley. " _Seeing your interview, I'd say that there is nothing there that could be definitively claimed as slanderous. Your acknowledgement that father is legally permitted to exploit his laborers the way he does, for example. But he can still use what little there is to make things...messy...for you. That said, I believe you can fight this. How well you are supported by others outside of the SDC will probably be a deciding factor._

" _That being said, that's not the only manner that Father can use to pressure you. His influence runs wide and deep. While I do not know all the particulars of his associations, you're likely to find yourself faced with attacks from some very unexpected directions. Don't be too surprised if a restaurant that has no obvious association with our company suddenly refuses to serve you or your friends, for example._ "

"That might wind up happening without your dad's help," Ruby noted. After all, she and Ayumu had been talking about faunus-rights, using their position as the tournament finalists to make a political statement. There were plenty of racists, or people who didn't want the Vytal Festival Tournament associated with politics of any kind, who would take umbrage to what had just transpired. Ruby realized that she'd just opened herself up to a repeat of all the attention and hostility she'd endured after her return...on a much wider scale than before. They hadn't merely declared metaphorical war on the SDC, but on certain humans' attitudes towards faunus in general.

" _Just be careful,_ " Whitley advised her. " _Father can be quite creative in his efforts to deal with people he considers enemies. The ways I listed are plenty overt, but Father also has subtler means of striking out at you._ "

"I understand," said Ruby, an amused smile tugging at her lips. Of course Jacques would attack her in ways both large and small. It seemed that, even in this kind of battle, she still needed to think smaller. "And what about you?"

" _Hmmm?_ "

"I didn't think about it while we were giving the interview," said Ruby, "but I put you in a difficult spot, didn't I? Your dad's gonna be pretty upset if you're friends with me, after the things I've said."

Only be straining her ears could Ruby catch the soft, extended exhalation on the other end of the line. " _Well...you're not wrong about that,_ " Whitley admitted. " _I have no doubt that Father will demand I publicly renounce any friendship with you, probably with a few words about 'betrayal' and 'being taken advantage of' thrown in for good measure. I still need to think about how to respond to such a demand._ "

"You'd refuse it?" asked Ruby.

" _That's..._ " She heard another, slightly louder, sigh from Whitley. " _...difficult to answer. Obviously, I'd like to tell Father exactly_ where _he can shove his demands. However, as secure as I am in the position of the sole remaining heir to the company, I know that even_ my _security has its limits. I have no idea who, but Father may ultimately choose to find someone else to take over, if he feels that he cannot accept the thought of having me do it. It was one thing, when I was trying to court you, and another when you've actively attacked the one thing Father treasures above all else...his profits._ "

"If that's the case, do what you need to," said Ruby. "Leaving the SDC in your hands would be the best thing, and we could always worry about being friends or not afterwards."

Whitley chuckled. " _That's very kind of you, Ruby. I wish you hadn't given me an out so easily. I'm sorely tempted to take it. You shouldn't be so quick to give up our friendship, even if it is for the greater good. You need to learn to be more selfish sometimes._ "

Ruby gasped softly, her free hand going to her lips, her entire body twitching in shock at those words.

" _Did I say something wrong?_ " asked Whitley, hearing her gasp over the scroll.

"N-no," said Ruby, before breaking down into helpless giggles. "It's just..." She forced herself to recover before attempting to speak again. "...It's just, I guess I told a certain someone else that very same thing a few times. I guess I need to practice what I preach."

" _Well, I'm glad I managed to get you to laugh at the very least,_ " said Whitley. " _I'm afraid we'll have to end our talk here. I have no doubt that I will be hearing from Father soon. And I have a few other things to work on in the meantime._ "

"All right," said Ruby.

" _Hopefully I can talk to you again soon,_ " said Whitley.

"Until then," said Ruby, hanging up.

"That went well, considering," said Yang. While she hadn't heard the whole conversation, she'd noticed a distinct lack of distress from Ruby, and realized that Ruby was getting advice and warnings about what was to come from Whitley. "I guess there's no hard feelings."

"I guess not," said Ruby, slipping her scroll back into its pocket. She turned to Ciel and Penny. "Feeling better yet?" she asked.

"Yes," said Ciel, pushing herself up to her feet, Penny supporting her. "Let's head back, before the General gets impatient." Her scroll had already buzzed twice more, indicating new messages from Ironwood, no doubt demanding her reply and immediate compliance.

They started to gather their things, and were about to leave when a tone sounded form the door again. Ciel tensed, her dark skin paling considerably. However, she found herself relaxing when Ruby smiled at her reassuringly. Likewise, neither Gin nor Ayumu demonstrated any trepidation at who was at the door. Instead, Ruby's expression shifted to excited, and she dashed to the door, opening it to reveal a tall, powerfully built man, with short, blonde hair.

"DADDY!" exclaimed Ruby, her voice joined by Yang as they threw themselves at their father.

"H-hey there girls," Taiyang stammered through his happy laughter, catching his daughters and sweeping them up into a tight hug.

"What are you doing here, Dad?" asked Ruby, gazing up at Taiyang with shining eyes.

"You'd think my little girl would make it all the way to the final round of the Vytal Festival Tournament, and I _wouldn't_ come to watch her match in person?" Taiyang affected and expression of mock disappointment, averting his eyes and puff out his cheeks, while simultaneously pursing his lips. "I'm hurt."

"Daaaaaad!" wailed Ruby, before Taiyang started laughing again.

He hugged his daughters all the tighter. "It doesn't matter. Oh! I'm so proud of you, Ruby!"

"Did you see her interview?" asked Yang.

"I saw all of it," said Taiyang, grinning widely. "That was a heck of a statement, Ruby. I can't..." He sighed. "God! If Summer could see you now."

"I know she can," said Ruby softly.

Taiyang smiled warmly, and leaned down to kiss the top of his youngest daughter's head. "You're right," he said. He spent another minute holding his daughters.

Finally, he released them. "Well, I'd offer to take you all out to dinner, but I think that's gonna be difficult, now that Ruby's decided to be a celebrity activist."

Ruby blushed furiously. "Sorry," she said, looking down bashfully.

"It can't be helped," said Taiyang, transitioning to squeezing her shoulder. "Why don't we head back to Beacon then. We can talk over dinner in the dining hall. I know that won't stop you from being the center of attention, but it won't be as bad as trying to go into Vale right now."

"That sounds like a plan," said Ruby, sharing a smile with her friends.

* * *

Whitley hadn't even fully lowered his scroll, after ending his call with Ruby, before he selected another contact from his list. "Delft, please send missives to Cephas and Douglass. I wish to consult with them at the earliest possible opportunity."

" _Of course, Master Whitley,_ " said Delft. " _And may I ask what you plan to do about your father's inevitable demand to decry Ms. Rose?_ "

"I have yet to decide," admitted Whitley. "It depends, at least in part, on how things go with my friends on the board. Father will probably be contacting me momentarily, so I'll simply have to do the most appropriate thing in this matter...and stall like there's no tomorrow."

" _Of course,_ " said Delft. " _That being the case, I will send the missives immediately._ "

A beep sounded from his scroll, interrupting their conversation for a second. The tone meant that Whitley had another caller waiting. "That's probably Father now," he said.

" _Best of luck, Young Master,_ " said Delft, hanging up.

Lowering his scroll, Whitley's lips curled up in a rueful smile as he saw who was waiting on the line. He hesitated for all of a second, before answering. "Hello, Father."

" _Whitley!_ " Jacques' imperious tone snapped from the other end of the line, only a faint crackle of static signifying the distance between them. " _I should have known better than to let you court that little red bitch! That girl is poison to us._ "

 _That's putting it a bit strongly,_ thought Whitley, frowning in anger at his father's insulting reference to Ruby. "I assume this is about her match, and the interview afterwords."

" _You're damn right it is!_ " shouted Jacques. " _That brat dares to attack me in such a manner...I won't have it! I can already hear our stock dropping like a stone. Immediate action needs to be taken!_ "

"Perhaps," said Whitley, speaking at a more deliberate pace, drawing things out. "However, speed is important...but _haste_ is dangerous, Father. Perhaps we should observe things more carefully, to avoid any reckless action."

" _Absolutely not!_ " roared Jacques. " _I want this dealt with NOW! I'll have that girl's scalp nailed to my wall by the time this is over. I will not stand for any attack on this company!_ "

 _Not even if they're true?_ thought Whitley.

" _Her words alone have probably already cost us millions,_ " ranted Jacques. " _I won't waste another second. I'm going to the tournament committee, and I will have her entire tournament record invalidated. My legal team is already pursuing a case for slander."_

"You _do_ realize that all the points that she and her friend made are a matter of public record," Whitley pointed out.

" _That doesn't matter,_ " said Jacques. " _She's just a damn student, with a pittance of a stipend at best. She doesn't have the means to stand up in court. I'll drain her dry with costs, and leave her so destitute she won't be able to afford a scrap of bread after this._

" _And we'll just see how far her words reach, when my investigators dig up her past. They'll find out just what skeletons she's been hiding, and drag them into the light. And that's only the beginning. I will_ crush _her!_ "

Jacques' voice trailed off, his rant finally running out of steam. Whitley could practically see the man in his mind's eye, panting and leaning against his desk, the bottle of expensive whiskey Jacques had probably been imbibing probably somewhere around half-empty. Jacques had always been an angry drunk.

Finally, he spoke again. " _All that's left is your part. I want you to call a press conference. Denounce that bitch, and let the public know just how she's been leading you on, and taking advantage of your generosity._ "

Whitley fought back the urge to snort derisively at his father's demand. "I see," he said. "I will make arrangements and prepare a statement then. Please try to have a more pleasant evening than what you've already had, Father."

" _Oh I will,_ " Jacques promised. Then the line went dead with a click.

Whitley lowered his scroll to stare at the screen for a moment, before pocketing it with a sigh. "Well, that buys _some_ time at least. Hopefully I can work things out with Cephas and Douglass. At least Father is performing as expected."

* * *

"Wow...was _not_ expecting that!" said Roman, staring at the holoscreen with wide eyes. Beside him, Weiss was similarly aghast, albeit for different reasons than Roman.

What struck the crime boss was a revelation about Ayumu Ao, something he hadn't realized before. _Neo's dating a faunus! That's gonna take some getting used to._

Roman had cultivated something of a reputation as a racist. In truth, he didn't care as much about race as he made it sound. Humans and faunus were equally capable of idiocy in his eyes. But he lived to get under people's skin. And, for faunus, nothing got under their skin faster than racial insults. He supposed that still made him racist, at least in an outward sense. The defense of "I never actually meant any of that stuff," tended to ring hollow, even to him.

Still, the second he'd seen the pair fo them together, Roman had realized just how much the boy meant to Neo. More than that, he realized that the boy had Neo's best interests at heart. Even helping Roman himself was actually Ayumu working to help Neo by proxy, the kind of sideways motivation that Roman could admire. So he supposed that he had no grounds to object, if Neo didn't.

Weiss, on the other hand, found her mind nearly completely blanked by what had been revealed by the interview. Learning the truth about Ruby's weapon during the match had been a shock in its own right. But realizing that Ruby had structured this as a direct attack on the SDC, by attacking the value of its chief product, had nearly wiped her mind.

There was anger, of course. Even if she was disowned and disinherited, Weiss still thought of herself as a Schnee. The company had once been her life. Even her decision to come to Beacon and become a Huntress had been steps along to the path of claiming her inheritance. Ruby and Ayumu's statements about the acts her company was committing incited a reflexive rage in her gut. Yet Weiss also couldn't find the wherewithal to deny what was said. She'd known for a long time about her father's "questionable practices," even better than the ones who had constantly lambasted her for it, as though it had been _her_ fault her father had decided to treat the faunus as expendable beasts of burden.

Within her gut, she felt that old resentment flare up again. Ruby Rose had called out the SDC, in a worldwide broadcast. Even though she had admitted her wrongdoing; asked, and received forgiveness from Ruby, Weiss couldn't help but feel that old feeling of anger that came from Ruby attacking what should have been Weiss' legacy. It took her a few seconds, but Weiss forced those resentful feelings down. The SDC _wasn't_ her legacy any longer. Her father had made his own bed, and Ruby was now making him lie in it. The only question that remained was whether or not Jacques would try to strangle Ruby with the sheets.

"I gotta say, Weiss," said Roman, chuckling nervously, "your old leader sure has a way of picking her enemies. I wouldn't want to be in her position. I'm starting to think that _you're_ the lucky one, tucked safely away here, while she has to deal with your daddy's reprisals."

Weiss opened her mouth to rebuke him irritably, before stopping herself and thinking better of it. "You're not wrong," she admitted. After all, once he'd washed his hands of her, Jacques Schnee probably hadn't spared a single thought for Weiss in those, increasingly long, periods where the media went without mentioning her and her crimes. He'd simply granted the inheritance to his preferred successor, and moved on with business as usual.

Because of that, the fallout for this would be entirely on Ruby's head. Weiss just hoped that Ruby was up to the task. Jacques Schnee was no criminal mastermind, working with White Fang terrorists, but he was, in his own way, infinitely more ruthless and dangerous than Roman Torchwick. What was more, Jacques knew how to tailor his methods of attack, turning the law into both his shield and spear, unlike Roman, who'd outright broken the law. Against that, Ruby was bound to have a much harder time fighting back. This wasn't an adversary she could take up her scythe against and charge on the battlefield.

 _I hope you know what you're doing, Ruby_ thought Weiss worriedly.

* * *

By the time RUBY, JNAR, Ciel, Penny, and Taiyang had left the ready room and boarded the airship down to Beacon, Amity had cleared of most of the crowds. Of course, what that meant was that those crowds had merely transitioned down to the festival grounds themselves. The spectacular conclusion of the Vytal Festival Tournament created a celebratory atmosphere, and the densest crowds that the grounds had seen since the festival's commencement. Fireworks shot upwards from all over Beacon's campus, their echoing booms a near constant punctuation to the cheers of the festival goers.

So it was that, once they got off the ship, the group, Ruby and Ayumu in particular, found themselves swamped by cheerful partiers, congratulating them on their match. It seemed that the outcome wasn't all that important in anyone's mind, which Ruby didn't mind all that much. Instead, the match itself had been such an incredible spectacle that the process of it had stuck in people's minds more than the outcome, something Ruby and Ayumu actually enjoyed. There was the occasional person congratulating Ruby on winning the tournament, along with a few offering consolation to Ayumu for his loss. But, by and large, the reception was mutually congratulatory to both of them.

What gratified Ruby the most was the number of faunus that approached her, all of them thanking her profusely for stepping up and being willing to fight for their rights. It seemed that they had, by and large, forgiven her for dating a dragon-faunus, or the enormity of what Ruby had done had momentarily driven it from their minds. _Eh, whatever works, I guess,_ thought Ruby. If there were any hecklers, their taunts or insults were drowned out by the mass of cheers.

Of course, the density of the crowd, and their enthusiastic reception, made traveling across grounds slow going for the two teams and their friends. Taiyang looked on with a fond smile, watching Ruby shake hand after hand. Either he didn't notice that RUBY and JNAR had discreetly formed up to keep Ciel and Penny protectively in the center of the group, or he chose not to remark on it.

It was probably a needless precaution. As dangerously forward as Ironwood could be in expressing his wrath, there was little chance that he'd approach them openly in this setting, not in a confrontation where Penny's status as an android could come to light. But Ruby and her friends weren't taking any chances. Besides, given her already substantial anxiety over Ironwood's reaction to their defection, Ciel wasn't in much of a condition to be dealing with the crowds at the moment.

Finally, after much hard work, wading through the throngs of people, Ruby and her friends made it to the edge of the grounds, away from where the crowds were at their densest. Granted, there were still plenty of people milling about on the outskirts, but the two teams no longer had to force their way through a nearly solid mass of revelers, though Ruby and Ayumu continued receive accolades every step of the way.

They had nearly reached the doors to the dining hall, when a familiar figure emerged from the people milling about, and threw herself at Ruby with cheerful abandon. "RUBY!"

"Velvet!" exclaimed Ruby, grinning and allowing the second-year to sweep her up in a tight hug, twirling the smaller girl around. Velvet's rabbit-ears were standing straight up in a display of excitement that fully demonstrated her sheer joy.

"You were magnificent!" declared Velvet, tears streaming down her face. "I...I'm just...Wow...Ruby...I never thought you'd...I didn't believe..." It seemed that Velvet's emotions were running so rampant that forming a coherent sentence was currently beyond her.

Ruby smiled, feeling on the verge of tears herself. Instead, she lifted up her hands, and began to wipe Velvet's tears away with her thumbs.

Velvet hiccuped, a sound halfway between a sob and a laugh, before leaning in to rest her forehead against Ruby's. "Thank you," she said breathlessly. "Thank you so much. I never thought anyone would do something like this for us."

"With the friends I keep, I couldn't do anything less," said Ruby.

As Velvet continued to cling to her, Ruby's _Shingan_ picked up the approach of Coco, leading the other two members of Team CFVY, that confident sashay of hers giving her away without Ruby even needing to sense her Aura. By the time Velvet had calmed down to the point where she could let go, Coco was standing right beside them. The second Velvet stepped away, Coco slapped Ruby's back with enough force to send her staggering forward a couple of steps. Ruby had seen the move coming, but felt no need to dodge, given the complete lack of malice behind it. It stung, but Ruby didn't mind all that much.

"Rose," said Coco, her voice ringing with an impressive degree of intensity, "that was one _hell_ of a show. You've made me proud."

"Aww...thanks," said Ruby, blushing furiously.

Coco grinned teasingly. "Still, to think that was the secret behind those neat little weapons of yours. Sneaky sneaky...And to think you wouldn't even tell it to your sleepover buddies."

"Uh...W-well..." stammered Ruby. "We just wanted to be careful."

Coco laughed again, slapping Ruby in the back a second time, though she used much less of a windup, so it didn't sting as much. "I'm just teasing you," she said. "That's seriously impressive though. Forget being the best first-year, you're probably officially the best fighter in Beacon now."

Wiping her eyes, Velvet giggled. "She's the tournament champion," she added. "I think that means she's officially the strongest Academy student in the entire world."

Ruby's blush spread to turn her entire face a vivid crimson.

"It makes me glad I didn't go up against you, to be sure," said Coco. "Losing to Mercury and Emerald was bad enough, but I get the feeling I would have been seriously schooled, if I wound up against you. I've got a reputation to protect, after all."

Ruby ducked her head, throwing her hood up over it.

Coco smirked. "Well, I still prefer my baby for now, but you've got my attention with this materialization thing. I'd like to hear more."

"Actually..." Velvet tapped her index fingers together. Instead of addressing Ruby, she turned to Ayumu, who'd been watching the whole exchange with no small degree of amusement. "I would like to learn about this, if I could."

"You'd like to learn materialization?" asked Ayumu.

"Um...I'm more interested in the manifestation," said Velvet.

"And why is that?" asked Ayumu.

"Um...Well...we should probably talk about that somewhere more private," said Velvet nervously.

"Let's just say you guys weren't the only ones saving a secret for the tournament," said Coco with a knowing smile. She gently patted Velvet's shoulder. "Of course, Vel's secret weapon isn't as fantastical as yours. We'll talk later. For now, it's time to _party!_ "

"Hell yeah!" cheered Yang, the others offering cheers of their own agreement.

"You guys are probably tired of being mobbed all the way through the festival grounds," said Coco, "so we prepared a special reception in the dining hall, just for you."

Team CFVY took the lead, guiding Ruby, her father, and her friends into the dining hall, where they were met with another explosion of cheers. Once again, Ruby sensed someone familiar rapidly closing in on her. This time, she got extra warning from the vibrant flash of colors that accompanied Neon's rush as she threw herself at Ruby in a manner reminiscent of Velvet.

"Wow!" she exclaimed, grabbing Ruby by the shoulders, her eyes sparkling like glitter-encrusted stars. "You guys are just so...so...AWESOME! That was the coolest thing. _Ever!_ "

"Th-thanks," said Ruby, feeling a bit dizzy from Neon shaking her back and forth.

Neon let Ruby go, leaving her to sway slightly, until Gin steadied her with hands on her shoulders. The Atlesian student had moved to dancing in place, giggling excitedly. "You've got to teach me how to do that materialization thing. Please!"

Ruby laughed. "Of course," she said.

Flynt's approach was more sedate than Neon's, but Ruby recognized his saunter all the same. He came to a stop a short distance away, grinning. Once Neon had run out her enthusiasm a little, he tipped his hat to Ruby. "I gotta say, Rose, that was one heck of a show. You've got some serious guts there, picking a fight with Old Man Schnee like that. I dig it."

"Thanks," said Ruby.

"All right, all right!" said Coco, clapping her hands imperiously. "I know you guys want to get a word in, but these are the guests of honor here! Let's let them get some food, before you jerks hog it all!"

That got laughs from the crowd of fellow students around them, who parted to allow Ruby and her friends through, revealing a sumptuous buffet that had been set up. It appeared that Beacon's kitchen staff had pulled out all the stops, putting out some of their best dishes for the celebrating students to pick and choose for themselves. Many of the students had contributed as well, purchasing substantial quantities of food from the festival's specialty stalls, creating what amounted to a full-on banquet. The sight of the dessert table in particular, with its artistic display of cakes and cookies, set Ruby's mouth to watering.

She glanced back at her father, half-expecting Taiyang to admonish her to get something more dinner-related, before turning her attention to the desserts. But Taiyang merely flashed that proud, fatherly grin of his. "You're the girl of the hour," he said. "Go ahead and get whatever you want."

Not needing any further encouragement, Ruby was off like a flash, petals scattering her wake, leaving everyone else laughing at her enthusiasm, before following in her wake to help themselves.

Blake took a step towards the table, but paused when a familiar hand came to rest on her shoulder. Her heart leaping in her chest, she turned around to take in a familiar pair of twinkling blue eyes, and a grin that was as warm and loving as it was mischievous. "Sun," she said, suddenly feeling nervous and self-conscious, her cheeks turning a pale-pink color.

"Hey," said Sun, reaching up to gently stroke his thumb across one of those blushing cheeks. Leaning in, he whispered into her left cat-ear, "I _knew_ you looked better without the bow."

Blake giggled, raising her hands to slide up Sun's abdomen, running them up to his equally well-chiseled chest, while Sun's free arm curled around her waist, the hand he'd been using to stroke her cheek sliding around to the back of her head to pull her face towards his. Despite the sheer number of people around them, the number of eyes on her, Blake found herself not caring, instead allowing Sun to press his lips to hers, moving her hands up to his shoulders, while he pulled her body up against his. Her right foot left the floor, kicking up behind her reflexively, while Sun bent her over backwards.

The people around them, including their friends, who'd been momentarily distracted from the task of securing food for themselves, broke out into cheers. Scrolls flashed from all directions, capturing the tender moment for the world to see. And, for some reason, Blake found herself not caring in the slightest.

* * *

"Well, what do you think?" asked Nereus, frowning thoughtfully, after spending the past few minutes mulling over the interview they'd just watched.

"Hmmm..." Naia hummed noncommittally. "Well, I am very intrigued by these techniques they talked about at least. As for the other things..." She tapped her index finger against her chin. "That makes things...unusual."

Nereus expression tightened. "The idea that the winner of the tournament, a human no less, would use the fame of her victory as a platform to fight for our cause. It's something none of us had ever considered possible."

Leaning back in her seat, Naia slid her arms forward, stretching them across the surface of the table, in the direction of the projector for the holoscreen. Out in the wilderness, this tent was one of the many that made up the White Fang's encampment in the Emerald Forest. The holoscreen itself was one of the precious few amenities they had out here, a way to monitor current events within the Kingdom itself. There were a couple of others in the encampment. But the fact that their use drained the portable generators the White Fang were using quite rapidly meant that their use was sparing by necessity.

Despite that, all the screens had been running continuously during the final match of the tournament. The two participants had been people marked by Cinder's group as priority targets, the ones that Cinder's people had subsequently failed to bring down, making them persons of interest to the White Fang. Naia and Nereus had both been impressed by the pair's match, finding themselves fascinated by the skills by display, and wondering how their own abilities measured up.

Then had come the interview, with Ruby and Ayumu pledging their match, and Ruby's win, to the cause of faunus rights, essentially declaring metaphorical war on the chief force of faunus oppression in this day and age. It was the sort of occurrence that had the potential to change _everything_.

And, because of that, the members of the White Fang, particularly those who represented the interests of Sienna herself, had to think about their next move very carefully.

Outside their tent, the twins could hear confused and surprised mutterings. It seemed that the other members were as shocked by this development as they were. Faint questions reached Naia's ears, members wondering if the planned attack on the Kingdom should be scrapped, even if they were able to go ahead with it.

Then Adam's voice cut through the murmuring with the same sharpness as the blade he wielded. "Make no mistake, brothers and sisters! This changes _nothing!_ This brat, this scum-sucking human, is no reason to change our plans! She's nothing more than a child, void of true experience. She has no real understanding of our struggle, and should not be counted on to truly fight for us!

"Something like this will only drive the humans to look down upon us even more, saying that we cannot even fight our own battles! Instead, they will claim that we cannot do anything without a human's help, not even fight for our own rights! This human brat's words mean nothing! She's nothing more than another arrogant Huntress, secretly viewing us with contempt, while still pretending to be our ally! She is a human...and deserves no mercy from us."

"Well, Adam seems decided," said Nereus, not even looking in the direction of Adam's voice.

Naia pressed her lips together in a thin line. "I like that girl," she said finally. "She has such wonderful eyes."

"I figured you would say that," said Nereus, chuckling softly. "So, what then do we do about the girl?"

"We do what we must," said Naia sadly. "If Adam cannot be convinced to call off the attack, then we shall not dissuade him. Instead, we will lay the groundwork for the moves that come after that."

"So then..." pressed Nereus.

Naia sighed. "Sienna might not agree yet. But I think she will see sense after this. That being the case, let us allow Adam Taurus to serve the White Fang to the very best of his ability."

Silence fell again, before Naia smiled. "Still...Lady Belladonna certainly seems well."

Nereus nodded. "To think that she would reveal herself to the world like that, after hiding herself for so long."

"Not only that, she admitted her prior association with us, and promptly used that to build a firmer foundation for her friend's case," added Naia. "Ghira's daughter has grown up. I imagine he must be quite proud of her now."

"We'll have to ask him the next opportunity we get," said Nereus. "It's been quite some time since the last time we saw him and Kali. I've found myself missing her cooking. Perhaps we are overdue for a visit."

"In time," said Naia. "Things are moving so fast now, yet so slowly. We need to see if there is any chance of Adam carrying out things the way they planned."

"I find myself hoping that they don't," said Nereus. "This development might be the one we need to change our course."

"True," agreed Naia. "I could see several ways to make use of this opportunity. Perhaps Sienna could be convinced to reach out."

"Perhaps..." mused Nereus.

Suddenly, an angry roar echoed through the camp, the sheer wrath it carried causing the Shimizu twins to shoot to their feet, rushing out of their tent. The cry was bestial in its ferocity, echoing with the kind of pure rage and hatred that it might have torn itself from the throat of a Grimm. However, they instead found Adam, head tilted back as he howled with fury.

"Brother Taurus!" shouted Nereus. "What-?" His words died, a confused expression washing across his face as he noticed the scroll clutched in Adam's right hand.

"I-I'm sorry," whimpered a young woman with slightly-floppy dog-ears, pressing her right hand to the dark welt on her cheek. She was sprawled out just a short distance away. While her eyes were hidden by her mask, her posture betrayed her fear all too clearly, paralyzed by that fear, rather than pain.

Naia immediately moved to kneel by the girl, brushing her fingers across the angry welt with the lightest of touches. "What happened?" asked Naia worriedly, helping the girl to her feet

"I saw the posts on social media," explained the girl. "Adam's been looking for any signs of her. So I showed him."

"Showed him who?" asked Naia.

"Blake Belladonna," said the girl.

Frowning, Naia pulled out her own scroll. She had little use for social media herself. But she knew that many members of the White Fang monitored of it, if only to keep track of fellow faunus, who sometimes reported racist attacks on them over such platforms. Her search for Blake's name turned up a match immediately, with several such sites showcasing pictures of her from a variety of angles. The reason for her sudden surge in visibility, along with Adam's rage, became all too clear.

The pictures showed Blake, her ears no longer concealed by the ribbon she'd been wearing. She was locked in a tight embrace, sharing a kiss with an unfamiliar boy, a handsome specimen to be sure. The blonde-furred tail extending from his backside marked him as a faunus as well. Even though the pictures were static, still images, they still clearly conveyed the depth of affection between the couple.

"Who is that?" asked Nereus.

"Sun Wukong," said Naia, already reading through the comments below the pictures. "He was one of the other participants to make it to the single rounds. He lost to Ayumu Ao in the quarterfinals though."

"An exchange like that suggests that this is not a wholly new development," mused Nereus. "We don't have very much personal knowledge of Lady Belladonna, but she always seemed to have an untrusting nature, particularly when it came to outsiders. So this relationship must have been some time in the making."

Naia nodded, but turned her gaze to Adam, whose roar had petered off. His head remained tilted back, but he'd slumped down to his knees, his arms hanging limp.

A soft whimper sounded from the girl in front of Naia. With a faint tutting noise, Naia wrapped her arms protectively around the girl, drawing her into a gentle embrace. "It's all right," she said softly. "You'll be fine."

Her words seemed to calm the girl down. Naia released her embrace, but kept her hands resting on the girl's shoulders. "Go and see the medic," she advised. "That mark will fade on its own, but I'm sure he will have something that can ease the pain and make it go down faster."

The poor girl nodded with a whimper, clearly not expecting such caring treatment from one of the infamous Shrimps. But she scurried off to obey, while Naia turned to face Adam. "Brother Taurus, I expect better from you than to strike your own people, simply because they are the bearers of bad news."

"Silence!" snapped Adam, bringing his head down, then turning it sharply to look at her. "I knew Blake was a coward and a traitor. But I never knew she would be so faithless as to run into the arms of some...filth!"

"And yet, I still fail to see where that justifies you lashing out at one of your own like a child throwing a tantrum," admonished Naia sternly. "If you lack any semblance of self-control Adam, then you are clearly not suited to this position after all. If you cannot maintain your calm, simply because you have received information that you find personally unpleasant, then we shall obviously have to arrange a change of plans, namely calling off the current one."

Rising to her feet, Adam bared his teeth, sucking in a deep breath that pushed his shoulders back, his upper body swelling. He opened his mouth, as though to start ranting again. Instead, he exhaled loudly. Then inhaled again, then exhaled again. With each breath he took, his posture relaxed slightly, until he finally regained his cool. Reaching up, he adjusted his mask with a slight touch of his fingers.

"You're right," he admitted, his voice laced with an icy calm. "Please forgive my lapse. I will apologize to Salvia promptly."

"See that you do," said Naia, her voice softening.

Adam walked away, already heading in the direction of the medic's tent. Naia and Nereus watched him go. "That was disturbing," she said finally.

"If this is how he reacts to such news concerning her, then it's not such a surprise that Lady Belladonna took her leave," mused Nereus. "I can't imagine that the relationship between them was a healthy one."

"True," agreed Naia. "I feel sorry for Blake. This will be difficult for her."

"Are you certain that it is wise to continue?" asked Nereus. "Adam's self-control is clearly slipping even more than we thought."

Naia shook her head. "Wise? Perhaps not. Yet, oftentimes, it is not the wisest course that is the best one. Sometimes it is a little bit of foolishness that allows one to reach past the limits of conventional wisdom, and find the way forward. If Adam will not bow to wisdom, then we will let his foolishness carry him instead, and ride that wave to achieve our own ends."

"So be it," said Nereus.

"I believe it will work out all right," said Naia. "The more prominent a cyst is, the more easily it is identified as such...and excised."

* * *

 **Well...I couldn't think of anything to say for this chapter.**


	123. Chapter 123

**Chapter 123:**

The party lasted well into the night. Ruby and her friends were repeatedly toasted by the others in attendance. She had to admit, as uncomfortable as it was to be in the center of such adulation, it was encouraging to know that her performance in the tournament, and in the interview afterwards, was being received so positively. There were at least a few ardent racists in Beacon's student body, and they were all the more noticeable by virtue of their absence from the party. But their absence amounted to only a tiny dent in the overall number of attendees, who also included several of the visiting students from the other schools.

Ruby found herself receiving congratulations from people like Arslan, from Team ABRN, the first team they'd faced in the tournament. Arslan's teammates were equally enthusiastic about Ruby's victory, though Reese expressed more than a little annoyance at Ruby "copying" her style by using her weapon as a means of transportation, something Ruby wasn't all that surprised by. The girls of NDGO were likewise friendly and enthusiastic, firming the bonds of friendship they'd already formed over the course of the tournament. Much to her surprise, she was approached by Syren, Naomi, and their team. It turned out that Syren and Naomi were heavily involved in pro-faunus activism themselves, and were eager to get more ideas from Ruby. Ruby was happy to trade contact information with them, for the purpose of future endeavors.

Ruby wasn't the only one being approached though. Ayumu found himself exchanging handshakes with the members of Team BRNZ. In particular, May approached him with a shy blush on her cheeks, thanking him for how he'd treated her during and after the match, and for not making a big deal about her...condition.

The well-wishers came and went. Ruby was actually surprised that none of the detractors she knew had to have existed had tried to come and confront her. She suspected that Coco, and whoever else had been behind organizing this affair, had made sure to keep them from entering.

A real surprise came when Ruby saw three familiar people approaching. Chrys, Holly, and Rhea, from Team CHAR. Ajax, she noticed, was absent, something she had her suspicions about. Ruby counted Chrys as someone at least pleasantly disposed to her, if not an outright friend, considering he'd gone out of his way to prevent any further attempts by Ajax to haze or attack her. But his other two companions were unknowns.

"Ruby, that was a brilliant match," said Chrys, extending a friendly hand towards her.

"Thank you," said Ruby, accepting the handshake. It surprised her that such a delicate-looking hand was capable of such a firm grip. Then again, thinking back to the massive spear that Chrys had wielded, she supposed that wasn't so much of a surprise after all.

Both Holly and Rhea smiled as well. "We were very impressed by your work, both during and after the match," said Holly, bearing a small smile.

"It's inspiring, honestly," said Rhea. "I don't think anyone else would have thought to use their win in the tournament in quite such a manner."

"Is it really so strange?" wondered Ruby. She thought back to the tournaments she had watched in her lifetime. The winners had always been showered with praise afterwards. Some had embraced their celebrity status, while others had chosen to opt out of the limelight, as she had, before realizing that her decision to stump for faunus rights had pulled her squarely back into it. She couldn't remember if any of the previous champions had tried to use their status to promote any kind of cause. But she'd never been that much of a follower of current events, particularly when it came to matters concerning politics.

Chrys took a seat across from her. "It hasn't happened all that much, and I think only once with a tournament champion. As you and your friend pointed out during the interview, bringing politics into this affair will lead some people to accusing you of tainting the tournament. Not a lot of champions are willing to bring those kinds of accusations on themselves, especially if they're more interested in avoiding the spotlight."

"The one champion who did was actually an opposite of you, in a sense," said Rhea. "She was a winner of the tournament immediately after the Faunus Rights Revolution, and she used her position as a soapbox to denounce the faunus for their 'violent aggression.' She claimed that revolting like they had was an inherently wrong course of action, and that they should have been more inclined to peaceful negotiation."

"It didn't really amount to much," said Holly. "The Revolution was already over, and the Kuo Kuana Accords had already been finalized and adopted. But she gained quite a bit of sympathy, particularly from humans who lost friends or family to the Revolution."

"Oh..." said Ruby, lowering her eyes.

"A few years before that, there had been a faunus participant who had protested against the increasing discrimination against the faunus, and decried the efforts of the Kingdoms to centralize the faunus population in Menagerie," added Chrys. "But he was eliminated in the semifinals of that year's tournament, so a lot of commentators simply dismissed his statements as nothing more than sour grapes for not winning the tournament."

"The Revolution started a year later," added Holly softly.

"But, other than those, there hasn't really been that much of an attempt by other tournament champions or participants to use their clout for political ends," finished Rhea. "I get the feeling you and Ayumu are going to have way more of an impact than any of them."

"It was very well thought-out, and brilliantly executed," added Chrys with a smile. "Ajax is furious by the way, hence why he's not here."

"I guess he _would_ be upset," said Ruby, not at all surprised.

"Well, the Raptis family are the chief distributors of Schnee Dust in Vale," said Rhea with a sigh. "They own several shops that cater to Huntsmen specifically."

Ruby thought about the weapon and Dust-shops she had frequented in her younger years; remembering how she'd eagerly drooled over the newest components she might use to mod Crescent Rose, or what Dust-types she might integrate into her load-out to give her ammunition a wider range of potential capabilities. Those days were over it seemed, and not just because she needed neither parts nor Dust anymore. She was likely now _persona non grata_ at more than a few of those shops, if not all of them.

Rhea reached over and gave Ruby's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry about it," she advised. "You've started something here, something important. This is about more than just whether or not Dust shops might wind up losing some lien, this about where that Dust comes from, and who it comes from, and what means they use to get it."

"That's right," agreed Chrys.

Ruby smiled, happy to be receiving such emphatic support, even from people she barely knew. Dealing with the fallout of her return to Beacon, and all the controversies that had arisen because of it, she realized she'd been more exposed to the negative side of Beacon's student population, which had probably made that negativity seem more prevalent than it actually was. This dining hall, filled with well-wishers and supporters, was a sign that she wasn't alone in this fight. Sure, hardly any of these people were likely to go out of their way to act on her behalf, but they weren't going to oppose her either. That had to count for something.

As the evening progressed, people began to take their leave, obviously wanting to get some sleep before the next day's events. Tomorrow would be the awards ceremony for the tournament, along with the official conclusion of the Vytal Festival itself. After that, people would be swept up into the work of getting the visiting students back to their respective Academies, while the civilian visitors from other Kingdoms worried over their own travel arrangements.

Ruby noted that Blake and Sun were amongst the early departures, slipping off together, something that made Blake's friends titter and smile slyly. Likewise, Ciel and Penny also left early, quietly departing to their room in Beacon's student dormitories. Ciel was still obviously on edge about Ironwood's summons earlier, and about the likely fallout of her and Penny ignoring said summons. She'd received more angry texts as the evening progressed, followed by outright calls, which she refused to answer. Ruby could understand Ciel not wanting to find out what dire pronouncements Ironwood was making over his scroll. Hopefully, Ciel's sleep wouldn't be too troubled, and Ironwood would give up after enough time, though he'd likely try to arrange a confrontation sometime later.

Unfortunately, given her and Ayumu's status as the guests of honor, Ruby and Ayumu felt obligated to stay later, namely by virtue of the number of people who continued to drop by to congratulate them. Ruby was uncomfortable with the attention, if gratified by the support she was receiving. But she could tell that Ayumu would have liked to take his leave much sooner, in order to spend some time with Neo. Finally, he managed to excuse himself, loading up one last plate with snacks and treats to take with him. Ruby smiled as she watched him go, before returning her attention to her friends and father.

Then came one last unpleasant occurrence. Flynt and Neon had picked seats near Ruby's table, the two of them enjoying their own food, while Neon continued to playfully pester Ruby for lessons on materialization. Then their scrolls sounded abruptly. Picking his up, Flynt read the message, then let out a long breath through his pursed lips. "Hoo boy..."

"Something wrong?" asked Yang, noticing his unease.

"You could say that," said Flynt, holding up his scroll. "Just got a message from the Headmaster. It's a general message to all Atlas students. He's 'urging us to not dignify such a brazen attempt to sow disunity and undermine world peace on the part of the tournament finalists,' by showing up at the awards ceremony tomorrow."

"Basically, he wants us to boycott," clarified Neon, glaring at her screen. "That jerk! He's just worried that you cutting the legs out from under Schnee is gonna mean he can't get all those fancy toys for his military."

"He'd deny it, of course," said Flynt.

"So he's telling you not to come?" asked Ruby.

"Not exactly," said Flynt. "It's an 'urging,' not an order. That makes it informal, more of a suggestion really, at least as far as things are concerned officially. If he made it an official order, then he'd basically be opening himself up to accusations of doing the same thing that you did, politicizing the tournament and the festival.

"But even if it's not an order, you can bet he'll be willing to take steps to make sure he makes anyone who disobeys it regrets doing so. We probably won't feel the heat for it, until we get back to Atlas, but I'm willing to bet it won't be pretty."

"So...are you not coming then?" asked Ruby.

"Hell _yeah_ we're coming," said Flynt, grinning, alongside Neon, who was grinning even wider. "No way in hell am I missing out on a chance to take Old Man Schnee down a peg or two. The Headmaster can take his urging and stuff it."

"Are you sure?" asked Ruby. "It sounds like he'll make things worse for you."

"Well," said Flynt, his grin widening, "that would only be if enough people followed his order to make it easier for him to single the dissidents out. Fortunately, there's only one or two teams from Atlas that would actually agree with Ironwood's sentiments."

Ruby blinked, and canted her head. Given what she'd heard about Atlas, and its Academy, she figured that there would be more racists or supporters of the SDC attending.

"I know what you're thinking," said Flynt with a chuckle. "Yeah, there are probably more people in Atlas Academy who have a problem with you now than there are in any of the others. But that's not reflected in the teams in the tournament. Ironwood picked them to represent Atlas to the rest of the world. Racist sentiments aren't exactly going away anytime soon, but they ain't exactly in vogue either. They ain't the kind of people Ironwood wants representing Atlas to the rest of the world, so most of the teams picked for the tournament are people who can make Atlas look good."

"We just have to convince them that it's okay to ignore what Ironwood just told us to do," added Neon.

Flynt yawned, stretching his arms up. "But I guess that means we've got to go. We've got some serious stumping to do tonight and tomorrow. See you guys later."

"Bye," said Ruby, waving as Flynt and Neon took their leave. Instead of heading for the exit, the pair headed towards another table, peopled by some other students from Atlas Academy, their presence made all the more obvious by the fact that they'd all reached for their scrolls at the same time Flynt and Neon had pulled out theirs. Already the people at the table were engaged in a heated conversation, pausing to look up as Flynt and Neon arrived to weigh in.

Ruby let out a soft breath. _This is way more complicated than I thought it would be._ By all rights, she shouldn't have been surprised. The one thing that worried her was that, if things got more contentious, it would be difficult for her, Ayumu, and Gin to find the opportunity to sneak out and deal with Yu's Grimm. They had three days now. After that, Yu could awaken his designer monster and sic it on Vale whenever he felt like it. Ruby didn't want to find out if that would be sooner or later.

Finally, she yawned and stretched her arms over her head. Getting up, Ruby turned to face her father, who had stood up as well. "Well, I'm bushed," she admitted. "I'm ready to go to bed. I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Dad."

"You bet," said Taiyang, pulling his daughter into a tight hug. "I wouldn't miss your award for the world. Love you."

"Love you too," said Ruby, leaning into the embrace, before giving her father one last kiss goodnight, then pulling out of his arms.

She made her way out of the dining hall, exchanging a few more pleasantries with those that remained. Gin fell into step beside her, taking her hand in his own. They made their way back to the dorm in a comfortable silence. Arriving at the room, they were only mildly surprised to find it empty. Yang was still back at the dining hall, with their father. But it appeared that Blake had not yet come back from wherever she had gone off with Sun, and possibly wouldn't come back for the rest of the night.

While Gin was in the shower, Ruby changed into her pajamas, having already showered off at the coliseum. When Gin emerged, there was a strange look in his eye, something that made Ruby's heartbeat quicken. Walking over to her, Gin reached out, and placed his hands on Ruby's waist.

"You were beautiful out there," Gin said softly.

Ruby found herself unable to meet Gin's eyes. The look in them was...frightening...but not in a negative way. It was thrilling, something that made a shiver of excitement travel down her spine, like riding a rollercoaster all the way up to the crest of that first rise, and looking down at the impending drop. The drop came when Gin's hands tightened their hold, and pulled Ruby closer.

Reflexively, Ruby turned her face towards Gin's, allowing him to bring their lips together. Gin slid his hands across her back, transitioning to wrapping his arms around her. Ruby reciprocated, sliding her hands up his upper arms, brushing her fingers across his shoulders, before bringing them across the back of his neck. Her hands rose up to tangle themselves in his hair, pulling his face closer to hers in an effort to deepen the kiss. His hold pulled her up flush against his body. Through the thin fabric of their respective tops, Ruby felt her breasts push up against the hard muscles of his chest, making her moan softly into his mouth, as it opened to tangle his tongue with hers.

Pressing against Ruby, Gin slowly pushed her back, up until the back of her legs reached the edge of their bed. Ruby allowed herself to fall over backwards, pulling Gin down with her. They took a few seconds to get situated, delayed by the fact that neither of them wanted to separate their lips from the other. Once they did, Ruby found herself resting on her back, Gin descending on her from above to claim her lips with his once again, the weight of his body descending on hers, pressing her down into the mattress, creating a euphoric sensation.

As before, Ruby found that this kind of exchange caused Gin's body to seem to absorb the heat from her, and heat up in turn, his temperature slowly rising to match her own. At the same time, the pace of their kissing began to pick up. Gin began to slide his body against hers, unconsciously grinding their pelvises together, causing Ruby to feel something hard bump up against her sensitive nether regions, making her moan even more loudly.

Gin's hands began to wander. Before, they'd been beneath her, pinned by the small of Ruby's back. But now he slid them out, carefully slipping them under the hem of her pajama-top, his fingertips tracing their way gently across the skin of her waist, before sliding up to rub his palms against the toned contours of her stomach, prompting Ruby to gasp softly into his mouth.

Finally, Gin pulled his lips away from hers. For a second, Ruby felt a faint, reflexive disappointment. But that was quickly replaced by further euphoria as her boyfriend instead descended upon her neck, planting his lips against the pale skin and suckling softly, making Ruby's breath hitch. Her fingers curled more tightly amidst Gin's hair, pulling on it. Strangely, the pain only excited him, prompting him to respond by inflicting a little bit of pain of his own, by gently nipping at her neck instead.

"Oooh...!" Ruby's breath escaped her in an extended exhalation, her body shivering with excitement as Gin's lips worked their way down her neck, then out to the curve of her shoulder; kissing, licking, and biting all the way. "Gin...!" she hissed breathily, arcing her back beneath him to press her chest up against his, Gin helping her along by pressing one hand just below her shoulders to lift her up.

Gin worked his way back inwards, now descending to trace a loving line along her collarbone, before he reached the sloping bulge of her cleavage. Ruby's excitement was growing by the moment, no longer feeling cooled by Gin's body, but excited by him, shivering with eagerness, rather than cold. Her hands pulled on Gin's hair again, tugging him downwards, urging him lower, towards her chest.

Then Gin abruptly stopped, his head refusing to budge in response to her insistent pulling. His lips pulled away from her skin. For a second, Gin froze in place, as still as a statue. The sudden cessation of the stimulation he provided prompted Ruby to slowly descend towards reality, sinking out of the haze of pleasure he'd instilled in her, with a growing feeling of disappointment.

Gin pulled away entirely, Ruby's hands relinquishing their hold on his hair. She opened her eyes to stare at him as he rose up over her. That feeling of disappointment grew along with the distance between them...then faded as she saw the look in his eyes, that passion that was still there, from when they'd begun this session. "Gin...?"

Then Gin reached down, hooking his fingers beneath the hem of his shirt, and pulled it up over his head, exposing the taut, well-defined muscles of his chest, the sight of them making Ruby drool, her eyes tracing the cut lines of his pectorals and abdomen. Her heartbeat picked up once again, that excitement building again. Gin's hands drifted back down towards her waist, then the tips of his fingers curled around the edge of her own top, beginning to lift it...before he stopped again.

"Gin...?" Ruby repeated, staring up into his eyes. She could see it there, the want, the need, the desire to take this further. Yet she could also see his hesitation, still wrestling with the limitations he had imposed on himself unconsciously. "Gin," said Ruby softly. "It's okay. You don't have to force yourself."

"I want to," Gin assured her, taking a deep breath, and closing his eyes. "I want to _so_ badly, ever since I saw you out there tonight, I've wanted to do this, but..." He sighed, opening his eyes again. "It's...harder than I thought to go forward." His gaze met hers. "I just need your help."

"What do you need?" asked Ruby, willing to do anything to ensure this magical moment continued.

"Just tell me..." She saw Gin's throat bob. "...Tell me that it's okay to keep going."

Ruby's smile became so wide that her cheeks began to hurt. "It's okay," she said, before her tone became pleading. " _Please_ keep going."

Gin nodded, his nostrils flaring from another deep breath, before he pulled up on Ruby's stop, drawing the fabric up over her stomach, continuing on to expose her breasts. Ruby assisted him by raising her hands over her head, allowing Gin to pull her top off in its entirety, leaving the upper-half of her body completely exposed to him.

Gin stopped again, panting slightly, as though he'd just completed a vigorous exercise. For a moment, he simply stared down at her, his eyes taking in every detail of her exposed upper body. Ruby kept her arms down at her sides, not even feeling the slightest urge to cross her arms over her chest. This was the boy she'd loved, the boy who'd delved into her soul, and whose soul she'd delved in turn. Compared to that, even this level of intimacy was nothing.

"So beautiful," said Gin breathlessly, reaching down with his hand again. Starting at her waist, then gradually sliding his hand up her stomach.

"Y-Yang's bigger though," said Ruby, stuttering from the sensation.

"Size isn't everything," Gin assured her, his fingers now reaching the swell of her breast, and pausing. It seemed that being able to talk to her like this was giving him a little more confidence. "When it comes to visual beauty, what really matters is...proportion." With that, he moved to rest his hand over her breast, before pressing down and squeezing gently, making Ruby's pleasure surge, and causing her body to jerk upwards, her back arcing again, in a desperate effort to seek more contact.

Gin's smile became a smirk. "I mean...if you had breasts Yang's size, they'd look absolutely ridiculous on you."

Ruby found herself giggling. "G-Gin," she managed to stammer out, "y-you're ruining the mood with corny j-jokes like that."

"I'm not joking," said Gin, his passionate smile returning.

Ruby took a breath and let it out, relaxing and letting her mirth dissipate. "Then stop talking," she commanded him, "and show me." She reached upwards with her arms, beckoning him down once more.

"Gladly," said Gin, releasing his hold on her breast, lowering his upper body onto hers once more, bringing their lips together again, while Ruby wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Gin's own arms circled behind her again, then pulled her upward, pressing her chest up against his, allowing Ruby to feel the amazing sensation of skin against skin, her breasts compressing against the solid planes of Gin's pectoral muscles.

For another several minutes, they made out passionately, tangling their tongues together, mingling their saliva. At one point, Gin pushed into the kiss so hard that his teeth actually clicked against Ruby's. Then, he pulled away again. This time, there was no delay. His lips immediately began to wander down her chin, then along her neck, this time descending straight down to her bust. Only when he reached the swell of her breasts, did Gin pause again. There was a few seconds of silence. Ruby could feel him inhale, his torso swelling slightly in her arms. Then he exhaled, his breath tickling against her skin, raising goosebumps. Finally, he proceeded.

Gin's tongue extended out to lick along Ruby's smooth skin, tracing its way along the curve of her left breast, before reaching her nipple, the tip of his tongue flicking lightly against it. Ruby's breath deserted her in a sharp gasp. Then Gin lowered his head to wrap his lips around the pink bud, and he began to suckle on it.

Ruby's voice deserted her, eyes wide, her body jolting from the surge of pleasure, which was only compounded when Gin's tongue continued to work from within his mouth, teasing the tip of her nipple, even as he continued to suck on it. "G-Gin...!" she squeaked, reflexively pressing harder against him, desperate to feel more.

Gin was more than happy to oblige, his left hand rising up to grip her right breast, squeezing it much more tightly than before. Then he moved his thumb to press the nipple down. Ruby groaned, tangling her hands in his hair again, and pulling his head into her chest even harder than before.

All the while, their lower halves bumped and ground against each other. Ruby could feel Gin's shaft rubbing up against her. It was awkward, uncoordinated, and it was making her reason completely desert her. Gin's ministrations only continued to feed her pleasure, as he released her left breast, and transitioned to the right, while his right hand took over the duty of pleasuring her left. The excitement in Ruby built, and she jerked his body against him, rubbing back as hard as she could, eager to experience more.

Then Gin's hand abandoned her breast, moving around to her back again, first to pull her chest up higher, then descend along the line of her spine, his fingertips tracing the ridges of her vertebrae, all the way down to her waist, where they hesitated only for a second, before sliding beneath the hem of her pajama-bottoms, moving so that he could cup the firm, yet supple mound of her butt. Using that grip as leverage, Gin pulled their lower bodies together even harder, allowing him to rub his hardened shaft up against her vagina even more vigorously.

The pleasure and stimulation reached fever-pitch for Ruby, and she released a sound halfway between a gasp and a scream, a warm sensation bursting out from below, followed by a wet sensation, making her realize, however unconsciously, that she had orgasmed.

Ruby's strength deserted her, her entire body going limp in Gin's arms. She collapsed on the bed, panting and gasping. Gin's lips released her breast, and he pulled away from her again. This time smiling in satisfaction. "Did I do okay?" he asked.

"G-Gin, that was...that was incredible," said Ruby, realizing that her cheeks felt wet from the tears that had leaked out during their session. "I...I loved it." Her gaze drifted down, where she could see the bulge in his own shorts, realizing that, while she had orgasmed. He hadn't yet. Her body felt heavy, but she lifted her arms all the same, slowly stretching them down towards his shaft. "I...I can."

Gin used one of his hands to gently push Ruby's away. "No," he said, his own breathing slowing down. "That's enough. Tonight was for you. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" asked Ruby.

"Yeah, this as far as we need to go, for now," said Gin. "Part of me just needed to know that I could do this much for you. I'm glad I can."

"You didn't need to do anything," said Ruby.

"But I wanted to," said Gin, sagging down to rest on top of her again.

As their skin connected once more, Ruby felt that surge of pleasure from her breasts pressing up against his own chest. But it was mitigated. Gin's temperature was falling. Instead of raising his body-heat to match her own, she once again felt him cooling her down, draining away her own heat and excitement, replacing it with a lethargic relaxation that had her eyelids drooping. Despite that, Ruby still found the strength to lift her hand up to cup his cheek. "Thank you."

Gin kissed her, pressing their lips together in a chaste exchange, lasting just a few seconds, before pulling away. "You're welcome," he replied. Then he shifted, moving to lay alongside her. He reached one hand out for his shirt, but stopped when Ruby gripped his forearm.

"Let's just stay like this," she implored him.

"A-are you sure?" asked Gin, the coloring of his cheeks making Ruby giggle. Being embarrassed by what she suggested seemed silly, considering what they'd just been doing.

"Yeah," she said.

"Your sister will probably kill me, if she sees us like this," Gin pointed out.

Ruby smiled crookedly, then rolled so that she could reach for the flaps of the canopy over their bed, pulling them closed. Then, for good measure, she reached down and pulled the sheet and blanket up, covering them all the way up to their necks. "There," she said. "It doesn't matter anyway."

Gin slipped his arms around her, and pulled Ruby close once more, Ruby hugging him back. She tucked her head below his chin, relishing in the sensation of their bodies pressing together. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," Gin whispered back.

Content, Ruby allowed her eyes to close, and she drifted off.

* * *

Blake was certain that her friends, particularly Yang, if left to speculate themselves, would probably make all manner of assumptions concerning what she and Sun were doing, after taking their leave of the party. For her part, Blake saw no point in attempting to disabuse those notions, mainly because she wasn't entirely sure just where this night would lead.

For the time being, she was content where she was, sprawled out across the couch in one of the private nooks of the library, Sun's arms wrapped around her, his rock-hard chest pressed to her back, legs tangled around hers, and tail wrapped around her waist. In front of them, Blake held open the book Sun had introduced her to, the two of them reading together in a comfortable silence. For her part, Blake couldn't be happier.

"It's good to see you reading more," commented a lilting, almost musical, yet undeniably boyish voice from around the corner of a nearby set of shelves.

Sun and Blake jolted in surprise, Blake nearly falling right off the couch. Fortunately, Sun kept a hold on her with one arm and his tail, keeping her in place, and allowing them to sit upright.

"Who's there?" asked Blake, tensing.

"Just a visitor," said the short boy, smiling cheerfully, while sauntering around the corner and into view. He looked to be around ten, maybe twelve at the most, with his short, blonde hair tucked beneath a cap, wearing a white shirt and a set of overalls. His smile was pleasant, but his eyes full of mischief.

As surprising as his presence was, the real surprise was the unexpected exclamation from Sun. "Mo-Pro- _Tip!_ What are you doing here?"

Tip merely giggled again, watching as Blake gave Sun a confused look. "I came to cheer everyone on in the tournament," he said. Then he affected a look of shocked disappointment. "You mean you didn't want to see me, Sun?"

"I...uh...well...I..." Sun looked back and forth between Tip and Blake, clearly at a loss for what to say.

"Sun...who is this?" asked Blake, giving her boyfriend a quizzical look.

"Uh...well...this is...uh...he's...uh...a friend," said Sun, his eyes shifting nervously, refusing to make contact with Blake's.

The flat look Blake gave him spoke volumes.

Tip laughed, clearly taking no small amusement in Sun's discomfort. "It's all right to tell her the truth, Sun."

"I don't think she'd believe me," Sun answered. "People don't swallow all that magic stuff easily, you know."

"Magic?" Blake looked sharply at Sun, her ears standing upright.

Tip laughed again. "You might be surprised, Sun. At this point, I think Blake knows more about magic than you do."

"Huh?" Now Blake and Sun were looking at each other into confusion.

"Go ahead and tell her," urged Tip, his smile softening.

"Uh...well...it's really hard to say this, but..." Sun sighed, and rubbed his head, looking tired. "Blake...meet my mom."

The silence hung in the air for approximately ten seconds, before the meaning behind those words finally sank in. "Wait...WHAT!?" Blake whipped her head around to stare at Tip.

Once again, Tip laughed, then pulled his cap off his head. When he did, the blonde hair tucked beneath spilled out like a river of gold, falling across his face, and spreading down to veil his entire body behind a curtain of golden locks. Then, just like a curtain, they parted at the front to reveal a new face, yet one that was also the same.

Blake couldn't quite quantify it, but the contours of the boy's face had shifted, becoming more...feminine. But that wasn't the only change, as the curtain of hair continued to part. Tip's hands had changed slightly too, the fingers looking slightly longer, more delicate, sporting perfectly manicured nails. Tip's dirty shirt and overalls were replaced by a dress of pale-green, the fabric so light and airy that it seemed almost like gossamer, swirling around Tip's body, as though it was being stirred by a constant, gentle wind. Tip's hair continued to pull back, until it hung behind his head, in a manner similar to Yang's, although the boy's hair looked softer and smoother, curling slightly at the tips, as those golden locks hovered just inches off the floor.

Then it sank in for Blake that the boy...was not a boy at all...but a girl. Tip hadn't just changed appearances, _he_ had become a _she_. The girl that stood before them looked to be about the same age as Tip, but that age was not reflected in her eyes, which, for all that they were the same emerald color, gazed at Blake with a look full of wisdom and kindness.

What shocked Blake even more was that she recognized this person. It wasn't someone she'd ever met personally before. But the girl-No!-the _woman_ before her was instantly recognizable, being one of the four people _anyone_ who aspired to be a Huntress would recognize on sight.

"Hello, Blake," she said, lifting the cap, which had morphed into a gold diadem, the band dotted with gems of red, blue, and green. She slid it into place over her forehead, tucking it beneath her bangs. "I am Professor Ozma, Headmistress of Shade Academy."

Blake's jaw hung slack, making Ozma laugh again. This time, her laugh was musical, like the tinkling of countless small bells. "I love doing that," she admitted without the slightest sign of guilt.

"Y-y-y-you..." Blake struggled to find the words. "How?"

"Considering who your Headmaster is, I'd think you'd understand easily enough," said Ozma cheerfully.

"Wait...Ozpin can do magic?" asked Sun.

"You might wish to ask Blake about that," said Ozma, beaming at them.

"And she's your _mother_?" asked Blake, whipping her head around to stare at Sun, aghast.

"A-...Adopted," Sun managed.

"Y-you're an orphan?" Blake's ears drooped at the realization.

"It's a pretty big problem in all the Kingdoms," said Sun with a sigh. "But Vacuo's problem is the biggest."

"I thought you had family there," noted Blake, remembering that was who Sun had been coming back from visiting, when she and the rest of her team had first met him.

"I have a lot of brothers and sisters," said Sun. He looked to Ozma. "It's what, like twenty, now?"

"Twenty-three," Ozma confirmed, letting out another giggle at Blake's gobsmacked expression. "In addition to running Shade Academy, I also happen to be in charge of Vacuo's orphan and foster systems, an arrangement I have with the Council. Counting _all_ of them, Sun's sibling count would be well into the triple-digits, but I can only adopt so many personally."

"Th-that's incredible," said Blake. Then she turned to Sun. "You never said anything about this."

"It's not a big deal," said Sun, folding his arms behind his head.

Blake disagreed, but held her tongue, supposing that it wasn't her place to object. "What's this about magic, then?"

"Ah, well, Mom can do a few things," said Sun, waving a hand in a vague gesture. "Like you can see, she's a boy sometimes."

Ozma giggled at Sun's choice of words.

"Aside from that..she can just do...stuff." He shrugged, clearly unsure of how to describe it. Then he looked at Blake. "But she just said you know about magic too."

"I do," said Blake, averting her eyes.

"Yes, the old Wizard in the tower told me that you'd been brought up to speed on the Maidens," said Ozma.

"Maidens?!" yelped Sun, jolting in surprise. "Wait! You mean...like the fairy tale?" He gaped at Ozma. "You mean those are real?"

"You know the story?" asked Blake, looking at Sun in surprise for what seemed like the umpteenth time tonight.

"Oh, I've told him _all_ the old stories and fairy tales," said Ozma, tittering. "You should have seen him when he was younger. He loved to listen to those stories over and over again, no matter what they were about."

"Hey! I was a kid," protested Sun.

"And I wonder why the fact that you are no longer so young makes it so strange that you like those stories so much," said Ozma. She gave Blake a playful look. "He always plays himself off as tough guy, but he's very sweet beneath it all."

Blake found herself smiling back. "Well, I know that well enough," she said, making Sun blush.

Ozma pulled up a chair and seated it in front of the couch, settling her diminutive form onto it, while she regarded Sun and Blake. "Well then, it seems like we have plenty to talk about. Shall we fill each other in on all the missing pieces? After that, I would like to get to know the young lady who's so enchanted my dear boy so completely..."

* * *

Ruby's eyes drifted open slowly. Her mind was a pleasured haze, almost as though she was still basking in the afterglow of last night's activities. Maybe she still was. Ruby couldn't be sure. All that she knew was that she loved the feeling of her bare back pressed up against the cool skin of Gin's chest, almost as much as the feeling of Gin's hands running across her front. At some point, she'd rolled over in the night to spoon herself against him.

As usual, Gin had woken up before her. He was never impatient, when waiting for her to wake. Instead, he contented himself by feeling her skin with his hands. He avoided her breasts, for now, instead preferring to feel the taut lines of her toned stomach. Even that light touch sent quivers of stimulating pleasure running through her body. And then Gin made it even better.

His scales spread across her hands and arms. Now Ruby felt those textured lines running against her skin. The feeling was incredible, and she wished this could go on longer. However, they needed to greet the day. They'd probably slept in enough as it was. So Ruby gently grabbed Gin's left wrist with her left hand, lifting it away from her stomach, and bringing it to her mouth, so that she could kiss his fingers.

"Morning," she said, after pulling her lips away.

"Morning," Gin replied back.

"I guess we have to get up," said Ruby.

"Yep," said Gin. "We also need to clean up."

"Huh?" Ruby blinked.

She could practically feel Gin's blush, even though he kept his face away from the back of her head for a moment. "We...uh...we made a bit of a mess."

 _A mess?_ Ruby frowned in confusion. Then, when shifting her legs, she became aware of a sticky sensation along the inside of her thighs. Her eyes widened. "Eep!"

"Yeah, that's what I thought too," said Gin, his tone wry.

Now Ruby remembered that she'd still been wearing her pajama bottoms when she'd orgasmed. The resulting fluids had probably soaked the fabric through, and then spread to everything else they'd come in contact with through the night. It wasn't just her and her pajamas that needed cleaning. Gin's would too, not to mention the sheets beneath them. Ruby could only hope that the stain hadn't spread to the rest of their bedding.

"Yang's still asleep," added Gin. "And Blake hasn't come back yet. If we're quiet, we can maybe get it done before they notice."

"Good idea," said Ruby quickly.

She quickly pulled on her top, then hopped out of bed to head for the bathroom, gathering her clothes along the way. After disrobing, she left her pajamas outside the door for Gin to take care of, along with the rest of the evidence of what had transpired the previous night.

Despite the fact she felt a little hurried; wanting to finish so that Gin could have his turn, and then they could move on to the rest of the cleanup; Ruby found herself taking a moment to simply luxuriate in the feeling of the water running over her body, cleansing away the residue of last night's adventure. As she did, those memories came back, making her cheeks burn, while the rest of her body shivered with excitement.

It hadn't been sex, not all the way. But they'd cleared an important hurdle to her mind. Gin had managed to overcome his fear of being more physically intimate with her, no longer held back by the feelings of guilt he'd experienced from seeing her naked all those months ago, when he'd first saved her life. It felt wonderful. Now Ruby imagined what it would be like to go all the way. If merely being pleasured into an orgasm was this wonderful, what did it feel like-?

 _Nope!_ Ruby pinched herself sharply. _Not yet, Ruby. We're not ready for that, yet._ What they'd done so far could possibly get them in trouble with Yang and Taiyang already. The last thing she needed was to succumb to temptation. Ruby knew that she'd be fine with waiting.

Getting out of the shower and dressing, Ruby emerged to allow Gin his turn, finding that he'd already stripped down their bed and laid out fresh linens on it. Ruby allowed him to take his turn, accepting the pajamas that he left outside the door for her, and taking everything down to the laundry to wash. The school's laundry machines weren't as advanced as the ones up in Amity Coliseum, but they got the job done in about twenty minutes. By the time the clothes came out, dry and warm, Gin had joined her again, and the two of them quickly went through the folding, and brought everything back to store away.

As they went through it all, Ruby found herself wondering just _how_ Gin had known what to do last night. While he had hesitated initially, once he'd started, he'd moved with a surprising degree of certainty, and Ruby had to admit that it had felt incredible. Yet neither of them had done anything like this before, so she couldn't figure out how Gin had known how to please a woman so well.

 _Maybe dragon-faunus are as talented in the bedroom as they are on the battlefield._ That was possible...but not likely. _Or maybe he asked someone like Jaune or Sun for advice._ That was more possible. Ruby could see Gin going to other, more experienced boys to ask how he could make her feel good. Though she knew that the last thing he would do was approach Blake or Yang (approaching the latter would probably earn him a good beating), or any girl for that matter. Then, there was the possibility of independent study...

The mere image of Gin looking up porn, reviewing internet articles, or even borrowing Blake's books was so improbable seeming to Ruby that it ultimately did not compute. In the end, Ruby resigned herself to accepting that some mysteries were just best left unsolved, and left it at that.

When they arrived at the room, they saw that Yang was awake, and seated on her bed, fully dressed. When they came in, she looked at them with a twinkle in her eye that made Ruby want to dart back outside as fast as her feet could carry her. _She knows._

"Hey there," said Yang, her voice laden with threatening cheer, "have fun last night?"

"Y-yeah," said Ruby nervously, while Gin nodded silently next to her.

"Thought so," said Yang, her grin widening.

Ruby swallowed, an uncomfortable lump forming in her throat.

"Word to the wise," said Yang, hopping off her bed, "the nose knows. I could smell what you two did the minute I came in the room."

"Um...uh..." Ruby was at a loss for words.

Yang stepped towards them, then rested one hand on Ruby's shoulder, while her other rested on Gin. "I have just one question?" she asked. "Did you two go all the way?"

They shook their heads silently.

Yang sighed and relaxed a little. "Good, then you're off the hook." She grinned at them. "Relax, you two. I'm not about to read you the riot act for getting frisky. At this point, I trust you two with anything you decide to do. You've earned that."

Ruby relaxed, letting out a slow breath. "Thanks, Yang," she said.

Yang's grin widened, and she winked. "But that doesn't mean I don't get to tease the living daylights out of you two. Thanks for the new material."

With that, she brushed between them, heading out the door.

"We're doomed," said Gin, after the door shut.

"Yep," agreed Ruby emphatically.

* * *

The euphoria of last night's celebration had passed. While spirits were still high, and Ruby received many a congratulations, things had mellowed out considerably. When she reached the dining hall, there had been a brief burst of applause that had turned her face red, before she was allowed to get her food and seat herself at a table with her friends (Blake had been waiting for them at their usual table), everyone else returning to their own meals. It was a soothing sense of normalcy.

Of course, there was still the awards ceremony in the afternoon, followed by the official closing ceremonies of the Vytal Festival itself. Once again, Ruby would be put on the spot, when she accepted the tournament trophy on behalf of Beacon and Vale. Once again, Ruby was struck with the sensation of it all being surreal. She could hardly believe she'd done it.

Of course, the feeling only got stranger when she got her first look at the morning news, Jaune bringing in a copy of local paper in when he and the rest of his team arrived, Ayumu receiving a similar, albeit smaller, burst of applause upon his arrival.

"Yo," said Jaune, settling down next to Yang, and trading a quick kiss with her.

"Hey there," said Ruby, smiling at her fellow leader, before turning her gaze to her former-opponent. "How was your night?"

Ayumu's cheeks turned pink. "Um...Neo was very...enthusiastic about congratulating me."

Ruby and the others giggled, Ruby taking solace in being the one to tease for once. Then she looked at the paper that Jaune had dropped on the table. "So...how bad is it?"

"Well, the legitimate outlets are playing it neutral so far," said Jaune, showing Ruby the headline.

 _Vytal Tournament Champion and Runner-up Take Bold Stand Against the Schnee Dust Company_ , the headline read.

"That's certainly making waves," said Yang. "Normally the headline is just about who won the tournament. They're already tackling the bigger issue."

"Right now, the reporting is just sticking to the facts," said Ren. "It's the editorials where things get...interesting."

"I guess I made a few people mad," said Ruby.

"A few, but not as many as you'd think," said Jaune. "There are actually quite a few writers who are cheering you on for bringing all this to light, and daring to stand up to the SDC."

Blake was on her scroll, going through the online news articles. "By and large, you've got a lot of people on your side. The problem is that the ones opposed are really loud about it." She turned her scroll to show Ruby the beginning of an article lambasting her as a "filthy animal-lover."

"The smarter ones are making it about the tournament," said Jaune. "They're saying that it's wrong for a participant in the tournament to be making political statements like that, that it taints the 'purity' of the Vytal Festival."

Ruby nodded. "So it's about what we figured then."

"Pretty much," said Yang.

Ruby stared down at the paper once more, getting the feeling that it was going to be a busy day.

* * *

 **If you can't guess, this was written back before episode 3 of Volume 6 came out. At which point, my immediate response was "OH COME ON!" Seriously not fair...sigh...Oh well. We're just gonna soldier on. Professor Ozma is here to stay. So we're just gonna pretend that Ozpin's name...was _always_ Ozpin. Those of you who've read my other story, _Crimson Eyes_ , have already seen her there, but her part in this story expands and expounds on her a little, as well as switching things around to make her Shade's Headmistress, rather than Haven's, to account for the information revealed about the setting in subsequent volumes of the series. Like Syren and Naomi, she originates from that earlier, on-hiatus/abandoned story, which featured those proto-versions of Gin and Ayumu I've mentioned as well.**

 **Yep, Sun's an orphan. But he's had such a supportive upbringing, he doesn't really feel it. And he has a lot of siblings, a _big_ family, in other words. Given what little we've learned of Vacuo so far, it being depicted as a fairly lawless zone, that kind of thing strikes me as a pretty serious problem there.**

 **Oh, and bonus lime for all you who have been clamoring for a Ruby and Gin Lemon. Well, you...almost...got your wish.**


	124. Chapter 124

**Chapter 124:**

"Well...this feels weird," said Ruby, leading her team out of one of Amity Coliseum's staff entrances, and into the ring.

"I don't know, it feels like our qualifiers," said Yang, grinning. "We just have _a lot_ more company this time."

That was true enough. The award ceremony, and closing ceremony for the Vytal Festival, was a different affair from the matches. There was no need to wait in the ready-room, nor was there room to do so, with nearly thirty teams all heading into the arena at the same time. This was more of an assembly than anything else, much like the ones the students had sometimes had at the Academy down below. The only difference was that such assemblies typically didn't take place in an arena, filled to the brim with cheering fans.

Thirty-two teams had entered the tournament. Ruby didn't try to count all the ones that were here now. She knew that at least some of the teams had headed straight back to their schools as soon as they had been knocked out of the tournament. Others stayed longer, but needed to leave early, due to the tight schedule travel arrangements through Grimm territory necessitated. And some...well...some were just plain bad sports.

Looking around, Ruby noticed the particular absence of Team BRYL. Ruby couldn't tell if they hadn't come because they resented what Ruby had done to their leader, or if they didn't want to deal with the scorn that was likely to come their way for the attitude they had taken during their matches. However, part of her was grateful they weren't present. On the whole, they gave off a vibe that was just plain...unsavory. She knew that Liu was already back in Mistral, awaiting his trial. Maybe he could take some solace in the fact that he was following in the footsteps of his "goddess." Ruby could only hope he didn't follow her all the way by escaping and joining up with the enemy.

Much to her surprise, only one Atlesian team had boycotted the ceremony. The team led by Lloyd, who had lost to Mercury in the quarterfinals, was nowhere to be seen. There was nothing to be done, really. But with all the other Atlesian teams present, at least Ruby was glad to see that Flynt and Neon wouldn't be alone in facing Ironwood's wrath, if he dared to punish them at all, considering he would be collectively punishing nearly the entirety of the students who had represented Atlas Academy at the tournament. For all she knew, Lloyd's team might not even actually _be_ boycotting, but might have simply had somewhere else they needed to be.

Even amongst the teams that were currently in attendance, not all of them were completely represented. Team CHAR was there, but with the noticeable absence of Ajax, making Ruby wonder if he was still upset about what she had said during the interview. Aside from them, Penny and Ciel were the only representatives of their team. According to Ciel, the other two had departed for Atlas immediately after they had made it through the team round of the tournament, having seen no reason to remain. From what Ciel had told them, it appeared that the other two members of their team had been even more straight-laced than Ciel herself had been, having no interest in the festival itself, beyond what Ironwood had asked of them. At the very least, the two of them were in no danger of reprisal from Ironwood himself.

Naturally, to make the best use possible of the space the ring afforded, no biomes had been brought out, so the students' footwear clanked and clanged against the metal plates that covered the areas where the biomes emerged. They assembled together, with their formation centered on the inner ring. Everyone had been notified of their positions by scroll earlier. Ruby found her team and JNAR stationed right in the center of the formation, lined up behind one another, with the other teams lining up similarly to either side of them.

Looking to her left, Ruby was surprised to see Sun and his team standing right next to hers. Catching her eye, Sun flashed Ruby a grin and a wink, before glancing back towards Blake, the two of them trading a warm look. Glancing to her right, Ruby looked past Jaune, standing at the head of JNAR, to Penny and Ciel. Penny grinned as well, waving cheerily at Ruby, a gesture Ruby mirrored. Looking to Ciel, Ruby met her eyes, and smiled reassuringly. Ciel's demeanor was nervous, but she smiled back all the same.

People had cheered and applauded when the students entered the arena. But that noise had soon died down, everyone settling in to await the ceremony's beginning. A flash of light drew Ruby's eyes down to the red section, where the participants were normally seated. She noticed numerous people with cameras, while reporters stood before other cameras on the walkways just behind the red section. It seemed that the ringside seats and the walkways that reached them had been taken over by the press. Having never been to the Vytal Festival before herself, Ruby wasn't sure if there were an inordinate number of people associated with the media present or not. She was willing to bet that there were more than usually attended the closing ceremonies.

There was a bit more tension in the air than Ruby had expected. After all, it wasn't as though a match was going to take place. So there was no expectant excitement over a battle to come, nor the hovering question of who would claim victory. This was just a formality. Yet there was tension in the air all the same.

This festival had been loaded with abnormal events after all. The champion had reached her position after weathering no fewer than three attempts on her life, during the tournament's progress. What was more, she and her fellow finalist had revealed a heretofore unknown technique that might change the way Huntsmen and Huntresses around the world fought, and then used that to make a statement against the practices of the Schnee Dust Company. With that kind of context, it was understandable that people thought there might be some kind of disruption or extra excitement involving the closing ceremony.

For her part, Ruby hoped that things went as planned. There was no need to disrupt the festival further. With any luck, they could get this out of the way, and deal with Yu's Grimm before Sunday was over. If not, they had an extra day to their grace period. But Ruby wanted to take that particular weight off her mind as soon as possible.

Ruby began to shift nervously. She figured she could check her scroll to see if it was time for the ceremony to begin or not, but figured it was better to stay put and remain patient. She took a deep breath, then exhaled out her nose, closing her eyes and allowing her tension to bleed away, exiting out alongside the air from her lungs. From behind, she felt a familiar hand touch the palm of her left hand, which she'd left hanging limply. She smiled as Gin pressed their palms together, then laced his fingers with hers. It was something small and simple, yet helped her find peace in that moment.

The loud clanking of machinery brought Ruby out of her relaxed state. She opened her eyes to see the section of the outer ring directly in front of the assembled teams pull back, opening up, as though a biome was about to be brought up into the ring, occupying one of the quarter spaces, like the biomes from the doubles round. A biome did indeed emerge, though it was unlike any that had appeared in the tournament.

A field of perfectly level grass, like a freshly-mown lawn, rose up. Each blade was a perfect emerald-green color. Marking each of that section's four corners was a large, low, stone pillar, holding up a broad, shallow dish. The face of each pillar was inscribed with one of the insignias of each of the four Academies, while a large torch-flame burned within each dish, burning a different color. Closest to the left, a green flame burned above the symbol of Beacon Academy. On the near end to the right, the white flame of Atlas burned. Behind that and further to the right was the orange flame of Vacuo, while the farthest to the left shined with the blue flame above Mistral's symbol.

At the center of the grassy expanse was a low, broad rectangle of gray stone, a stage. Rising up from it, just slightly off-center to the right, was a three-platform podium, also of gray stone, the platforms arranged with the lowest to the front, the second-highest slightly to the right and behind, while the highest was between the other two and farthest to the back. At the center of the stage, a microphone stood, along with the person who would be speaking into it.

Professor Ozpin smiled as he surveyed the assembled students. His right hand rested atop his cane. To everyone's surprise, it wasn't a mug of coffee he held in his left, but a pair of medals, hanging from their ribbons. Reaching up, he quietly tapped his finger against the microphone, the tiny impact amplified across the speakers through the entire arena. The last murmuring voices trailed away into silence, a silence that was all the more intense, given the vast size of both the arena and the audience. For a few seconds, the only sound was the rapid clicks of countless cameras from the stands.

"Thank you all for coming," said Ozpin. "This has unquestionably been one of the more...memorable...Vytal Festivals to occur, since the event's inception."

A round of soft laughter greeted his statement.

Ozpin continued. "As all of you know, eighty years ago, the Great War that swept across all four Kingdoms came to its conclusion. On the island of Vytal, representatives of those Kingdoms came together and crafted a treaty meant to bring about peace. That peace has persisted across these decades until today."

He paused. "Peace..." he said softly. "People speak of it, almost as though it is a persistent state, a state that, once attained, simply _continues_ on. Whether for people or Kingdoms, peace is said to have been claimed, or attained, much like one would take hold of a possession...or level-up in a video game."

Another round of laughter, slightly louder this time, greeted his small joke.

Ozpin chuckled with them. But then his smile faded. "But peace is not such an easy thing," he cautioned, his tone growing more serious. "It is not something that persists on its own. It must be obtained, yes. But it also must be protected and nurtured. There is more to peace than a simple absence of conflict. Peace requires work, dedication, and vigilance. For, as you all also know, even though the Great War ended eighty years ago with a treaty of peace, that does not mean that the intervening years have been wholly peaceful."

An uneasy silence fell over the audience, reminded of those uncomfortable times, during which the Faunus Rights Revolution had taken place.

"Peace does not simply fail due to aggression," Ozpin continued. "It also fails due to negligence. When peace is not maintained or nurtured, when it is taken for granted, then it can fall apart. No one, person or Kingdom, is perfect. If we do not find the courage and strength to face our imperfections, and fail to address those negative aspects of our existence, then those negatives eat away at the foundations of peace, and threaten its existence in its entirety. Simply clinging blindly to the status quo is not supporting peace, nor is any peace perfect in and of itself. It can always bear to be examined, and improved upon."

Ruby found herself smiling. It was subtle, but Ozpin's words were a quiet endorsement of what she and Ayumu had done. They'd challenged the status quo, called attention to the parts of the current world that many people would have rather not faced, and Ozpin was telling the entire world that they weren't wrong. Encouraged, she settled in to listen to the rest of his speech.

"The Vytal Fesitval Tournament, of course," said Ozpin, his smile returning, "is anything _but_ peaceful."

Laughter returned at that remark. Ozpin let it linger for a few seconds, before continuing.

"Before all of you, in this very ring, participants representing each of the four Huntsman Academies from each Kingdom vied against each other, giving their very best for the honor of their school and their Kingdom. They pushed their skills to the limit, and applied their minds and bodies to the task of striving for the title of champion. Today, we honor those who have reached that shining pinnacle."

He hefted the medals in his left hand. "I will now call up our finalists, in ascending order of placement.

"First off, obtaining third place, and winning the bronze medal, Penny Polendina of Atlas Academy."

Penny grinned excitedly, practically running up to the stage to the applause and cheers of the audience. The cheery android had obtained a surprisingly strong following, by virtue of her demeanor and cute appearance, so people were more than happy to cheer for her. She stopped in front of Ozpin, politely lowering her head to allow him to drape the ribbon over her neck. Then she quickly took her position on the lowest step of the podium, still grinning, and was now waving happily to the audience.

Ruby and her friends quietly noted that, even though Penny had officially transferred to Beacon, Ozpin was still referring to her as an Atlas student. Hopefully, that would mollify Ironwood a little.

The cheers tapered off, allowing Ozpin to call up the next person. "And now, the runner-up, winning the silver medal, Ayumu Ao of Beacon Academy."

Ayumu was bit more sedate in his walk up to the stage, his expression as serene as always. The cheering was even louder than it had been for Penny, the shouts of faunus in the audience belting out encouragement to the boy who had openly defied the Schnee Dust Company, a sentiment that a surprising number of humans echoed. Ayumu bowed from the waist to lower his head to allow Ozpin to slip the medal's ribbon over it, before walking past Penny to stand on the second-place step.

Silence descended even faster this time, everyone eager to hear Ozpin's next announcement. People leaned forward in their seats, watching with wide-eyed excitement. There was a bit of confusion as well. With the bronze and silver medals presented, everyone now realized that Ozpin had been holding _only_ those two medals.

Ozpin's smile widened. "And now...to present the gold medal, we have a very special guest, who arrived here quite unexpectedly. Everyone, please welcome Professor Ozma, Headmistress of Shade Academy."

"Huh!?" exclaimed Ruby, her eyes going wide.

She wasn't the only one. Surprised gasps and shocked exclamations filled the air. It wasn't as dramatic as Ruby and Ayumu's reveal during the final match, but it _was_ unexpected. Simply having Ironwood present for the festival was an oddity in and of itself. To have another of the four Academy heads suddenly show up was quite the surprise.

Her _Shingan_ picked up that surprise scattered across the assembled teams. She noted that the teams from Shade displayed more surprise than most of the rest, having clearly _not_ expected their Headmistress to show up.

That surprise was compounded when Ozma appeared, walking out from the podium, seemingly stepping out of an opening that existed between the first and third steps...except that there was _no_ opening. The podium was fully within the range of Ruby's _Shingan,_ and she could tell that it was as solid as...well...a rock. The diminutive woman with flowing blonde hair had seemingly stepped out of thin air. What was more, Ruby could feel a familiar tingling with her senses, a feeling she was becoming ever more and more familiar with... _magic_.

Ozma had arrived through the use of magic. She'd done it in such away that those watching probably just assumed she'd emerged from some cleverly concealed door. But to Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu, Ozma's arrival was practically a signal that she, like Ozpin, was a magical being. Focusing, Ruby directed her senses more intently at Ozma. She could sense the strange power, neither Aura nor Dust, but something...else. But her power was a roaring bonfire compared to the sputtering embers of Ozpin's magic. She supposed that made sense. Ozpin had parted with the bulk of his magic to empower the Maidens, and had sacrificed more of what remained to give Qrow and Raven the ability to transform. Ozma had clearly made no such sacrifices, and still possessed the full measure of her power. What that might mean was still a mystery.

Ruby was so wrapped up in pondering what all this meant, that she almost missed it when Ozma began to speak. She had walked over to Ozpin, who labored to lower the microphone to the level of the much shorter woman, an effort that drew chortles from the audience. Ozma accepted the audience's amusement with grace and poise, taking her place at the microphone.

"Thank you all for having me," she said pleasantly, her voice warm and musical...and oddly familiar to Ruby's ears. "I know my presence was unexpected, but I do _so_ love surprising people. What could be better than surprising everyone here today?"

That got more laughter from the audience. Ozma was clearly playing to the crowd to get everyone to accept her presence more easily. Now she got down to brass tacks.

"I apologize for interrupting the flow of the ceremony, but, after such an exciting tournament, I practically _begged_ Ozpin to allow me the chance to be a part of things," she said playfully, inciting more laughter. "With that out of the way, let us call forward the official winner, and champion of the Vytal Festival Tournament...Ruby Rose of Beacon Academy!"

The audience surged to its feet with a thunderous roar, the sound so loud that Ruby staggered under its weight. Gin actually had to place a hand on her back and gently urge her forward to get her to start walking. Ruby covered the few steps up to the stage in something of a daze.

She came to a stop before Ozma, who held the gold medal from its ribbon in both hands, ready to slip it around her neck. However, Ruby abruptly came to an awkward realization. Ozma was so short that not even Ruby could accept the medal simply by lowering her head, or bending at the waist.

So Ruby knelt, going down onto one knee, her mind actually recalling scenes from the fantasy series she'd watched as a child, where the brave knight accepted the honors for his great deeds by kneeling before whatever king, queen, or princess he served. She lowered her head, and felt the ribbon slip around her neck, its weight settling almost uncomfortably just above her shoulders.

Ruby raised her head, but remained on her knee, looking up into Ozma's gleaming, emerald eyes, wondering just why this woman had gone through so much trouble simply to take the opportunity to hang a medal around her neck. Once again, Ruby was struck by that strange sense of familiarity.

Ozma's smile widened slightly. "That was well done, Ruby Rose," she said softly, her voice barely reaching Ruby's ears over the thunder of the crowd. "You do your mother proud."

"Y-you knew my mother?" asked Ruby softly.

"I did," said Ozma, her smile becoming fond and wistful. "But we can talk of that later. I promise that we will. In the meantime, I'm glad to see that you fulfilled the promise I imparted in those flowers."

Ruby gasped, her eyes going wide. _Now_ she remembered where she'd seen those eyes before, and heard that voice, so familiar in its cadence. "Tip?!"

Ozma's smile widened even more, and she giggled lightly. Then, almost as if on impulse, she leaned forward and planted a light kiss on Ruby's forehead, before pulling back with that sparkling smile. "We'll speak again soon, Ruby Rose. In the meantime, it's time to show the nice people your medal from your proper place." She gestured subtly towards the podium.

Feeling even more dazed than she had when she'd come up on the stage, Ruby stood up and proceeded automatically, stepping past Penny, then Ayumu, using the other two platforms as steps to reach the highest one, where she stood. The audience's excitement surged to its peak, people cheering and clapping, their earnest adulation making Ruby's smile more natural and relaxed. Blushing shyly, she raised a hand to wave at all the people cheering for her. She felt tears run down her cheeks, and realized just how amazing it was to realize that she was here...these people were cheering for _her_.

Ozpin, in the meantime, had readjusted the microphone back to his height. "Now that the tournament's top three have been honored, it is time to award the trophy."

From the level of the arena floor, the stage Ozpin had been standing on seemed smooth and seamless. But, from her elevated position, Ruby could see that there was a thin seam in the floor, just a meter directly behind Ozpin. The barely visible line formed a perfect circle, itself a full meter in diameter. Now that circle sank down out of sight. A few seconds later, the Vytal Festival Tournament Trophy slid upwards through the opening, its base taking the place of the stone that had lowered away.

The trophy was a work of art. The central cup of the trophy rose upwards, its shape reminiscent of the basic shape of the CCT towers that formed the centerpiece of each Academy's architecture, a broad, rounded bowl, covered with a permanently-affixed domed lid, with the emblem of the festival itself protruding from the center of said lid, atop a widening column that extended down to a stepped base of white marble. The cup, lid, and column were all plated in gold. About midway down the column, curved arches sloped down and out, linking the central cup with four silver-plated pillars that rose up from the outer radius and lowest step of the trophy's marble base. Those four outer pillars rose up three-quarters of the way up the central cup's supporting column, each one sporting one of the emblems of the four Academies, which together made up the emblem of the festival itself.

Each step of the marble base was ringed with small plaques. Starting with the highest one, thirty-nine of those plaques were engraved with the name of one of the four Academies, with the name of a single person engraved below it, followed by a quartet of letters. They were the winners of the previous tournaments. Ruby's heart threaten to burst from within her ribcage as she realized _her_ name was now going to go onto the fortieth plaque, cementing her name in the annals of the festival and tournament for all time.

The entire trophy was enormous, more than twice the height of Ozpin, and towering over him from behind. Fortunately, Ozpin had chosen both his time and position perfectly. The light of the sun was angled so that the shadow cast by the trophy extended out behind it, keeping Ozpin himself from being thrown into darkness.

"This year, the tournament trophy goes to Beacon and Vale," said Ozpin. "It will be on display in the main entrance hall of Beacon Academy, where it shall reside until the next festival, two years from now. As is tradition, Ms. Rose's name shall be engraved upon this trophy, alongside the name of her school and team, in honor of her stellar achievement."

The roar of the crowd renewed. Ozpin let the cheers go on for a moment, before raising a hand to call for silence once more. Once things had quieted down, he began to speak again, his tone sober and serious. "As magnificent as it is, this trophy is still merely an object. It is a great honor for us at Beacon to be granted custody of it for the next two years. However, we cannot allow that honor to blind us to the importance of what this trophy, and everything that has led up to its presentation, represents.

"This trophy, much like the festival itself, and, indeed, the very coliseum we now find ourselves in, is a product of collaboration and cooperation. The gold plating comes from the mines of Vale, the silver from Vacuo, and the marble base was hewn from the quarries of Atlas. Its design and creation are the product of the skilled hands of Mistral's greatest artists. All four Kingdoms came together to produce this trophy. Even though all who stand before us have competed for the honor of holding this trophy, the trophy itself stands as a perpetual reminder of what we can achieve _together_.

"For we are at our strongest when we stand together. Our world is one of constant trial, with danger always lingering at our gates. We hold that danger off best when we stand as one. It is our obligation to remember that, to strive against our prejudices and preconceptions to bring about an even brighter future, if only to ensure that the next Vytal Festival is all the more vibrant.

"With that, I thank you all, both citizens of Vale and visitors from abroad, for making this festival the grand event that it has always been. I thank all the students, who have come from our Academies to compete and test themselves in this tournament. I hope to see you all at the next Vytal Festival."

With that, Ozpin bowed his head toward the microphone, the crowd cheering once more. From both within and without the coliseum, fireworks streaked up into the air, exploding with echoing booms, celebrating the Vytal Festival's successful conclusion.

* * *

With the closing ceremonies out of the way, all that was left was to party...according to Yang, of course. With the festival now ended, the stalls selling various goods and souvenirs were implementing blowout sales to get rid of the remainder of their stock, before they closed up shop. Most of the performances had ended, but restaurants, clubs, and other such venues were doing incredible business, catering to the celebrating crowds.

If anything, there seemed to be something even more exciting and vibrant about the ending of the festival. Ruby wasn't sure, but she thought she saw people cheering and celebrating with even greater intensity than they had the night before...particularly the faunus.

"Well, what do you expect?" Blake had said, when Ruby had passed on her observations. "Faunus had no reason to really expect anything special from the tournament, beyond one of their own making it to the final round. To have both him and the champion release a joint statement that expressed a desire to improve faunus-rights, you can bet they're happy about that. I can guarantee that nearly all of them didn't expect anything like that."

"I figured there'd be more of a backlash," noted Yang.

"Give it time to sink in," said Ren, his expression darkening. "For now, they might just be thinking that what Ruby and Ayumu did was mostly grandstanding, something they did to make each other look good to the faunus. Once they see us keep pushing on this, you can bet that they're going to get angry."

"But, even then, the racists are really just a pretty vocal minority," said Yang, folding her arms behind her head with a grin. "A lot of regular people are just the kind of people who never really gave much of a thought to where all their Dust comes from. Then, one of the tournament finalists just up and reveals that he's a runaway from one of the SDC's mines, and lays out exactly what kind of hell it is for them. It's the sort of thing to make people start thinking."

"The tricky part is making it work in the long term," Jaune pointed. "It's one thing to oppose what the SDC is doing to its workers. But it's another thing to actually _do_ something about it. Like everyone keeps pointing out, Dust is pretty much everywhere, and everyone uses it in some fashion or another. People might kick up a fuss, but all the SDC really has to do is threaten to raise prices...or cut off the supply, and quite a few people are going to reconsider just how opposed they are to the SDC."

Blake frowned. "The problem is the near-monopoly the SDC has on Dust. Nicholas Schnee opened the majority of the Dust mines currently in operation, while Jacques obtained most of the rest through his business practices. Most other Dust companies were driven out of business."

Ruby thought back to Flynt, and what he'd told her right before the start of their match. Even then, she'd known that his story was not a unique one. "What do we do about it?"

"We keep pushing," was all that Blake said. "There are still ways to fight back against that, I'm sure." She paused. "Maybe Professor Ozpin would have an idea of what we could do."

"Maybe," said Ruby. It seemed feasible. Given that he was an immortal wizard who'd reincarnated in body after body, for God-knows how long, she would guess that Ozpin had picked up all sorts of useful information over the course of his many lives.

"Whatever," said Yang. "That can wait! This is a party! Let's have a good time!"

"You go on ahead," said Ruby, grinning at her sister. "Actually, there's something else I want to talk to Ozpin about first."

"What is it?" asked Blake.

"It concerns something a certain someone did that we'll have to figure out how to deal with in the next couple days," said Gin with a soft snort, which sent streamers of mist curling into the air in front of him.

"Oh..." said Yang, her expression faltering.

"Don't worry about it, Sis," Ruby assured her. "The entire reason we're doing this is so that we can take care of it before it becomes a _real_ problem."

"I suppose I should join you then," said Ayumu cheerfully.

"We'll be fine," said Ruby, beaming at Ayumu. "You go and hang out with Neo. Now that we don't have to worry about Cinder or her people finding out about her, you two might be able to go out together."

"Well...Neo might need some kind of disguise..." mused Ayumu, having apparently already agreed with Ruby's idea, without saying so.

In the wake of the successful operations against Cinder and the White Fang (or partially-successful, in the case of the latter), Neo's current status was ambiguous. There was no question that her intelligence had been a vital part of engineering the downfall of the targets in both situations. Neo had even essentially delivered Cinder to a waiting Glynda and Winter. Considering that she had done that, Neo had earned herself plenty of goodwill.

And yet, that didn't simply erase the laundry-list of previous crimes she had committed, whether at the behest of Roman or Cinder. For the time being, no one who knew about her presence in Beacon objected to her continuing to stay in JNAR's dorm room, or even move about as she pleased. But the question of whether or not that would transition to an official pardon was still being debated...presumably. Said debate was likely taking place far above the heads of the students. And, of course, none of that made the question of what would happen to Roman any clearer. So it was best to keep the fact that she was still free to go about as she pleased quiet.

Ruby and Gin split from the rest, making a beeline through the crowds to Beacon Tower. As Ruby had come to expect, their progress was slowed by countless well-wishers and fans, particularly faunus. For once, very few of them seemed leery of coming into close proximity to Gin, though it would likely be a different story if he brought out his scales. Still, they managed to make it to the tower with little trouble overall. Ruby and Gin's _Shingan_ monitored the crowds around them picking up the occasional flare of hostility darting their way, but none that suggested anyone feeling those emotions was actually inclined to act on them.

Entering the lobby of the tower was like entering a different world. The doors shut behind them, cutting off the majority of the commotion, and reducing it to a light drone in the background. Approaching the reception desk, Ruby saw the receptionist look up and smile at her. "Please go on ahead," she said. "They're waiting for you."

"Huh?" Ruby blinked, then looked over to see the door to the elevator that led up to Ozpin's office waiting, wide open. "How?"

"I'm guessing that Ozpin figured you'd be showing up," said Gin, with another mist-producing snort.

Ruby sighed and nodded, then headed to the elevator, she and Gin settling against the back wall while waiting for it to reach its destination.

When the doors opened, they emerged into the familiar clockwork scenery of Ozpin's office. Ruby's eyes drifted to the panoramic view of Beacon and Vale, her eyes catching sight of more fireworks going off in the air, their booms heavily muffled by the walls and glass.

Ozpin was seated in his chair, looking across his desk at them with a welcoming smile. What struck Ruby and Gin was that Ozpin wasn't alone. Ozma was seated on the desk itself, perched off to one side, shining golden locks that Yang would have envied spilling across the surface of the desk behind her, the light fabric of her pale-green dress dancing in an unseen wind.

"Welcome, Ms. Rose, Mr. Ueno," said Ozpin, with a smile that, on a less inscrutable man, might have been called smug. "We've been expecting you."

"I bet you have," muttered Gin, closing his eyes with a tired sigh, then scratching the back of his head.

"Hello," said Ozma cheerfully, raising a hand in a cheerful greeting. "I know we've already met, but it's a pleasure to greet you properly."

"Um...uh..." Ruby faltered, not sure how to act in this situation. She supposed she should at least return the greeting of Shade's Headmistress. "It...It's nice to meet you, Professor."

"The pleasure is all mine," said Ozma, hopping off the desk, and coming towards Ruby, her swirling skirt hiding the movements of her legs, so that she seemed to simply glide across the floor. "It is a great pleasure to finally get to meet you, Ruby Rose." Reaching out, she took Ruby's hand in both of her own, lightly tugging Ruby down so that they could look at each other more closely. Ruby's expression was nervous and uncertain, while Ozma's was warm and benign. "You have such beautiful eyes," the diminutive woman said softly.

"Th-thank you," said Ruby, blushing, uncertain of how to respond to such a compliment.

Ozpin sighed loudly, though Ruby could also pick up amusement in the expression. "For the last time, Ozma, you may _not_ adopt her. Ms. Rose already has a father, a very loving and devoted one at that."

Ozma sighed, then giggled. "That's true, I suppose," she said in a resigned tone. "But still...a girl can dream." She returned her eyes to Ruby's. "You have much of your mother in you."

Ruby's heart lurched in her chest, Ozma's simple, heartfelt words. "Y-you knew Mom?"

"I did," replied Ozma, releasing Ruby's hand so that she could stand upright, while Ozma turned back towards Ozpin's desk, approaching it at a sedate amble. "After all, I have employed her and the rest of Stark on missions before. She has been a guest at Shade many times. She always showed a great fondness for the children."

"Ozma, amongst other things, also maintain's Vacuo's system of orphanages and foster homes," said Ozpin. "She personally runs the orphanage at Shade Academy, which is occupied by the children she has adopted personally."

 _That explains the whole 'adoption' thing,_ thought Gin, smirking at Ruby.

"When she told me that she'd had a daughter with Tai, I was so looking forward to meeting her," said Ozma, reaching the desk and turning back towards them. Then her smile slacked slightly. "When I heard about her death, it grieved me a great deal. I'm sorry that I never found the time to visit you."

"Well...you _are_ Headmistress of Shade," said Ruby. "I guess your schedule is busy."

Ozma's smile returned. "That much is true, though, to be honest, my deputy, Mombi does most of the day-to-day work that keeps Shade running. She's even _more_ essential to the school's operation than Glynda is here. Much of my time is spent looking after my children, and seeing that the rest of my organization is up to my standards."

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.

Ozma pulled her diadem from her forehead, the gold band transforming into a worn cap. Her hair spread round to veil her body, before the cap emerged from within, seeming to scoop the hair up like a bucket, the hair itself turning into a current of ethereal gold, revealing the familiar form of Tip, in his dirty shirt and overalls. He finished the transformation by placing his cap on his head, almost as though he was trapping the gathered hair beneath it.

"'Tip' is not merely a form I take on a whim," Tip explained. "He is the _other_ me, but still the _same_ me. It's not as though we are separate identities. But when I am him, I am definitely someone else." He grinned that boyish grin of his.

"So, you don't just look like a boy, but..." Ruby began, her cheeks flushing at what she was thinking.

"Yep," said Tip, completely naturally. "I pee standing up."

Gin coughed and snorted, while Ruby leaned back. "Too much information!" she exclaimed.

Tip merely laughed. Then he gave Ruby a sly look. "But the real advantage of being 'Tip' is that I have the opportunity to get a...closer...look at the orphanages I run. I cannot be everywhere, of course, so the branches and foster homes are entrusted to others. As Tip, I enter the system and move through it, trying to find areas where care is lacking...or when the people who are supposed to be caring for my children may be neglecting or exploiting them instead."

Ruby was tempted to ask what happened when "Tip" found such people running his orphanages or foster homes, but decided not to, noticing the dangerous gleam in his eye when he spoke of such things.

Tip doffed his cap again, allowing his golden hair to spill out and cover him again, the hair pulling back to reveal Ozma once more, who slid her diadem back into place. Gin twitched, once again feeling that familiar tingle against his senses, which he'd gotten such a good feel for in his encounter with Raven.

"So then...you're a wizard," he said, "like Ozpin."

Ozma glanced sidelong at Ozpin, a wry smile on her face. "Of a sort," she said. "But the nature of my magic is far different from Ozpin's...what little he has left."

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.

"I wonder," said Ozma, beginning to stroll along the front of the desk, "...do you know how long I've been Headmistress of Shade Academy?"

"I...uh..." Ruby frowned. That kind of thing wasn't something she'd ever looked up, trivia like that never really enticing her. After all, she didn't even know how long Ozpin had been Headmaster of Beacon.

"I'm guessing you've been Shade's Headmistress since the school's founding," said Gin, getting an inkling of where she'd been leading the conversation.

"Huh!?" exclaimed Ruby, gaping at Gin, than transferring her surprised gaze to Ozma.

"Correct," said Ozma cheerfully. "What's more, Tip aside, this is the shape I've always had over the years."

"Y-you've always been a little girl?" wondered Ruby.

"That's right," said Ozma. "The official explanation is that I suffer from a condition known as Systemic Hypoplasia, which prevents me from growing, leaving me trapped in the body of a young girl."

"I'm guessing that said condition doesn't actually exist," notes Gin.

Ozma giggled. "You'd be right," she agreed. "What's more, such a condition wouldn't be able to prevent me from ultimately dying, once I reach the end of a human life-span."

"So...you can't die?" asked Ruby, her heart shuddering at the thought.

In her own way, Ozma's smiles were as nuanced as Ayumu's. The subtle shift in it, the slightest leveling at the edges, the tiny drooping of her eyelids, conveyed a sadness almost beyond comprehension. "I...cannot," said Ozma. "Make no mistake, Ruby. I am trapped in this form, but not by disease, but..."

"...by a curse," guessed Gin, folding his arms.

"Correct," said Ozma. "My curse is different from Ozpin's though. Ozpin is cursed to be reborn, again and again. I am cursed to live forever...eternally in a child's body. For as long as this curse endures...I will not know what it is like to truly experience love for a significant other, the way you two have found love. I have never known...desire, which I've found to be as much a blessing as it is a curse."

"How...how can you stand it?" asked Ruby.

Ozma's smile warmed. "By indulging in what love I can," she answered, "love for my children. If I can never grow, then I will nurture them and ensure that they can grow to be as healthy and happy as I can manage. I won't deny that it's born of a selfish impulse. If I can't experience what it is like to grow and mature myself, I do so through my children."

"But you do that by making sure that they're happy," said Ruby, smiling back.

"Correct," said Ozma, giggling again.

"But what does this have to do with your magic?" asked Gin. Then he frowned pensively. "No...wait...If you've been the Headmistress of Shade since the school's founding, then you've been a child for eighty years, so..."

"...somebody... _everybody_ should have noticed by now," said Ruby.

"Correct," said Ozma once again. She held up her hand. "That magic is what you might call an...enchantment. It is as thin and wispy as a strand of of a spider's web, but it has been spread across the whole of the world, ever-so-lightly...diverting...the minds of people away from such questions."

"A spell...over the entire world?" gasped Ruby, her eyes going wide. What little she had seen of magic had been surprising and impressive enough. But this was an order of magnitude beyond anything Ozpin had ever suggested about the Maidens, and what they were capable of.

"Don't misunderstand," said Ozma. "I get _very_ good economy. There's more power in a Maiden's fireball than there is in the whole of my enchantment. Its purpose is to divert, to distract. To do much more than that would be to begin to directly affect people's thoughts, which, besides being an area of dark morality that subverts free will, is actually beyond my power."

"So you can't actually control the thoughts of others," noted Gin. "That's a relief."

"Correct," replied Ozma. "You understand because you have been informed, invited behind the curtain, so to speak. That has allowed you to pass through the veil of my enchantment, to perceive and understand the reality of my situation. You could, if you so wished, go out and call the attention of others, any person standing outside this tower, to the very things I called to your attention to, and they too would be able to see through my enchantment. It is _that_ easy to break."

"That's...dangerous, isn't it?" asked Ruby. "I mean...we know that Salem has it out for all the Academies. So, if she wanted to bring down Shade, all she'd have to do is send someone to start pointing that out to people in Vacuo. That would cause all kinds of chaos."

"Ah, but therein lies the key," said Ozma.

"Salem doesn't know," said Gin, his eyes widening.

"Correct," said Ozma slyly. "She too is under my enchantment, so the idea has never occurred to her to question the nature of my existence. To her, I am merely another of Ozpin's agents, one of his trusted appointees in helping to protect the world from her. What I pointed out to you is not merely the way through my enchantment...but the key _to_ it. If it is _not_ pointed out, then they _cannot_ break through it.

"Of course...telling you this, entrusting you with this knowledge, the key to my enchantment, is an act of trust, one I daresay is even greater than Ozpin's entrusting you with the existence of the Maidens, the Relics, and Salem. By stepping outside and speaking a few well-chosen words to just a few people, you could bring about the kind of chaos Cinder Fall worked months to sow, in mere minutes."

"Why would you do that then?" asked Ruby, a note of panic in her voice at the mere idea of such power being in her hands.

"Because I have seen what you've done, and I believe in you," said Ozma warmly, the corners of her eyes crinkling. "I have seen your accomplishments, Ruby Rose. I've seen what you've grown to become.

"You see...you and I have a connection, one that formed before we ever laid eyes upon one another, you and two others."

Ozma began to pace along the front of the desk, running the tip of her index finger along the edge as she walked. "You see...I have watched over many generations of children, starting well before the founding of Shade...or even Vacuo, in its current incarnation. I have raised many young ones, watched them mature, grow, then age...and ultimately die. But there is one child I raised, who went on to do things I never imagined, one who surpassed every expectation of what even _I_ thought was possible."

Gin's mouth dropped slightly, while Ruby felt her own mouth go dry at the implication.

"Wait, don't tell me..." said the boy softly.

Ozma met his look with an approving smirk. "I once took into my care a boy unlike any other I have ever encountered, both before and since. He had been blind since birth. Despite that, he never displayed any despair or resentment for his condition. Instead, he merely perceived the world...differently. He was an...odd...child." She shook her head slowly. "Back then, there was no tradition of naming people for color, but, because of his hair, I chose a name based off a precious stone, known for its green hue. His surname is comes from the name of a stringed instrument, similar to a lute..."

"You're kidding me," grumbled Gin, planting a hand on his forehead.

"I named that boy...Yu Yuen," finished Ozma.

* * *

 **Fans of _Batman: The Animated Series_ might recognized Ozma's condition as the one suffered by lower-tier Batman villain, Baby Doll. Aside from that, when talking about Ozma's magic, part of this chapter was born of my desire to present magic in a form that comes off as more...magical...in the context of the setting.**

 **As I ranted about at length in an author's note very early on in this story, one of my biggest frustrations about RWBY, the show, is how magic doesn't really seem all that magical. By and large, those who possess magic mostly do things the other cast members can do, just without needing the fancy glowing rocks that everyone else in the setting uses to power their actions. The the things that come off as being genuinely magical are Qrow's transformation and Jinn, from the Relic of Knowledge. Even when we go back over the episode-long flashback in Volume 6, most of what we see about magic comes out to a dozen or so varieties of _Magic Missile_ , and various elemental attacks, which still lack the kind of otherwordly quality that magic would need to stand out in a setting like the world of Remnant.**

 **And so, Ozma's abilities are meant to be less flashy than the kind of magic we've seen in the series proper, while also having a certain hard-to-wrap-your-head-around property that makes them more distinct from anything we see other characters do throughout RWBY. At least, that was my intent. How well I pulled it off, I leave up to your judgment.**


	125. Chapter 125

**Chapter 125:**

Gin glared at Ozpin. "Seriously, why is it that, whenever we come to your office, we wind up learning something that flips the table on everything we thought we knew?"

Ozpin chuckled. "Much of this you've brought upon yourselves."

"So...Yu was one of your children?" asked Ruby.

Ozma nodded, staring off into the distance. "As I said, he was...different...from any child I've ever encountered. I'd almost go so far as to say that he was devoid of, not only love, but hatred and malice."

"I doubt that," muttered Gin, remembering all the times he'd felt Yu's malice.

"I said 'almost,'" Ozma chided him. "Yu processes those feelings differently from anyone else, in a manner that I have never fully understood. For example, he has always had a love for building things up...then tearing them down..."

* * *

 _"_ _This is amazing!" gasped Ozma, staring at what Yu had created._

 _Yu smirked, his perpetually closed eyes facing towards the elaborate scaffold of interlocking twigs, standing together to create a miniature tower that was nearly as tall as he was. The entire thing was a delicate work of art, with no bindings of any kind to hold it, merely relying on a precise balance of forces between the twigs themselves to hold it up, almost like a stick version of a house of cards._

 _Ozma had found herself curious, when the other children had told her that Yu had spent hours gathering together twigs, then spent hours more painstakingly doing...something...with them. Having gone out to see for herself to learn what had kept her oddest son from coming in for lunch, Ozma found him standing in front of his creation, almost seeming to survey it, though he couldn't actually do so. It was amazing that he could do this without needing to use his eyes...or maybe it was_ because _he wasn't using his eyes that he had a better understanding of the delicate forces that kept his creation upright._

 _Either way, it was the kind of thing that a master artist would be impressed by. It wouldn't last, of course. A single errant gust of wind, and the entire thing would come tumbling down. It was doomed to fall, sooner or later. But, until then, it stood as a testament to the dedication and brilliance of Ozma's son._

 _Yet, despite that, Yu seemed...unsatisfied. He hummed, tilting his head one way, then another._

 _"_ _Is it missing something?" asked Ozma, wondering about the source of her son's dissatisfaction with his work._

 _"_ _Eh...not really," said Yu, who studied his creation for another moment._

 _Then, seemingly on impulse, he lifted his right foot, and swung it around in a crude roundhouse, hitting his structure just above its base. Twigs scattered everywhere from the point of impact, flying in short arcs to bounce across the ground, while the upper portion collapsed down on itself in a clatter of wood against wood._

 _Ozma gaped, completely stunned by the sight. For a second, Yu was silent as well, still processing what he'd just done. Then a smile spread across his face, a smile that became a grin. Then he chuckled, a chuckle that developed into a laugh. Now Yu was laughing uproariously. Ozma stared at him in complete incomprehension. There was no cruelty to his laughter, nor was it a laugh of innocent amusement. Rather, it was the kind of laugh of a thrill-seeker achieving an adrenaline high._

 _After a moment, the laughter tapered off, and Yu calmed. Finished laughing, he slumped slightly, then tilted his head, regarding the scattered remnants of his creation. "Huh..." he mused._

 _"_ _Wh-why did you do that?" asked Ozma, feeling almost near tears. Yu had spent hours on this creation...and now it was gone...because he had destroyed it._

 _"_ _Uh..." Yu paused, frowning and pinching his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know," he admitted. "It just felt...right."_

 _Ozma stared at him, wondering just what to make of this._

* * *

 _He was at it again. The stick sculpture wasn't Yu's last creation. He'd delicately woven palm leaves into elaborate shapes, then ripped them apart. He'd stacked up rocks in a manner similar to his first creation, only to knock the whole thing over when he was done. Now he was laying out small pebbles, creating an amazingly precise spiraling pattern across the ground._

 _Ozma watched him carefully. Yu placed each stone with scrupulous care, having selected his materials with just as much attention to detail, spending hours at a nearby rock pile selecting stones of a particular size and general shape. Now he placed each one in its appointed position with slow, delicate movements, spacing each one out perfectly evenly from its brethren. Three times, he'd been force to pause in his creation to run over and gather more stones. Once again, he'd missed lunch, and now it was getting on towards dinner, Yu so completely absorbed in his little project that he didn't even notice._

 _Finally, as the sun began to descend towards the horizon, Yu stood over his completed project, hands against his hips. As he had all the times before, he spent several minutes studying it. Then, after a few minutes, he lurched into action, kicking his way across the spiral, knocking the stones and sending them bouncing away. He moved across, then around his creation, kicking and sweeping. By the time he was finished, not a single stone remained where it had originally been placed._

 _Stopping, Yu panted a little from the continuous effort. Then, once again, that slow smile built into a grin; chuckling, followed by laughter. Then, once his laughter died down, he became pensive, humming to himself and scratching his hair, either trying to figure out why he'd just done what he had...or work out what he wanted to build and destroy next._

 _All the while, Ozma looked on, having no idea what to make of it._

* * *

"You know...when I picture that, it seems so... _Yu_ ," said Gin, rolling his eyes up thoughtfully, after listening to Ozma's story.

"Yeah," agreed Ruby.

Ozma sighed and shook her head. "It probably wouldn't surprise you that, at one point, Yu turned his tendency towards the possessions and creations of others."

"Nope," said Ruby and Gin in unison.

"What is strange is that, after the first couple of times, he completely lost interest," said Ozma. "Whatever satisfaction he might have derived, it paled in comparison to what he gained from destroying something he made himself."

"Yeah, that's pretty Yu," said Ruby, thinking about it. It didn't make sense, but...ironically...that's what made sense.

"His attention to detail was a product of what I taught him," said Ozma. "I'm sure you've heard him go on about the importance of thinking smaller."

Ruby and Gin nodded. In many ways, that had been one of the most important lessons Yu had imparted to them.

"I was the one who told him that," Ozma explained. "At the time...I never imagined he would take it the way he did, and use it to become what he is today."

"It's incredible," said Ruby. "He's lived so long, but it's not because of a curse, like it is for you and Ozpin."

Ozma nodded. "It's not only that. Magic is capable of things surpassing normal human understanding. In Ozpin's case, it allows one to wield unbelievable power, without needing to rely upon Aura or Dust. In my case, it has spun a web of enchantment that enables the entire world to overlook the truth about what I am.

"But Yu, in turn, has become capable of things that _surpass_ magic. He is the only one to have ever pierced through the veil of my enchantment, without needing the 'key' I told you about. He has fought and defeated the Maidens with pure skill and his own cultivated strength. He has acquired armor against the ravages of time, without needing the special circumstances that have brought the same condition upon me. He can create and destroy at will...all through the strength he has acquired for himself. At this point, I would go so far as to say that Yu...has reached the level of a god."

"That's...not reassuring at all," said Ruby, licking her lips nervously.

"Well, it gels with what he's been teaching us," said Gin. "The powers of the Relics, the gifts of the gods, he's obtained them for himself. It would make sense that he's basically standing at the same level as the ones who gave us those gifts in the first place."

"True," agreed Ruby.

There was also that sense of relief, the realization that Yu was teaching and instructing them on how to reach that level of power precisely _because_ it was something he had achieved for himself. He wanted to make them into people who could legitimately fight against him. Of course, that was only so that he could overcome the threat they represented, and become even stronger still.

Ozma smiled. "I wish I could tell you something that could give you a genuine edge over him. Sadly, he did not start upon the path to becoming who he is now until he had already left my care. The only thing that I can truly say that I imparted to him was the idea of the importance of thinking smaller."

"Well, even if you did have something that could help, we're not at a level where we could make use of it," said Gin. "It reminds me of the time Ironwood tried to interrogate me and Ayumu. Any intel we could have provided him about Master Yu would have been worthless, because his military wouldn't have been able to make any real use of it."

"Well, I'm glad to see you have a firm conviction," said Ozma. "Whatever terrible things he's done, he's still my son, and I love him dearly. I only wish he could have chosen to put that power of his to use for better things, rather than his own amusement and gratification."

"Well...I think that he did," said Ruby.

"What do you mean?" asked Ozma, giving Ruby a confused look.

"He taught us," said Ruby, reaching out to take Gin's hand. "Even if it was all for the sake of his own entertainment, he still helped us to become stronger. On top of that, he never tried to control what we used that strength for."

"If anything, he encourages Ruby's desire to protect people," said Gin. "So, yeah. It's a roundabout way, and it feels a bit boastful to talk about ourselves like this, but he actually did do something to make the world a better place."

Ozma's expression softened as she regarded the couple before her. "You truly are remarkable children. You make me quite jealous of Ozpin." She turned to regard her Beacon counterpart. "Are you absolutely sure-?"

"No," said Ozpin firmly, though he wore an amused smile on his face as well.

"Piffle," muttered Ozma, puffing out her cheeks, then blowing out a disappointed breath.

Ruby found herself giggling at Ozma's pout.

"Well, for the most part, that concludes what we wished to talk to you about, Ms. Rose," said Ozpin. "Of course, it goes without saying that you may share what you have learned here with your team and January."

"More secrets to carry, huh," mused Gin.

"Sadly, that is the way of the world," said Ozpin. "Is there anything else you wish to speak of, while you're here?"

"Umm...actually..." Ruby kicked her feet bashfully. "Is there a chance we could visit Amber?"

Gin raised an eyebrow, while glancing sidelong at Ruby. It hadn't occurred to him when they'd come up, but it wasn't surprising that Ruby had asked that.

"Of course," said Ozpin. "This is a fine opportunity."

"Since you've got her attacker under lock and key, maybe it's safe for her to come up and out," said Gin. "She's probably sick and tired of being stuck in that vault."

Ozpin sighed sadly. "As much as I would like to, the fact remains that not all of our enemies have been seen to. We cannot yet afford to let Amber move in the open, particularly as her recovery, as swift as it has been, is still progressing. Furthermore, she would still be vulnerable, until the full breadth of her power can be returned to her."

"Well...since you brought it up, have you decided what to do about Cinder?" asked Ruby on impulse.

Ozpin shook his head. "Ultimately, her fate has not been completely decided. At present, the only solution we know for certain, as far as returning the stolen portion of the Maiden's power to Amber, is killing Ms. Fall. But...simply executing her in cold blood doesn't sit well with any of us."

"Even if she's guilty of severe crimes against the Kingdom?" asked Gin. "I figure that would give you all the reason you need for an execution."

"That may well be true," said Ozpin. "But it does not make any such decision easier to carry out. It would be one thing to face her in battle, and kill her in the heat of conflict. But even our most pragmatic allies balk at the idea of killing a currently-helpless prisoner."

"I understand," said Ruby, looking down at her feet.

"Even then, there is some hope that we might be able to obtain additional information from her," continued Ozpin. "That is certainly James' desire. But I can't be certain that allowing her to regain consciousness would be a safe option."

"Well, her Aura would be suppressed, wouldn't it?" asked Gin.

"Of course," said Ozpin.

"The problem is that magic does not require Aura to use," said Ozma. "Even if her Aura is suppressed, Ms. Fall would, quite likely, still be very dangerous."

"We believe that, possessing only a part of the Fall Maiden's power, suppressing her Aura might limit her ability to use it," said Ozpin. "However, we have no desire to find out the hard way. At present, it is simply best to say that her fate is still being decided, and leave it at that.

"So, for the time being, I'm afraid that Amber will need to remain in the Vault, under our protection. However, you are still welcome to visit her as often as you are able. With their plan for the festival having fallen through, we suspect that Salem will pull back her remaining agents in order to regroup. If we can confirm that, then we will have a much easier time arranging visits."

"Okay," said Ruby.

"Now then, go ahead and go see her," said Ozpin, gesturing to the elevator, which opened behind Ruby and Gin.

The couple looked to each other, then nodded in tandem, before heading back to the elevator. Ozpin watched them go, a smile on his face that was visible, until the doors closed.

When the two Academy heads were alone once more, Ozpin turned to his counterpart from Shade. "I suppose you'll be on your way now," he said.

"Soon," said Ozma. "I got to speak to your Little Rose and my Sun. But there is one last person I would like to have a few words with, before I return to face Mombi's wrath."

"I believe I know who," said Ozpin, nodding sagely.

* * *

The mood hovering over the White Fang encampment was...dark...to say the least. As far as anyone could see, their plan had fallen through. Adam's mysterious allies, the servants of the one known as Salem, had completely failed to provide the distraction that they had promised. Without some form of outside pressure to distract Vale's defenses, there was no way the small fleet of bullheads could make the flight to Beacon's grounds to drop their deadly payload.

They had debased themselves, working alongside human criminals. They had sacrificed a great deal of money and materiel. The majority of their brothers and sisters had been taken into custody...or killed. And now...it seemed to have all been for nothing.

Worse, despite Adam's speeches and assurances, the words of Ruby Rose and Ayumu Ao, during the post-match interview, had struck a chord amongst many of the faunus in the encampment. For the first time in recent history, a human had spoken out so boldly and publicly against the persecution of the faunus. That this human was the champion of the Vytal Festival Tournament, and was using the clout that afforded to her to fight for their cause, had gotten people in the encampment talking.

So it was no surprise that Adam was pacing in his tent, his expression frustrated. Naia and Nereus were present as well, both calm and composed. They were no strangers to plans going awry, and a great deal of invested effort coming to naught. For every three successful raids or attacks, there was one that wound up going horribly. Setbacks of this nature were a part of life, though it was the first time they had seen a failure on such a large scale. Nearly the entire Vale branch of the White Fang had been lost.

"Nothing..." snarled Adam, talking mostly to himself. "After all of that, after listening to that damn woman, wasting my time and energy dealing with all her threats and condescension, after having the gall to accuse _us_ of incompetence, _this_ is all we have to see for it. I should have known that she wasn't a worthwhile ally."

"There's no point in crying over spilt milk," said Naia rather disinterestedly, turning the page of the newspaper she'd acquired. Even out here, in the wilderness, the White Fang made it a point to stay informed on current events in the Kingdom. At present, the articles being written about what Ruby and Ayumu had said were...interesting, to say the least. Much to her surprise, there was already a strong groundswell of support and sympathy for her cause.

Following the release, the paper had announced a poll, examining people's opinions of the Schnee Dust Company. There had been a marked shift in attitudes, a large number of people shifting to view the company with greater negativity. It was a minor victory overall, and even that was mitigated by the same poll finding that, despite their changes in attitudes, very few people were considering changing how they used Dust...or where they got their Dust from.

That latter aspect wasn't surprising. The SDC was the primary supplier of Dust in Vale, after all. There wasn't exactly a bevy of options for people to turn to instead of the corrupt company. _It's a shame,_ Naia thought. _If things had gone the way Adam had wanted, then we stood to have the opportunity to...create...a little extra competition._

Adam stopped, then heaved a sigh. Turning towards Naia and Nereus. For the first time, they noted that his expression seemed...truly defeated. "What do we do?" he asked finally. "I...I'm at a loss."

Neither Naia nor Nereus expected such an admission from Adam. It was a sign that he'd truly lost sight of any way forward in this situation. He was now turning to them for instruction, looking to his superiors for orders on what to do now.

"For now, I'd suggest we wait," said Naia. "With the festival ending, security will likely slacken. We can begin new recruitment efforts, though we probably won't make much headway, not after what this Ruby Rose has said and done."

"We've already sent our assessments and suggested course of action back to Sienna," said Nereus. "Once we get her orders, we'll have a better idea of where to go from here."

While the White Fang did have scrolls, said scrolls were almost never used to communicate between cells, or even between members, if they could help it. The fact that anything beyond local-area calls was routed through the CCT tower, or a nearby relay, meant that their signals could be monitored or tracked. Because of that, the White Fang made use of more...antiquated methods of communication, which, while slower, were much harder to track or intercept. It was somewhat ironic that, in this age of high-tech communication, the low-tech methods were the most effective in coordinating the actions of this dangerous rebel group.

"Or, you could hold out just a little longer."

Naia and Nereus shot to their feet, orienting on the figure who stepped between the flaps of the tent, brushing them aside as he made his entrance.

"Who are you?" asked Naia, warily holding her right arm up, bending her elbow so that her forearm crossed in front of her chest.

Nereus had likewise oriented himself so that his right arm, hidden by its long sleeve, was facing the mysterious arrival.

"A human!" snarled Adam, his hand going to the hilt of his sword.

The man didn't seem to react to the tensing of the three White Fang leaders in the tent. They'd all readied themselves to fight, yet he hadn't been fazed in the slightest. They all took in his tall, lanky figure. His head was topped by a tangled mass of hair, which resembled a clump of thick moss. His eyes were covered by a green ribbon, with the tails extending out behind him, while a sleeveless vest displayed the cut and powerful muscles of his chest and arms. His legs were hidden by simple, loose, white pants. Despite the fact that he seemed more like a homeless vagrant than a warrior, there was something about him that put all three faunus in the tent, each of them dangerous warriors in their own right, on edge.

Of course, the face-splitting grin the man wore didn't help matters.

"Who am I?" asked Yu rhetorically, gesturing to himself. "What if I told you that those two kids who finished the tournament were my students...them and one other."

"You're the one who trained Ruby Rose and Ayumu Ao?" asked Nereus warily.

"And the dragon-faunus this guy is interested in," said Yu, jerking a thumb at Adam.

Both Naia and Nereus whipped their heads around to give Adam a hard look, the kind of look that promised pointed questions at a later time. Adam, however, was too busy baring furious teeth at the sight of the human who'd walked so brazenly into their tent. It reminded him too much of Cinder and her demands, to say nothing of where following her demands had led.

"I don't care who you are!" snarled Adam, his hand going to the handle of Wilt, resting in Blush's newly-restored barrel. "I have had my fill of dealing with your kind!" With that, he surged forward, blurring between the twins, Wilt clearing its sheath in a streak of red, flying towards Yu.

Adam's attack was stopped cold, in the most inconceivable way possible. Yu had idly raised one foot...and caught the slashing sword between two sock-covered toes. "Buddy, I may be human, but I can guarantee that you haven't seen _my_ kind before." His grin remained unchanged. His leg blurred, and Adam abruptly found himself thrown backwards, landing on his feet and skidding to a stop, just inches away from the back wall.

"You taught the trio who brought down the Mountain Glenn operation," mused Nereus. "In that sense, that makes you an enemy."

"Nah," said Yu. "I just teach my kids mad skills. I don't tell 'em what to do with those skills. Wrecking your op was their decision, not anything I put them up to." His grin twitched slightly. "Not that the two of you actually had anything to do with it."

Naia and Nereus both frowned, frowns that deepened when Yu continued, flapping his hand idly. "All right...I may have arranged for them to be in the right place at the right time to trip over that little shindig. I trusted their weird sensibilities...er...What were they called again?...Oh! Right!...their consciences-that's what they're called-to incite them to do the rest."

"Why?" asked Naia.

"It was good training," said Yu with another idle wave of his hand. "A real world threat, with real consequences if they screw up, there's nothing better for my little fledglings at this stage. That's what's been such a blast about this festival, and everything leading up to it. They're really growing up." He sighed wistfully. "Of course, they've still got a long ways to go. But that's why I'm here."

"You wish to set us against them?" asked Naia.

"Haven't I already?" asked Yu. "Whatever little mission you folks wind up running, you're gonna have to go through them. You twins in particular are a nice little bar-raiser. Your teacher does good work."

"Then what is this visit about?" asked Nereus.

"Well, as I was saying, before Bully Boy back there..." He gestured dismissively at Adam, who had readied himself for another strike, but had not moved otherwise. "...interrupted me, if you guys are just a little patient, and hold out a little longer...you'll get your opportunity to put your plan into motion. Sure, it won't make as big a splash as it would've if you'd managed to pull it off during the festival, but I think you'd still find it worthwhile, seeing as you'd still get to make your _real_ objective."

"Real objective?" growled Adam, forgetting his anger for a moment, and glaring suspiciously at the twins, who ignored him.

Naia and Nereus exchanged wary looks. "What are you talking about?" asked Naia.

Yu's grin widened. "Well, I left a little...present...for my kids, out in Mountain Glenn. Sometime in the near future, probably in the next couple of days, they're going to go out to find it. And when they do, I can promise that being on the lookout for a bunch of White Fang bullheads is gonna be the _furthest_ thing from the minds of Vale's security. They're about to have a much bigger fish to fry. That's your opportunity to move in."

"Why would you tell us this?" asked Naia. "What do you gain from aiding us?"

"I'm not aiding you," said Yu, "just keeping you informed. But, as for why this is important, it's all about pressure. If my kids are gonna learn and grow, they need _real_ pressure. Sure, my present is a doozy, but that's just the beginning, forcing them to the edge of exhaustion, then forcing them to keep pushing, that's the real exercise. I'm sure the two of you will be able to put them through their paces just fine. Little Sparkler was a disappointment, but I have the feeling that you two can really deliver."

The twins' eyes narrowed. Neither of them liked the way Yu talked to or about them. Yet, they could sense that he was not a foe they were equipped to fight. At the very least, he was providing them useful information.

"In any case, that's all I came to say," said Yu, waving a hand in a farewell gesture. "The rest is up to you. I really hope you've got what it takes. I hate being disappointed." With that, he vanished, the flaps of the tent billowing serving as the only evidence of his exit.

"What an odd creature," said Naia, finally relaxing her stance.

"Certainly different from anyone we've encountered before," added Nereus.

Despite Yu's departure, Adam's stance did not relax. Instead, he growled, drawing the twins' attention. His right hand remained at his side, but his left remained curled tightly around Blush's grip, holding the weapon to indicate that he was prepared to draw, if he saw reason to. "What have you two been planning?" he growled. "What 'real objective' was he talking about."

"Nothing that you weren't already planning on doing yourself," said Nereus. "Our real objectives merely extend from that end."

"And we could ask you the same question about your plans?" added Naia, her tone stern. "What is this about the dragon-faunus?"

Considering Gin Ueno's prominent participation in the qualifying round of the tournament, there was no way even relatively recent arrivals, like the twins', would not be aware of the presence of a dragon-faunus in Beacon.

"I figured that would be obvious," said Adam. "A dragon-faunus would be a tremendous asset to our cause, if we can acquire him. With that kind of power at our disposal, we could make the humans tremble in terror."

"Acquire?" asked Nereus, a rare note of anger making it into his tone.

"You mean to recruit him then?" asked Naia, her own eyes narrowing.

"I mean to seize him," replied Adam fervently. "Those fools at Beacon have no idea of the monster that dwells in their midst. All we need to do is secure him, then break him into our service. A creature like that needs no will of its own...and will be a spectacular weapon in our arsenal..."

Adam's voice trailed off as the tension within the tent abruptly multiplied. The air became noticeably thicker. Coming out of his monologue, Adam realized that the twins were now openly glaring at him, rage radiating from their bodies like heat. In all their dealings with him, the Shrimps had been stern, authoritative, and occasionally frustrated. But this was the first expression of genuine anger, a truly furious rage, barely contained. All of his instincts went on alert...and Adam realized that he was now standing a hair's breadth away from death.

"Mind your tongue, Adam Taurus," said Nereus, speaking with genuine anger for the first time since he and his sister had arrived in Vale. "If you continue that train of thought, then, regardless of Sienna's favor towards you, we will not remain still."

Naia's expression was more tranquil, but no less dark. "We are always open to the possibility of recruitment," she said. "But what you are clearly planning is out of the question. You may ask the boy if he wishes to join our cause, and deal with him appropriately, if he insists on remaining an obstacle. But that is _all_ you may do. And there will be no more discussion of this. Is that understood?"

Adam's throat tightened with fear. This was very much like that time, when Cinder had visited his encampment for the second time. The first time, it had been a polite offer, a request for cooperation. The second time, it had been a unilateral demand, with Cinder and her underlings demonstrating, quite viscerally, what the consequences would be if Adam and the White Fang defied her. Now he found himself faced with that fear again, the realization that defiance would be met with death. It wasn't some unnatural power that induced this fear, but rather the realization that, however strong he was, the twins stood above him as naturally stronger. If he made enemies of them, he would not survive to learn from that mistake.

"I understand," he said, lowering Blush, slumping slightly in defeat.

"Then that is all that needs to be said on the matter," said Naia.

In unison, the twins turned and strode out of the tent, leaving Adam wondering just what had incited their anger so.

* * *

"Congratulations, Ruby!" cheered Amber, hugging Ruby tightly. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Thank you," Ruby replied, hugging Amber back. Silently, she noted that there was a lot more strength in Amber's arms, compared to the last time she and Gin had visited. From the look and sound of things, Amber's recovery was coming along quite nicely. Physically speaking, almost all of her old strength had returned, and only her stamina needed to really be worked on at any length.

Amber transitioned from hugging Ruby to cupping her face. "And I saw your interview afterward. You really are amazing, you know.

Ruby flushed brilliantly, averting her eyes. "Stop that," she said, a slight whimper of embarrassment leaking into her voice.

"There's nothing wrong with taking pride in your accomplishments," said Amber firmly, letting go of Ruby's face, and instead pulling her down so that they could sit together on the couch in the shelter's living room. "You've done something incredible. You're the youngest Vytal Festival Tournament champion in history, a girl who got into Beacon Academy two whole years early, and went on to dominate in a competition where all your opponents were older than you. That's an amazing feat."

Despite Amber's assertions, Ruby still found herself embarrassed. It was certainly rare, but not unheard of, for a first-year student to win the tournament. But it was definitely a novel occurrence for said first-year to have been two-years younger than the typical age. If anything, that knowledge made Ruby tense, rather than relax.

Gin's hand found its way to her forehead, her boyfriend standing behind the couch and using the touch to drain away Ruby's anxiety and embarrassment. "She's not wrong," he said to Ruby in a wry tone. "At least we don't have to worry about your accomplishments going to your head."

"That's true," agreed Amber with a giggle.

Ruby sighed. "I really wish I could enjoy it more, but there's a lot to do."

"Even _not_ factoring in that you've taken up social activism as a hobby," added Gin.

Ruby nodded. "We still have to deal with Master Yu's Grimm. Adam Taurus is still out there. So are Watts and Pyrrha."

"Well, we have a plan to deal with the Grimm," said Gin. "Hopefully, we'll get the chance to deal with our other problems as expediently as we can."

"And I really don't have much of an idea of what more to do about the whole activist thing," said Ruby. In retrospect, that seemed silly, considering how long her and Ayumu's plan had been in the works. They had settled on what they were going to do with the secret of materialization, and its revelation, months before the festival had begun. But Ruby now realized that she hadn't spared much thought for what was to come afterwards.

"Well, considering what you said and did, I'd think that the best way to carry on is to keep pushing this materialization technique you've been talking about," said Amber, smiling at Ruby.

"That makes sense," said Gin, thinking back to their peers who'd expressed an interest in manifestation and materialization, particularly Velvet. He found himself curious about Velvet's particular interest in manifestation, rather than merely seeing it as a step to the more advanced technique.

"I'm sure that's going to be tricky enough," said Amber. "For the time being, you should focus first and foremost on continuing your studies. I'm sure that Ozpin has some ideas for how you can continue to put your newfound fame to work, but your training comes first."

"That's true," agreed Gin. "The best proof of our argument that a Huntress or Huntsman can be effective without needing to rely on Dust is to ensure that we reach that point."

Ruby nodded slowly, already thinking things over.

"Actually...I'm interested in learning more about this technique myself," added Amber.

"You are?" asked Ruby, looking up in surprise.

Amber nodded. "I think it would be handy to be able to materialize a weapon the way you've described, particularly since it's me."

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.

Amber frowned, then leaned back on the couch. "Back before...the attack...I disguised my magic as Dust-usage. My weapon was actually a staff with Dust crystals mounted on it. I had to actually be proficient in that, in order to make it convincing."

"I get it," said Gin, vaulting over the back of the couch, so he could sit next to Ruby. "Considering that the potential of materialized weapons is so nebulous, to the point where even we don't know all the things that are possible with them, it would be a lot easier for you to pass off your Maiden powers as a part of said weapon."

Amber nodded. "That would be really useful, once I get my powers back."

Ruby and Gin exchanged a worried look. "Do you know about Cinder?" asked Ruby.

"Yes," said Amber, slumping a little. "To be honest, I am bothered by the idea that she would have to die for me to regain my magic. I'm...not too keen on that. But, right now, the only other alternative seems to be allowing my magic to go to her, which we can't allow."

Ruby and Gin both looked down.

"Don't worry about it," said Amber, rubbing Ruby's shoulders in a reassuring gesture. "Ozpin and the others will figure out what to do. You've all done more than enough on that front." She leaned over and kissed Ruby on the forehead. "Don't worry about it, okay."

"I'll try not to," said Ruby, despite feeling that she'd still worry about it.

"In the meantime, what are you going to do about the Grimm?" asked Amber.

"We'll just have ask Professor Ozpin for a lift to Mountain Glenn, either tomorrow or Monday," said Ruby. "That's where Yu put it."

"We have a good idea where too," added Gin. "It wasn't like Master Yu's trying to hide it. The real question is what kind of fight we'll have on our hands when we do find it."

Ruby shuddered, dreading what kind of twisted monstrosity had leapt forth from the fertile depths of Yu Yuen's sadistic mind.

"Ideally, we'd wait longer to make sure that more of the visitors from the other Kingdom are gone," said Gin. "But Master Yu's promise is only good for the next two days. After that, he'll awaken that Grimm whenever he wants."

"And if we let him choose, it's pretty much a guarantee that he's going to pick the worst possible time," added Ruby.

"Better to get it over and done with," said Gin.

"I see," said Amber. She sighed. "Still, let's not talk about something so dark. Why don't you start teaching me about materialization..."

* * *

 **Yep, Yu is one of Ozma's kids. Of course, it's not as though she gave birth to him. That guy's been kicking around for a while.**


	126. Chapter 126

**Chapter 126:**

"Are you sure about this?" asked Ayumu, staring at the girl in front of him. "I figured you'd prefer to learn from Ruby."

"This is fine," said Velvet Scarlatina, smiling pleasantly. "From what I heard, _you're_ the one who taught Ruby about manifestation. Not that I don't think Ruby can do it, but...I guess you're the one with more experience teaching."

"I suppose that's true," said Ayumu. "Ruby is indisposed anyway...as is Gin, though I expect you'd have a hard time learning from him."

Velvet's ears dropped, and she bowed her head in shame.

"It's all right," said Ayumu, holding up a hand to reassure her. "We understand. Gin doesn't hold it against you."

Unlike Blake, Velvet had not practiced any kind of exposure therapy to deal with the sight of Gin's scales. Gin's presence alone was easy enough to deal with, but the sight of his scales still triggered a visceral reaction that incited her to keep well away from him. Ultimately, she just hadn't found the time or the impetus to engage in what would be a time-consuming and stressful activity.

"It's a pity, really," said Ayumu, scratching the back of his head. "Considering your interest, I suspect you are looking to implement the second-stage form of manifestation. Since that is Gin's specialty, he'd actually be a very good teacher."

Ayumu's words weren't reassuring, but they did enkindle Velvet's curiosity. "Really?" she asked, her ears straightening up a little.

Ayumu nodded. "Gin has never had a use for materialization. He was born with his own best weapons after all. But he put quite a lot of work into manifesting techniques. That being said, I'm more than able to teach you about both stages of manifestation."

"Thank you," said Velvet, smiling shyly at Ayumu.

"But, before that, I am curious about the basis for your interest," said Ayumu.

"I figured that," said Velvet. "That's why I called you here."

"Here" was one of Beacon's sparring rings. It being Saturday evening, with the Vytal Festival having concluded, and everyone throwing what was essentially a giant wrap-up party, the training center was almost completely deserted. Considering that classes were expected to resume on Monday, very few were keen to waste the last hours of freedom the festival afforded them. Sunday was meant to be spent sleeping off the side-effects of Saturday's party, and all the stalls and attractions would have already closed. So everyone was making the most of this last big celebration.

Everyone...except the select few gathered in the training center. To Ayumu's even greater surprise, it wasn't _just_ Velvet he'd encountered, after receiving her message, requesting to meet him for lessons. Perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised to see her teammates there, having settled into the spectator seating above. However, it was surprising to see CRDL there as well. He supposed it was understandable that Cardin wanted to stay close to his girlfriend, even if it meant missing out on the excitement of the festival's end. However, for Cardin's teammates to be present suggested that they too were interested in what Ayumu was teaching her.

 _Materialization may start to catch on faster than we thought,_ mused Ayumu. "So what is it you wanted to show me?"

"I'd like to spar with you for a little bit," said Velvet, her hand coming to rest on her prized possession.

"Very well," said Ayumu.

He wasn't surprised to see Velvet in her combat gear; consisting of a tight, brown jacket, black undershirt, brown shorts, black leggings, with gold spaulders and vambraces on her shoulders and arms respectively. It was an ensemble that was designed to allow for freedom of motion, and, though Ayumu would never say so aloud, showed off Velvet's toned and svelte figure, something he suspected her boyfriend appreciated.

However, what _did_ surprise him was the presence of the brown box that rested from its strap, on the right side of Velvet's waist. The rectangular box was about the same size as the handbag disguise that Velvet's teammate and leader, Coco, used as a disguise for her minigun. It was edged with gold-colored metal bands, and bore Velvets' personal emblem on one side. Inside it was an old-fashioned-looking camera, appearing like the kind people had frequently used, back in the days before scrolls came with cameras of their own. This was fairly well-known, considering that Velvet was often seen around campus, taking pictures.

Most people assumed that photography was her hobby. Ayumu had as well. But now, Velvet was carrying that box in the ring, suggesting there was something more to it.

Still, Velvet had requested a spar, and it would be disrespectful not to accept. Ayumu brought his hands together, then drew forth Green Destiny in the movements that had become habitual for him, his blade flexing and ringing as he whipped it through a few passes, before settling into a starting stance.

Velvet smiled, then reached down to touch her weapon. Ayumu felt her manipulate a cunningly concealed switch, his senses picking up signs of electrical and Dust-powered components coming into life. Velvet began to slowly walk towards him. As she did, she raised her right hand out to one side.

A panel on the side of the box facing away from her opened, and a beam of light emerged. Ayumu's eyes widened as he saw the light sweep upward, then downward, concentrating, then solidifying, glowing lines intersecting to create a larger, more complex shape, a three-dimensional hologram. However, what his other senses indicated was even more shocking. The light that made up the holographic image felt genuinely solid to his senses. It had the properties of mass. _Hard-light!_

Ironically, that had been the thing that had shocked people about Ruby's weapon, back before she had revealed that it had been materialized. Hard-light constructs required incredibly advanced technology to create. Something that could create such constructs that had been sufficiently miniaturized for personal use was considered close to impossible to realize with current technology. There had been creative workarounds, like the blade of Ciel's weapon. But this was something even further removed from that, a fully-realized hard-light construct, devoid of any tangible anchor to the device that had created it.

Even with his limited knowledge, Ayumu realized that Velvet's weapon was at least a step above what even the most-advanced Atlesian technology was capable of, if not _several_ steps. Even to him, a relative neophyte, when it came to such topics, it was an amazing creation. There were any number of potential applications for such technology. Even its current use, creating a holographic weapon capable of being wielded, was incredibly flexible, as there was presumably any number of forms that such technology could create.

However, what was even more amazing was the weapon Velvet chose to lead off with, a scythe. It wasn't just any scythe either. Ayumu's eyes widened even more as he took in the remarkable, unique shape of the weapon. He recognized that long, curving blade, segmented into sections, designed to fold in on each other. He recognized that blocky chamber and action, with the lever that served as a handle. It was Ruby's weapon. But it wasn't her materialized scythe, Shining Rose. It was a weapon that Ayumu had only ever seen in pieces, or its partially assembled state; Ruby's original scythe, Crescent Rose, which had been cruelly destroyed and dismantled by Pyrrha Nikos so many months ago.

Reaching out, Velvet, curled her fingers around the shaft, taking the construct and manipulating it as though it were actual matter. She advanced towards Ayumu at a sedate pace, before abruptly leaping upwards. Looking up, Ayumu saw Velvet's body, highlighted by the lights from above, now descending towards him, scythe cocked back for a mighty swing.

Jumping up and back, Ayumu sent his body flipping over the scythe's blade, escaping Velvet's opening sweep with the weapon. Coming out of his flip, he landed just in time to see Velvet bring the scythe into a spin, before sprinting in close with impressive speed, and launching another swift slash. This time, Ayumu met her swing with a careful parry, deflecting the sideways strike over his head. The contact confirmed what his other senses had already indicated. Velvet's construct had the qualities of an object with actual mass. While he'd never experienced Crescent Rose itself, the impact of the simulated blade carried the power and heft appropriate for a weapon its size.

Ayumu dodged and deflected a few more strikes, before darting forward and trying to land a counter-blow. Velvet caught his slash with the shaft of the scythe, jumping back out of Ayumu's range in the process. She released her hold, the weapon dissolving into glittering motes. At the same time, she brought her hands down by her right hip. More light streamed out from her device, another wireframe hologram emerging, this time forming the barrels and heavy body of a familiar-looking minigun.

Barely having any time to register the fact that Coco's signature weapon was now pointing right at him, Ayumu burst into motion as Velvet opened fire, barely slipping aside from the stream of bullets that issued forth from the weapon. Turning his course, Ayumu charged directly for Velvet, while she tried to track him with the still-firing weapon. Ayumu was forced to jump, flipping over the stream of shots, then drop down, ducking beneath it, all while trying to close in and reach a point where Velvet could no longer try and track him with the heavy weapon.

While he was a short distance away from her, Velvet released her hold on the minigun, the weapon dissolving into motes, just as the image of the scythe had earlier. Now Velvet held out her left hand, another hologram forming, this time taking the shape of a rapier, a weapon Ayumu had seen once before. Levering it back, then leveling it at him, Velvet took a familiar stance, then executed a graceful sliding lunge, thrusting straight for his chest.

Ayumu met her thrust with a parry from Green Destiny. For a second, the two of them fenced furiously, Green Destiny ringing as it collided with the holographic rapier. Velvet fell back two steps, then raised the weapon in front of her. Ayumu struck, but was balked when his blade skipped off a curved shield that appeared in the air between them.

Velvet had already taken to the air, executing a jumping flip that took her directly over Ayumu's head. When she came back down, she'd switched armaments once again, this time holding a weapon that Ayumu was much more familiar with. In her left hand, she held a large, cleaver-like blade in a reverse-grip, while her right held a katana. Velvet slashed straight down with the simulated Gambol Shroud's sheath. Ayumu turned to the side, managing to avoid the slash, allowing the strike to pass through the air where he'd been standing. He swiftly whipped his sword up in an attack, but Velvet met it with the katana, fending it off, before she jumped back again, this time pulling her arm back. The katana folded down over itself, becoming a sickle/pistol hybrid, which she then flung through the air, pulling on the holographic ribbon to send it whipping around at Ayumu's body from the side.

Ayumu swiftly ducked beneath the slash of the sickle's blade, then whipped his sword up to parry another slash as it came arcing in from another direction. He jumped forward, closing with Velvet again. She came at him in return. To Ayumu's surprise, Velvet closed in an extra step, too close to effectively use Gambol Shroud.

But Gambol Shroud had disappeared, and Velvet's forearms were now enclosed by holographic gauntlets. Her right arm was already cocked back to deal a devastating punch straight to Ayumu's stomach.

Flicking Green Destiny downwards, Ayumu braced the first two fingers of his left hand against the flat of the blade, near the tip. When Velvet's blow landed, there was a loud ring from the sword, then she was blown backwards, her right arm stretching out straight behind her, the redirected force of the attack nearly wrenching her shoulder from its socket .

Ayumu pressed the attack, not wanting to allow her to regain her momentum. From the very moment they had exchanged their first blows, he'd felt a genuine pressure from Velvet, intent to win. She wasn't merely using this spar as an excuse to show off her creation, and what it could do. She was fighting to _win_. In a sense, Ayumu got the impression that she was treating this match as a proxy for the tournament itself. She would have displayed this in the finals, playing all her cards to the fullest extent possible.

It was more than a little saddening that she had missed her chance to do this in the tournament, thanks to Mercury and Emerald defeating her teammates in the doubles round. It was much more indirect, and less directly damaging, but Velvet was a victim of Cinder's scheme as well, in her own way.

On the battle went. Velvet switched between weapons at an impressive pace, changing up her style continuously, making it difficult for Ayumu to adjust. Every time he thought he found her rhythm, and made an opportunity to counterattack, she completely changed her weapon and style, forcing him to readjust all over again. However, as their match continued, he noticed a few things about her way of fighting.

Velvet wielded each weapon competently, showing that she knew which techniques to employ in which situations. However, while her device could create a simulacrum of a weapon, and her body could use the techniques to wield it, Ayumu noticed there were certain things she _couldn't_ do. As Velvet was cycling through a variety of weapons that Ayumu was familiar with, and even encountered himself, he recognized some weapons whose wielders employed their Semblance in their fighting style. Yet Velvet was unable to do that herself. She was limited to replicating a person's physical motions.

Furthermore, the pace she switched weapons at was higher than it needed to be. There were times where it would have been more advantageous to continue using the weapon she'd already equipped, but Velvet had changed both her style and approach anyway. Ayumu could sense her unwavering intent, able to tell that it wasn't simply because she wanted to show off. Instead, he surmised that there was a time-limit that each hologram could be maintained for, before it broke apart on its own. Velvet had to switch to a new weapon, or be left empty-handed.

All told, it was very interesting. However, it wasn't the most effective style in the world either. Velvet's continual cycling through weapons and styles of combat kept Ayumu from getting a definitive advantage over her. At the same time though, the combination of her inability to fully employ the complete nuances of a particular style or another, combined with her need to keep switching from weapon to weapon, left Velvet unable to create her own advantage. Despite all the blows they had exchanged, neither one of them had landed a single hit.

And then Velvet whirled towards him, an extremely familiar-looking blade appearing in her right hand.

Ayumu's mind went completely blank. He released his hold on Green Destiny, letting it drift through the air and into his left hand. While the damaged nerves of his left hand couldn't employ his sword with the same level of finesse as his right, the grip of his left hand was still just as strong, and more than enough to hold his sword out of the way of what he was going to do next.

Velvet whipped the blade through a swift, crescent-shaped slash, the blade gliding around to come slicing at the side of Ayumu's neck. He knew the path of that attack so well that his body had already figured out how to counter. He bent his knees and spine slightly, dipping down to drop his head beneath the level of the attack, all while stepping inside Velvet's reach. His right hand was already rising up heading for exactly where he knew the sword's handle and the hand that gripped it would be. He met it, pinching the handle just behind the guard, forcing his fingers in past Velvet's, while pulling and twisting in a graceful move that turned the momentum of Velvet's own swing against her.

Before Velvet could react, Ayumu pulled the holographic sword free of her grip, and, in the same motion, swept it down, before bringing it slicing back up, slicing upwards across her stomach and chest, the edge gliding along her Aura and parting it cleanly. They passed each other, the holographic sword flickering, then breaking up, leaving Ayumu's hand once more, while Velvet collapsed to her knees, gasping, her Aura streaming away to the sound of the buzzer.

"Wha-what was that?" she gasped.

"As Master Yu says, sharpness is a state of mind," said Ayumu, turning back towards her. "I've reached the point where I can choose _what_ I cut. So I simply cut your Aura away from your body. I dissipated it with a single blow."

"But you..." began Velvet.

Ayumu nodded. "Well, since you decided to use the weapon I know so well, I knew exactly how to take it from you. It was my own blade, and I know its every move."

"Oh..." Velvet blinked.

Ayumu sensed a bitter feeling from her, the sense she was holding back tears. _She really wanted to win thi_ s.

"So that was what you wanted to show me," said Ayumu, crossing his legs and sitting down before Velvet, right on the floor of the ring. He absorbed Green Destiny back into his Aura. "I assume that your Semblance is what enables you to wield those different weapons so well."

Velvet nodded, scooting around to face him, sitting down herself. "I've had it since I was born. The doctor who found out about it called it Photographic Reflexes. I've just called it Mimic."

"That makes sense," said Ayumu. "It's tricky. You've clearly made excellent use of it."

"It's nothing special," said Velvet, ducking her head, almost seeming...ashamed. "I've always been able to imitate other people, just by watching them. When I was younger, I excelled in sports, because I would watch what the great players could do, and I'd be able to do it myself, just after seeing it once. Then, when I decided I wanted to be a Huntress, I watched real Huntsmen and Huntresses fighting, and did the same thing. All I've ever done is capitalize on the hard work of other people."

 _She seems to be talking to herself, more than me,_ Ayumu noted. _I get the feeling this is something she was probably told by others. I imagine her teammates have tried to break her out of this self deprecation. But she holds to it quite strongly._

Ayumu decided to give her his view of it. "Now that isn't true at all," said Ayumu. "Mimicry alone can't account for what you did while we were fighting."

"Huh?" Velvet blinked.

"Your Semblance is an impressive asset," noted Ayumu. "But that kind of ability would only enable you to copy a person's form, _how_ they move. You can learn a technique, just by watching it. But that does not mean that you have learned all the nuances to properly employ it.

"Each technique has its own timing and range, which must be effectively internalized in order for it to be of use. It only grows more difficult in a dynamic situation, in which both you and your opponent are on the move. If you weren't capable of doing that, you would have lost very quickly in our match. But you managed to employ each attack masterfully. To be able to do that, while continuously switching between weapons and styles, could only be possible through the accumulation of a great deal of training and experience. In other words, you may have been able to gain those techniques, just by watching, but the ability to make them your own like that could only be acquired through very hard work."

"How can you tell?" asked Velvet.

Ayumu beamed cheerfully at her. "I've spent a long time learning how to use the sword, even before I created Green Destiny. I've spent years training in those techniques. You, on the other hand, could have only seen me using them a few months ago, at most. However, not only was your form perfect, your judgment regarding when to slash, so that you could actually hit me with the blade, in a manner that I should have been hard-pressed to counter or avoid, was perfect, as though you've been training with it for as long as I have. I only won because it was a technique I know so well myself."

"I...I see," said Velvet, surprised.

Ayumu wondered if she'd turned other opponents' weapons and techniques against them the way she had with him, and if they'd reacted less positively to it. Granted, she couldn't have done so in this particular fashion, seeing as the nature of the device she employed had been kept quite secret. But she must have tested her skills against others in such a fashion before.

"I told you you need to stop being so down on yourself, Vel," said Coco, joining them in the ring, Cardin just a few steps behind her.

"I know," said Velvet, her ears drooping.

"That certainly is an impressive piece of technology," said Ayumu, his gaze drifting to Velvet's hip. "Did you design that yourself?"

"Damn right she did!" crowed Coco proudly, while Velvet hugged the box to herself, blushing furiously. "There's some pretty crazy-awesome tech crammed into that little thing. She worked like crazy on it over her first year, and only really finished it over the first semester of this year. She's been building it up ever since."

"Building it up...?" Ayumu raised a confused eyebrow.

Velvet opened the box's lid and pulled out the camera within. "The camera is digital. When I take a picture, what I'm actually doing is creating a high-resolution scan of the subject, namely a weapon. After I take the picture, the scan is engraved on a plate of specially formulated Dust. Fleur Miroir then activates the Dust, and uses that as the core to create a form of solid light, which I can combine with my Aura to manipulate, just like a physical object."

Ayumu let out an impressed whistle. He only about half-understood what Velvet had just said, and he got the impression she'd been dumbing it down for him.

" _And_ she designed that on a _student's_ budget," added Coco smugly, making Velvet blush even harder.

"Very impressive," said Ayumu.

"Of course, since the use consumes the Dust-plate, I have to take another picture of a weapon, if I want to use it again," said Velvet.

Ayumu canted his head. "That seems...odd. Since the camera itself is digital, I figured it would have some degree of memory to allow you to create new plates."

Velvet shook her head. "I don't have enough space," she said. "The scan is highly detailed, so until the information is transferred to the plate, a single photo takes up my camera's full memory. I don't have any extra space in Fleur Miroir either. Between the actuating drives, the projector setup, the wireless-selection system, the shock-absorption system, not to mention the plate-storage itself...there's just too much."

Ayumu blinked. "That sounds...like an extremely complex device. If a single thing went wrong, it could make the entire thing completely unusable."

"You're not wrong," admitted Velvet sadly. "It's a prototype. I'm still trying to work on streamlining the design, and miniaturize the components enough to build in redundancies to ensure that it can handle all the demands of working in the field. It's a...work in progress. The Dust needed to formulate the plates is expensive too. Fortunately, the plates are extremely thin, so I can make over a hundred from a single pound of Dust."

"If we'd managed to get her to the finals, Velvet would have been able to show this off," said Coco. "It wouldn't have mattered if she'd won the tournament or not. Displaying that kind of tech, in front of such a big audience, she'd have no shortage of people offering her grants."

"But now you've changed your mind," noted Ayumu. "You want to learn about manifestation. I assume you wish to use that to replace this weapon."

Velvet nodded. "Truth be told, I don't want to give up on my weapon, but...I'm still a Huntress, first and foremost. So improving my effectiveness in the field is what's truly important. I still want to work on Fleur. But that's a separate matter. I conceived of it because I didn't think there was any way that I could properly put my Semblance to use."

Ayumu nodded, cupping his chin. "That makes sense," he said. "And it also explains your interest in manifestation over materialization. Materialized weapons are static. They can't change, unless they are built to transform, as Ruby's is, or uniquely conceived, in the manner that Sun's is. In the case of Sun's staff, the only change he can make is to its length. But manifestation would be much more malleable. You could modify its form on the fly."

"That's right," said Velvet, leaning forward eagerly.

"Hmm..." mused Ayumu silently. "It's still a tricky proposition, what you're suggesting."

"How come?" asked Velvet.

"Shaping Aura is a relatively simple exercise," explained Ayumu. He held up his hands, keeping them apart. A pale-green orb shimmered into being, hovering between them. Then it began to stretch and warp, taking on different shapes.

As he molded his Aura into different forms, Ayumu continued his explanation. "The issue is that manifesting a weapon is not so simple as simply shaping your Aura into one." His Aura abruptly shifted in shape, and he closed his right hand around the handle of something that looked vaguely like Cardin's mace. Then, without warning, he swung it straight at Velvet's head.

Velvet shrieked with surprise, unable to dodge in time. Coco tensed, pulling up her bag in readiness to attack. However, Ayumu's mace burst into glittering, green motes against the side of Velvet's face. For a second, Velvet blinked in surprise. "What?"

"How did that feel?" asked Ayumu.

"Like getting hit with a puff of cloud," said Velvet, unsure if that could be considered accurate, seeing as she didn't know if one would even feel something when being "hit" by a cloud.

"That's because I've never practiced manifesting a mace," said Ayumu. "Shaping your Aura is one thing. Condensing it into a fully solid form, one capable of striking and taking blows, is contingent on possessing a powerful mental image of what you want to create, one that you are able to fully infuse your will into. Manifesting a weapon like that is the step immediately before materializing a weapon. If you wanted to employ manifestation in the manner that you speak of, then you would need to repeat that process for every single weapon you encounter.

"Ruby was able to manifest a fully cohesive scythe, one capable of being used as a weapon, in record time. But that was because she's fully engraved the concept of a scythe into both her body and mind, so she had a strong basis that was able to solidify her mental image. In my case, it took me half a year to be able to manifest a single sword. Being able to do that with every single weapon you encounter...I'm not sure how long it would take.

"The other issue is that manifestation requires a continual degree of focus to maintain. On some level, you have to consciously maintain your Aura in its present shape. With training, of course, the amount of focus needed to maintain it is reduced, but it never truly goes away, and you'd never be able to utilize your weapons to their fullest potential. That is why manifestation is used as a stepping stone to materialization, which creates an actual object, which does not require continuous attention to maintain."

Sadly, Ayumu's words weren't reassuring. Velvet's eyes were beginning to tear up.

"Hey!" snapped Coco, not happy to see her friend getting depressed by the boy who was supposed to be helping her.

"The truth is the truth," said Ayumu, unfazed by Coco's anger. "Unless she possesses truly spectacular aptitude, trying things this way would only serve as a severe diversion, which would wind up undermining her effectiveness."

"It's all right, Coco," said Velvet, sniffling. "Ayumu's right. I understand what he's saying." She sighed despondently, staring down at her legs. "I guess it was too much to hope for."

Ayumu closed his eyes, humming thoughtfully to himself for a long moment. In his mind, he began to reflect over what he had seen of Velvet's ability, pairing it with what he knew about the Aura arts that Yu had taught him. Then he opened them again. "That being said, maybe there _is_ a way to produce what you envision."

"Huh?" Velvet blinked in confusion.

"What you desire isn't necessarily the ability to create any weapon," said Ayumu. "It's the ability to leverage your Semblance to its fullest, the ability to absorb and grow from your friends and your enemies almost instantly. Focus on that end, and you may yet find a solution."

"Sounds like you might have an answer for her already," noted Coco.

"Not an answer, per-se," said Ayumu. "If anything, it's important that I only provide guidance, and allow you to reach your own answers, Ms. Velvet. Whether manifestation or materialization, it's important to achieve the desired result through your own intuition, to explore and figure out what works best for you. Because it's born from your Aura, a manifestation or materialization is deeply shaped by who you are."

"All right..." said Velvet uncertainly.

"Understanding that, there are a few things I can do to help you," said Ayumu. "First and foremost, of course, is to teach you the fundamentals of manifestation."

"All right," said Velvet, looking more eager now.

"It's best that we start from there," said Ayumu. "That will make it easier for you to understand what I'm saying, when we move on to the other aspects of your instruction. It might be a while before you reach that point. I hope you'll be patient."

"I will!" said Velvet eagerly. "I promise."

"Good," said Ayumu cheerfully. "Of course, at the moment, you're still lacking Aura, thanks to our match. So, the very first thing I'll teach you is how to recharge."

"All right," said Velvet.

"Ms. Coco," said Ayumu, glancing up at Coco. "would you and the others care to join us? Whether or not you're interested in manifestation or materialization, recharging is an extremely useful skill, one that you'll find useful in the future."

"Well, you've got my interest," said Coco, turning and beckoning the rest of her team, and Team CRDL into the ring.

All of a sudden, Ayumu found himself with, not one, but eight students. They were hanging on his every word, something he found surprisingly enjoyable.

* * *

"So it's decided," said Ozpin firmly, his voice tense, somehow managing to make the spacious confines of his office seemed cramped, a factor that wasn't helped by the number of people currently present.

It didn't help that their topic was a dark one indeed. They were here to decide the fate of someone, a helpless prisoner. Though she had done terrible things, Cinder Fall would not be afforded a fair trial, would not appear before a court, or even appear in the annals of Vale's accounts of law and order at all. The entirety of her existence was now being decided upon by this group of people, meeting in secret.

"I'm still opposed," said Ironwood. "It's too unpredictable."

"It's the only feasible solution," Glynda countered, her face drawn and pale.

"Ain't got much choice in the matter," growled Qrow from his wheelchair. He'd only been able to make the meeting by virtue of Winter, who, to her consternation, had been asked to wait in the lobby.

"I believe we do," said Ironwood. "We can't be fully certain that the Maiden's magic will return to Amber. The damage to it might well have severed the connection entirely. It could just as well wind up going to someone else, completely at random...again."

"Considering what Ms. Rose and her friends have told us about the current state of the portion that remains in Amber, I find that unlikely," said Ozpin. "The magic is still being drawn to its missing half. If we sever that missing half at the source, then it will be drawn back."

"You're trusting the words of _children!_ " snapped Ironwood. "You're placing faith in some fantasy ability that has no evidence sustaining its accuracy. They could be just as well making all of this up, you know."

"And is Amber's current condition a fantasy?" asked Glynda. "Last I checked, she really _is_ up and about, and recovering quickly, all thanks to those skills you were so quick to dismiss as 'fantasy.'"

"And, as hard as it is to drill it into that metal head of yours, James, this is _magic_ we're dealing with," growled Qrow. "To the rest of the world, _that_ is fantasy. You just want to play with your fancy, metal boxes."

"The apparatus will ensure, beyond all shadow of a doubt, that the magic is transferred to the appropriate host," replied Ironwood. "We will be able to fully control it."

"Except that we won't," countered Ozpin gravely. "What your machine transfers is not the magic itself, but a person's Aura. We already have virtually no notion of what would come of merging the Auras of two separate individuals. And this is not just any woman we would be doing it with. Do you really want to see what might result if the Aura of Cinder Fall is merged with Amber's?"

Glynda shuddered at the thought, remembering, all too clearly, Cinder's maddened gaze, the pure malice she'd exuded, during their fight. There was no question in Glynda's mind. Cinder was driven by a pure desire for power, and relished in using it against others. There was no way they could permit her Aura to be merged with Amber, of all people.

Ironwood's jaw clenched. Bet he kept his silence. It was clear, however much he wished otherwise, there would be no dissuading the others from this course.

Ozpin, not hearing any further objections, sighed, and adjusted his spectacles. "Then the decision is final. I will make arrangements. At five-o-clock, tomorrow evening, Cinder Fall will be executed by lethal injection."

* * *

Ironwood left the elevator, hands clenched, his entire body practically radiating rage. He was so swamped with the feeling that he didn't even notice Winter, striding past her without a second thought. Once again, he'd been overruled. Ozpin and the others were content to trust the word of children, criminals, and esoteric nonsense. They'd been led astray by phantoms, wasting their time and energy on platitudes, prattling on about things that had no basis in scientific understanding.

Ironwood didn't care what they said. Aura and magic were nothing more than different kinds of energy, just like Dust. All that was needed was to find the basis, by which they interacted with the world. Once they understood that, both could be controlled. After all, hadn't they already proved as much? Atlas had already demonstrated that technology could be used to tame and control Aura, even _create_ it.

And speaking of that...Ironwood pulled out his scroll, bringing up his messages. Given his position, he had plenty to sort through. However, the one message he was looking for refused to materialize, making him growl. Despite his continued orders for Ciel to report to him with Penny, Ciel hadn't even responded. She had broken off all contact with him.

 _Does she really think this will help her situation?_ wondered Ironwood. After all, Ciel had already defied his orders completely, even appearing in that interview with Ruby Rose, showing that she and Penny had been flaunting his orders to stay away from Yu Yuen's students. There were severe repercussions for such defiance. It was bad enough that Penny had proven defective. At least with her, there was probably still much that could be gleaned from studying her. Now that this travesty of a Vytal Festival was over, Ironwood could take Penny back to Atlas, and entrust her to his personal science team, one that wouldn't be swayed by sentimentality, the way Penny's self-proclaimed "father" had been.

And Ciel...Well, there would be no helping it. This level of insubordination was intolerable. There was no place for someone capable of such willful defiance in Atlas. As unfortunate as it was-Ciel had shown promise after all-Ciel would clearly have to be expelled. Of course, considering the trouble she had caused, and what she had cost him, Ironwood would ensure that there were plenty of other penalties for her actions.

Seeing as Ciel refused to answer his summons, or respond to his texts at all, Ironwood called her directly. Perhaps, if she heard his voice, it would cement the knowledge that she couldn't run away from this in her head, and she would bow to the inevitable. So he held it to his ear, listening to the scroll on the other end ring. After a minute of ringing, it instead went to her voicemail, Ciel refusing to answer.

With another growl, Ironwood squeezed, feeling the scroll's housing creak in the grip of his cybernetic right hand. _So she's going to remain obstinate to the very end, is she? So be it._

Fortunately, Ironwood remembered to restrain himself, before he crushed the device entirely. Instead, he opened his scroll up into tablet mode, bringing up the tracer program he'd imbedded into every scroll issued to the students of Atlas Academy. The program enabled him to locate any student, regardless of their position, so long as they were within range of the CCT, or one of its relays. Selecting Ciel's scroll, Ironwood brought up a map overlay that displayed the layout of Beacon Academy, with a single, glowing dot representing Ciel's scroll.

Of course, he could have simply waited until the students assembled for the return to Atlas. Ironwood meant to make their departure as expedient as possible, after he'd seen to this whole affair with Amber and Cinder. But his meeting with Ozpin and the others, dealing with the bullheadedness of people who refused to bow before common sense, he'd had enough waiting. He'd already deferred Ciel and Penny's situation more than he already should have.

 _It's time to bring this to an end,_ thought Ironwood, heading for the signal's location...over in the student dormitories.

* * *

Ruby yawned, stretching her arms up and over her head. She and Gin were making their way down the hallway of the dorms, heading for their room. In the course of their time with Amber, afternoon had bled into evening, the sun having completely dropped below the horizon by the time the pair left Beacon Tower to make their way back to the dorms.

Amber had proven a quick study in learning how to shape her Aura. She'd been able to produce a simple sphere after a few tries. According to Gin, that was remarkably fast, even if it hadn't been as fast as Ruby. Maintaining that sphere, and then being able to reabsorb it at will, would take a couple more sessions of practice. Hopefully, with the threat from Cinder over, they might have more opportunities to visit Amber, and continue her training.

To their surprise, Ruby and Gin saw that they weren't the only ones who'd spent the afternoon and evening indisposed. Approaching from the other direction was Ayumu, smiling cheerfully, though he seemed a little tired to their senses.

"Long evening?" asked Gin, once they came within speaking distance of each other.

"Quite," said Ayumu, sounding happy, despite his evident weariness. "And you?"

"The same," said Gin with a sigh. "Talked to the old wizard, learned some earthshaking secret, you know the drill."

Ayumu laughed.

"But Ozma's really nice," said Ruby. "And we got to hang out with Amber. She wants to learn materialization too."

"Ah, that would make sense," said Ayumu cheerfully. "As it so happened, Ms. Velvet asked me to help with her own efforts in that area. Her aspirations might be even more ambitious than your own, Ruby."

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.

"It's better if I let Ms. Velvet tell you herself," replied Ayumu. "As it was, her teammates and Team Cardinal all joined in on a basic manifestation lesson."

"That's neat," said Ruby.

Truth be told, it was a fair bit better than "neat." Ruby had anticipated some interest in manifestation and materialization. But she'd also expected it to be mostly idle, people wanting to know more about the idea, then shrugging it off and going on doing what they were already doing. Of course, time would tell, when it came to seeing if CFVY and CRDL would remain committed to learning the arts. But it seemed that some people were looking at what the two arts were capable of, and already coming up with ideas about what they wanted.

"Ruby!"

Flipping her head around, Ruby saw Penny, grinning and waving as she made her way down the hall towards them.

"Hi, Penny," greeted Ruby cheerfully. "How is everything going?"

"Sensational!" said Penny eagerly. "We had fun with everyone at the celebrations outside. And now..." She looked down, kicking one foot bashfully.

"What is it?" asked Ruby.

"I was wondering if you and your friends would like to have a...What is the word?..." Penny's eyes rolled up as she searched her memory for the term she was looking for. "...a sleepover! That's it! Would you all like to have a sleepover with Ciel and I?"

"I'd love to," said Ruby, grinning.

"Sounds like fun," added Gin.

Ayumu gripped Gin's shoulder. "Perhaps we should leave it to just the girls," he suggested. "Packing two teams into a room, along with Ms. Ciel and Ms. Penny, would probably be a bit much."

"True," agreed Gin with a sigh.

Ruby giggled, then kissed Gin on the cheek. "I'll check with the others," she said, quickly darting over to her team's room, while Ayumu went to extend Penny's invitation to Nora.

The girls were happy to agree. As a group, they waffled over whether or not to extend an invitation to Neo as well. But Neo signaled her preference by hugging herself tightly to Ayumu's arm, and refusing to budge. Given that Neo's status was still up in the air, it was probably for the best.

So it was that a bright and lively group of girls assembled in the room that had been granted to Penny and Ciel by Ozpin, all dressed in their pajamas. Penny was beyond ecstatic to have all of them together, while eagerly pressing Ruby for information on materialization, which Ruby was happy to provide. Ruby supposed that, as an android, Penny's memory banks would be able to create a perfect image of a weapon without any difficulty. It was an ideal technique for her.

As they chatted, Blake noticed that Ciel was unusually quiet, even by _her_ standards. Sidling over, Blake settled next to Ciel. "Are you all right?" she asked. She'd noticed that Ciel looked shaken, and kept glancing at her scroll, where it rested, on her desk.

"I...I'm okay," said Ciel. "The General keeps sending me texts, demanding that Penny and I report to him. The more he does it, the more anxious I get." She swallowed. "And then he called, just a little before you all came in. I...I couldn't answer, so it went to voicemail. I'm worried about what he'll do next."

"I understand," said Blake.

Ironwood's behavior was less like a general and more like an obsessive stalker, bombarding Ciel with texts, then calling her when she ignored him. Blake wondered if Ironwood was even aware that Penny and Ciel had already transferred to Beacon. Even if he was, Blake wondered if he'd let the pair go without a fight.

"It'll be okay," said Blake, reaching over and giving Ciel's forearm a gentle squeeze. "No matter what, we won't let the General do anything."

"Thank you," said Ciel, relaxing a little, her gaze drifting to Penny, who continued to laugh and chat with Ruby.

Then, just a minute later, Ruby's entire body froze in place. She shot up to her feet. Her gaze went hard, and her happy, cheerful demeanor from before vanished.

"Penny, Ciel, get back!" she snapped, her voice carrying such natural authority that the two girls in question obeyed automatically. "Yang, Blake, Nora, get in front of them!"

The other three girls jumped to obey, assembling in front of Penny and Ciel, while Ruby stood in front of the entire group, her hand closing around the handle of Shining Rose as it appeared. The weapon shifted with a series of clicks, the shaft extending, head unfolding, and blade igniting. Ruby brought it into a guard position, facing the door, while her sister, Blake, and Nora formed a wall in front of Ciel and Penny, the former now clinging tightly to the latter.

She could sense it easily. His approach had been obvious, like the onset of a storm, making its way down the hallway with a fierce impatience. Ironwood made no effort to contain his wrath. He moved with deliberate steps, indicating that he knew Penny and Ciel's exact location.

Ruby tightened her fingers around the shaft of Shining Rose, waiting as Ironwood came closer...then stopped, just on the other side of the door. For a long moment, he stood there, as though waiting for someone to open it. Then Ruby sensed him raise his right arm, the prosthetic one, and then slam it against the door, knocking with such force that the door rattled against its frame.

"Ciel Soleil, Penny Polendina...come out, NOW!" That last word was like a clap of thunder.

* * *

 **I get the feeling I'm gonna catch some flack for depicting Ironwood like this, again. But this _is_ my impression of him from the show. By and large, he's bullheaded, and is always absolutely certain that he's right, even when it's been demonstrably proven that he's not, and tends to pawn off his failures on others, like blaming Ozpin for "not listening to him" in Volume 4, and claiming that was why Beacon fell, even though Ironwood was completely in charge of security at the time, and it was _his_ androids that were sent running amuck, not to mention the Dust embargo, followed by closing the borders, which was just...ugh. Even when he's doing things that are helpful to the main cast, such as praising Ruby for her actions in Volume 2, giving Yang her new arm in Volume 4, or standing up for Weiss at the gala, it always puts my hackles up, because it always gives me the sense of him doing the right thing for the wrong reasons.**

 **Anyway...**

 **Regarding Velvet, I've always felt that she was the Taskmaster of Remnant. However, as cool as it is to see her being able to use other characters' weapons and styles, the fact that remains that Velvet's own style is severely limited in its potential applications. At the same time, there's a lot that goes into training that's well beyond simply copying techniques. Because of that, I've had some trouble seeing Velvet's style, what we've seen of it in the show, as being viable in the long term, though the tech that's gone into realizing her weapon is probably pretty awesome by the standards of the setting. Most of the other applications of hard-light-Dust that we've seen are primarily defensive shields, and nothing _remotely_ like what Velvet's done. On that note...**

 **Fleur Miroir is the name I came up with for Velvet's weapon. In French, it means "Mirror Flower" (courtesy of Google Translate, so accuracy is not guaranteed), which implies its purpose to "reflect" the images of weapons that Velvet captures with her camera. It's also one half of the East-Asian idiom, "Mirror flower, water moon," the latter half of which, Gin's technique, _Suigetsu_ is derived from. Of course, the full idiom refers to things reflected as being insubstantial, which Velvet's weapons certainly are _not_. But it sounded like a cool name to me.**

 **With regards to Cinder, I can imagine that some of you are feeling a bit put off that everyone is agonizing over what to do about her. But these _are_ supposed to be the good guys after all. Even when it's _Cinder_ , I still feel that there has to be some level of hesitation, when it comes to the notion of murdering a helpless prisoner in cold blood, simply for the sake of a particular end. The fact that it's the kind of thing that Cinder herself would do _without_ an iota of hesitation is only more reason to balk at it.**


	127. Chapter 127

**Chapter 127:**

Ruby found herself grateful that the celebrations outside were still running. The dorm was practically deserted. Otherwise, there would be a host of witnesses to this confrontation. As it was, Ruby's worry was eased when she sensed one other set of people who'd already taken notice of what was going on.

Ironwood remained silent for a moment, clearly waiting to see if Ciel and Penny followed his orders. In fact, Ciel had lurched, almost reflexively, towards the door, but was stopped by Penny, who held her tight, while Yang reached back and rested a reassuring hand on the shoulder of Ciel's dark-blue nightgown.

"I've given you an order," growled Ironwood. "Do not make me open this door myself."

Ruby swallowed, then stepped forward. Reaching up, she undid the latch, then twisted the knob, puling the door back slightly, then using her Semblance to flash back to her original position, before it could open all the way.

Ironwood didn't wait for the door to finish swinging open on its own, instead pushing through it with sufficient force that the door slammed against the wall next to it. He strode into the room, then came up short, seeing the four people standing between him and his quarry.

"Can we help you, General?" asked Ruby cooly, sensing the boys coming out from their room, and making their way down the hall, assembling behind Ironwood.

"Get out of my way, Rose," said Ironwood coldly. "I have business with my students."

"You don't," replied Ruby cooly, hefting Shining Rose in a grim promise of what would happen if Ironwood tried to force his way past her.

It wasn't an ideal situation. Ruby was the only one armed. Despite being an android, Penny's weapons were not actually built into her body, as one might assume, but actually stored in her backpack, which she could remove. Yang's punches were powerful, even without the aid of Ember Celica, while Nora could pack a wallop with her own impressive strength. But their muscle-power alone wouldn't be a match for Ironwood's prosthetics. If this came to a fight, then Ruby would be the one who needed to shoulder the burden of doing most of the fighting…well…her, Gin, and Ayumu, the two boys now discretely flanking Ironwood from behind the veil of Gin's _Shingetsu_.

Ironwood's lips curled back, baring his teeth, which were clenched tightly together. "You should know better than to be so defiant. You still have plenty to answer for yourself."

Ruby's gaze hardened. "I've already answered for what I need to," she said. "If you're that upset about what I've done, then maybe it's because you aren't willing to take a hard look at what _you've_ done."

"What I've done..." Ironwood growled. He lashed out, swinging his right fist back and slamming it into the wall beside the door, smashing paster and wood into splinters with a loud crunch, the impact making the walls and floor vibrate. In the back of the group, Ciel inhaled sharply, her eyes going wide with terror.

"What I've done..." growled Ironwood again. "I've done what was necessary. I've done what Ozpin and the others were too timid to do. While they sit back and let the enemy do as they please, I'm the one who's taken _action._ You have the gall to stand there and attack me for doing what was necessary?"

Ruby didn't flinch away from his anger. "You talk a lot about what's necessary," she replied. "But you don't care about who you step on to get your way. You don't care how the SDC gets its Dust, so long as they supply you with the latest weapons. You don't care how the faunus that work for them suffer. You don't care about the students of your own school, if they aren't sufficiently useful. You don't care how many people get hurt, so long as you get what _you_ want. And that makes you no different from Cinder."

Ruby certainly didn't say what she did to calm Ironwood. So she wasn't surprised when she sensed his rage intensify, his eyes widening. "How dare you compare me to her?" he snarled. "I've put my life on the line for the people of this world. I've done everything I can to ensure that this peace endures. _You're_ the one threatening to plunge this world into conflict again."

Ironwood's body quaked, his cybernetic components practically vibrating. She could feel his desire to lash out, to strike out at her. Then she felt him barely manage to rein it in, pulling his anger back within himself. It was an impressive display of restraint, even if it was no match for Gin's level of self-control. Unlike Gin, who could drain away his anger the way his touch drained the heat from Ruby's body, Ironwood merely bottled his rage away, where it grew and festered.

He'd probably been doing that for a good bit longer than just this one exchange. It wasn't just Ruby's defiant attitude, her insistence on standing between him and his targets. It didn't even just harken back to the interview she gave the previous evening. Over the course of his time in Vale, every slight, every contradiction, every time his assertions were overruled, his decisions overridden, his demands rejected; it had all been building and festering into a powerful knot of pure rage within him. Now that knot was threatening to unravel.

Outwardly, Ironwood took a deep breath and closed his eyes, then let that breath out slowly. When he opened his eyes again, he appeared calm once more. However, that was merely a facade, concealing the anger of a man a hair's breadth from snapping. "Enough," he said firmly. "I don't have time to deal with you now, Rose. I've come to take my students to task for their behavior. Stand aside."

"No," said Ruby firmly.

Ironwood's right eyebrow, and the neurotransmitter above it, twitched at her defiance, a crack in the mask of calm that he'd forced over his face. "It's bad enough that you insist on meddling in the affairs of my Kingdom and my military," he growled. "Do not meddle with my students."

"I'm protecting my friends," replied Ruby. "I'm protecting them from a vindictive jerk, who cares more about his pride than he does what's right."

"You dare...?" growled Ironwood, drawing back from her. "Soleil and Polendina are guilty of insubordination, and must be punished appropriately. They must learn that actions have consequences."

"You're not wrong," conceded Ruby after a moment, her words coming as a shock to everyone in the room. "Penny and Ciel did disobey you. And their actions do have consequences. But you're not the one who gets to decide that. You lost the right the moment you failed them."

" _I_ failed..." Ironwood's anger momentarily wilted before his confusion, before returning. "How have I failed?"

"You failed when you started to see your students as nothing more than tools," said Ruby, her own anger building within her. "A Huntsman Academy isn't supposed to be an extension of your military. An Academy is where students go to learn how to protect others. Your job is to teach them, and help them grow. They aren't there to serve _you_. _You're_ there to serve _them!_ "

With each statement Ruby made, Ironwood flinched back, as though she'd struck him, his eyes widening in surprise at her anger and her reasoning. She could sense that her words were actually striking a chord within him. Beneath all that pride and anger, she even felt the faintest stirrings of guilt.

She pressed on. "You don't care about the festival or the tournament, what they're supposed to represent. You didn't care about what Ciel and Penny were fighting for, because you cared more about making a point with them. You ignored Ciel, because you wanted to use Penny to show off how great Atlas is. The Vytal Festival Tournament is for _us_ , the ones who fight in it, but you ignored that to force your own agenda. You claim to fight for and protect people, but you just trample them when it suits you, because what you want matters more than anything else. A man like you doesn't deserve to run an Academy."

"I've heard...ENOUGH!" snapped Ironwood. "I will not stand here and listen to such brazen accusations. You will move away, and allow me to deal with my students."

Behind her, Ruby could sense both Penny and Ciel quaking in fear. Of the two, Penny was doing a better job of managing her emotions. But Ironwood's wrath was palpable to everyone in the room. Not even Penny could completely contain her anxiety, not when her fate hung in the balance of this very moment.

"I won't," replied Ruby firmly. "You can't do anything here."

"You think you can defeat me?" growled Ironwood.

"I don't need to," replied Ruby. "You can't do anything, because you don't have any students here."

For the second time that evening, Ironwood's anger was consumed by confusion. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Like I said," said Ruby, smiling thinly. "You don't have any students here. There aren't any students of Atlas Academy in this room."

Ironwood's jaw dropped for a second. Then his eyes narrowed. "You've completely taken leave of your senses," he rejoined. "Ciel Soleil and Penny Polendina are official students of Atlas Academy, and you know it."

"They _were_ ," said Ruby. "But you should have checked your student roster, _before_ you came barging in here."

Now Ironwood's mouth opened and closed several times. Then he pulled out his scroll. Opening it up into its tablet mode, he began tapping at the screen, bringing up the necessary files. Reading them, his eyes widened.

"Ciel Soliel and Penny Polendina...they've..." He lifted his eyes away from the screen, staring past the girls standing between him and his targets, regarding Penny and Ciel directly. "You transferred to Beacon."

Ciel swallowed. Penny probably would have too, except her android body was incapable of such a motion.

Ironwood's anger redoubled. "You went behind my back...turned away from your responsibilities...and now you're hiding behind Ozpin. Insubordination is bad enough, but cowardice...You disgust me."

"I'm the one who should be saying that."

A startled silence descended on the room. Even Ruby, who'd sensed the emotions beginning to swell within Ciel's heart, was shocked by her statement, for all that it was barely above a whisper. From the moment she had defected, Ciel had been living in fear of Ironwood, his every effort to force her to face him causing her anxiety to swell. But Ruby's words had enkindled a flame in her heart, resonating with what Ciel herself believed, deep down.

"What did you say?" asked Ironwood, too shocked to be angry.

Ciel let go of Penny, then got to her feet, standing up proudly, her posture straight, her bearing as dignified as it could be, while clad in her nightgown. Her body was trembling, but Ruby could sense her fear being held at bay.

"You disgust me," said Ciel, spitting Ironwood's words back at him. "I'm the one who should be saying that. Ruby's right. We didn't join Atlas to just be another set of cogs in your war machine. I didn't seek to become a Huntress, just so that you could use me like a pawn in your schemes. Penny's father didn't entrust her to you so that you could treat her like equipment. If I defy you, it's because I've chosen to do what's right over what you want."

"Watch. Your. _Tongue!_ " Ironwood ground out. "You're already guilty of insubordination and desertion. Now you want to add treason to that list?"

"There's nothing she's said that we don't already know," said Ruby. "We know all about Penny."

"So you _did_ tell them?" accused Ironwood, glaring fixedly at Ciel, who flinched, but steeled herself, and continued to face him. "That being the case, it doesn't matter what Academy you claim to belong to. You are guilty of treason against Atlas."

"Ciel didn't tell them anything!" Now it was Penny who shot to her feet. " _I_ did."

Ironwood froze, his gaze drawn to Penny like a magnet. "Polendina," he said, as though unable to comprehend what he was hearing, "this is completely beyond the pale. You have no idea what you've done."

"I decided to trust my friends," replied Penny. "I know that they don't think I'm just some machine."

"Of all the absurd..." Ironwood growled and shook his head vigorously. "Do not speak of things you can't truly comprehend."

"She comprehends them just fine," said Ruby. "Penny has an Aura, which means she has a soul, which means she's a real person, whether or not she has nuts and bolts, instead of squishy guts."

"Don't talk about things you can't possibly understand," ordered Ironwood, transferring his glare to Ruby once more. "Penny is a technological marvel. There is no disputing that. But a machine remains a machine, no matter how well it can emote. It's clear that your attitudes have only exacerbated what was already an error in Penny's programming. This is an unacceptable malfunction."

He straightened up once more. "As such, it's obvious that Penny will have to return to Atlas with me. Soleil might be safe, for now. I will deal with her later. But equipment like Penny Polendina has no right to self-determination. An android cannot simply transfer herself out of my authority." He gave Ruby his most stone-faced glare. "Now move aside. I will be recovering Atlesian military property."

Ruby's only response was to heft Shining Rose.

Seeing her defiance, Ironwood growled, and his right hand reached inside his jacket for his revolver...only to freeze. The chill of an absurdly sharp edge tickled against his neck, on his right side. On the left, he felt a needle-like prick of a set of claws threatening to pierce both Aura and skin on that side, while his left arm was seized in a vice-grip.

Gin and Ayumu had appeared, flanking Ironwood from either side, the veil of Gin's mist dissipating in the air around them. Ayumu had calmly raised Green Destiny to rest the edge, ever-so-lightly, against Ironwood's throat from the right, while Gin seized Ironwood's left arm with one hand, and positioned his claws against the left side of the General's neck.

The pair wasn't alone. Jaune and Ren were further back, almost pressed up against the wall on the other side of the hallway. Neither of them was armed, but they were tensed and ready to fight, with their bare hands, if need be. A little farther down the hall, Ruby could sense Neo, concealed by her Semblance, keeping her weaponized parasol at the ready as well.

"You will not be reclaiming anything, General," said Ayumu blithely. "You claim that Ms. Penny has no right to self-determination. But you shouldn't contradict yourself."

"Contradict...?" Without moving his head, Ironwood shifted his gaze as far as moving his eyes alone would allow, trying to glare at Ayumu.

Ayumu merely smiled at him. "Of course Ms. Penny has the right of self-determination, and you are the one who granted her that right."

"How-?"

"By making her a student of Atlas Academy," said Gin, cutting the General off. "You wanted her to fight in the tournament. But she couldn't do that unless she was a student. So, when you made her one, it came with all the rights that position entails, including the right to transfer to another institution, provided said school accepts her request."

"You can claim that Ms. Penny has no such rights," said Ayumu. "You could insist that her transfer is meaningless. But, if you do, you will have to explain _why_. In other words, you will have to reveal what you were _really_ trying to do in the tournament. I get the feeling that, if you were willing to do that, then you wouldn't have gone to such pains to hide Ms. Penny's true nature."

"So you can't do anything," concluded Gin. "Now that it's all been laid out for you, you're going to let go of your gun, step out of this room, and head back to wherever it is you're staying. You're going to leave Penny and Ciel alone, and go back to Atlas with your students."

"I will not allow it," growled Ironwood. "You're all fools! You have no right to dictate my actions-!"

"They may not, but _I_ do," said a cool and calm voice from farther down the hallway.

Jaune and Ren flinched, turning to see Ozpin walking towards them at a sedate pace, cane gripped tightly in his right hand, the mug he habitually carried nowhere to be seen. He brushed past the concealed Neo, stepping around her so smoothly that she didn't even need to shift her position to avoid bumping into him.

Ruby smiled at the sound of the Headmaster's voice, grateful that he had come to intervene on their behalf.

"Mr. Ueno, Mr. Ao...please release him," said Ozpin, sounding just as relaxed as ever.

Gin pulled back his hands, letting go of Ironwood's arm. Ayumu lowered his sword. The two of them then stepped around Ironwood, entering the room so that they could line up next to Ruby, bolstering the barrier between Ironwood and the targets of his ire.

In the meantime, Ironwood had turned to stare at Ozpin. "What are you doing, Ozpin?" he asked. "How dare you undermine my authority with my own students like this?"

"I do it because you can clearly no longer be trusted to look after your students," replied Ozpin. "Ms. Rose's statements to you were, unfortunately, quite accurate."

Even as she smiled at this affirmation of what she'd said, Ruby found herself wondering how Ozpin had known what she'd been saying earlier. She hadn't thought he was in earshot when she'd been accusing Ironwood of failing as a Headmaster.

"The purpose of a Huntsman Academy is to train students to fight for the sake of humanity," said Ozpin. "It is not to serve as a training and recruiting ground for your special forces. As Ms. Rose has already said, as a Headmaster, your duty is to the betterment of your students, to serve them as an instructor. Your students are not there to serve you, to be additional personnel in your military, unless they choose to do so of their own free will.

"And yet, over the course of this tournament, you've subjected your own students to coercion, forcing them to act in your interests, rather than according to their own convictions. When students feel they are not being adequately served by their Academy, or its staff, then it is their right to seek transfer to an institution where they will receive the instruction they need."

"And where has that gotten us, Oz?" asked Ironwood, turning to face his fellow Headmaster. "Look at what's happened just recently. Team Brown turned and exploited the very citizens they were trained to protect. And they aren't the first or only ones either. Huntsmen go astray all the time, selling their services to lowly criminals, or abusing their power over those weaker than them. Even the law, as severe as it is in dealing with them, hasn't been sufficient to dissuade them. Strict controls are needed.

"Within my Academy, I ensure that its graduates are held to the highest of standards, and, when I can, I ensure that I am able to supervise their activities completely. They have no chance to go astray."

"Until you drive them astray yourself," replied Ozpin. "I've seen what happens to those who are driven from your school by your 'controls,' just as Ms. Soleil nearly was, before she found a safe haven here. You don't merely expel them, you mar their records, ensuring an inability to make a living through honest means. As a result, so many of them turn their training, however incomplete it was, to darker ends."

"Oz..." growled Ironwood, clenching his fists.

Ozpin adjusted his glasses. "However, I am not here for a debate. Ciel Soleil and Penny Polendina are both students of Beacon Academy. As such, you no longer have any authority over them. What my other students have told you is true as well. If you wish to force the issue of treating Ms. Polendina as equipment, you will have no choice but to reveal that you knowingly entered an android into the tournament, disguised as a student. Because Ms. Polendina is such a remarkable girl, I choose to see her as a true student, rather than someone you merely dressed as one to suit your ends. I know for a fact that Ms. Polendina's father is most upset over how you've treated her."

"You've told him?" gasped Ironwood.

" _I_ did," said Penny, speaking up from the back of the room. "I should've done it a long time ago. Father was furious. He and Peter are leaving Atlas and coming to Vale."

"Unacceptable!" snapped Ironwood. "I will not permit that."

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice in the matter," said Ozpin, pulling out his scroll, and opening it up. He brought up a video that had been sent to him a few hours earlier.

It displayed an image of Penny's father, as Ruby and the others remembered him. The background was the same as the one they'd seen before as well. But the angle was wider, allowing them to see more of the room. In the background, they were surprised to see Peter, decked out in curved plates of gray armor, standing guard at one of the doors. His black hair was covered by a curved, gray helmet. Then, to everyone's even greater shock, Peter held up his right arm, the hand retracting to reveal the barrel of a cannon embedded right into the stump of his forearm, which he began to use to fire blue-white bolts of energy out the door.

"Salutations, Oz, old fellow," said Albus, beaming happily, seemingly unfazed, even when bullets came buzzing through the door in answer to Peter's shots, which he continued to fire. "I was intending to wait until we were underway to let you know. But it seems the folks at the Security Bureau found out about our little jaunt."

An explosion made the camera shake, and a flash of fiery orange spilled out through the doorway, illuminating Peter's figure and spreading his shadow across the room.

Unruffled, Albus continued. "In any case, I thought I'd send you advanced notice. James is bound to be madder than a hornet over this, so I'd appreciate it if you had my back. We'll be underway in a little bit. I'll see you in a few days. Ta."

With that, the image winked out.

"Your dad's kind of a badass," Yang whispered to Penny, leaning back to reach her ear.

"He's sensational," said Penny cheerily.

Ironwood stared dumbly into space, his eyes still intersecting with where the screen had been, even after Ozpin had closed it down and put it away.

" _This_ is what your methodology has brought about," said Ozpin. "Those who consider you a friend have lost their faith in your ability to make decisions. They've realized that your need for control has overridden any regard for the wellbeing of those beneath you. Your desire to protect the people is admirable. But your obsession with _controlling_ how it is done now means that those who should have been protecting the people now need to be protected from _you_."

"Ozpin, I..." Ironwood was stunned, trying to process all that he'd just seen and heard.

"It's time for you to go, James," said Ozpin. "Return to Atlas with your students, and reconsider how you've been managing your school. While you're at it, I would advise you to also reconsider the terms of your military contracts with Mr. Schnee, in light of how he has been managing his workforce."

"Oz, you can't-" Ironwood began to protest.

"James," said Ozpin firmly, cutting him off. "Go."

Ironwood's entire body sagged beneath the weight of defeat. Then he slowly began to make his way out, heading down the hallway.

Ruby stepped out, watching his back, even as she put Shining Rose away. She wanted to say something, but didn't know the words. Things had gotten even more heated than she'd anticipated. It felt strange and wrong. Ironwood was supposed to be an ally. They were all supposed to be united together against Salem. But it had come to this.

Ozpin's hand rested in her shoulder. "You have nothing to be ashamed of," he said softly. "All you are guilty of is being true to yourself and your convictions. James once understood what it meant to be a protector as well. But that burden appears to have begun to weigh too heavily on him."

"I don't like it," said Ruby sadly. "He might not be with Salem. but I don't think he's on our side anymore."

"You might be right," said Ozpin. "But this turn of affairs is as much the fault of those of us in authority, for our failure to properly address the issues that forced you to act as you did. So _we_ must be the ones to shoulder the consequences of this."

He smiled down at Ruby. "You need to do what you've always done. Continue to focus on becoming the best Huntress you possibly can. Salem's plot has been thwarted this time...but she _will_ come again. Ready yourself for that day."

"And...when do we come for her?" asked Ruby, looking back up at Ozpin.

Ozpin sighed softly. "Not for some time yet," he said, staring off into the distance. "As much as you have grown, Salem is still a foe far beyond you." Then he smiled again. "Now, go and reassure your friends that they are safe here."

Ruby nodded and returned to the room, where she found Ciel and Penny hugging each other tightly. Ciel's entire body seemed to nearly go limp with relief. Yang and Nora joined in the hug, wrapping them up in a tight circle of encouragement. Ruby joined them as well, while Blake and the boys looked on.

"Thank you," said Ciel, looking up at Ruby with tears in her eyes, scarcely able to believe what had just happened. Ruby and her friends had been willing to fight General James Ironwood himself, in their pajamas, if necessary. Ciel had been afraid of Ironwood's temper, his retribution for her actions. The man was the undisputed leader of Atlas, controlling its Academy, the military, and the Council. He was one of the most powerful people in the world, an imposing threat in his own right, even without the authority of his position behind him.

But this group of people, people her own age, had dared to stand against him. True, they were residents of Vale, far removed from Ironwood's center of power, but Ciel was fairly sure they understood that he could still be a serious threat to their lives, whether now or in the future. But they'd still faced Ironwood down...for her and Penny. Nearly every student of Atlas Academy, even self-proclaimed rebels like the members of FNKI, would bow before Ironwood's power, rather than stand against it. The sheer courage and audacity of RUBY and JNAR was awe-inspiring.

"We're your friends," said Ruby, smiling back at Ciel. "Of course we'd have your back."

"And you're Beacon students now too," added Yang with a grin. "That means you're our peeps."

Ciel allowed herself to relax in the embrace of her friends, feeling truly at peace for the first time in days.

* * *

"Professor!"

Ozpin paused, a bit surprised to have Ruby approach him again, even after he had finished his business with Ironwood. He'd been in no rush, so had not even left the hallway the room was found on. Turning around, he found the smile he'd been intending to wear fading at the sight of the serious look on Ruby's face.

"How can I assist you, Ms. Rose?" he asked, sensing that this was a much more serious matter.

"Ayumu, Gin, and I need to take a bullhead out tomorrow," said Ruby. "We need to go to Mountain Glenn.

To say that Ozpin was taken aback was an understatement. "Why would you need to..." He paused. "Oh...Your teacher's Grimm."

Ruby nodded gravely. "It's still out there," she said. "Cinder didn't manage to meet the requirements she needed to awaken it, but it's still there. If we leave it, Master Yu is just going to wake it up himself at some point. He promised us three days after the festival, if we could stop Cinder from doing it. But, after that, he could wake it up at any time."

"So the best time would be to strike during his grace period, while it is still dormant," mused Ozpin.

"It won't stay dormant if we go after it," said Ruby. "It will wake up, or Master Yu will wake it up himself. Either way, we aren't getting out of this without a fight."

"Which I suppose was his intention all along," noted Ozpin with a troubled sigh. "Very well then, I will make arrangements. We should probably try to deal with this in the morning."

Ruby nodded.

"Are you sure that just the three of you will be going?" he asked. "I imagine your friends, much less your sister, would be ill-disposed to letting you go on your own."

Ruby opened her mouth to speak, then let out a sigh of her own. "I wish I could," she said. "But Master Yu's promised this thing is way worse than the Dragon. That thing was bad enough. But I don't want Yang and the others to have to face something like that. Besides..."

"Besides what?" Ozpin wanted to know.

Ruby straightened up, looking around. "I just have this creepy feeling, you know...like things around here aren't finished just yet. Master Yu's testing our limits, forcing us to push past them. That means that he probably wants to make things more complicated here."

"How so?" wondered Ozpin.

"Like forcing us to fight a serious battle against some kind of super-Grimm he created, then having to rush back here to take care of something else," said Ruby. "Pyrrha and Watts are still out there, so are some of the White Fang, including Adam Taurus. If we start a fight like that, people are going to notice and...I think the bad guys are going to want to take advantage of it."

Ozpin blinked, amazed by Ruby's insight. She wasn't even really explaining to him, instead reasoning things out loud for herself. She was processing everything she knew about the situation, Yu, and their enemies, and building a working idea of what exactly the next day would bring. It was amazing, and inspiring. _Knowledge...and Choice. Her awareness is expanding beyond even what the_ Shingan _can account for. What's more, this is reaching beyond what even the Relic of Knowledge is capable of. The Relic can only provide knowledge of the past and present. But by bringing Knowledge and Choice together, she is reading the path through the future. She makes it easy to see why Yu holds the Relics in such disdain._

Ruby continued, oblivious to Ozpin's line of thought. "Master Yu's been setting Cinder's people against us from the beginning. I bet he's doing the same thing with the ones that are left. When we go out to fight, they're going to do something." She finally looked up at Ozpin. "And, when that happens, the others need to be here, and be ready. Gin, Ayumu, and I will try to finish the fight with the Grimm as quickly as possible, then get back here. Hopefully we can do it before the enemy finishes making their own move."

Ozpin smiled and nodded. "Your reasoning is sound," he said. "But...please be careful not to take too much onto yourself. No matter how hard your master seeks to push you, coming back to those who care for you alive is more important than any lesson he can teach."

"I know," said Ruby, giving Ozpin a smile, tinged with sadness. "But Master Yu knows that too. That's why we have to push past every limit, to ensure that we have loved ones to come back to."

"I see," said Ozpin, a helpless feeling rising up within him. _Yu has already taken the reins of her training. All I can do is stand back...and watch...and hope._ "Best of luck to you, Ms. Rose."

* * *

Emerald had never felt lower than she did now. She should have been panicking, clawing at the walls even, desperate to get out. They had Cinder. _They had Cinder!_ That knowledge should have had her doing everything in her power, using every trick she knew to escape. Once they had Cinder, there was only one logical choice to how events would proceed. They would kill her. _Cinder is going to die!_

And yet...despite all of that...Emerald couldn't bring herself to feel anything beyond a faint, dull ache in her chest. She was about to lose the person she cherished more than anything, but she couldn't even find the energy to panic. Just a few words from Ozpin, a simple discussion...and she had lost all motivation.

 _She never loved me. She never_ will _love me. Even though I did everything I could for her, she never really cared for me._ Emerald had known that all along. At times, she'd occasionally fantasized that it wasn't true, that, one day, Cinder would appreciate everything she had done, and show her the love that Emerald wanted to badly. But Emerald knew better, not needing Ozpin's help. She was a tool. She was meant to be used. Emerald had made her peace with that long ago...or so she thought.

Then Ozpin had pointed out the single fault in that conviction, the truth that unraveled everything. The plan had come undone...because Emerald wanted to be _more_ than a tool. If she'd truly been committed, then she should have revealed that Ayumu had worked out her Semblance long ago, even if that meant enduring Cinder's wrath. It was information that was critical to the plan's success. But Emerald held it back, because Cinder's regard for her was more important than the plan's success.

 _I'm a failure,_ she thought, slumping over. _I don't deserve Cinder's love...I don't even deserve to love her._

Something dug deeper in her though. Ozpin's other assertion... _"You weren't wrong to not want to be discarded the moment your usefulness was diminished. You deserve affection and care."_ He'd explained that Cinder's plan had failed as much through her _lack_ of care for Emerald as it had through Emerald's own desire to be cared for. It was almost inconceivable to believe that Cinder could be blamed. The very thought of blaming Cinder was incompatible with Emerald's beliefs.

Yet it lingered all the same...

So absorbed in her thoughts was she, that Emerald didn't notice at first, when the noise, the faint, omnipresent hum of her cell's dampening field cut out. The world had gone completely silent. Once it dawned upon her, Emerald haltingly looked up in confusion. When she looked outside, she saw one of the guards there, going about his rounds...or he had been. But he'd been frozen in place. It wasn't the sound that had stopped. The _world_ had stopped.

"Wha-what?" she gasped in shock.

Then the girl appeared, stepping out of...nowhere...Emerald would have thought that she appeared like she had just stepped out from behind something, except there was nothing for her to have stepped out _behind from_. There was a strange quality to it, like she'd stepped out of two-dimensional space, and into a three-dimensional one. But that was secondary. Taking in the head of flowing blonde locks, and the swirling green dress, those dazzling emerald eyes, and ruby-red lips, Emerald recognized the woman at once.

"Ozma," she gasped.

"Hello," said Ozma, giving Emerald the warmest, most caring smile she'd ever seen in her life. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Emerald Sustrai. I'd ask for a moment of your time, but, as you can see, I don't truly _need_ a moment."

"Wha-what did you do?" asked Emerald.

Ozma paused, tapping her chin. "Hmmm...how to explain it...I suppose it's easiest to put it like this. This isn't stopping time. I have...taken you _aside_ from the normal flow of time. Technically, this is a space that is neither real nor illusion. We are here in both body and mind, yet we are not. There is no way to affect the world from here, and, when you return, it will be as though nothing has happened at all. I imagine that doesn't clarify it very much, but I hope you'll understand at least certain particulars."

Ozma had been right that most of the woman's explanation went completely over her head, even though Ozma had been trying to simplify it. Despite that, she got the basic gist of what Ozma had done. She'd made it possible for them to talk, without any time truly passing for Emerald. This was a completely private conversation, one that absolutely no one else would be privy to. There was no technology that could intrude on this space. Something like this could only be possible through...

"Magic," Emerald breathed. "You're using magic!"

That seemed impossible. Salem and Ozpin were supposed to be the only magical beings remaining in the world, well...them and the Maidens that Ozpin had created. Ozma was just some woman with a degenerative disease that kept her from growing; another of Ozpin's agents, placed to guard Shade Academy, and the Relic hidden there.

But her presence here, like this, made everything so much more confusing.

"Correct," said Ozma, sounding slightly cheeky. She stepped closer. "Granted, it's not as flashy as the Maidens' powers, but I imagine that it is quite a potent demonstration all the same."

"Why?" asked Emerald. "Why are you here? Why are you showing me this?"

"It wasn't my intent to _show_ you anything, Emerald," said Ozma, taking a step closer still. "I merely wanted to speak to you in a private setting, and this was the best way to arrange it. No one but us will know what was said here, unless you yourself tell them. Every word spoken here will be held in the utmost confidence."

" _You_ could tell," Emerald pointed out.

"But I won't," said Ozma. "The trust of my children is the most important commodity I could ever hold. You could tell me that you fully intend to deceive, betray, and kill Ozpin, and I would not speak a word of it, to him or anyone else."

"Why?" Emerald asked again. "What do you want?"

"To help you," said Ozma simply.

Emerald's expression soured. "I don't think I even need to ask to know that you and I have very _different_ definitions of 'help.'"

Obviously, Ozma wasn't here to help her out of this cell, or to help her save Cinder. Ozma was one of Ozpin's people, after all. There was no way that she would do anything to aid anyone who worked for Salem. Knowing that, Emerald was fully prepared to tell Ozma exactly where she could stick her "help."

"I imagine you think so," said Ozma, tittering at the anger in Emerald's expression. "But...the difference is merely between the help you want...and the help you _need_."

With that, Ozma reached out and took Emerald's hands with her own, this small fingers ever so gently curling around the tips of Emerald's. The touch felt so small, so delicate; Emerald could only equate it to a child taking her hands. But when Emerald met Ozma's eyes, things had changed yet again.

Before, Ozma's height had been such that Emerald was looking at her with a downward angle, even while she was sitting down. Now she was looking at Ozma's eyes almost straight on, the only difference between their heights due to Emerald's seat on her prison mattress. What was more, Ozma's hands suddenly no longer felt so small.

"What?" Emerald realized that her voice had gotten higher. She glanced past Ozma, at the transparent barrier to her cell. Strangely, in this odd world, outside the flow of time, it appeared that reflections still worked. Emerald saw herself, faintly, in that barrier...but it wasn't the image of herself she was used to. She was a child, how she'd looked on the streets, so long ago, desperately foraging and rooting around in the trash to survive.

"What did you do to me?" she demanded, looking back at Ozma, both amazed and angry.

"I reached into your heart, and called out your true self," said Ozma softly.

"Are you kidding me?" snapped Emerald. "I'm not a child!"

"Perhaps not in body, nor in mind," said Ozma, her voice now filled with sadness. "But in your heart...you are indeed still a child. Your time was stopped, long ago, when you were denied those things that every child needs in order to truly grow."

"What things?" asked Emerald, feeling a deep, sinking feeling in her stomach.

"Love...care...affection," said Ozma, releasing one of Emerald's hands to gently stroke her cheek. "Despite the terrible things you have done, and been party to, it has been out of your need for those things. Not even Cinder, for all that she has done for you, was able to meet the needs you needed most of all."

Emerald's eyes began to ache, tears starting to roll down her cheeks. For some reason, Ozma's words were sinking in more deeply than anything Ozpin had said. Those feelings, those desperate needs that the diminutive woman was describing weighed on Emerald all the more strongly in this state.

Ozma tugged gently on Emerald's hand, pulling her forward. For some reason, Emerald found herself unable to resist. She was wrapped up in a tight, yet gentle hug, the gesture enveloping her with a feeling of comfort that she'd never experienced before. Her emotions surged, and Emerald found herself openly weeping, sobbing as she threw her arms around Ozma in turn, and clung to the woman desperately.

"I'm sorry," said Ozma, her voice colored by sobs of her own. "I'm so sorry, Emerald. For so long, I've made it my responsibility to provide for you, and those like you. Yet you are one of those that I was not able to help. I failed you, and, for that, I am truly sorry."

Emerald said nothing, could say nothing, even as the aching sorrow bled out through her sobs. She didn't know what to say. She'd never felt anything like this before, such pure affection. When Ozma began to pull away, Emerald found herself clinging to her all the tighter. So Ozma stopped pulling away, and continued to hold Emerald, nuzzling her cheek gently.

Finally, Emerald relaxed her hold. For some reason, she found herself feeling lighter, as though she'd shed a tremendous weight. But it hadn't gone completely. And Emerald had a feeling that it wouldn't be long before that heaviness grew within her again. She'd felt it all throughout her life...the sensation of being alone, even with people all around her. Even when she'd joined with Cinder, when they'd recruited Mercury, then Romand and Neo, met so many others of Salem's organization; Emerald realized that that heaviness, that loneliness had never truly gone away. It had simply been muted, stifled, and ignored.

Sensing that Emerald had relaxed, Ozma pulled back again, before leaning forward to kiss Emerald's forehead. Emerald was shocked to see Ozma's own cheeks sparkling with tears. _No one's...ever...cried for me before._ The notion that this woman, a woman she'd never met before, a woman who should have been an enemy, was shedding tears for her rocked Emerald to her core.

Reaching up, Ozma began to brush her fingers across Emerald's cheeks, wiping away her tears. " _This_ is the help that I provide, Emerald. Even though you've grown into such a beautiful young woman, in your heart, you're still that neglected child, starved of the love and affection, seeking solace through the things that you could take for yourself. But I can start the time that stopped for you. I've made it my duty to provide the love, the care, the affection that children like you need to truly grow." Releasing Emerald entirely, she stepped back.

Emerald sniffled and wiped her cheeks. Looking back up, she realized she was looking back down at Ozma again. Her body was back to its original state. But that sense of vulnerability, that empty feeling that Ozma had brought to the fore, still lingered. "What do you want?" Emerald asked. "I...I can't betray Cinder, not more than I already have."

"I wouldn't ask that of you," said Ozma, smiling sadly. "If anything, I admire you for being capable of such heartfelt love, to be willing to go the lengths you have for her. Even if she is not worthy of such love, I would never ask you to betray her. But, I hope that you can find the strength to leave her."

"Leave her...for what?" asked Emerald.

"For yourself," said Ozma. "In the future, you will have a decision to make. I can't say how it will come about, but I know you will be forced to choose between walking the path you've followed thus far...and turning aside from it."

The mere thought made Emerald's heart quake inside her, a sharp sting penetrating her chest.

Ozma took Emerald's hands again. This time, Emerald remained her regular self. "If you choose to continue as you have, I fear that you will remain unfulfilled. However, if you find the strength to turn aside from it, come to me. I will help you. I have a role for you to play."

"What role is that?" asked Emerald, angry suspicion rising inside her.

Ozma's smile remained both sad and loving. "I would have you be a seeker," she explained. "Your role would be to find those like yourself, the lost children, suffering in neglect and emptiness. I would have you find them, and help me to help them, just how Cinder _should_ have helped you."

Emerald blinked, shocked that Ozma would consider asking something like that of her. Given their positions, she'd been sure that Ozma would have had her doing something to aid the fight against Salem.

Ozma seemed to be just as capable of divining her thoughts as Ozpin was, the corners of her eyes crinkling slightly. "Perhaps that is not what you'd imagined me asking of you, Emerald. But, in a sense, my request does have much to do with this war. I may not wish for you to be on the front lines against Salem. I am not like Ozpin in that sense. But this is a way of fighting, all the same.

"After all, it is in the lost and broken, in people like you, that Salem has _always_ found her servants. It is how Cinder found you, and it may well be how Salem herself found Cinder. Instead of providing love and solace, Salem nurtures that darkness and pain, twisting it into despair.

"If, through you, I can find one more child that Salem would have twisted to her will otherwise, and, through them, save still more children, then I will be striking a blow against her...in my own way. Besides, the war against Salem has been ongoing for millennia. Even if the battle must be fought, the children must still be nurtured. That is the role I've chosen to undertake."

Emerald was stunned into silence, her mind swamped by the idea. She'd never really spared a thought for the children like her, the ones who'd suffered the same trials she had. She knew that many of them had likely died, that none of them had found the same particular salvation that she had. The notion of helping them had never occurred to her.

"You have time to think about it," said Ozma, giving Emerald one last loving smile. "Do what you truly want. I will be awaiting your answer, whatever it may be."

"You might not like it," Emerald said.

"I might not," said Ozma. "But that doesn't change the fact that, if you wish...I will always be there for you. I will never lose hope in you Emerald, for it is the same hope that I hold for all children."

"And what's that?" asked Emerald.

"For them to be happy," replied Ozma. "I will be returning you to your time now. Please think about all that we've talked about."

Emerald blinked...and Ozma was gone. The cell was empty once more. The guard, frozen in mid-stride, resumed his walk, as though nothing had happened, which, for pretty much the rest of the world, was the case. Emerald was sitting on her bed, staring into space. The whole thing had a feel of unreality to it, making her wonder if it had been all in her head...though it was utterly impossible that, of all the hallucinations her mind could have conjured up, Professor Ozma would be one of them.

Swallowing, Emerald leaned back and stared at the ceiling, wondering what to do.

* * *

Ozma took her seat on the airship back to Shade. Finishing her conversation with Emerald left her feeling satisfied...satisfied...but angry. _That woman..._ Ozma thought, her feelings uncharacteristically dark. _...If it was within the scope of my magic, I would blast her into atoms for what she's done._

She understood full well what Cinder had done to Emerald. There was no way that Cinder had been ignorant of Emerald's feelings. But, rather than accept, acknowledge, or return them, or even reject them; she had _leveraged_ them in order to ensure Emerald's obedience and loyalty. She'd used Emerald's desire for affirmation, and her fear of rejection, as weapons to enhance her usefulness. Cinder had known full well about Emerald's feelings...and she had preyed upon them. It was one of the worst kinds of exploitation, twisting a child's need for love in order to warp that child into a weapon.

Taking a deep breath, Ozma let it out again, sighing her darker emotions out into the air around her. She was the Headmistress of Shade, after all. It wouldn't do for her to become a source of negativity on a flight that she and her own students were taking back home. She had an example to set, after all.

Her students chattered and talked around her. They'd acclimated quite easily to the idea of their Headmistress making a surprise appearance at the Vytal Festival. Ozma had always been that kind of eccentric, often surprising them simply for the sake of the surprise. So it wasn't all that odd that they felt at ease to speak freely with one another, within earshot of her. Closing her eyes, Ozma allowed stray snatches of their conversations to reach her ears.

Unsurprisingly, much of the talk centered around the revelations of the tournament's final round. Many students were debating the merits and drawbacks of materializing weapons. Others discussed the plight of the faunus employed by the Schnees.

With the challenges Vacuo's environment presented, humans and faunus had always found banding together easier than vying against each other. The harsh nature of the desert engendered a mutual respect for those who were able to survive it, regardless of their race. Because of that, the notion that discrimination against the faunus was one of the things that allowed the SDC to get away with what they had done was something many of her students found particularly galling. Ozma even overheard one girl promising to start a petition to the Council, asking for an end to the SDC's special privileges. A heartbeat later, at least three others promised to sign it.

A subtle smile spread across Ozma's face. It felt good to see her children come together to move the world forward.

* * *

 **More of Ironwood being unreasonable...no surprise there.**

 **In contrast, I've always had a kind of a soft spot for Emerald. You can see just how Cinder has exploited her feelings, in order to control and use her. From what we've seen in the show, their relationship is pretty clearly abusive. Ozma, being Ozma, is an absolute bleeding heart for kids with stories like hers. Mercury is a good bit less repentant, having been raised to not feel empathy, and I feel that being forced to kill his father only served to exacerbate those personality issues, so he's _far_ less open to the notion of even feeling remorse for his actions. That, and he's a pro killer.**


	128. Chapter 128

**Chapter 128:**

Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu held onto the passenger bars in the bullhead's cabin, keeping themselves steady as the aircraft swayed and bounced on the air currents. With their small size and their comparatively rough mode of propulsion, bullheads were more subject than most airships to the vagaries of atmospheric turbulence.

Granted, with their training, they could have easily maintained their balance without needing handholds. But holding onto something gave them an extra sense of security, however illusory it might be, which was also the reason that Ruby's free hand was latched tightly onto Gin's.

They watched as the forests gave way to the ruined structures of Mountain Glenn, barely visible in the darkness of the predawn hours of the morning. Ruby took in the sight of the huge swaths that had been ripped through it by the passage of the Dragon. There were the massive craters that had been opened up in the course of all their adventures in this place. It was irritating. For some reason, no matter how much they were done with this place, it never seemed to be done with them.

The bullhead tilted, curving its flight path in the direction of Mt. Glenn itself. Ruby had figured that was where Yu would have put his Grimm. He wouldn't hide it away, someplace where'd they'd have to look for it. He _wanted_ them to find it, to face it down. He'd put it in the most obvious place possible.

Rather than have the airship head for the broken summit of the mountain, she instead had the pilot bring it into a hover at a rocky ledge, a little over halfway up. She then instructed him to get clear as quickly as possible. There was no knowing what kind of monstrosity had sprouted forth from the fertile depths of Yu's warped imagination, or just what it was capable of. Making sure that the bullhead, and its pilot, were out of harm's way was critical.

It was a bit of a climb to reach the summit. But Ruby and the boys were more than up to it. Ruby was able to ascend directly, thanks to Shining Rose's wings. Ayumu lightened his body, then practically skipped up a near-vertical face of rock. Gin sank his claws in, and skittered up with the ease of a gecko. In just a few minutes, they crested the top of the mountain to see the shallow bowl of broken stone that had once been the bed that the Grimm Dragon had rested upon.

Sure enough, there it was. It was a dark orb, pitch-black in color. It was the size of an Ursa Major. The black surface that served as its skin stretched and strained in shapes that indicated something writhing just beneath it, almost like something was struggling to break out from within. The whole thing expanded and contracted, almost like a massive heart, sickly-wet sounds emerging from within.

"This is bad," said Ayumu softly.

Ruby agreed. It had taken her a second to notice. But, when she did, she could sense that this bulbous, swollen mass on the surface was only the tip of the iceberg. Whatever this Grimm was, the majority of its mass had grown downwards, eating into the bedrock of the mountain itself.

 _Master Yu said it would awaken if there was the right amount of negativit_ y, thought Ruby, frowning. It wasn't that the Grimm was feeding off the negative emotions of the people of Vale. The Grimm didn't need to feed. They were simply drawn by the darker emotions people were capable of. From the moment Yu had made it, this Grimm had probably been ready to be unleashed. Even now, it could easily be awakened, given the right stimulus.

She took a cautious step forward, observing the mass warily with all her senses. It continued to pulse in a sickly manner. But it showed no reaction to their presence. There was something else off. There was no sign of Yu.

Ruby had expected him to be there, probably to taunt them or lecture them about what they were expected to do. She wouldn't have put it past Yu to wake the Grimm up himself. Yet there was no sign of him. That wasn't indicative of anything in and of itself. However much their _Shingan_ had matured, the fact was that Yu could easily slip into their vicinity, with none of them being any wiser. He was just _that_ skilled.

But if he was hiding, then why? If he wasn't hiding, then he wasn't there. Again, why?

"Well, nothing so far," said Gin. "Maybe we should see if we can get this over with."

"Right," said Ruby.

They readied their weapons, sighting on the black mass before them. It would be tricky, cutting into it and striking downwards to ensure they fully killed whatever monstrosity lay beneath the surface. But if they could take it down before it woke up, so much the better. Narrowing her eyes, Ruby raised Shining Rose.

Then the earth shook.

* * *

Yu stood atop one of Vale's tallest skyscrapers, grinning like a madman, which many would have argued that he was. His arms were folded across his chest, while he let out an amused chuckle. "Whoops...just made your first mistake of the day, kids," he said softly to himself.

 _The Grimm respond to all negative emotions, even when-No!-_ especially _when those emotions are directed towards them. Even killing intent is a negative emotion, one that can provoke them. Normally, that kind of negativity wouldn't produce so much as a twitch, it would take the ill feelings of almost the entire Kingdom to wake it up otherwise. But this is a Grimm_ I _made. Of course it would be extra-sensitive to direct threats. You kids should know better by now._

"Ah well, it's what I was hoping for anyway," Yu said out loud. "Now we'll be in for a real show."

* * *

The tremors of Mt. Glenn ran through the earth of Vale, reaching even Beacon itself. Inside his office, Ozpin looked up warily. "It's begun," he said softly. Tapping the surface of his desk, he brought up its call function and sent a summons to the scrolls of Ruby's friends and teammates. If Ruby's predictions held, this wouldn't be the only threat they had to worry about today.

* * *

"Dammit! I knew we should have gone with them," protested Yang, sliding Ember Celica onto her wrists as she walked.

"Ruby said we needed to stay here," said Jaune.

"Aw, does she think we'll hold them back?" asked Nora.

"No, she thinks the bad guys are going to make a move in all this," said Blake. "We need to be ready to head them off." _Especially Adam,_ she thought to herself.

"That's right," agreed Ren.

Ciel and Penny followed behind the group. Ciel wasn't certain that they should be there. But Penny had wanted to come along, and Ciel didn't want to be left alone. So they'd grabbed their weapons, along with everyone else. The group was heading from the locker room towards the base of Beacon Tower, where Ozpin had called for them. On their way, they passed several other students running for the lockers. It seemed no one had forgotten the last time tremors like this had rocked the Academy. Everyone wanted to be ready.

But none of them had any notion of just what they were getting ready for.

* * *

The second Ruby had raised her scythe and solidified her intent to attack, the tremor had rocked the earth beneath her feet. Thanks to her training, she held her stance, preparing to launch herself at the mass anyway, when she'd suddenly felt the entire mountain become enshrouded in a wave of bloodlust that nearly drowned her senses altogether.

 _It woke up,_ she realized. Then her eyes widened. _No!_ We _woke it up._

Too late, Ruby realized their mistake. This was a creation of Yu Yuen. Of course it would be sensitive to murderous intent directed at it. The Grimm were already known to be capable of surprising self-preservation instincts. Of course Yu would have enhanced that factor to account for the increased threat his students represented. If they were going to kill it, they would have needed to use the state that Ruby had entered when she'd defeated Ayumu in their match, the ability to strike without any intent whatsoever.

But they hadn't...and now they were about to pay the price for their oversight.

"It's coming!" shouted Gin, already dancing back.

Ruby and Ayumu jumped back along with him. The ground beneath their feet surged upward, five spires of black, tipped with bone-white erupted forth from the earth, the elongated figures glaring at the trio with angry, red eyes, characteristic of the Grimm, before curling about each other, four in one direction, the fifth in the opposite. They emerged atop a thicker mass, their bodies weaving together.

Landing, Ruby's jaw dropped as it finally dawned on her what she was seeing, though she could scarcely believe it. Those five heads were joined together at the base, the heads forming the tips of five fingers, belonging to a single, massive hand. The bone masks, which projected forward like beaks, actually formed a quintet of deadly-looking nails. The way they had curled in on each other had actually caused them to form a gigantic fist.

The hand continued to emerge, scattering stone in its wake. The bodies of the Grimm that formed it wove together, serving as muscle and sinew for the colossal arm that stretched up. Then, from the earth farther back, ten black points pierced outwards and upwards, stretching into the air, curving horns of some kind. They preceded the emergence of the Grimm's head. The white bone-mask of its face was strangely expressionless, its two eyes comparatively tiny red lights, which glared out of openings in the mask larger than it needed to be. The mouth was too small, completely enclosed by the mask, with what looked like only small needle-like teeth lining the inside. Terrifyingly, the head had a profile that was almost...human, with those black horns stretching upward from it like the points of a massive, ugly crown.

"Have I mentioned lately how much I hate that guy?" muttered Gin.

"I think so," said Ayumu, his head incrementally tilting upwards along with the others' as they followed the Girmm's emergence. "But we certainly don't begrudge you saying that as many times as you'd like."

"This is gonna suck," said Ruby bitterly.

The Grimm continued to rise upwards from the earth. The head was followed by the shoulders, which, disturbingly enough, were a set of jaws, from which the coiling muscles of the arms emerged. The shoulders were covered by a white cape, which seemed also a perverse imitation of the cloak that Ruby herself wore, absent the hood. It extended over the Grimm's shoulders and down to its chest, where it was held closed by what looked like a veiny, red button, which might have been a part of the Grimm's own body.

Its torso stretched up towards the sky, the parts of it visible beneath its cloak being covered by more white plates. More coiling muscles wove together to form the legs, with the knees being another set of jaws, before ending in a set of clawed feet. The cloak swished out behind it, revealing a long, segmented tail, ending in a pair of bone-white pincers. Despite the presence of the tail, the overall shape of the Grimm was...almost human, one that was several stories tall.

"Ew...it's so ugly," muttered Ruby.

"Considering that Master Yu is blind, I imagine he has little concern for visual aesthetics," said Ayumu.

"I don't know," said Gin. "This is the kind of twisted thing I could see him making, if he had eyes."

The terrifying beast tilted its head down ever so slightly, those beady, red eyes glaring down at the trio.

The first attack came without almost any warning. There was no change in the beast's posture, no shift of its weight. There was only the sharpening spike of its murderous intent, the bloodlust that had swamped the mountain peak condensing inwards, then projecting straight out at Ruby.

With a shocked gasp, Ruby shot to the side, a spray of red petals exploding out from beneath her feet. A fraction of a second later, one of the black horns growing from the monster's head pierced the ground where she'd been standing, its form elongating and bending, more a tentacle than a horn, to strike down at her with blinding speed. Ruby had barely avoided being speared through the chest.

But the attack wasn't over yet. The tip of the horn curved, continuing to extend and bend, as it curled around to shoot at Ruby, rising up from the ground, again threatening to punch through her torso. Ruby was prepared to dodge again, sensing that the threat hadn't ended, even though she'd dodged the initial attack. The horn had lost none of its speed, making it less a second strike, and more a continuation of the same attack. However, Ruby made no effort to dodge.

She didn't need to. Gin slid between her and the incoming horn, striking at it with his claws, batting it away. He grimaced at the jarring feeling of impact. Even though the horns flexed and bent as though they were made of pudding, their surface was harder than steel, his claws not even scratching it.

"Thanks," said Ruby.

"It's just getting started," Ayumu warned from nearby, already evading himself.

Ayumu's warning wasn't strictly necessary, but appreciated all the same, mainly because the other horns growing out of the Grimm's head now sprang into motion, shooting down at the trio with the same uncanny speed. They scattered, the pointed tips shattering stone and sending sprays of dust up into the air, the horns retracting and striking over and over again, lashing out with whiplike motions to bombard the trio, who dodged and blocked as best they could.

Gin wielded his scaled arms and clawed hands in circular motions. He wasn't as fast as Ruby, nor as naturally evasive as Ayumu. The ferocity of the attack was such that his _Suigetsu_ wouldn't be much use in misdirecting the Grimm's aim either. So he instead worked to deflect the incoming strikes, using circular movements of his arms to divert the force of the blows around him, rather than try to tank them directly.

Ayumu bent, spun, and flipped his way through the attacks. Faced with a level of force he couldn't counter, he instead allowed his Semblance and training to do the work for him. Feeling the flow of air generated by the fierce attacks, Ayumu lightened his body to ride the powerful currents created by those attacks, allowing that flow to carry him out of the way of the strikes, much like a leaf dancing on the wind.

Ruby was a flashing crimson blur, darting along the rough stone of the mountaintop, dashing behind boulders, or jumping over low ridges, while the Grimm's horns lashed out in pursuit. Occasionally, a horn threatened to catch up to her, but Ruby would spin Shining Rose and deflect it off the shaft, managing to divert the force in much the same way Gin did.

They'd survived the opening of the battle, but they knew that they couldn't afford to remain on the defensive. So far, the Grimm's body hadn't moved at all, not since it had originally emerged from beneath the mountain. Its arms now hung down at it sides. Striking with the horns alone made it almost seem as though the monster wasn't even trying.

Looking up, Ruby saw something even more disturbing. Ever since it had stepped up the attacks with its horn, the Grimm's mask had cracked. The jaws behind that white mask of bone had opened, breaking it along both sides of the opening. Small chunks of white broke off and dropped down, as the jaws behind the mask opened wider, what had looked like needlelike teeth through that small opening now looking more like long sabers. More disturbing still was another set of jaws behind them...followed by another, and another, and another. Ruby's senses picked up a feeling of pressure, as though the Grimm was much larger than it first seemed, the true monster hiding behind that mask always being on the verge of breaking out.

But none of that changed what they had to do. They had to bring this thing down. Ruby could sense it clearly. This monster was far worse than the Dragon that had originally resided on this mountain. If they didn't stop it, there was probably no force that the Kingdom of Vale could bring to bear that would be able to stop it. Perhaps if Ironwood's warships were still here, they could maybe bring it down with a concentrated barrage. But that was still an iffy proposition, considering how easily this beast could have probably swatted them from the sky.

They had to attack. When the Grimm had begun its onslaught with its horns, the three of them had split up. That meant that the horns pursuing them had split as well, ensuring that they didn't have to deal with as much pressure as they would have, had they tried to remain together. Because of that, the pace of the attacks, as punishing as it was, had lessened. Taking advantage of this, Ruby shifted, bending her legs and dropping one shoulder to let a horn go lancing over it, deflecting another off to the other side with a spin of Shining Rose's shaft, before leaping forward, and jumping over the attack of a third horn.

She planted her foot on the black surface, and used that as a foothold to launch herself upwards towards the Grimm's head. The horns that had missed her curled around to pursue her from behind, their speed rivaling her own, even with the boost her Semblance afforded. At the same time, a fourth horn wove between the other three, coming at her from the front.

Ruby danced, using the entwined bodies of the horns themselves as platforms, allowing her to spin out of the way of the one coming at her from the front, while continually forcing the other three to tangle around each other, inhibiting their speed enough that she was able to outdistance them as she closed with the Grimm's head. Finally, she kicked off the surface of one of the horns, finding herself almost face to monstrous face with the Grimm. Her eyes met its beady red ones, while Ruby slashed Shining Rose for the beast's neck, the blade extending in order to slice all the way through it.

Then the Grimm wasn't in front of her anymore. Shining Rose carved a crimson arc through empty space. Feeling a surge to her left, Ruby realized that the Grimm had dodged her with speed that, while more than impressive in its own right, was downright uncanny for something so large. At the same time, she sensed an enormous surge of air coming at her from the same direction. Not even thinking, she flipped her scythe down to the level of her feet, balancing on the shaft while she extended its wings, flying away in burst of petals, barely able to escape the path of the black mass that roared through the space she'd been occupying less than a second earlier.

The passage of the Grimm's enormous fist generated a wave of turbulence that sent Ruby into a spinning tumble, Ruby doing her best to maintain control by cooperating with the flow of air, knowing that trying to stop and stabilize herself would just leave her a sitting duck-to those lightning-fast horns, now that they'd had the opportunity to catch up to her. In fact, by cooperating with the flow of air, she actually made it easier to evade the pointed tips of those strange, flexible weapons. At the same time, she both saw and felt the shockwave that rushed out ahead of the Grimm's fist, surging out well beyond the reach of its limb, and ripping apart a cloud well over a kilometer away.

 _If it does that in the direction of Vale..._ Ruby thought with horror. Suddenly, this fight became a much more terrifying prospect. The speed and power of this monstrosity were _way_ beyond anything she and the others had anticipated. Even brawling all the way out here, on top of Mt. Glenn, didn't fully diminish the threat the Grimm presented, not if the after-effect of a missed attack could extend that far.

Gin and Ayumu knew this as well. They'd seen and sensed the same things she had, and come to the same conclusion. Because of that, even though they hadn't exchanged a single word, they were still able to devise a plan.

First things first, they had to draw the Grimm down off the mountain, preferably into the ruins of Mountain Glenn. It would wind up wrecking more of the ruined settlement (which Oobleck probably wouldn't be happy about), but that was preferable to leaving it where a single misstep could lead to one of the beast's errant attacks flying into Vale proper. In Mountain Glenn, they'd put the mountain itself between them and Vale. If the Grimm wound up falling into one of the caverns beneath the settlement, so much the better.

Of course, getting it to come down was the tricky part. Given what they had experienced with the creature before, and knowing that Yu had created it, there was no guarantee that it would behave as expected of a normal creature of Grimm, even the more intelligent kind, and follow them down simply out of aggression. It was all too likely that it somehow had some willingness to abandon the immediate fight, and go after Vale itself. Barring that, now that it had awakened in such a spectacular manner, Yu's students had no doubt that there was plenty of fear being stirred up by the simple sight of the Grimm on the mountain. If that negativity increased, it might well be drawn to Vale the normal way.

So simply retreating back down the mountain wasn't an option. They had to drive it down, control it. Flying on her weapon, Ruby wove between the striking horns, circling rapidly around behind the Grimm, kicking it out from under her feet, and back into her hands. The scythe's blade ignited once more, and she slashed at the back beneath the white cape it wore. At the same time, Ayumu and Gin darted in close, aiming to strike its feet, and knock it off-balance.

The Grimm sensed her attack and dodged forward, spinning around in the process. Ruby's scythe only clipped a tiny bit of fabric, or whatever approximated fabric for this creature, from the end of its cape. At the same time, that segmented, pincer-tipped tail lashed out behind it, moving with impressive accuracy to slash at Ayumu and Gin, forcing them to abort their own attack. Even then, as it faced Ruby, she felt its entire body shifting in a way that made her sick to her stomach.

She could feel the muscles and sinew that made up its limbs...unravelling, what had seemed to be individual muscles now separating from one another, as though this monster was coming apart, those bodies wriggling and writhing with sinuous purpose. But that was overshadowed by the more immediate change happening right in front of Ruby's face. The Grimm's mouth opened, opening wider...and wider...and _wider_...impossibly wide, revealing jaws within jaws; at least five, possibly more; each set sliding out from within the next, the monster's mouth stretching out impossibly far to reach for her.

Ruby shrieked, barely managing to get Shining Rose beneath her feet and fly out of the way in time, the jaws closing on where she'd been with an echoing crack. Flying back farther, Ruby felt her breath desert her as the Grimm's entire aspect changed beyond her wildest, most perverse imaginings.

The mask that had covered its face had split in two, right along the line of the jaw, the white, bonelike material that made it up actually cracking and crumbling away, as though the Grimm had damaged a portion of its own body to make the change. The top section, including the eyes, slid back up over the top of those ringed sets of jaws, while the bottom section dropped below, beneath the new, elongated chin that had formed. A new quartet of eyes emerged, actually gleaming out from the flesh that made up the second set of jaws second-farthest back from where they'd originally emerged, the extended sets of jaws now forming a new, massive head.

At the same time, its posture had shifted, leaning forward, a new set of short arms, ending in three-clawed hands, dropping down from the portion of its chest just above where the fabric of its cloak converged and was buttoned together. The original arms and hands had completely unwound. Ruby had initially thought they were individual Grimm, before seeing how their bodies wound together, like sets of muscles. But now they were proving her initial assessment to be more correct, the muscles revealing themselves to be the sinuous bodies of numerous serpentine dragons, each one sporting its own set of legs, each with a set of eyes glaring with malevolent purpose.

It was all the more unsettling to see that, while some of the dragons that had made up the beast's hands had heads that ended in beaked mouths to make up the nails on the fingers, others had jaws that ringed a pointed, bonelike projection, almost like an engorged and hardened tongue.

Worse still, more dragons were emerging from other sections of the body, sliding out from within the legs, or along its back. Ruby couldn't count them all, and suspected that Gin and Ayumu couldn't either. The creature's form seemed to shift continuously. Every time she inspected it with her _Shingan_ , its form had warped further. The important thing was all those dragon heads had focused complete on _her_ , each one simultaneously displaying its own intent, while remaining a unified collective. It was both one and many at the same time...and it was horrifying.

But what was even _more_ horrifying was when those fanged jaws, including the massive set that made up the entirety of the Grimm's head, began to glow from within with an intense white light, a light that was accompanied by a building heat that left no doubt as to what its next move would be. This wasn't fire-breath. It was way beyond breathing fire. This Grimm was about to launch a barrage of intense heat at her from multiple vectors, vectors that stretched past Ruby's current position and out into the skyline of Vale, directly behind her.

"NO!" shouted Ruby, surging forward, heading right towards the Grimm's primary set of jaws, heading straight for the most intense blast that was sure to come barreling out its throat at her. As she did, she felt desperation and panic surge through her, the sheer terror at what was about to happen nearly swamping her senses.

But a certain part of her body reacted automatically. It wasn't guided by technique, because, as much as she had trained, this part of her she hadn't trained nearly enough. But Ruby realized what was happening, feeling the pressure building up behind her eyes, making them feel as though they were about to explode out from her head. There was no time to gather and shape that energy, the way she had when she'd been facing down the Dragon. Instead, Ruby simply allowed all that desperation to explode outward from her eyes themselves.

An explosion of silver light rushed outward in a wave, washing over the gigantic Grimm in front of her. The beast reeled back with a pained wail, patches of its skin turning into gray, flaking stone. But the effect had spread out too much, so it didn't go any deeper than that. What was important was that, in flinching back away from the pain generated by the power of Ruby's Silver Eyes, the Grimm's primary mouth, and several of the heads of the smaller dragons that both made up and extended from its body, leaned upwards, right as they unleashed their terrifying onslaught.

Stabbing beams of pure-white heat rushed upwards into the sky. A few of the heads positioned lower spasmed in different directions, sending lances of energy running along the stone of the mountaintop, immediately turning it molten, while one lashed along, sending its beam raking across the earth away from the mountain, before slashing its way along Vale's perimeter wall.

The result was immediate. Concrete and steel were melted, while the structure both above and below the line of molten destruction cracked and crumbled. The top portion of a significant section of the wall, well over a hundred-meters worth, slid backwards on its now liquified lower section, crumbling and collapsing backward, into the streets that ran along it. Dust-turrets mounted atop it exploded in flashes of fire and lightning.

Horror and sorrow welled up in Ruby's chest. Her _Shingan_ didn't extend far enough to ascertain the state of things in Vale. But she didn't need it to in order to realize that people were dying, dying because of _her_ , because she'd failed. She and the boys had set out today with the intent of stopping the Grimm before it could become a threat to Vale, only to wind up calling down the very destruction they'd tried to prevent.

But her despair didn't stop her from doing what she needed to. Nor did the pain that erupted in her head, swamping her senses. Her body moved on its own, both muscles and Aura knowing what needed to be done without her conscious input. Her feet kicked her weapon back up into her hands, the head unfolding out to extend straight out from the end of the shaft. The blade flared to life, extending outward with the full strength of Ruby's Aura behind it. Ruby exerted her Semblance from both her body and her weapon, exerting it to the fullest to put as much power into the swing as she possibly could, letting all her Aura flow out through the move.

The slash wasn't aimed at the Grimm. It had already proven that it could sense the impending threat of incoming attacks. But Ruby knew from her own experience that an indirect attack was harder to react to. So her aim lowered, aiming not at the Grimm, but at the stone of the mountaintop beneath its feet. Shining Rose slashed downwards, cutting through stone like a hot knife through butter, a wave of Ruby's Aura extending out, even beyond the already impressive length of its blade, cleaving through an entire section of the mountaintop to emerge from the slope a little ways below. The ground; already weakened and destabilized by the explosive emergence of the Grimm's body, and further weakened by the monster's breath-attack melting portions of it; gave way beneath its clawed feet, crumbling and sliding backwards, taking the Grimm with it down the slopes, towards the crumbling, empty buildings below.

The Grimm fought its fall, trying to shift its balance, and keep from toppling over. But the destabilization of the terrain had dulled its awareness of its opponents, an opening that Gin and Ayumu didn't miss. Ayumu darted in, flowing past the lashing tail, before kicking off the air to abruptly change direction, sending him flying past the ankles of the Grimm's feet. slashing them with his sword as he passed. Unlike its arms, it appeared that the Grimm's feet and toes weren't composed of dragons all the way down, and, while some had emerged from within the cords of muscle that made up its legs, they didn't appear to completely make up its legs themselves. The damage and pain disrupted the Grimm's stance even more, causing it to lean farther back.

Then Gin attacked. Like Ayumu, he rushed past the swinging tail, jumping from piece to crumbling piece of earth, a leaping run that carried him right between the legs, before he stopped, and sank into a crouch. Taking a deep breath, Gin manifested his Aura, a coiling, scaled body winding into being around him, before he pushed off, launching himself off the earth and straight into the Grimm's chest. The coiling, scaled body of Aura merged with Gin's extended hand, the clawed appendage transforming into the fanged maw of a silver dragon, which lunged into the Grimm's body with the full force of Gin's strength and Aura behind it.

The two attacks succeeded in making the Grimm topple over backwards with a final, collective roar of fury from all its heads, its incredible mass tumbling down the slope, bouncing and rolling in a mass of writhing coils and flailing limbs.

Ruby dropped, falling to the ground with a crunch of breaking stone, the snap of her Aura breaking inaudible over the cacophony of the Grimm's tumble. She collapsed completely, toppling over to lie on her stomach and chest, her head swamped with incredible, throbbing pain, her entire body feeling like molten lead, filled with searing pain, and too heavy to move.

Gin and Ayumu both turned towards her, concern and worry in their eyes. But they felt Ruby's intent stab out towards them. She didn't even have the strength to speak. But her will carried what she wanted them to do, what she _needed_ them to do, all too well. They couldn't afford to worry about her. The Grimm was the real concern. It needed to be stopped...NOW!

The boys turned, reluctantly (especially so, in the case of Gin), and descended the mountain slope towards the Grim below, leaving Ruby alone atop the mountain, her body limp and motionless, the fading roar of crumbling stone and an angry Grimm reduced enough that she could hear the waling of sirens from Vale.

* * *

"Oh my God!" gasped Yang, staring at the feed on her scroll.

Standing at the base of Beacon Tower, as they were, they didn't have a proper view of Ruby's fight. They could hear the roars of the Grimm in the distance, and the thunderous sounds of the battle. But direct line-of-sight kept them from actually seeing what was happening, the campus buildings, and the tower itself, blocking their view. So they'd taken to watching their scrolls, which they'd tuned to a live feed from different parts of Vale.

Thus, they'd gotten to watch as one of the heat beams emitted by the dragons that made up the terrifying Grimm's body sweep along the wall, melting right through the barrier with almost no resistance. Solid construction and armor-plating that could hold off thousands of lesser Grimm for hours gave way in seconds, a massive section toppling over backwards.

The sight made the group sick to their stomachs. Dozens, possibly hundreds, had just lost their lives in a matter of seconds. While the bulk of the casualties were probably military personnel, the soldiers manning the wall, there was little doubt that numerous civilians, on the streets running along the wall's base, had been crushed by the fiery debris that had suddenly rained down on them from above.

Had she not been so busy being horrified by the spectacle of it all, Yang would have felt some small degree of relief that Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu had chosen to set out so early in the morning. The sun hadn't even crested the horizon, and most of the sky was still dark, so the civilians along the wall were probably far fewer in number than they were likely to be during the day. It was a twisted sort of blessing, and not the kind that any of them were in a position to appreciate right now.

The worst part of it all was that there was nothing they could do for the people who had been caught in the cataclysm. Besides being stuck all the way over at Beacon, they weren't exactly prepared for any kind of rescue work. They could only hope that the first-responders would be able to rescue people who hadn't been immediately killed by the wall's collapse.

On top of all of that, a massive hole had just been opened up in Vale's defenses. The wall had been wrecked, along with the forces that held it. Now there was a gaping opening right into Vale itself. And, with the monstrous specter of Yu's Grimm, along with the destruction it had just caused, on full display for everyone to see, the fear stirred up would probably be drawing in Grimm from dozens of miles away. Even the fact that the death of the Dragon meant that Mountain Glenn, and the area around it, was no longer a hub of Grimm activity was a middling consolation at best. Attacking Grimm would also endanger the lives of the rescuers.

At least that problem was being seen to promptly. Over the distant sound of sirens, Yang could hear the scream of numerous engines, several bullheads lifting into the sky and taking flight for the ruined portion of the wall, ferrying students and Huntsmen out to hold the line.

"We should go," said Blake urgently. "We can't just stand here! We need to _do_ something!"

"That's right!" agreed Nora.

"No!"

The sharp admonishment startled everyone, particularly as it came from Jaune's mouth. His face was grim, his mouth set into a flat line, the look of a man saying something he didn't want to, but knew he _had_ to. "We aren't going anywhere," he said firmly.

"But, Jaune-!" Nora began to protest.

"No!" Jaune's voice silenced her immediately. "We have to stay put. I trust Ruby's judgment. This is just the beginning. Now that the Grimm has everyone's attention, we're going to have company real soon."

Blake paled. "The White Fang," she whispered, wondering how it was possible to feel even more sick to her stomach than she already did. "They're coming."

Jaune nodded gravely. "We need to be ready."

* * *

"My God!" gasped Glynda, her hands going to her mouth at the sight of fiery smoke that lined the wall of Vale's southeast perimeter. And this was the result of a single, flailing attack. The wall hadn't even been the Grimm's target.

"Glynda," said Ozpin, his voice tight and cold, "go."

"But-!" Glynda cut herself off when she turned to Ozpin, and saw the look in his eyes. His expression was impassive. But it was a mask. His eyes practically shined with cold fury. Part of Glynda couldn't help but wonder who or what he was angry at: Ruby and the boys, for failing; Yu, for making this abomination in the first place; himself, for being unable to do anything about it personally; maybe some combination of all the above. In any case, it was a look that brooked no arguments.

And Glynda knew he was right. The damage to the wall, as extensive as it was, was far too much for her to repair on her own. However, her Semblance would be indispensable in the rescue efforts, enabling her to shift tons of broken masonry out of the way to allow rescuers to reach the injured. And, even though she wouldn't be able to fix the whole wall on her own, she'd be able to at least construct some fortifications to keep the opening left completely bare to a Grimm attack.

"I'll have Mr. Xiao Long accompany you," added Ozpin. "His strength will be helpful at holding the wall."

"All right," said Glynda, heading for the elevator, praying desperately that the situation wasn't about to get worse, but knowing that it was likely going to.

* * *

The utter commotion southeast of Vale had drawn the attention of almost everyone, including those manning the northernmost defenses. Their eyes were drawn to the distant roars of the Grimm, the flash of its fire, and the sirens announcing a breach in the defensive perimeter. Because of that, the warning was delayed when the sensors on the north side announced the approach of multiple airborne objects.

The automatic defenses reacted...automatically...of course. The Dust-turrets immediately deployed, extending upwards, guided by the incoming sensor readings towards their targets. Their activity drew the attention of the soldiers, who realized that, even if the main battle was taking place south, the northern border of the Kingdom couldn't be ignored. They quickly turned, their own weapons rising, even as the Dust turrets began to unleash a barrage of fire at the black shapes that rose up from the canopy of the Emerald Forest.

Nevermores and Griffons screeched and cawed as they swarmed towards the wall, seeming to stream in from miles. The horrifying developments on Mt. Glenn had stoked the fear of the people, and Grimm were being drawn in from miles. Fortunately, the wall-mounted turrets were swift and accurate, to say nothing of their power, managing to drop a Grimm with almost every shot fired.

Of course, for every one downed, there were many...many more. What was more, the calls of the airborne Grimm began to mingle with the utterances of their land-bound brethren, as Ursas, Beowolves, and Creeps began to assault the wall from below. The soldiers aimed downward, firing at the approaching monstrosities and bringing them down. The onslaught was nowhere near what it had been when the Dragon had awakened, but it was an intense battle all the same.

Which was why no one noticed the black objects lifting up amidst the winged Grimm, flying alongside them, until it was too late. The roar of jets reached the ears of the soldiers, and they looked up to see over a dozen bullheads scream past.

"It's the White Fang!" shouted one of the soldiers, raising his rifle and opening fire. He was soon joined by several of his comrades.

Two of the bullheads began to bank around, juking slightly to avoid the incoming fire, albeit being unable to evade it completely. One of them took a shot to one of its engines, prompting it to begin emitting a thick cloud of smock, as the transport dipped towards the wall. But the pilot of the other completed his turn, bringing the bullhead around to fly along the length of the wall, the chin-mounted machine guns of the ship raking along the top.

Soldiers yelled and dove for cover. But more than a few were unlucky, blood erupting from multiple impacts across their bodies, or portions of their bodies seeming to outright disintegrate from the rounds. Still, those who had escaped death or injury returned fire with a will, sending a wave of projectiles to stream up to strike the bullhead from below. Both its engines erupted in flames, and the transport listed to the side, falling down the outside of the wall to slam to earth amidst the attacking Grimm, exploding furiously.

The other one continued its turn, dipping down...and slamming right into the top of the wall, crushing one of the turrets beneath it, probably the last desperate act of its pilot to strike one last blow, even as his ship came down. The bullhead rocked slightly, then lay still.

Just as the soldiers near it were about to return their attention to the attacking Grimm, a loud bang echoed from within the bullhead, making the entire thing rock violently. The door to the passenger bay bent outwards. Then another bang sounded. The metal screeched and was torn away entirely. The soldiers looked up, jaws hanging open in utter shock, as the skull-like aspect of an Alpha-Beowolf emerged from the darkness of the passenger bay, its red eyes gleaming with evil intent as it surveyed the soldiers before it. Then its jaw opened and it let out an echoing howl, before throwing itself amongst them.

* * *

The rest of the bullheads curved over the sky of Vale, bending their course to travel over the city, then across the waters of the bay, their flight taking them right to the edge of Beacon's grounds. There, they switched to their hovering configuration, turning sidelong. Then, almost in unison, their bay doors opened.

On the ship in the lead, Adam Taurus looked down over the buildings of Beacon, lips curled back in a snarl. He steadied himself with a hand on one of the bars in the passenger bay. Beside him were Naia and Nereus, along with the small handful of soldiers who had escaped Vale's attack on their safe-houses.

"Bring them to their knees!" he shouted.

From the rest of the bullheads, a chorus of howls and roars filled the air, Grimm launching themselves out of the transport and down into Beacon's campus itself, charging towards the buildings and whatever people were within them with wild abandon.

Adam grinned. The time to strike back at the humans had come at last.

* * *

 **And here comes the finale folks. My version of the Battle of Beacon has finally begun...belatedly...but it still happened.**

 **So, not gonna lie, for Yu's Grimm, I totally pinched the design of Monster King Orochi from _One Punch Man_. Reading the manga, and seeing that guy, and seeing its fight with Garo, where we see Orochi's awakened form for the first time, my very first thought was _Now that's a Grimm,_ even though it's from a completely unrelated series. I saw in Orochi a whole host of qualities I would love to see the creators of RWBY bring to their designs for the Creatures of Grimm, something truly monstrous and otherworldly. Granted, something on that level would probably be an absolute _nightmare_ for CRWBY to bring to life through their animation technology, but I'd still like to see more designs in a vein beyond "Let's take Mythological Creature X and make it a Grimm." Granted, this thing doesn't have all of Orochi's qualities from the manga, but it has more than enough to make it a serious threat to our heroes.**


	129. Chapter 129

**Chapter 129:**

The inmates of the maximum-security section of the Vale Penitentiary might not have been able to hear the roars of the Grimm, or the sirens announcing the breach. But they did feel the tremors, even from within their cells.

"What the hell!?" Mercury sprang to his "feet," looking around in shock and confusion.

In the cell next to his, the woman known as Whitney Schirmer, of Team BRWN, merely smiled. Standing up, she stretched her arms up over her head, while opening her mouth in an exaggerated yawn. "Well well," she said cheerfully, "it seems that the fun has begun. Now is the time to get to work."

She opened her mouth incredibly wide, then inserted her hand into it, making gagging motions as her fingers began to reach down her throat, only to finally grasp...something. Finally, she withdrew her hand, still wet and shining with saliva, to reveal a narrow, metal cylinder.

"Such a useful trick," commented Whitney, moving to the door of her cell. There were, naturally, no control or access panels on the inside of the cell. There was, however, a small, two-way speaker that served as the main means of communication between the cell's occupant and the guards outside.

Pulling out one end of the cylinder, Whitney revealed a slender bit of metal, which she then began to carefully work around the edge of the speaker, working it free from its mounting. It was the work of a few seconds, before the whole thing came out, trailing wires. From there, she now had access to the inner workings that controlled the door.

The guards were distracted by the commotion outside, so they were too slow in noticing Whitney's actions, not realizing what she was doing until the door to her cell slid open, and she stepped out, the white field of her Aura spreading visibly across her body with an audible crackle, now that she was finally free of her cell's dampening field.

Now she had been noticed. Two guards at the end of the hall immediately leveled their rifles at her, not bothering to even demand her surrender. But that wasn't enough. Whitney flicked an idle hand in their direction, and the two men were blown backwards, slamming into the wall and falling limp, their rifles clattering to the floor.

"Ahhh!" breathed Whitney ecstatically. "It feels so good to be out again. I've been waiting for _so_ long."

Turning, she walked to the cell next to hers, standing before the transparisteel door, and meeting the gaze of a bewildered Mercury. "Well then, I suppose you've cooled your heels long enough," she said, before allowing her gaze to drift down to his low-tech prosthetics, "so to speak."

She didn't even need her tool to open the door to Mercury's cell apparently somehow knowing the code. Mercury stepped out, his own Aura flaring back to life as he stared at her in confusion.

"Who the heck are you?" he asked warily.

"Now now, there will be time for explanations later," said Whitney, resting one fist against her hip, and cocking her head slightly to the side. "We have things to do, dear boy."

Mercury's gaze hardened. "Right," he said. "But there's someone I've got to bust out of here, first."

"Of course," said Whitney, with a coy giggle. "Let's take care of that quickly then."

They turned and began walking down the hall, their path taking them right past the cells of Whitney's teammates. They'd all stood up and moved to the doors, clearly expecting her to free them as well, only to gape as she walked past them without seeming to notice at all.

"Hey!" shouted Bruno, slamming a meaty fist against his door. "Are you gonna leave us here?"

"Well, I don't have any use for you any longer," said Whitney, smirking back over her shoulder at them. "You boys could stand to cool your heels for a little while. Hopefully the Grimm won't be coming here. I advise you to keep your emotions under control to ensure that doesn't happen."

Bruno glared, baring his teeth in a furious grimace. But Nigel and Rufus both stared at her in confusion. Whitney's demeanor was completely at odds with the woman they had known; the cold, calculating woman who'd taken control of their team and dictated their actions.

"Friends of yours?" asked Mercury, as they continued on?

"Just toy soldiers, and nothing more, not even worth considering pawns," replied Whitney dismissively. "I actually owe those children my gratitude. I was growing weary of that role."

"Role?"

Whitney laughed. "My dear boy, I am but a humble performer. I've trained to play my role to the fullest, regardless of what it requires me to do. A true magician is an expert at such deceptions."

"Magician?" Mercury's eyebrows rose skeptically.

"That's right," replied Whitney, pausing to turn to face Mercury directly, and sweep into an exaggerated bow. "Whitney Schirmer, renowned magician, and Maestro of Magic...at your service."

"Magic, huh..." Mercury frowned.

"Yes yes," said Whitney, straightening up and resuming their walk again. "I'm aware that it's no fancy power, like the Maidens'. But I daresay my magic can be a good bit more useful than theirs. After all, it's my magic that freed us from our bonds."

"It was a trick," grumbled Mercury.

"And yet, even though my Aura was completely suppressed, and I possessed not a lick of Dust, I was able to do what should have been impossible," Whitney teased back. "Real magic isn't about chucking around the power of nature, like it's your own personal plaything. _Real_ magic is about controlling, then defying, the expectations of others."

Alarms began to sound through the prison, signaling that their escape had finally come to the attention of the staff at large. The sound of booted feet echoed through the hallway, a team of armed guards rushing towards them. They were eight in all, assembling in two lines across the hallway. The front rank dropped down to one knee, leveling their rifles at the escaped prisoners, while the back rank remained standing, while doing the same thing.

"Down on the ground, and hands behind your head!" shouted the leader of the guards.

Mercury figured it was just a formality, as they opened fire practically before the captain had finished speaking, ensuring that the pair had no time to comply with instructions, even if they'd been inclined do. Mercury flinched back, steeling himself to tank the shots as best he could with his Aura. But Whitney, simply flicked the first two fingers of her left hand across her body. Mercury's eyes caught bright flash, almost like a strobe, emitting from the space directly in front of them, and the incoming shots vanished in explosions of light and color.

"What-?" gasped one of the guards.

He didn't get a chance to finish his question, as another strobe erupted from the floor beneath them. Abruptly, all eight of them were launched upwards, slamming into the feeling with loud clangs, before they were sent plummeting just as quickly, slamming into the floor with enough force to actually jump the struts that served as Mercury's feet into the air for a second.

Humming happily, Whitney strutted past them, Mercury following in her wake with a nervous, yet awestruck look. He paused just long enough to grab an abandoned rifle, before continuing to follow her.

* * *

Emerald looked up in surprise. A tone sounded from the doorway, and it slid open. There had been no admonition from the guards, telling her to put on her suppression collar. Instead, she looked up to see Mercury there, smirking, even as he cradled what was obviously a rifle stolen from one of the guards.

"Yo," said Mercury. "Ready to blow this joint?" He paused, slightly confused as Emerald shifted uncomfortably, and wiped her eyes. "Were you crying?"

"It's nothing," said Emerald, getting up. "Let's get out of here."

Mercury watched her warily as she brushed past him. There was a strange melancholy to her nature. He thought back to his interrogation by Ironwood, and realized that Emerald must have been interrogated too. Had it been Ironwood...or someone else? And what had that conversation entailed? But those were questions for later, he supposed.

"Who are you," said Emerald, her manner growing cautious as she saw Whitney, grinning happily.

"A friend," said Whitney.

"She calls herself a magician," muttered Mercury, coming to stand beside Emerald.

"I _am_ a magician," said Whitney, huffing irritably. "In any case, I imagine we should at least retrieve Ms. Sustrai's weapons, before we take our leave of this place."

"Sure," said Emerald.

Whitney turned on her heel, and began to lead them back down the hallway they'd come. As they walked, they passed the bodies of fallen guards, Emerald looking them over, not sure if they were dead or alive. She probably didn't want to find out.

* * *

Pain was Ruby's world. Her entire body throbbed with it, as though she'd been struck by a migraine that had subsequently proceeded to spread out across her every nerve. What was more, she felt completely drained. That last attack, following the uncoordinated burst of her Silver Eyes, had drained her reserves all but completely. She was barely clinging to the last threads of consciousness, and they were slowly slipping out of her fingers.

Even so, she, somehow, still managed to sense the impact of two feet practically right beside her head. She didn't need to even _try_ to look to know who it was.

"Welp, that could have gone better," said Yu casually. "I guess you should have put some more work into mastering those eyes of yours, if only so that they don't run out of control on impulse. The more they awaken, the less it takes to set them off, you know."

Through her pain, Ruby felt a spark of something within her...anger.

"Like I told you before, Ruby, you can't afford to mess up," Yu continued. "You're a protector after all. Screw the pooch, and it's the people who depend on you who'll pay the price. You knew you had to get this Grimm off the mountain, but your _Shingan_ is still too underdeveloped to fully read its nature, so it caught you off-guard by it transforming. You've probably noticed something else about it too."

She had. The Grimm had reacted to her attacks in much the same way she would have, if she were the one being attacked. Its alertness and ability to evade indicated that it could sense intent, which meant that it could read the moves of her and the boys, if she wasn't careful.

"That makes this fight a tricky proposition," said Yu. "On one level, this fella is way more canny than your average Grimm. At the same time, it's still fairly typical, nothing but murder on the brain. That makes it both easier and harder to deal with."

Ruby inhaled slowly, doing so as deeply as her abused lungs would allow. Unbidden, the image of her Aura, as dying embers, rose up. She fed her breath into those embers, slowly kindling them, drawing more Aura in through the wellspring with each inhalation, flushing that Aura through her body, washing away the pain of her exertions, followed by the exhaustion that left her limbs feeling like lead. Even though she had been in pain, the anger she felt, the abject hatred for the man standing beside her, had galvanized her to do what she needed to do to rise again.

Yu grinned down at her. "By the way, I call this little ball of joy Typhon. I designed him _specifically_ as a playmate for you three. I rather think I have the edge on that hag, when it comes to creativity, don't you agree?"

Ruby suppressed the urge to growl, her anger growing, even as she realized that Yu's flippant attitude towards all the death and destruction he'd just caused was deliberate. He'd given her anger as something to anchor her, and galvanize her into action, rather than simply slipping off into unconsciousness, as she'd been about to do. Now, each breath was allowing her to draw still more Aura out through the wellspring, chasing away the earlier effects of the battle, filling her body with new energy.

Yu said nothing else, apparently having said his piece. Ruby knew that this too was part of his lesson. He'd done what he'd needed to keep her from passing out. Now the rest was up to her. Ruby hated this man for what he had done, for what he would continue to do, so long as he still lived. But that hate wasn't why she was fighting. That wasn't the true source of her strength and conviction.

Taking another breath, Ruby centered herself, allowing the no-longer-necessary anger to bleed away. In its place, she drew up the image of what she needed to do, and _why_ she needed to fight. Her gut lurched reflexively, remembering the wall collapsing in flames, no doubt killing countless people. She couldn't let anything else like that happen. In order to ensure that, she had to bring this Grimm _down_.

Now that the pain had subsided, and her strength was returning, Ruby's _Shingan_ was expanding once more, allowing her to clearly sense her surroundings. From below, she could hear the angry roars of Typhon's many heads, feeling the rising heat from its breath-weapon, and the tremors that ran up the mountain as it exchanged blows with her fellow students, including the boy she loved. She couldn't leave them to fight Yu's abomination on their own.

Still, she first needed to be certain that she was ready. So Ruby put her trust in the boys to hold their own for a little longer, and continued to draw forth more Aura. Red light began to stream out from her body, illuminating her from within.

* * *

Typhon had torn a swath through the forest in its tumultuous descent down Mount Glenn's slopes. It struck the base hard, plowing through a few of the buildings that remained standing, after the Dragon's rampage months earlier, before the combination of its weight and momentum caved in the ground, dropping it down into one of the caverns below this region. The destruction spread, the edges of the opening collapsing downward, turning the cavern into a single deep depression, which Typhon now writhed at the bottom of.

Ayumu and Gin followed it with all the speed they were capable of, the former simply spreading his body and using his Semblance to lighten himself so that he could essentially glide down in the Grimm's wake, while the latter leapt nimbly from foot hold to foothold, with greater surety and agility than a mountain goat, the two of them swiftly descending. They reached the edge of the depression Typhon's impact had created, and jumped in after it with no hesitation.

They might have regretted that, when they saw Typhon rise on its clawed feet, its numerous heads orienting towards them, fanged jaws opening to reveal throats that glowed with malevolent light and heat once more. Not needing any prompting whatsoever, the boys split ways as Typhon cut loose with a barrage of its fiery breath once more.

Rays of pure-white heat lashed out in all directions, several of the heads turning on their serpentine necks to try and track the two boys, while others lashed about with seemingly random abandon. The central head also turned, those layered jaws flexing within one another to turn the its open maw like the nozzle of a hose, the beam it emitted blazing a swath of molten rock across the cavern floor. Rays of intense heat drew orange and red lines up the length of the cavern, before exploding furiously, sending lava bombs flying through the air. Typhon soon stood in a massive pool of molten rock of its own creation. The fabric of its cape ignited from the sheer heat being emitted, turning into a flaming veil over its body.

Gin grimaced, both he and Ayumu feeling the effects as they sucked searing air into their lungs. Typhon's attack hadn't simply been an effort to vaporize them on the spot. It had turned the environment into a virtual hellscape. Mere convection was now just as much a threat as the attacks themselves were. Their Auras were straining to keep them from succumbing to the heat Typhon had just created, while their lungs burned from having to breathe in that ridiculously hot air.

Dropping beneath a beam, and taking brief refuge behind a chunk of rubble left behind by Typhon's fall, which had somehow escaped being melted by the monster's breath, Gin, turned his focus inward, and used his breath to draw out more Aura from his wellspring, flushing it first into his lungs themselves, to counter the heat of the air he was bringing in.

Dropping behind the wrecked facade of a ruined building, Ayumu took a few seconds to do the same. Both of them realized that they couldn't keep this up, of course. The nature of the battle was such that they couldn't afford to stop what they were doing to replenish their Auras. If the Grimm was allowed to continue, it would just blast away all the available cover, until the boys had nowhere to hide, even as its continued attacks ensured that the environment would remain too hot for them to fight without burning their Auras away.

Still, they had to keep going.

It was then that Gin's senses alerted him to the incoming danger. Typhon had apparently realized where he'd gone to ground and oriented on him. Rather than blast him with still more heat beams, Gin instead sensed the sinuous bodies of the dragons extending from its right shoulder weaving together into a familiar configuration, that of an arm, ending with a hand, with the dragons-heads becoming fingers, which then curled into a fist. The arm had formed already drawn back to deliver a massive punch.

Gin leapt up, and used the boulder he'd been hiding behind as a platform to jump higher still. He barely managed to escape as that massive fist plowed through the stone, shattering it into Dust, while sending a shockwave that tore up the ground in a line to the cavern wall, cracking it deeply, and unleashing a tremor like an aftershock of an earthquake.

Gin took advantage of the opportunity presented, landing on Typhon's extended arm, and using it as a road to travel up towards its body. A dragon reared up over Typhon's right shoulder, its body emerging somewhere from beneath its now flaming cape. Rather than try and blast Gin again, it lunged over Typhon's shoulder, turning its body to swing a spindly looking hand, ending in three, clawed fingers at him. Gin met the dragon's claw with his own attack. Gin had the technique, but the dragon had mass on its side, so Gin was knocked away.

Then Ayumu descended from above, alighting almost delicately on the back of the dragon that had just attacked Gin, then decapitating it with a swipe from his sword. Green Destiny's ring was drowned out be the collective roar of pain that erupted from the mouths of the other dragons. Typhon's body shifted again, rising back into a more upright posture, the individual dragons retracting back to form the parts of the humanoid body, including the left arm, which Typhon brought about in a hooking punch, as it turned to attack Ayumu.

Ayumu's body was tossed about like a leaf, riding the shockwave of Typhon's attack to escape its force, though the winds still buffeted him. As he did, he saw that Typhon had returned to something resembling its original form. The cape was still on fire, and appeared to be neither in danger of going out, nor burning up entirely. More disturbingly, though the compounded jaws that had formed the grotesque main head had retracted, bringing the two separated portions of its original mask back together, the break from its transformation remained, giving Typhon's face a much wider mouth, with its rows of saber-like teeth more prominently displayed.

Kicking off the air, Ayumu launched himself towards Typhon, leading with a slash from his sword. Down below, Gin darted in as well, leaping from stone to stone, islands amidst the lake of molten rock Typhon was now standing in, before leaping up to strike at the monstrosity's stomach.

Once again, Typhon moved with speed that belied its incredibly bulk, its body blurring out of the way of Ayumu's slash. Ayumu found himself facing a barrage from the tentacle-like horns that sprouted from Typhon's head, the protrusions extending out to attack him with blinding speed. At the same time, it brought its leg up to counter Gin's slashing claws with a powerful kick. Once again, the greater mass and power behind its attack blew Gin away, while Ayumu twisted and spun to slip from between the blurring slashes of the horns.

Gin blurred towards the cavern floor, which was awash in the glowing flows of lava Typhon had just created. Reacting automatically, Gin turned his fall into a flip, extending his hands down into it. The scales protected his arms from being burned, even as the searing heat rising from the molten rock threatened to burn away his Aura, followed by his less-protected skin. Gin channeled his Aura out from his hands and into the lava, binding it together in the manner that Ayumu did, when he used the air itself as a platform for his lightened body. It was an easier task. Molten rock was far denser than air, or even water, giving Gin a firmer handhold to work with. Then, forcing his Aura out through his hands, he propelled himself out, and back into an upright position, using his weight to guide the angle of his jump to land on one of those islands of safety, amid the deadly lake.

Landing on his feet, Gin looked up to see that Typhon had raised its left hand towards him, even as its head was facing Ayumu and lashing out with its horns. Three fingers and the thumb curled inwards, leaving the index finger pointing at Gin. The dragon that formed that finger bent and curled its body sinuously, where it had been mimicking the joints of a human finger before, the coils of hits body separating out from where they wove into its hand. The Dragon's mouth opened and it unleashed another ray of fiery heat right at Gin.

There was no time to dodge. Gin threw up his hands to intercept the attack, channeling his Aura out through them to break the beam apart and separate it around his body, just as he had done in his fight with Viola. Fortunately, Typhon didn't try to keep up the onslaught for too long, breaking off the attack when it saw that Gin had mounted an effective defense.

Gin's arms throbbed as he lowered them, his body feeling hot, as though he'd been sunburned, even through his clothes. Despite fending off the direct power of the beam, its ambient heat was still enough to start reaching him through his Aura. If this kept up, they'd cook alive.

Sinking into another crouch, Gin pushed off, launching himself at Typhon once again. His Aura manifested around his body in winding, sinuous coils, running up to his right hand, which transformed into a roaring dragon's head. Typhon's eyes were focused on Ayumu, so it should have been caught off-guard by Gin's charge.

Except that Typhon dodged effortlessly, shifting away from the line of Gin's attack, all while his horns continued to stab out repeatedly at Ayumu. Gin found himself wondering if Typhon had something akin to the _Shingan_ , until he felt eyes on him. Glancing around, he saw gleaming red eyes looking out at him, from within the coiled bodies that made up the muscles of Typhon's limb. Gin realized his error. Typhon's current form might have been humanoid, but its true nature was that of a hydra. It had numerous different heads, each with its own senses. Combined together, Typhon likely had multiple lines of sight, covering its body from every angle, making it virtually impossible to catch it off-guard.

And, as Typhon once again showed, just because it was currently attacking Ayumu with its horns, it didn't mean it couldn't also counter him. That massive right-hand curled into a fist, and swung around at him, barreling at him with more force and mass than an oncoming train. In the air, Gin had no means to brace himself and, worse, had nothing to use as a platform to change his direction, having neither Ayumu nor Ruby's Semblances to help him dodge.

Despite that, his body did not give up. Gin gave in to his technique, swinging his body around, whirling his shoulder to channel all his strength out through his arm, where his Aura manifested as a dragon's head once again. This time, Gin hooked the strike around, swinging at Typhon's incoming fist in a downward direction. The two attacks clashed with a flare of silver light from Gin's Aura. The dragon-head ripped into the back of Typhon's "hand," throwing out a spray of red particles, like blood. At the same time, clashing against such a heavier mass allowed Gin to push himself up and out of the way of Typhon's punch, though his body was still buffeted by the shockwave of its passage.

Typhon roared in pain, throwing back its head, its horns flailing about wildly. Now that he was no longer under concerted attack, Ayumu kicked off the air, darting inwards, aiming his sword for the monster's throat. However, just being in pain didn't make Typhon's defense falter completely. The serpentine bodies of the dragons that made up its right arm unwound from each other, the separate dragons curling around to attack Ayumu from multiple directions with their fangs and claws.

Relaxing, Ayumu also surrendered to his technique, allowing it to take control. His body seemed to meld into the air itself, and he wound between the fangs and claws of the attacking dragons like an errant zephyr, passing through unscathed, finding himself right before Typhon's head. Typhon's jaws once again opened up in that two-side manner of theirs, extending out from within one another to try and swallow him whole.

Ayumu dipped beneath that massive bite, shooting below the stretching jaws, and slashing for Typhon's throat. Unfortunately, the attack shifted the profile of Typhon's entire head, so Ayumu instead wound up cutting into the underside of one of those projecting jaws, essentially cutting its chin. The Grimm's entire body was beginning to shift again, leaning forward, while the arms unraveled into their component heads, and still more heads emerged from within that body.

Kicking off the air, Ayumu escaped out to the side, slipping out away, only to find several of those heads orienting on him, their mouths opening and shining from within with radiant heat. Not too far away, knocked into a dizzying spin, Gin spun up into the air to find himself facing a similar predicament, with even less recourse to respond than Ayumu.

A bolt of crimson light pierced down from above. Typhon shifted its body at the last second to dodge a shot to whatever amounted to a Grimm's vitals in its body. However, it wasn't able to dodge the hit completely. Ruby's manifested bullet pierced through its back, punching through and out its chest. All of Typhon's heads roared and writhed in pain, their attack momentarily forgotten.

From the air above, Ruby shifted her weapon out of its rifle-mode, extending its wings once more, riding the shaft of Shining Rose down to snatch Gin from danger, carrying him towards the edge of the cavern, which had been opened up by the battle, buying them a little distance from all the heat. Ayumu likewise used the opening to get clear.

"Are you okay?" asked Gin, looking at Ruby worriedly. When he'd last saw her, she'd been fading fast, from the combined factors of overusing her Aura, and the uncontrolled burst of her Silver Eyes' power.

"I'll be okay," Ruby promised him. "But we need to take this thing down. We can't afford to let it stall us here. The White Fang is probably attacking now."

"This thing's a pretty tough customer though," said Gin, giving Typhon a wary look. The Grimm had recovered from the hit, and now its heads were on the move, looking for targets. Ayumu had wisely dipped out of sight, no doubt recharging his Aura. Figuring that this would be the best chance he had, Gin decided to do the same.

Ruby frowned. "We need to use my eyes," she said. "That's the best way. It'll let me put it down with one hit."

"That's gonna be tricky," said Gin, inhaling deeply and evenly as he spoke. "This thing isn't like the Dragon. It'll sense you trying to use your power, and attack. With as many heads as it has, I don't think we can properly distract it either."

"I know," said Ruby. "I think I have a way. But it's not going to be easy."

Gin put it together in his head. "You're going to do what you did in your match with Ayumu," he said. "But can you do that with the Silver Eyes?"

"I'll have to," said Ruby. "I think this is what Yu was aiming for, when he made this thing."

That was Yu's way after all. This had been the format of his other 'tests' after all; put his students in extreme situations, where their only hope was to push past their current limits...or die. Now Ruby would have to find it in her to fully surrender her consciousness and strike, not merely with her scythe, but with the mysterious power of her eyes, a power she _still_ didn't fully understand. She'd have to do it without preamble, without releasing any intent, nothing that their opponent could read and respond to.

The problem was that Ruby hadn't invested any real effort into training herself to use her eyes. Even after the battle with the Dragon, she'd focused on cultivating her technique and Semblance. There was no way she could use her Silver Eyes with the same unconscious ease she had her scythe. It just wasn't possible...or was it?

That was the realization Ruby had come to, the notion that Yu had been guiding her to a very particular conclusion. Ever since he had used the Creation of this Grimm to clue them in to the nature of the gods' gifts, Ruby had begun to think that, maybe, that had been what he wanted to test in this battle.

In this case, Ruby would have to utilize what she knew, her self-Knowledge, and use that to draw forth her ability with the same unconscious ease she did her scythe-techniques. If she could do that, then apply it to what she was already capable of, then they would have a winning move, right then and there.

Despite that, Ruby knew it wouldn't be easy. She'd dove down in order to help Gin and Ayumu, before they were overwhelmed. But now she needed a little more time, if only to come to a proper understanding of her power, and then put it to use. Normally, she would need months of continuous effort and training to come close to that kind of mastery. But, if she turned the power of Knowledge inward, towards herself, perhaps she could compress that process and build the understanding she needed over the course of this single battle. It would be a monumental feat, one that bordered on the impossible.

But Yu always seemed to demand that of them, which meant that the impossible wasn't such an impossibility after all. After all, if Ruby was already beginning to use her _Shingan_ and insight to build pictures of future events, to see and predict the actions of others, then looking inside herself, and discovering the true nature of her power, should have been relatively simple by comparison.

"Just buy me a little more time to set this up," she said to Gin.

Gin smiled, and raised his hand to gently stroke her cheek, retracting his claws, but leaving his scales out. "Just don't push yourself too much," he said.

"I'll do what I need to," said Ruby firmly.

Gin nodded, a certain degree of reservation in his expression. But he still turned away, and stepped out to face Typhon. One of its heads sighted him, and let out a roar. In eerie unison, most of the others began to orient his way, while a few of the others continued to scan the open cavern for the other two.

Gin launched himself out and into the open, jumping between the rocky footholds that dotted the pool of molten rock like islands. They were fewer now, Typhon's movements and thrashing about having sent flows of lava washing over some, completely erasing them. Still, there were enough for Gin to get close. But they limited his path of approach, leaving him few options for evasion.

From another part of the cavern, Ayumu took to the air. Even though he hadn't been a part of the conversation with Ruby, he sensed Gin's intent, and Ruby's resolution, piecing together what his role had to be. The two boys converged on Typhon once more.

* * *

 _Goddammit, Oz! I warned you! Time and again, I advised you to be ready for an attack. Now what do you have to show for it?_ Ironwood's expression was stony with rage as he stomped up the ramp of his transport. After all his expressing his concerns, his efforts to bolster Beacon's defenses, after being ignored and dismissed time and again, this was the result. It was everything he had feared would happen, and more.

The supposedly-safe Mountain Glenn had given rise to another monstrous Grimm, one never seen before. The result was severe damage to Vale's defenses, while the White Fang had taken advantage of the Grimm's emergence to launch and all-out attack with their remaining assets, which, if reports were accurate, included releasing Grimm into Beacon's campus itself.

Ironwood had seen enough. Boarding his transport, he curtly instructed the pilot to set a course for Beacon. He'd allowed Ozpin and the others to have their way for too long. They'd bowed to the ideas of children, ignoring the realities of their situation, and now they were facing an unprecedented catastrophe, one that could have been averted if they'd just _listened_ to him.

 _If no one else will do what's necessary, then I will,_ thought Ironwood. His forces had returned to Atlas, leaving him with only a small personal escort of knights. That wasn't enough power to turn that situation around. But he knew what _did_ have that power.

Amber, the Fall Maiden...she remained ensconced in the Vault beneath Beacon, while the holder of the stolen portion of her power slept under sedation. Cinder was due for execution this evening. But with a bloody sun rising over an embattled Kingdom, Ironwood knew they couldn't afford to wait for the scheduled time of Cinder's execution. They would have to take care of that, here and now.

But Ironwood would not take the chances that Ozpin and his allies seemed to think were always so necessary. There was too much uncertainty in simply killing Cinder, and seeing if her power actually returned to its original host. No, instead, Ironwood would do what they should have done from the beginning, and ensure that the Fall Maiden's power ended up where it was supposed to. As he came within sight of Beacon's buildings, Ironwood instructed his pilot to set down as close as he could to the school's infirmary wing. Meanwhile, he furiously typed into his scroll, telling Winter that she needed to get to Cinder's room, and secure her for transport.

 _From now on, we're doing things my way,_ thought Ironwood furiously.

* * *

"Well well, this is quite the impressive turn of affairs," said Watts, stepping out of his airship behind Pyrrha, the two of them watching as the White Fang bullheads deployed their Grimm passengers on the western end of the campus. "I wasn't expecting us to get such a fine opportunity after the Festival had passed."

Pyrrha frowned, listening to the distant sound of gunshots and explosions. Even though the majority of the students should have been sent to the damaged southeastern wall, it appeared that some had remained, and were now taking the fight to the Grimm, and whatever soldiers the White Fang had left. From what she knew, the White Fang had brought plenty of Grimm with them. But their soldiers were severely lacking. Their attack probably wouldn't last all that long.

"Yes, given how understaffed our allies are presently, our window of opportunity is small," said Watts. "We should move to secure Cinder." He opened up his scroll and tapped on it. "According to the surveillance footage I was able to access, she should be held in Beacon's infirmary, probably under sedation. I suspect that Ozpin and his allies know better than to allow her to regain consciousness, not when they can't be sure that a mere Aura-suppression collar will be enough to curtail the Fall Maiden's magic. However, if we can awaken her, I can set about using the data we've acquired to locate the Fall Maiden's position."

"So I should go secure her then," said Pyrrha.

"If you would be so kind, Ms. Nikos," said Watts, smiling indulgently at her.

Pyrrha moved to take a step forward, only to hesitate when the roar of a bullhead's engines reached their ears. She'd already heard the sound from the hovering White Fang transports in the distance, but these engines were sounding from much closer. She and Watts looked up as a bullhead, this one with the markings of Vale's police, swooped overhead, curving in on a tight path, before switching to its hover-configuration, and lowering into a landing.

Pyrrha tensed, snapping her arms out, and dropping into a crouch, her rebuilt weapons sliding into her hands. Behind her, Watts looked on with something approaching bemusement, which only grew as the engines quickly began to wind down.

Then the door to the passenger bay opened, revealing a pair of familiar faces.

"Mercury...Emerald?" Pyrrha canted her head, regarding the pair with confusion.

"Well well, it seems the two of you were more competent than I expected, if you managed an escape on your own," said Watts, somewhat dismissively.

"Halloooo!" called a voice from the cockpit. "Arthur, is that you out there?"

Watts' eyes widened in surprise and he sucked in a startled gasp. "It can't be!"

Pyrrha regarded Watts with confusion, then turned back to the bullhead, her own eyes widening in surprise as she took in the appearance of the woman who emerged. While Mercury and Emerald had apparently recovered their clothes, this woman remained dressed in her prison uniform. But _that_ wasn't what made her truly stand out. She was older, but there was no mistaking that pale complexion, those ice-blue eyes, that silvery hair. She could have been a ringer for an older Weiss Schnee, minus the scar.

"As I live and breathe, Whitney, is that you?" asked Watts, somewhat rhetorically, striding past Pyrrha without any further signs of concern, walking right up to the woman, who came to meet him, the two of them grasping hands, greeting one another like old friends.

"Arthur!" cheered Whitney. "I was somewhat doubtful, when those two told me you were here. I'm glad that they were honest with me." She and Watts exchanged friendly kisses to one another's cheeks in an old-school greeting.

"I must say, it's refreshing to see you once again," said Watts; Pyrrha, Mercury, and Emerald surprised to hear genuine happiness in his voice, not the condescending kind he usually reserved for the likes of Cinder and her disciples. "Things have been just so dull without you to lighten the mood."

"I'm glad to be back," said Whitney. "Oh, you simply must fill me in on what's been happening while I was out. Is dear Hazel _still_ such a stick in the mud?"

Watts chuckled. "As much as I would enjoy catching up with you, My Dear, we have more important things to worry about right now."

"Ah, yes, I suppose you _wouldn't_ be here to simply greet me," said Whitney with a small huff of resignation. "Then I guess I'll need you to fill me in promptly. I don't suppose you've packed one of my spare outfits in your lovely airship."

"Sadly no," said Watts. "However, I do make sure to always carry several bolts of Dust-impregnated cloth. I think you'll be able to make suitable use of that."

"That will do nicely," said Whitney. "I also suspect that you didn't bring along my precious partner."

"I can't say that I have," said Watts. "Although I can assure you that it has been well looked-after in your absence. You will be able to retrieve it, once we return, after our work here is complete."

Whitney sighed dramatically. "Oh well. I was hoping that I could finally feel her in my hands once more, after I left those pitiful props I used when I was in Team Brown behind. But a magician should always know how to work with whatever she has on hand. I'll make due. I'm sure you have a pack of cards available, right?"

"Always," said Watts with a fond chuckle. "In any case, to business."

He stepped past Whitney, who immediately made her way up the ramp into Watts airship, apparently knowing it well enough to get what she needed for herself. In the meantime, Watts looked to Emerald and Mercury.

"Well now, your surprising escape isn't so surprising anymore," he said, that familiar note of condescension returning to his voice. "Still, I imagine having the two of you back will prove useful in some capacity." He glanced down at Mercury's replacement prosthetics with a look that bordered on disgusted. "Still, we'll have to do something about you being so under-equipped, Mercury."

"I don't suppose you've got any spares, Doc," said Mercury, matching Watts' attitude with ease.

"I do not," said Watts, with an irritated snort. "Those legs of yours were truly one-of-a-kind creations. I put a great deal of effort into them, which makes it so galling that you allowed them to be cut off so easily, by that brat's scythe no less."

"No one told me that scythe would be so sharp," Mercury growled back.

"Excuses as always," said Watts dismissively. "I don't know why I'd expect anything _else_ from Cinder's posse. Well, it's a good thing I was planning an upgrade anyway. Seeing as you were so incompetent as to get your prosthetics cut off, I decided to burn the midnight oil to get them finished, though I hardly expected to get the chance to field them so soon. You should be thanking Whitney for being so helpful."

"Whatever," growled Mercury. "If you've got my new legs ready, then can we go ahead and get it over with? Anything that keeps me from having to put up with your attitude a little less-longer is good."

"As galling as it is to say, I'm in complete agreement," grumbled Watts, before turning his eyes to Emerald. "My dear Emerald, it would seem that you've managed to retrieve your own weapons. That's good. I didn't have the time to work on replacements, not with Mercury's new legs taking up so much of my time."

"Whatever," grumbled Emerald dismissively, though the edge Watts expected was missing from her voice. Instead, Emerald seemed...distracted.

Watts frowned, wondering just what was going through the young woman's head. Sadly, he didn't have time to worry about that. They had things that needed to be done, after all. Then a tone from his scroll drew his attention. Looking down, he noticed a signal from his hacked feeds into Beacon's surveillance cameras. His eyes widened in surprise as one of the people he had marked out as a person-of-interest appeared on the screen. General James Ironwood had set down, not too far away from the infirmary, where Cinder was being kept. What was more, he was heading there with a purposeful stride. Then, to his even greater surprise, the feed showed one Winter Schnee emerging from the infirmary, wheeling a medical gurney, with none other than Cinder resting upon it.

From what Watts could see, Cinder appeared to be unconscious, and he saw the telltale metal strip of an Aura-suppression collar around her neck. Winter and Ironwood came together, the two of them exchanging brief words, Winter's body-language indicating confusion and worry, while Ironwood's betrayed his barely restrained rage. He barked fierce orders to his subordinate, before turning and walking away, Winter falling in meekly behind him, pushing Cinder's gurney.

"Well well," said Watts, his smile widening. "What an interesting development." He looked up at Emerald, Mercury, and Pyrrha. "Let us get ready quickly, children. Unless I miss my guess, Ironwood might, foolishly, be doing our legwork for us, and bringing Cinder to the Fall Maiden directly. This is far too good an opportunity to miss."

* * *

 **And the battle continues. For some reason, it's kinda fun to write a villain who has a genuinely friendly relationship with Watts.**


	130. Chapter 130

**This chapter is being posted from the airport, where I'm waiting for my flight to Austin, and RTX 2019. To anyone else who's going, hope you all have a good time. Safe travels.**

 **Oh...and a Happy 4th of July to my American readers.**

* * *

 **Chapter 130:**

Typhon turned, its heads twisting and writhing to attack the two incoming boys. As it was immersed up to its ankles in melted rock, it was hard for Gin to find footholds to run from and to, which left him with one single, very large, foothold to make use of...Typhon's body itself.

In many ways, that was ideal. Slashing aside a lunging head, Gin used that head's wriggling body as a road to travel up towards Typhon's shoulder, which actually resembled another head, with the sinuous bodies emerging from its jaws, like some kind of twisting mass of prehensile tongues. Despite his confidence in using Typhon's body itself as a platform, Gin still had less space than he would have liked, as much of the beast's back was covered by that flaming cape it wore, which didn't seem to be in danger of burning out anytime soon.

But it was still better than the alternative. More importantly, in this close, Typhon's heads couldn't risk unleashing their breath-weapon against him, because they would then wind up striking the rest of its body. Typhon's sheer size became a liability as well, Gin becoming a very small target against a very large backdrop, with the bulk of that massive body impeding many of its heads from reaching his position.

Of course, even then, Typhon still had its horns. To Gin's impressed amazement, they whirled on him with near-perfect coordination. Standing on the monster's shoulder, he moved his arms in circular patterns, redirecting the force of the powerful, flexible weapons. But they almost immediately turned back towards him. It seemed that Typhon's control over these appendages was remarkably precise, as, even when Gin redirected their attacks to that end, they always seemed to curve away, before they could strike the Grimm's own body.

What was more, they always immediately curled back towards him, now attacking from new vectors. At the same time, Typhon was shifting its body, turning about in an effort to dislodge this stubborn mite from his perch. Gin couldn't afford to hold on to keep from being thrown off, as that would leave him open to an attack from the horns. So he jumped instead, leaping amid the horns, vaulting past them, and emerging from them to land atop the monster's main head, formed from those bizarre and grotesque compounded jaws. Gin landed on what he estimated to be either the second or third set of jaws from where they emerged from Typhon's main body.

Looking up, he saw several of Typhon's dragon heads rearing up, many sporting as many as four or six glowing, red eyes apiece, glaring down at him from multiple directions. Up above and behind, he could still see more heads lunging and striking at Ayumu, occasionally sending a beam of energy lancing out, trying to immolate him.

Ayumu dodged with the same graceful ease he always did, while trying his best to strike back. However, it already seemed that Typhon had learned to respect the edge of his sword, the dragon-heads lashing out at him, but never extending for too far for too long, pulling back to keep them out of reach of that fantastically sharp blade. Right now, it seemed they were more interested in harrying him than actually trying to kill him, with even its breath-weapon being used more to keep him off-balance, and on the move, than to immolate him.

At one point, he instead brought Green Destiny up, using its edge to split the beam around his body. The heads that had moved to flank and attack, in anticipation of his dodge, found themselves unprepared when Ayumu instead darted directly in towards the head that had fired at him, slashing Green Destiny in an arc that cut through the dragon's head, dead-center, along the length of the snout, essentially splitting it along the length of its body. Not leaving anything to chance, Ayumu closed in more, flying between the two splitting halves of the dragon's cranium, then sending Green Destiny into a circular sweep that took the whole thing off, slaying one of the larger dragons that emerged from somewhere along Typhon's left thigh.

Once again, Typhon's whole body lurched, and its heads screamed with pain. However, even as they screamed, at least three other heads lunged in at Ayumu on the attack, forcing him to dodge once again.

Meanwhile, Gin raked his claws along one of the set of jaws that formed the main head's "snout." A winding, silvery, sinuous body followed in the wake of his claws, the partial manifestation of his Aura biting deeply into Typhon's body. But, considering its size, it was little more than a scratch overall, a scratch that made the enormous Grimm all the more angry.

It responded in the most mind-boggling way possible. Ahead of Gin, the four, glowing eyes that shined from either side of the set of jaws that formed the base of Typhon's main head narrowed. Then the teeth from the set of jaws directly in front of Gin separated out, spreading wider, lurching forward, even as the set of jaws that formed his foothold was pulled back, Typhon pulling its jaws back into its...jaws, in an effort to swallow him whole...or at least impale him on those massive teeth.

Rather than try to escape, Gin charged forward, calling out more of his Aura, the firm image within his mind's eye becoming reality as the swirling, silver coils merged with his attacking right hand, which morphed into a dragon's head, which lunged forward. Gin rushed right past those teeth, as the jaws they were anchored too tried to close over him. But, with a roar, his attack tore right through that black layer of flesh, allowing him to push through, and escape farther up Typhon's head. From there, he continued forward, until he made it up to the top portion of the mask that formed Typhon's face, when it was in its humanoid form, his manifestation winding back around behind him, curling about to merge with his left hand, which he now stood poised to bring directly down on top of Typhon's main head.

Then the Grimm suddenly seemed to forget about Gin and Ayumu entirely. Up above, the dragon-heads that had been menacing Ayumu suddenly whipped around, their malicious gazes zeroing in on a different target entirely. In unison, their mouths opened to unleash blazing beams of concentrated heat that raked along the cavern floor, before reaching a wrecked portion of the wall.

Gin's attack was disrupted when the main body followed suit, spinning about so fast that Gin's foothold completely vanished from beneath him, leaving him hanging in midair, beginning to fall, just as the shoulder that was brought around by that sudden turn threatened to slam into him. Throwing out his hands, Gin sank his claws into the white, bone-mask that formed the face of that particular shoulder, hanging on for dear life, as just the sudden termination of the turn threatened to fling him across the cavern. Meanwhile, the main head added its own heat beam to the barrage, sending a wave of explosions, and a flood of molten rock spreading across the neighboring cavern, its ceiling quickly being ripped open by the wild attacks that raked across all angles of its interior.

Amidst all that, Gin could sense a familiar figure dodging for all she was worth. Ruby had been forced to take flight on Shining Rose once more, riding the shaft with all the speed and agility she could manage, dancing between those sweeping beams, flying away at an angle to try and escape the onslaught.

As Gin had feared, Typhon had sensed the power of the Silver Eyes, and responded immediately...and _overwhelmingly_. To the amazement of both Gin and Ayumu, Typhon abandoned its current position, its clawed feet throwing up waves of melted stone as it set off after Ruby, smashing through the remainder of the cavern wall that had already been opened up with its beams.

The fact that it had sensed and reacted to Ruby's impending attack was bad enough. But now it was pressing its own attack. Bundle of malice that it might have been, one thing was clear, this Grimm knew how to prioritize. It had sensed the threat of Ruby's Silver Eyes, and immediately marked her out as the one enemy it had to put down before anyone else. It was also either persistent enough not to be dissuaded, or smart enough to continue the offensive in an effort to deny Ruby any chance to find her balance, and unleash her attack.

Somehow, Gin and Ayumu had to stop it long enough to give Ruby the chance she needed to bring an end to this.

* * *

Ruby kicked down on Shining Rose's shaft with her lead foot, sending Shining Rose into a spin that allowed her to dance between a pair of beams scissoring towards her from opposite directions, drawing glowing lines along the wall beside her, before those walls erupted with smoke, flames, and chunks of superheated rock. All the while, she could feel the immense bulk of the Grimm behind her, surging after her, aiming to bring her down before she could even _think_ about attacking with the power of her Eyes.

While she'd been aware that this was a possibility, Ruby was still amazed by how fast Typhon had zeroed in on her and struck. There had been no hesitation, no confusion; it had just whipped around and blasted her with everything it had.

At the time, Ruby had been trying to understand how to bring out her power. In the past, her Silver Eyes had been triggered by fear, anxiety, and desperation. Against the Dragon, she'd shaped that desperation through intent, channeling all those feelings into the blade of her scythe, and striking. But if she was going to launch an attack that Typhon couldn't sense and react to, she needed to divorce the activation of that power from those emotions. She had to call the power from within her, just through will alone. She had to marry that power to her scythe, and attack in the same instant, all through the unconscious action that was born from completely voiding her mind of conscious thought, allowing instinct and technique to take over.

But it seemed that she needn't have bothered. Ruby had successfully entered that unconscious state. From there, she had begun to draw forth the power of her Eyes, feeling the pressure building up behind them. However, it seemed that Typhon could sense the power, irrespective of whether or not there was any intent behind it. Perhaps whatever it was about the power of the Silver Eyes that made it such an existential threat to the Grimm left them extra-sensitive to it. Ruby didn't exactly have the time or energy to ponder it. She was too busy keeping ahead of Typhon's continuous attack, the wings of Shining Rose flapping furiously to propel her through every turn and spin.

She couldn't keep this up for long. Flying on Shining Rose was still a trick with fairly poor mileage, compared to the rest of her techniques. But she couldn't manage the continuous control to keep slipping between Typhon's overlapping attacks just through regular uses of her Semblance. All she could do was cut down the energy she put into every dodge as much as possible. This constant barrage was leaving her with no time to stop and recharge, and, though she tried, Ruby found that she couldn't yet recharge on the move.

It didn't help that even her aborted attempt to call on the power of her Eyes had left her head throbbing, though the feeling had receded since she'd taken flight. In a way, it was reassuring, because the pain, along with the Typhon's sudden focus on her, made it clear that Ruby actually _had_ been about to invoke the Silver Eyes' power, and that she hadn't simply been imagining the pressure building behind her eyes. It also clued her into something _else_.

On top of Mount Glenn, Ruby had fortified herself with as much extra Aura as she could contain within her body. Considering that, the strain caused by the Silver Eyes shouldn't have been so pronounced, with all the extra Aura she'd been able to draw from. But the pain had come all the same. Rather, it seemed that Aura simply alleviated the strain caused by the eyes, but the pain itself didn't come from the Eyes draining her Aura. That meant that the power of the Silver Eyes was from a separate and independent source, which had both good and bad implications...ones that Ruby would have to worry about later.

At this rate, her only hope was that Gin and Ayumu could bring Typhon to a stop, if only for a second. From there, Ruby would have to simply take action, and attack. There were no more chances to prepare or practice. She would have to take everything she could do, and put it all together in order to bring this to an end. If she failed...she would die before she even realized it, she was sure. At least it would likely be quick. While Typhon's beams liquified stone on contact, turning the caverns into a smoldering inferno, the beams themselves gave off almost no ambient heat, an indicator that all that energy was being directed directly along the attack's path. A direct hit from one of those beams would in flash through her Aura, then incinerate her body in an instant. There would be no chance of survival.

Either Ruby succeeded, taking her techniques and abilities to the next level, or she'd be dead; just the way Master Yu _liked_ his scenarios.

She could sense Typhon closing in, charging with that incredible speed that belied its bulk. Gin clung to its shoulder with one hand, while he whirled his other arm through circular motions to redirect Typhon's horns, which continuously stabbed at him in an effort to dislodge him from his perch. It seemed that the Grimm's newfound focus on Ruby hadn't sapped its awareness of the threat Gin presented, so it continued to strike at him with its horns, even as its heads chased Ruby with their beams.

Ayumu, on the other hand, had disengaged entirely, rather than try to keep up with the racing abomination. Instead, he had launched himself off at an angle, skipping through the open air, his path angled towards another section of the cavern...the section Ruby _would_ reach if she continued her flight along her current course. He was aiming to use Ruby to bring Typhon to him.

The realization made Ruby smile. She could do that. Putting just a little extra power into Shining Rose's wings, she shot forward, several beams from Typhon's heads chasing her along the way.

Fighting and striking hadn't been the only things on Ayumu's mind, while he'd been fighting against Typhon. The whole while, he had extended his _Shingan_ to its fullest limits, drawing all the information he could about this Grimm, learning all the nuances of its behavior and actions. It was tricky business. It had been one thing to stand back and analyze the Dragon from a distance, and another entirely to examine Typhon while he was in the midst of battle with it.

As it turned out, examining the monster while fighting it had actually increased the pace that Ayumu gained information about it. Fighting enabled him to test its actions and reactions directly, and experiment with how Typhon responded, giving him a much clearer idea of what it could and couldn't do, much faster than he would have if he'd simply been standing back and observing from a distance. Because of that, he'd observed a limitation that he found to be particularly useful.

Typhon couldn't keep its heat-beams going continuously. Sooner or later, the head firing the beam would have to pause, then restart again. Of course, the fact that Typhon had so many heads meant that keeping up a continuous barrage was as simple as staggering the times at which individual heads unleashed their attacks, so that there were always several heads blazing away, while others paused. It was an important nuance, because any gap in any one head's attack meant openings that allowed the target to evade the other beams, something Ruby was unconsciously taking advantage of, even now.

But Ayumu's analysis had a different purpose. He was interested in one head, and one heat-beam in particular, the main head. The beam that issued forth from that set of jaws within jaws was the most powerful of the lot. But, it was also the head with the lowest degree of articulation, not able to turn with a fraction of the flexibility displayed by the other heads, perched on the end of serpentine bodies that extended well away from the main bulk of the Grimm's flesh. Besides ensuring that his course intersected with Ruby's, and that the Grimm would now be coming to him, Ayumu had something else in mind for that head.

Lightening his body, almost to the degree of complete weightlessness, Ayumu allowed himself to drift in the air, carried along by nothing more than his previous forward momentum, making himself hang in space. His timing had to be perfect. Ruby was now swooping towards him, Typhon's heat-beams chasing behind her. As they approached, the pressure waves generated by the explosions they created along the cavern wall buffeted him, threatening to send him tumbling away. So Ayumu made himself heavier, adjusting it so that, between his increasing weight and the waves of turbulence created by the explosions, he fell directly towards the point where he needed to be.

Everything came together. Precisely when he'd anticipated, the beam issuing forth from the jaws of the main head petered out. Those massive jaws closed. Ayumu sensed them convulse again, the Grimm building up more energy within that compound maw to fire its next attack. Then those jaws opened once again, white light welling up from deep down within Typhon's cavernous throat.

At that same instant, Ruby swooped across, directly in front of Ayumu, while his previous motions spun his body about to the correct orientation. Thus, when Ruby passed Ayumu, he appeared before Typhon, Green Destiny held across his body, the flat of the blade facing Typhon, with the first two fingers of Ayumu's left hand pressed gently against the opposite side of the blade, up near the tip.

The beam lanced out from Typhon's main set of jaws. If Ayumu failed, not even his ashes would remain. The beam struck out at him, hitting the flat of Ayumu's sword.

In that instant, the sounds of battle; Typhon's roars, the explosions, the crumbling sound of countless tons of stone collapsing; were all drowned out by the echoing ring of the Green Destiny.

A pale-green flash of Aura spread out from the beam's point of contact, like ripples on the surface of a lake. Typhon's beam instantly reversed course, blazing right back through the jaws that had fired it, punching directly through the Grimm's body, like a spear of pure heat. While Ayumu had reflected the beam from straight on, Typhon's head and jaws had been turning in their pursuit of Ruby, so the reflected attack didn't punch through along the line of its spine, instead emerging at an angle near its left hip. But it was a devastating blow all the same.

Abruptly, the constant barrage of beams ended, all of Typhon's heads spasming in agony, their wail making the stone around them quake.

Gin didn't miss his opportunity. Ayumu's reflection triggered a spasm that erupted throughout Typhon's entire body. Even the horns constantly stabbing and menacing him paused in their onslaught, their lengths writhing like the bodies of worms, jolted by an electric current. Gin allowed the upward lurch of the shoulder he was riding on throw him, planting a hand on the length of one of Typhon's extended horns, right as an undulation of pain ran down its length, allowing him to ride that up even farther.

From there, Gin put his body into a spin, calling forth all the extra Aura he could summon, sending it flowing out through his hand, and into the air ahead of it. The sinuous body, and fanged head of the dragon manifested once again, this time emerging ahead of his hand, rather than directly from it. His arc carried him between the dancing bodies of Typhon's spasming dragons, which took no notice of him, as he dropped in their midst.

Swinging downward, Gin launched his attack, sending the dragon's head and body flying away from his hand, punching right through the flaming cloak across Typhon's back, then tearing its way through the torso beneath, to erupt out from its chest. Between the pain, and the downward force of Gin's attack, Typhon was completely stopped in place. This was the best opportunity he and Ayumu could give Ruby. If she couldn't do this, then they were likely going to die in the next second, once Typhon went on the attack again.

From the second she'd crossed paths with Ayumu, Ruby knew what the boys were about to do. She didn't hesitate, changing the course of her flight, and flying straight for Typhon. As she did, she stopped thinking completely, allowing her mind to void itself of thought, her eyes closing. Not even thinking about it, she called forth her power, feeling the pressure build behind her eyes.

A quick flick of her feet allowed Ruby to kick Shining Rose up into her hands, the scythe's blade igniting and extending. When Ruby snapped her eyes back open, silver light blazed out from them, light that was immediately drawn up into the scythe's blade. Already, the head was tilting back, bringing the blade around to extend almost parallel from the shaft. With the power of her Silver Eyes flooding into it, the blade extended farther, its edge taking on a ruffled, jagged appearance, almost as though it were lined with feathers, like an immense wing.

Closing into striking distance of the immobilized Grimm, Ruby brought the scythe down in a single, powerful swing, striking true, and sending a crescent-shaped wave of silver flying through Typhon's body, splitting it in two vertically. The howls and wails of the Grimm's many heads terminated abruptly, the extensions of its body going stiff, then still, the gray effect of her eyes washing over its surface like a winter frost. Even as that happened, its body split along the line of Ruby's cut, the stone-like substance it had become flaking away into the air, the entire creature crumbling away into nothingness in the space of a few seconds.

But Ruby wasn't even cognizant of that. Her body, driven by her own forward momentum, pitched right between the disintegrating halves of Typhon's body, slowly beginning to fall downwards...towards a floor awash in flows of molten stone. Her head blazed with agony from the heaviest exertion of her mysterious power yet. While her Aura was now flushing through her body, trying to alleviate that pain, the fact remained that she was in no condition to stop her fall. As it was, the strain was enough to drive her completely to the edge of unconsciousness.

Gin jumped for her, right before his foothold on Typhon's back dissolved away, catching Ruby in his arms. His jump carried them towards the edge of the lake of melted rock, but not far enough. Ayumu glided in as well, resting his hand on Gin's back, and using his Semblance to lighten them to try and boost them farther.

Then Ruby inhaled abruptly. Even though she wasn't conscious of it, she automatically recharged. To the amazement of Gin and Ayumu, Ruby's recharge was quicker than they'd ever seen, pulling out an enormous amount of Aura from her wellspring in a single breath. Her eyes focused, and her entire body jolted, as though an electric current had been run through it. Releasing Shining Rose with her hands, Ruby extended its wings once more, turning her body in Gin's arms, rolling out of his grip, and onto the shaft of her weapon.

Keeping her hand on Gin's arm, she guided him to land, planting his feet on Shining Rose as well, while Ayumu alighted on the weapon's butt-end. Shining Rose's wings extended upwards, then swept downwards in a single, powerful stroke, launching all three of them towards the opening of the cavern ceiling, leaving a trail of petals behind them. While they flew, she felt Ayumu's Semblance go to work, lightening them to make it easier for Ruby to maintain their flight, until the crested the lip of the shattered ceiling, and got out over solid ground.

Shining Rose's wings retracted, Ruby pulling the weapon out from beneath herself, and her passengers. They dropped to the ground, landing on the paved remnants of an abandoned street, Gin going into a roll to bleed off his remaining momentum, coming into a stop in a low crouch, hands braced against the ground. Ruby landed next to him, planting Shining Rose's butt to help stay standing, while Ayumu touched down daintily, thanks to his Semblance.

Immediately, all three of them continued to recharge, drawing out as much Aura as they could to relieve the pain and fatigue of the previous battle. Typhon's continuous breath-weapon attacks had turned the cavern into an environment like the caldera of a volcano. The three of them were dehydrated, sporting light burns over their bodies, almost like sunburns. Their lungs ached from breathing the superheated air. Ruby had managed to recover, but her head was still throbbing from the heavy use of her Silver Eyes.

Despite that, there was no time to stand idle. Ruby reached into her pocket, fishing out her scroll. She was relieved to find it intact and working. It seemed that the latest models were fairly durable. She'd worried that her time amidst all that heat would have damaged it. Even though her scroll's range was longer than those issued by Beacon, Ruby knew that they weren't close enough to call Ozpin and assess the situation back there. Instead, she activated her scroll's beckon-call, the function that sent a signal to the bullhead that had brought them out.

A shadow rushed by overhead, prompting Ruby to glance up. A trio of Griffons had just passed over, winging their way over the crumbling face of Mt. Glenn, and making their way towards Vale. She swallowed, thinking about the broken section of the wall, and all the fear that must have resulted. Grimm were probably being drawn in from miles around.

Then another shadow passed by, a closer one. Fortunately, this was the bullhead. Its wings turned, orienting its engines downward, bringing the transport down in front of them, the passenger bay doors already opening. Ruby and the boys jumped aboard, before the transport dropped all the way to the ground. The pilot, noticing they'd come aboard, immediately throttled up the engines, lifting off again. Folding Shining Rose away, Ruby gripped a stanchion to steady herself. Taking another breath, she continued to recharge her Aura, before making her way to the cockpit.

"What's the situation?" she asked, seeing what remained of the buildings drop away through the canopy, while the pilot transitioned the engines to flight mode, prompting the bullhead to accelerate towards Vale.

"Grimm are attacking the entire perimeter," explained the pilot. "They're holding, except for that section that the big one wrecked. Fortunately, Beacon already sent Huntsmen and students there, and they're holding the line."

An orange glow illuminated the ship from below. Looking out, Ruby could see entire swaths of the forests that covered the ground between Mountain Glenn and Vale on fire, the consequence of those wild attacks by Typhon, before they'd managed to knock it underground.

"The problem is that the White Fang came from the north, out of the Emerald Forest," continued the pilot. "They did some damage to the walls there, but the majority of them headed right for Beacon. According to what I'm hearing, they've actually released a bunch of Grimm onto the campus."

Ruby felt her stomach squirm at the thought. The White Fang attacking Beacon was what she'd expected. But using Grimm as a weapon...

 _They_ are _allied with Salem. I shouldn't be so surprised by that._

Ruby closed her eyes, then took another deep breath. "Get us back to Beacon as quickly as you can," she said firmly.

"Are you sure?" asked the pilot, glancing back at her worriedly. "You've just been through a hell of a fight. I don't want to throw you out, right into the middle of another one."

"It's okay," said Ruby, giving him a confident smile. "We're fine."

"All right," said the pilot, still sounding a little dubious.

Heading back to the passenger bay, Ruby was already pulling out her scroll, and placing a call to her sister.

" _Ruby!_ " came Yang's voice from the other end. " _Thank God you're okay._ " There was a pause. " _You_ are _okay, aren't you?_ "

"Yeah," said Ruby smiling. "We're fine on this end. We're on our way back. What's the situation?"

She heard a roar, probably an Ursa, followed by a shout, accompanied by the sound of Yang's gauntlet firing. " _Oh, you know, White Fang releasing a bunch of Grimm on campus, the usual. Honestly, it's a mess over here._ "

Ruby frowned. "Is everyone else all right?"

" _I think so,_ " answered Yang, before pausing to bring an abrupt end to a Beowolf's howl. " _We kinda split up to cover more ground. The Grimm are spreading willy-nilly across the place, so we've had to spread out to corral them all._ "

 _I don't like the sound of that,_ thought Ruby worriedly. She would have rather that they'd stayed together. Spreading them thinner was likely part of the enemy's strategy. There were no signs yet, but she was willing to bet that Watts and Pyrrha were on the move as well. Still, the Grimm _had_ to be stopped, or they'd wreck Beacon.

"We'll be there soon, Yang," said Ruby firmly. "Try and hold down the fort."

" _Will do,_ " Yang promised.

Ruby hung up, closing her eyes. Automatically, her hand reached out to close on Gin's. Her thoughts went out to her friends, and she prayed silently that they would all make it through this.

* * *

Yu observed his students leaving from the peak of Mt. Glenn, his grin only growing wider after the destruction of his Grimm. _Gold star to Ruby,_ he thought proudly. He began to chuckle, turning towards Vale and Beacon, his sightless eyes following the bullhead on its path. _Those kids are getting there. In the past few months, they've just been shooting ahead like crazy._

When he had first begun to train Ayumu and Gin, he had been able to map out their futures, foreseeing the outcome of every single one of their battles. He knew _exactly_ how to tailor the situation to ensure that they emerged from it, learning what he needed them to. He Knew them, inside and out, knowing their Choice, in turn Knowing how to make them Choose. Using that, he'd guided them along the path to power.

But, with each step forward they took, more possibilities appeared. Before, where there had only been one outcome, the one Yu had Chosen for them, multiple ones would appear. After meeting Ruby and coming to Beacon, their growth had accelerated dramatically. Mapping out their futures, trying to predict how they would Choose, or use their Knowledge, Yu perceived countless potential futures for his students, all of them hazy and uncertain.

 _They're beginning to grow beyond my ability to predict,_ he thought.

That was good. It was the sign that they were beginning to awaken to the Gifts of mankind. They'd already begun to scratch the surface of Knowledge, using what their senses gathered from their environment and those around them, and building a picture of Choice, the two coming together to open a window to the future, a window that allowed his students to, in turn, act upon the Knowledge they gained, and steer the future in a different direction entirely.

 _It's still just the barest beginnings,_ thought Yu, his grin widening. _But they're getting there. I'm honestly getting chills thinking about what they'll be capable of, if they get through this. I haven't had this much excitement in decades. It's not on the level of being in the midst of all that uncertainty myself, but it's the next best thing._

Folding his arms, Yu's grin grew painfully wide. "Now then, show me what you brats can do. Give me a picture of the future that I never even saw coming."

* * *

Yang's punch utterly pulverized the skull of a Creep, blowing the Grimm's body onto its back, where it quickly began to disintegrate. Another one lunged at Yang from the side, but she snapped her arm out, backhanding it across the side of the head, knocking its fangs aside, and checking its rush, giving her the opening she needed to turn around, and punch it in the side of its chest, the fiery bolt of Ember Celica blasting through it. The Creep staggered, then collapsed.

Yang frowned, taking a moment to look around. She was inside the west annex, making her way down hallways that ran between classrooms. The White Fang couldn't have packed too many Grimm into those bullheads of theirs, or too dangerous ones for that matter. But they'd spread out across the campus as soon as they'd been released, turning the task of rooting them out into a frustrating and protracted one.

She couldn't help but wonder what their goal was. Yeah, releasing a bunch of Grimm onto Beacon's grounds was bound to cause a fair bit of damage, particularly with the majority of the students and staff away, holding the breach. But Yang and her friends could bring this level of threat under control quickly enough, before anything more than light damage was done. The only ones under threat here were the regular staff, composed of people who didn't have their Auras unlocked. But Ozpin had already instructed them to take shelter. Given what she knew about the shelter locations, Yang figured that the Grimm weren't swarming that way in any particular hurry. If anything, they seemed to be wandering rather aimlessly, not inclined to do much without their primary prey there to stoke their ire.

Considering that, it seemed that the White Fang's plan was a pitifully pointless one. Given what Blake had told them about Adam Taurus, Yang couldn't see a guy like that being satisfied with such a low level of damage. A guy like that would want to finish things off with a _bang_.

Closing her eyes, Yang took a moment to listen to the noises around her. They were muffled by the building's walls, but she could hear the distant crack of Blake's pistol, the subdued chattering of Ren's guns, and the low explosions of Nora's grenades. She also heard a distant shout that had to be Jaune. Everyone was doing well so far, which only made Yang worry all the more about when the other shoe was going to drop.

As it turned out, she needn't have waited too long. She was passing the door to a classroom, when she jolted. She couldn't peg it to any one cue. All Yang was able to process was that she was in danger. It seemed that her own training was beginning to pay off in ways she hadn't expected. It wasn't anything approaching the _Shingan_ that Ruby and the boys had, but Yang was definitely beginning to expand her situational awareness.

So, when the doorway exploded into splinters, a white-hot bolt punching through it, Yang had already jumped back, escaping the surprise attack completely. She landed in a defensive stance, arms raised and ready for whatever came after.

"Crap!"

The hairs on Yang's neck stood up at the sound of that harsh exclamation. The voice was certainly familiar, but not as familiar as she'd expected. This didn't belong to Emerald, Mercury, or anyone else Yang had pegged as a member of Cinder's crew. This was someone else, someone she'd seen before, and a voice she'd only heard at a distance.

Sure enough, a familiar figure stepped through the ruined doorway. Yang's eyes took in those rippling muscles, beneath the sleeveless top that exposed a significant portion of the man's chest, those dreadlocks, and the camouflage pattern across his top and pants. Finally, her gaze came to rest on the rounded plates of those silver gauntlets that covered the man's forearms. "You!"

Lorcan Argyris grinned ferociously, his eyes fixating on Yang. "You're a quick one," he said.

"What the hell are you doing!?" demanded Yang. "We've got Grimm all over the campus, and a breach at the walls! Why are you attacking me?"

Lorcan grinned ferociously. "A little bird offered us a pretty pile of lien to take out a few idiots," he said. "I'm always up for an interesting squabble. But I've been itching to fight you in particular, ever since I saw you in the ring. I don't want people to think they can get away with cribbing my style."

"Yeah right!" snapped Yang, pointing at him. "If anyone, _you're_ the one copying _me_ , jackass! And who are you calling an idiot? You've got the smallest brain of anyone here!"

Lorcan's grin transformed into an angry grimace. He slammed his gauntleted fists together, the loud clang they produced echoing through the building. "Fine! Let's just see who's the bigger idiot...and the copier here!"

* * *

Ren ducked a Beowolf's claws, dodging right in between its arms, then jumping up, slashing the blade of his left-hand StormFlower straight up the center of the monster's chest, before slashing right through its head from below. The Grimm toppled over backwards, and, without missing a beat, Ren turned and unleashed a series of shots that brought down another one that had been trying to pounce on him from behind.

He currently stood amidst the ruined remains of a classroom. Rows of conjoined desks had been smashed to splinters by heavy bodies charging through them, or being thrown into them. The lectern at the front had been utterly crushed. There was a gaping hole where the door had been, the point the Grimm had broken in through.

That Beowolf had been the last of three Ren had encountered in this room. He'd been hunting Grimm throughout this entire building. They weren't too numerous, or dangerous, but it was annoying to have to track them down like this. Seeing that he was alone, he took a moment to take a breather, and collect himself.

Then the wall at the back and top of the room smashed inwards, the bulk of an angry Ursa plowing through with a loud roar. Ren immediately turned to face it, raising his guns and opening fire. The shots raked across the Ursa's body, making it jolt and spasm. However, to Ren's surprise, the Ursa didn't fall. Instead, it proceeded down the rows of desks, smashing right through a few that had been intact previously.

Something was off, though. The Ursa's movements were jolting, spasmodic even, as though it was still being blasted away by Ren's guns. Its movements were uneven, completely lacking in proper coordination. Ren might have even compared it to a toddler taking his first steps. Then, halfway between them, the Ursa's body disintegrated mid-stride, making Ren wonder if his shots had killed it after all...or if it had been dead even before it had entered the room.

The light from above caught on something, glinting slightly. Ren's eyes widened. _Wires!_

Those wires retracted back towards the hole the Ursa had opened in the wall, a dark, unmistakably human figure emerging from it. Ren's eyes now narrowed. He recognized the loose, black outfit, and that head of pale-blonde hair. "Irving Yamashita," he said warily.

Irving smiled indulgently. "Fascinating, isn't it. It would appear that Grimm have something approximating the nervous system that ordinary lifeforms possess, something that can be stimulated and manipulated by electricity." He paused, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Still, electricity from Dust inflicts too much damage on its own, even if I keep the voltage low. Between that and your guns, the poor thing didn't last long."

"What do you want?" asked Ren, somewhat rhetorically. He already had a fairly good idea.

First, there was the fact that Irving was here, instead of reinforcing the breach with the other students and teachers. Second, there was a malicious gleam in his eye that told Ren Irving wasn't here to help fight of the Grimm and the White Fang.

"You could call it a mission of sorts," said Irving, slowly making his way down the steps from the back of the classroom.

"Why are you doing this?" asked Ren.

"Well, it's supposed to be a secret," said Irving. "But Lorcan is probably spouting off to the first person he came across. You'll all be dead, so I suppose there's no harm in letting you in on the reason why."

Irving's smile took on a definitively cruel quality, lips pulling back into a sneer. "However, from my perspective, it's far more artistic to keep you in the dark. The confusion in your mind, suffering and dying, all while wondering why, and never finding out; I think it's a truly splendid embellishment on the tapestry I weave of your demise."

Ren raised StormFlower, leveling the barrels at Irving. Irving raised his own arms, the dust-chambers on either end of wire-spools around his wrists turning and clicking with menacing purpose.

* * *

Blake froze, the claws of an Alpha Beowolf punching right through her chest. However, before the Grimm had a chance to savor its success, Blake's body turned into ebony shadow and vanished. A heavy, straight-edged blade cut through the Alpha's neck, the bladed sheath of Gambol Shroud cleaving through effortlessly. In the air above the now decapitated Alpha, Blake completed the horizontal spin she'd used to put extra power behind her swing, almost seeming to drift weightlessly for a second, before dropping down. Behind her, the Alpha's body slumped to the ground, and began to dissolve.

Frowning darkly, Blake's amber eyes twitched one way, then the other, the cat-ears atop her head likewise moving, trying to track all the different sources of sound from around the campus. Her fight had led her over by Beacon's dining hall, where she'd found the Alpha Beowolf smashing the windows from the outside. A brief battle had ensued, with Blake bringing down the Grimm with a minor effort. She'd definitely faced worse.

She was about to set off to look for her next target, when she froze in place. A tingle ran down Blake's spine, making her feel as though she was being jabbed with icy needles. A shiver ran from the top of her head, down to the tips of her toes. There was no one thing that set her off, just an eerie sense of impression, the feeling that she was in the presence of someone familiar, a familiar person who just so happened to be inside the dining hall.

Jumping through the broken window, Blake landed between the tables in a crouch. Rising up, she looked around for the source of the uneasy feeling. She didn't need to look for long, as the sound of slow clapping drew her eyes towards the doors that led out into the courtyard.

Blake's mouth went dry at the sight of the young man before her. There stood Adam, looking as he always did, clad in his black overcoat and pants. His short, red hair standing out starkly against his skin, two horns emerging above his forehead, curving upwards and back. Then, there was the mask, that white Grimm mask. Thinking back, Blake had a hard time picturing him without his mask. In many ways, that monstrous mask had _become_ Adam's face. What truly made her stomach squirm, however, was the smile Adam wore. It was a smile of smug triumph, tinged with malice.

"Adam..." said Blake.

"Hello, my love," said Adam, his address sending another uneasy shiver down Blake's spine. "We've found each other once more. And, this time, I won't let you go."

* * *

The bullhead had barely begun to decelerate, before the pilot switched to its hover-configuration, allowing its forward momentum to carry it over the landing pad of Beacon's docks, turning the ship to the side in the process in an artful display of his skills. The passenger bay door opened before it even came to a stop, displaying a picture of Beacon under siege, several streams of smoke rising up from the buildings around the central tower, all backlit by the light of the rising sun.

Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu wasted no time, jumping out of the airship and heading for the rest of the school at a run. Their awareness spread around them, providing them with a clearer picture of what was going on. The dark presence of several Grimm lurked at the edges of their senses.

Ruby came to a stop, the boys stopping with her. Standing still for a moment, Ruby drew her senses back inwards, closing her eyes. Then, suddenly opening them again, she projected them outward with an added burst of her Aura, creating a tangible force that both Gin and Ayumu were able to feel with their bodies, as much as their own Auras, Ruby's action carrying her senses outwards in a powerful pulse, almost like a burst from radar. It only lasted all of a second. But in that second, Ruby was able to get an idea of almost everything going on at Beacon.

Gin and Ayumu were slightly distracted, marveling at Ruby's inventiveness. It had never occurred to them to try and forcefully project their senses outward in that manner. It certainly was a useful skill, albeit one that required a moment's preparation, during which the user was unable to sense what was going on in their vicinity, so it wasn't a move that Ruby would want to use if she didn't have allies to cover for her.

What knowledge Ruby had gained was...troubling. There was a lot going on, which made it unclear where their intervention was needed. She'd located nearly all the Grimm. But, what worried her more was the presence of several people who _shouldn't_ have been there at all. First, she could sense Emerald, and Pyrrha, heading into the campus from the northern side. Then she sensed the rest of their friends, spread out across the campus. The problem was that they were being confronted by people Ruby hadn't been expecting. The remaining three members of BRYL were here, and they had nothing but the worst of intentions.

Then there was the bundle of dark, intense malice that stood before Blake. She could sense that malice entwined with a twisted form of love and possessiveness. She'd be willing to bet that it was the infamous Adam Taurus that Blake had warned them all about, the one that Qrow had almost brought down in the sting on the White Fang hideouts. He was facing Blake...and Blake was terrified.

But there were things that bothered Ruby even more. First, she sensed Ironwood and Winter, along with an unconscious Cinder. They were near the base of the tower, presumably bringing Cinder there. For what reasons, Ruby couldn't be sure. However, it gave her an uneasy feeling.

And then there were two other presences, presences unlike any other that Ruby had sensed. Their Auras blazed brightly before her senses. They radiated calm and control, the composure of absolute confidence, two people who were exceptionally strong, and knew it...but weren't arrogant about it. What was more, in that brief instant of contact that had brought them to Ruby's attention, she had gotten _their_ attention as well. _Those must be the Shimizu twins,_ she thought. They were near the tower as well, apparently making their way there.

And Ruby could sense Penny and Ciel almost directly in their path.

"Where do you want us?" asked Gin, looking to Ruby.

"Blake's in the dining hall," said Ruby, looking to Gin. "Go help her."

"Right," said Gin.

Ruby turned to Ayumu next. "Can you get to Beacon Tower? Try to link up with Ciel and Penny. I think that Jaune and Nora might be close to them as well."

Ayumu nodded. "I'll get right on it."

Ruby, for her part, resolved to go help Ren first, then go after Pyrrha and Emerald. She didn't know what they were up to, but she wouldn't let them roam unchecked.

"I'm afraid that the three of you won't be going anywhere," said a familiar voice that practically dripped with arrogance, coming from directly in front of them.

Before them stood the effeminate, garishly-dressed Reynard Redhawk, his visible right eye shining with cruel intent, lips curled back in a disgusting grin. "I'll be having you stop right here."

* * *

 **The matches are set, and here we go...**

 **I've been looking forward to putting the other three members of BRYL into action again. Liu shouldn't get to have all the fun.**

 **So, this was written a few months back, before the most recent chapters of _One Punch Man_. So guess we can say that poor Typhon never got to reveal his final form...not that I have any idea how I would've incorporated that anyway. This is a Grimm, so it's nowhere near the same level as the monster I drew inspiration from. Probably better this way though.**


	131. Chapter 131

**Chapter 131:**

"Now then...how exactly to deal with you three," mused Reynard idly, stroking his chin. "So many different ways..."

Ruby exchanged looks with Gin and Ayumu. The three of them shrugged, then proceeded forward.

"Careful now," said Reynard, raising his right hand towards them.

Ruby and Ayumu burst into motion at once, their bodies blurring past Reynard on either side of him. He caught flickers of green and red at the edges of his vision. Then Gin charged him head-on. Reynard turned his hand towards Gin, only for the concealed dart-launcher, with its Dust-tipped ammunition, to come tumbling out from inside his sleeve, while the concealed spikes in his collar dropped off.

Reynard had no shortage of other cunning devices concealed on him. But Gin gave him no opportunity to use them, slamming both hands into Reynard's abdomen, the image of a silvery, serpentine body coiling around them to flow in conjunction with their movement. A powerful shockwave blasted Reynard off his feet, slamming him onto his back. Gin rushed in, hovering over Reynard, then driving his hand down into the man's sternum, the force of the blow crushing the ground beneath the effeminate man. Gin pulled his hand back, then repeated the blow...three more times, until Reynard's Aura broke with a loud crackling sound.

"D-damn you!" he wheezed, struggling to even breathe after that hit.

"Whoever set your matchups picked the worst possible opponents for you," was all Gin said, before he set off as well.

Reynard was left laying in the crater Gin had embedded him in, a strangled whine forcing its way out from between his lips.

* * *

A Beowolf jerked, its body riddled by gunshots, before it dropped to the ground. Ciel lowered her rifle with a soft exhalation, keeping the barrel pointed down, but ready to bring it up to her shoulder and fire at a moment's notice. Turning her head, she surveyed the scene.

Penny had just finished cutting down a Creep with a slash of her wired swords, bringing them back up to hover just behind her shoulders, Penny also looked around for signs of their next target. The two had found themselves between a pair of buildings ringing the courtyard, with Beacon Tower rising up from the center of it. Of the group, they were the ones who had stayed closest to their starting point, remaining close to the tower base. However, following some of the Grimm and bringing them down had drawn them off a little.

"It looks like that's all the Grimm around here," said Penny, looking around warily.

"For now," agreed Ciel. The White Fang couldn't have brought all that many Grimm with them. There wasn't much likelihood of more Grimm swarming the campus either, at the moment. With the fear coming from Vale, all the Grimm would be drawn there instead, which was nothing if not a mixed blessing.

"Hey!" called Jaune, emerging from within a building. He approached them at a jog. "Everything all right out here?"

"Everything is going splendidly," said Penny as brightly as ever, apparently not even really bothered by the fact that Grimm were running amuck on Beacon's campus. "We appear to have accounted for all the Grimm in this area."

"Great," said Jaune.

Ciel noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Whipping her head around, she readied herself to attack, bringing Vasilisa up to her shoulder in preparation to fire, only to stop when she saw a pair of familiar figures crossing the courtyard, heading for the base of Beacon Tower. _General Ironwood...Specialist Schnee...?_ Even stranger was that Winter was pushing a hospital gurney ahead of her, someone laying atop it.

That didn't make any sense. Ciel wondered if she should say anything. After what Ironwood had done, and tried to do, Ciel couldn't help but view any action he took with suspicion. More worryingly, he and Winter were doing what they were doing while Beacon and Vale were under attack, instead of fighting alongside the other defenders. It just didn't make sense for them, their actions so incomprehensible that Ciel was unable to even feel anger at their not protecting the people.

"Hi there!" Nora's cheerful shout drew Ciel's attention back to her friends, Nora dropping down from a second-story window to land beside them. "What's happening?"

"Nothing much for now," said Jaune.

"The General is doing something odd, though," said Ciel, turning to look back at the pair heading for Beacon Tower's lobby.

"Huh?" Jaune, Nora, and Penny all moved to take a look for themselves. "Who's on the bed?" Nora wondered.

There was a barely audible whirring sound from Penny's eyes. Ciel looked over and saw Penny's irises rotating about her pupils, which contracted and dilated in small increments for a couple seconds. "It appears to be Cinder Fall, one of the tournament competitors from Haven Academy."

"Cinder!" exclaimed Jaune, both his and Nora's eyes going wide. "Why is Ironwood taking _her_ to the tower?"

Ciel and Penny gave Jaune and Nora confused looks, their expressions reminding the other pair that Ciel and Penny weren't aware of Cinder's true allegiance, and what she had _almost_ done through the tournament.

Unfortunately, explanations would have to wait until later. Jaune and Nora abruptly stiffened, a sense of imminent danger settling over them like a heavy, smothering blanket. It uncomfortably reminded them of their experience with Yu Yuen, near Mountain Glenn, back after he'd awakened the Dragon, when he'd nearly crushed them with the force of his Aura alone. This feeling didn't even compare to the magnitude of Yu's presence. But it carried that same unsettling sense of threat.

They whirled about to face the source of that feeling, finding themselves facing a man and a woman. They were dressed oddly, wearing white robes of some sort. The man's robe was cut to expose his left shoulder and arm. Over their shoulders, they wore what appeared to be burnt-orange shawls, with the man's extending into a sleeve that completely covered his right arm and hand, while his otherwise-bare left arm had a pair of leather straps of some kind wrapping around it, extending down to wrap around the palm of his hand as well, dotted by blue gems. Intense blue eyes were framed by a head of curling orange hair, his expression stern and serious.

The woman's garb was more symmetrical, with her shawl draped over the space between her shoulders and neck. The sleeves of her robe appeared to be fitted around strange accessories, overlapping plates that started with pearlescent hemispheres mounted at her shoulders, before extending down to her elbows. Her hands were closed around two sections of a length of broad cloth that extended behind and above her. She was nothing short of beautiful, long locks of black hair extending down her back, framing ivory skin and violet eyes. Her face was set in a composed, serene smile that practically radiated benevolence.

"Oh," said the woman, the pair pausing a short distance from the larger group.

Jaune, Nora, Ciel, and Penny all tensed warily, not recognizing these newcomers. They looked too old to be students, and weren't any teachers that they recognized either, to say nothing of the fact that the teachers and the other students should have all been out, defending the breach. That suggested that these two belonged to the only other group that was on Beacon's grounds at this time...the White Fang.

"Was it them?" asked the man, glancing at the woman.

"No," said the woman, still regarding the quartet of students with a warm smile. "These ones are quite formidable in their own right, but they aren't the source. I suspect the point of origin is closer to where we originally arrived."

 _What are they talking about?_ Jaune wondered.

"I know them," declared Penny firmly, after a second's hesitation.

"You've met them?" asked Nora, almost looking to Penny on impulse, but struck with the feeling that she shouldn't be taking her eyes off these people.

"No," said Penny. "But I have access to several databases. These two are key members of the White Fang; Naia and Nereus Shimizu. They serve directly under Sienna Khan."

"So Blake was right," muttered Jaune warily, raising his shield and sword.

Naia raised a hand towards them, keeping her cloth pinched by her thumb against the base of her index finger, but otherwise making no other movement, the gesture slow and deliberate. "Please do not act rashly," she said, her tone a dead ringer for Ayumu's default one, pleasant and polite, carrying not an iota of malice. "We have no desire to spill blood."

"What are you doing here?" asked Ciel, keeping her gun barrel oriented down. Something in her instincts was telling her that actually aiming at this pair might well lead to stepping over a final threshold that would lead to unpleasant consequences...if not fatal ones.

"We have personal business in the tower behind you," said Nereus. "If you allow us to pass peacefully, no one need come to harm."

"You say that," growled Jaune. "But you arrived alongside several bullheads'-worth of Grimm. That says a heck of a lot about your intentions."

Naia's smile flattened out, not quite becoming a frown, but her expression becoming more sober. "Well, I can't deny it," she said. "Nor do I have any wish to justify or excuse this. Even if this was at Adam's impetus, we allowed him to go through with it. So we have no appropriate answer to that."

Then her expression hardened noticeably, her lips beginning to curve down into the barest beginnings of a frown. "However, we have things that we have come to do, and we shall carry out our tasks. I do not wish to inflict bloodshed, if I can avoid it. However, if it is a choice between that and doing what we came here for...I'm afraid that our goals hold priority."

Jaune swallowed, Nora and Ciel tensing along with him. They could feel the stone-cold conviction in the woman's words. What was more, her words reminded Jaune and Nora of what Ruby had once said about her own convictions. This woman would not make excuses about killing "if necessary." She fully admitted that she would _choose_ to kill, if they put her in a position where that was the only way to see through her objectives. They got a similar sense from the man.

The more they dealt with this strange pair, the more Jaune and Nora were struck by a feeling of familiarity. These two exuded a similar sense of power and will to Ayumu, Gin, and Ruby. But these twins felt even _more_ dangerous. Their presence pressing down like a heavy weight, making the students balk at the mere thought of fighting them.

"Either stand, or move," said Nereus firmly. "You need to make a decision."

"I apologize," said Naia, her face and voice completely sincere. "We don't wish to rush you. However, we only have so much time to get this done."

"What do you want?" asked Jaune.

"You know better than to think we would explain that to an enemy," said Nereus.

Jaune, Nora, and Ciel exchanged nervous looks, getting a very distinct feeling that this pair was well out of their league. Even if Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu were present, they still had the feeling that the trio wouldn't measure up to these White Fang elites.

But that sense of caution wasn't being properly felt by one of them. "If you're here as White Fang, then you need to be stopped!" shouted Penny, running forward, directing her swords ahead of herself, sending them flying for the pair.

"Penny! Wait!" shouted Jaune desperately.

Ciel's first impulse was to do the same. However, if Penny was going to attack regardless, then she needed to give her partner support. Raising her rifle to her shoulder, Ciel opened fire, sending controlled bursts of shots flying past Penny at the twins.

Naia released her hold on the cloth she carried with her right hand, swinging her left hand to bring its length flowing around and into the air in front of her and Nereus. The fluttering length of fabric didn't look very strong at all, yet all of Penny's swords were diverted off of it, while Ciel's bullets struck against it ineffectually, the cloth showing the strength of an impregnable barrier of solid metal.

Penny focused on Naia, leaping up into the air, while drawing her swords back towards herself, sending them whirling around her body, before she directed them in a slash as she descended. Naia simply transferred the end of her cloth from her left hand to her right, sweeping it around to intercept the edges of the incoming swords, their movements almost parallel to each other, deflecting Penny's slash away from her body.

Reaching up, Penny grasped the handles of two of her swords, one in each hand. She closed in, swinging with all her incredible robotic strength. Yet Naia continued to work her cloth deftly, diverting the swings of Penny's blades with effortless ease. However, even as Penny tried to cut her down, two formations of three swords rose up overhead, transforming into their gun-modes, the trios forming two revolving formations, with green spheres of energy forming in the center.

Naia skipped back away from Penny, a swing of her arm sending the cloth sweeping up over and above her, just as the guns fired, sending two bolts of green energy lancing down. They struck the length of cloth...and simply bent around it, their trajectories curving to explode against the ground a short distance away. Penny froze, utterly shocked by the completely unexpected nature of Naia's defense.

Naia merely smiled, her expression as congenial as Ayumu's, carrying no hint of malice, or even condescension. "You are quite the remarkable girl," she said, meeting Penny's eyes. "I've encountered many Atlesian androids over the years, yet you are the first I have met to have, not only an Aura, but a fully-developed sense of self."

Penny's jaw dropped. She wasn't the only one. Jaune, Nora, and Ciel were amazed as well.

"You can tell?" asked Ciel warily.

Naia's smile widened a fraction. "Once you learn how to extend your awareness beyond that of just your sight, you can tell a great deal. After all, flesh and blood has a very different feel, compared to a metal chassis. I do not know how someone like you came to be, young lady, but your existence is a remarkable occurrence...bordering on miraculous."

Reaching out, Naia took hold of her cloth with both hands once again, allowing it to drift out in the air behind her, hovering over and behind her head like a flowing, bending archway. Then she bent her right arm so that her forearm was now extending across her chest. Her expression grew serious again, and she regarded Penny with a gaze every bit as intense and stern as her brother's. "Knowing this, I would be saddened at the thought of bringing an end to such a miracle as yourself. Please stand down. If I strike out at you, your death is all but a certainty."

"No holding back, huh?" said Nora sarcastically.

To Nora's surprise, Naia turned her head slightly to look in Nora's direction. She was smiling again...but her smile looked...sad. "I'm afraid that holding back is impossible for me. It isn't a matter of intent or inclination...it is merely physically impossible for me to restrain my blows. That is why I wish to refrain from attacking as much as possible."

"Mine is not as powerful as hers," added Nereus. "But it is similar. Permanent injury is almost certain, even with your Aura."

Naia's gaze returned to Penny. "Now that I've informed you, if you try to attack me again, I will attack in turn...and that will be the end of it. Please stand down."

 _Is she serious?_ wondered Ciel warily. _It could be a bluff. So far, she's only fought defensively. She hasn't attacked at all. It could be that she_ can't _attack._

But that didn't seem likely, especially not when she considered who these two were. The Shimizu Twins, called the Shrimps for some reason, were two of the most-wanted members of the White Fang, even more than Adam Taurus, and only behind Sienna Khan herself. Two people didn't get that kind of reputation without presenting a serious threat.

"I don't think she's bluffing," said Jaune warily, remembering that these were the two who had put Qrow in the infirmary with such severe injuries...and he'd only survived by the skin of his teeth.

Ciel bit the inside of her lip, wondering what to do. She wanted to call Penny back, to tell her to stand down. But these two were members of the White Fang, and almost undoubtedly up to no good. She and Penny, along with JNAR and RUBY, were the only ones up at Beacon right now, and the two teams were each at least one member short. There was no telling when, or if, reinforcements might come, or if they could come in time to stop the Shimizu Twins from doing what they had set out to do. They had a duty...

Unfortunately, Penny made her own decision. Tightening her grip on her swords, Penny brought her other blades back, transforming them into their gun-modes, and arranging them in cylindrical formations off to either side of her waist. Jets of green energy lanced out, propelling Penny across the ground, and sending her barreling for Naia, even as she raised her handheld swords to attack.

"Penny, don't!" Jaune knew his shout had come too late.

"I see..." said Naia softly, speaking mostly to herself. "Then..."

Penny put an extra surge into the energy propelling her, lifting her body up and off the ground, allowing her to descend towards Naia from above, both swords swinging downwards.

Naia held up her right arm, keeping her forearm folded across her chest, waiting patiently for Penny to get closer. Right as Penny closed to within arm's reach, Naia struck.

There was a loud bang, almost like a gunshot, but deeper. The lower third of Penny's torso, and everything below it, vanished, exploding into pieces, the metal components of her body turning into shrapnel that shred its way through her clothes and artificial skin, so that it looked as though the lower half of Penny's body had completely disintegrated. Penny herself was blown backwards, a few wires trailing and sparking from the gap below her chest.

Penny's hands released their grip on her swords, which fell away to clatter to the ground. A few seconds later, her body followed suit, bouncing once, then laying still. Her eyes quivered, then went dark.

"...farewell," finished Naia, her expression full of sorrow.

* * *

The wall exploded outwards, bursts of orange and light white dancing between the two fighters as they traded furious blows. Lorcan and Yang landed on the ground outside the building they'd just exploded out of, separating for a few brief seconds, before charging back together, exchanging another barrage of punches, punctuated by the occasional kick.

Yang led with a fierce jab, but found her punch glancing off the curved plates that formed to top of Lorcan's gauntlets. Lorcan's block knocked her punch out to the side. He stepped in, throwing a punch with his opposite hand. Yang shifted her head to dodge, feeling the searing heat of his gauntlet's shot just barely missing her face. Unfortunately, doing so left her open to the knee Lorcan drove into her stomach.

Yang's breath exploded from her lungs in a gasp, her body leaning forward. Grinning ferociously, Lorcan pulled the hand he'd just punched at her with back, using it to grab Yang's head from behind, then pulled down, raising his leg again so that he now drove her face into his knee.

Releasing Yang, Lorcan allowed her to go reeling back from the hit, before snapping his foot out, kicking her in the stomach, and throwing her onto her back. Yang bounced, turning her fall into a roll that brought her back to her feet. Punching out behind her, she used the recoil of her guns to reverse her momentum and charge at Lorcan again. She unleashed a barrage of punches at him, but Lorcan's gauntlets moved deftly, effortlessly deflecting her every punch, all her shots flying wide of the mark.

Yang swung with a powerful, right-handed punch. Lorcan blocked by bringing his own right arm across his body, punching her arm from the side with his gauntlet to knock Yang's blow off-course. Then he continued the movement, going into a spin that allowed him to step in close to Yang again, this time bringing up his left arm to slam that gauntlet into the side of her head. Yang was knocked sprawling.

"This is fun!" shouted Lorcan, grinning like a maniac. "I just can't get enough of idiots like you, thinking you can match me."

Yang grimaced, then forced herself to her feet. She was grateful her opponent was so arrogant that he'd be willing to give her all the time she needed to get her wind back. _Those gauntlets of his are no joke though,_ she thought. At first, she had assumed that Lorcan's style was similar enough to her own that she'd be able to break through. But, despite the superficial similarities, he was a very different kind of fighter.

Those gauntlets of his were a powerful defensive weapon, first and foremost. Their curved surfaces, and the skill with which he wielded them, made it almost impossible for her to land a hit against him. Still, all the hits she was taking were powering up her Semblance. Even if he beat her to the edge of defeat, she could still make a comeback...

 _No! You should know better than that,_ Yang berated herself. That was the old her, the one who'd been thoroughly schooled in her limits by Gin...and even more thoroughly schooled in her _potential_. More importantly, she'd seen Lorcan fight before. She knew that his Semblance worked similarly to her own. Even if she managed to flip the tables and start laying into him with her own Semblance, that would lead to him activating his own, and, as the one who'd played her trump card first, Yang would lose out.

 _Come on, you can do this,_ she thought, settling back into her stance, raising her hands in preparation to fight. _After all, your usual sparring partner is way better than this loser._ In her mind's eye, she imagined someone else standing before her, someone shorter, and with a slighter build than Lorcan, yet someone she held in infinitely higher esteem.

"Oh! So you'll play some more!" shouted Lorcan. "Good!"

"I'm not playing," replied Yang, a confident smirk on her face. "I've got work to do, and you're in the way. I've got too much on my plate to waste time and energy on a meathead like you."

That was all it took to take the wind from Lorcan's sails. "You sure are full of it, for someone who's been getting hammered until now."

Yang merely narrowed her eyes, then charged forward. Lorcan matched her, the two of them coming together once more. Again, Yang punched out, and Lorcan intercepted her attack with his gauntlet. He drove forward, swinging his elbow in an arc at her head. But Yang snapped her own arm up to block. In her peripheral vision, she saw Lorcan's leg come up, so she disengaged, hopping back to get distance, before punching down, using the recoil to launch her body into a spin that allowed her to bring her leg down in a kick. Lorcan intercepted the kick with a high-block, swinging his other arm in an uppercut. Yang punched down to meet it, this time aiming for the gauntlet directly, firing a shot from Ember Celica. The hit was still deflected, but Lorcan's arm was deflected as well. In the process, Yang twisted her body around, then drove the boot of her other foot right into Lorcan's face.

With a yell of surprise and pain, Lorcan was driven back. Yang used the kick to push off into another flip, then charged in again, coming at Lorcan from straight ahead, her right fist cocked back to deliver a heavy punch, aiming straight for his chest. Lorcan glared at her, then crossed his arms in front of his chest, preparing to intercept and deflect the heavy blow.

Except, when it came, it was a lot heavier than he had been expecting. Yang's hair shimmered and glowed, fiery motes trailing out of it. The force of her punch was several-times stronger than what Lorcan had been expecting. The previous hit he'd taken left him in a bad position to deflect it, so it instead slammed his arms back against his chest, blowing him off his feet. The recoil of his muscles pulled his arms out to the side, and Yang didn't miss the opening. Diving right in, she laid into Lorcan with her favorite Rolling Combo, stepping into each punch, and sequentially slamming Lorcan's face with hits from the right and left.

Finally, Yang finished with an uppercut, blowing Lorcan off his feet. The muscular man howled, landing on his back hard. He glared up at Yang, only for his eyes to widen when he saw that she had taken to the air, descending towards him with her right fist raised, ready to deliver a punch that would likely take him out right then and there.

Swinging his arms up and over his head, Lorcan fired his guns down at the ground, using the recoil to fling himself upright, and throw himself into a forward flip that carried him out of the way, just as Yang slammed down with the force of a meteor, the shockwave of her attack sending out a ripple across the ground that nearly knocked Lorcan off his feet again.

"Dammit, woman!" he snapped. "I let you get back up!"

"That's because you're a sick freak who likes toying with people he thinks are weaker than him," countered Yang with a smirk, standing upright and taking her stance again. "I respect my opponents enough to take them seriously, no matter what shape they might be in."

"You've got a lot of nerve," growled Lorcan. "You just got lucky with that last hit. I won't let you land another one."

"Yeah right," scoffed Yang. "I know how you work now, jerk. Your gauntlets aren't going to be able to keep my hits from landing." She grinned. "I'm used to a better sparring partner than you. If he were here, he'd probably tell me off for taking this long to figure you out. He's at least twenty levels above you, which puts me at ten."

"You sure like to run your mouth," growled Lorcan. "Fine then, after I put you in the ground, I'll find this idiot you respect so much, then take my sweet time taking him apart."

"Not likely," said Yang. "You're going down here!"

They charged at each other once again, engaging in a ferocious exchange of blows. This time, Lorcan was shocked to see that Yang was keeping up with his counters, seeing his attacks coming, and deflecting them. She then followed through with hits that found their way through the openings left by his offense to land more blows against his body.

He threw up his arm to block a punch, but Yang read ahead, subtly changing the course of her blow to slide her fist past, and land a hit directly on his face. Reeling back, Lorcan snapped a heavy-booted foot out in a kick, but Yang swung her other arm down in a low block. Then, before Lorcan could even think about bringing his foot back down, she dropped, and swung one leg out in a sweep, taking his supporting leg out from under him. Surging out of her crouch, she stepped in while rising up, putting all her strength into a punch that caught the falling man in the side of the chest, blasting him into the air.

Lorcan managed to recover in midair, punching out and firing his gauntlets, sending white bolts flashing towards Yang, who charged after him with swift sidesteps that allowed her to evade his shots so that, when Lorcan landed again, she was already closing in, launching another Rolling Combo, slamming his head back and forth repeatedly.

Despite the fact that she was turning the tables, Yang only felt a growing sense of danger, her instincts and knowledge warning her that her hits were only empowering Lorcan's Semblance. He was bound to activate it when the power was at its peak, when he was at the very edge of defeat, and her confidence in her victory was surging, making her awareness lax. She knew it...because, not so long ago, she would have done the exact same thing.

Sure enough, she felt it coming, seeing Lorcan's eyes narrow, and his anger reach its zenith. She put a little extra power into her next punch, bleeding a little energy from her Semblance to blow him back away from her. As his feet slid across the ground, Lorcan howled, then slammed his gauntlets together. Silver light blazed out from his body briefly. His skin took on a grey, metallic sheen, only slightly duller in color than that of his gauntlets. Yang knew, without even touching it, that Lorcan's skin might as well be steel.

It was a potent Semblance, to be sure. By hardening his body, Lorcan ensured that any hits he landed were extra painful. What was more, Yang was fairly certain that his Semblance augmented his physical strength as well. Their Semblances were similar in nature, but also inverted. Yang's allowed her power to explode outward, while Lorcan's condensed inward. Hers fully enhanced her offense, his solidified and weaponized his defense.

" _Now_ I've got you!" roared Lorcan, surging forward. "See if you've got what it takes to beat me now! I'll bet you break your fist on my face!"

To his surprise, Yang grinned. _Checkmate!_ she silently exclaimed in her mind. "If that's what you want, then get ready, meathead."

Stepping forward, Yang executed the technique she'd spent the weeks since their mission in Brandywine honing, stepping down hard, her foot actually crushing the ground beneath her tread. The kinetic energy traveled through her body like a wave, each set of muscles adding to it, sending that power flowing out through her shoulder, and down her arm. At the same time, she shunted all the remaining accumulated power of her Semblance into the move, merging it with the force of her punch, throwing everything she had into this one blow, which she sent barreling right for Lorcan's chest.

Lorcan's expression changed, his mouth opening slightly, his eyes going wide. At the last second, he felt the danger he was in. But he was too late to do anything. He was wide open as Yang's punch slammed home, dead-center. The sound of Ember Celica's shot was deafening, a bolt of pure golden energy slamming into, then through Lorcan, exploding out his back in a powerful shockwave that shattered the ground along its path, creating a trail of destruction directly behind the man.

Lorcan was thrown back, his eyes open, but unseeing, and his lips open in a silent scream. The metallic sheen of his skin began to peel, like aging paint, flaking off into the air in glowing, silvery motes, his Semblance and Aura both dissipating. He landed with a crunch of stone, and lay limp.

Yang stood over Lorcan, panting hard. "Gotcha," she said, managing a grin.

"Y-y-you tricked me..." gasped Lorcan, barely able to form words.

"If you wanna call it that," said Yang dismissively. She crouched down beside him, resting a finger on his forehead. "You're _predictable_ , buddy. I knew that, once you activated your Semblance, you'd throw caution to the winds, 'cause you know you're pretty much unbreakable like that. That's when I'd hit you with everything I had. I'd punch right through that Semblance, and get you when you aren't even thinking about defense."

Lorcan grimaced. "Y-you knew...what I-I'd do?"

"Yep," said Yang, grinning. "I saw your fight in the team match, so it wasn't hard to see how you used your trump card. Once I saw that, I figured out exactly how to handle you. It wasn't even that hard. You need to think more carefully about how you use that Semblance of yours. Like my favorite sparring partner says; a technique that loses its effectiveness, just because the other person knows how it works, isn't even worth calling a technique."

"I'll make you r-regret thisss..." Lorcan's voice trailed off in a tired hiss as he succumbed to his injuries slumping into unconsciousness.

Yang straightened up, looking down at her opponent. From what she could see, she might have broken a few of his ribs, but not severely enough that they posed a threat to his lungs or heart. He'd be laid out for a while, that was for sure.

Looking around, she took in her situation. The sounds of battle around campus were tapering off, but hadn't abated entirely. Straining her ears over the sound of gunshots, she couldn't hear any signs of Grimm. But she knew better than to assume that they'd been wiped out already. She looked down at Lorcan again. As much as she detested this guy, there was no way she could leave him lying in the open, where a passing Creep could savage him at will.

With a sigh, Yang bent down, then grabbed the straps over Lorcan's shoulders, dragging him across the ground, back into the building their fight had carried them out of, right through the hole they'd made. There, she laid him between the rows of desks in the empty classroom.

Standing up after her work, Yang wiped her forehead, finding that she was still breathing hard. She also felt faint. Her limbs felt heavy. There were several parts of her body, particularly her head and stomach, that were throbbing from the hits she'd taken. She'd won, and handily at that. But Lorcan had still managed to get his licks in. On top of that, though she'd been good at focusing her Semblance's power, she'd still drained her stamina. She definitely wasn't at the top of her game.

Frowning, Yang weighed her options for a moment. She could still fight. But she figured the drop in her ability was likely to make her a liability, more than an asset. She was already feeling clumsy and uncoordinated. Part of her wanted to just drop down, right then and there, and pass out. But Yang knew she couldn't do that.

Instead, she decided to rely on something she now realized she should have put more practice in. Going onto the floor of the classroom, right in front of the lectern, Yang sank down onto her knees, and closed her eyes. She began to breathe deeply, envisioning her Aura as the smoldering embers of a dying fire. The breath she inhaled, little by little, began to breathe life into those embers once more, as she recharged.

* * *

Blake dashed forward, swinging her katana. Adam deflected the swing with his own sword, making the move look both careless and effortless. Blake followed through with a swing of the bladed sheath, but Adam turned his own sheath, and pulled the trigger, firing a shot that deflected the line of her swing over his head. Stepping forward, he picked up his left leg, then snapped it out in a side-kick that caught Blake right in the stomach, flinging her back.

"This is the best you can do?" scoffed Adam, his lips pulled back in a disappointed sneer. "As I expected, Blake, running away, giving into your cowardice...it's only made you _rot_."

Blake cocked her right arm back, her katana folding over into its sickle-form. With a shout, she hurtled it at Adam. He didn't even bother to take a proper stance, easily deflecting the thrown weapon by raising Blush, bouncing the blade off its side. Blake whirled the sickle around on its ribbon, sending it flashing in from Adam's right. But he merely batted it away with Wilt.

While she was swinging her sickle, Blake was closing in to attack with her sheath. But Adam read her easily, knocking away another whirling swing of the sickle, before lashing out with his sword, cutting through Blake's shoulder, his slash passing down and out through her waist.

But that Blake dissolved into blackness, revealing itself to be nothing more than a shadow. Despite that, Adam didn't falter. He took a step back, then thrust back with his sheath, driving Blush's back end right into Blake's sternum, sending her flying away with a gasp of pain. She landed on one of the dining hall tables, breaking it in two.

"You've become pathetic, my love," said Adam, his tone equal parts affectionate...and menacing. "You've spent so much time with these humans, playing at being a student, that you've allowed it to eat away at the edge of your skill. You once fought with conviction, with a desire for _justice_.

"Don't you remember? You and I were supposed to ignite the flames of revolution! We were going to tear down the world that oppressed our people, and raise up a new one! We were going to deliver justice to the human scum that have tried so hard to keep us down!"

"That wasn't what I wanted at all!" protested Blake. "I want equality! I want peace!"

"What you want is _impossible!_ " Adam countered, his lips pulling back to bare his teeth. "Even if it were, the humans don't _deserve_ peace! They deserve to lie at our feet, broken and bloody, just as they've made us lie at theirs for so long! They deserve to grovel and lick at our boots!"

He began to stalk towards her again, sliding his sword back into its sheath. "You ran because you lacked the spine to do what was necessary." He began to smile, but there was no benevolence in that expression. "But you can't escape, my love. I will find you, no matter where you go. In the end, you belong to me. If you flee, I will pursue. I will expose your every hideaway, destroy your every refuge...and kill anyone who stands between us. I will have you, one way or another."

Glaring at him, Blake raised Gambol shroud, firing her pistol. But Adam merely drew his sword partway from his sheath, using that to block the bullets, As they did, the sword flashed with each impact. When Blake ran out of shots, Adam slid his sword back into place. Getting closer, he kicked Blake's extended wrist, knocking her weapon out of her grasp, and sending it clattering away. Blake could have easily recovered it by pulling on the ribbon, but Adam didn't give her the chance, swinging Blush to slam its end into the side of her head, knocking Blake sprawling again.

Adam slowly drew his sword again, before reversing his grip on it. Standing above Blake's prone form, he raised it, pointing Wilt down at Blake's abdomen. "It hurts me to do this to you, my love," said Adam sadly. "But I will have to teach you the price of betrayal." With that, he drove the blade down.

With a loud grating sound, Adam's sword halted, its tip less than an inch away from Blake's skin. A clawed hand, covered in silver scales, had closed around the blade, not minding the edge in the slightest, the tight grip halting Adam's thrust completely.

"You're better than this, Blake," admonished a calm, yet terse voice.

Gin stepped forward, slamming his right hand into Adam's stomach, driving his claws deep into the man's Aura. At the same time, he channeled his own Aura into the blow, a flashing afterimage of a serpentine body flowing in the wake of his strike. At the same time, he pulled on Adam's sword, keeping Adam from being knocked away. While Adam was still reeling from the hit he'd just taken, Gin released his hold on the sword, and slashed with the claws of his left hand, tracing a series of parallel silver lines across Adam's chest. Finally, he followed through by bringing his arms back around in a circling motion, the image of a dragon's sinuous, coiling body curling behind him, then spiraling around both of Gin's arms as he brought his hands together, then took one last step, driving both palms, and his claws, into Adam's body, just below his ribcage, blasting him backwards across the dining hall. Adam let out a howl of pain, his body plowing into, and smashing through, several tables, before slamming into a pillar with enough force to shatter it.

For a second, Adam was obscured by the dust raised by the collapsing pillar. Gin straightened up, then offered a hand to Blake, helping her to her feet.

"Gin," said Blake, her voice breathy with relief.

Gin smirked at her. "I know you're nowhere _near_ that sloppy," he said. "You're letting your fear of this asshole get the better of you."

Despite his admonishment, Blake instead sniffled, then threw her arms around his shoulders, pulling Gin into a relieved hug. "Thank you," she said softly.

His smirk softening into one of his rare, genuine smiles, Gin returned the hug, retracting his claws, but leaving his scales out.

Then a harsh laugh rang out, coming from the mess that had been caused by Adam's slamming into the pillar. The man himself rose up out of the settling dust, looking a little battered, but hardly debilitated in any meaningful fashion, despite the serious hits he'd just taken. Despite having just been blown across the dining hall, Adam was grinning.

"Marvelous!" he crowed. "I never imagined that you would bring my other quarry to me, my love."

Blake and Gin let go of each other, Gin moving forward to stand slightly in front of Blake. "Wow, I've read stories about crazy exes, but this guy takes the cake," smirking again, he glanced back at Blake. "I guess reality is creepier than fiction sometimes."

"Sometimes," admitted Blake, a small smile slipping in, despite her fear of the man before them.

"You like to talk a great deal, beast," said Adam, still wearing a smirk of his own. "But that isn't needed. I will quickly _break_ you of such bad habits."

Gin sighed, running his hand through his hair, behind his head. "Here we go again," he said. "I'll admit that I'm more talkative than I used to be, probably more than is good for me. But could you spare me the posturing speech about how you'll 'break me' and 'bring me to heel' and all that jazz. I've got better things to do than listen to some deluded moron's staggeringly hypocritical monologue."

Adam growled, the sound low and dark. _I do not know what made the Shrimps so defensive about this boy, but this is too valuable an opportunity to pass up. Once I have a fully-trained dragon-faunus on my side, they won't be much of a threat_ anyway. Out loud, he said, "I can understand you not being able to comprehend me. But I shall mold you into the ultimate tool for justice."

To his surprise, Gin snorted, holding back a laugh. Finally, he turned his head and spat to out a harsh, brief laugh to the side. "That's rich," he scoffed. "You...talking about justice?"

Adam's smirk became an angry frown.

Gin met his gaze. "You want to know the truth about your justice, Adam Taurus? It's a farce."

"What?" growled Adam.

Gin began to walk towards him. "Your justice is hollow, empty, practically nonexistent. You only pay lip-service to the concept, using it as a justification for your desire to spill as much blood as you possibly can. That sword in your hand makes you dangerous, but you're still no better than a bratty child throwing a tantrum. At the end of the day, you don't care _what_ you're fighting for, or who you kill, so long as you get to spill some blood. You don't want to fight for what's _right_ , you just want an enemy for the sake of being able to make them _hurt_."

"You're a talkative monster," growled Adam, his hold on his weapons tightening to the point that they were trembling in his grip. "Once I subdue you, I will make you regret talking to me like that."

"You can't subdue me," replied Gin. "You don't have it in you. Besides, I'm _not_ your opponent."

"What?" asked Adam, his tone confused, which was echoed by Blake a fraction of a second later.

" _You_ fight him," said Gin, looking to Blake.

"M-me...but..." Blake's body began to tremble once more, and she turned to look at the man she had once fled from.

"You need to," said Gin. "Ever since you realized he'd be coming for you, you've been building him up in your head as something more than what he really is. Part of that is just how things were between you two. He put a lot of time and energy into making you feel small and weak, so that he could control you. Now that fear is eating into your skill, making it so that you can't fight at even half your full ability. I know you can do better than that."

Blake swallowed, looking at Adam once more. The thought of facing him again had always seemed so much easier in abstract, though it remained frightening. But standing before him, feeling his presence, being struck by him...it was all so much more frightening, far worse than facing down any Grimm.

"You're not some damsel who needs rescuing or protecting," Gin assured her. "You're a Huntress, right? Your fear of this jerk is the real obstacle here. Overcome that, and you'll be able to move forward."

Drawing in a sharp breath, Blake nodded. Now she realized what Gin was doing. Sure, he could fight this battle for her, take down Adam, and save the day. But, if Blake allowed Gin to do that, then she was still letting Adam control her, and deep down, no matter what happened today, he would always hold control over a part of her. If she wanted to truly free herself from him, then she needed to face down her own fears, and deal with them herself. And there was no better way to do that than to fight Adam with her own hands.

A rueful smile spread across her face. "Your Master is a bad influence," she said to Gin.

Gin merely chuckled and shrugged. "What can I say? When he's right, he's right." Then his expression softened, and he gave her another of his rare, genuine smiles, the kind normally reserved for Ruby. "But, remember, I'm _not_ Master Yu."

It took Blake a few seconds to realize what Gin meant. Gin wasn't some heartless teacher, who only cared about pushing his students to improve, while holding no care for whether they lived or died. If it had been Yu in Gin's place, he would have left Blake to her own fate, even if that meant she died at Adam's hand, instead of triumphing. But Gin was her friend, which meant, if things truly looked bad, he would have her back.

That realization filled Blake with sufficient confidence that she felt she really might be able to face Adam after all.

"You ready?" asked Gin.

Blake took a deep breath, allowing it to wash away the trembling in her body, caused by her fear. Breathing out, she tried to let her fear escape, along with the air from her lungs. It wasn't completely successful, but it certainly wasn't as it had been before, with her feelings threatening to swamp her entirely. She looked across the dining hall at Adam, who'd sheathed his sword, now facing her, baring his teeth. She took her stance, sliding her right foot ahead of her, raising her katana in her right hand, while she held the sheath up in her left. "Yes," she said.

"Then go get him," said Gin, folding his arms and standing back.

* * *

 **Poor Reynard drew the short straw. Well...it's kinda hard to feel sorry for the jerk.**

 **Poor Penny though...I get the feeling I'm gonna catch some flack for that. Oh well...**

 **As for Blake vs. Adam, I remember reading the comments in the video section, when that portion of Volume 3 came out, with people complaining that Blake didn't put up a proper fight. But it's been established that Adam and Blake were in an abusive relationship, and it's obvious that Adam conditioned Blake to not fight against him, and made it a point to make her feel weak and powerless in comparison to him. So it's only natural that Blake wouldn't be able to fight at her best.**

 **And then Volume 6 came out, and we got to see what Adam can _really_ do. Holy Shit! Granted, it doesn't necessarily mean he was at that level, back during Volume 3, which was several months earlier, which is kinda the interpretation I'm going with, since he doesn't come off near that strong in his fights in this story (these fight scenes having been written before those particular episodes came out). So I'm going to operate under the assumption that he did some level-grinding in the meantime.**


	132. Chapter 132

**Chapter 132:**

Ren jumped, going into a cartwheeling flip, his body spinning gracefully between the wires that Irving whipped out at him. At the same time, he leveled StormFlower at the other boy, unleashing a blizzard of shots at him. Irving had swung his right arm out, sending those five wires to attack. Now, with his left, he swept upward, bringing those wires whipping up, trailing lines of turquoise color, which merged together, forming a shield that caught Ren's shots easily.

Landing on his feet, Ren dropped into a crouch, then pushed off with his legs, charging forward at Irving. Irving's response was to wheel his arms in circular motions, flicking his fingers, while the Dust-chambers on either end of the spools rapidly clicked and shifted. The wires themselves whipped through the air with remarkable speed, weaving themselves together in a spiderweb-like barrier in front of Ren, checking his rush, lest he charge right into them and snare himself. He raised his guns again, planning to fire through the gaps between the wires, only to find that his arms and, indeed, his entire body, felt as though they had been transformed into lead.

Looking up, Ren saw that Irving had woven a second array, stretching across the ceiling, strands of his wires stretching out to bridge the gaps between the corners and angles where the walls met, making Ren feel as though he'd just stepped into the midst of some giant spider's lair. The array above him glowed with black energy, with dark-purple highlights, creating a gravity field that was now pinning him down.

Irving's fingers continued to blur, with movements that were almost like he was typing on a keyboard, though he also turned his wrists, continuing to weave his wires into evermore complex patterns, establishing new arrays on the walls on either side of Ren, which glowed with orange and red light, building heat.

Rather than fight the weight of Irving's gravity field, Ren instead allowed his body to succumb to it, dropping all the way down to the floor. Fierby bolts of energy erupted out from the two wall-mounted arrays, crossing above Ren, who felt their searing heat, even though he'd missed being hit directly. Rolling onto his back, Ren put everything he had into lifting his arms, and aiming his guns. Rather than trying to shoot at Irving, or the arrays he had created, Ren instead targeted the points where the wires had been anchored into the walls, blowing them out, causing the wires to go slack. Their formations disrupted, the arrays collapsed, their energy dispersing without Irving's weave to hold them in place and direct their energy.

Still smiling, Irving whipped his arms out to his sides, the spools on his wrists whining as they pulled the wires back, tearing them free of their remaining anchor-points, the sudden retraction causing the wires to pull in towards where Ren had been lying, threatening to wrap around him and bind him completely. They closed with a force that was almost explosive, ripping up chunks of floor, and pulling down sections of the walls and ceiling, throwing up a cloud of dust that obscured Ren's form entirely.

Irving knew that he hadn't hit. He would have felt if his wires had caught on Ren's body. But there was no resistance, which meant that they had closed around nothing more than empty air. Fully retracting them, he also channeled a little wind-Dust through them, creating a breeze that dispersed the dust, only to find that Ren had vanished entirely.

Abruptly, Irving's reflexes told him he was in danger. He felt the approaching bullets, before he heard or saw them. He dodged forward, ducking most of them, though one of the shots clipped his shoulder, jolting him. Ren's bullets weren't especially powerful, so the damage of a single lucky hit was largely negligible. Coming back up to his feet, he could feel an attack approaching from behind. This time, he wasn't able to dodge as Ren's blades slashed across his back, though Irving managed to mitigate the damage by throwing himself forward. Coming out of another roll, he saw Ren, before the colors of Ren's body and clothes suddenly seemed to wash out.

Before Irving's eyes, Ren seemed to simply blend into the background, his presence vanishing completely, and his body slipping from Irving's sight. It wasn't invisibility, but rather Ren appeared to make himself unnoticeable, leaving Irving unable to react to him, even when Ren was standing right in front of him.

"Interesting..." mused Irving, the Dust-chambers of his weapon switching again. He whipped his arms out once more, sending his wires stretching out in simple sweeps through the air around him. As they went, the wires trailed shimmering fragments of ice, almost like sleet, drifting through the air, and spreading throughout the room, which began to grow cooler. Then Irving retracted his wires and waited.

Close to Irving, several of those airborne specks of drifting ice began to collect together, gradually clustering into a more solid shape. As Ren passed through the cloud, the ice stuck to his skin and clothes, his movements sweeping more and more of it up with each step he took. Irving might not have been able to sense Ren's presence, or focus his eyes on Ren's body. But he could feel the cold growing as more of the ice was concentrated into a single point, telling him exactly where he need to attack.

Turning towards the clustering ice, Irving swung his arms out, slashing his wired through the air, fiery heat climbing down along their lengths. Ren was forced to abandon his Semblance, dodging sharply. Irving's wires ripped a line of fiery explosions where Ren had been a second earlier, the shockwaves they threw up battering his body, and searing him with their heat. Even as he was blown off his feet, Ren still found it in himself to line up his guns and open fire on Irving.

Instead of creating a shield to block the shots, Irving went into motion himself, revealing himself to be easily as agile as Ren. While dodging, Irving continued to move his arms and fingers, manipulating his wires, while the Dust-chambers of his weapon shifted rapidly. The wires whipped through the air around Ren, weaving themselves into complex shapes, almost always reminiscent of spider webs. Yellow arcs of electricity jumped between them, condensing into bolts of lightning that shot at Ren from different directions.

Ren countered by swinging his blades at the incoming bolts, shaping his Aura to create shields that deflected them. At the same time, the pointed tips at the end of each wire converged on him from different directions, forcing Ren to dodge once again. In the meantime, Irving continued to work his arms and fingers, weaving the rest of the wires' lengths into new shapes, changing up both the nature of the Dust he used, and his attack.

It was a bad situation for Ren. He was being pressured into a defensive position. Irving's weapon was unbelievably flexible and complex, with his different Dust-types enabling him to change the nature of his attack on the fly. If there was one advantage that Ren held, it was that Irving's weapon could only carry so much Dust, so he was bound to run out sooner or later. But, while Ren was proud of many attributes he'd cultivated, his stamina wasn't one of them. A battle of attrition against an opponent like Irving was not likely to be one that he could win.

He needed to end this with a decisive blow. What Ren needed to do was create an opening, then use that to hit Irving with everything he had. He'd have to bring Irving down then and there. Either way, he couldn't afford to let this battle drag on.

So, as Irving's wires wove themselves into new arrays, creating stone spikes that thrust out at Ren from thin air, Ren charged forward, rushing straight towards his opponent. With a laugh, Irving whipped his arms through more complex movements, the wires weaving together into a tight web between him and Ren, which crackled with yellow arcs of electricity. At the same time, veins of molten light crawled along the lengths of the stone spikes he'd created, which then exploded in a shower of fiery, rocky shrapnel.

Ren continued to charge forward, letting his arms stretch out behind him, angling his guns so that the blades pointed towards each other from behind his back, creating another barrier of Aura that deflected the shrapnel of the explosion. It also blew his arms forward, but Ren released his hold on StormFlower, sending the guns spinning off to either side of him.

Irving immediately realized that Ren hadn't been disarmed, but had actually used the force of the explosion to help him throw his weapons, which now arced out on paths that carried them off to either side of his primary barrier. Flying around, they then converged towards Irving himself.

"Clever!" shouted Irving, once again moving his arms to direct the wires that he'd used to form his previous, explosive attack. The shockwaves had caused the formation to unravel, but that merely allowed Irving to weave them into new shapes. This time, he simply used them to build webs around his body, which caught, then held Ren's guns. While he was doing that, he felt and saw Ren, still being propelled forward by the explosion, hit the web barrier, the lightning-Dust woven into it discharging with an angry crackle.

"But not clever enough," added Irving, now that he held Ren's guns fast. Focusing on Ren, he expected to see the other boy spasming from the electric current running through his body. Instead, his eyes widened as he saw Ren running his arms through circular movements, running his hands across the web that Irving had woven between them. As they moved, his Aura stripped away the lightning-Dust, gathering it together, Ren's circular movements bringing it to the center of the web, gathering all that energy in the octagonal opening right in the middle. Then Ren slammed his palm against it, sending an intense bolt of lightning ripping across the space between Irving and his own web, slamming into Irving's chest, and making him scream.

Irving's body spasmed as the arcs of electricity crawled across him, overriding his control over his wires, prompting his hold over Ren's weapons to loosen, dropping them. His barrier came apart as well, allowing Ren to slip through, catching his guns before they reached the ground. Standing over Irving's body, Ren aimed StormFlower at him, and, from close-range, unleashed a barrage of shots that ripped into Irving's Aura, blasting it away. Ren didn't release the triggers until Irving's Aura dissipated with a snap. Then, without wasting another second, Ren shifted his aim and fired another burst at each of the wire spools on Irving's wrists, blowing them apart. The remaining Dust discharged with explosive bursts of elemental energy, which wracked Irving's body, though their power was mostly vented outward, keeping him from being seriously injured.

Finally, disarmed and disabled, Irving gasped for breath, groaning in pain. Looking up at his opponent, he saw Ren gazing down at him dispassionately. "Y-you Dust-hacked me," he managed to force out.

"I got the idea from watching you fight in the tournament," Ren told him.

Irving let out a wheezing chuckle, the mere act of laughing causing him to be wracked with pain. "B-Brought down b-by my own...technique..." He grinned. "I...I like it. There's a real artistry in losing that way."

"I don't care if it's artistic or not," said Ren, "so long as it keeps you from harming others."

"Spoilsport," groaned Irving, laying back and letting out another pained, shuddering breath.

Feeling a presence at his back, Ren turned towards the hole that Irving had entered the classroom through. Ruby stood there, looking down at them, her expression slightly surprised. "Wow, you got him," she said.

Ren smiled, grateful for Ruby's concern. "It was a near thing," he admitted.

"How are you feeling?" asked Ruby.

"Tired," admitted Ren. "I should probably recharge."

"Okay," said Ruby. "Once you're better, head back to the tower, and meet up with everyone else." She stepped back and vanished in a flurry of petals.

Ren nodded, even though Ruby wasn't there to see it anymore. "But first," he said, turning back to Irving, "I want to know what all this is about. You realize you've completely ruined your hopes of being a legitimate Huntsman by doing this, don't you? Why would you abandon all your hard work like that?"

Irving grinned. "Well, in my defense, I thought we'd win. If we'd succeeded, your deaths would have been pinned on the White Fang, and we'd be free and clear. Considering what we were offered, it seemed like a good bargain."

"What were you offered...and by who?" asked Ren, having some ideas as to who was behind this.

Irving merely grinned. "Money, of course. As for who...I don't think you need to know that."

"I disagree," said Ren firmly.

Irving laughed, his body jolting painfully as he did so. "Th-that's too bad," he wheezed. "Now that we've lost, our lives are probably forfeit anyway. But keeping you in the dark as to why...there's a certain artistry to that."

Ren frowned, about to press the matter. He wasn't exactly sure what he could do to get Irving's cooperation. Torture was out of the question. However, his internal debate was halted by an ominous feeling. Acting out of instinct, Ren jumped back away from Irving, just as a swirling black and red vortex opened up beneath him, Irving's body dropped down into it, and the vortex vanished, disappearing without a trace.

"What...?" Ren stared at the empty space on the floor, where his opponent had just been lying, trying to figure out what had just happened.

* * *

"Oof!" Irving's lungs had the air knocked out of them from the impact of a brief fall, landing on hard, unyielding earth.

He wasn't the only one. Just a couple feet away, on either side of him, two other red and black vortexes dispensed their targets, dropping Lorcan and Reynard unceremoniously to the ground. In the former's case, the jolt was enough to send him lurching back into consciousness with a sharp gasp.

"What do you think you're doing, dammit!?" he shouted, before grunting at the pain caused by his own shouts. Rallying, he grit his teeth. "My ribs are busted here! What are you doing, dropping me like a goddamn sandbag!?"

"Shut it!" snapped a harsh voice from just outside their field of view.

Straining, Irving managed to raise his head to see the one who'd spoken. It was a young woman, possessing a slender figure. Her tanned skin was covered by a brown vest, which was worn over a white shirt, with its sleeves having been torn off, displaying a tattoo of a bird rising from flowers on her left arm. Her brown hair was cut short, almost to the point of a buzz-cut. Her icy-blue eyes glared at the trio with a look of thinly-veiled disgust. Her legs were covered by a pair of maroon pants, with the right leg rolled up to her thigh, the rest of that leg being covered by a black guard, which ran all the way down to her heavy, brown boots. All told, she had the look of a rough-and-tumble fighter.

She was flanked by a quartet of rough-looking men and women, two of each. they were dressed in ragged clothes, dirtied and worn. Their weapons were roughshod and ramshackle, many of them tied, or even taped, together from different pieces. The short-haired woman's weapons, which she wore at her waist, were in noticeably better shape, and were clearly closer to a proper Huntress' weapon. Even now, her fingers brushed against the red-wrapped handles of those weapons, as though eager to put them to use on the trio of boys in front of her.

"The Boss was kind enough to bail you out, even after you went and got your asses beat, you scrubs," said the young woman. "Mouth off to us, and you'll stay behind here...in pieces."

"That's enough," commanded a familiar voice from behind the young woman and her cohorts. They parted to allow a frightening specter, garbed in red and black, with a Grimm-like white mask covering her entire face, to step forward. Red eyes examined the boys from behind the eye-slits of that mask, narrowing dangerously.

"I suppose we've disappointed you," said Irving, fighting the urge to groan. His body still tingled from the blast of his own lightning.

"Actually, things went about as expected," said Raven Branwen with a cold, emotionless tone. "Children they may be, but they have been toughened by experiences that few students their age have endured."

Irving felt a spike of anger in his chest at the suggestion that they had been set up to lose from the beginning. But he forced it down. "Well, I suppose failure is failure either way," he said, "whether it's expected or not."

"True," agreed Raven. "But you have shown me your mettle, so there is some hope for you at least. You have the potential to be someone of use to me...well... _two_ of you do."

The three young men swallowed in unison.

After the fallout from Liu Bai's match against Ruby Rose, the three remaining members of BRYL had been approached by this frightening specter with a proposition. If they could prove themselves to her, she would give them a place in her tribe. The Branwen Tribe was infamous in Mistral, and across Anima. They were a fearsome crew, led by a woman more than a match for most Huntsmen and Huntresses. Their strength and ferocity made them an object of admiration almost as much as fear.

With Liu Bai's murderous ambitions revealed, a great deal of scrutiny had fallen upon his teammates, with many noting that their personalities were not much better. Granted, the trio had _never_ been the upstanding students they had pretended to be. During their time at Haven, they had often taken on...side-work...work that would have definitely gotten them expelled, had the authorities learned about it. Professor Lionheart had indicated that he might have an idea of what they were doing, but had suggested that he would be willing to turn a blind eye, so long as they performed well in the tournament.

But that had now backfired spectacularly. After what Liu had done, the other three had learned that the authorities in Mistral were taking a closer look at their extracurricular activities, and were likely not finding information that they liked. Already, there were rumblings that Reynard, Lorcan, and Irving's tenure as students at Haven was coming to an end, that they'd probably come back just long enough to be expelled.

So...when Raven had approached them with an opportunity to join her tribe, they had jumped at it. They had all felt more than a little constrained by the social mores that governed Huntsmen and Huntresses. Knowing the Branwen Tribe's overriding philosophy, they were more than happy to take their chance to be amongst the strong, taking from those weaker than them.

But now...it appeared they might have botched their on-the-job interview.

Raven waved forward the quartet of bandits that had accompanied her and the short-haired woman. "Take our two new members. When we get back to camp, we'll see to their injuries."

The quartet quickly moved to do her bidding, unfolding a pair of stretchers, which they then loaded Lorcan and Irving on, their treatment rough, causing more than a little pain for the injured young men, though they both knew better than to protest.

"Wha-what about me?" asked Reynard, watching with wide, frightened eyes as the bandits picked up the stretchers bearing his teammates.

"It's unfortunate," said Raven, looking down on the effeminate man dispassionately. "But you just don't have what I'm looking for. You couldn't even stall your opponents for a few seconds."

"I have a very particular way of fighting," protested Reynard. "They didn't even give me a chance-!"

"Which is exactly the problem," Raven rebuked him, her tone growing harsh. "If you need to always be _given_ a chance, instead of _making_ it for yourself, then you're worse than hopeless. _I_ gave you a chance this time...and you failed. I have no need of someone like you."

She turned around, and began to walk away. But, she paused for a second, turning her head to look over her shoulder, not at Reynard, but at the short-haired young woman. "Vernal...if you would."

"Gladly," said Vernal, reaching down with her right hand to close her fingers around the handle of her weapon. Drawing it from her hip, the crescent-shaped blades unfolded out to form an almost-complete circle, with hooked ends pointing inwards. The handle was joined to an inner ring, which itself was joined to a dual-barreled pistol, the barrels pointing out through the opening between the two blades that made up the weapon's design, barrels that she now leveled right at Reynard's head .

"No! Wait!" begged Reynard. "Please spare me! At least leave me! I promise not to talk! I swear-!"

Raven didn't even flinch as Reynard's voice was cut off by the sound of a gunshot. Both Lorcan and Irving twitched, their complexions paling at the sound, and the sudden end to their teammate's speech. Neither of them needed nor wanted to look and see Reynard's state. Instead, they watched Raven as she strode past her people, drawing forth a crimson blade from the mechanical sheath she carried at her side. Sweeping the blade down, she cut an opening through space itself, which manifested as another vortex of black and red. Stepping aside, she allowed the subordinates she'd brought to carry the two young men pass through first. Then she waited for Vernal to pass through ahead of her. Finally, with one last look at Reynard's unmoving corpse, Raven stepped through herself.

The portal shrank inwards, then vanished. The patch of forest was empty, Reynard's body the only sign that anyone had been there at all.

* * *

The first indicator that something was wrong was when the lights of the detention center had dimmed. Weiss frowned, looking up. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Eh, probably power issues," mused Roman, from the next cell over.

Then the lights flickered out, before darker-red, emergency lights flicked on.

"Or not," said Roman.

Weiss frowned, wondering if someone had taken out the generators. Maybe that was possible, but the cells they were in had their own dedicated backup generators, maintaining the dampening fields that suppressed their Auras. So it wasn't as though she and Roman could break out. Of course, Weiss knew better than to think breaking out was going to work for her. She was supposed to be working towards her redemption, not digging herself a deeper hole.

Instead, she and Roman waited in tense silence, looking and listening for any sign of what was going on. After several minutes, she began to hear the sounds of conflict in the distance. She could hear shouts she presumed to be from the guards, along with the crack of their rifles. Said shouts and gunshots were soon replaced by screams...then silence again...a silence that left little doubt as to the nature of their fates.

"Weiss...get back away from your door," said Roman, his tone firm and authoritative. "Get into the bathroom stall. That's the best cover you're going to have at the moment."

Weiss moved to obey automatically, distantly wondering why Roman was advising her like this. They'd definitely developed something she might...maybe...consider a friendship. But now he was directing her in a way that was definitely meant to help her keep safe, depending on what happened next.

Inside the next cell, Roman, despite how calm his voice had sounded to his next-door neighbor, was shaking like a leaf. _It's happening!_ he thought, his mind on the verge of panic. _It's happening right now! I can't believe it! I actually thought we were gonna get out of this!_

For a little while, he'd been relieved. After seeing Ruby bring down Mercury, and the rest of the tournament go ahead as scheduled, he'd actually begun to believe that Ozpin and his cronies had done it. They'd beaten Cinder. Roman didn't know any of the details, but something had obviously gone right. But now, all of a sudden, Beacon was under attack, and someone had entered the detention center, and was cutting a bloody swath straight for them.

If Cinder's people were behind this, then there was no doubt that they were coming for him. If that was the case, there was no telling _why_ they were coming for him. If they knew that Neo had switched sides, then they were here to end him. With that knowledge, Roman's first thought had been, strangely, to ensure that Weiss wasn't a part of it, by making sure she got behind cover and out of sight. Whoever was coming for him might not spare a thought for her, if they didn't see her.

"Listen, Weiss," said Roman gravely, "whatever happens, whatever you hear, stay in the stall. Don't make a sound."

"R-Roman," said Weiss, a frightened quaver in her voice.

Roman didn't blame her. The situation was already frightening enough. But his words weren't exactly assuaging her worries. At best, he could hope that her training and survival instincts kept her from doing something that would give her away.

Then they heard it, the click of hard soles on the floor. Though Weiss couldn't hear it, Roman heard a second set of footsteps, with a much softer tread. _So Emerald's one of them,_ he thought, his tension rising. He'd expect Mercury being the other, given that the pair were apparently a package deal. But the louder set sounded too wrong for it to be Mercury. That sharp click indicated heels. But it lacked the distinctive clink that Cinder's glass heels made when she walked, so he doubted it was her.

The sounds grew louder, then stopped. Roman's eyes went wide, as he realized that the approaching person had stopped, not in front of his cell, but Weiss'. _Did she give herself away!_

Weiss, in the meantime, carefully peeked out from within the stall when she realized that the approaching footsteps had stopped. When she did, her eyes widened as she saw who was standing before her. "Pyrrha!"

Pyrrha Nikos smiled brightly, that familiar, cheery smile that Mistral's champion was known for. She looked just as Weiss remembered her, red hair tied back in a tail over the back of her head. Her outfit was the same as before, but she had changed the color-scheme around; black where she'd once worn brown, grey where she'd worn bronze; with only her red skirt, gloves, and leggings remaining as they'd been. She'd apparently obtained copies of her destroyed weapons. But their colors had been changed in the same manner. Milo was black where it had been red, and grey where it had been gold. Akouo was now a burnished, steel-grey disk, both weapons resting in their usual position on Pyrrha's back.

"Hello, Weiss," she said. "It's grand to see you again."

"Wha-what are you doing here?" asked Weiss, carefully stepping out of the stall. "I thought you were deported back to Mistral."

"I was," answered Pyrrha. "However, I made some new friends, who arranged an...early release for me." There was a sly quality to her smile now, one that told Weiss that Pyrrha's supposed "early release" was in no way legitimate.

Pyrrha held up a card-key, no doubt taken from one of the guards. She swiped it through the reader on the other side of the cell, and the door opened up. "And now...my friends and I are arranging an early release for you as well," added Pyrrha, her smile widening.

She strutted over, and did the same thing for Roman's cell as well. Roman and Weiss both warily emerged, feeling a faint, welcome, crackling sensation as their suppressed Auras roused to envelop their bodies once more. Weiss was actually left a little bit breathless, the sensation being almost euphoric, after spending so much time with her Aura suppressed.

Looking to their right, Weiss and Roman saw Emerald, carrying a pair of large cases by their handles, one in each hand. Weiss recognized them as the storage cases that the wardens of the detention center had locked their personal effects in, after they had been taken into custody. Roman also noticed that Emerald was carrying something else, a brand new copy of the cane that Ruby had destroyed in Mountain Glenn.

"I bet you're tired of those prison uniforms," said Pyrrha. "Get dressed. This is an unprecedented opportunity."

"For what?" asked Weiss, taking one of the cases from Emerald.

"For taking revenge," said Pyrrha, her smile growing cruel. "We'll finally be able to put Ruby Rose in her place, once and for all."

* * *

Ruby came to a stop, standing atop the roof of one of Beacon's annexes. She'd moved to track Pyrrha and Emerald according to the last place she'd sensed them, realizing that her path was now taking her towards the detention center. _Are they going for Roman...Weiss...both?_ It worried her. She could also sense Neo, staying close to the pair, probably trying to make sure that they weren't going to try and kill Roman. There was no way to know if they were aware of the role that Neo had played in Cinder's downfall yet. If they weren't, then Roman might still be safe for the time being.

If that was the case, then Ruby needed to figure out what to do next. The situation was coming to her piecemeal. She sensed Yang defeat Lorcan, actually a little bit before Ren managed to defeat Irving. Then her sense of the two young men, along with Reynard, abruptly vanished, Ruby feeling a flicker of familiar Aura, though she hadn't had time to place it. Spreading her awareness out as wide as she could, she sensed Gin meeting up with Blake in the dining hall, the two of them getting ready to take on the cluster of malice and spite that she guessed was Adam Taurus. Meanwhile, over by the tower...

A sickening shudder ran through Ruby's entire body. Of the presences she had sensed before...one was missing. Where she'd expected to find four people...she instead found three, right in front of the pair of exceptionally formidable presences that Ruby had identified as the Shimizu twins. And the missing presence sent a shard of ice jabbing right into her heart.

"Penny...?" Ruby whispered, feeling tears gathering in her eyes.

* * *

Jaune's jaw dropped. He wanted to shout, to scream, to curse...but his voice deserted him entirely. All he could do was watch as Penny's top half tumbled to the ground, what remained of her body going limp, the light going out of her eyes.

"N-no..." whimpered Nora, Magnhild rattling in her grip, tears spilling from her eyes.

Ciel's jaw hung slack. Her cheeks were wet. She didn't even realize that her tears were spilling over as well. Her entire focus was on the lifeless body of the bright cheery android, who'd become such an important part of her life. Penny had been there one second. And the next...she was gone. She hadn't even seen what had happened. Penny's lower half had just seemed to have spontaneously exploded.

Naia hadn't moved, after demolishing Penny. She stared forlornly at the android's body, her expression one of sorrow and resignation. Turning, she looked at the remaining three defenders, her expression still sober. "I have no wish to end any more lives," she said. "Will you please stand aside?"

Something snapped in Ciel's head. Her grip on Vasalisa tightened. She raised the gun with a scream, charging forward, firing off her entire clip in just a few seconds. Naia barely even seemed to notice, moving her left arm in a smooth motion that brought the cloth that drifted around her to interpose itself between herself and the incoming bullets. Once again, the cloth functioned as an impenetrable barrier, Ciel's bullets not even seeming to disturb it.

A strange, shimmering, pearlescent mist seemed to drift away from the cloth, floating through the air towards Ciel. It was thin, barely visible, so she walked into it without thinking. Her nose was abruptly caught by a subtle, slightly sweet scent. Her steps slowed, the strength beginning to drain from her limbs. Unconsciously, Ciel's arms lowered, her finger sliding off her gun's trigger, its barrel pointing down.

"I know you are in pain," said Naia plaintively. "Please...just stop. Pressing on won't make things better."

Ciel's body began to slump, a tired lethargy steeling over her. Slowly, she allowed her eyes to drift to Penny once more. The sight of her best friend lying there rekindled the fires of rage in Ciel's heart, giving her the strength to fight off the torpor. Growling, she took a step forward.

"That's far enough," said Nereus in a stern voice, having suddenly moved to stand next to Ciel.

Before she could even begin to react, Nereus' right arm blurred up, his red sleeve flapping. A loud crack, like a gunshot, but far more intense, filled the air. Ciel felt the sound strike her with a palpable force. Her ears erupted in agony, and she felt a wavelike impact rush through her entire body. The pain in her ears peaked, and then her hearing vanished entirely, replaced by a low ringing sound. Her eyes felt as though they would burst in their sockets. She felt herself falling forward, and then, mercifully, felt no more.

"Ciel!" shouted Jaune, rushing forward as Ciel collapsed. He didn't even notice Nereus step back to stand next to his sister again, leaving Jaune to crouch at Ciel's side, joined by Nora, as they rolled her over. Blood leaked from Ciel's ears, her body unresponsive.

"I'm not as strong as my sister," said Nereus calmly. "So she may yet survive, if you tend to her. Please allow us through, so that no more blood need by spilled tonight."

Jaune ignored him, focusing on Ciel. He was joined by Nora, the pair of them crouching over their friend.

"Come on, Ciel!" shouted Jaune.

"I don't know what to do!" said Nora, looking up at her friend.

Jaune felt Ciel's pulse. Her heartbeat was erratic, her breathing choppy. He wished he knew what that meant. However, even without assessing her physical state, he could feel Ciel's Aura dwindling, the very essence of her life itself flickering and fading, like a dying candle. "Come on...we can't lose you too," he said, tears spilling out of his eyes. "Stay with us."

Nora whimpered wordlessly.

Jaune grimaced, squeezing his eyes shut, the feeling of helplessness beginning to swamp him. It was a familiar feeling, one he'd felt months ago, watching from the passenger bay of a bullhead as it lifted away from a hoard of Grimm, with Jaune knowing that they had just left his best friend behind to her certain death.

Ruby had survived and returned. But that memory of the helplessness Jaune had felt returned to him all too clearly. Last time, he hadn't been able to do anything about it. This time...he wouldn't simply sit by and allow one of his friends to die.

There was a feeling of something sparking from within him. Abruptly, Jaune felt his Aura begin draining away. Meanwhile, he felt a rising warmth from the body in front of him.

"Jaune..." said Nora, her voice confused.

Jaune opened his eyes, and found himself staring into a light that hadn't been there before, a light that was emanating from Ciel's body. He saw swirling, rippling light washing across her. _My Aura,_ he realized. It was seeping into her. He didn't know how, but he could somehow feel his Aura merging with hers. What was more, Ciel's Aura was growing stronger, not merely supplemented by his Aura, but being enhanced by it.

"Hmm..."

A shadow fell over him. Jaune looked up to see Naia standing over them. Her smile had returned. There was still a sorrowful quality to it. But she also looked...relieved. "What an interesting Semblance," she said. She crouched down.

"Don't-!" began Jaune, only to stop as Naia reached out, gently taking his hands with hers, guiding them. Jaune's right hand, she positioned directly over Ciel's head. His left, she lowered to hover above Ciel's chest.

"Focus," said Naia. "You'll only waste energy if you simply flush your Aura into her willy-nilly. Concentrate on the areas where the most help is needed. Nereus ruptured her eardrums and induced hemorrhaging in her brain tissue. His attack also disrupted her heartbeat. Try to use this power where it will do the most good."

Jaune wanted to question why this woman; who'd just killed one of his friends, and whose brother had almost killed the girl lying on the ground in front of him; would suddenly turn around and help him to heal Ciel. Looking at her, he saw eyes that overflowed with compassion.

"You have a marvelous gift, young man," she said softly. "Do not squander it."

Standing up, Naia began to walk past him and Nora, Nereus following her. The two of them headed for the courtyard, making their way towards Beacon Tower.

Then they both froze. A dark figure descended from above. A green blade flashed, leaving pale-green trails in its wake as it slashed at Naia's head. Moving with far more urgency than she had against any of Penny's attacks, Naia whipped her arm, and the length of cloth she was holding, up to intercept the attack, the blade's slash diverting and glancing away from the folding fabric.

Ayumu touched down on the ground in front of Naia, before leaping up into another slash. Naia danced back a step, sweeping her cloth in front of her, once again using it to divert Ayumu's strike. At the same time, a pearlescent mist rose up from the cloth, her perfume threatening to drop Ayumu into a slowed and weakened state, just as it had with Ciel. However, Ayumu swept Green Destiny in front of him, bringing it into a wide, circular motion, creating air currents that collected the vapors, swirling them together, before Ayumu danced backwards, while thrusting ahead of himself with his sword, directing the cloud of condensed vapor right back at Naia, who swept her cloth into a spiraling pattern that dispersed the fumes and directed them away from her body.

Then Ayumu danced to the side, backing away from Nereus, who tried to flank him. Nereus' sleeve flapped, the orange blur of his right arm whipping out, followed by another loud, gunshot-sound. Green Destiny flashed as Ayumu swept it directly between him and Nereus' attacking arm, dancing away unharmed, before continuing the sweep of his sword, the green trail of his Aura condensing and congealing into several phantasmal blades, which then spiraled at Nereus on curving paths.

Now it was Nereus' turn to fall back, his right arm falling to his side, and his left rising to sweep across his body. The blue gems studding the leather strap, and the larger, spherical one on his palm flashed, a stream of water flowing out, then flattening between him and the incoming blades, which struck the barrier of compressed water and shattered. Nereus followed through by condensing the shield of water into a large sphere that hovered over his palm, which he then thrust out, launching said sphere at Ayumu like a cannonball.

Ayumu's response was to bring Green Destiny in front of his body, bracing the first two fingers of his left hand against the flat of the blade, near the tip. Nereus' attack struck the flat of the blade on the opposite side. With a rippling flare of Ayumu's green Aura, the ball exploded into a misting shower of water, that then fell to the ground.

"Ayumu!" shouted Nora, her mouth and brain managing to catch up after being momentarily shut down by the dynamic nature of her friend and teammate's appearance.

Ayumu met Nora's gaze with a smile. But she and Jaune could tell that Ayumu was the furthest thing from happy. Though he smiled, his eyes were narrowed slightly, with thin streams of tears running down his cheeks.

"Ayumu..." whimpered Nora.

"I was too late," said Ayumu, his voice soft, but somehow carrying across the distance between them. "I'm sorry."

Nora sniffled, her tears beginning to build anew. Jaune also felt grief swell in his chest, but chose to divert his focus back to Ciel, using the effort needed to help her recover to keep his mind off his own pain. He'd failed Penny, but he _wouldn't_ fail Ciel.

Both Naia and Nereus had stopped, staring warily at Ayumu, who paused to wipe his eyes with his sleeves, before focusing on them.

"This one is different," noted Nereus, his tone wary.

"This must be one of Yu's students then," said Naia. "He most certainly has a formidable air about him."

"And you must be the Shimizu twins," said Ayumu. "I've been hearing quite a bit about you lately."

Naia's smile flickered slightly. "I suppose you have," she said.

"Mr. Branwen is alive," said Ayumu, the abrupt statement making everyone but the twins flinch for a second. "I thought you might like to know."

Naia's own eyes widened, then her expression softened into one of unmistakable relief. "I see," she said. "It's kind of you to tell me. I'm surprised...but gratified."

"Why are you telling them that?" demanded Nora. "Didn't you see what she did to Penny?"

"I know," said Ayumu, looking past the twins at Nora. "But...I can't quite explain right now. These two have powerful convictions. Ms. Shimizu may have chosen to strike Penny, but she would have rather not killed her." He shifted his gaze back to Naia. "Am I right?"

"That may be true," said Naia. "But it does not change what I have done. I will not make excuses."

"As I thought," said Ayumu. "You are cut from a very different cloth, both of you are."

"As are you," noted Nereus.

The silence stretched on between the three of them. Nora and Jaune had more to say, questions to ask, demands to make. But the tension in the air told them that Ayumu's fight with the Shimizu twins had begun.

The tension was interrupted by the sound of fluttering cloth, as a familiar figure in red and black soared over the heads of Jaune and Nora, passing over the Shrimps as well, to land beside Ayumu. Ruby turned about, her cloak flaring from the movement, Shining Rose in her hands, ready to be wielded. Like Ayumu, she had tears running down her cheeks.

The twins were taken aback by her arrival. Naia actually took a halting step backwards, her eyes going wide, and her right arm lowering to hang by her side. "It's you," she said softly.

Ruby sniffed, then wiped her eyes with her sleeve, before looking at the Shrimps with a hardened, resolute look. However, there was no anger or hatred to be found in her expression, only stern determination.

"You killed Penny," said Ruby flatly.

"I did," replied Naia. "As I've told the others, I make no excuses for that. You have every right to despise me."

Ruby sniffled again, then closed her eyes and shook her head. "No," she said. "I won't waste my energy on hating you. But we still need to stop you."

Naia smiled, her expression warm, affectionate even. "I thought your eyes were beautiful, when I saw them during your interview. They're even more magnificent in person. I've rarely ever seen a pair of eyes that hold such so much love and conviction."

"Thank you," said Ruby.

Naia raised her arm again. "So...it would pain me to snuff the light out of such eyes," she said, her expression sobering. "Please stand aside."

"I won't," said Ruby. "You have things you came here to do. We came here to stop you."

"Then we are at an impasse," said Nereus. "You two are remarkably skilled...but not enough. If you fight, then you shall _fall_."

Ayumu flicked his wrist, flexing the blade of his sword, triggering its trademark ringing sound. "I admit that you exist beyond our present limits. But, even if that's the case, we will have no choice but to surpass them."

The four of them went still again. Then, in unison, they exploded into motion. Ruby's body blurred, explosions of red petals marking her footsteps, while she closed in on Naia. Meanwhile, Ayumu swiftly went on the attack against Nereus.

Green Destiny flickered out in a swift thrust at Nereus. His sleeve flapped as he intercepted the attack, batting it aside with his right arm. There was a sharp ring, the sound of something hard beneath the sleeve countering Ayumu's thrust. From there, Nereus leveled his right arm at Ayumu again. Bringing Green Destiny around again, Ayumu brought the blade down in a slash, not aiming for Nereus' arm, but the space in front of it, right as another loud bang echoed through the air. Nereus' eyes widened, but he remained composed otherwise, immediately moving to respond, holding out his left hand, the Dust-gems emitting several thin strings of water, which lashed out at Ayumu like whips.

Ayumu jumped, spinning his body between the streams, while sweeping his sword around him, to cut through them. The severed portions of the strings collapsed back into regular water, splattering the ground, but the portions connected to Nereus' hand and arm continued to seek after him. Ayumu began to fall back, working Green Destiny through swift defensive swipes, trying to cut down the streams of water that came lashing at him.

Meanwhile, Ruby led off with a slash from Shining Rose, as soon as she came within range. Naia effortlessly redirected the slash with a sweep of her cloth, bending her arm across her chest. But Ruby had already leapt over her, dropping down behind the woman, striking forward with another slash. But the cloth seemed to move as though it had a mind of its own, interposing itself, and diverting Ruby's stroke yet again. At the same time, a faint, pearlescent mist drifted away from the fabric. Ruby's eyes widened and she backpedaled before she could inhale the strange perfume. Releasing her hold on her weapon's shaft with her right hand, she collapsed it down into its rifle-mode with its left, leveling it at Naia and pulling the trigger.

Naia had already spun about, still sweeping her cloth around her. Another fold of the length of fabric encountered the bullet, and the manifested Aura was simply bent away from its course, curving around to fly past Naia. The woman's defense appeared nothing short of flawless. It seemed that ranged attacks would be of no use against her.

But closing in was beyond dangerous. Ruby's mouth was dry, realizing that the space within the reach of Naia's arms was nothing less than a zone of almost certain death. If Naia successfully put Ruby within the path of her weapon, the attack would come faster than Ruby, even with all the speed she possessed, could avoid. It carried a level of force beyond what she could hope to defend against. Even if Ruby blocked with her weapon, she wouldn't be saved. Shining Rose was functionally unbreakable. But Naia's attack would still shatter the hands and arms that held it.

 _This is crazy,_ thought Ruby. _It's totally unfair for someone to have a natural weapon that powerful. Even Gin's claws don't come close._

Ayumu was of a similar mind. _I never expected to encounter faunus, aside from Gin, whose traits granted them such potent combat abilities. These two are blessed with natural weapons that not even a dragon-faunus can match._

He darted forward, dancing between the threadlike streams of Nereus' water-whips, closing in and lashing out with a rapid series of strikes from Green Destiny. Nereus' right arm blurred, something hard and strong, hidden beneath his sleeve, deflecting Ayumu's slashes. But his attacks did cut the fabric of Nereus' sleeves. When Ayumu retreated, this time from a whirling, wheel-like blade of water that Nereus threw at him in a curving course, a large portion of Nereus' sleeve fell away, the fabric having been cut by Green Destiny's incredible edge.

The sight that greeted them was enough to make Jaune and Nora grasp with shock. Nereus' arm was normal, from the shoulder to the elbow. However, below that, his forearm was covered by rounded plates of a crustacean's shell. It terminated in a large, powerful pincer-claw. The hinged, upper portion of the claw was strangely large, unlike that of a crab or a regular shrimp, lifting up and cocking back in a manner that reminded observers of the hammer of a revolver.

Meanwhile, Ruby closed with Naia again. It would be impossible to dodge Naia's attack after it began, so her only hope was to read the instant that Naia set her aim, and dodge before Naia triggered her shot. She slashed down, only to have her scythe deflected by a sweep of Naia's cloth. Not losing her momentum, Ruby used that momentum of her swing to bring Shining Rose around, spinning it about her waist, and slash from a new angle. This time, Naia dodged, leaning out of the path of Ruby's slash. At the same time, she brought her folded right arm up. Ruby sensed the attack coming, and let go of her weapon with her hands, pulling her left away entirely, while letting the shaft press against the palm of her right, without closing her fingers around it.

Naia's strike hit with an almost deafening clang against Shining Rose's shaft, a short ways below the head. The combination of releasing it with her left hand, while leaving it resting against her right, allowed Ruby to turn her right hand into a fulcrum, so that, instead of being blasted right out of her hands, Naia's attack instead knocked Shining Rose into a swift spin around Ruby's right hand, which she used to launch a lightning-fast counter, slashing up from below. And yet, that wasn't enough. Naia's cloth was somehow there, diverting Ruby's slash so that it cut through the empty air to Naia's right, instead of her body.

But Ruby didn't let up. Instead, she dropped down into the lowest crouch she could possibly manage, catching her scythe's shaft with her left hand, and using its leftover momentum to bring it around, then down in a sweep, aiming for Naia's legs, right at her ankles. Ruby extended her reach more, trying to cut Naia's legs from behind, hopefully catching her off-guard with the unusual angle of attack a scythe was capable of.

But Naia simply jumped above the slash, going into an acrobatic spin that Ayumu would have been proud of, tilting her body sideways, while folding her left arm across her chest, the elbow aligning with the position of Ruby's head. Fortunately, Ruby had already read the path of Naia's evasion, anticipating what was coming. She threw herself to the side, trying to escape Naia's range before the attack came. She barely made it. Naia's strike missed Ruby, but hit the ground where she had been standing. The results were explosive, the pavement of the courtyard where they'd been fighting shattering and exploding up and out in a wave, throwing chunks of concrete through the air like shrapnel. The impact created a tremor that jolted Jaune and Nora from where they watched. When the dust dissipated, it revealed an enormous crater, making it seem as though the ground had been struck by a meteor.

Ruby's desperate dodge had cost her her balance. She landed on her side, using her remaining momentum to bring herself into a roll that allowed her to come back up on her feet, Shining Rose already spinning to deflect the chunks of concrete and rocks thrown her way. As she did, she got her first real look at Naia's weapon, as Naia came out of her spin to land gracefully on her feet.

Jaune and Nora could see it too. By hitting something so heavy and dense as the solid ground, the momentum of Naia's attack had been completely absorbed, rendering her weapon visible to the naked eye. The rounded plates that ran up Naia's upper arms, ending in rounded orbs over her shoulders, weren't accessories or armor. They were a pair of clubs, lying flush against Naia's arms, joining with them at the joint of her elbow, essentially granting her an extra pair of limbs. The hemispheres were, in fact, a pair of heavy clubs that were a _part_ of Naia's body.

"What are they?" asked Jaune, looking between the twins.

"Shrimps indeed," said Ayumu, chuckling nervously, eyeing the Shimizus' features warily. "No wonder you don't object to people calling you that. I must imagine that you find it at least somewhat amusing, once people realize exactly _what kind_ of shrimps you are."

"To a degree," admitted Nereus, his lips quirking upwards in the smallest of smiles. "However, we try not to take too much pleasure in such morbid amusements."

"What are they?" asked Ruby. Even if she understood the nature of Naia and Nereus' respective attacks, she didn't recognize what animals their faunus-traits hailed from.

Ayumu's gaze went to Naia, then Nereus. "Mantis shrimp...and pistol shrimp," he said. "No wonder you two are the most dangerous members of the White Fang."

* * *

 **As I said before, Naia and Nereus were two characters who kinda popped into my head in a spur-of-the-moment bout of inspiration. I'd been quite enamored with both pistol and mantis shrimps for some time, and quite interested in their natural arsenals. And when it struck me that maybe faunus could have those traits, my first thought was "Oh my God! Why didn't I think of this sooner?" I'm actually very surprised that such faunus have never popped up in any fanfics I've read so far. I don't consider myself the most widely-read RWBY fan out there, but I figured something like that would appeal to more people.**

 **However, doing a random google-search on "mantis shrimp faunus" did turn up one example. Apparently, somebody on a RWBY RP forum created a mantis shrimp faunus character, though for said character, the faunus trait they chose to go with was the eyes. I mean...I guess trinocular vision in each eye, and the ability to see from deep ultraviolet to far-red, and so on...is a pretty cool trait. But, in an action series, I'd definitely go with the clubs. It's the kind of ability that makes you think Peter Parker got short-changed. Forget the speed and agility of a spider. I want to pack the proportional wallop of a mantis shrimp!**

 **Of course, in reality, such features would be ineffective, if you tried to blow them up to human size, thanks in large part to a annoying buzz-killer known as the Square-Cube Law (also known as the "Why We Can't Have Giant Monsters Law"), which indicates that blowing said features up to human size would _not_ make them proportionately powerful, sadly. Of course, RWBY being very much on the soft-side of the sci-fi/fantasy scale, when it comes to the sci-fi component, makes it easier to tell reality to step back and stop being such a killjoy, so hopefully everyone will be on board with this idea.**


	133. Chapter 133

**Chapter 133:**

Blake charged at Adam, her sword raised to strike. Smirking, Adam sank into his quickdraw stance, his right hand closing over the handle of his sword. With the crack of a gunshot, the red blade of Wilt shot forth in a streak of crimson light, the arc of his stroke cutting right through Blake's midsection.

To Adam's complete lack of surprise, the Blake he'd just cut in two vanished, dissolving into nothingness. Hearing the sound of a gunshot behind him, he spun to intercept the sickle that swung down at him from above. Twirling Wilt in his hand, he brought the sword around to intercept the incoming attack, only to be caught by surprise when Wilt sliced through the sickle effortlessly, the incoming weapon dissolving into nothingness.

"What-?" Before Adam could finish anything more than that, he was struck from behind, this time by a real sickle, which had swung down from almost the opposite direction, slashing across his left shoulder. Reeling, Adam stumbled to the side. Before he could recover, he was thrown forward by a much heavier impact against his back.

Adam allowed himself to fall, going into a roll to come back to his feet, while also switching directions. In the same move, he brought Blush to bear, aiming the sheath at where he knew Blake was, realizing that she'd just struck him from behind with the edge of her sheath. Adam had been one of Blake's mentors in combat, had even helped her to design Gambol Shroud. He knew the particulars of her weapon intimately, and what she could and couldn't do with it.

Because of that knowledge, he knew exactly where to aim. Blake catching him with that last pair of attacks had been unexpected. But her sheath attacks were always at close range by necessity, so she would be in the vicinity of where the attack had come from. Sure enough, when Adam came up, he saw Blake, close to where he'd felt her attack come from...in fact, he saw _two_ Blakes.

Blake seemed to split, going in two directions simultaneously, making it look as though she was flanking Adam from both sides. Just the fact that she had produced a shadow that could move was enough of a surprise on its own. That Blake wasn't simply dodging away, but coming right for him was another.

Still, it wasn't impossible to tell them apart. Blake's shadow was essentially a flying statue, her posture almost a mirror to the real thing, but not moving her limbs in any way. There was also the fact that Gambol Shroud's sickle trailed behind her, stretched straight out on its ribbon, like some kind of bladed kite, as opposed to the dynamic movement of the real thing, being whirled by the actual Blake. However, just the need to take an extra fraction of a second to tell the two of them apart slowed Adam by enough that he was unprepared when the real Blake launched another attack at him with her sickle, whipping it through another arcing swing from his left. It helped that, with the sickle and its ribbon being held in her right hand, Blake approaching from Adam's left meant that her weapon, and its telltale movements, were closer to the edge of his field of view, making it hard for him to notice them.

With a gunshot, Blake accelerated her weapon's swing. Adam hastily raised his sheath to intercept, trying to turn his body to followthrough with an attack from his sword. However, once again, he found his block intercepting nothing, as Blake's sickle dissolved into shadow again. Blake used the creation of the shadow-sickle to displace the real one, changing its course in a way that would have been almost impossible otherwise. When the shadow appeared, the real sickle was sent swinging upwards. Blake retracted her ribbon to shorten its arc, whirling through a complete spin that brought it back around and slashing up at Adam from below, barely an instant behind Adam's block making contact with the shadow.

Because of that, Adam jolted back away from the slash. Growling in frustration, he powered through the pain of the hit, driving forward, and slashing out with his sword. Blake raised her sheath, intercepting Wilt with a clang. A flick of her wrist returned the sickle to her hand, where it unfolded back out into its katana-form, just in time for Blake to whip it around in a tight slash that cut down a bullet fired from Blush.

From there, Adam expected her to fall back, or create a shadow to distract him, while it displaced her actual body around to hit him from a dead angle. It was practically her trademark. So it came as a complete shock when Blake surged forward with an acceleration that caught him off-guard, diving between his two weapons, sword and sheath crossing to slash right into Adam's chest.

Adam howled in pain, thrown off his feet and blown backwards. His back collided with another table, smashing a portion of it into splinters. His feet fighting for purchase on the smooth floor, he returned his sword to his sheath as quickly as possible, expecting another attack to come. If he were in Blake's position, he would try to followthrough with a powerful blow to try and take out an opponent knocked off-balance. If Adam could intercept such an attack with his Semblance, it would make the resulting counterattack all the more devastating, more-so because Blake would be left open by the expectation of her attack hitting home.

But Blake made no effort to follow up her hits with a stronger blow. Instead, she took to the air, jumping high. Her sword's blade folding over again, she threw it to imbed the sickle's point in one of the dining hall's pillars, allowing her to swing around behind it, a deft move of her wrist allowing her to pull the sickle free, and send her into free-fall, which she then prolonged, her lower legs flickering black for a second, leaving drifting wisps of darkness in their wake, allowing her to flit along through the gap between one pillar and the next.

Silently, Adam had to remind himself that Blake knew how his Semblance worked. Of course she wouldn't be foolish enough to risk a move that would power it up. Instead, she'd used the opening to change up her plan of attack, aiming to keep him from seizing the initiative. Her style was different too. It wasn't the hit-and-fade strategy he'd been so familiar with, where Blake attacked, then used her Semblance to escape attempts to counter, reposition herself, then attack again. Instead, she'd been using it divert his focus, allowing her to set up continuous attacks, and create openings for more decisive ones. It was aggressive and persistent.

It was frustrating...all the more for Adam, as the Blake he was currently fighting _wasn't_ the Blake he knew, and not just in terms of style. Blake had always admired him, bowing to his judgment and will. She'd always been someone that he could control; whether through guilt, by bringing up her parents' abandonment of the White Fang; or through fear, by reminding her just how far below him she was. Even when she'd defied him, she'd done so by running away, because she knew that she lacked the strength and will to oppose him directly. The Blake he was facing now was different from the Blake that had left him. She was different from the Blake she had been only a moment ago, practically cowering in terror, barely able to manage even an attempt at resisting him. But that had all changed.

And Adam found his gaze drifting towards the one responsible for that change. Gin Ueno, the dragon-faunus still stood where he'd been since the fight had started, looking on with a smirk, scaled arms folded across his chest. The sight of those scales filled Adam with a sense of revulsion. His initial impulse was to lash out, and strike the abominable beast down. But his desire for power reined in that impulse. Dragon-faunus inspired fear, especially amongst other faunus. Adam liked nothing more than the idea of making that power his own. He could see the other branches of the White Fang ceding to his authority, rather than risk facing the monstrosity that Adam had on leash. He could see Sienna Khan herself turning over her throne, rather than opposing him.

And yet, this beast; this low, repulsive thing; had somehow formed a connection with Blake, with _his_ Blake. Rather than inciting fear in her at the sight of him, his appearance had quelled that fear, and inspired relief. Then the creature had the gall to actually tell _her_ what to do, to give her direction. Low as she was, considering her cowardice, Blake was still far above a dragon-faunus. But, not only did he deign to tell her what to do, she actually _listened_.

Gin met Adam's gaze squarely, merely raising an eyebrow, while one corner of his mouth quirked up a little higher. It was then Adam realized that his impulse had caused him to take his eyes off Blake. Quickly, he cast his gaze up and about to locate her, following the path she had made from pillar to pillar. But she had vanished.

The sound of air splitting from above and slightly behind alerted him to Blake's diving strike. Turning in place and looking up, Adam drew Wilt partway out from his sheath to intercept the downward slash of Blake's sheath. Blake was positioned above, allowing her to put all her weight and momentum into the attack. With that much force, absorbing the power behind that blow would be a tremendous boon to his Semblance, when he finally turned it on her.

He didn't need all that much. After all, the last thing Adam wanted to do was kill his beloved. He would only act to disable her, remove her ability to resist him. Perhaps he would cut her legs off, to ensure she couldn't run again.

Then something strange happened. Before Adam's eyes, Gambol Shroud's bladed sheath flickered, seeming to double. The heavy, cleaver-like weapon struck his sword...only for it to dissolve into insubstantial shadow again. Meanwhile, Blake's creation of the sheath's shadow had displaced it, allowing her to abruptly change her course in the midst of her dive, sending her into a flip that carried her forward enough that she passed over Adam's head.

Landing in a crouch behind him, Blake immediately spun in place, putting all her strength and centrifugal force into a slash from her katana, which she aimed at the back of Adam's legs, hitting him in the thighs. Adam yelled in pain and anger, his legs going out from under him. She followed through with a second slash, from her sheath, which took Adam behind the knees, taking his feet completely off the floor. Blake continued her turn slightly, using her wrist to reorient her sword, which allowed her to slide it back into its sheath as a continuation of the previous motion, the blade's hilt slamming in with a loud clang.

It was a sound echoed by Adam, who realized what Blake sheathing her weapon meant. He slid his own sword all the way back in. Behind him, Blake released her hold on the sheath's handle with her left hand, wielding the combined, cleaver-shaped weapon with her right, rotating it around so that she could sweep it up from the level of the floor, pushing off with her legs, while channeling her Aura into the attack, putting as much strength into it as she dared. Rising with a shout, Blake slashed upwards, Gambol Shroud creating a violet crescent of Aura that crashed into Adam at point-blank range.

At the same time, however, Adam triggered Blush, the gunshot accelerating the draw of his sheath. Suspended in air at that instant, the move created the force he needed to reorient himself, spinning towards Blake, and leading with a lightning-fast slash of his own sword, creating a crimson crescent that intercepted Blake's violet one at an angle that was almost perpendicular to it.

But Adam's slash was a desperation move. With his feet off the ground, he lacked the support of a proper stance, while Blake had that. Her attack overpowered his own, driving Adam back through the air, slamming him into a wall between two of the dining hall's windows, which shattered from the shockwave of his impact, raining shards of glass down around him, while Adam fell out from the crater he'd made in the wall, landing on his feet, but collapsing down onto one knee almost immediately thereafter.

From where he watched, Gin's smirk smoothed out into a more neutral expression. When he'd told Blake to fight Adam herself, he hadn't even realized that watching her fight could actually be instructive for him. It brought to mind an important realization.

 _Maybe the enemy you know can be more dangerous than the one you don't,_ he mused. _Rather...the enemy you_ think _you know_.

He'd been able to see it in both Blake's movements, and Adam's response to them. On several occasions, Adam moved as though he'd known what Blake had been about to do next, only to be caught off-guard, because Blake didn't do what he was expecting. Adam was fighting based off his previous, outdated knowledge of Blake, and Blake was taking full advantage of that. She used what Adam expected her to do, by acting counter to it. Because of that, when he predicted she would fall back, she moved forward instead. When he expected her to go right, she went left. _With every move, she defrauds his expectations, and exploits the openings those create to land more effective blows._

 _That being the case,_ he reflected, _rather than relying wholesale on my previous knowledge of an opponent, it's better to build my impression of them anew, every time I encounter them. People are dynamic after all. I know how much Blake's changed, because Ruby and I are the ones who helped her make those changes. It's the same with Yang after all._

Gin remembered the team sparring match, back at Signal, where Yang had taken advantage of Ren's previous knowledge of how she used to rely on her Semblance to land an effective blow. Sure, the feint had been a good one anyway, but it was made all the more effective by the fact that Ren believed he knew what was coming, and left himself open when she did something else instead.

And now Blake was exploiting Adam's knowledge of the kind of fighter she _used_ to be to take him apart.

Slowly, Adam forced himself to his feet. "You've changed, my love," he growled.

"I _have_ changed," said Blake. "I'm not your love either. I don't even think you're actually capable of love anymore."

"And whose love are you?" asked Adam. "Does your heart belong to that damn wasteland filth? Does he know what you and I used to do, during those cold, lonely nights in the wilderness?"

Blake said nothing, her body tensing.

"Does he know how you used to cling to me," asked Adam, sneering, "how I used to make you scream my name?"

"He knows enough," said Blake.

"I wonder..." said Adam. "Despite that, I wonder if he realizes the consequences of laying his hands on what belongs to me."

"I don't belong to you," Blake retorted, her knees bending.

Gin narrowed his eyes. _He's baiting you,_ he silently thought towards Blake. _Don't fall for it._ Just in case, he began to make his own preparations.

"You won't touch Sun," said Blake, baring her own teeth now.

"On the contrary, I will do _more_ than just that," snarled Adam, anger surging through his Aura. "After I've reclaimed you, Blake, I will find him, and I will make you watch, while I carve this skin off his flesh. I will make you regret your unfaithfulness, and I will make him regret daring to take what is _mine!_

"And that's just the beginning. I will hunt down everyone that you care about: your friends, your teammates, your parents. I will make it my mission to destroy _everything_ that you love."

Blake's anger peaked, and she charged Adam head-on, her weapons raised. His sneer becoming a triumphant grin, Adam sank into a familiar crouch, his right hand closing over the handle of his sword. When Blake leapt into the air, her eyes widened as she realized she'd fallen into Adam's trap. The red details across his clothes and back began to glow. He drew...

In a flash, the entire world was dyed red, with people and objects transforming into black shadows against a blood-red background. Time seemed to stand still. Blake fully expected to feel the chill of Adam's blade biting into her flesh. He'd aimed for her legs, apparently seeking to hobble her completely. But Blake felt nothing. Her legs remained as they were.

Instead, the sound of something breaking filled the air. The next she and Adam knew, the world had returned to its normal hues. But it was followed by a flash. Lines of crimson lashed out in all directions, cleaving through everything in their path. Blake felt one bite through her Aura, and cut a thin laceration across her right upper-arm. Reacting automatically, she used her Semblance to reverse her course, dropping to the floor a couple meters away, where she realized what had happened.

Gin had veiled himself with his _Shingetsu_ , using that to approach Adam, unnoticed, Adam having focused his attention on Blake. When Adam struck, his sword cleaved through the veil of Gin's mist, like cutting through a curtain. But that blade had been met by the hard, unyielding surface of Gin's scales.

To date, no known force had ever been able to penetrate, or even mar, Gin's scales. Adam's ultimate technique, the _Moonslice_ , was no exception. When Adam's sword, along with all the accumulated energy it contained, struck those scales, it shattered. The blade exploded into fragments, each of those fragments emitting smaller, less-powerful, yet still dangerously sharp slashes, now streaking off in completely random directions.

The consequence was that Gin suffered several cuts to his upper-arms, legs, and face. He'd braced his arms together to withstand the force of Adam's strike, careful to keep them up in front of his eyes. But that left much of his body unguarded against the razor-like slashes created by the fragments of Wilt. Still, none of the cuts were more than skin-deep, their power having been ablated by the sword's destruction.

But Adam caught the worst of it, completely unguarded, with the majority of his attack's power rebounding back on him. Several of the stray slashes cut into his body at a variety of angles, sending his blood spraying through the air in short arcs. Howling in pain, Adam reeled back, his weapons dropping from his hands.

Gin didn't miss the opening. Driving forward, he slammed his clawed hand into Adam's unprotected stomach, before following through with a sideways slash from his opposite hand, raking his claws through Adam's Aura. The force threw Adam onto his back. Before he could even think about recovering, Gin appeared above him, right hand raised to strike. Swirling silver Aura manifested into a sinuous, scaled body, while the hand was transformed into the image of a dragon's head, fanged mouth opened to strike. Gin struck down with explosive force, driving Adam into the bottom of a miniature crater.

When Gin stood up, Adam was unmoving. Stepping back, Gin turned around to look at Blake.

"I'm sorry," said Blake softly, averting her eyes, realizing that Gin had saved her from playing right into Adam's hands.

Gin's expression softened. "You did well enough," he replied.

"But you're hurt," Blake pointed out. "If I hadn't-!"

"We can argue about that all day long," said Gin, stretching. "But we've got more important things to worry about. We should get to the tower. That's where the real action's going to be."

"All right," said Blake. She looked to Adam. "But what should we do about him?"

"He'll be out for a few hours yet," said Gin. "I held back from caving in his ribcage, but he won't be able to move under his own power for at least a couple days, until his Aura finishes healing the damage. We can have the authorities pick him up later."

"All right," said Blake, nodding.

They turned to head for the exit, when a powerful tremor ran through the ground. It was accompanied by a low rumble. All around them, loose objects rattled. Fragments of glass from already broken windows shook loose and fell to the floor with clinking noises. The tremor and the sound were accompanied by an ominous sense, the feeling that something terrible had just happened.

"What was that?" gasped Blake, her hair standing on end.

Gin was already looking in the direction of Beacon Tower. "Nothing good," he said.

While the feeling had come from the direction of the tower, Gin realized that it hadn't come from the tower itself, but, rather, a good ways below...

* * *

"Mantis shrimp...pistol shrimp..." Nora blinked in confusion. "What the heck are those?"

"Well...now is a bad time to start a lecture on marine biology," said Ayumu, staring down Nereus. "Suffice to say, they are small animals with incredibly potent natural weapons that bely their size. These two, by possessing those weapons at faunus-scale, are nothing short of devastating."

His eyes danced back and forth between Naia and Nereus. _It also explains why Mr. Shimizu is the weaker one,_ he thought. _A pistol shrimp's claw depends on water's greater density, and superior suitability as a medium for conducting sonic vibrations, to function as a weapon. In air, at this size, the snap he can produce is a potent sonic weapon in its own right, but nothing as devastating as what he would be capable of in an aquatic environment. In comparison, Ms. Shimizu's clubs are actually enhanced by air's lower resistance to her swings, increasing their power and velocity. But it also explains his choice of weapon._

Ayumu's eyes focused on the bands wound around Nereus' left forearm, and the blue water-Dust gems set into it. _He's a capable Dustweaver, more than able to use water for attack and defense. But that isn't the true purpose that weapon serves..._

Ruby hadn't read up on animals like that. What she did know was that these two were dangerous. Seeing Naia's club-like limbs in action, she could understand how she'd been able to blast Qrow across a warehouse, shattering his weapon in the process, and how she could completely obliterate the lower half of Penny's body. She didn't fancy what would happen to any portion of her body that got hit by one of those blows.

It also explained why Naia was so adamant on trying to talk others down from conflict, even if they were enemies who stood between her and her objective. The strike's power came from specialized structures that were more like springs than muscles or tendons, with the muscle-power involved being what Naia used to pull her clubs back, secured by a biological latch of sorts. Therefore, the only control she had over those weapons was when she released the latch, at which point, the stored energy was released to produce the strike. The latch was the only part of the mechanism that Naia could consciously control, which meant that there was no feasible way for her to control its power. Whether she wanted to or not, Naia always hit her hardest.

Therefore, if she wanted to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, the best way was to talk her opponents down, or subdue them through other means. That was what the cloth was for. Not only was it a virtually impenetrable defense, particularly when wielded with Naia's expert skills, but the perfume it exuded sapped the victim's strength and willpower, potentially lulling them into a daze, allowing Naia to bring an end to the fight without having to bring her most dangerous weapons into play. Of course, if she decided to fight seriously, then that perfume could be just as easily used to slow an opponent down, and make them an easier target.

Ruby licked her lips nervously.

"I can see you understand," said Naia, smiling at Ruby with a fond expression. "Knowing what you do, would you please reconsider? You've shown remarkable skill. It's been so very long since I've encountered opponents who have escaped my clubs multiple times. I would rather not find out how many attempts it takes to land a hit."

"A feeling I share," said Nereus. "You are too strong to give way to mere intimidation. Yet you are still too weak to stand against us. Take this opportunity to withdraw, continue your training, and grow. Who knows what the future may bring."

Ayumu felt a shiver of fear travel through him. These two were stronger than him and Ruby, that was for sure. Even if Gin were present, the outcome would have been far form certain. He would even go so far as to say that the monstrous menace Typhon presented didn't match up to the twins before him and Ruby. However...

Ayumu leveled his sword at Nereus. "Unfortunately, Master Yu appears to think that pitting us against you is an important part of our training. Not that that is the reason I stand against you, mind. Whatever business you have at the tower, we shall impede it."

"And are you of similar mind?" asked Naia, giving Ruby a worried look. "I've already taken your android friend from the world. I would rather not do the same to you."

Ruby swallowed, then flexed her right hand. It felt stiff and achy. She'd bled away most of the power from Naia's hit against her scythe's shaft by using her right hand as a fulcrum, using that force to produce spin. However, the shock that had traveled down the shaft had still managed to severely numb Ruby's hand. It wasn't injured. But the feelings were a visceral reminder of just how devastating Naia's blows were.

Then Ruby's gaze went to Penny's shattered body, lying there on the ground, pieces of her lower half scattered around her. Then it went to Ciel, who was still being bathed in the healing light of Jaune's Aura. Those two had fought and fallen here, trying to stop Naia and Nereus. Ruby couldn't let their efforts be in vain. Taking a deep breath, she closed her right hand around Shining Rose's shaft once more, then locked eyes with her opponent.

"I see..." said Naia, her voice and expression becoming resigned. "So be it then."

"But you don't have to," said Ruby. "Please...I can see that you hate bloodshed so much. If you don't want to hurt people, to kill them, then you should leave."

"We won't," said Naia. "Do you know why?"

Ruby shook her head.

Naia smiled that forlorn smile of hers once again. "Because we are fanatics," she said simply. "Our fanaticism may be more understated and palatable than the likes of Brother Taurus. We are fanatics of a different stripe, but fanatics all the same. To that end, we will do what we deem necessary to see through our goals. We do not wish to spill blood, but, if it is to accomplish our objective, we will eliminate anyone who stands in our way. We will use what means we can to avert that as much as possible. But, at the end of the day, if you are resolved to stand between us and what we seek to do, then we are resolved to kill you. Our cause comes before our principles."

Naia's smile faded, replaced by a stern expression that was a match for her brother's habitual one. All at once, Ruby felt the force of the woman's conviction. It slammed into her with an almost palpable impact, maybe not one matching the blows of her clubs, but a substantial one all the same. Naia called herself a fanatic, and now Ruby felt that core within her, that driving determination to fight for a cause that she believed in, one she held above the importance of even her own principals and ethics. However much she detested hurting and killing others, she would shed as much blood as she thought she had to to see things through.

"We are at an impasse then," said Nereus. Slowly, he raised his right arm, then leveled it at Ayumu. Then he brought his left hand around, and pressed his palm against the side of the shell that formed the base of his claw.

 _So I was right,_ thought Ayumu, sensing the Dust of Nereus' weapon primed to activate.

Then Ayumu and Ruby leaped backwards, their retreat taking them closer to the tower. A blast of silver lanced down from above, cutting through the ground where they'd been standing, digging a trench in the earth. A dark figure descended from above, Mercury landing in front of Naia and Nereus, smirking as he rose up to face Ruby and Ayumu.

"Mind if I butt in?" he asked casually over his shoulder. "I've got a score to settle with Little Red."

The first thing that Ruby and Ayumu noticed was that Mercury had gotten new prosthetics. Thanks to having his pant-legs torn off, they were even on full display, for everyone to see. The old ones had been clearly mechanical, built from gray metal, featuring pistons oriented around the Dust-chamber that fueled his weapon. But Mercury's new legs were completely different. Mercury's prosthetics looked almost organic, with black fibers, possibly a carbon fiber derivative, being lined together to create artificial muscles. The feet lacked toes, but otherwise possessed the same joints as a regular human foot, flexing at the balls and ankles. Running alongside the fibers that made up his artificial muscles were glowing veins, sometimes disappearing into the core of his legs, where his new prosthetics' Dust-chamber presumably resided .

Even without seeing the prosthetics with their own eyes, it was easy for Ruby and Ayumu to sense that Mercury's new legs were far more dangerous than his old ones. The potential energy the pair was able to sense was leagues above what Mercury's previous set of legs had been capable of, even with their limiters off. Their construction was also even stronger and more durable.

Both Ruby and Ayumu tensed, and not simply because Mercury was more dangerous than he'd been before. After all, Mercury wasn't even supposed to be here. He should have been in prison. Yet he'd somehow managed to break out, and even arm himself with newer, better weapons. Then again, Ruby had already sensed Emerald out and about, so she shouldn't have been surprised.

Naia and Nereus both regarded the new arrival warily. Despite Mercury's entrance, and professed desire to fight their opponents, neither of the twins was particularly inclined to trust him.

"We're in trouble," Nora muttered from where she stood, beside Jaune. She clenched her hands around the handle of her hammer tightly.

Jaune surveyed the situation worriedly, before casting his eyes back down to Ciel. She remained unconscious, but looked markedly better than she'd been before. She was breathing easier, looking more like she was asleep, than on the verge of death. Still, he couldn't bring himself to leave her until he was completely sure that she was out of danger. Even then, he knew that his combat effectiveness would be reduced, given how much of his Aura he'd given to the task of healing her.

Then he heard something that chilled his blood.

"Hello there."

Both Jaune and Nora snapped their heads around to see Pyrrha, along with Emerald, Roman, and Weiss, arriving. Pyrrha led the group with a casual walk, as though she were out on a stroll, or giving a group of visitors a tour of Beacon's grounds. Her demeanor was almost perfectly a match for the Pyrrha he'd always known well; that cheery, friendly smile; her polite demeanor. It was jarring to see her at the head of a list of people he considered enemies.

"Pyrrha..." growled Nora, turning to face them, raising her hammer warily.

"Nora," said Pyrrha, just as cheerfully and politely as ever, "it's been so long. I've missed you."

"I haven't," Nora growled back. "You belong in prison."

Pyrrha's smile fell slightly. "I'm sorry you feel that way," she said. "It's just too bad."

Nora raised her hammer.

Pyrrha's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Nora...don't. I have things to do, and I haven't the patience to deal with you now. If you'd please excuse me, I have business with Ruby."

"Over my-" Nora began to say.

"Nora!" said Jaune sharply, cutting her off. "Don't do it." He made his voice firm, putting all the authority he could into it. He knew that, despite all the work they'd put in, Nora wasn't a match for Pyrrha. What was worse, he remembered all too well Pyrrha's current state of mind, considering how she'd acted when she'd interrupted his date with Yang. She might have been acting like the polite, modest Pyrrha they'd always known. But the truth was that she had shed her personal limitations, and was more than willing to kill, if push came to shove.

"Jaune," said Pyrrha, her cheerfulness immediately returning, a bright, genuine, smile washing over her face. "I'm glad you're all right."

Jaune felt sick to his stomach. "Pyrrha...don't do this," he implored her, "please."

"I'm sorry, Jaune," said Pyrrha, walking towards, then past him, "but this is the way it has to be."

She and her entourage strode past Jaune and Nora, the latter moving warily to shield the former, along with Ciel, in case someone tried to attack them. As they moved, Jaune and Nora's eyes moved to track the two unexpected members of Pyrrha's group.

Weiss looked tense, the grim set of her face betraying her unease. Alongside her, Roman looked just as out of his depth. The two of them were unsure of where they stood in this volatile situation.

Ruby and Ayumu watched the whole thing play out. Ruby's eyes flickered from Weiss to Roman, and back again. She could feel their uncertainty, and their fear. She could even feel a flickering return of the old malice Weiss had once harbored for her. It seemed that being freed from her cell, and given her old weapon, had reminded Weiss of the grudge she'd once held against Ruby. Weiss' left hand was tightly clenched around Myrtenaster's handle. On some level, Ruby suspected that Weiss was all too conscious of the fact that, if she'd been out under more legitimate circumstances, she wouldn't even be permitted to _touch_ her old weapon, much less wield it.

Roman was just as uneasy, although for different reasons. Ruby could sense his fear all too clearly. There was a degree of relief, as it appeared that the bad guys weren't yet aware of the fact that he'd turned on them, and that Neo had played an instrumental role in Cinder's downfall. But he wasn't completely certain how much they did and didn't know. He didn't want to be there, and definitely didn't want to be standing with the likes of Emerald and Pyrrha. But he was too afraid to openly defy them.

Ruby also noticed that someone had rebuilt Roman's cane...or built a near-perfect replica. It was now clenched tightly in Roman's gloved right hand. The real question was, when the fighting began, just who would Roman be using his new cane on?

Following behind Pyrrha's group, Ruby and Ayumu sensed Neo, still hidden by the veil of her Semblance. Despite being unable to see her, they could sense her posture and unease. Her unseen gaze focused on Ayumu, and he could sense her affection and worry, but also her wariness. This was an unexpected situation. She and Roman had betrayed Cinder's group. But that betrayal had, apparently, not been realized by anyone on Cinder's side. They could, if they so chose, join in on the attack against Ruby and Ayumu, and continue to act as Cinder's allies, with none of them being the wiser.

But Neo didn't want to do that. However, Ayumu also knew that, despite the affection and love Neo held for him, she would still put Roman first. Carefully, so as not to clue anyone in to it, Ayumu focused his eyes on the empty space, where he knew Neo was standing, meeting her invisible eyes, and giving her his warmest, most reassuring smile, silently bidding her to do what she thought she needed to...even if that meant betraying him. To most of their enemies, it was just another of Ayumu's enigmatic, inscrutable smiles. But Neo had grown close enough to him to read the nuances in his expressions, and realized the meaning behind it.

Naia and Nereus parted to allow Pyrrha's group through. As they did, the twins glanced back, their wary senses picking up on Neo's presence, though they didn't let the fact they noticed her slip to anyone.

"Hello, Ruby," said Pyrrha, her cheerful expression falling away to one of pure determination.

"Hey, Pyrrha," said Ruby, affecting a crooked smile. "Fancy seeing you here. How's being a bad guy working out?"

"Quite well," said Pyrrha, stretching her arms languidly over her head. "It's grand to finally be able to live without all those annoying concerns over my image. I'm finally free to do as I please."

"Somehow, I doubt that," said Ayumu cheerfully, his interjection drawing a startled look from Pyrrha, almost as though she'd forgotten he was there at all.

"And what are you talking about?" Pyrrha asked.

"From what we know, your new friends serve a great and terrible master," said Ayumu. "Granted, having never met her for myself, I can't say for sure; but, from the sound of things, she is not one to brook disobedience. You might think you can do as you please, but I suspect that the moment your desires contradict hers, you will be in for a most...unpleasant...experience. For all that you speak of being free, it seems to me as though you have simply traded one yoke for another."

 _Oooooooh...sneaky,_ thought Ruby approvingly, smirking slightly. Ayumu hadn't simply being making an observation to taunt Pyrrha. After all, everything Pyrrha did was an extension of her vendetta against Ruby, and her desire for Jaune. Ruby personally suspected that Pyrrha's personal desires would always override any allegiance to Salem she might currently possess. She could tell that Mercury and Emerald were both worried about that as well, given the sudden faltering of Mercury's smirk, and the wary glances he and Emerald flashed Pyrrha's way.

It might be nothing...or Ayumu's words might just be the wedge that could cause the teamwork of Pyrrha and her allies to fall apart.

"You don't need to worry about that," said Pyrrha. "I'm perfectly happy with my current lot."

She flicked her arms out, the rebuilt Milo and Akouo sliding off her back and into her waiting hands. Beside her, Mercury adopted his usual stance, while Emerald drew her own weapons. Behind the trio Romand and Weiss tensed uncertainly, their holds on their weapons tightening, while sinking into crouches, but neither brandishing their arms.

Naia and Nereus took wary steps back, now seeming more like onlookers than actual participants in this battle. Ruby wondered if they would stay that way. The two White Fang elites clearly regarded the new arrivals with mistrust, yet they were allies...at least for now. Ruby got the impression that, if the fight gave them an opening, the twins would use it to slip past and go straight for the objective, rather than continue a fight against Ruby and Ayumu.

For her part, Ruby was very worried. Things had just shifted drastically against them. Where it had previously been two-on-two, their fight had now shifted to two-on-three...maybe even five or six, if Roman, Weiss, and Neo chose to side with Salem's forces. If Naia and Nereus decided to pitch in, the number of opponents would swell to eight. Jaune was out of commission, still treating an unconscious Ciel, while Nora stood guard. Ruby could tell Nora wanted to fight, but wasn't willing to abandon Jaune and Ciel, something Ruby preferred.

Then Ruby smirked as she picked up the sense of the odds shifting back in the other direction. The familiar sound of Ember Celica's discharge accompanied a gold streak that soared overhead, Yang descending to land beside Ruby, her knees bending to absorb the force of her landing. "Hey, Sis," she said cheerfully, turning to stand beside Ruby, ready to fight.

"Hey, Yang," Ruby said back, grinning widely.

From around the corner of another building, Ren emerged at a run, sliding to a stop beside Ayumu, leveling StormFlower at their enemies. His presence was another reassurance. They hadn't fully shifted the odds back in their favor, but things weren't so stacked against Ruby and her friends anymore.

"Great, they're coming out of the woodwork," growled Mercury.

"Well, I suppose it was only a matter of time," said Pyrrha, seemingly unbothered by the new arrivals. "It's just as well Yang is here anyway. I've been looking forward to thanking her for looking after Jaune these past few months."

"Bring it!" snapped Yang, clashing her gauntlets together.

Ruby tensed, raising her scythe. Beside her, Ren and Yang readied their weapons. The situation was still dicey. Roman, Neo, and Weiss were still undecided. Nora was stuck guarding Jaune and Ciel. Ruby didn't have time to try and expand her _Shingan_ the way she had earlier to try and find Gin and Blake. They might still be fighting their own battle, for all she knew.

But there was nothing left but to follow through.

Then a sharp tremor ran through the ground at her feet. It was accompanied by a dark, ominous feeling, the sense that something had gone terribly wrong. What was worse, the source of this feeling, along with the tremor itself, came from the ground almost directly below her.

"Whoa! What the-?" exclaimed Mercury, jolting and fighting to keep his balance as the ground rocked.

Everyone froze, hesitating, confused by the strange seismic occurrence. Ruby seized the opening to focus her _Shingan_ downwards, pulsing it out through her Aura to reach the empty space of the Vault beneath the tower. What she found chilled her to the bone. _No...!_ Her eyes went wide. "Amber!"

* * *

 **And down goes Adam. Remember, complacency is a serious flaw.**

 **And now, more about Naia and Nereus. I gave you the details behind their faunus types last time, so here are the more straightforward profiles.**

* * *

 **Naia Shimizu: Naia means "wave" or "seafoam" in Basque. Naia is a mantis shrimp-faunus, whose faunus traits are a pair of club-like raptorial forelimbs, which are attached to her upper-arms, with their joint at her elbow. Naia cannot use her clubs when her arms are held out straight, as that places her own forearms within the arc of her clubs' swings. This has led to her to adopt a distinct form of body-language, holding her arms out straight when she seeks to be non-threatening, while bending them to indicate a more dangerous mindset. The more bent her arm is, the worse her temperament. When she holds her forearm folded at a full ninety-degrees to her upper-arm, she's fully-primed to strike. As I've said before, her appearance is based on Ryukitsu Koshu, from _Hoshin Engi_.**

 **Nereus Shimizu: Nereus is derived from the Greek word for "water," and is the name of one of the lesser sea-gods in the Ancient Greek pantheon. Nereus is a pistol shrimp-faunus, whose faunus trait is a pistol shrimp's snapping claw, which comprises his right forearm. Nereus is one of the rare exceptions to the Law of Symetry in faunus biology, in that his faunus trait is limited only to his right arm, without a matching trait on his left. The shell making up his claw can be reinforced with Aura, enabling him to use it to block attacks as well. Offensively, the claw can be snapped to create a powerful sonic-attack at close-range. However, unlike Naia, Nereus' faunus-trait is less effective outside of an acquatic environment, due to air being a less-suitable medium for sonic attacks than water. Appearance-wise, Nereus is based off of Nento Dojin, Ryukitsu's brother in _Hoshin Engi_.**

 **Besides giving the antagonists a much-needed boost to numbers and firepower, Naia and Nereus were designed to represent some of the more moderate aspects of the White Fang. In a sense, they serve as a bridge between the more moderate faction of Sienna Khan (for a given definition of "moderate"), and the "kill and enslave all humans" attitude of Adam's faction. If anything, they are probably more moderate than Sienna herself, though they will acquiesce to her commands, when she gives them. They are an effort on my part to present a sort of "enlightened fanaticism," that is, they are fanatics who, despite being fanatics, can come off as rather reasonable overall. It's only when you really get in their way that they show that they are _not_ to be trifled with.**

* * *

 **Keisei Genjo: Naia's weapon, the Keisei Genjo is a Dust-Accelerated Perfumed Cloth. Despite appearing light and flimsy, it boasts unmatched defensive capability amongst weapons, and is capable of deflecting or blocking nearly any attack, no matter how powerful, particularly when combined with Naia's skill and finesse. Offensively, it has no means of dealing direct damage, with Naia relying on her clubs for attacking. However, its main offensive capability is its Dust-accelerated perfume, which induces a torpor in anyone who breathes in its fumes. It serves as an embodiment of Naia's approach to combat, attempting to disable opponents without killing or injuring them first. Though, when pressed, Naia is ruthless enough that she _will_ use it to slow down an opponent to make them an easier target for her clubs. In _Hoshin Engi_ , the Keisei Genjo, or "Cloth of Temptation," is the Paopei wielded by Dakki, the primary antagonist of the series.**

 **Muro Kenkonmo: Nereus' weapon, the Muro Kenkonmo is a fairly straightforward weapon, purely Dust-based in nature. It is little more than a series of water-Dust crystals mounted on a strap, wrapped around Nereus' left forearm. Nereus has full control over the water produced by the weapon, and can use it both offensively and defensively in a variety of ways. However, its true purpose is to support his snapping claw, although that potential has not been demonstrated so far. Like Naia's weapon, the Muro Kenkonmo also comes from _Hoshin Engi_. It's actually the primary Paopei of _Ryukitsu_.**


	134. Chapter 134

**Chapter 134:**

Winter shifted awkwardly, while she and Ironwood waited for the elevator to descend. It was bad enough that she'd been instructed to leave Qrow, even though he'd been evacuated by the medical staff. But she couldn't fathom why the General had wanted her to bring the prisoner, Cinder Fall, out to Beacon Tower. And now, they were riding in the tower's elevator. But, instead of going upward, they were descending, descending longer than she would have thought possible. This was far lower than any of the Academy's known basement levels.

Her confusion only increased when the doors opened, and they found their way into a cavernous room, making their way down a hallway, formed by a forest of pillars on either side of them. The vast space seemed to stretch off in every direction, the way lit by green flames, dancing above them.

 _What on earth is this place?_ Winter wondered, staring around in awe and confusion. It would be one thing if this place was bunker of some kind. But it had the feel of something much more ancient, almost like a lost temple, somehow sheltered from the ravages of time.

However, it was not her job to ask questions. Ironwood had given her orders, and she was to obey. So she silently wheeled Cinder along on her gurney, the squeaking of the wheels seeming almost comically small in this vast, empty space. Traveling along, Winter saw something glowing in the distance. A moment later, she realized that it was a screen, attached to an apparatus formed from two metal caskets, mounted on either side of the console the screen glowed out from, linked by wires and tubes of some kind.

Winter swallowed, not liking the look of the machine. She recognized Atlesian technology, but it wasn't anything the SDC had produced. The machine in front of her actually gave off a vaguely sinister feeling, as though it was meant to do something very wrong.

She and Ironwood came to a stop in front of it. Ironwood immediately moved to the console. The faintly glowing screen brightened as he entered commands. Then, the casket to the left of the console lit up, lights shining out from the window set into its front. Then, with a hiss, the door of the casket opened.

"Load the prisoner into the chamber," said Ironwood.

"S-Sir..." began Winter, very unsure about all of this.

"Now," said Ironwood, the tone of command undeniable. "Get her into the chamber, and remove her suppression collar. After that, close the chamber, and await further instructions. I will be back momentarily."

With that, he turned and strode off, walking between the pillars, and disappearing into the darkness of the Vault.

Winter hesitated, looking at Cinder warily. She'd received her latest sedative dose about an hour ago. For someone with their Aura suppressed, that would be enough to keep her out for six hours easily. But, with the collar removed, the unsuppressed Aura would immediately go to work, and begin purging the sedative from her system. An Aura suppression collar merely suppressed an Aura's emergence. It hadn't stopped Cinder's Aura from recovering over time, in her sedated state. It would still take at least an hour or so for the sedative to wear off, under those conditions, but Winter didn't fancy allowing Cinder to have her Aura back for even a second longer than necessary.

Still, she had her orders. So Winter got to it. She lifted Cinder off her gurney with a glyph, using that to guide the woman over to the casket and lay her out on the thin cushions lining the interior. Once that was done, she reached over and, warily, unlocked the collar. The collar came free into her hand, and Winter pulled it away. Continuing, Winter made her way to the console, looking over the information on the screen. The basics of the O.S. were something she recognized, so it wasn't hard for her to find the command that closed Cinder's casket.

After that, there was nothing left to do but stand guard. Winter frowned, glancing over the screen once more. Moving through the main menu, she tried to find data about what this mysterious apparatus was supposed to do. However, there was nothing.

 _It's a black device,_ thought Winter.

She knew of such tech. There were elements of the Atlesian military that weren't supposed to exist, entrusted with clandestine operations that the public, or other Kingdoms, could not be permitted to find out about. The technology employed in such operations was designed to be untraceable, containing no information that would lead back to its source of manufacture. This mysterious apparatus was just such a device, containing no information on who had written its program codes, or even what its actual function was.

With nothing left to do, Winter settled in to wait, standing beside Cinder's casket, arms folded behind her back. As she did, she tried to watch and listen for the signs of anyone approaching.

Minutes dragged past, each one feeling like an hour. Winter glanced anxiously at Cinder's face in the window, searching for any sign that she was regaining consciousness. Perhaps she should have waited to remove the collar until Ironwood had come back.

In the distance, she heard voices. There was the General's, harsh and commanding, along with someone else. It was hard for Winter to discern, as the other person's voice was quieter, but Winter suspected that it might have been a woman. Whoever she was, she sounded confused...and distressed.

"-at's going on? Where are you taking me?"

"Just hurry!" snapped the General curtly. "We don't have the time for arguments."

"You're hurting me!"

"Then stop struggling!"

Winter's stomach lurched. The woman and the General's words did not give her a good impression of what he was doing, a feeling that only grew when they came into view, a young woman, possibly of an age with Winter, with short, brown hair, and tanned skin, struggling against the vice-like grip the General had on her arm with his right hand, practically being dragged along behind his every step.

"Sir...?" said Winter uneasily, watching Ironwood with worried eyes. She didn't like the look of this...and the bad feeling she was getting was getting worse with each passing second.

"Open the other chamber!" Ironwood barked at her. "Now!"

"Sir...I request an explanation," said Winter, stepping away from the device.

"There's no time," said Ironwood. "We must do this now. I gave you an order, Specialist! Follow it!"

The more Winter saw and heard, the less she liked it: the manic gleam in Ironwood's eyes, the pained struggles of the woman, her plaintive cries...everything about this situation seemed wrong. Winter had taken an oath of obedience, when she'd joined the military. But something inside of her was telling her that this was taking things much too far. She didn't trust this situation at all. It didn't help that Ironwood's behavior was becoming dangerously erratic.

"James..."

Ironwood froze, the woman as well, both of them turning back towards the direction of the elevator. There stood Ozpin, hands resting atop his cane, looking at Ironwood with a severe expression.

"Ozpin," growled Ironwood, more hostility in his voice than Winter would have ever expected, considering how close friends and allies the two were supposed to be.

"Just what do you think you are doing?" asked Ozpin.

"I'm doing what we should have done from the beginning!" snapped Ironwood. "You put your trust in those damn children. And now look where it has gotten us! The Kingdom walls have been breached! Beacon itself is under attack! I have had enough of your damn passivity! We are past the time for words! We need to take action!"

"Yet _this_ is not the action that should be taken," said Ozpin. "Release Amber."

"I refuse to trust this to chance!" snapped Ironwood. "I will make certain that the Maiden's power goes to the proper vessel."

 _Maiden?_ Winter's eyes went to Amber, who had seemingly lost interest in the debate between the two powerful men. She stared down at the floor, distracted. Winter frowned, narrowing her eyes and watching the other woman more closely. Amber's breath was coming in short pants. Her face was breaking out into an intense sweat. She pressed her lips tightly together, then opened them, releasing a soft groan.

Ozpin and Ironwood both appeared not to notice the change coming over the young woman, whose fate they were apparently debating. Ozpin switched his grip, taking up his cane with his right hand, holding it as one might hold a sword, though not yet raising it to take a stance.

"I will warn you only once more," said Ozpin. "Release Amber, now."

"You damn, sentimental fool," growled Ironwood, his left hand reaching towards the flap of his coat, for the handle of his revolver.

"Sir..." pressed Winter, not liking the look on Amber's face, as the woman seemed to get worse. She was breathing harder now, as though she was engaging in heavy exercise. There was more sweat on her face, and coming from the rest of her body as well, staining patches of the simple gown she wore.

"Silence!" barked Ironwood, barely even flicking his glance towards her.

"Sir, something is wrong," said Winter.

"What are you talking about?" asked Ironwood...right before she sagged in his grip, collapsing to her knees. "Get up!" he demanded, showing neither concern nor worry. "I won't put up with your stubbornness."

"I..." gasped Amber, having to stop to take a heaving breath. "I feel...I feel...hot..."

"James, release her!" snapped Ozpin, raising his cane and stepping forward.

Whether or not Ironwood would obey would never be known, as Amber collapsed forward, now dangling limply by her arm in Ironwood's grip, gasping and heaving, as though breathing wasn't doing anything for her lungs. Then she spasmed, her entire body wrenching. Abruptly, her posture reversed, rising back up on her knees, her spine bending back, head turning towards the ceiling. Her mouth opened...and Winter couldn't help but shudder at the bloodcurdling scream that emerged.

The scream wasn't the only thing that emerged from her. An orange, molten light welled up from within her, a light that Winter was certain couldn't be Amber's Aura. The glow increased in intensity. Then, all at once, it surged out from Amber's body, rushing into the air in a powerful stream...and flying right at Winter.

Winter threw herself to the side, diving to the floor, feeling the intense heat of...whatever that light was...passing close to her. She got the impression that, had she remained in its path, there might not have been much left of her. The sound of rending metal reached her ears, and Amber looked up to see the light slam into Cinder's casket, melting and tearing its way through the metal in less than a second. Through what remained of the window, Winter saw Cinder's body lurch, the light melting into her, but leaving her unscathed. Cinder's mouth opened, and she sucked in a harsh breath, then her eyes snapped open.

Glowing, orange flames streamed from the outside corners of Cinder's eyes. The light began to shine from her body, just as it had from within Amber. This time, however, whatever had entered her didn't come streaming out. Instead, a powerful burst of fiery energy exploded out from her, tearing what remained of her casket's door right off its hinges, and flinging it right at Ironwood.

Releasing his grip on Amber's arm, Ironwood brought up his cybernetic limb, allowing the casket lid to slam into it. The metal deformed on the other side, showing the impression of Ironwood's fingers, as he stopped it cold, before flinging his arm downward, slamming the ruined chunk of metal to the floor. Meanwhile, the shockwave rocked the entire vault. Nearby pillars cracked, and dust descended from above.

Behind Ironwood, Ozpin stared on with a horrified look. "James...what have you done?"

For his part, Ironwood was also shocked by this unexpected outcome, gaping unabashedly as Cinder rose out of the remains of her casket, surrounded by a nimbus of fiery light, matching that of the flames that continued to stream from her eyes. They hadn't bothered to change her out of her dress, when they'd brought her to the infirmary. But the holes and cuts left by her battle with Glynda and Winter were still there...until the strange energy rolling off her washed over them, mending the clothes as well.

Winter got to her feet, retreating away from the ruined device to stand next to Ironwood.

Cinder's gaze fell on the General, and he smirked. "I have to thank you," she said. "To think that you would deliver me to the exact place I needed to be."

Baring his teeth, Ironwood pulled out his revolver and opened fire. Cinder did nothing, but Ironwood's bullets burst against a shield of orange flame that appeared wherever they would have hit her. Smirking, Cinder thrust out her right palm at Ironwood. A powerful jet of flame surged across the space between them. Ironwood turned side-on, using the cybernetic half of his body as a shield. The flames slammed into him, then blasted him away, sending him smashing through several pillars, before disappearing in an explosion of flames and scattering chunks of stone.

"General!" shouted Winter, whipping her head around to follow Ironwood's progress.

Cinder descended slowly to the floor, her heeled shoes forming around her feet as she touched down. Still smiling, she languidly inspected herself, calling flames to her hands, and toying with them idly. "So...this is what it feels like...to have all that power." Her gaze went to Amber, who had collapsed after losing her magic, but who was now struggling back upright. "It was a waste for someone like you to be entrusted with it."

Still smiling, Cinder raised her right hand again, conjuring a ball of flame, which she then launched at Amber. A blur appeared in front of the former-Maiden, Ozpin appearing in a flash, his cane striking the orb of flame, knocking it away, where it exploded amidst the pillars of the Vault.

"Ms. Schnee," said Ozpin, his voice tight and tense, but still calm.

"P-Professor?" Winter looked at him in confusion.

"Please take Ms. Akiyama to safety," requested Ozpin. "I will hold her here."

"B-but-!" Winter began to protest.

"You have a duty, Ms. Schnee," said Ozpin, his voice just as commanding as Ironwood's. "Carry it out."

"Y-Yes, Sir," said Winter, quickly moving to Amber's side. Crouching down, Winter began to help Amber up by her arm. "Ms. Akiyama, please come on. We have to leave."

Amber looked up at Winter, then to Ozpin, then past Ozpin at Cinder. Her expression became despairing. "Right..." she said softly, allowing Winter to help her up. The two of them made their way in the direction of the elevator.

Meanwhile, Ozpin leveled his cane at Cinder, who met his gaze squarely, her smirk fading, replaced by a much more serious expression. "So...all this time, it was right beneath our feet," she said. "She was right about you...such arrogance."

The elevator doors closed, cutting off Winter and Amber's view of the battle. All they could see were streaks of emerald green clashing with flashes of orange flame. Then the elevator began to ascend, but the vibrations of the battle continued to rock them.

* * *

Ruby's exclamation startled everyone into motion. Mercury growled, then kicked off the ground, launching himself at her with incredible speed, the flashing, silver winds of his Dust-powered weaponry propelling him along, their curling emissions making him look like a surfer catching a wave. Right before he would have made contact, he twisted his body, going into an impossibly fast flip, his right leg becoming an ebony blur, rushing right down at Ruby's head.

That black blur was intercepted by a golden one, Yang striking directly perpendicular to the path of Mercury's kick, deflecting it away from Ruby. Ruby herself had already gone into motion. Even if her mind was distracted by what was happening below, her body and training were already doing the heavy lifting for her, responding automatically to the commencement of the battle.

Pyrrha and Emerald lurched forward at the same time. Pyrrha switched her weapon into its javelin-mode, jumping into the air and throwing it at Ruby. Ruby, who'd already moved in response to Mercury's attack, swiftly used her scythe to deflect the thrown weapon. The deflection flipped Milo over, and Pyrrha used her Semblance to trigger the rifle built into it, which fired the bullet from the javelin's butt-end. The bullet flew at Ruby, while the recoil propelled the javelin back towards Pyrrha's hands.

Shifting her head to the side by a small degree, Ruby dodged the shot easily, the passing bullet actually ruffling a few strands of her hair. The javelin was already changing, converting into its sword-mode just in time for the handle to slap into the palm of Pyrrha's hand, Pyrrha meeting Ruby head-on, their weapons clashing ferociously.

Emerald would have attacked Ruby as well, but she was forced to dodge aside when a stream of bullets from Ren's guns blitzed through the space she'd occupied. Ren closed with her quickly, striking with swift slashes from his bladed guns. Emerald countered in kind, the two trading a rapid series of flashing blows, their weapons becoming green and magenta streaks.

Behind Pyrrha, Emerald, and Mercury, Weiss and Roman shifted uneasily, brandishing their weapons, but making no effort to use them. Neither of them was sure of what to do in this pitched battle. Behind the veil of her illusion, Neo was similarly undecided.

The most unusual action was undertaken by Naia and Nereus. Instead of proceeding forward, they fell back, standing before Nora, Jaune, and the recovering Ciel, positioning themselves protectively, as though they were helping to guard the very person they'd once injured. Jaune and Nora both stared at the twins' backs in confusion.

"Why?" asked Nora.

"Perhaps it is hypocritical, but we would rather not allow those who are not fighting to come to harm through the battles of others," said Naia. "Just focus on what you need to do."

Jaune didn't like being told to focus on healing his friend, by one of the very people _responsible_ for her condition. But that didn't make Naia's admonishment any less-true. With an angry growl, he turned his full attention to Ciel, continuing to channel his Aura into her.

Pyrrha quickly found herself being driven back by Ruby's whirling offense. Shining Rose seemed to dance with a life of its own, the scythe clashing mercilessly against the rebuilt Milo. Pyrrha tried to drive in and go on the attack, but found Ruby slipping away like a gust of wind. Instead, it was _Pyrrha_ who was forced to quickly dodge, leaping over a swift slash of the scythe's blade, while turning to strike back out at Ruby, who easily dodged out of range, successfully applying her weapon's greater reach to her advantage, while leveraging her superior mobility at the same time. It was taking Pyrrha all of her skill and experience to keep from taking a hit from that glowing blade, made all the harder by the fact that her experience with her Semblance was mostly useless in this situation.

Backpedaling away from Ruby, Pyrrha slung her shield at her opponent. Ruby swiftly intercepted the incoming disk with her scythe's shaft, batting it directly back at Pyrrha, who extended Milo back into its javelin form to mirror the gesture, sending the shield flying back at Ruby. In the next move, Pyrrha inverted her weapon, Milo converting into its rifle mode, which Pyrrha used to crack off a shot in her shield's wake. Ruby batted the shield aside, just as the bullet came rushing through the space it occupied. But Ruby's deflection of the shield was part of a spin she'd put her scythe into, allowing her to catch the bullet as well.

Pyrrha seized control of Akouo with her Semblance. Now that it was a known quantity, there was no point in holding back. What was more, if Pyrrha couldn't use her Semblance to affect Ruby's weapon, she would just use it on what she _could_ affect. Rather than disguising her control by deflecting the shield, Pyrrha guided it into a tight arc, sending it circling around Ruby, and flying at her head from behind.

Without even looking, Ruby whirled her scythe around her body, striking the shield with the shaft and knocking it away. But Pyrrha merely sent it curving around to come at Ruby from another course, forcing her to either defend or dodge. Pyrrha kept her shield on the attack, bombarding Ruby from every conceivable angle, always circling back in. Meanwhile, Pyrrha extended Milo back into javelin-mode, and charged in to attack up-close, whirling her weapon in a manner similar to Ruby's scythe.

Ruby was pushed onto the defensive, forced to keep her scythe on the move to keep up with the incredible pace of attack Pyrrha possessed. However, despite Pyrrha's best efforts, none of her attacks managed to get through Ruby's defense. Bursts of petals exploded from the wing extending from the back of the scythe's head, accelerating its movement to ensure that it was always on time to defend against Pyrrha's attacks.

Then Ruby went on the counterattack. Swinging Shining Rose around, she caught the incoming Akouo, catching it where her scythe's head extended from its hinge atop the shaft. Falling back before Pyrrha's onslaught with her javelin, Ruby swung her weapon back around, taking Pyrrha's shield with it, using her scythe to throw Pyrrha's shield right back at her. Pyrrha grit her teeth, but remained composed, actually extending her left arm, which allowed her to slide the shield back into place as naturally as though that was what she'd always meant to do.

Doing so left Pyrrha in the perfect position to defend as Ruby followed through by collapsing her weapon back down into its rifle-mode, and firing a shot at Pyrrha. The red streak of her manifested bullet glanced off the steel-gray disk of Pyrrha's shield, Pyrrha converting her javelin back into a rifle and returning fire. Rather than block, Ruby dodged, shifting back and forth between shots, Shining Rose returning to its scythe-mode right as Ruby closed into melee range, her swing being intercepted by Pyrrha's shield.

Pyrrha growled, raising her rifle and aiming it right for Ruby's head, at almost point-blank range. However, the instincts she'd honed over the course of numerous tournaments, and throughout her continuous training, warned her that she was in danger. Instead, she threw herself backwards, managing to flip out of the way of a series of green, phantasmal swords that slashed through the space she'd been standing in, the blades cutting through the pavement like butter, when they hit.

"Please go," Ayumu said to Ruby, immediately gliding into place between her and Pyrrha.

Ruby didn't need any extra motivation, quickly turning and rushing for the tower, a burst of petals exploding out in her wake. Pyrrha growled, leveling her weapons at Ayumu, who raised his sword at her with a smile.

* * *

"Hey!" shouted Mercury, seeing Ruby making a break for it.

He would have gone after her, except that he had to throw himself backwards to avoid a hooking punch from Yang. Executing a swift flip, Mercury landed on his feet, then immediately followed through by kicking off and going into a rapid spin, completing three whole revolutions before swinging his foot out at Yang's head in a roundhouse. Despite the excessive nature of the move, Yang still barely managed to duck out of the way in time. Surging back up, she followed through with a straight punch, trying to catch Mercury before his spin could bring his attacking leg back around, except that his opposite leg kicked up behind him, intercepting her punch, and sending the shot fired by her gauntlet wide.

Yang kicked off the ground herself, using the force of Mercury's kick to impart spin on her own body, allowing her to rise above the level of his next kick, while landing her own against his face, knocking Mercury back with a shout of pain.

Yang landed a bit clumsily, which inhibited her ability to follow through. But that was fine. Instead, she'd realized something else. _The specs on his new legs are_ way _too high,_ she thought. _He doesn't have a handle on them yet, so he can't fully control his own moves._

Mercury's speed and power had gone way up. But there was far too much wasted movement in his attacks. He was overcompensating with every move, which meant that he couldn't fully control his attacks or defense. As long as that was the case, Yang would have the edge over him. Of course, if he worked out how to control his new prosthetics properly, he'd be a force to be reckoned with, so Yang figured she had better shut him down before he could manage that.

* * *

On the other side of the battle, Emerald had also noticed Ruby's departure. Like Mercury, her first impulse was to pursue, but she was stymied by Ren's fierce attacks. Falling back away from him, Emerald opened the distance between them, narrowing her eyes and calling upon her Semblance. She'd use it to distract him, create an opening for herself, then slip by him.

As she was accustomed to, her mind connected with his, and Emerald found herself experiencing that same double-vision that always accompanied her use of her ability, the view from Ren's perspective overlapping with her own. All she had to do now was overwrite his viewpoint with her own creations, and Ren would see only what she wanted him to.

But then...her perception of Ren's viewpoint abruptly...slipped away. Emerald didn't know how to describe it. Her hold on Ren's senses was lost, like water pouring out through a sieve. The next thing she knew, trying to control Ren's senses was the furthest thing from her mind, as she was abruptly confronted by the whirling approach of one of Ren's StormFlower, spinning rapidly towards her face. Desperately, Emerald shouted out in surprise, whipping one of her sickles up to bat the incoming weapon away.

And then Ren was behind her, his blade cutting into the Aura guarding her back, causing Emerald to lurch forward, yelping with pain. His empty hand reached out to catch his other gun, before it could be sent spinning away. Leveling them both at Emerald, he opened fire. Emerald was already responding, the blades of her sickles extending out on chains, which she whirled between herself and Ren to deflect his shots.

She fell back, staring at Ren in shock. "How did you...?" she began, before stopping herself.

"It seems that my Semblance is a natural counter to yours," said Ren.

The colors of his body began to fade, and Emerald's awareness of him began to slip away again. A second later, she was fighting to remember where he was, until she felt him approach more aggressively, slashing at her again. This time, Emerald managed to fend his slashes off. She wielded her own blades offensively, aiming to take him down. If she couldn't best him with her Semblance, then she'd just have to do so with skill.

* * *

Ayumu and Pyrrha faced off against each other. Pyrrha's eyes continued to stare past Ayumu, at Ruby's retreating back.

"I'm afraid you'll have to go through me," said Ayumu, calling Pyrrha's attention back to him.

"I don't have any business with you," said Pyrrha coldly.

"Even though my friend and I were the ones who found Ruby, saved her, healed her, and helped her to become stronger?" asked Ayumu. "Everything you went through, from the exposure of your crimes to the complete destruction of your good standing, can be tied back to the catalyst of our undoing the fruit of your efforts."

Pyrrha's cold expression became a furious glare.

"Of course, that's if we pretend about your own culpability," said Ayumu. "After all, the true fault lies with you, does it not? _You_ were the one who believed that you had the right to end another person's life for petty, selfish reasons. That the consequences of your own actions wound up coming back to haunt you, and denying you the very thing you took those actions _for_ is only fitting...exactly what you deserve."

Ayumu's smile only became sunnier as he continued. "To keep that reality at bay, you continue to foist the blame for your actions on your victims; on Ruby, for bringing the truth to light; on Jaune, for denying your hope at having anything more with him; on Yang, for having the courage to do what you couldn't. You refuse to accept the truth, because you would rather hold to the fantasy that piling up sin on top of sin will someday bring about the end you want, rather than being willing to accept that you've lost what you once hoped for...and moving on."

"Shut up!" snarled Pyrrha.

Rather than try and allow him to continue to banter with her, she charged forward, closing the distance between them in less than a second. Ayumu flicked his sword out in a parry, easily deflecting the slash of her own. Pyrrha allowed him to, her sword dropping down, while she raised her left arm to punch out at his head with the rim of her shield. Ayumu easily dodged the attack by leaning his head to the side.

Ayumu's sword came back around in a slash, aiming for Pyrrha's stomach. But Pyrrha jumped over it, sending her body into a spin that allowed her to lash out with her leg in a kick, again at Ayumu's head. Ayumu's response was to lean backwards, pushing off the ground, and going into a drifting flip that allowed him to lower his head below the level of Pyrrha's kick. Spinning in the air, he touched down as soon as his feet were pointed downwards once more, landing before Pyrrha did.

Bringing up his sword, Ayumu made no effort to thrust. He almost didn't need to, as Pyrrha immediately bulled forward when she landed. It was clear that she'd expected him to dodge her kick, and intended to try and use the opening to make a break for the tower entrance. But Ayumu had already sensed her intent. For all the ferocity of her attacks, Pyrrha's attention hadn't ever been fully on him. Now, in trying to push forward, she nearly threw herself upon the point of Ayumu's sword. At the last second, she barely managed to twist her body to the side, throwing herself clumsily to the ground.

Turning her fall into a roll, Pyrrha came back up on her feet, only to find that Ayumu had once again positioned himself between her and the tower, ensuring that she didn't gain an inch in the direction that she wanted. She growled and glared furiously, baring her teeth at him in an expression that was almost feral.

"By all means, keep trying," Ayumu advised her. "The more you try to ignore me, the more openings I will have."

Pyrrha tensed, and readied her weapons. If that was what it took to get what she was _really_ after, then fine. She would put her all into killing the boy before her. The sooner she brought him down, the sooner she could go after her _true_ quarry.

Then Ayumu leapt back. Several small, rectangular objects streaked down to embed themselves in the pavement where he'd been standing. Both he and Pyrrha looked down to see, to their shock, playing cards sticking out of the ground like thrown shuriken.

A black-clad, caped figure touched down lightly next to Pyrrha, seeming to drift down like a feather, touching down with a sharp clicking sound from the black, heeled shoes over her feet. "Do go on ahead, Ms. Nikos," said the woman cheerfully. "I shall open the way for you."

Pyrrha was confused, but didn't really need any further urging to charge ahead. Ayumu moved to intercept her, except he was quickly stymied when the new arrival flung several more cards at him, the paper projectiles flying at him like thrown knives. Ayumu was stymied, Green Destiny becoming a flickering blur as he deflected the thrown objects, which struck against his sword with metallic pings that indicated how dangerous they were.

 _Aura-enhanced objects,_ Ayumu realized. It was similar to what he'd done with leaves, before he'd learned to create his own projectiles through a more widely available medium. The new woman apparently channeled her Aura into the cards in order to harden and sharpen them, turning them into potentially lethal projectiles, made all the more fearsome by the speed and accuracy she employed them with.

In the time Ayumu had blocked the new woman's attack, Pyrrha had dashed past him, and was now rushing right for the entrance to Beacon Tower. Ayumu turned to pursue her, but the intense, piercing malice he felt from the woman stopped him, Ayumu realizing that, if he tried to follow through, she wouldn't let him live long enough to regret his inattentiveness.

Unable to do anything but hope that Ruby could make it through the situation, Ayumu turned back towards the woman, taking her in. She was dressed in a black, sleeveless leotard, displaying a modest, but still impressive, figure. Her shapely legs were accentuated by the gray stockings she wore, embellished with a fishnet pattern. Over her shoulders, she wore a black cape, with pale-blue lining on the inside. Atop the silvery hair that cascaded down from her head, she wore a black top-hat, with a pale-blue band matching the color of her cape's lining wrapped just above the brim. A black domino-mask rested on her face, with familiar ice-blue eyes looking through the holes at him.

Ayumu blinked, his smile actually disappearing for a second. His eyes narrowed, and his _Shingan_ carefully analyzed the woman before him. Her nature was almost completely unlike that of anyone he'd ever encountered before. Yet there was a faint sense of familiarity in the particulars of her appearance, as well as the sense he got from her Aura, that made him feel as though he'd encountered her before. Then...it clicked for him. His eyes widened, and he sucked in his breath in a surprised gasp. "Ms. Schirmer...is that really you?"

Whitney Schirmer tittered delightedly, reaching up take her hat off her head, before sweeping it across her body, while she bent at the waist in a low, theatrical bow. "A pleasure to see you again, young man," she said in a cheerful tone that rivaled his. "I was afraid you might not recognize me, and that I'd have to drop a few hints."

Ayumu grinned sheepishly, scratching the top of his head. "To be honest, I almost didn't," he admitted. "You are almost _nothing_ like the woman I defeated, back in Brandywine. Indeed, if she were more like you...I daresay I probably _wouldn't_ have defeated her."

He would rather not have admitted it, but Ayumu's sense of this woman was that her capacity rivaled that of the Shrimps. Though it bothered him to acknowledge it, she was stronger than him. The idea that he'd won their fight in Brandywine only because she'd been holding back was galling, to say the least. Although, it spoke volumes of what she was capable of. The Whitney Schirmer he remembered was a cold, callous woman, who, while she'd taken no actual pleasure in the deeds her teammates had committed, didn't bother to censure them either, only bothering to discipline Bruno and the other members of BRWN when their antics made it less likely they could hold the town. This cheery, lively young woman was nothing like that. _I had no sense of this, back then,_ he realized. _It isn't just her demeanor and behavior that have changed, but the very sense of her Aura. It's almost as though she truly_ was _a different person back then._

Whitney tittered. "Well, a true performer is prepared to adopt any role, and embody it to the fullest. I call it _Alter Ego_. Maybe that's a little too on-the-nose, as names go, but I feel it does my skill justice. I take on a role with such fidelity that it changes the very basis of who I am."

"Truly remarkable," said Ayumu, realizing that they were both stalling in a sense. It suited them both to play for time, conversing, instead of fighting. While Ayumu would have rather gone after Pyrrha, and ensure that she couldn't interfere with Ruby doing what she needed to do, holding this remarkably dangerous woman in check was far more important, particularly since she clearly didn't have the restraint and compassion that the Shimizus displayed. Her outward behavior might have been pleasant, but it it also hinted at an undercurrent of sadism, the mark of a woman who enjoyed inflicting harm and pain.

Besides, if she was this willing to chat, then he might find out something useful, if he could guide their conversation in the right direction.

"So...are we to assume that you were aligned with Salem from the beginning?" he asked.

"That would be accurate," conceded Whitney, apparently seeing no problem with the admission.

"And what purpose did your time with Team Brown serve?" asked Ayumu. "It seems to me that someone as formidable as you might be better served in another role...perhaps...as a Maiden."

"Oh ho," said Whitney with a laugh. "Aren't you the intriguing one. You're actually fishing, aren't you? Still...no harm I suppose. I'm happy to engage with someone like you.

"Who's to say _what_ my Mistress has in store for me. She is not someone to take on a person for any single reason. But I've often found that my purpose does not lie in power. My time as Whitney Schirmer of Team BRWN was for the sake of performance."

"Performance?" Ayumu blinked in confusion.

Whitney grinned. "Yes. True performance is not simply mindless entertainment. It imparts a message, incites change. In my case, my performance led me to work to erode one of the pillars of this world."

Ayumu's eyes narrowed. "You mean Huntsmen," he realized. "Your purpose was to use Team Brown to wear away the trust the people have in the ones who are supposed to protect them."

"It's not so different from what you've done, is it?" asked Whitney. "Even in that lovely prison, I've heard about you. You and your friend have caused quite the stir, attacking the viability of one of the greatest pillars of the current world, haven't you?"

Ayumu swallowed, though he was still smiling. "I suppose that's true," he admitted, readily enough. "I don't like our efforts being compared to yours. In a sense, I suppose we both seek to tear down part of the current world, and erect something new in its place. That being the case, where we differ is in _what_ needs to be torn down, and the extent."

Whitney's smile became distinctly cruel. "Your assessment is distressingly accurate," she admitted, "save for one thing. You suggest that we merely seek to tear down _part_ of the current world. No no no, my dear. We seek to raze the _whole_ thing."

* * *

Ruby dashed through the doors, her eyes and senses taking in the entirety of the tower's lobby. Everything felt normal, though the place was abnormally deserted, given the time of day. The vast space was dominated by the central column that supported the tower itself, with the reception desk set into it, facing the doors, while glowing consoles lined its perimeter. Outside the ring of consoles, the lower floor formed a wider ring, lined by broad, lit sections raised up slightly, the lights interrupted by the openings that led to the elevators.

Ruby made her way to the elevator that was directly across from the doors, the one that went up to Ozpin's office. As she'd expected, it was shut. But the light on it indicated that the elevator was ascending. Projecting her awareness downwards, Ruby felt two familiar presences approaching, Winter and Amber.

She stepped back as the doors opened, keeping Shining Rose lowered in an unthreatening posture. She met Winter's wary gaze with her own, somewhat relieved one. Winter's eyes widened at the sight of her. "Ruby?"

"Ruby!" Amber gasped Ruby's name, lurching forward, pulling her arm off from over Winter's shoulder.

Ruby quickly stowed Shining Rose behind her back, and spread her arms to catch Amber, as she staggered into them. At that instant, she realized what had happened. "Amber! Your magic...!"

Winter's eyes widened, and Ruby sensed her surprise and confusion. But there was no point in trying to be discreet now. It was obvious that Winter had seen...whatever had happened down in the Vault...first-hand. She probably only had the most basic understanding of what was going on, if even that, but they could wait until things were safer to elaborate.

"Ironwood came for me," said Amber. "He had Cinder in the machine. Then my magic...it just...went."

Ruby swallowed, the realization striking her. They'd known that the hold Amber's magic had on her had been loosening, that it had been pulling away. But they'd only thought about it in terms of _time_ , how _long_ until it released its hold on her Aura. It had never occurred to them to consider _proximity_ , the idea that Cinder getting _close_ enough would actually expedite the process.

That meant that Cinder was now the Fall Maiden, in full possession of that powerful magic and, worse, now able to open the door that sealed off the Relic held by Beacon. _We need to stop her._

But Ruby's sense of Amber's condition kept her from jumping right into the elevator and taking it down. Amber was distressed. Parting with her magic had been traumatic. Not as traumatic as what Cinder had done to steal a portion of it in the first place; but it had clearly sapped her strength, and she'd need to recover. Worse still, there was a fierce battle taking place outside the tower, two participants of which had been actively involved in the first attack on Amber.

She needed more information. Looking past Amber, Ruby asked Winter, "What's happening down there?"

Winter swallowed. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "Cinder was awakened by...whatever happened." She glanced at Amber's sagging body a little dubiously. "She was far more powerful than when Glynda and I fought her. She blasted the General away. Professor Ozpin is holding her off now."

Ruby pursed her lips. Ozpin was down there now, and fighting Cinder. Having been the one to grant his magic to the original Maidens, Ozpin probably knew more about their powers than Cinder did. But that didn't change the fact that, by his own admission, he was far weaker now.

Ruby wasn't sure what to do. She could feel faint vibrations from below, but it was hard to tell the details of what was going on. She swallowed. There were so many things going on, it was hard to know what to do.

Then the vibrations from below paused...for all of a few seconds. Then they returned, more constant...and growing closer. Ruby felt a malicious presence, rising up through the elevator shaft, propelled by the power she'd once sensed, only in part, from Amber. Cinder was coming. And of Professor Ozpin, there was no sign.

"We have to get away from the elevator," she said quickly, looking up at Emerald. "She's coming."

Winter's eyes widened, and she immediately helped Ruby to support Amber, the two of them making their way around the column at the center, and heading for the door. Coming within sight of the entrance, they stopped. Pyrrha stood there, a dark expression on her face, her emerald eyes glaring right at Ruby.

Then, behind them, the doors of the elevator exploded outwards, riding upon a wave of flame. The familiar red and orange-garbed figure of Cinder strutted out, flames streaming from the outer corners of her eyes, her power swirling around her in a fiery nimbus. Her piercing gaze found Ruby, and the sadistic smile she wore only grew wider.

"Well well well..." she purred. "If it isn't nearly all of the people I've most wanted to see. What a wonderful opportunity this is...to settle the account for all the trouble you've caused me."

* * *

 **Well...this is awkward...**


	135. Chapter 135

**Chapter 135:**

 _This is bad,_ thought Ruby, looking back and forth. Pyrrha on one side, Cinder on the other; Amber having trouble standing and walking, after losing her magic; Winter completely out of her depth from how this situation had spiraled so completely beyond her understanding; everything was coming together to make it the most difficult fight Ruby could imagine. In terms of difficulty, this was, ironically, _beyond_ the fight against Typhon. After they'd gotten that Grimm off Mt. Glenn, it had simply been a matter of finding the most effective way to defeat it. But here...the factors affecting the situation were much more complex, far more chaotic and varied. There was the battle going on outside that she couldn't forget about either.

 _Probably just the way Master Yu wants it,_ thought Ruby, unable to _not_ picture the grinning face of her teacher. He was probably somewhere in the general area, leering with that grin of his, taking joy in seeing her struggle from being faced by the seemingly impossible goals he'd set for her.

But the fact that her teacher had basically orchestrated all of this, however indirectly, didn't change what Ruby needed to do. There were people who needed her help. She'd already let down Penny, the ones who'd perished when Typhon's attack had destroyed the wall, and God knew who else. She couldn't afford to let anymore people die. _But I can't get caught up in thinking too big,_ she thought. Her gaze slipped back to Amber. _I need to think smaller. Start by saving the people with me, here and now._

Cinder was completely oblivious to the train of Ruby's thoughts. "Well well, it annoys me to say this, but it's good that you're here, Pyrrha," said Cinder, taking another couple steps forward. "Make sure none of them get away."

Ruby bit back a growl. "I thought _I_ was the one you wanted," she said. "You already got the Fall Maiden's power, didn't you? There's no reason for you to still go after Amber."

"Perhaps," said Cinder. "But I need to be sure. It was surprise to receive the magic in the way I did. To be absolutely certain, I will take that girl, and wring every last drop of her life from her. After all, there's no way a Maiden's power can inhabit a corpse. That's the best way to be certain."

So Cinder said. But Ruby could see her sadistic smile all too clearly. Cinder's reasoning was just so much lip-service. Maybe it was annoyance at the fact that she hadn't managed to get all of Amber's magic and kill her the first time they'd crossed paths. Maybe she just relished the chance unleash her newly-acquired power on a helpless person. Either way, Cinder just wanted to play with her power, like a child with a newly acquired toy. And she wanted to use it on someone who couldn't fight back.

Ruby also sensed something from Pyrrha. She didn't need to look to notice that Pyrrha was narrowing her eyes, her glare now directed at Cinder, rather than Ruby herself.

"However, I can see that I'll need to start with you," said Cinder, her gaze focusing intently on Ruby. "You've made all this far more difficult than it needed to be. An irritant like you will be a pleasure to deal with."

Ruby's lips reflexively pulled back in a smile. "I get it," she said. "You know, it's kinda sad, really."

"Sad…?" Cinder's smile faded .

"I mean...the reason you had such a hard time is that you're just so _weak_ ," said Ruby, inflecting her voice with a teasing tone. "No wonder you wanted the Maiden's power so badly. You're pretty much useless without it, aren't you?"

Now Cinder's expression was an open scowl.

"But I guess that's the kind of person you are," said Ruby, getting the distinct feeling that Cinder had heard something like this before...and she got a feeling she knew who from. "You don't have what it takes to get stronger the right way, so you'd rather just nab a quick power-up, then claim that you're all that."

Now Cinder's eyes were blazing...literally. Once again, orange flames were streaming from the outer corners, and she bared her teeth in a menacing snarl. "You're quite the precocious one," she purred, stalking forward again, flames rising from around her body, "I've already dealt with Ozpin. I see that you're eager to follow him."

Ruby's heart sank at Cinder's words. Of course, given what Winter had said about Ozpin holding Cinder off, and Cinder rising up from the Vault, things hadn't looked good for Beacon's Headmaster. But it was still disheartening to learn that he had indeed perished. But Ruby kept it from her face, instead fighting to keep her taunting smile there.

She took a step back, turning her head slightly towards Winter. "Get Amber behind the consoles, and keep her safe."

"Ruby! You can't seriously be planning on fighting her?" Winter cast an uneasy look at Pyrrha, who remained where she was, apparently content to follow Cinder's orders...for now. "It should be me!"

"Winter," said Ruby, giving Winter a grave look. "Please. I know what we're up against. Believe me, when I say this is what I've been training for."

A tortured sound forced its way out from Winter's throat. This went against everything she'd been trained to do. She was a graduate of Atlas Academy, an Atlesian Specialist, General Ironwood's most-trusted agent. She should be the one at the forefront of this battle, directing the fight, giving orders, and taking the lead. Yet, here she was, being instructed by someone younger, and less-experienced than her.

 _But then...I suppose it speaks to the_ quality _of her experience that her words carry so much weight,_ Winter thought, seeing the look of absolute conviction in Ruby's eyes. Whatever training Yu Yuen had put this girl through had been leagues beyond what Winter herself had ever experienced. She supposed that, in this situation, Ruby was right. But that didn't make this any less of a bitter pill to swallow.

"All right," she said, carefully lifting Amber in her arms. A short jump later, and she vaulted up and over the consoles, depositing Amber behind them, and then standing guard over her, keeping a wary eye on Cinder and Pyrrha both.

Cinder's eyes narrowed, her scowl remaining. Ruby turned to face her again, expression serious. The time for taunts was past. In any case, it seemed that the fact that she wasn't cowering before Cinder's power was enough to irk the woman, who looked as though she was trying to make Ruby burst into flames through the force of her glare alone.

Still, Cinder was no longer in a mood to talk. She rose up before Ruby, jets of flame emerging from her feet to propel her up into the air. She hovered just about a meter above the ground, swirling flames still dancing about her body, while more still emerged from the palms of her hands, which she held out to her sides, angled slightly downwards. From this position, with this posture, she was the very figure of a god, looking down on and casting judgment upon an arrogant sinner, which Ruby supposed Cinder fondly imagined herself to be.

Ruby bent her legs, sinking into a crouch. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly, allowing her consciousness to bleed away, completely giving herself over to her training. Her awareness spread outwards, encompassing the base of the entire tower. She could sense, not only Cinder, but Pyrrha, Winter, and Amber. She felt their presence, their intent, their willingness, unwillingness, and inability to take action.

Then Cinder languidly raised her right hand, directing her open palm at Ruby, unleashing a powerful jet of flame straight at her. Ruby darted into motion, her body seeming to flicker and vanish from where she had been standing. Cinder's eyes widened. With a sharp gasp, she spun about to see Ruby already behind her, having dodged her initial attack, rebounded twice off the inner walls of the tower, using the movement to flank Cinder, and come at her from behind. Still, Cinder managed to see Ruby coming, and raised a flame-filled hand to counter. The two clashed with an explosion that shook the structure to its foundations.

* * *

Ayumu danced aside, barely managing to avoid Whitney's cards, which pursued him like a swarm of angry hornets. They abruptly changed direction, always seeming to seek him, spreading out to attack from multiple vectors, trying to close off every avenue of escape. Without his Semblance, and his technique for stepping off the air, Ayumu would have found evasion impossible. Slashing out with Green Destiny, he found the edge of his sword foiled, whether by the Aura Whitney infused into the cards, or the technique she wielded them with, or some combination of both. But he couldn't seem to land the hit he needed to cut through them. It would have been less frustrating if they were some kind of secret weapon, made from some special alloy. But Ayumu didn't even need his _Shingan_ to see that they were, in fact, just ordinary playing cards.

Touching down, he dropped low, allowing an Ace of Spades to go flying past his head. Pushing off the ground, he stayed low, using his Semblance to lighten himself enough that he remained floating just a few inches above the earth, while a Five of Diamonds and Jack of Clubs embedded themselves in the ground where he'd been before. He twisted, managing to pull his shoulder out of the way of a Queen of Hearts, all while he rushed for Whitney directly.

Whitney laughed gayly, pulling her hat off her head, and sweeping it down in front of her, holding it so that the opening of the hat was facing Ayumu. From within the hat exploded a mass of... _doves?_

Birds of a pure-white color came rushing out from the hat in a torrent, completely encompassing Ayumu, their beating wings buffeting him, pulling at his hair and clothes with their beaks and claws. Ayumu slashed at them with his sword, splitting several with his blade's edge. The struck birds seemed simply to break apart, before even their remains disappeared to his senses. Ayumu continued forward, slashing down at where his Shingan told him Whitney was. But his sword struck empty air. The doves dispersed and vanished, revealing that Whitney had disappeared as well.

Abruptly, Ayumu's body moved without his conscious input. He jumped up, while cartwheeling aside, several cards flashing through the space he'd occupied. But he dodged into the path of another hand, which dove down from above, slashing at his body and Aura with their enhanced edges, making Ayumu grunt in surprise and pain. There was Whitney, standing behind where he'd been, grinning triumphantly.

* * *

A short distance away, Nora released her hammer with one hand, rubbing her eyes. "What the heck did I just see?" she asked.

"For a second, there were two of her," said Jaune, confirming what had confused Nora so much.

That shouldn't have been as confusing as it was. They'd seen duplication Semblances of varying stripes, especially ever since the Vytal Festival Tournament had gone into full swing. But, according to what Ayumu had told them about the fight against Team BRWN, Whitney's Semblance was a fairly basic form of telekinesis. Yet they had seen Whitney sidestep Ayumu's incoming attack...while leaving _another_ Whitney behind to hold his attention. The fake Whitney had vanished as soon as Ayumu's sword had made contact, while the real one danced around behind him to attack.

"Could she have...two Semblances?" asked Nora. "I still don't get how she did that thing with the doves earlier."

"Hmm..."

Jaune and Nora's eyes darted to Nereus Shimizu, he and his sister still standing protectively between them and the ongoing battle. Given how they'd been acting, it was getting distressingly easy to forget that these two were enemies as well, albeit enemies with strange principles.

"What is it?" asked Jaune, figuring that, at the very least, maybe they could take advantage of their previous opponents' sudden helpfulness.

"It would appear her persona is well-suited for this," observed Nereus. "A magician relies upon misdirection, and manipulating her audience's perception. Her very manner is designed to keep her opponents in confusion."

"Yeah, that makes sense," said Nora.

"So, for her, fighting is merely another kind of performance, with her opponent as her audience," added Naia.

"Can you tell what her Semblance is?" asked Jaune.

"It was difficult at first," admitted Naia. "Her refinement is nothing short of brilliant. But, yes, we can tell what her Semblance is. It's...shocking, really."

"What is it?" asked Nora.

The twins turned their heads in unison to look at their charges. "We shouldn't speak too much," said Naia. "You are still the enemy after all."

"I really wish you'd just make up your minds about whether you're fighting us or protecting us," grumbled Jaune.

Naia merely smiled indulgently at him.

Jaune wanted to glower at her, but a sound from below drew his attention. When he saw the source, his eyes widened and began to leak relieved tears. Ciel was grunting and squirming, showing signs of stirring. "She's coming to," he said softly.

"Thank goodness," said Nora, sounding just as relieved as he felt.

Ciel blinked blearily, rolling her head back and forth. "Wha-what...?" she slurred, dazed eyes looking up.

"Hey," said Jaune gently, moving to brush away her matted bangs. "How do you feel?"

"I have a headache," groaned Ciel. "My ears hurt."

"You'll be okay," said Jaune, moving both hands up to Ciel's head, resting his fingers lightly against her temples, sending more of his Aura out into her. Ciel sighed blissfully, her eyes almost rolling upwards.

"Better?" asked Jaune.

"Much," she said. "Thank you. You saved my life...I think."

"I think so," said Jaune.

"Still, who'd've thought your Semblance would be healing," said Nora. "That sure is lucky."

"I don't think I'm healing her," said Jaune. "Our Aura heals us. I think I'm enhancing that with my Aura."

"But should you really be using so much?" asked Nora.

"It's okay," said Jaune, his smile fading. "Someone once told me I have a lot of Aura." _I just wish she could have stayed the friend she was back then._

"P-Penny..." Ciel frowned. Then her eyes widened with a gasp. "Oh God! Penny!"

"Y-yeah," said Jaune, finding himself struggling to remain calm too. The worst part was that Penny's killers were now standing guard over them, protecting them from being swept up in the larger battle.

Ciel sniffled, then leaned back with a choked sob. "No..." she whimpered.

Jaune removed his hands from Ciel's head, then pulled her into a sitting position. From there, he pulled her into a tight hug. "I know," he said softly. "It's hard. There's nothing we can do for now. The fight's still going on, so we have to do what we can."

Ciel nodded against him, relaxing in his arms. Then Nora joined the embrace, hugging Ciel and Jaune tightly.

Finally, they let go of each other. "What do we do now?" asked Ciel.

Jaune frowned. "We fight," he said grimly.

Ciel nodded. With some help from Nora, she got to her feet, and went to retrieve the weapon she'd dropped, after being hit by the effect of Nereus' snap. She glanced over, shocked to see the Shimizus standing guard over them.

"You-!" she began.

"Ciel," said Jaune resting a hand on the barrel of her rifle, before she could bring it up again. "I don't think I have enough Aura to heal you again. If Naia hits you, there won't be much left for me to heal either, and you'll wind up like Penny."

"But..." Ciel looked warily at the two people who'd just killed her best friend. They both regarded her with sober looks, expressions that showed they took no pleasure from her pain, nor pride in what they'd done.

"Our friends need our help," said Jaune firmly. "Let's go help them." He looked at the Shrimps. "What will you do?"

"If you wish to engage the others, you are free to do so," said Naia. "We have not finalized any alliance with these people, or their mistress. We merely tagged along because they provided us with an opportunity to obtain our own goals here." She sighed despondently. "Though...being a party to all of this leaves a foul taste in my mouth."

Jaune frowned, then sighed and rubbed his hair. "Well...no point in not taking them up on it, if they're really gonna let us fight these jerks." He stood up, then wobbled uneasily. "Uh oh..."

"What's the matter?" asked Nora, looking over at him worriedly.

"I guess I used more Aura than I thought," Jaune admitted nervously. "I'm feeling a little wiped." He frowned, looking down at his hands, which shook. He knew trying to use his weapons in this state was probably a bad idea. "I'd better recharge." He looked to Nora and Ciel. "Go on ahead."

Nora hesitated, then looked to Naia. "Will you protect him while he recharges?"

"I don't see why not," said Naia, stroking her chin. "I'm curious what this recharging is, so this may be worth seeing."

Nora carefully took Ciel's hand, then led her between the twins, Ciel giving them a look of bitter anger as she passed. Naia met her gaze squarely, but offered no defiance, only sorrowful acceptance. Meanwhile, Jaune sank back to his knees, resting his hands on his thighs, and began to breathe deeply.

* * *

Weiss and Roman stayed close to each other, holding their weapons at the ready, but neither of them making a move to join the battle yet. "What do we do?" Weiss asked, her voice nervous.

"That's the million-lien question," said Roman, shifting uneasily. The survivalist in him said to join whichever side was stronger. But knowing about Neo's feelings for the bird-boy made Roman hesitate. At the end of the day, he'd figured that Neo would go with whatever he decided. But...she might not forgive him, if that meant she had to fight against Ayumu.

Things were way more confusing now anyway, so it was getting tricky to see which side actually had the edge. Something had happened in the tower, which Ruby and Pyrrha had now gotten involved with. But Roman had no idea what. Even from all the way over here, he could hear muffled explosions coming from the tower lobby, along with flashes of fiery light that he found disturbingly familiar. He got the distinct impression that Cinder was back in action. And, if that was the case, if he threw in with the Beacon side of this affair, and her side won, he'd probably have _plenty_ of time to regret his decision.

Yet, on the other hand, Cinder's side definitely wasn't getting their own way in all of this. Mercury and Emerald were struggling in their battles. It looked like Blondie and Zen Boy had leveled-up something fierce since the last time Roman had seen them. Ayumu was struggling against this new lady, but she was clearly a contender, possibly on Cinder's level. But she didn't seem to have the means to utterly outclass him, unless she was just playing around.

Weiss had her own struggle. It was strange, but hardly anyone seemed to notice her presence. Of course, with Pyrrha strutting around, and sponging up most of the hate, clearly not showing the _slightest_ remorse for what she'd helped Weiss do, it appeared that Weiss herself had slipped under the radar of almost everyone there. She'd felt Ruby's regard, a certain wariness, a sign she didn't take Weiss siding with either side for granted.

Weiss looked down at Myrtenaster. After so many months in prison, the rapier's handle felt almost foreign in her grip. Weiss hadn't ever expected to be able to hold her weapon again, even if she got out of prison legitimately. It had left her with a sense of loss, the realization that a part of her life had been forever taken away from her. Under any circumstances but these, her being out of a cell would not have ended up with her being able to hold her weapon ever again. It was only because of Pyrrha that Weiss held Myrtenaster now.

Yet, that realization enkindled something else within Weiss, something she hadn't expected. She felt empathy...for _Ruby_. Her mind went back all those months, to the night where she and Pyrrha had carried out their dark deed. She remembered Pyrrha wrenching Crescent Rose away, then tearing it apart, tossing all those pieces aside like trash. At the time, Weiss had only felt triumph. Ruby had finally been disarmed, rendered helpless. Weiss had immediately stabbed her, then knocked her off the cliff afterward.

Now, Weiss realized how important Myrtenaster had been to her. The rapier was a critical part of her identity. It defined her as a Huntress, and Weiss remembered all the time and effort she had put into mastering all the nuances of her weapon...and felt sick. She remembered Yang talking about all the time, effort, and passion Ruby had invested in Crescent Rose's creation. Weiss had remembered silently scoffing, dismissing it as further evidence of Ruby's childishness. But now she realized that, childish or not, that degree of passion would have meant that losing Crescent Rose would have been all that more painful and traumatizing to Ruby, pain that would have been compounded by Pyrrha destroying it before her eyes. At least Weiss knew that Myrtenaster was still there, that it hadn't been destroyed. But Ruby hadn't even had _that_ comfort to draw upon.

And yet, if Weiss fought on the side of Beacon, where would that leave her, when this was all over, assuming they won? She'd likely just go straight back into a cell. Ruby had accepted her apology, even forgiven her. But Weiss wasn't so naive as to think that the others, especially Yang, would be so quick to let go of their resentment of Weiss over her selfish actions. Weiss knew she wouldn't, were she in their shoes. Even if they did, that didn't change that the law still needed to be served. Weiss would still need to serve her term. For all she knew, there were severe penalties for even coming this far, and taking up a weapon in her hand once again.

After breathing the free air again, Weiss dreaded the idea of going back to that cell, living off the limited freedoms granted to her as a prisoner. But, then again, even if she did get out, and stay out, she didn't know what to do.

However, as the battle continued, the decision was made for them...or one of them, at least. Out of the corner of her eye, Weiss saw Ayumu falter, caught by another barrage of cards that seemed to dance around him constantly. Whitney laughed, then flicked what appeared to be an empty hand in his direction. Ayumu shifted, but sparks suddenly flashed to his left, erupting into explosions, which Ayumu had to dodge away from, throwing himself into the path of more of Whitney's cards, which fell upon him almost like a rainstorm.

Flicking her wrist, Whitney produced another hand of cards, fanning them out in a practiced bit of sleight of hand, before throwing them directly at Ayumu, who was stumbling after the previous set of hits. Ayumu looked up, then his eyes widened, and his mouth opened slightly.

At first, it appeared that he'd merely been taken by surprise by the sight of the cards rushing at him. But the real reason quickly became apparent. A lacy parasol spun into being, seeming to emerge from thin air, directly in front of Ayumu, Whitney's cards striking against it, and being turned aside to fly off in various directions.

Neo now stood between Ayumu and Whitney, a look of firm determination on her face. She raised her umbrella up to rest over her shoulder, stepping back so that she and Ayumu could stand together, angled so that their backs were towards each other, even as they both faced down Whitney. Her actions didn't go unnoticed by the other fighters either, particularly Mercury and Emerald.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" demanded Mercury harshly, while Emerald merely paused to stare at Neo, like she'd grown a second head, before being forced to dodge another attack from Ren.

Neo's lips twitched up in a smirk, which she flashed Mercury's way, before artfully flipping him the bird with her free hand.

"So the little one has made her choice, hmmm?" Whitney was strangely nonchalant about what everyone else on Cinder's side of this fight had taken as a serious betrayal. "I wondered when you'd make up your mind."

Roman groaned, then reached up to pull off his hat, and run his hand through his hair. "Dammit, Neo," he grumbled. Then he sighed. "I guess she's grown up enough to make her own decisions. Now it's time to make mine." Gripping the shaft of his cane tightly, he raised it up.

Weiss watched in amazement as Roman flipped his cane over, and fired the crook, which extended out on a line. His aim and timing were perfect, a deft movement of his hand guiding it, so that it hooked around Mercury's ankle. A sharp tug pulled Mercury's leg out from under him, pitching him forward, right into the perfect position for his chin to meet a ferocious uppercut from Yang, that he would have been able to counter otherwise. Mercury was blasted over backwards, though he managed to recover in midair, and land on his feet, before wobbling, and sinking to his knees.

Even then, he managed to find the wherewithal to turn, a snarl on his lips as he glared at Roman.

"A-are you sure?" asked Weiss, looking at Roman.

"Nope," said Roman. "But Neo made her call. And, as much of an ass as I am, I still can't bring myself to leave her in the lurch." He gave Weiss a serious look. "But that's _my_ call to make. You need to make your own, Weiss. I won't say something stupid about 'making the right decision.' Just make _your_ decision."

With that, Roman fixed himself with his most confident smirk, and ambled in the direction of Yang, twirling his cane around the first two fingers of his right hand. "Yo, Blondie," he said, "mind if I join you?"

Yang looked at him, her expression wary. Then her lips curled up in a smirk that matched his own. "Finally done playing spectator?" she asked.

"Yep," said Roman, coming to stand next to Yang, while Mercury groaned, and forced himself up.

"You don't know what you're doing," growled Mercury. "Cinder will make you scream before you die."

"I wasn't sure about this myself," said Roman. "But then my Neo made her choice. And, when it's the difference between choosing her, and you guys...it ain't even a contest." He tossed a grin at Yang. "Besides, these folks actually know how to value their employees."

"And we know how to make you regret betrayal!" snapped Mercury, bending his knees, before kicking off in an explosion of silver wind that launched him at Roman and Yang like a rocket.

Roman lined up his cane and fired a shot, the bolt of fire-Dust screaming through the air at Mercury, who twisted and bucked his hips, sending himself into a spinning roll that took him over the course of the shot, while bring a leg down in an axe-kick, aiming for Roman's head.

Roman seamlessly switched out with Yang, who met Mercury's descending kick with a swift uppercut. There was a loud explosion, and Yang was sent skidding back, struggling to maintain her footing. The power of Mercury's new weapons was insane, and only the fact that he hadn't fully grasped the nuances of their use was enabling her to keep up with him. For his part, Mercury landed easily, ready to go on the attack once more.

Then he saw a wicked grin on Yang's face. The next second, his instincts screamed danger warnings, and he felt something powerful approaching him from behind and to the side. Mercury raised his right arm in a block, catching the face of Nora's hammer with the vambrace mounted there. But that wasn't even _remotely_ enough to stop the force of her hit, and Mercury found himself sent flying, slamming into the wall of a nearby building.

Grinning, Nora whirled her hammer around her body, before coming over to stand beside Yang and Roman. "Wow! It's cool to fight with you, Torchy," she said.

Roman groaned at the nickname. "Is it too late to go back to Cinder's side?" he wondered aloud.

"Aww, you secretly love it," said Yang. "You like giving people nicknames yourself. What's the matter, _Torchy_? You the kind that can dish it out, but not take it?"

Roman groaned. "Ugh...This is what my life's come to, huh?" He shook his head slowly, instead deciding to stand ready when Mercury pulled himself free and come at them again.

* * *

Emerald couldn't help but feel her heart sink at the sight of Roman and Neo turning on them. What was more, she didn't even need to look hard to see the solidarity between Neo and Ayumu. Now that Neo had made her choice, she stood by Ayumu with the look and posture of complete commitment, a posture that Ayumu shared, the two of them facing Whitney together.

 _Of course they wouldn't be loyal to us,_ thought Emerald. After all, what reason did they have to be, the fear of Cinder's reprisal? If they were relieved of that, or found the will to overcome it, then there was absolutely nothing keeping them on Cinder's side, not with the way Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald themselves had treated the pair.

But Emerald didn't have time to reflect. Instead, she was forced to dodge to the side, trying to skirt Ren's aim as he chased her with another burst of shots from his guns. Folding in her sickles, Emerald raised her weapons as revolvers and returned fire, the two of them circling each other while they exchanged shots.

Seeing as that wasn't getting them anywhere, Emerald shifted gears, extending her chains to swing her sickles out at Ren, who jumped over them, the diving roll he went into after that breaking up the pace of his attacks to allow Emerald to come at him with a more varied attack pattern. Ren swiftly deflected her attacks with the blades descending from the barrels of his guns, backpedaling to keep Emerald from bringing the full flexibility of her chains into play, whether to tangle his body and/or weapons, or bend the chains around him to strike from a more difficult angle to defend from.

Then his eyes widened, his expression betraying surprise. But he wasn't looking at Emerald. Instead, he was looking past her. Between that, and the sudden feeling of danger Emerald felt from behind, she had enough warning to brace herself.

Even then, it was barely enough. Emerald shifted her Aura to guard against the incoming attack, but felt that sharp tip almost pierce right through her Aura anyway. The force behind the thrust threw Emerald forward. Rather than try to regain her balance and stay upright, Emerald instead shifted her weight in conjunction with the blow, diving into a roll, retracting her chains at the same time, managing to roll below, past, and away from Ren before he could follow through on the surprise attack that had knocked Emerald over. Rolling back to her feet, Emerald turned to find herself facing two opponents, which wasn't surprising. What was surprising was _who_ had come to Ren's aid.

Weiss Schnee stood there, an uneasy look on her face. Her rapier was still extended from her thrust, her expression seeming to indicate that she might have even surprised _herself_ with what she'd just done. Ren certainly looked surprised, an expression that was out-of-place on his normally placid face.

"You too..." said Emerald, not sure whether to feel angry...or sad.

"Weiss," said Ren, carefully edging back to stand next to her, his glances her way indicating that it was as much to keep her in sight as it was for them to stand side-by-side.

Weiss glanced back at Ren. "I know this doesn't make up for anything," she said. "But-"

"We can save that for when this is over," said Ren calmly. "As long as I can trust you to fight with us, I can wait until later to talk about anything else."

"Understood," said Weiss.

Emerald jumped back again, avoiding a burst of gunshots that buzzed angrily through the space she'd occupied. Landing, she extended her chains again, whirling them to deflect another brief burst that heralded the arrival of Ciel, who came up to join Ren and Weiss.

"It's time to bring this to an end," declared Ciel, her voice almost icy cold.

Ren looked back and forth between his two allies. "Be careful," he said. "Her Semblance creates hallucinations. It's apparently harder for her to use it during combat, but don't take what you see and hear at face value."

Emerald grimaced, once again faced with the realization that using her Semblance against Ayumu had led to grave consequences for her.

* * *

Shining Rose drew streaks of vivid bright-red across Cinder's body. However, they splashed up against a barrier of fiery orange that seemed to simply appear wherever Ruby's attacks were about to hit. Ruby remembered Cinder doing this before, on the night when their paths had first crossed, though Ruby had had no idea who she'd been up against at the time. Cinder had held up a hand, and stopped all of Crescent Rose's shots cold. It appeared that, now that she had the full power of the Fall Maiden, she no longer even needed her hands.

Whipping around, Cinder swept a hand at Ruby, her fingers extended to make it a chopping motion. The intense heat radiating from her fingers made it so that her knife-hand might as well have been a blade, that heat threatening to melt its way through Ruby's Aura with ease, before incinerating a path through her flesh. Of course, that was assuming that Ruby was even there to hit in the first place.

Instead, Cinder's hand merely passed through a scattering cloud of petals. A flickering of red in the corner of Cinder's eye was the only warning the woman received, before she was struck by three swift slashes across the back, so swift as to be almost simultaneous. Baring her teeth in anger, Cinder whirled around, thrusting out with her opposite hand to project a jet of flame that should have burned a hole through Ruby's stomach.

However, a swift exertion of her Semblance through the soles of her feet had allowed Ruby to launch herself up above the path of Cinder's path of attack, while she brought Shining Rose down in another slash, aiming for Cinder's right shoulder. The scythe's blade etched another red streak against the fiery barrier of Cinder's defense. At that same instant, three other crescents of the same color as Shining Rose's blade appeared out of thin air, striking Cinder from opposing directions. Unlike the main one Ruby had struck, these ones actually managed to get past Cinder's barrier, and cut right into her Aura, though not doing much damage to it, light as they were.

Cinder's body jolted from the hits, and her lips parted to issue an angry grunt, before she swung her left arm up, throwing a fireball at Ruby. But Ruby had already used the momentum of her own swing, along with a burst of her Semblance from Shining Rose's wing, to send her body into a rapid forward flip, which carried her over Cinder's head and around behind her, while Ruby changed the axis of her scythe's spin again to allow her to slash it across Cinder's back again.

This time, when Cinder turned to track her again, Ruby actually used another small release of her Semblance from her feet to dart in a little closer, slipping inside Cinder's reach, so that the fireball Cinder tried to launch at her missed completely. Swinging her scythe around again, Ruby positioned the blade behind Cinder, then pulled, bringing the edge into Cinder's back. Cinder grimaced, positioning her barrier to stop the blade form cutting deeper into her Aura. However, she briefly forgot that Ruby was in front of her, Ruby's pull bringing Cinder even closer, allowing Ruby to bring up her free hand, and drive her open palm into Cinder's stomach, channeling a burst of Aura out through the strike in a move that Ayumu had taught her.

Cinder's breath deserted her, and she slumped forward, while Ruby pulled on her weapon, flipping her body around the shaft to pull Cinder past her, once again firing her Semblance from the wing on the back of the scythe's head to enhance her pull, allowing her to send Cinder flying to slam, face-first, into the tower's wall with resonant clang that sent vibrations running throughout the room.

Finally, Ruby touched down, letting out a slow breath. Meanwhile, Cinder fell away from the wall, landing on her feet, but immediately slumping to her knees. It was the first time they'd touched down since the fight had begun. Cinder's magic enabled flight, the woman constantly projecting a stream of flames out through the soles of her feet to serve as a kind of propulsion to keep her aloft. Ruby, meanwhile, used her Semblance to continually adjust her position in mid-air, while also using it to keep herself from surrendering to the pull of gravity. It wasn't the same as her flight-skill with her weapon, a bit harder to control. But the close-quarters of this fight weren't as conducive to using Shining Rose's wings.

All the while, Ruby's _Shingan_ continually fed her information about her opponent. Cinder was a serious threat, that much was clear. Now that it wasn't partial, as Amber's had been; or suppressed, as Raven's had been; Ruby could sense the full force of a Maiden's power. The sense of Ozma's magic had been stronger, as Ozma's had been whole, rather than split four ways, but Ozma's magic never carried the visceral feeling of raw power that the Maiden's did. Ozma's magic apparently had many uses, but straightforward violence didn't seem to be among them. But Cinder's new power was clearly well-suited to that kind of thing.

But, despite that, Ruby's confidence didn't flag. If anything, she was getting more and more sure of herself as the fight went on. She might have been worried that it was arrogance getting the better of her. But in truth, it was the confidence imparted by Knowing. The more her _Shingan_ filled her in on the nature of Cinder's power, the better Ruby was at seeing how Cinder used it, and how she herself could counter it.

Ruby's greatest asset was Cinder's arrogance. She'd watched video footage of Team CMSN in the qualifying round, the only match Cinder had fought in. While it was obvious that Cinder had kept her full strength a secret, relying more on her underlings to do the fighting for her, she had seen Cinder's grace and technique, the results of hard training and careful refinement.

But now, Cinder was showing none of that. Cinder was casually flinging around the Fall Maiden's power, relying on the sheer strength of her attacks, instead of trying to employ them effectively and efficiently. Even with all the hits Ruby had landed, Cinder showed no signs of trying to fight more seriously, reining in her power, or relying on technique and tactics. It appeared that Cinder wanted to win this fight with power alone.

A small part of Ruby's mind wondered if this was how Cinder had fought when she'd faced Ozpin. Cinder's moves were full of openings. Ruby couldn't see someone with as much experience as Ozpin _not_ exploiting them. Was she seeing something that Ozpin had missed? Had Ozpin never really overcome his reliance on his own magic, despite not having most of it for so long? Had Cinder just taken Beacon's Headmaster all the more seriously?

Ruby got the impression that the answer to that last question was "Yes." It was apparent in Cinder's demeanor, as the woman rose out of her slump, and fixed Ruby with a furious glare. Cinder's fury was understandable, and, with her _Shingan_ , Ruby could pierce into the reasons behind it. Cinder had become the Fall Maiden, obtained tremendous power, triumphed over Professor Ozpin, and now stood poised to wreak havoc. Yet she was being opposed by this insignificant-seeming girl, whom she probably regarded as little more than a child. Cinder wanted Ruby to fear her, wanted Ruby to flail ineffectually, before being smashed down by a display of natural superiority.

But Ruby wasn't bowing to Cinder's expectations. Cinder attacked, but her power was proving useless, if Ruby wasn't trying to match it. If Ruby wasn't there to take the attack Cinder launched, then it was as though Cinder hadn't done anything at all, worse than that, Cinder's grandiose attempts to assert her superiority only left her open. Right now, however much power Cinder might possess, all she had were big moves. Right now, Ruby had the edge, because she was capable of thinking smaller.

The barrier was a problem though. In some ways, it functioned like Cinder's Aura-guard. It was a protective force, one capable of stopping Ruby's attacks cold, keeping Cinder's Aura from taking damage. Ruby couldn't sense a limit to that defensive capability, figuring that it would take a power on an order equal to Cinder's own to actually punch through it, the power of another Maiden, in other words. But it also functioned like Aura in the sense that its defense wasn't perfect. Cinder needed to use it consciously, and, though it responded at the speed of thought to her call, Ruby was able to circumvent it by striking from unexpected directions before Cinder's thoughts could catch up with it.

Her lips parting to bare her teeth in another angry snarl, Cinder thrust her hands out behind her in a manner reminiscent of Yang using her gauntlets' recoil to propel herself. However, the powerful jets of flame that Cinder unleashed from her palms were well beyond Ember Celica's shots. They were aided by the flames that streamed from Cinder's feet, raising her up off the floor, sending her rushing at Ruby like a rocket. Rather than stand and wait for her passively, Ruby shot forward as well, red flurries of petals scattering from her footsteps.

As they closed, Cinder stopped using her hands to propel herself, relying on her forward momentum to continue to carry her. At the same time, the flames from her feet surged in power, allowing her to rise up, while Cinder brought her hands up over her head, a large, powerful sphere of flame congealing into being, almost like a miniature sun. Cinder flung that massive sphere downwards. It struck the floor of the tower, releasing a massive explosion that rocked the entire building, sending waves of flame billowing in all directions.

At the entrance, Pyrrha was forced to put up her shield, bracing herself with a grimace against the shockwave of superheated air, which seared at her Aura, and caused her own feet to slide backwards on the smooth floor. Meanwhile, Winter was forced to duck behind the line of consoles, shielding Amber with her body. The barrier saved them from the shockwave, but the air around them still grew uncomfortably warm, making the two women sweat heavily.

The reasoning behind Cinder's attack was plain. She'd lost track of Ruby, even before they'd fully closed the distance between each other. But, if she couldn't hit Ruby directly, Cinder would use an attack that would unleash incredible destructive force that would blast Ruby, so long as she was _anywhere_ in the vicinity. With her own barrier, Cinder could easily withstand the force of the explosion.

However, Cinder's triumphant smirk didn't even last a full second, before it was replaced by a pained scream, Cinder lurching forward from a line of pain that was drawn along her back. Ruby had seen Cinder's attack coming all too easily, traced the line of her reasoning just as easily, and seen the way through it. After all, there was one place that was protected from the explosion, the space directly behind Cinder herself. Ruby had darted around, using skillful and small applications of her Semblance to allow herself to slip directly behind Cinder, essentially hiding in the woman's shadow, and using Cinder as cover from Cinder's own attack.

As soon as the explosion had passed, which was less than a second, Ruby had gone on the offensive, using her Semblance to propel Shining Rose, and pull her away from Cinder without making contact, to keep from giving Cinder any warning, at the same time allowing her to bring the blade around in a swing that slashed it straight up the line of Cinder's spine. Now that Cinder had lurched forward, Ruby kicked down, pushing directly off Cinder's back, pushing the woman down into the floor, propelled by the force of the kick, and Ruby's Semblance, which propelled Ruby up at the same time.

Not missing a beat, Ruby had begun her turn, Shining Rose collapsing down into its rifle-mode, which Ruby brought to bear, pulling the trigger, and sending a bullet of manifested Aura lancing down to slam into Cinder, directly between her shoulders, smashing her down into the floor hard enough to break more of the pieces already broken by Cinder's previous attack.

Cinder's breath exploded out of her. However, she slammed her hands down into the floor, and molten heat blossomed out around her, turning the entire surface red. Swirling ashes began to rise up from the orange section of the floor, congealing together to form what looked like shards of glass, veined with molten light, their jagged tips were all aimed up at Ruby, who'd used another burst of her Semblance to dive down.

Sucking in a breath, Cinder released it in an angry scream, turning around and with a broad wave of her hand, launching the shards upward in a barrage, their edges buzzing through the air like a swarm of angry hornets. Despite their sudden approach, Ruby didn't seem to react, diving right for them, her scythe going back in preparation to strike.

Then a whirling spiral of red spun into being out of the air in front of her, deflecting away the shards that would have struck Ruby directly. She passed through the swarm, catching Cinder off-guard, Cinder having thought that Ruby would have needed to use a few seconds to skirt the attack and approach from a new angle. Ruby pushing right through was completely unanticipated. Worse still, by using her manifested Aura to deflect the shards, Ruby was able to launch her attack without any delay. Cinder desperately called up her barrier, but she was too late, Ruby's scythe accelerating with another burst of red petals from the wing at the back, delivering a powerful slash that bit deep into Cinder's Aura, before the barrier could form.

Another burst of Aura from her feet allowed Ruby to launch herself past Cinder and away, though not very far. The floor where Ruby was about to land was still almost molten hot, so Ruby swung her scythe down, embedding the glowing blade into the floor, anchoring it down far enough that it would lodge in where the floor was still solid. From there, Ruby landed on the scythe itself, one foot pressed right up against the head, while the other rested farther up the shaft that angled upward. Ruby's cloak billowed out behind her, lifted up by the thermals created by the heat rising up off the floor.

Even if she was off the floor itself, Ruby couldn't afford to remain there for long. The heat radiating up from the portion Cinder had heated the air to such a ridiculous extent was searing at her Aura. It reminded Ruby, uncomfortably, of the fight with Typhon, the Grimm's fiery attacks having created a fiery hellscape within the caverns of Mountain Glenn. Cinder's power was much more limited, but the effects were the same.

Of course, even with issues of convection, Cinder wasn't about to stand idly by. As soon as she recovered from Ruby's latest slash, Cinder turned to face her opponent, wearing a disbelieving glare. Rising up on jets of flame once more, Cinder lifted her right hand, palm up. This time, however, the fire didn't come from her hand.

The only warning Ruby received was a sinister keening sound, and an intensifying of the heat from below. The next instant, she was swallowed by a column of flame that shot upwards from where she'd been standing...or she appeared to be. Cinder's eyes caught a flash of red, and she swiftly moved to track Ruby, who had taken flight on Shining Rose, spreading her weapon's wings, and riding on the shaft. Growling with rage, Cinder jerked both hands upwards in a sharp gesture.

More jets of flame burst up from the floor in Ruby's path. Ruby leaned and twisted, weaving between them, maneuvering her airborne scythe with a level of control that was beyond impressive, dodging every one of Cinder's conjured blasts, before bending her flight inwards towards Cinder once more. She sensed the heat building from a section of the floor directly between her and Cinder. However, she didn't falter. Instead utilizing her Semblance to accelerate her flight dramatically, shooting through that space right before the column of flames would have incinerated her.

Her closing the distance so suddenly caught Cinder off-guard again. But Cinder had already seen Ruby coming in, and had raised her barrier again. So, when Ruby kicked Shining Rose back up into her hands and slashed at Cinder's body as her momentum carried her past, the blade was deflected by that fiery shield...but not the four other manifested blades that flickered into existence, converging on Cinder from separate directions. Another scream escaped Cinder as those attacks cut away still more of her Aura.

Recovering, Cinder whipped around to try and counter, throwing out her right arm, unleashing a jet of flame to pursue Ruby, while she raised her left, summoning another column of flames in Ruby's path, hoping to catch her between the two.

But Ruby had already evaded her. Going into a cartwheeling spin, Ruby had tucked in her legs so that she could plant her feet against her weapon's shaft again, while spreading Shining Rose's wings, beating them once to counter her momentum, then alter her direction, launching her up and over Cinder's head again, in a repeat of the move she'd used against Liu in the quarterfinals.

From there, Ruby returned her scythe to her hands, and went on the attack, using her Semblance to keep herself in motion, dancing rapidly about Cinder, her body and weapon a blur, seeming to attack from every direction at once. Shining Rose's blade multiplied as Ruby manifested new edges to attack on separate trajectories. All the while, Cinder flailed, swinging hands lined with searing heat, throwing out balls of fire, conjuring columns of flame. But she was unable to keep pace with Ruby's attacks.

Finally, Cinder had had enough. Her barrier rose up, intercepting all of Ruby's attacks, while Cinder's own attacks stopped briefly. However, Ruby could feel the power condensing within Cinder's body, rapidly building into a raging crescendo.

"ENOUGH!" roared Cinder, throwing her arms out to her sides. Her entire body flashed a blazing orange and red color, before unleashing a powerful explosion that washed out in all directions. If Ruby was continuing to evade all her regular attacks, Cinder would just blow away everything around her. This time, since the point of origin was Cinder's own body, there was no blind-spot created by her barrier.

The shockwave blew away the molten floor below Cinder's feet, revealing the unmelted, but still-hot foundation below, throwing the superheated fragments of the floor into the air, and turning them into still more shrapnel. Between this and the raw force of the explosion itself, Cinder believed that Ruby would be blown away, stunned by the attack, and most likely injured. Once that was done, Cinder intended to ensure that Ruby would be unable to move, then take her time enjoying making the girl suffer and scream, before finally ending her.

But Cinder's beliefs went unfulfilled. Sensing what was coming, Ruby channeled extra Aura into Shining Rose's blade, levering it back behind her, poised to deliver a powerful vertical slash. The head rotated so that the blade extended nearly parallel from the shaft, while the blade itself increased to over twice its original length. When Cinder had unleashed her power, Ruby had swung with all her might. The resulting slash cut through the explosion itself, dividing even the shockwave, so that the debris thrown up by the attack didn't so much as touch her. Ruby was left suspended over a glowing strip of floor that almost seemed like a runway, even more-so when Ruby used her Semblance to accelerate again, rushing right for Cinder, and passing her with a swift and powerful slash, which caught the unguarded woman right in the midsection.

Cinder screamed and lurched on her feet. Behind her, Ruby reversed direction and attacked without pause, determined to bring this to an end before Cinder could bring up her barrier again. This time, Ruby firmed her determination...the quality of her blade changing. There was no visible indicator, but the change was still apparent, even to Cinder, as Shining Rose's blade was loaded with Ruby's intent to kill.

Ruby had decided that Cinder would die. After all, Cinder had shown that she was nothing short of monstrous, both in terms of power and disposition. Even though Amber should have had no value and interest to Cinder, now that Cinder had taken what she'd wanted from the other woman, Cinder had still expressed a desire to kill Amber, using shallow reasoning that served more as a disguise for Cinder's desire to be cruel, simply for the sake of exercising her power over someone weaker than her. Ruby would not allow someone like that to possess the Fall Maiden's power, and the only way to rid Cinder of that power was to kill her. There would be no conversation, no giving Cinder a chance at recovery. Ruby would kill Cinder, here and now.

But then, Ruby abandoned her attack. It wasn't hesitation that caused it. Nor was it anything that Cinder had done. Instead, Ruby's ears had caught the sound of an echoing clang, accompanied by the rush of air produced by an approaching object. She sensed a dangerous, focused intent closing in on her, and Ruby moved to counter this new threat, forgoing her assault on Cinder to bring her weapon around to deflect the silvery-gray shield that had rebounded off the central column of the tower lobby, to come ricocheting right at her head.

At the edge of her awareness, she sensed a familiar figure charge, jumping up to land atop the wall of consoles that ringed the pillar, before pushing off again to charge at her, thrusting with a javelin. At the same time, Ruby sensed a familiar Aura seize the thrown shield, transmuting into magnetic force to guide the shield back to the arm of the one who'd thrown it.

Pyrrha Nikos had joined the battle.

* * *

 **Pyrrha-yan enters the fray!**


	136. Chapter 136

**Chapter 136:**

Ruby whipped her weapon around, deflecting Pyrrha's first thrust. Pyrrha followed it up with a punch with her shield, threatening to slam it into Ruby's head, but Ruby jumped, pulling her legs up, and then planting her feet against the incoming shield's surface, using it as a platform to leap upwards and backwards, propelling herself towards the outer wall of the lobby.

Despite the fearsome prospect of facing Pyrrha Nikos and the new Fall Maiden at the same time, Ruby felt a sense of excitement and triumph well up within her. "Winter! Go!" she shouted.

Winter hesitated, but Ruby's voice carried such a natural authority that it was only for a split second. Supporting Amber, Winter made a break for the exit, half carrying the other woman through the door.

"What are you doing?!" shrieked Cinder, even as she launched a fire blast at Ruby, who dodged by kicking off the wall.

Pyrrha offered no response, instead shifting Milo into its rifle-mode, and aiming right for Ruby's point of landing, cracking off a shot. However, Ruby applied a slight sideways skip to her Semblance to throw off her approach, so that she touched down next to the point Pyrrha's bullet struck. Next, Ruby accelerated at Pyrrha, going on the attack with a whirling onslaught of slashes from Shining Rose. This time, she withheld nothing, manifesting multiple edges to attack Pyrrha from different directions.

Despite seeing all of Ruby's matches, watching them attentively, and having the mechanics behind Ruby's technique laid bare by Gin, Pyrrha was quick to realize that she had no counter to this technique. She couldn't sense Aura well enough to track the manifesting blades as they appeared. As a consequence, while she managed to block Ruby's main slash, her body was still struck by all four of Ruby's other blades. Pyrrha grit her teeth, bulling through the pain in order to turn and strike out at Ruby from behind. However, her sword only clipped the trailing, ragged edge of Ruby's cloak, Ruby already moving on to her next attack.

Rather than press the attack against Pyrrha, Ruby instead went for Cinder. While conventional wisdom suggested striking down at least one of her opponents to make the number even again, Ruby knew better to think that either Pyrrha or Cinder would be the kind of opponent that could be brought down so quickly that the other wouldn't be able to take advantage of Ruby's singular focus. Instead, Ruby put a different plan into action.

Even as she charged Cinder, Ruby sensed Pyrrha behind her, winding up for another throw of her shield. Cinder raised both hands, unleashing a blast of fire at Ruby, who jumped up out of the way, just as Pyrrha threw her shield. Pyrrha suddenly found herself facing a wave of incoming flames, and having to throw herself out of the way, though they still scorched her. The resulting distraction caused her to release her Semblance's control over her shield, which resulted in it continuing to fly through the flames, emerging to strike Cinder right in the forehead.

Cinder staggered with an angry cry of pain, reeling back from the hit, while the shield rebounded into the air, flipping end over end. Remembering her last real fight with Pyrrha, Ruby found herself smirking as she shot past the shield, before turning to kick it, putting her Semblance into the move to impart extra acceleration to the shield, and send it flying for Pyrrha, who was rolling back to her feet after dodging Cinder's fire.

But Pyrrha wasn't so easily caught by the same trick twice. Raising her sword, Pyrrha struck the edge of her shield, while reestablishing control over it to send it flying right back at Ruby. Ruby's response was to swing her scythe to intercept the shield, striking it at an angle to rebound its course at Cinder again.

While she was still reeling from the previous hit, Cinder's anger was enough for her to power through the pain. This time, when she saw the shield coming at her again, she brought up her barrier, prompting Akouo to bounce off with a flash of fiery light. At the same time, she also tracked Ruby, so that when Ruby shot at her, scythe flashing, the scythe's blade also glanced off Cinder's barrier.

Ruby now found herself directly between Pyrrha and Cinder. Pyrrha closed in, sword flashing, while Cinder advanced, palms blazing. Ruby danced and defended, crimson streaks spiraling into existence to intercept various attacks, while Ruby struck out at the same time. Alone, separated from her friends, Ruby stood between her two worst enemies, fighting for her life.

* * *

"I guess everyone has picked their sides now," observed Whitney wryly, seeming unruffled, despite the numbers continuing to stack up against them.

Neo smiled and nodded, taking a second to glance at Roman, who continued to tag-team with Yang and Nora against Mercury, who was definitely feeling the strain of fighting against three very capable opponents, while wielding a set of weapons he hadn't fully mastered.

Then she caught a flicker of green out of the corner of her eye. By the time she reacted, twitching her body around, Ayumu had already batted down several of Whitney's thrown cards.

"Please be more careful," Ayumu implored her, his smile not faltering.

Neo blushed in embarrassment at her lapse, which only seemed to amuse Whitney, who fanned out another hand of cards, and used it to hide her smile.

"Move carefully," Ayumu continued, stepping away from Neo slightly. "This battlefield is now a minefield."

Swallowing, Neo nodded. Despite the fact that she lacked the fully-enhanced senses Ayumu possessed, she was aware of the sense of danger that permeated the air around her and Ayumu. She could feel points where that sense of danger was concentrated. She remembered the explosion that had appeared out of nowhere that had staggered Ayumu earlier. There was still a streamer of smoke curling up from his sleeve.

"Cautious ones, hmmm?" mused Whitney, closing her fanned cards back into a single stack. "Well, this kind of quiet battle is quite boring. Still, you won't be induced to act carelessly. Perhaps I should simply raise the stakes."

Ayumu blinked, then his mouth opened, and hung slack. Neo was shocked by the change in his expression. Ayumu had told her that his habit was to smile more the more stressed he was. For him to betray such a flabbergasted expression meant that he had just sensed something truly extraordinary...and threatening.

A second later, Neo realized what that something was.

* * *

Mercury slammed his leg into Yang's upraised gauntlet. Despite propelling himself with his built-in weaponry, and spinning to add the force of his body's turn into the downward angled, airborne roundhouse, the most he managed was to send Yang skidding back. His continued momentum turned him too far though, and he wound up stumbling on landing, trying to find his balance, which was exactly when one of Roman's screaming fire-Dust rounds slammed into his side, blowing Mercury off his feet. He slammed into the ground, shoulder-first, with a grunt of pain, before using his momentum to roll back up to his feet. However, he found himself facing one of Nora's grenades, which exploded against the ground right in front of him.

Mercury engaged his legs to launch himself clear. But the effort was uncoordinated, and he overcompensated, using way too much power. So, while he escaped the worst of the shockwave, he launched himself several meters farther than he'd intended, stumbling and falling onto his side with another pained grunt. Mercury rolled onto his back, then bucked his hips, rocking himself backwards, before pushing off the ground with his hands to jump back onto his feet. He did so, only to see Yang right in front of him, fist cocked back to deliver a heavy punch, right to his face.

Abruptly, Mercury's view was cut off by something black. He suddenly found himself with a familiar cape spread through the air between him and Yang, cutting off his view of her like a curtain, with it having the same effect as Yang.

Undeterred, Yang pressed forward, punching right for the fabric, which abruptly pulled against her fist upon impact, pulling her punch off-course, so that it missed Mercury's face. The next thing Yang knew, the cape's owner pulled off a balletic spin, before thrusting at her with something long and narrow, that struck a jarring blow against Yang's ribs, and blew her off her feet.

Groaning, Yang forced herself up, then gasped in surprise and anger. Whitney was now standing next to Mercury, who looked just as stunned as Yang felt at her intervention. In Whitney's left hand was grasped what looked like a narrow, flat stick, which she then opened to reveal a metal fan, etched with golden inlays along its ribs, with a fire-Dust crystal situated right at the hinge.

"Ayumu!" shouted Yang, worried that something had happened to Ayumu and Neo, only to find words failing her when she saw the two of them standing where she'd last seen them, still facing Whitney, a completely separate Whitney.

"No way..." whispered Yang, bringing her disbelieving gaze back to the Whitney standing before her.

"Now that's a trick," commented Roman.

"How can she do that?" Nora wanted to know.

"Now now, it's hardly becoming for a magician to reveal her secrets," announced the Whitney standing beside Mercury. With that, Whitney drew back her fan, then waved it, sending a billowing wave of flame rushing over them.

* * *

Emerald backed away from Ren, Weiss, and Ciel, whirling her sickles on the ends of their chains, her eyes switching warily from one to the other. Unlike Mercury, she had no special upgrades to showcase. And, with three wary opponents facing her, the opportunities to use her Semblance were few and far between. The moment she tried to focus on one, the others would notice and act.

Ren and Weiss advanced, while Ciel dropped back to the rear, aiming between the other two with her rifle, choosing to act as ranged support for the time being. Emerald continued to back away, keeping her eyes on the move, trying to figure out who would lead the next attack. Then she caught a flash of motion behind Ciel, and gasped.

Ironically, her reaction saved Ciel's life. Emerald's gasp preceded the threatening feeling that loomed up behind Ciel, and she spun about, her Vasilisa transitioning into its talwar-form, which Ciel raised to deflect a blade descending at her from above. She found her sword meeting the curved, broad blade of a falchion. The blade was elegantly curved, with a cusped tip, decorated with gold inlays that wove outward from a green gem, embedded just behind where the blade's width flared out, before tapering back down to the sword's curved point.

Ciel barely managed to parry the strike, before leaping back, her own eyes going wide as she saw who stood before her. Whitney Schirmer grinned cheerfully, raising her sword in a playful salute to Ciel, who edged back a little farther. Meanwhile, Ren and Weiss had also turned to gape at the sudden, unexpected arrival. Even Emerald was too stunned to act, not even bothering to try and take advantage of her opponents' distraction. Like the group fighting against Mercury, they didn't fail to notice that Whitney was also still standing before Ayumu and Neo.

"What is this?" asked Weiss, blinking furiously. Then she turned to regard Emerald warily.

"I don't think it's Emerald," said Ren. "It's doubtful she could use an illusion like this against all three of us at once."

"Oh, I am quite real, I assure you," said Whitney, tittering. "Of course, the trick is in the _how_. Perhaps you might even be able to figure it out." She raised her sword over her head. "Of course, that is the least of your concerns at the moment"

With that, Whitney brought the blade slashing down, triggering a powerful blast of wind that blew all three of her opponents off their feet.

* * *

"What's going on?" gasped Jaune, scarcely able to believe what he was seeing. "Her Semblance is duplication?"

If so, it wasn't any kind of duplication Semblance he had ever seen. It was completely different from Blake's shadows, or Sun's clones, _or_ Flynt's quartet. Each of the three Whitneys not only had their own distinct weapon, but they also behaved as though they were separate and independent people, with their own distinct identities.

"That isn't quite the term I would use," said Nereus.

"She certainly is quite adept at using her Semblance," said Naia, speaking more to herself than anyone else. "I have no doubt she is its greatest master."

 _What does that mean?_ wondered Jaune, frowning as he glanced back and forth between the twins. Then he remembered that he didn't have time to be shocked by whatever their enemy was doing. His job was to recharge and restore his Aura, hopefully soon enough that he could actually make a meaningful contribution to the battle.

* * *

"Well now, it would seem that things have changed quite dramatically," said Whitney, with a coy giggle. "Can you two afford to wait and watch, now that your friends are under similar pressure?"

Neo swallowed nervously. The nature of Whitney's Semblance appeared to defy explanation. Could a Semblance truly be capable of producing completely independent clones? It seemed beyond the scope of what a Semblance, even as broad and varied as they tended to be, seemed capable of.

Beside her, Ayumu stepped slightly backward, pressing his back against Neo's. She realized his intent, when he began to turn. She felt the motion of his back against hers, allowing her to read his movement without needing to look. As a result, when Ayumu spun about, launching a broad, circular slash with Green Destiny, Neo turned with him. Ayumu's Aura spread out in a wave of green, that flashed out through the air. As it expanded, orange sparks flared up, then exploded, bursts of flame erupting all around them.

The explosions cut off Whitney's view of the pair, obscuring Ayumu and Neo with both flames and smoke. Still, she wasn't terribly surprised when Ayumu emerged, leading with a thrust of his sword. Whitney easily turned, slipping to the side of his blade. Grasping the edge of her cape with her left hand, Whitney whipped it out, flaring her garment out to intercept a strike from Neo, who'd closed in from the other direction, appearing out of thin air with a flash. The folds of fabric caught against Neo's closed parasol, pulling her strike off-course.

Neo opened her parasol, the action knocking the fabric of the cape away. Then Neo suddenly stepped around the edge of her weapon's open canopy, wielding the sword hidden within its shaft, slashing at Whitney, while Ayumu attacked from the other side.

Merely laughing in the face of the attacks closing in from separate directions, Whitney pirouetted, grasping the edges of her cape in both hands, flaring the whole thing out around her, using the whirling piece of fabric to divert the two attacks, and knock away the canopy of Neo's umbrella. Finishing her twirl, Whitney thrust a hand skyward, a fountain of playing cards erupting from her seemingly-empty hand to rain down on her opponents, their movements rapidly accelerating, while her Aura both hardened and sharpened them. Neo and Ayumu jumped back away, Neo retrieving her parasol's canopy, and sheathing her sword.

From there, Neo charged back in, lunging at Whitney with a move reminiscent of a fencer, driving the closed parasol right at her. The cards that had fountained out of Whtiney's hand suddenly paused, then oriented directly on Neo, before shooting at her with the speed and intensity of a barrage of bullets. Neo's response was to open her parasol, spinning it in the process, using the movement to deflect the incoming cards, and allow her to close in more. When she struck, the concealed blade extended out from the tip of the parasol, both increasing her range and the threat her weapon presented.

Whitney leaned back just enough that Neo's blade stopped less than an inch away from her neck, still grinning cheerfully. That was when Ayumu flanked her from behind, slashing his sword at her side. Whitney flicked the first two fingers of her right hand, the movement hidden by her cape. Ayumu sensed it all the same, but was shocked when his sword bounced upwards in response, throwing off the direction of his slash, though he still continued forward, cooperating with the sudden interference, and using it to bend his arm so that he could drive his elbow into Whitney's back.

"Oof!" exclaimed Whitney, her eyes widening as the impact of Ayumu's strike threatened to drive her neck into the blade of Neo's parasol. Opening both her hands, she pointed the palm of her right back towards Ayumu, while holding the left out, facing Neo. The next second, her two opponents were bounced away in opposite directions, carrying them away from Whitney.

Ayumu and Neo both flipped gracefully, landing lightly on their feet, ready to attack again. However, they were hindered by the strange uncertainty they felt. Ayumu, in particular, sensed something amiss. Whitney's Semblance was supposed to be telekinesis. She'd used it to impressive effect when wielding the two wind-and-fire wheels she'd had, back in Brandywine. But then, over the course of this battle, she'd displayed a stunning array of abilities, ones that couldn't possibly be confined to one Semblance...or so he thought. It was strange and unnerving. Whitney displayed abilities that Ayumu would have gone so far as to call...magical.

Except that it couldn't be magic. Having examined the power of the Fall Maiden, he knew what magic should have felt like. He didn't sense even a glimmer of that power. Instead, all he sensed was the telltale fluctuations of Aura that indicated a Semblance in action. But its nature was proving to be a mystery.

"My my, I can see the gears in your head turning," observed Whitney with a titter. "What could be the gimmick? Surely there's some trick in play."

Ayumu's eyes narrowed slightly, his mind going back over what he'd sensed when Whitney had blown both him and Neo away. He'd never known the full extent of Whitney's telekinesis, though she'd claimed it was mostly used for small objects. Granted, he and Neo were hardly the most weighty of people. But there was something strange about the sensation of being pushed back. Telekinesis should have felt as though some invisible force was pushing or manipulating him, like an unseen set of hands. But Ayumu had felt as though his momentum had simply...changed. Was that the right way to describe it?

"Well, it isn't as though I'm going to give you time to ponder it," said Whitney, her grin growing wider. "It's time for my next trick, along with some good old-fashioned Dustweaving!"

Whitney bowed slightly to Ayumu, throwing out her arms to flare out her cloak, which scattered a cloud of what looked like glittering dust, which caught the light of the sun, which seemed to dance off countless facets. Then, before his and Neo's eyes, Whitney began to divide again. This was different from whatever duplication ability had produced the extras that were now fighting alongside Mercury and Emerald. These ones held the very same pose that Whitney herself had. Their appearance was also shimmering and wavering, almost like watching a holoscreen with bad reception.

With his _Shingan_ , Ayumu could sense the scattering Dust, but not the illusory Whitneys. The glittering particles were the product of ice-Dust, imparting a chilly cold into the air. _Ah, I see,_ thought Ayumu. _The illusions are the product of diffused reflections. They're another distraction. The real threat are those airborne particles._

It took some refinement of his senses for a second, but Ayumu could sense the quality of those minuscule, nearly microscopic, ice shards. They were solid and persistent, not likely to melt quickly or easily, despite their size. But, most importantly, each one consisted of numerous razor-sharp edges. At that size, they permeated the air, and coming into contact with that cloud would be like walking right into the middle of a swarm of flying knives. What was worse, they were also likely to be inhaled, where they would inflect severe harm on the lungs. It reminded Ayumu of the smoke-Dust Reynard had used during the tournament. Just being in Whitney's vicinity when she was using this trick was a dangerous proposition.

It also spoke to the incredible refinement of her skill as a Dustweaver, amongst other things. There was no question in his mind that Whitney was dangerously adept at thinking small, even when it came to things like Dust. It had shown with the almost imperceptible fire-Dust bombs she had used before, and it was even more apparent with the the glass-shard-like ice-Dust she wielded now.

"What do you think about my little trick?" asked Whitney. "I call it Diamond Dust. Let's hope you don't get carved to pieces by it."

Ayumu pressed his lips together, his smile thinning nervously. Nonetheless, he raised his sword, readying himself for what was to come. Before him, the countless illusory Whitneys surged forward to attack.

* * *

Yang fired straight down, jumping up in the same move, using the recoil to launch herself up and over the wave of fire that Whitney had waved her way. Twisting her body in the air, Yang punched across her chest, firing another shot, using the recoil again, this time to increase the velocity of her spin, so that she could extend a foot and bring it down on Whitney's head.

Whitney's response was to wave the fan in what almost seemed to be an idle movement, intercepting Yang's incoming kick, and almost seeming to brush it aside, effortlessly diverting the power of Yang's attack. Yang still managed to land on her feet, immediately turning and trying to throw a punch, before Whitney could respond. But it was a futile effort. Whitney sidestepped, while using the fan again, redirecting Yang's punch so that Yang's own momentum sent her stumbling past Whitney.

"Your turn, Mercury," said Whitney cheerfully.

Yang didn't have time to ponder what Whitney meant, because, the next thing she knew, Mercury's foot crashed into the side of her face, the kick snapping her head around and straining her neck, throwing Yang off her feet. It was accompanied by a painful and powerful jolt from a Dust-shot fired from his prosthetic, blowing Yang away, literally.

Nora came plowing in after Yang, swinging her hammer at Mercury, whose leg was still extended from his previous kick. Mercury's supporting leg dropped, and his torso fell below the line of Nora's hammer-swing, Mercury leaning back to plant his hands against the ground, while kicking off to go into a spin, flaring out both his legs, firing shots at Nora with each foot, as it came around.

Managing to quickly recover from her missed swing, Nora whirled her hammer around defensively, deflecting Mercury's shots. However, distracted as she was, she missed Whitney drifting around to her flank, holding her fan back to sweep it again. This time, the flames gathered against the surface of the fan, Whitney flicking it out to launch a fireball at Nora's unguarded flank. Nora saw it coming too late.

But a screaming bolt intercepted the incoming fireball, exploding it prematurely. The heat and flames it released still scorched against Nora's Aura, but didn't inflict as much damage as it would have if it had hit her directly. The shockwave also managed to disrupt both Mercury and Whitney, who staggered, Mercury losing his balance and having to quickly right himself to avoid falling over completely.

Though Nora was pained by the heat of the explosion, she powered through, focusing on Mercury, and stepping forward to swing at him. Mercury grunted in surprise, barely managing to lift his leg up in time to intercept Nora's swing with his prosthetic shin. He wasn't in a position to bring his weaponry into play though, so he couldn't cancel out the force behind the blow, and was sent flying once again.

Meanwhile, Whitney turned to face Roman, just as he struck his cane against the ground, triggering a shot from it at the same time. The force of the explosion launched the cane like a rocket, Roman angling it so that it was sent flying right at Whitney's gut. She deflected it with a wave of her fan, the defense sending the cane whirling right back into Roman's outstretched hand, as he closed in to melee range, swinging it like a sword.

Wielding her fan, Whitney deftly knocked aside Roman's strikes, once again diverting, rather than ablating the force of his blows, the movements seeming effortless. Then, when Roman struck with a downward swing, Whitney caught it by bringing her fan across her front, this time striking his cane with the edge of her weapon, folding it closed upon contact, the movement adding a little extra force, and applying the full mass of her deceptively light-looking weapon to the move, knocking Melodic Cudgel aside even more, before reversing the swing of her arm to slam the closed fan into the side of Roman's ribs.

With a pained cry, Roman staggered back, only for his eyes to widen when Whitney followed through by opening her fan again, and swinging it across her body, sending another wave of fire rushing at him.

"Crap!" exclaimed Roman, only for his eyes to widen even further when a familiar figure lunged between him and the incoming flames.

Yang braced herself, crossing her arms over her face. This was going to hurt. Gin would no doubt scold her for tanking an attack like this. But she had to cover for Roman. Besides, heat like this was just fuel for her own fire.

Of course, in a situation like this, Yang wasn't certain her Semblance would be of much use. Whitney's fan seemed capable of completely diverting any blow, no matter how powerful. Assuming that, even using her Semblance to increase the power of a punch wouldn't do anything for Yang. She would just have to hope that her companions could give her the opening she needed, and that she would be able to followthrough. Of course, she didn't necessarily need to use this accumulated power on Whitney. Yang's eyes drifted to Mercury, who had recovered from being sent flying by Nora's hammer.

* * *

Ciel, Weiss, and Ren all recovered from the powerful wind that had erupted off the blade of Whitney's falchion. Still grinning, Whitney dashed in, her blade flashing. It was Weiss who stepped forward to meet her, meeting the swift slashes of Whitney's falchion with elegant parries of her rapier, the two blades flashing and clanging against each other.

Meanwhile, Ciel closed her weapon back down into rifle-mode, skirting the battle, still slightly behind Weiss, but moving to an angle so that she could attack without putting her ally in the line of fire. Raising her weapon to her shoulder, she began to fire off short, rapid bursts.

Despite engaging in a spirited fencing match with Weiss, Whitney still seemed to find time to work in extra flourishes of her sword. These weren't flashy, decorative moves though. Instead, the Dust-gem set into the falchion gleamed, conjuring circular, plane-shaped whirlwinds that acted as shields, deflecting Ciel's bullets. At the same time, Whitney moved, circling around Weiss, pulling the former-heiress into a circle with her, trying to guide Weiss into the line of Ciel's fire and throw off her aim. Ciel moved with them, trying to keep Whitney from putting Weiss between the two of them.

Meanwhile, Ren...ignored Whitney completely...instead turning and focusing his full attention on Emerald, charging right at her with an aggressive series of slashes from StormFlower that forced Emerald to backpedal, the ferocity of his offensive so sudden that Emerald was caught off-guard. His reasoning was simple. There was no way they could allow Emerald to have any breathing room to use her Semblance. So long as Weiss and Ciel could keep Whitney occupied, then he would do what he could to bring Emerald down.

Whitney didn't just use her wind-Dust for defense though. Intercepting a thrust from Myrtenaster, Whitney turned her own weapon in her wrist, guiding Weiss' sword into a circular movement, channeling her Dust into the movement, creating a whirlwind that extended out to wrap around Weiss, taking her off her feet, and spinning her in the air, before sending her cartwheeling off to land painfully on her side. Before Whitney could try to capitalize on her opponent's prone condition, Ciel rushed in, Vasilisa unfolding out into its talwar-form, allowing her to slash at Whitney from the side.

Now it was Whitney and Ciel who were fencing. But it quickly became clear that Whitney was the better swordswoman, her swift attacks putting Ciel on the defensive. The heavy-looking falchion was actually light and agile, capable of swift slashes that forced Ciel to give ground to keep from being overwhelmed.

Getting to her feet, Weiss raised Myrtenaster to point straight upwards. Beneath her feet, a glowing yellow glyph appeared, depicting a clock face, its hands turning faster and faster, the glyph imparting a yellow glow to Weiss' body. Next, Weiss created a series of the snowflake-shaped propulsion glyphs, arranging them in a loose hemisphere about Whitney and Ciel. Seeing the attack coming, Ciel immediately jumped back away, whipping Vasilisa to bat aside another slash from Whitney's falchion.

Now Weiss created a glyph beneath her feet, launching herself at Whitney. Her body accelerated, becoming little more than a white streak. Despite that, Whitney immediately turned to meet the new threat, her falchion's blade flashing in an elegant parry, deflecting Weiss' opening thrust. Weiss entered her glyph formation, rebounding off her glyphs at different angles, darting at Whitney from different directions in an all-out blitz. However, Whitney kept up with her flawlessly, blade whirling to knock away Weiss's thrusts with ease.

Then Weiss' attack came to an abrupt end. She'd pulled off this pattern in plenty of matches, before she'd been arrested. But, this time, a glyph was missing. Weiss abruptly plunged through a hole in her formation that shouldn't have been there, crying out in pain as she hit the ground, skidding and rolling, the extra speed imparted by her Time Dilation only serving to _enhance_ the impact of her body.

"Whoops," said Whitney, her tone ringing with insincere sympathy, "that was unfortunate. Clumsy you."

Weiss slowly forced herself up with a pained grunt. _I'm rusty,_ she thought. While she'd worked out to keep from losing her physique in prison, it was a given that hse hadn't been able to train with her weapon and Semblance at all. Even now, she could feel the strain of her body exerting itself in a manner that it hadn't in months. She wasn't used to fighting with her Aura anymore. The strain of operating her body at a level her muscles wouldn't have been able to operate at without her Aura was beginning to tell.

Whitney didn't have time for anymore taunts. Ciel went on the attack again, leading with another burst of shots from her rifle. Whitney effortlessly deflected those shots with a shield of wind, before turning to meet Ciel, just as she struck with her talwar.

Grimacing, Weiss got to her feet, taking a few seconds to recover herself, before charging back into the fray.

* * *

Winter didn't know _what_ she'd expected to see, upon helping Amber out through the tower doors. One of the last things she expected to see was a full-scale battle, taking place in the plaza just outside.

"What is happening?" she wondered, her eyes wide with shock.

There were three distinct fights taking place. On one side, she could see Ruby's sister, and the bubbly, orange-haired girl from their sister-team, along with none other than Roman Torchwick, taking on Mercury Black, the tournament competitor who had tried to kill Ruby after their semifinal match. _He's supposed to be in prison._ Fighting alongside Mercury was a strange woman, dressed like some kind of stage performer, wielding a strange fan.

The strangeness of the situation only grew more pronounced when she saw Lie Ren, Ciel Soleil, and- _Weiss!_ Winter's eyes widened when she saw her younger sister fighting furiously. _She's supposed to be in a cell._ Then her eyes went to one of the trio's opponents, one Emerald Sustrai, Mercury's teammate. _But then...so is she._ But the true strangeness came when she saw that Weiss and Ciel were dueling furiously with a woman who looked all but completely identical to Yang, Nora, and Roman's opponent, save that she wielded an ornate-looking falchion. _Oh no..._ The unsettling feeling in Winter's stomach grew worse.

There, in the center, Ayumu Ao, and a young woman that Winter recognized from a criminal dossier of Roman Torchwick's associates, who had also been the one who had been piloting the ambulance that had delivered Cinder to them, were dueling against an entire swarm of silvery-haired women, once again identical to the two fighting the other trios. The way that swarm moved made Winter realize they were reflections. However, it was unsettling to see three almost identical people fighting together for the enemy. What was even _more_ unsettling was seeing that silvery hair, or catching a glimpse of the ice-blue eyes that flashed from the holes set into each of the women's domino masks.

"It can't be..." Winter breathed, her mind jumping back to the theory that Qrow had first broached, that she had then, somewhat hesitantly, looked into.

Sadly, the more Winter had looked into the concept, the more sense it had made. Returning to Atlas, in the brief period before she'd been called back to help with the operation against the White Fang, Winter had worked to track down the gardner, one Garrick Schirmer, who had left his position at the Schnee Family household, shortly before Jacques and Willow had announced their impending marriage.

The man had apparently found employment in various venues, including the Atlas Botanical Gardens, after leaving. However, after several years, all mention of him abruptly vanished. It was then, looking through obituaries of that period, that Winter had discovered news of the man's death. According to the obituary, his death had been the result of an accident. Of course, considering what she suspected, and was investigating, Winter couldn't help but be suspicious of the circumstances behind said "accident." But the event was well over a decade ago, and Winter hadn't had time to investigate in greater depth. However, it would not have been the first time, nor the last, that a person that her father might have found...inconvenient...had disappeared, been imprisoned, or died under mysterious circumstances.

Her examination of the medical records, over twenty years ago, had borne disturbing fruit as well. Prior to Willow and Jacques' engagement, there had been an extended period where Willow had taken ill with a series of illnesses, which left her confined to the Schnee Family Manor for a period of over a year. The official reason had been an initial ailment, followed by a series of complications, caused by issues with Willow's immune system that had been caused by the first sickness, followed by a lengthy recovery period, which, overall, stretched to almost a full year-and-a-half.

That was longer than all but the most exceptional pregnancies, of course. But that could have just as easily been a ploy to mask the time-frame, seeing as a woman taking sick for a period of nine months or so would have definitely drawn speculation of the most scandalous sort. What was more, the records had been produced by her family's in-house doctor, who, of course, could have been induced to record anything his employers wanted him to, in order to explain away Willow's ailment. On top of that, it had also just so happened that said family doctor had _also_ died, in an accident, shortly after Willow made her "recovery."

It all added up, but was also distressingly short on concrete evidence. But now, looking at what was happening before her eyes, Winter was more certain than ever. This was Whitney Schirmer, and she was...

"Ms. Akiyama, please wait here," said Winter, carefully settling Amber into a bench, resting up against the garden boxes that ringed Beacon Tower's base. It was a little closer to the woman who'd been trying to kill her than Winter would have liked. But she needed to confirm this, and do so before Weiss got herself killed fighting an opponent who was probably well beyond her.

Amber made no sound of protest, merely nodding to Winter, silently urging her to help Amber's friends.

Drawing her sword, Winter dashed off to confront her family.

It was Ayumu who noticed her approach first. "Ms. Schnee, stop!" he shouted, flicking a hand out. A phantasmal blade flashed through the air in Winter's direction, but not right at her. Instead, it struck something between Winter and her destination, triggering an explosion of flames that billowed out. Winter skidded to a stop, her eyes widening.

"Ah yes," said the Whitney fighting Ayumu and Neo, coming to a stop as all three battles paused in the presence of the new arrival, "Do tread carefully, Specialist. I've scattered my Fire Seeds all about here. The young man and his friend have taken care of several of them, but plenty more remain, particularly over your way."

 _Fire Seeds..._ Winter's eyes narrowed as she tried to track the source of the explosion. Then she spotted them, glittering motes, too small to even be called embers, flickering in and out of sight, almost like fireflies in the night...but in broad daylight. _For something so small to produce such a large effect, she must be using super-compressed granules of fire-Dust, possibly with wind as an accelerant. Her Dustweaving skills are spectacular!_

Reversing her sword, Winter planted the blade into the ground, sinking down to one knee. A bright glyph spun into being, this one consisting of a quartet of swords, arranged in a wheel-formation, their tips pointing outward. The glyph flashed, and a pair of massive wings beat the air. A pale-blue and white Nevermore, more than three times the size of a human, spread its wings and took flight, flying up, then stooping down at the Whitney who had been fighting with Weiss and Ciel.

That Whitney undid the clasps of her cape with a deft motion, before grabbing the hem of the garment with her free hand. Flaring it out, she swung the whole thing, which spread in the air, at the incoming Nevermore Winter had summoned. The birdlike Grimm flew directly into the barrier of fabric, which fell over its body, which then collapsed over it. Pulling back, Whitney swept off the cape to reveal that the Nevermore had vanished, as though it had never been there in the first place, returning the garment to its proper position on her shoulders with practiced ease.

"What?" gasped Weiss, her eyes bulging out of their sockets. "You can't possibly make one of Winter's Summons disappear like that!"

Whitney laughed. "Come now, I am a magician, dear. What kind of magician would I be if I couldn't pull off a simple disappearing act?"

Winter knew better than to think that Whitney's trick could be explained away that easily. She had indeed felt her Summon vanish, as though it had never existed. But unless Whitney's Semblance was some ability specifically able to cancel out Aura constructs, there was only one way she could have made a Summon vanish like that...and only one kind of person who could have managed to use that way. _I knew it..._

Looking up, Winter met the gaze of the Whitney fighting Ayumu and Neo directly. "Please! Stop this, Sister."

Myrtenaster clattered to the ground, falling from Wiess' nerveless fingers. "What?" she gasped, looking at Whitney in horror. Sure, the resemblance was uncanny, but there was no possible way this woman could be...

However, Whitney's response was to titter lightly. "Oh dear, figured it out, have you? Well, it hardly matters really. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, dear Winter. I have heard so much about you."

"But...how?" asked Weiss, looking between Winter and the Whitney she herself had been fighting. "That's impossible!"

"Well, lengthy origin stories aren't meant to be told mid-battle," said Whitney, tittering. "Suffice to say that I don't truly consider either of you to be my sisters, half or otherwise, nor do you need to consider me one."

"I don't understand..." said Weiss, sounding lost and confused.

"I see," said Ayumu, his smile still there, but wavering as he examined the Whitney in front of him. "So that's your secret. Your Semblance was never telekinesis, nor duplication. It felt familiar, but I have only ever seen that particular Semblance in action once, and my senses weren't as honed back then as they are now."

"If she can't duplicate, then what's this?" demanded Yang, throwing a glare at the Whitney she and her allies had been fighting.

"The three primary abilities of the Schnee Hereditary Semblance..." said Winter breathlessly, "...Propulsion, Time Dilation...and Summoning the avatars of defeated foes."

"Defeated foes?" Nora looked at the Whitney in front of her in confusion. "But these are..."

That Whitney laughed, opening her fan and using it to screen her mouth. "To Summon, one must think about a foe that they have overcome, one that has pushed them past who they _were_ , to become who they _are_. Of course, there are so many self-help courses out there that will gladly tell you that _you_ are your own worst enemy. Therefore, if I make it my objective to overcome _myself_ , by reinventing who I am, then my previous self is a foe that I have defeated. So, by that logic, it only makes perfect sense that I can call them to my side. I make it a point to defeat my old self on a regular basis, you know."

"She's Summoning...past versions of herself?" Weiss stared, open-mouthed, at the Whitney with the falchion.

"It's more than that," noted Ayumu. "Her control is spectacular. She can utilize her glyphs with incredible speed, manifesting them, then dismissing them so quickly they don't even appear to the eye. She can also use them on an incredibly small scale, possibly even microscopic."

 _The greatest master of the Schnee Hereditary Semblance the world has ever seen,_ thought Winter, her heart thudding alarmingly in her chest, _And to think that she's an illegitimate daughter, sired by a gardener._

"My my, you all look so shocked," said Whitney, laughing again. "But this is hardly the time to be examining family ties, you know. We _are_ in the midst of battle, after all. As it is, Winter, I believe you've spoken a little too much."

Upon the central Whitney, the one fighting Ayumu and Neo, having said that, the other two Whitneys abandoned their own fight, both instead dashing towards Winter, leaping into the air in tandem, their weapons raised.

Winter had yet to rise up from her kneeling position. She heard the shouts of dismay, particularly from Weiss. But Winter already knew what to do. If these were past versions of Whitney, then they were undoubtedly less dangerous than the one who had summoned them. However, it was likely that they were still far stronger than Winter could handle in a fight, to say nothing of both of them at once. But seeing Whitney make Winter's own Summon disappear had shown her what was possible, and what she needed to do.

A new Summoning glyph flashed into being at her feet. But this one was black. As the two Whitneys descended towards her, their bodies crossed the invisible threshold inscribed by the circle of Winter's glyph, breaking apart and dissolving into motes of light, pulled into the black glyph, before it vanished. Winter collapsed, sagging down, using her sword to keep herself from falling over completely.

"Winter!" exclaimed Weiss, moving to rush to her side, but was forestalled by Ciel, who gripped her shoulder tightly, keeping Weiss from rushing into the space occupied by Whitney's Fire Seeds.

"Well well, aren't you a quick learner?" observed Whitney cheerfully.

 _It's a technique that only a Schnee could use...against another Schnee,_ thought Winter. _Invert the glyph, and use it to neutralize the effects of your opponent's glyph. With that, you can make an enemy Summon vanish._

Weiss realized it too, her mind catching the implications of such a trick. It hadn't been laxness on her part that had caused her to misplace a glyph in her previous attack formation. Whitney must have done the same thing, use one of her own glyphs to dispel Weiss', causing her attack to fail catastrophically.

"Still, your execution could use some refinement," noted Whitney. "You burned up too much Aura with that, Winter dear. With you like that...me ending your life would be all too easy."

"No!" shouted Weiss, turning towards Whitney, pulling out of Ciel's grip in the process, bending to pick Myrtenaster off the ground, and charging her. However, a pair of sparks flashed in front of her, before blossoming into powerful explosions that blew her back with a pained scream. Weiss landed on her back, her dress and jacket scorched.

"A tad reckless, dear," said Whitney, raising her right hand idly. The glittering shards of airborne ice surrounding her streamed up curling inwards, merging together, congealing into one, becoming a lance of solid ice that hovered in the air above Whitney. Ayumu and Neo both rushed to attack, but were rebounded away by swift glyphs, not even appearing as strobing flashes to their eyes, with a flick of Whitney's left hand. With her right, Whitney directed her ice lance, sending it flying for Weiss' chest.

Then the lance struck the broad, angled surface of a familiar shield. Upon impact, there was a flash of brilliant white, and Whitney's ice lance shattered into smaller fragments, their momentum completely reversing back towards her. Her eyes widening behind her mask, Whitney swept up her cape, using it to veil herself from the barrage of chilly shrapnel.

Jaune stood between Whitney and Weiss, sword and shield at the ready, blue eyes glaring intently at the woman. Weiss stared up at his back, eyes wide, mouth hanging slightly slack, unable to believe what she was seeing.

Whitney lowered her cape, and folded her arms across her chest, pouting in an almost childish manner. "Bother, so you've finally decided to join the fight, have you?" She turned to throw a sullen glare at the two people who remained sitting the fight out. The Shimizus hadn't moved a step since the fight against Salem's minions had been joined. "It appears the two of you aren't all that committed to this."

"We never were," said Naia, smiling teasingly. "Any arrangement your lot had was with Adam and his branch. We are here to fulfill our own objectives, so we are under no obligation to assist you."

"Piffle," muttered Whitney, turning her head to survey the forces arrayed against her and her allies.

Then a gunshot cracked through the air. Whitney flicked out a hand, the incoming bullet throwing up a spark as it collided with an invisibly fast glyph. Looking over, she and all the others saw another figure approaching at run, black hair streaming out behind her, a set of cat-ears rising from the top of her head.

"Blake!" shouted Yang, her eyes wide with relief. Then, realizing where Blake's path was taking her, her expression flashed to worried, on the verge of panic. "Wait! Don't-!"

Before Yang could finish her warning, Blake's own eyes caught the flash of a spark in front of her. However, that was all the warning she needed. A Shadow flickered into being, taking the brunt of the explosion, while displacing Blake upwards in an arcing leap that allowed her to descend towards Whitney, leading with a slash of her katana. Whitney's response was to sweep her cape between them, using the flapping fabric to deflect the slash, before flicking a hand of cards at Blake's face. The cards struck home, then passed through, another Shadow taking the blow. The real Blake skidded to a stop beside Ayumu and Neo.

"Where's Gin?" asked Ayumu, not taking his eyes off Whitney.

"Going for the tower," said Blake.

"Well...this is getting a little crowded," observed Whitney, cupping her chin. "You're all quite formidable adversaries, and I'm loathe to take you on without my partner. It would seem that I will have to go all-out."

Everyone tensed at that. Considering what Whitney had proven capable of already, none of them relished the idea of seeing her get serious. Even Mercury and Emerald looked nervous, and they were supposed to be on _Whitney's_ side.

But then...an even greater change came across the battlefield. A flash of orange light illuminated out from within Beacon Tower, much brighter and more intense than any of the ones that had come before. Then it subsided. Suddenly, the skies began to darken. In unison, everyone's eyes drifted upwards. Even Whitney was distracted by the phenomenon. Black clouds boiled angrily outwards across the sky, blotting out the sun. A chilly wind began to pick up, knifing its way through people's outfits, and chilling them to the bone. The clouds converged inward in a spiraling circle...centered upon the very peak of Beacon Tower.

Ayumu swallowed, his senses picking up the telltale signs of magic, the magic of the Fall Maiden. It was surging and increasing, even greater than what he had sensed before. This was an exercise of power beyond anything that he'd expected possible, a power that subordinated the forces of nature itself to the wielder's control. "Oh my..."

"Cinder...?" whispered Emerald, her voice tight with confusion.

Then, with a roaring, thunderous clap, a sound that would have made one think that the world itself had broken in two; accompanied by a blinding flash, brighter than the sun itself; a bolt of lightning struck the peak of Beacon Tower.

* * *

 **So, yes, Whitney Schirmer is Weiss, Winter, and Whitley's illegitimate half-sister, born to their mother, after an affair with their gardener. Like certain other characters, Whitney is another transfer from that older, mostly-abandoned fic I've mentioned. Seeing as that story was written around Volume 3 coming out, I had made some assumptions about characters that were proven incorrect by later volumes. One of those assumptions was that Weiss' father (who I'd taken to calling Wyn, until the canon revealed that his name was Jacques) was the biological Schnee. I had conceived the idea of Whitney as being younger than Winter, but older than Weiss; the secret third sister of the Schnee siblings, with the worst case of Middle Child Syndrome you could imagine.**

 **Of course, it being revealed that the Schnee line comes from Wiess' mother complicated things a bit, but I was able to hash out an answer for the purposes of this story. In all honesty, I hadn't really conceived of this role for Whitney, when I originally transplanted her into this story, all the way back during the first arc. But I was so enthralled with the concept of a secret Schnee Sibling, and disappointed at the idea of wasting a character I'd liked so much, simply for the sake of jarring Ruby's memory, that I wound up working things out to bring her back in. It also gives me the chance to explore some of the potential applications of the Schnee Semblance, such as using the Summoning ability to summon past versions of oneself. It seemed plausible to me.**


	137. Chapter 137

**Chapter 137:**

Ruby fought for her life, dancing between Cinder and Pyrrha. It brought back uneasy memories of the incident that, so long ago, had touched off this cascade of events that led her to being here, now. Back then, she had been fighting both Pyrrha and Weiss, as the two made a concerted effort to end her life for their own selfish reasons. Now, Cinder and Pyrrha were both attacking her, the similarity being enough to make Ruby feel uneasy.

However, there were differences, important ones at that. One of the biggest was Ruby herself. She was not the novice, almost un-blooded, Huntress she'd been back then, caught off-guard by virtue of the trust she'd placed in two people she'd thought were her friends. Ruby had survived that attempt on her life, trained, and grown stronger... _much_ stronger...far stronger than anyone her year in Beacon, much less her age, had any right to be. She'd survived hopeless battles, surmounted the tests her Master had put before her, which were far beyond anything the teachers at Beacon Academy would dare to use for an assessment. She'd fought her way up through the Vytal Festival Tournament, besting competitors years her senior. She'd survived additional attempts on her life. She'd come through all that, and grown each time she was put to the test.

The other major difference was that, while Cinder and Pyrrha were both attacking her, they were most definitely _not_ cooperating. When Ruby had been fighting Weiss and Pyrrha, the two of them had coordinated their actions, covered for each other's weaknesses, and conspired to keep Ruby from getting an edge over one or the other. Cinder and Pyrrha were both focusing their attacks on Ruby, but there was no coordination. They attacked, while ignoring their ostensible ally, one not caring if the other ended up in the path of a missed shot, or was caught by an explosion aimed at their shared target.

The other factor was that, despite everything that was going on, Cinder _still_ stubbornly refused to take this fight seriously. She continued to attack relentlessly, lobbing fireballs, unleashing jets of flame, calling forth pillars of fire. Sometimes, she unleashed explosions outward from her entire body. But she refused to bring her skills into play. The swords and bow that Ruby had heard that Cinder was supposed to wield remained absent, Cinder's hands empty. While she moved with incredible speed, no doubt powered by her magic, Cinder refused to use that speed in an efficient manner, instead favoring using it to allow her to rain as many attacks as she could on Ruby, all at once.

Pyrrha, on the other hand, was far more skilled. She was a technical master, employing both her weapons with precision and grace. She read Ruby's moves effectively, anticipating her movements as best she could. Of course, Pyrrha was hampered by the fact that her Semblance was next to useless in this fight. While she could use it to control her own weapons and equipment, Ruby's scythe remained unaffected by it, which meant that Pyrrha had to rely on nothing more than her technical skill with her weapons to fight.

If Ruby were to compare their fight to music, then there were times where Pyrrha faltered, because she layered an extra beat in where there didn't need to be one. An attack coming dangerously close to her, Pyrrha would delay her reaction, not because she hadn't seen the attack coming, or didn't know what to do, but because she tried to use her Semblance, only to have to consciously remind herself that her Semblance couldn't affect Ruby's scythe. If Pyrrha was fortunate, or quick enough to recognize her mistake, she might be able to interpose Milo or Akuou to intercept the incoming strike. But, more often than not, Ruby easily employed her own Semblance at just the right instant to ensure her blow landed before Pyrrha's defense could get into place. Of course, Pyrrha was already consciously aware that her Semblance couldn't affect Ruby's weapon. But reflexes engrained through a lifetime of training couldn't be overcome _that_ easily. So, even though she knew better, Pyrrha still found herself automatically defaulting to her Semblance, only to have to correct her error after the fact.

There was something else...something that troubled Ruby, honestly. For all that Pyrrha attacked with incredible speed and intensity, wielding her weapons with her trademark skill, Ruby found herself conscious of the lack of killing intent behind Pyrrha's attacks, almost as though Pyrrha wasn't truly trying to kill her. It made Ruby wonder if Pyrrha's intent was actually focused somewhere else.

Of course, the greatest challenge to Ruby was the need to be considerate of her Aura. She had the edge, when it came to speed and technique, and her foes were working against each other almost as much as they were her. But her Aura still had limits. Unfortunately, the intense pace of this fight meant that Ruby had no chance to recharge, even though she'd found that she'd managed to condense the process down, and regain a substantial portion of her Aura with a single breath. But, with two swift and powerful adversaries pressing her at once, it was impossible to find time for even a single, dedicated breath. It didn't help that Cinder's magic wasn't dependent on her Aura, so, with each use, her Aura levels remained the same, only dropping whenever Ruby landed a blow past her barrier, or one of Pyrrha's missed attacks did.

Ruby was a flickering blur. Her every step threw up swift flurries of red petals that danced amid the fiery embers left by Cinder's attacks. Shining Rose danced in her hand, a two-toned blur of red, often seeming to be in two places at once. Bright red crescents flashed out of thin air, while lines of the same color spiraled into being between Ruby and incoming attacks. Fireballs exploded, rifle rounds cracked through the air, Shining Rose's blade buzzed intensely. It had been barely a minute since Winter and Amber had made their escape, but it felt like so much longer to all the battle's participants.

Ruby's awareness had completely spread throughout the space around her. Her conscious mind was...adrift...almost feeling disconnected from her body, which moved on its own, her actions guided purely by her senses in conjunction with her technique, reading her opponents' movements, predicting them, anticipating, and responding. It was strange. She was pressed, walking the razor-thin line between life and death. But, somehow, Ruby felt lighter and freer than she ever had in her life. It felt as though her body was learning on its own, discovering that, if she moved in a particular way, she used less energy. If she attacked in a certain fashion, she was less likely to be blocked. New techniques suggested themselves to her, almost completely of their own volition.

Because of that, despite the sheer seriousness of the situation, Ruby found her lips stretching in a blissful smile. This was a euphoria that she couldn't put to words, a high that no drug could ever possibly match. With each step she took, she realized that there was still further she could go, new heights to surmount, new achievements to make. This feeling, it made her realize what Yu must have felt, in those days before he'd become so absurdly stronger than everyone else. _This_ was the feeling that he longed for, the sensation he'd tried to recreate, by growing his own adversaries to match him.

Ruby's awareness spread out farther, reaching beyond the walls of Beacon Tower. Her _Shingan_ had begun to reach the point where she was no longer piecing together which factors came from which of her senses. Instead, it was almost as though all she had was a widening picture of growing clarity, expanding in an ever-increasing radius. Because of that, she sensed something that made her falter.

She sensed Winter separate from Amber, and leave her behind, just outside the tower. _No! Amber's not safe yet!_ Winter had gone off in the direction of the clashing Auras that marked the others' fight against Salem's other agents, and the Shimizu twins. Ruby's awareness hadn't expanded enough for her to discern the details of what was happening there at this distance. But the fact that Winter had abandoned Amber was what mattered.

Ruby's concern brought her conscious self crashing back into the sequence of battle. Suddenly, everything seemed to speed up even more ludicrously to her senses. Her _Shingan_ faltered, Ruby once again assembling disparate input from her different senses. Her mind automatically took control of her body, which, ironically, made her responses slower.

Because of that distraction, Ruby missed the approach of Pyrrha's shield as it rebounded off the central pillar of the tower to slam into the side of her head, making her stagger. Still reeling from that hit, Ruby saw Cinder immediately see an opportunity, both hands exploding into furious flames. Bringing them together, she thrust both palms out from her chest, projecting a massive jet of flame straight at the still-reeling Ruby.

Pyrrha might have been moving to follow up on her own attack, but Cinder's high-power flame strike was about to hit her too, so Pyrrha dived out of the way. Ruby wasn't in a position to dodge though, so she defended as best she could, spinning Shining Rose as fast as she could, channeling all the extra Aura she could spare into the action.

The horizontal pillar of fire slammed into the scythe's spinning shaft, the spin redirecting the energy of those flames, sending them spiraling away. But there was still more power to spare... _far_ too much power. Ruby's feet slid back. She tried bracing herself as hard as she could, but it was no use. Cinder's power pushed her back more. Then the heel of Ruby's boot caught on a broken section of the floor, and Ruby lost her balance.

The next thing Ruby knew, she felt as though she was hit by a truck...a truck that was on fire. The impact slammed the breath from her lungs, a feeling that was only compounded when her spine slammed into the wall behind her with enough force to crack it (the wall, not her spine, fortunately), creating a crater in its surface. At the same time, her body was seared by intense heat. Had she not completely lost her breath, Ruby would have screamed. All she could do was shunt all her remaining Aura to the protective sheath around her body. Her skin burned, almost to the point of blistering, which it almost certainly would if this kept up...followed by blackening. If Cinder sustained this attack for too much longer, Ruby was certain that not even her ashes would remain.

But then the blow relented. Ruby, no longer pinned by the force of Cinder's magic, dropped from the indent she'd made in the wall, collapsing to her knees upon one of upraised lighted sections that ringed the outer wall of the lobby. It took her a few extra seconds to become cognizant of the fact that her hands were empty. Her scythe was gone, but not because she'd lost her hold on it. Shining Rose had vanished, while Ruby felt the last remnants of her Aura dissipate with a snap, a crackling red field becoming visible on her body, before holes opened up in it, and then opened wider, until none remained.

For a few seconds, Cinder stood there, huffing and panting, winded by her exertions, the battle much more hard-fought than she'd ever had believed it would be. Gone was the composed, confident woman who'd strutted out of the ruined elevator, smugly assured, following her victory over Ozpin below. Cinder had been forced to fight much harder than she'd ever wanted to. She'd been battered and beaten, her hair now dangling in matted tangles. The flames that streamed from the outer corners of her eyes only seemed to serve as an additional manifestation of her frustration.

Seeing Ruby slumped before her, Cinder took a few deep breaths to steady herself, running a hand through her hair in an attempt to impart some sense of order to it again. After a moment spent bringing herself back down from her exertions, Cinder finally focused on Ruby again, a triumphant smirk on her face, almost as though she hadn't needed Pyrrha's efforts to bring Ruby to this state.

"Well," cooed Cinder with her trademark sultry purr, "it's finally over with. But what other result did you expect?" She began to stalk towards Ruby, her glass heels striking sharp, clinking sounds against the floor. "You tried to stand against a force beyond your greatest imagination. In all honesty, this was the only possible outcome."

Cinder came to a stop, just in front of Ruby, clearly savoring her foe's helplessness. Ruby met her gaze, not betraying any fear, keeping her breaths slow, but not too deep. Little by little, Ruby drew more power from the wellspring within her, calling forth more Aura. That Aura was streaming out into her body, mending strained and torn muscles, soothing burned skin. It was a slow process by necessity. Ruby didn't want to do anything that would give Cinder any indication that she hadn't given up yet. If Cinder was content to waste time gloating, Ruby would use that time to ensure that Cinder regretted it.

"Still so defiant," said Cinder, smiling at Ruby's expression. "It almost seems that you don't realize the consequences of what you've done. For your meddling, you and your friends shall burn. I shall see every last one of them reduced to ash. My only regret...is that you won't be able to see their end with your own eyes. I would very much like to make you watch, but that's too much work at this stage."

The fact that Ruby remained calm, despite the threat to her friends, appeared to irk Cinder, who'd clearly been expecting a reaction of some kind, even it was simply a pithy retort. Instead, she found Ruby's silence...irritating. Her smile faltered slightly. "Well...I can see you're a poor sport," she said.

Cinder's complaint actually brought a small smile to Ruby's face; to hear _Cinder_ , of all people, call _her_ a poor sport. This was the woman who had promised a slow and painful death to anyone who merely inconvenienced her, much less actively opposed her, expressing nothing but the greatest surety that everyone would bow down and acknowledge her superiority.

Ruby's smile brought an end to Cinder's smug attitude. She jerked away, lips curling back to bare her teeth in an angry glare. "You think you can mock me, do you!?" she snapped, whipping a hand up to slap Ruby across the face. A sharp gasp of breath was the only sound Ruby allowed herself to make, before going back to breathing, slowly continuing to draw more Aura into herself.

Cinder turned around, walking away from Ruby. "Well, I can understand, if only a little," she said coldly. "After all, I imagine you don't have much sanity remaining, this close to your death. By the time I'm finished with you, you will regret ever even _thinking_ that you could stand in my way."

Cinder turned on her heel, facing Ruby once more. Slowly, she raised her hands, flames licking from her palms and fingers. These flames were predominantly red and orange, indicating a lower temperature. Cinder intended to make Ruby's death as slow and painful as she reasonably could. Her eyes met Ruby's, Cinder taking gratification from seeing Ruby's eyes widen. But that gratification quickly turned to confusion, when she realized that Ruby's reaction was not out of fear, but surprise...and that she wasn't actually looking at Cinder.

Then something slammed into the back of Cinder's head, right at the base of her skull...hard! Cinder had tried to fix her appearance, but she couldn't fix the fact that she was fatigued and pained by the hits she'd taken from the battle. Because of that, when she was hit, her vision immediately turned gray, and sparks that had nothing to do with her flames danced in front of her eyes.

Through the haze and disorientation, Cinder's ears picked up the sound of something whirling through the air. Her view of Ruby was suddenly cut off by a disk of burnished silver, which hovered before her eyes, its circumference marred by a pair of semicircular indents. Her consciousness scrambled by the hit, Cinder wasn't able to piece together where she'd seen this object before. It was outlined by black, that ebony energy crawling across its surface to its center, then stretching out a tendril...one that extended down at an angle...through her chest...

Ruby saw things much more clearly. Behind Cinder, Pyrrha had drawn back her left arm, her shield glowing that the black aura of her Semblance, before Pyrrha threw it, evidently using her Semblance to accelerate her shield, and spin it with incredible speed, angling her throw just right, so that the portion of the shield that made contact with the back of Cinder's head was moving at the maximum possible velocity. Cinder was fortunate that the hit hadn't split her skull open.

As the shield flipped end over end in a gentle arc that took it over the top of Cinder's head, Pyrrha transitioned Milo into its javelin-form, taking a low stance, and stretching her right arm back as far as she possibly could. This wasn't a setup for one of Pyrrha's rapid, precise throws, but one built around putting as much _power_ into the action as humanly possible. The black shimmer of Pyrrha's Semblance stretched out from her shield, passing through Cinder's chest, out her back, and extended out to connect with Milo's tip, then spread all the way down the javelin's length.

Her attack set, Pyrrha threw her weapon with all her might. The javelin hurtled through the air, gaining even more speed as Pyrrha's Semblance pulled it towards the anchor of her shield. Then, finally, just as it was about to make contact with Cinder's back, Pyrrha triggered Milo's rifle, firing a shot out the butt-end, accelerating the weapon even more, ensuring that it reached its peak right as the tip struck Cinder's back.

Cinder lurched, her back arching. Ruby's jaw dropped, and she felt we droplets splatter across her face. The tip of Milo now protruded out from between the crease of Cinder's cleavage. Her eyes still wide, her expression disbelieving, Cinder let out a sound almost like a croak, dropping to her knees.

Akouo fell to the floor with a clang that seemed deafening in the silence that followed Pyrrha's attack.

Now Ruby understood...the reason Pyrrha's intent hadn't seemed focused on her, it was because Pyrrha hadn't been focused on killing _Ruby_. From the moment she'd entered the battle, all along, Pyrrha's _true_ target had been Cinder. She'd been watching and waiting for just the right moment for Cinder to lower her guard...and there was no better moment than when Cinder had thought she'd won. After all, Cinder still considered Pyrrha an ally, an underling even. A pawn attacking its own queen was an inconceivable action. Pyrrha had used that hole in Cinder's awareness to strike a decisive, and fatal, blow.

"You just couldn't resist, could you?" asked Pyrrha rhetorically, striding forward, the click of her heels against the floor nearly as deafening as her shield dropping down. "I figured that was the case. You finally get the upper hand, and you just have to gloat about it, don't you? Understanding that, you made things so absurdly easy for me."

Ruby felt as though she was invisible. The moment Pyrrha had landed her attack, Ruby's thought processes had ground to a halt. She even forgot to continue recharging her Aura. She'd known for a long time now that Pyrrha's restraint was gone, that she now thought nothing of killing another person. But it was one thing to come to that realization in an abstract sense, hearing about how Pyrrha had changed from Jaune, and another thing entirely to hear Pyrrha coo with the same cruelty that Cinder had spoken with only seconds earlier.

Cinder bared her teeth, a trickle of blood running from the corner of her mouth. Her shoulders tensed, and flames flickered at the corner of her eyes.

Smiling that same, polite smile she was always known for, Pyrrha flicked her right hand idly.

A black aura appeared around the tip of the javelin protruding from Cinder's chest, the weapon jerking sharply. The movement prompted an agonized spasm from Cinder, her flames going out, a wet gasp escaping from her lips.

Pyrrha smiled a little wider.

 _Is this really, Pyrrha Nikos?_ wondered Ruby. Even after the attempt on her life, Ruby had never imagined that Pyrrha would be capable of this malice, this deliberate cruelty. How could she take such joy in inflicting needless pain on a helpless victim?

But it _wasn't_ needless, Ruby realized. Her senses coalescing together again. Her _Shingan_ allowed her to realize that Pyrrha's words and actions were carefully considered. Her manner was chosen to emulate Cinder, to mock her, particularly because Cinder was responding to Pyrrha' derision with fury. Cinder was petty and vindictive. She would never be able to forgive someone for doing this to her, particularly not someone she'd regarded as a mere pawn. And, with each phrase and action, Pyrrha rubbed it in, ensuring that Cinder's thoughts were centered completely on her...on Pyrrha Nikos. Pyrrha might have acted to kill Cinder, but her plans didn't end with Cinder's death.

That realization was enough to spur Ruby into action again. She started recharging again, going a little faster, now that neither enemy's attention was on her, but still keeping her breaths light, building her power back up, little by little.

Pyrrha's walk carried past Cinder. "I can understand your frustration," she said, circling to stand in front of the kneeling woman, and turning to face her. "But this is for the best. You're arrogant. You've allowed your new power to go to your head. Had you taken this fight seriously from the beginning, you wouldn't have needed my help to bring Ruby down. But that's just how you are. You believe that effort and application are beneath you. You had the power, so you thought you should be able to simply smother her with it. You only ever worked to refine your skills to the point where you felt you could get by with them, always trying to get by with the bare minimum. And, when you don't get your way, you throw a tantrum, just like a child. Someone so shallow...shouldn't be entrusted with such a grand power."

Cinder shuddered, another look of rage washing over her. Her eyes flickered again, but Pyrrha tugged at Milo with her Semblance, the pain subduing Cinder, who sagged forward.

Still smiling that unnerving smile, Pyrrha bent down slightly, gently, almost lovingly, cupping, then caressing Cinder's cheek. "It's unfortunate, you were promised a power that was never truly yours," she said, pulling her hand away, and stepping back. "But take comfort in knowing that _I_ will use it in ways you would never have imagined."

Pyrrha lifted her right hand, the black energy of her Semblance outlining Milo once more. The javelin jerked in Cinder's chest, making her entire body lurch. But Pyrrha didn't stop with a simple jostling. Instead, she used her Semblance to pull and, with a sickening, wet, slicing sound, Milo began to slide forward, out of Cinder's chest, Pyrrha using her Polarity to pull her weapon all the way _through_ Cinder's body. Cinder let out an agonized whine, her body being tugged upward, and hanging off Milo's shaft as the javelin was pulled through her. Pyrrha did it slowly, drawing Cinder's agony out. All the while, Cinder's eyes, blazing with unabashed hatred, glared into Pyrrha's emerald ones, the two women not looking away from each other.

With a sickening squelching sound, Milo was finally pulled free of Cinder's chest, its gore-covered length flipping end-over-end, and collapsing down into its sword-form, to thud its handle securely into Pyrrha's raised right hand. Cinder collapsed, like a puppet with her strings cut. But before she could fall all the way to the floor, Pyrrha's left hand snapped out to grab her by her hair, at the top of her head, knuckles grinding against Cinder's scalp. Pyrrha lifted Cinder, so that they could keep their eyes locked.

"Not this time," said Pyrrha simply. "I've learned to _not_ take my enemy's death for granted, just because they've taken what should be a fatal wound. You may be shallow and pathetic, but you can be resourceful. So...I want to be _absolutely_ certain..."

She held Cinder's fading gaze for a long moment. Then brought Milo down, across her chest, and under her arm, before whipping it back the other way, using the sword to slice right through Cinder's neck. Cinder's body collapsed to the floor, with only fading twitches betraying its remaining life leaving, while Pyrrha continued to hold Cinder's head by her hair, her eyes locked with Cinder for the final seconds of Cinder's life.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then a low, ominous rumbling began to build. Cinder's body and head began to glow, shining with a deep orange color. Then they exploded in a blaze of light that washed over everything. The light was blinding, completely wiping out the world around Pyrrha and Ruby, seeming to burn away everything, even the shadows cast by most objects.

Then, just as quickly as it appeared, the light faded, collapsing inward...on Pyrrha...soaking into her skin. Pyrrha's head had turned upward, mouth open in a silent gasp. Cinder's head fell from her grip, dropping down to land next to her body, with a bounce and tumble.

Pyrrha's eyes snapped open, and orange flames leapt forth from their outside corners, streaming into the air on either side of her head. A low rumble began to build once more, this time coming from hight above. Pyrrha's jaw hung slack in an open-mouthed display of ecstasy.

"Oh my!" she said breathlessly. "This is what it feels like! This power truly is _grand!_ No wonder Cinder got so carried away."

Abruptly, Pyrrha's finely-honed combat instincts blared a warning. She felt a pressure from behind, almost like a hot wind. Moving automatically, Pyrrha leapt away from where she was standing. She turned as she landed, reflexively calling her shield back to its place on her left arm with her Semblance, her eyes coming to rest on Ruby, and widening in shock.

Ruby had risen up from her knees, now standing tall. At some point, she'd bowed her head so that her hood had fallen over it. Now her cloak flared out behind her, as though being lifted up by a nonexistent wind. The red of the garment seemed to shine more vividly than usual. Then, slowly and deliberately, Ruby raised her head, her silver eyes meeting Pyrrha's, a flicker of light dancing in them.

The feeling of danger increased, and Pyrrha leapt back several more meters, opening even more distance between them. She should have felt irked at Ruby's defiant expression. But her sudden, unexplained recovery was just too daunting, as was the threatening feeling she exuded. Reaching behind her, Ruby pulled out a familiar-looking dark-red handle, Shining Rose unfolding, even as it continued to emerge from thin air.

Pyrrha just stared. She'd listened well to the explanation of materialization, given by Gin during the final round of the tournament, and elaborated on by Ruby and Ayumu in the post-match interview. It wasn't a shock to see Ruby draw a weapon out of thin air. What _was_ a shock was to see Ruby, whose Aura had been drained and broken, suddenly stand. And, if Pyrrha's assessment was accurate, Ruby's Aura-level was actually increasing. More of the power of her soul was flowing into her with each breath she took, infusing into her clothes and weapon. This was not one of the skills that Ruby and her friends had explained before. This was something else entirely.

It was frustrating. Pyrrha was the Fall Maiden. She'd just obtained the power for herself, yet now she was the one being confronted with something beyond _her_ understanding. Growling, Pyrrha glared at Ruby, then lifted Milo over her head pointing at the ceiling.

The magic didn't come with an instruction manual, but Pyrrha could feel enough of it to have a basic idea of what to do. The magic wasn't confined to just one form. Cinder had almost exclusively used flames, but Pyrrha had realized that her personal affinity was different, and that she could make full use of that.

A low rumble echoed from above, sending vibrations running down the tower. Then there was an incredible crashing sound. The entire tower shook, and the sounds of multiple explosions began to reach their ears. A second later, crackling streamers of electricity descended, swiftly crawling their way down the walls and the central pillar, before leaping off to converge on the tip of Pyrrha's sword.

Pyrrha was gratified to see Ruby's eyes widen, the younger girl taken aback by the sight of Pyrrha calling down the wrath of the heavens. From there, Pyrrha leveled her weapon at Ruby, and the gathered energy discharged with a loud crack, lancing across the space at blinding speed.

Ruby's mind went blank. This wasn't power born of Dust, that she could affect with her Aura. This was the essence of nature itself. Her consciousness shut down, unable to see any way out of this situation. However, her body moved of its own volition. Moving smoothly, she intercepted the incoming bolt with her scythe blade. Rather than trying to cut or block it, she instead swept her weapon around her in a wide arc, firing her Semblance from the scythe's wing as she did. The lightning flowed with the motion, curling around Ruby, then continuing on to strike the wall behind her.

Once again, Pyrrha found herself stunned by the occurrence of something beyond her understanding. Had she been in Ruby''s place, she wouldn't have seen any way to counter. But Ruby had somehow done the impossible... _again_. Growling under her breath, Pyrrha raised her sword once again, calling down still more lightning.

This time, the explosions that accompanied the arrival of the bolt were less muted, and the walls and pillar of the tower vibrated dangerously. Pyrrha called the energy down into her sword, and once again cast it at Ruby, only to have it countered the same way as before.

Before she could think of trying anything else, Pyrrha felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Someone was there, approaching her, and attacking. Spinning around, Pyrrha saw Gin lunging for her, claws outstretched.

* * *

 _A couple minutes earlier, Gin reached the base of the tower, pausing when he saw Amber resting on one of the benches situated in the courtyard immediately outside it. "Are you okay?" he asked. Already, his_ Shingan _was informing him of one important development._ The magic's gone.

 _"_ _Just...tired," said Amber. "My power...it went to Cinder, almost as soon as I came within sight of her."_

 _"_ _We didn't think about that," Gin muttered under his breath. "I should get you farther away. Ruby wouldn't want you left this close."_

 _Amber shook her head. "Ruby needs your help," she said. "She's fighting Cinder...and Pyrrha Nikos."_

 _Gin looked away from Amber, his eyes going towards the doors to the lobby. The urge to rush to Ruby's side rose up within him. He wanted to help her, to be there for her. But he also knew that Ruby would want him to help Amber first. Something strange was happening though. Cinder's life was flagging. It seemed that Pyrrha had attacked Cinder, and was now in the process of finishing her off. Sure enough, he sensed Cinder's Aura flicker...then go out, a situation he was uncomfortably familiar with._

 _What followed was a brilliant flare of orange light shining from within the tower._

 _"_ _What just happened?" asked Amber._

 _"_ _It seems like there's a_ new _new Maiden," grumbled Gin, feeling a little reassured, despite the nature of the situation. Once Pyrrha had brought down Cinder, Ruby had paused for a little, before immediately accelerating her recharging, building her Aura back up to its full level in just a few breaths. Now she and Pyrrha were facing off._

 _Dark clouds boiled overhead, and a powerful bolt of lightning struck the peak of the tower, setting off explosions up and down its length, while streamers of electricity crawled downwards, before moving inwards, where they converged on Pyrrha._

 _"_ _It's too dangerous to leave you here," said Gin, looking back at Amber. "I have to get you away from this place."_

 _"_ _Gin," said Amber, a surprisingly forceful tone in her voice. She gave him a stern look, holding his gaze for a second, before smiling warmly. "Remember what Ruby said? Be selfish."_

 _Gin met her eyes, then closed his with a sigh. "Ruby's gonna probably be mad at me for this," he grumbled, rubbing the back of his head, glancing up to see another bolt strike the tower, inflicting even more damage. "Oh well..."_

 _Giving Amber one last look, he saw her smile and nod, before turning to head for the doors._

* * *

Pyrrha didn't have time to call another bolt of lightning. Instead, she reacted reflexively, infusing her magic with the will of a single thought. _Keep away from me!_ A powerful wind exploded out from her, completely absorbing, then reversing, Gin's momentum, propelling him backwards. Dropping to the floor, Gin sank in his claws to come to a stop before the wind could blow him back against the wall.

Gritting her teeth, Pyrrha raised her weapon once more, calling down yet another bolt of lightning, before unleashing it at Gin. Like Ruby, Gin responded without conscious thought. Mist streamed off his arms, forming a mass of silvery fog between him and Pyrrha. Her lightning struck that, and the energy of all that electricity instead bled out into the moisture suspended in the air, turning into a wave of crackling sparks that discharged in almost every direction, except for where Gin was standing.

Once again, Pyrrha was beset by a sense of danger, realizing that Ruby was now coming at her from behind. Swiftly, Pyrrha turned, batting aside a slash from Ruby's scythe, while bringing up her barrier to keep the crescent-shaped edges of Ruby's manifested blades from reaching her. She jumped back, reflexively triggering Milo's shift into javelin-mode to allow her to switch to a mode of combat better suited to engaging against an opponent with Ruby's reach. Milo twitched, jerked, and shuddered, an unpleasant groaning sensation coming from within the weapon.

 _Of course,_ thought Pyrrha irritably. After all, she'd just channeled several blasts of lightning through the blade; not Dust-based lightning, but _genuine_ lightning, not that her weapon was designed to accommodate either. Milo's internal components weren't made to stand up against those kinds of forces, and had likely been slagged by the multiple strikes.

Stuck with her weapon in sword-mode, Pyrrha called upon her magic again. Sticking out her hand, she channeled a whirling blast of wind at Ruby. Rather than being blown back, Ruby rode out the current, which allowed her to jump away, coming to land near Gin.

Eyes still blazing, both literally and metaphorically, Pyrrha raised her sword once more. This time, the crashing sound of several overlapping lightning strikes ran down through the tower, the entire structure shuddering violently. Pieces of metal and circuitry rained down, showers of sparks accompanied them. The metal seemed to become incandescent with the energy Pyrrha was pulling down, all of it converging on Milo's blade, the weapon transforming to a blue and white beacon, barely visible even as a sword anymore, radiating such intense light that Ruby and Gin couldn't even look at it.

Despite that, they still moved in perfect synch. Gin moved behind Ruby, releasing more mist, while Ruby began to spin Shining Rose rapidly, sweeping up Gin's mist into the motion, creating a whirling, silver disk between them and Pyrrha. When Pyrrha leveled Milo at the pair, the sound of thunder was a force in and of itself. The bolt struck the pair's shield, the lightning getting swept up, now forming a blazing white mass in front of Ruby, which continued to spin rapidly.

Then Gin used his Aura to channel all that electrified mist into the blade of Shining Rose, the raw energy merging with the manifested Aura, turning the blade the same blue and white color as the lightning, blazing just as brightly as Milo had, less than a second earlier. Then Ruby transitioned from a spin to a powerful diagonal slash, transforming Shining Rose into its war-scythe mode, the blade extending almost straight out from the shaft, creating a blazing crescent of blue and white that flashed across the space between them and Pyrrha.

Pyrrha channeled her magic through her shield, bringing up her strongest barrier yet, bracing herself as Ruby's slash slammed home with all the force Pyrrha had put into that bolt of lightning. The fringes of the attack cut effortlessly through the metal of the floor, and the tower's central pillar, while the impact drove Pyrrha back across the lobby.

Finally, the light faded, along with the lingering echoes of the the thunder. Ruby and Gin stood together, ready to resume the fight, watching the smoke and Dust where there counter struck Pyrrha.

A wind stirred up, sweeping the smoke aside, revealing Pyrrha, her body glowing with an orange outline, while flames streamed from the outer corners of her eyes. The wind continued to swirl around her, pulling smoke and sparks in to form streamers that circled her body. Her arms were angled down, while held out slightly to her side. Milo was nothing more than the handle, with only a jagged fragment of the blade extending beyond that, while Akouo was bent and creased, a linear indentation running diagonally across the shield's surface. Pyrrha's hair was matted with sweat, her bangs hanging in ragged strips over her eyes, her chest straining against her top with the force of her breaths. However, she remained uninjured.

Gin and Ruby both took their stances and waited, anticipating the fight resuming any second now.

Then the winds began to die. Pyrrha looked down at her battered and broken weapons. "Not yet," she said.

"What?" asked Ruby.

"I can't fight you yet," said Pyrrha, not smiling, looking at Ruby with the most serious and determined expression Ruby had ever seen from the former champion on her face. "I'm not ready. I understand that now. I may have the magic, the power of the Fall Maiden. But I don't yet know how to truly use it. I'll need to master it. Once I do, I will find you...and kill you."

"You think we're going to let you go?" asked Gin.

Pyrrha smiled. It wasn't the polite, modest smile she was known for, but a smug smirk. "I think you're going to have no other choice," she said. "You're about to have other problems."

As if on cue, the sound of breaking and crashing echoed from above, multiple explosions rocking the tower, transitioning into shocks that ran from its summit to its base, making the floor of the lobby lurch.

Given its status as the tallest structure in Beacon, Beacon Tower was no stranger to lightning strikes during storms...during _normal_ storms, that was. The conductive paths that grounded out the tower normally protected it. But Pyrrha's magic subordinated the laws of nature to her will, allowing her to pull her power directly through the structure, burning through the layers of insulation that protected the intricate circuitry that formed the foundation of the Tower's CCT, melting critical supporting pieces, and warping the massive gears of the clock that dominated the top of the tower. Now the whole thing was coming apart...and coming down.

Ruby and Gin immediately clued in to what was happening, and realized what that meant for Amber, who was still resting outside. They rushed for the door, Pyrrha actually running alongside them for a few seconds. As Ruby and Gin turned their course towards Amber, Pyrrha called upon the wind again, using it to launch her body up and away, taking it on a course that would allow her to drop down beside Watts' airship.

Meanwhile, Ruby and Gin reached Amber, taking her arms and draping them across their shoulders. The pair lifted up Amber and began to haul her away, just as large pieces of metal debris began to plummet down, one smashing the bench where Amber had been seated a few seconds before.

* * *

The lightning strikes on the tower had brought the fight to a complete standstill. Everyone, even Whitney, forgot what they'd been doing, and turned to watch the spectacle. Lightning struck the tower no fewer than three times in short succession. Then, several bolts from the clouds all around the tower struck simultaneously, lighting up the structure in a way that shouldn't have been physically possible.

Things fell silent for a moment. The clouds dissipated, revealing a blue sky so clear that the storm from a moment earlier seemed like nothing more than an illusion. Then...the tower shook...and began to collapse on itself.

"Oh no!" gasped Winter, the first to clue into what had just happened. Beacon Tower was falling. One of the four lynchpins of the CCT network that connected every Kingdom, and nearly every settlement between them, with each other was falling. The loss of one of these towers would lead to the collapse of the entire network. Communication between the Kingdoms would be cut off. Communication between the Kingdoms and their outlying settlements would be severely hampered. This was a disaster of monumental proportions.

As the tower collapsed, three figures fled through the doors. One, glowing orange, launched itself up and away, while the other two stopped to support Amber, who Winter had left on a bench near the tower's base.

"Well...that was not how this was supposed to go," said Whitney, smiling in spite of her words. "Still, a partial success at least. It would seem our Fall Maiden has played her role, in part at least.

"So, now what?" asked Mercury.

Whitney sighed. "Well, there's nothing to be gained from continuing this fight." She glanced back at where Naia and Nereus had been standing only a moment before. "Our not-friends have already made their departure. I think it is time we do the same."

"Stop!" shouted Winter, leveling her saber at Whitney.

"Wait!" Ayumu shouted.

But Winter was already charging. A glyph had appeared behind her, sending her hurtling at Whitney, like a bullet fired from a gun. Whitney met Winter's eyes as the latter closed in, not even flinching when Winter's saber plunged through her chest. Winter gasped, not having intended to run her target through. However, her eyes only widened even further when Whitney's smile didn't falter in the slightest. The magician's body began to glow a brilliant white color, before exploding outward with a blinding flash and deafening bang. Winter was knocked back, while everyone else shouted and cringed, closing their eyes and covering their ears.

When the light faded, they were left dazed, their ears ringing. Ayumu was the first to recover, his _Shingan_ moving to fill in the gaps left by his hampered sight and hearing. As it did, he became aware that Whitney, Emerald, and Mercury had vanished.

"She was a Summon...the whole time?" asked Weiss, blinking her eyes furiously, tears running down her cheeks.

"She switched out with one during the lightning strikes on the tower," said Ayumu. "I didn't even notice, until right before you attacked, Ms. Schnee."

Winter stared at the space where Whitney had beens standing. "We need to go after her," she said. "We have to find them, before they get away. We can't allow terrorists to escape after they've brought down the CCT network."

"There's no helping it," said Ayumu, staring off into the distance. "I believe that following their Fall Maiden's path will give us a rough idea of where their airship is, but they will have cleared out by the time we get there, and we lack the means to pursue. At this point, it's best to cut our losses, and make sure that the rest of Beacon is secure."

A moment later, the whine of bullhead engines filled the air, and several of the transports rose up from another part of the campus. One of those transports still had its bay doors open. Squinting his eyes, Ayumu caught sight of the blurry figures of Naia and Nereus, as well as a familiar, red-haired, black-garbed shape, hanging from the crook of Nereus' left elbow.

"It would seem the White Fang is pulling out as well," added Ayumu.

"Ruby!"

Yang's shout brought everyone's attention to Ruby, who, along with Gin, was supporting Amber, the trio making their way towards the others. Ruby looked up at the sound of Yang's voice, meeting her sister's worried gaze with a reassuring, albeit tired, smile.

"Hey," said Ruby softly.

Yang approached Ruby, who gently shrugged off Amber's arm, leaving her to Gin's charge. Yang seized her younger sister in a crushing hug, a muffled grunt Ruby being the only sound of protest she made. Finally, Yang let Ruby go, the two sisters parting. Ruby smiled up at Yang for a few seconds. "Well...that was a thing."

Yang's lips quirked in an amused smile. "It sure was," she said.

Ruby nodded, then looked past Yang, casting her gaze over the others assembled there, her eyes pausing slightly on Weiss, who soon averted her own gaze, then on Roman, who soon was also finding the ground much more interesting to look at. Finally, Ruby's gaze drifted to an unmoving figure.

Wordlessly, Ruby stepped away from Yang, then walked past her, her steps becoming uneven. Silently, she dropped to her knees beside the broken body of the android that had once been her friend. Ruby sniffled, then bowed her head, tears began to run down her cheeks. A moment later, Ciel joined her, the two kneeling together, mourning their lost friend, while all the others gathered around, not wanting to intrude upon the somber moment.

For better or for worse, the Battle of Beacon, as it would come to be called, was over.

* * *

 **Goodbye Cinder. Pyrrha-yan takes a new level of evil, and the world is probably all the worse for it. Confession time...I totally dug that scene on a meta level, for being able to have Pyrrha-yan throw canon-Cinder's words back in her face. That was _way_ more saitsfying than it probably should have been.**

 **And now we move onto the aftermath. We're on the home stretch, people.**


	138. Chapter 138

**Chapter 138:**

Watts allowed himself a small... _very_ small...smile at the sight of Beacon Tower collapsing. He'd scoffed upon seeing the lightning strikes hit the tower, but had to admit that they'd done a good job. _An...adequate...result, I suppose. Salem won't be happy that we weren't able to completely seize the Academy, but that would have been all but impossible without the Grand Attractor anyway. Even with the Fall Maiden, getting back into the Vault is going to be difficult. We will have to make our opportunity to retrieve the Relic another time, it would seem._

Then a glowing figure rose up over the line of buildings, traveling in an arcing path, heading directly for him. Watts merely raised an eyebrow. He wasn't surprised that the Fall Maiden was heading his way. She would want a ride out. However, he betrayed a rare look of surprise when he saw exactly _who_ was touching down in front of him.

"Hello, Dr. Watts," said Pyrrha, smiling that winning smile of hers.

"Ms. Nikos?" said Watts, a slight touch of confusion to his voice.

Pyrrha giggled coyly. "I imagine this is a bit of a surprise. I know you weren't expecting to see me like this."

"That is quite the eloquent understatement," said Watts, shifting uneasily. "What-?"

"What's going on?"

Watts' question died on his lips, as he and Pyrrha turned to look at Emerald, the one responsible for the exclamation. Emerald, Mercury, and Whitney had arrived just a few seconds behind Pyrrha, Emerald and Mercury staring at Pyrrha incredulously.

"Where is Cinder?" asked Emerald, fear and anger coloring her voice as her stare became a glare.

"Dead," said Pyrrha, her smile vanishing. "Ruby killed her."

Emerald frowned. "Cinder wouldn't...she wouldn't lose to a brat like that..."

"I'm afraid she did," said Pyrrha, a more muted version of her smile appearing, almost as though she was trying to look consoling. "Cinder was reckless. She didn't take Ruby seriously enough, and Ruby made her pay for it."

Emerald frowned, her skepticism only growing with Pyrrha's words. "Then how did you wind up with the Fall Maiden's power?" she asked.

"Because I was there?" suggested Pyrrha with a shrug, inflecting the phrase like a question. "I tried to help her, but that only seemed to make Cinder angry. Perhaps that's why I was the last person on her mind, when she died."

"That can't be true," whispered Emerald.

"Em...?" said Mercury, looking at her in confusion.

"I know it hurts," said Pyrrha, striding towards Emerald. " _You_ should have been the last person in her thoughts, when she died. But Cinder was selfish like that. I guess the person who irritated her stuck around more firmly than the one who loved her."

Pyrrha reached out for Emerald. The instant her fingers made contact with the skin of Emeralds shoulder, the green-haired girl flinched, like she'd been jolted with a live wire, bucking her shoulder to dislodge Pyrrha's hand, and stumbling back away from her. "No!" she shouted, glaring at Pyrrha with tearful eyes. "That's not it!"

"What do you mean?" asked Pyrrha, canting her head slightly.

"Cinder wasn't like that!" said Emerald. "You don't understand her at all! If things went the way you said, then the one who ended up with the Fall Maiden's power should have been _Ruby!_ Cinder would _never_ forgive the person who brought her down. That person would be the last one on her thoughts when she died. If you ended up with the power...if you were the last person she was thinking of, then that means you..." Emerald slowly blinked, tears now running freely down her face. "...You were the one who..."

Mercury clued in quickly enough, a look of anger crossing his face, as he took cautious steps away from Pyrrha. Whitney wasn't smiling anymore, but her expression was a pensive one, not betraying what she thought of this development. Behind Pyrrha, Watts stared at the girl with genuine surprise.

To everyone's surprise, Pyrrha sighed, before giving them all an amused smile. "Well, I guess I'm fair-caught," she said with a shrug. "I suppose there's no point in pretending now."

"Why?" gasped Emerald.

"Ms. Nikos, I must admit that I am quite troubled by this," said Watts. "This is...not what I was expecting of you."

"And why not?" asked Pyrrha, turning to smile at Watts. "How many times have you lamented Cinder's incompetence, her childishness, her pursuit of petty self-gratification over carrying out her role in the plan? How many times have I heard you question her fitness for the role she was meant to play?"

"And you," said Pyrrha, turning sharply to Emerald, who gasped and took a frightened step back at the intensity in Pyrrha's voice, "you, of all people, should know just how vain and self-absorbed Cinder was. You gave her everything, worked yourself to the bone for her sake, but all she ever cared about was whether or not she got what _she_ wanted."

She paced away from the group. "I lied about Ruby killing Cinder, but what I said about her being reckless was completely true. Cinder refused to take Ruby seriously, and Ruby was making her pay for it. If I hadn't killed her, Ruby most certainly _would_ have. Cinder would have died, flailing futilely, completely outclassed by the skill of a little red brat. She clearly had no idea of what to do with that power, wasn't worthy of it. She believed that, because she had taken that power, everyone else should submit to her will automatically. And, when things didn't go her way, she threw a tantrum."

Turning once again, Pyrrha glared at Emerald. "Cinder managed to bring Ruby to her knees only because I was there. But, despite that, after everything Ruby had done, all the times she had gotten the upper hand during their fight, what did Cinder do? She gloated. She taunted her victim, and wasted precious time basking in her assumed superiority. That made it child's play for me to bring her down."

"Why you..." growled Mercury, stepping forward, only to balk when Pyrrha turned her gaze on him, fire streaming from her eyes.

Watts coughed. "Well..." he said, still sounding uncertain of how to process this news.

"If I may," interjected Whitney. "While this conversation is wonderfully engaging, I'm afraid that we do not have the time to stand around and debate. I am sure that the ones we were just fighting will be after us soon. It is time to take our leave."

"Yes...quite right," said Watts, somewhat reluctantly. "All aboard. We shall have to make our report to Salem, and hope that she takes things well enough."

The others moved to climb aboard the airship...save one. They turned to see Emerald standing there, tears still running down her face.

"Em?" asked Mercury, a sinking feeling in his stomach. "You coming?"

"No," said Emerald softly. "I'm not."

With that, she turned and began to walk away.

The others watched her go. "I can't say I'm surprised," said Watts. "That child's loyalty was always to Cinder. Without her..."

Pyrrha's eyes narrowed. "Should I dispose of her then?"

"She is not worth the time," said Watts. "If she's going to leave, there's no point in stopping her."

The rest of the group resumed boarding the airship. But Watts paused at the ramp, giving Pyrrha a very nervous look. "Ms. Nikos, I have indeed lamented Cinder's...limitations, but you must understand _why_ I took no action against her."

Pyrrha watched him, silently prompting him to continue.

"For whatever reason, our Mistress was most fond of Cinder," Watts continued. "What she saw in Cinder, I can't say. But I do know that Salem does not react well to those who disrupt her plans. Her reaction, when she finds out what happened...may be...unpleasant."

"Then we shall just have to manage," said Pyrrha, her mask of cheer slipping on again. "Salem wanted a Fall Maiden, and she has one. That should be more than enough."

"Were that the case," said Watts with a sad shake of his head. "I suppose you shall understand soon enough. Let us hope that you live to take your lesson to heart."

With that, they boarded the ship. A moment later, it lifted off, rising up over Beacon's roofs, before turning north, and disappearing over the horizon.

* * *

"Well...that was unexpected," said Naia, taking a seat in the bullhead's passenger compartment.

"It was the outcome we were aiming for anyway," said Nereus. "We might not have approved of such sordid actions, but the ends suited us. If anything, they worked even better than we hoped."

"Yes," said Naia. "Adam might not be satisfied with the overall outcome, but we can consider the operation a success overall. The most important thing is that the Kingdoms will now be blind to everything happening outside their borders. And their contingencies will be sluggish, compared to our main methods of communication."

In this situation, the White Fang definitely had an edge on communication. The CCT system was undoubtedly the most reliable and fastest way to communicate across substantial distances. But the main issue, for groups like the Fang, was that routing communications through such a centralized system meant that it was all too easy and likely for communications to be monitored. So the White Fang had never relied on the CCT to communicate. Their methods, while incredibly slow by comparison, would be lightning-fast compared to the different means the Kingdoms would use to pick up the slack left behind by the collapse of the network. Now the White Fang would have the edge in coordinating their forces.

"Sienna was pessimistic about our plan," said Naia, a small smile appearing on her face. "But with this, we can succeed. We'll need the strike fast, but that won't be hard for us."

"It saddens me that young Ruby's efforts might become unnecessary in the near future," mused Nereus. "We will liberate our brethren, and secure our future."

"And, though Adam's attitude is clearly a problem," said Naia, "we owe him our thanks for securing us an unexpected bonus."

Nereus looked at his sister in confusion. "What bonus?"

Naia drew out her scroll and opened it into its tablet-mode, bringing up a series of pictures she had discreetly snapped during the fight, while they were standing guard over Jaune and Ciel. There were several shots of Pyrrha, Mercury, Emerald, and Whitney. "Scapegoats."

* * *

The aftermath of the battle was a blur to Ruby. Following the disappearance of Cinder's cohorts, Winter took charge of RUBY, JNAR, Ciel, and their...allies...directing them to secure the campus against further incursion by the Grimm. Despite her sorrow, and a weariness that seemed to settle over her very soul, Ruby threw herself into the task, using it as a way to help dull the knife-edge of grief that was lodged in her heart. Ciel did much the same.

Fortunately, the damage was moderate. The Huntsman-staff, mainly the teachers, had gone with the students to secure the breach opened by Typhon. Ozpin, heeding Ruby's warnings, had anticipated the White Fang's attack, and moved the non-Huntsman-staff: groundskeepers, janitors, cooks, and other sundry personnel, into Beacon's shelters, Winter having detailed the two Jaegers her brother had loaned her to help protect them, along with Beacon's more mundane security. As a result...Penny was the only casualty of the fighting...along with Ozpin.

Even the buildings were in relatively good condition. The White Fang had been able to ship in only so many Grimm on their bullheads, presumably counting on panic to draw still more from the nearby Emerald Forest. With the staff protected, or off plugging the breach, there simply wasn't enough negativity to draw in additional Grimm, so the ones the terrorist organization had brought with them had been quickly dealt with before they could do much damage. Most of the structural damage was actually a product of the fights between the human participants of the battle, including the fall of Beacon Tower.

Unfortunately, the fall of the tower, and the collapse of the CCT that accompanied it, had led to a surge in fear within Vale itself, which only drew increased pressure from the Grimm, forcing those fighting at the breach to fight longer and harder to hold the line. But the line held, until local communications were restored at least, which alleviated some of the fear. But the sight of Beacon's signature monument collapsing had left an atmosphere of uneasiness lingering over the Kingdom.

Finally, many hours later, Glynda, along with emergency crews, finished rescuing survivors from the rubble, and shoring up the wall enough that it could be held with the bare minimum of manpower to ensure that the defenders could be rotated out. With the securing of the breached zone, the fear of the people began to subside, and the pressure of the Grimm lessened.

All told, things could have been _much_ worse. The death of the Dragon, months ago, had put an end to the unusually heavy congregation of Grimm in Mountain Glenn. Because of that, the number of Grimm besieging the damaged wall was far less than it had been during the mass attack caused by the Dragon's awakening. While some of the defenses of the northern wall had been damaged, particularly by the Beowolf Alpha that had been unleashed from a crashed White Fang bullhead, the wall itself had held. No Grimm actually made it inside the Kingdom.

Which wasn't to say that all the news had been good. The initial estimates of fatalities caused were put at around a hundred-twenty-seven, consisting mostly of soldiers and staff manning the wall. The early hour of the incident meant that civilian traffic at the foot of the wall had been relatively light.

That wasn't much of an assurance to Ruby and the boys. The fact that there had been casualties at all was a severe blow. She, Gin, and Ayumu had taken action...and the results had been disastrous. Ruby felt as though each life lost was a weight on her soul. It was painful to the point of stifling. She could only hope that, in time, she could live with herself and continue on.

* * *

"...And that is how things stand." said Glynda, now Acting Headmistress of Beacon. "The breach has been secured. The Council plans to begin rebuilding the wall and defensive emplacements immediately. Because of the severe and immediate threat from the Grimm, this takes precedence over the reconstruction of the tower."

Ruby, her teammates, and friends nodded in response. Ruby, still reeling from all that had happened, felt slightly detached from the proceedings. They were meeting with Glynda in her office, seeing as the actual Headmaster's office was now only so much rubble. Glynda's office wasn't exactly suited to large group meetings though, so it was rather crowded at the moment. RUBY and JNAR were arrayed directly in front of the desk, listening closely. Ciel wasn't present, staying with Penny's body, both to continue mourning...and to protect it from any potential attempts by Atlesian forces to "reclaim their stolen property," promising to stand guard over her friend until Penny's father could arrive to take charge of her remains.

Neo had disappeared as soon as the fighting was over, vanishing behind her illusions. Everyone knew she was close, and weren't all that worried. Roman and Weiss, on the other hand, were back in their cells. Despite their role in helping Ruby and the others during the fight, the fact remained that they were still officially criminals at the end of the day, and only time, and debate, would tell if their actions would earn them a reprieve. They were surprisingly compliant, when Glynda informed them, as gently as she could, of their need to surrender their weapons and return to custody. In a sense, that was what they had expected when all of this was over.

It was just as well. Once the fighting and work of securing the campus had ended, Yang had been on the verge of snapping the next time she laid eyes on Weiss. The fight had distracted her, but she still hadn't forgiven Weiss for betraying and trying to kill Ruby. In some ways, Weiss returning to the detention center was as much for _her_ protection as it was for satisfying the needs of the law.

"What about General Ironwood?" asked Jaune.

"He's recovering," said Glynda, who had retrieved the man personally, after being informed by Winter that he was down in the vault. Cinder's initial attack had completely disabled him, and she apparently hadn't even considered him worth finishing off. "His prosthetics were badly damaged. It isn't merely that his mobility is hampered. The cybernetics on his right side also include a replacement lung, which was malfunctioning when I found him. However, we were able to get to him in time, and he'll make it until his prosthetics can be sufficiently repaired for him to return to Atlas."

"That's too bad," muttered Yang under her breath, her voice tight with suppressed anger. They'd received Winter's report of what had happened in the Vault too, besides what Ruby herself had observed. Ironwood's insistence on trying to use his machine to channel Cinder's Aura, and the stolen portion of the Fall Maiden's power, into Amber had instead resulted in what was left of Amber's power going straight to Cinder, as soon as they were close enough. Even something as simple as just shooting Cinder in the head, while she was still unconscious, would have probably led to a better result.

Ruby's own feelings on the matter were mixed. After all, it was partially her fault. While her widening of Amber's wellspring had successfully staved off the fatal consequences of a portion of the Maiden's magic being stolen, it had also been that treatment that had loosened the power's hold on Amber, making it more easily transferred. Back when they'd first done it, they had only thought about the time until Amber's power separated completely but hadn't even considered the possibility that Cinder getting close enough would be enough for the power to naturally be drawn to her. It was a costly oversight, and they couldn't exactly put the responsibility for that on Ironwood, as they hadn't predicted it either...and Ruby had been the one to cause it.

Glynda chose not to acknowledge Yang's comment, which, considering her personality, was practically an expression of unspoken approval. "In any case, Specialist Schnee has taken charge of the Atlas students. They were due to return to Atlas by now, but she has offered to keep them in Vale to help keep the breach secured until reconstruction efforts are fully underway, which I accepted."

"That's good," said Ren. At present, Beacon's students were amongst those called upon to man the broken section of the wall, with classes being suspended until reconstruction was far enough along that the military could take over. The presence of extra hands, in the form of the Atlas Academy students, would be a godsend and help ensure that Beacon's own resources weren't stretched too thin.

"What about the tower?" asked Nora.

"That is a bit more complicated," said Glynda. "While the more immediate importance of securing the Kingdom's perimeter is the main reason the tower's reconstruction has been put off, it isn't the only one. We must get in touch with Atlas, and secure the materials, manpower, and expertise to rebuild the tower and get the network operational again. Many of the components of the CCT system are manufactured in Atlas, and their technicians are the only ones certified to install them. Unfortunately, with the CCT itself down, the channels we must use are...quite slow."

Glynda looked over their despondent faces for a moment. "It's not as bad as it sounds," she said. "The situation could be much worse. Some of the scenarios we envisioned would potentially end with Vale being overrun by the Grimm. I cannot fault your performance in any way. You have all gone above and beyond what is expected of you as Huntsmen and Huntresses, much less students. You've accomplished far more than many of our graduates could hope to. Vale is secure, the citizens are safe. The tower may be down, but Beacon is secure as well. The enemy may have obtained their Fall Maiden, but they did not secure the Relic."

"But Ozpin is..." began Jaune.

Glynda looked down. "That _is_ a severe blow to us," she admitted. "But he would not want us to surrender to despair. So we must keep moving forward, as best we can."

"He's not gone either," added Gin. "He said he reincarnates within the soul of a like-minded individual. He'll be back."

"Yes..." said Glynda hesitantly. "However, from what he told me, it can be up to several years before his soul finds a suitable host, so we cannot count on his return being a swift one."

"We'll just have to do the best we can in his absence," said Ayumu.

"What about Amber?" asked Gin, drawing Ruby's attention.

Amber had been with Winter, when they'd been detailed to secure the campus. Upon coming back together, and meeting with Glynda, they'd lost track of where Amber had gone.

"Right now, we've placed her in protective custody," said Glynda. "Technically, now that she is no longer the Fall Maiden, she should be safe. However, Cinder's behavior indicates that there may yet be threats to her wellbeing. Until her recovery is complete, I am having her stay with a trustworthy individual, who will be able to protect her, should the need arise. You'll probably be able to see her again soon enough."

"That's good," said Gin, relaxing a little.

"For now, that is all." Glynda gave the two teams before her a fond look. "You've all fought very hard. Get some rest. There will be plenty for you to do soon enough."

She paused, taking particular note of Ruby's despondent expression. She had been uncharacteristically quiet and subdued during the meeting, having not said a single word, something that her friends and teammates noticed as well. "Ruby...please stay for a moment. The rest of you are dismissed."

The others filed out, casting reluctant looks over their shoulders. Gin, in particular, was hesitant to leave Ruby behind, but a stern, commanding look from Glynda was enough to send him on his way. Once the door closed behind them, Glynda's expression softened. She stepped out from behind her desk and walked over to stand directly in front of Ruby. "It hurts, doesn't it?" she asked.

"I failed them, Professor," said Ruby, sniffling. "I was supposed to protect them." She looked up at Glynda, her eyes shining with tears. "We went out there to stop that monster _before_ it could do any harm. But we wound up waking it and provoking it. I couldn't stop its attack from hitting the walls..."

"Ruby..." said Glynda firmly, her second time in this meeting choosing to use Ruby's given name over her usual formal manner of addressing her students, "...you did the best you could. You attribute the damage caused to your failure. But you overlook your success. Had you not been there, things would have been much worse."

"If I hadn't been there, that Grimm wouldn't have been there _at all_ ," Ruby protested. "Master Yu _made_ that Grimm, and he put it right there. He did all that because _I_ was here, in Vale, because he wants to use threats to the people I'm supposed to protect to motivate me. Me being here is _why_ that Grimm was there! It's _my_ fault!"

"Enough!" Glynda reprimanded her sharply, making Ruby's mouth snap shut. Reaching up, Glynda gently cupped Ruby's cheek. "It's true, Ruby, that your master made that Grimm to test you. But he bears the responsibility as the one who created it. Also, he may have taught you the importance of thinking small, but there are times when you must stand back and look at the _larger_ picture.

"Think back to what it was like, when the Dragon was still in Mountain Glenn. That place was overrun with Grimm. Our best guesses for Cinder's plans indicate that she had every intention of stirring up enough negativity to draw them in for a mass attack against the Kingdom. But you killed the Dragon, which substantially reduced the Grimm population of that region. Yes, that so-called Typhon was there because your master put it there. But I still believe things would have been much worse. But the worst didn't happen, not necessarily because of this battle, but because of _all_ the things you've done since you've returned to Beacon. And, even then, while the damage to the wall was severe, things could still have been far worse, had you not defeated that monster."

Glynda could see that her words were making Ruby think, even if she wasn't necessarily feeling any better about what had happened. She sighed. "I know. Saying 'it could have been worse' is a fairly hollow observation. But, in this case, it is most definitively _true_. Yes, you failed to save _everyone_. But to cling to that failure, and let it define you, is hubris, Ruby. You aren't a god. You aren't perfect. You never will be. There will be other such failures in your future. But you will only ever be a true failure if you allow it to destroy your ability to hope."

"Have you ever failed, Professor?" asked Ruby.

"Many times," said Glynda, without hesitation. "I've seen lives lost, because I was arrogant, because I didn't think things through, because I wasn't fast enough, because I didn't push myself hard enough, because I was careless...time and time again, I have erred, and those errors have had their cost measured in lives.

"And it's not just me. Ask Port, or Oobleck, or any of the teachers in this institution, and they will tell you the same, that there were times they fell short of the mark, for many of the same reasons. Part of why we work as teachers is to enable you to learn from _our_ mistakes, so that you don't make the same ones that we did. But, even if you do learn those lessons, that won't stop you from making mistakes of your own."

Glynda pulled Ruby into a hug. "You've made mistakes, it's true. One of the hardest lessons you will ever learn is being confronted with that reality. The most important thing is that you can't let the damage caused by your mistakes keep you from overlooking the good that you do, particularly when, in your case, the good so substantially eclipses the bad. If you truly want to honor the lives lost, you need to make sure you never give up on _yourself_."

Ruby leaned into the embrace. It felt strange to have Glynda Goodwitch, Beacon's eternally strict disciplinarian, treating her with such warmth and tenderness. But it mostly felt good. Glynda's words were a comfort and a balm, salving the torment to Ruby's soul.

After letting the embrace linger, Glynda pulled back, resting her hands on Ruby's shoulders, looking down at the girl with a fond smile. "You are the image of a true Huntress, Ruby Rose. I'm proud that you are my student."

Smiling back, Ruby sniffed, and wiped a tear from her eye. "Thank you, Professor," she said.

* * *

"Something wrong?" asked Yang, looking at Gin, noticing that he seemed unusually nervous.

Gin shuffled awkwardly, throwing anxious looks at the door, behind which Ruby and Glynda were having their conversation. "I don't know what to do?" he admitted.

"What are you talking about?" asked Yang.

"I..." Gin looked down. "I can sense how Ruby feels. She's...she's taking this so hard. It's not just Penny; all those lives lost, she feels so strongly about them. I don't know if I can help her."

Yang fought to keep from gaping openly at Gin. Ever since Ruby had returned to Beacon, with him and Ayumu in tow, the two of them had been so natural together as a couple that the closest thing they'd had to a spat was their little argument over Cobalt, outside that diner on Patch. Yang had been impressed by the strength of their bond, by their complete trust in each other. She'd never thought she'd see the day where one or the other expressed a genuine insecurity about their relationship.

"You don't know what to say?" pressed Yang.

"Is there anything I _can_ say?" said Gin. "I mean...what if she thinks I don't care?"

"Why would she think that?" asked Yang. "You _do_ care, don't you?"

"I care about _her_ ," said Gin. "I want to see her happy, I want to help her feel better. But...I don't know if I can identify with what she's feeling. I understand that it's bad, all those people dying, and because of something we did or failed to do. But...it didn't hit me the way it did her. Being a protector, it's such an important part of who she is. She takes all that loss _personally_. I don't...I'm used to people dying."

"You've seen this before?" posed Yang.

"I've _caused_ it before," said Gin. "A few years ago, _I_ was the monster, the bad thing, the nightmare that came and preyed upon the innocent. If things were even just a little different, Ruby would probably be fighting to protect people from _me_. I...I've tried to grow from the person I've used to be, to accept my crimes for what they were, and become someone better than who I was. But the one thing I've never been able to shrug off is just how easy it became to accept death.

"People just...die. That's the way of the world. Sooner or later, to monsters or disease, or any number of other things, people die. No one escapes it forever. I've gotten used to that. But...I don't think that Ruby will be able to see it that way."

When Gin looked Yang in the eyes, she was shocked to see an edge of panic in his expression. "What if she doesn't think I'm taking her feelings seriously? What if she thinks I don't care about the people who died out there, today? Wha-what if she thinks I'm just some callous monster, who can't feel anything?"

The more Gin spoke, the more disconcerted Yang felt. Gin was a _rock_. He was the kind of person who took even the most unexpected circumstances in stride, responding with a smooth ease that, honestly, she was envious of. All the complications that had arisen over the course of the Vytal Festival, none of them had truly fazed him. Granted, that was true of all three of Yu's students, including Ruby. But Gin's ability to keep calm, even under the most trying circumstances, was something Yang envied. And now he was on the verge of losing it.

Still, something had to be done. First things first, Yang reached out and pulled Gin into a tight hug. Holding him against her, she became conscious of how cool his body was. Granted, this wasn't the first instance of physical contact between them. But, that was usually limited to blows in sparring matches, or the occasional pat on the shoulder, maybe the clasping of hands. It had never been enough to impress upon Yang the feeling of Gin's body temperature, which Ruby usually found so soothing. Still, that was secondary.

"Take it easy," she said, rocking him slightly. "I know you _aren't_ going to help Ruby by freaking out. To be honest, I'm glad you care about her more than those people."

"Y-you are?" asked Gin, looking up at her in surprise.

Yang smiled. "I'm not saying their lives don't matter. But Ruby's my _sister_. She'll always matter more. Because she puts so much of herself into protecting others, she _needs_ someone who's willing to put her first. You and I are just the people for that. One of my biggest fears has always been that Ruby will try too hard. If she takes every life lost personally, she's going to wear herself down to nothing. I don't want to see that. I have nightmares of a world where Ruby runs herself into the ground because she's always so driven to do good for others that she forgets to do good for _herself_. She needs someone to tell her that she needs to have a life for herself, to hold onto her own happiness."

She gave Gin a teasing grin. "And I think you're the best person to remind her of that."

"I am?" asked Gin.

"You bet," replied Yang. "Ruby keeps telling you you need to be more selfish. Well, you're the best one to remind her that it goes both ways. Besides, you've also said that you being selfish is wanting to make her happy, right?"

"Right," said Gin, a small smile breaking out on his face.

"Good," said Yang. "When Ruby gets out of that room, just... _stay_ with her. You don't need to say anything, if you don't feel like it. Above all, just be there for her. She's going to need someone to hold onto, and _you're_ that person."

"All right," said Gin.

They let go of each other. A moment later, the door opened, and Ruby stepped out. Gin found himself noting that Ruby's expression was a little lighter. She looked relieved. Gin supposed that Glynda probably knew a few things about talking a student through their guilt. Their eyes met. Gin stepped closer. Then Ruby took a step closer as well. Finally, Gin took her into his arms, Ruby reciprocating the embrace. For a few minutes, they simply held onto each other.

"What now?" asked Gin, deciding to let Ruby take the lead, hoping that would give him some idea of what to do himself.

"Now..." Ruby paused. "I just need some quiet."

"Do you want me to leave you alone?" asked Gin.

Ruby curled her fingers, bunching the fabric of his shirt. "No!" she said quickly. "I want you with me. I just need...quiet. You're good at quiet."

"I can be," Gin quipped, drawing a muted giggle from Ruby. "We'll find someplace quiet then."

* * *

In the end, they wound up returning to the small copse, where they'd trained with Ayumu and Neo. There, Gin simply held Ruby, who settled back into his arms. They said nothing. Ruby didn't want or need words, and Gin couldn't find any to say. Instead, they leaned back against a tree, Ruby reclining in his arms, watching the shadows stretch from the setting sun.

Then Gin felt Ruby's Aura joining with his, carrying a silent entreaty. Without hesitation, he opened himself to her. Ruby followed the flow of his Aura back to the wellspring, before entering into his soul, immersing herself in the essence of Gin's Self. Gin welcomed her, realizing just how hollow his fears had been.

All this time, he'd been worried about saying the wrong thing, using the wrong words, giving voice to the wrong thoughts. It was silly. He hadn't needed words, or even thoughts at all. Within his soul, Ruby could feel his love for her, and allow it to completely envelop her being. Gin could feel her pain, her grief, and her guilt. He accepted all of it without reservation.

Ruby adored the feeling of coming into contact with Gin's soul, of that sense of immersing herself in an endless sea of liquid metal, viscous and clinging, and wonderfully cooling. Within the endless expanse of her love's soul, Ruby felt all the negative feelings that had threatened to swamp her drain away, leaving her with little more than a feeling of contented peace.

It wouldn't be permanent. She knew she'd be haunted by that guilt again, once she returned to the waking world. But it wouldn't feel so overwhelming. Gin's presence, his soul, allowed her to cope in a way that not even Glynda's words could match. It left Ruby with the feeling that, so long as she had Gin, she could face anything.

* * *

By the time Ruby was ready to return to herself, night had fallen. The air carried a definite chill that made Gin's touch less comforting, though Ruby was loathe to admit it. She maintained contact with him all the same. They made their way back towards the dorms. However, instead of heading back to their room, Ruby detoured to the room that had been given to a recently transferred pair of students.

With Gin standing behind her, Ruby nervously knocked on the door.

"Who's there?" demanded a sharp voice, muffled by the door itself.

"Me and Gin," said Ruby simply.

The lock clicked, then the knob turned. The door opened slightly. Ruby slowly pushed it open, able to feel Ciel's wary fear without even needing to see her. Opening it, she saw Ciel standing there, Vasilisa in her hands, the rifle lowered, with Ciel's trigger-finger resting against the side of the weapon, with the barrel lowered, but ready to rise at a second's notice.

Upon seeing Ruby and Gin, Ciel relaxed, lowering her weapon completely, and allowing them to enter the room. From the dark circles beneath her eyes, and the red spread across her whites, it was easy to see that Ciel had been doing a lot of crying. Seeing Ciel looking so lost and broken caused Ruby's breath to hitch.

While Gin closed the door behind them, Ruby walked towards Ciel, reaching out to gently pry the rifle from her grip. Ciel offered no resistance. Ruby carefully set the rifle down on the desk by Ciel's bed, before glancing across to see the sheet covered figure in the opposite bed. Her throat lurched, and she felt the urge to throw up at the realization that Penny's "corpse" was there, the white sheet covering her like a cadaver in a morgue. Ruby fought the feeling down, instead turning to face Ciel. Slowly, Ruby took the other girl in her arms, holding Ciel tightly.

Ciel broke down, sobbing in Ruby's arms. Ruby joined her, the two of them crying hard over the loss of their friend. Ciel's legs gave way, and Ruby lowered them both carefully to the floor. Gin looked on from by the door, using his sleeve to wipe his own eyes.

He glanced at Penny, feeling a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. Given her nature as an android, he would have figured that her level of durability would have enabled her to handle damage to her body, beyond what a human or faunus could handle. However, there was no trace of the life he'd once sensed from her, no sign of that vibrant, energetic Aura. Penny's soul was as silent and cold as the metal that her body was made from. There was no life in her that his senses could find. Of course, part of him wondered, if Penny's father was able to repair her, then maybe she might return. But that didn't seem like a possibility.

It was another hour of letting Ruby and Ciel cry out their grief. By the time they finished, Ciel had passed out in Ruby's arms. Ruby carefully undressed Ciel a little, before tucking her into bed to sleep. Ruby and Gin quietly took their leave, standing outside Ciel's room while they discussed what came next.

"We'll need someone to stand guard," said Ruby.

"Ironwood's out of commission," noted Gin. "Winter's taken over, and she's expressed no interest in retrieving Penny."

Ruby nodded. "But that's not gonna reassure Ciel. If we leave her like this, she'll run herself down trying to keep watch on her own."

"Well, between all of us, I think we can break it down to reasonable shifts," said Gin. "That should help her feel better."

Ruby nodded.

"In that case, I'll take the first one," said Gin, stretching his arms up over his head.

Ruby felt a sense of longing. After the day they'd just had, she'd been looking forward to curling up in bed, wrapped in Gin's arms. But she supposed that this was her idea. Gin was doing this for her, so she could definitely make due, especially since it was what Ciel needed to rest easy.

Sensing her unease, Gin took her hand. "We'll have time later," he promised her.

Ruby nodded. The pair shared one last lingering hug and kiss, before Ruby made her way down the hall, back to her team's room. There she was greeting by a concerned Blake and Yang, who were reassured by Ruby's more relaxed state, indicating that she was feeling more at ease with what had happened, though they were confused about Gin's absence, until Ruby explained where he was.

"That's sweet of you," observed Yang, hugging Ruby tightly. "We'll help. Until Penny's dad gets here, we'll keep an eye on her to make sure that those Atlas jerks don't steal her."

"Right," agreed Blake softly.

Yang and Ruby looked at Blake curiously. There was something about her manner that suggested she was distracted.

"Is something the matter, Blake?" asked Ruby.

"Not really," said Blake. "It's just...the more I think about this, the more worried I get about the White Fang's involvement. I saw them. The Shimizu twins were there. Naia killed Penny herself."

"Yeah," agreed Ruby.

"But they weren't on the side of Salem's people," said Yang. "They actually _protected_ Jaune, while he was healing Ciel. And, even after he was done, they still stayed out of the fight."

"But it's still worrying," said Blake. "That means there are internal divisions within the White Fang. I've always known that, but this is the first time where that's had an impact."

"Well...what do you want to do about it?" asked Yang.

"I...I don't know," admitted Blake. "I'm not sure what to do, if I _can_ do anything at that."

"Well, worrying now is only gonna make us lose sleep," said Ruby, yawning. "I feel like I'm gonna pass out for a week.

"You said it," said Yang, grinning. "Come on, Blake. All those troubles can wait 'til morning. We need our rest."

That night, despite the slight unease she felt from Gin's absence, Ruby found herself dropping off into an exhausted slumber. She had been fighting hard, from the earliest hours of the morning. Recharging her Aura had allowed her to keep going, long after most people would have simply passed out from exhaustion. But now that it was all over, the emotional toll was weighing down her soul, and Ruby almost felt as though the exertions of her day were catching up to her all at once.

Her sleep, thankfully, was untroubled by dreams of any kind.

* * *

 **Fight's over, time to clean up. Figuring out how Ruby would cope with everything that happened was one of the hardest parts of this chapter. Gin's little mini-freakout over not being able to fully empathize with Ruby's feelings over what happened seemed like the natural course to take with his character, as well as Yang's response.**

 **Canon Ruby doesn't get as much development as I'd like, and she largely seems to be more of a central hub, around which the actions and feelings of other characters center. But we haven't yet gotten a lot of insight into her internal conflicts, even though she went through a series of extremely traumatic events. But the one thing that _does_ stand out about her character is how unwaveringly on-mission she is, especially during Volume 6, all through that time the other characters are on the verge of giving up, Ruby only comes close to that when under the heavy influence of the Apathy, and, even then, dropping the Relic is more a consequence of her being startled than anything else, and she immediately gets it back together and insists on going after it. I know I'm not the only author to pick up on that quality of hers, and quite a few people over the years of the RWBY fandom have contemplated just what kind of toll that might have on her.**


	139. Chapter 139

**Chapter 139:**

"God! I'm so sorry, Blake!" said Sun, clapping his hands together and bowing his head sharply.

"Sun, it's all right," said Blake, giving the blonde boy a fond smile. "You were needed at the breach."

"Yeah, but I should have been there for you," said Sun.

"To be honest, maybe it was for the best," said Blake, looking down, her expression pensive.

"Huh? Why?" Sun lifted his head to look at her in confusion.

Blake used her fork to idly toy with the panfried trout in front of her. "To be honest, I think Gin was right. I needed to face Adam myself."

"What?" gasped Sun. "Are you kidding? I thought we talked about this before-!"

"That's not what I meant," said Blake, looking over at him. She gave Sun another smile. "I...I was letting my fear of Adam control me. Truth be told, he's strong. And he did everything he could to make me fear him, so that he could control me. I had to fight him myself, so that I could overcome that fear.

"When I first encountered, him, I was so scared that I could barely fight at all, and he mopped the floor with me. Then Gin reminded me that my fear was the thing that was really causing the gap between us. Once I was reminded of that, I was able to fight a lot better."

"But he still made you fight your abusive ex," noted Sun, throwing a glance down the table at Gin, who was eating next to Ruby.

"That's true," said Blake. "And I'm grateful that he did. Even when I got careless, and nearly let Adam get the better of me, Gin was there to help me. So I came through it all right."

"Sounds like things got pretty crazy though," said Sun. His eyes drifted over next to Ruby, where Ciel was eating mechanically. "I'm sorry about Penny. She was a pretty cool girl."

"She was," agreed Blake. "I wasn't even there, but I still feel bad about it." She went back to toying with her food. "I'd heard about them, but I'd never realized the Shimizus were so dangerous."

Right now, Yang and Jaune were taking their turn standing guard over Penny's remains. There was no sign of anyone from Atlas trying to lay claim to them. But, until her father arrived, it was the least they could do, particularly as it got Ciel out of her room, and gave her a chance to rest and eat.

"No kidding," said Sun. "A mantis shrimp-faunus. That's gotta be against the rules."

"But it isn't, unfortunately," said Blake. "Still, from what I heard about how they acted, that pair was...strange."

It had been more than a little confusing to hear about how the Shimizu twins had protected Jaune, while he'd been treating Ciel's injuries. That didn't absolve them of the fact that they'd killed Penny. But, from what Blake had heard, the Shrimps had entreated Penny and the others, multiple times, to not fight, not that that absolved them either. But it was still jarring to hear. Everything Blake had heard about the Shrimps had painted them as remorseless killers. But what her friends had encountered, that couldn't be further from the truth.

"What else happened?" asked Sun.

Blake filled him in on the happenings over the course of that tumultuous day, including what she'd heard about Ruby and the boys' battle with Typhon, the attack by the remaining members of Team BRYL, Cinder becoming the Fall Maiden, and Pyrrha subsequently killing Cinder to take the mantle for herself.

"Damn," said Sun, when Blake had finished. "That's some pretty messed up stuff. That Nikos girl is a piece of work."

"You can say that again," said Blake with a sigh. "I still think it's amazing that Ruby was able to fight her and Cinder at all. She's gotten so strong."

"Yeah, well, if that super-Grimm was her teacher's idea of a test, I'm not surprised," said Sun.

"Just make sure you don't let that part get around," said Blake. "It was bad enough when Yu woke the Dragon up. We can't even mention that. But, if word gets around that he was responsible for this..."

Sun nodded. Unlike the Grimm attack instigated by the Dragon, there had been some serious loss of life this time around. Given that Yu had arranged Typhon's attack as a test for his students, there was no doubt that people would not react well, probably pinning the blame on Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu. Fortunately, knowledge of Yu's involvement in either incident was limited to a tiny handful of trustworthy people.

"Well, at least the worst is past us," said Sun.

"I wish I could agree with that," said Blake. "Whatever these people were aiming for, this was probably just the first step. There's no telling where they'll strike next."

"Well, they got the Fall Maiden," said Sun. "But it doesn't sound like they got that Relic-thingy. They'll probably show up back here, sooner or later."

"True," agreed Blake. "I just wish we could've gotten Adam. We took him down, but the Shrimps managed to take him with them."

"Hey, if that jerk shows up again, just remember, I've got your back," said Sun firmly, resting his hand over the forearm Blake wasn't using to eat, sliding it down to rest over the back of her hand, before meshing his fingers with hers.

Blake smiled, and turned to kiss Sun on the cheek. "If I've got you, then I don't have much to fear," she said.

"Nope," agreed Sun, turning and darting in to catch her lips with his, before she could turn her face back away.

Blake sighed and leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

* * *

"You've made me proud, Weiss."

Weiss' heart soared to hear those words, her eyes widening, and a faint gasp escaping her lips. After being condemned to a cell, Weiss had expected to never hear those words from Winter...ever. So to hear it now, even though she had been put back into the very same cell she'd left, was heartening. Just hearing those words alone made this meeting worthwhile. It also made Weiss glad that Winter had managed to arrange this meeting in the same room where Weiss had been visited by Klein a couple weeks ago. It was a pleasure to be able to talk to Winter, without a sheet of glass stretched between them.

Winter smiled warmly at her reaction. "You had every reason to fight for the enemy, or even to just look after yourself and make your escape. But you chose to help, to aid us. Afterwards, you even accepted the need to return to custody without question. It looks as though you've come a very long way from the person you once were."

Weiss ducked her head shyly at the inconceivable volume of praise Winter was lavishing her with. "So...now what?" she asked.

"Well...that remains to be seen," said Winter. "Truth be told, this was an extremely exceptional set of circumstances. However, Professor Goodwitch has told me that she is looking into certain...contingencies...ones that may be able to alleviate your circumstances."

"Alleviate...how?" asked Weiss.

"You might be granted an early release," said Winter. "Under controlled and monitored conditions, you might also be permitted to use your weapon again. Eventually, admittedly with much work, you might even obtain a conditional Huntress license. You will likely never have the freedom of a conventional Huntress, but you would indeed be assured of a line of work."

Weiss' breath quickened at the notion. She'd spent countless hours agonizing over what to do with her life, even if she did manage to get out of prison. She'd thought the path of a Huntress had been closed off from her forever. But this offered a glimmer of true hope.

Of course, there was no way for her to get back _everything_ that she'd lost. Whitley was still set to inherit the SDC. There was no helping that now. However, from what Winter and Ruby had told her, it seemed that he actually had good intentions for the company. Winter had even told Weiss that Whitley might be willing to meet with her, in the hopes that they could talk their way through their previous enmity. Weiss could scarcely believe such a thing possible. But the past few days of her life had been beset by one set of impossible circumstances after another.

Then something occurred to her. "What about Roman?"

"Torchwick's situation is one I am not fully privy to," said Winter. "However, I understand that one of his cohorts became a close cooperator of your...friends...and provided information instrumental to disrupting the enemy's plans, including providing the location of that Cinder Fall woman for Goodwitch and I to arrest her."

Weiss nodded, feeling uneasy at Winter's reference to her former team and former sister-team. Technically, the only real friend she had among them was Ruby, while the rest, save for the two boys who had accompanied Ruby back to Beacon (whose disposition towards her was unknown for the moment) mostly hated her guts. It was a bitter irony that Weiss' only friend among them was the girl she'd attempted to depose through murder, the better part of a year ago.

Still, Weiss had to hope for the best. She didn't know what the future might hold at this point, just that it was looking so much brighter than it had before. Still, even that brightness had some dark spots, first and foremost the last topic she wanted to broach to Winter, in their conversation.

"Winter...about that woman..." said Weiss hesitantly, seeing Winter stiffen nervously at the mere mention of her, "...Whitney Schirmer...is she really...our sister?"

Winter swallowed nervously. "At this point, I'm completely certain," she said. "After Ozpin brought up the subject of her to me, I did some research when I returned to Atlas. I felt it strange. Schirmer's resemblance to us was far too uncanny to be mere coincidence. I'm told that it was fighting through her that broke through Ruby's amnesia."

Weiss nodded.

Winter laid out what she had found: about Garrick Schirmer, about the garden their mother spent her time in, about the mysterious circumstances of Garrick's death, as well as Willow's convenient series of illnesses. Weiss listened, growing more and more uneasy.

"So she really _is_ our sister," said Winter.

Winter nodded gravely. "The thing that truly frightens me is that she commands a heretofore unheard of mastery over the Schnee Hereditary Semblance. I'd never even imagined that our Semblance could be used to summon previous iterations of ourselves, to say nothing of the degree of finesse with which she employs even the most basic glyphs. And then there's the fact that her summons were indistinguishable from living bodies."

Weiss knew that well enough, thanks to the few aborted attempts she'd made at Summoning, back before she'd been imprisoned. She'd seen Winter's summons many a time, Winter even having used them as training dummies for Weiss' practice, when the opportunity presented itself. Winter's summons always bore the hallmarks of her Aura, a summoned Grimm being blue, instead of black. But Whitney's summons had looked like perfect duplicates of herself. It was amazing to think that a summon could be created with that level of fidelity.

Weiss swallowed. "Is she stronger than you?" she asked.

"Much," conceded Winter. "I'll be honest, Weiss. That Cinder Fall woman was a terrifying opponent. Goodwitch and I barely managed to bring her down. And that was before she did...whatever it was she did beneath the tower, which only empowered her even more. Against that kind of power, I'm afraid I had no hope of competing, not on my own. Ruby entrusted me with the safety of Ms. Akiyama, and the best I could manage was to keep her out of the battle. But Ruby...she was able to actually get the upper hand against that woman. If anything, until Nikos joined the battle, Ruby was in complete control of it. That woman wasn't able to land a hit against her."

Weiss felt strange, hearing Winter describe Ruby with such glowing words of praise. It was even more disconcerting to hear that Ruby was stronger than Winter to such a degree. Ruby's skill and ability were growing by leaps and bounds it seemed, and Weiss wondered just what the upper limit of such abilities was.

"The frightening thing is that Ruby confided in me that Whitney Schirmer was still considerably stronger than her," continued Winter, making Weiss gasp and pale. "It would seem that she is on par with the Shimizu Twins, the two most dangerous members of the White Fang."

Weiss frowned, barely even remembering the two faunus, who'd spent most of the battle watching from the sidelines.

"On top of that, even then, I don't believe that Schirmer was using her full strength," said Winter, drawing another gasp from Weiss. "The two versions of her past self that she'd summoned were both armed. But the one that I believe was her true self, assuming that too wasn't another summon, fought with ordinary playing cards as her weapon. Aside from that, she had impressive Dustweaving skills. However, if her past selves utilized weapons, then it is likely that the current her also has a weapon."

Weiss felt faint at the idea, thinking of Myrtenaster. Her rapier wasn't just some prop, it completed her. It was absolutely necessary for Weiss to fight at her best. The idea that Whitney, as dangerous as she already was, might have a weapon that completed her in the same fashion...was daunting, to say the least.

"Needless to say, whoever these people are, and whoever they are working for, we cannot afford to take them lightly," said Winter.

"I'm sure you and General Ironwood will be able to come up with something," said Weiss.

Winter's face fell, and she lowered her gaze. "Unfortunately...I'm not so sure about that," she admitted.

"What do you mean?" asked Weiss.

"During the course of this affair, the General's behavior has become...erratic," explained Winter. "Because of their status as students of Yu Yuen, he views Ruby and those two boys as criminals, and views them with complete mistrust. That day... _he_ was the one who had me bring Cinder to the tower. Even if what had happened hadn't happened...I still had some very _strong_ reservations of what he was ordering me to do." She looked up at Weiss again. "Knowing what I do, I am not certain that I can vest him with my trust...not anymore."

"Winter..." It was a shock to hear Winter speak of Ironwood like this. Weiss could scarcely believe it. Winter's loyalty to Ironwood had led her to leave behind her inheritance, earning their father's enmity, all for the sake of being able to support him. That Winter was now having doubts about the very man she'd given up so much for was almost incomprehensible.

"It remains to be seen," Winter went on. "The General is still recovering from the injuries he took from the fight. I have to hope that, maybe, this was merely a temporary lapse on his part. Perhaps he has learned from this experience."

"Maybe," said Weiss.

"But don't worry about that," said Winter, smiling at Weiss. "Just focus on yourself for now."

"I can't do that," said Weiss. "After all, focusing on myself is what got me into this mess in the first place."

Winter laughed. "I suppose that's true. You're definitely doing much better. I'll be in touch, Weiss. I hope that Professor Goodwitch is able to do something to help you."

"I hope so too," said Weiss. "But I won't get my hopes up too much."

They stood up, and Winter took Weiss into her arms. "Goodbye for now, Weiss," she said, hugging her younger sister tightly. "I love you."

"I love you too," Weiss replied.

* * *

Thus far, the days were uneventful. If anything, after the excitement of that fateful Sunday, they almost seemed...boring. Classes still hadn't resumed, with student teams taking shifts at the breach, guarding the site while construction crews worked to rebuild the damaged section of the wall. Fortunately, the pressure from the Grimm had eased off, and the continuing progress on the defensive fortifications helped ease people's worries, keeping negative emotions from building up.

RUBY and JNAR were unofficially excused from needing to be part of the rotation, though each team still volunteered to take their turn. The whole time, they made sure that someone was with Ciel and Penny, or two people were watching over Penny and giving Ciel a chance to rest.

Four days after the tower's fall, Penny's father arrived at Beacon.

* * *

The airship brought by Penny's father was certainly a sight to behold. It was almost half the size of one of the Atlesian warships that Ironwood had first used to ferry his students to Beacon. Like most Atlesian vessels, it was pure white in color. This particular one was a blocky, rectangular shape. Two thinner, narrower, but still rectangular engine nacelles were mounted along the bottom edges of the main fuselage, merging with half the length of the vessel's main body, and extending out a few meters behind it. All told it wasn't the most...good-looking vessel anyone had ever seen. As it came closer, they were able to notice that its white hull was marred with black smudges. Evidently, Dr. Polendina hadn't made his escape from Atlas completely unscathed...or they'd run into some Grimm on the way down, possibly both.

RUBY, JNAR, and Ciel had all turned out to greet Penny's father, bracing themselves to give him the bad news. They'd borrowed a stretcher from the infirmary, and were using it to carry what remained of Penny's body, though they currently kept it behind them, standing in front of the stretcher, hoping that Dr. Polendina wouldn't find out before they were ready to give him the bad news.

Ruby felt Ciel shift uneasily next to her, and reached out to take the other girl's hand. Despite RUBY and JNAR taking turns guarding Penny's body, Ciel still hadn't gotten much in the way of rest, if the slight reddening of her eyes, and the shadows beneath them, were any indicator. And now, with them just about to deliver the bad news to Penny's father, Ciel looked as though she was going to be sick.

Ruby felt like she might be sick as well. After all, if she'd been faster, if she'd gone straight for Penny, instead of going to check on Ren, she might have gotten there in time, might have been able to stop Naia from obliterating Penny's body. It had been a costly mistake, another life that Ruby felt weighing her conscience down, a bitter reminder that she wasn't good enough.

Much like Whitley's personal airship, the engines on Dr. Polendina's airship were near whisper-silent, all the more impressive, given the airship's greater size. Ruby swallowed as they waited for the hatch to open, only to find her mouth had gone dry. Beside her, she felt Ciel squeeze her hand, before Ruby squeezed back, offering what wordless reassurance she could.

With a low hiss, the hatch projected outwards, then slid back along the hull. A ramp extended from within, forming a short incline down to the surface of the dock. The white-clad figure of Dr. Albus Polendina was standing there, smiling jovially at them, before making his way down the ramp. Behind him came Peter, still wearing the gray, curved plates of armor over his body. Peter's expression was more neutral, his eyes twitching back and forth as he went, their manner somewhat unsettling, and betraying his cybernetic nature.

"Ah, it's good to be in Vale again," said Dr. Polendina, after taking a deep breath. "Solitas might be where I was born, but the winters there are so hard on these old bones." He surveyed the group of grim-faced people in front of him, seeming oblivious to their dark mood. "It's good to meet all of you. It does my old heart good to see that Penny has made so many friends. And where is she?"

"D-Doctor..." Ciel's voice hitched. She was on the verge of breaking down.

Seeing her expression, and hearing the pained tone of her voice, Polendina's expression fell. "Oh no..." he whispered. "What happened?"

Ruby and Ciel stepped aside, their friends making room for them, allowing them to reveal the stretcher, with what remained of Penny's body, mostly the upper half, and what few pieces of her shattered lower portion they'd been able to retrieve.

"She fought one of the White Fang leaders," explained Ruby.

"My word," whispered Albus, going to Penny's side, gently cupping her motionless cheek. "Which one?"

"Naia Shimizu," said Ciel.

"I see..." Albus closed his eyes and lowered his head. A few tears trickled out from behind the closed lids.

Ruby felt her heart drop all the way to her stomach. All this time, however faint it had been, she'd held out hope that, maybe...just maybe...there was something that Penny's father could do. After all, Penny was an android. Perhaps if they could just replace her broken parts, and fix her body, then maybe they could get her back. The lack of any sense of Penny's Aura had made that hope a faint and fleeting one to Ruby, but one that she'd clung to all the same. But now...Albus' response to seeing Penny's motionless form appeared to cement their worst fears into reality. Penny was gone...and she wasn't coming back.

"Penny..." said Peter, his tone flat, his face neutral. However, through his Aura, Ruby could feel his anguish, even if his body and voice weren't up to displaying it.

"I'm sorry," said Ruby, choking back a sob. "If I'd just gotten there sooner..."

"Do not blame yourself," said Albus, looking away from Penny's body to look at Ruby. "Penny made her decision. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. You all have many responsibilities, too many to shoulder hers as well. Penny made a choice to confront an opponent who was beyond her, and she paid the price...however bitter a price it may be." He sniffed, then swiped at his eyes with his lab coat.

"So...there's nothing you can do?" asked Nora, on the verge of breaking down in tears herself.

Albus turned back to Penny, reaching a hand over to rest on her forehead. "I could rebuild her body. That would be simple enough. In truth, there hasn't been all that much lost. Her mainframe went into emergency-shutdown mode, in response to the catastrophic damage to her body. But...even if I rebuild and reboot her, it wouldn't _be_ Penny. If we've lost her Aura, it would merely be an android that looks like Penny, and acts like her to a certain extent. But it wouldn't _be_ her."

"So...that's it then," said Jaune, biting back a sob of his own. "She's gone."

"I'm afraid so," said Albus, shaking his head sadly. "To be honest, I never fully understood _how_ I was able to manage to give Penny her Aura. It was a strange confluence of circumstances, and many of the factors that contributed to it are still unknown to me, and...to be honest...I never tried to find out."

"You didn't?" asked Gin, surprised.

Albus turned back to Penny with a fond, yet sad smile, gently stroking the cheek of her lifeless face. "It was a strange thing to me. And, the moment I created an android with the ability to generate Aura, I realized that I had done something amazing and special...something that I should _not_ try to do again. Life shouldn't simply be manufactured. I have no desire to churn out living, feeling beings, all for the sake of feeding Ironwood's war machine. Penny is my my marvelous, beloved, miracle-child, and a miracle she should remain."

Peter raised his eyes toward Albus. Though his face remained impassive, Ruby could feel the swell of affection within him. She sniffed. "I'm sorry," she said.

"As am I," said Albus. "I still believe we made the right decision in coming here. And I believe that you were right to help her. You all saved her in the end, and that's what matters." He sighed, looking over what remained of Penny once more. "At the very least, I can take care of what's left of her."

"C-can I stay with her?" asked Ciel, looking plaintively at the man. "Just a little longer..."

"Of course," said Albus, giving Ciel a warm smile.

Ciel turned and exchanged one last hug with Ruby. "Thank you for everything," she said.

"Remember, Beacon is your home now," said Ruby, tightening her hold. "That _hasn't_ changed."

Ciel nodded, then joined Albus, as he and Peter carried Penny's stretcher aboard the airship. Meanwhile, Ruby and her friends headed back to school, their spirits heavy.

* * *

Ciel was surprised to find out just why Albus' airship was so large. It wasn't merely for carrying passengers, but contained an entire mobile laboratory and machine-shop that the doctor could use, even when he was away from home. Thus, Penny was carried down into the lab, where she was laid out on a blocky, white examination table.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"At the very least, Penny's main data processor is intact," said Albus, gently tapping Penny's forehead. "With this, we will be able to access her files and the archives of her last minutes, as well as diagnostic information. Most of it..." He sighed. "Most of it won't be of much use to anyone but her, but it's still something that she was carrying...and that makes it precious to me."

Ciel let out a whimper. Carefully, Albus rolled Penny over onto her front, allowing him to open up sections of her artificial skin at the base of her neck, and between her shoulders, revealing a data-port and power socket. Albus fist plugged Penny's socket into an auxiliary power source. With her head turned to the side, Ciel saw Penny's eyes light up slightly, their normal green flashing brighter, actually sending a painful surge of what she knew was a futile hope through her. Beyond that, there was no other reaction from the lifeless android.

Then Albus plugged a cable into the data-port. Immediately, a screen on the corresponding terminal flickered to life, brief flashes of code rushing across its screen, before transitioning to a more standard menu setup. Albus moved to the screen and began perusing the files from Penny's memory...only to freeze. "What in the world...?"

"What is it?" asked Ciel.

"Penny's data processors are active," said Albus, frowning. "That doesn't make any sense. I can't tell what program they're running. Apparently, once her power supply was re-established, they picked up where they left off with...whatever they were doing."

"You don't know what they're doing?" asked Ciel, coming to look over his shoulder, Peter coming up from the scientist's other side.

Albus shook his head. "I can't access the programs. All I have is this..." He brought up a screen showing a progress bar. The bar was presently advancing extremely slowly. At the moment, it showed eight-percent completion. But, right before Ciel's eyes, that number clicked up to nine.

"What do we do?" asked Ciel.

"I don't know," admitted Albus. "It seems that, in her final moments...or seconds...Penny decided to try and do something. Whatever that is, that something is still being done. At this point, the only thing I can do is wait, and let this program run its course. Although, I can't say how long it will take."

Ciel frowned.

Albus turned towards her and took her hand in his. "You are welcome to stay here," he said. "I have the feeling that, whatever Penny is doing might be for you. So we can quarter you here, until it's done."

Ciel gave him a shaky smile. "I'd like that," she said.

* * *

The days continued to pass. Autumn progressed, the leaves turning. Within two weeks of the breach, it was determined that repairs on the wall were sufficient that Beacon no longer needed to rotate student teams to guard it. In the meantime, Huntsmen and Huntresses were dispersed throughout the settlements, handling the surge of Grimm activity incited by the rise of anxiety caused by the destruction of the tower. Granted, the threat wasn't all that great. The tower had stood long enough for the people to see the monstrous Typhon brought down, along with Vale's forces holding the breach, and keeping Grimm from getting into the Kingdom. All told, things could have been much worse.

But those were distant concerns for RUBY and JNAR. They'd taken their turns on the wall, and even gone to the classes, once those had resumed. In many ways, the whole commotion kicked off by Ruby and Ayumu's statements after their match had been eclipsed by what had come after, which had both good and bad connotations.

On one hand, the media suddenly had much bigger concerns than a pair of tournament champions turning into social activists. In fact, media coverage had faltered across the Kingdom, primarily due to the loss of the broadcasting signal afforded by the tower. Primarily, all local signals were commandeered for only the most essential of communications. That left Ruby and her friends with time to work on getting over the emotional toll the battle had taken on them.

On the other hand, it also meant that not much progress was being made on the issues that Ruby and Ayumu had pushed. No one was talking about the SDC's labor practices right now, and no one, not even Ruby and Ayumu, thought it was a good idea to start reintroducing the issue into the conversation now. As much as it galled Ruby, there were more immediate concerns that had to be dealt with.

She did get a chance to talk with Whitley, shortly before he was to return to Atlas. Whitley would have liked to stay. But he explained that he needed to go back and talk with his allies on the board directly, if they were to make any progress. The loss of the tower prevented him from being able to do anything at this distance. He also figured it was only a matter of time before his father lost patience, and came for him personally. On the bright side, the continued disturbance caused by the aftermath of the attack on Vale and Beacon meant there was no pressure for Whitley to give any kind of statement, concerning his friendship with Ruby, though he couldn't make any guarantees that his father _wouldn't_ make some demand when he returned to Atlas.

Besides Whitely, there were two other major departures in that period. The students of Haven were called back to their Academy, with only Team SSSN remaining, as part of their extended exchange program with Beacon, much to Blake's quiet relief.

At around the same time, the students of Atlas made their own departure, shepherded onto an airship by Winter, who was also escorting the still-incapacitated Ironwood. Winter would be taking over his duties as acting commander of Atlas' forces, as well as Headmaster of Beacon Academy, until repairs to Ironwood's cybernetics could be completed. Winter expected her tenure to be a brief one, but took her duties seriously. She also promised Ruby to remain in touch, giving Ruby the necessary information to have whatever letters she sent forwarded to Winter personally, wherever Winter might find herself in the coming months.

It felt strange and surreal to RUBY and JNAR. After the turbulent affair following the end of the Vytal Festival, it seemed so odd to slip back into normal routines. They attended classes, trained during their free periods, worked on homework, did projects, and whatever else they could to keep themselves occupied.

Finally, their first post-Vytal Festival mission rolled around. Ruby wasn't all that surprised to find that her team and JNAR had once again had a mission selected for them. Reporting to Glynda, Ruby was both surprised and amused to find that their mission assignment was to the island of Patch. It appeared that Glynda was taking the opportunity to thank the two teams for all that they had done by using a mission as a disguise for an "unofficial vacation" once again.

To Ruby's amusement, Glynda had assured them that Beacon would be covering their expenses once again. This time, the students would be quartered in Signal Academy's visitor dormitories. Amongst their duties, the members of the two teams would be expected to act as supplemental instructors at Signal, giving the occasional talk about Beacon's expectations for them, and the experiences of actual missions.

Aside from that, they would all have plenty of time to rest. Glynda also assured Ruby that a "special surprise" was awaiting her on the island.

* * *

"What do you think the 'surprise' is?" asked Yang, as the two teams made their way down the path that led to Taiyang's house. Naturally, the first task to take care of was visiting Taiyang. While the others would be staying at the dorms in Signal; Ruby, Yang, Gin, and Jaune were planning to stay at the house again.

"No clue," said Ruby. "But I guess it wouldn't be much of a surprise if we knew about it."

"Given the way Professor Goodwitch was talking, I don't think it's anything bad," said Jaune.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough," said Yang. "I just I wish I knew when and where. All the info we got said it would be on this island."

Reaching the door, Ruby knocked, then waited with the rest. When the door opened, they were shocked to be greeted by none other than Glynda's surprise.

"Welcome," said Amber, beaming cheerfully at them through the doorway.

"AMBER!" exclaimed Ruby, tackling the woman in a tight hug, almost knocking her over in the process. As it was, Amber was knocked several staggering steps backward, even as she laughed and hugged Ruby back.

Ruby sniffed, pressing her face into Amber's shoulder, happy tears darkening the white fabric of the white blouse Amber was now wearing. "Thank God," Ruby whispered.

While Ruby and Amber continued to hug, the others filed through the door, making their way around the pair, and into the living room, where Taiyang was waiting for them, along with another surprise.

"Uncle Qrow!" exclaimed Yang, shocked to see her uncle there. They'd known he'd been released from the infirmary. But he'd been out of contact since, with Glynda giving them the occasional assurance that he was recovering. It appeared that he'd been sent to Patch as well.

"Hey there, Firecracker," said Qrow, waving his left arm. It appeared that it was further along than his right, when it came to healing. There was still a cast around his forearm, but it had been set in such a way, so as to leave his left hand free. His right arm was still set in a full cast, that held it at a ninety-degree angle, with the cast itself running nearly all the way up to his shoulder.

"It's good to see you're getting better," observed Ayumu, beaming cheerfully at the man.

"Well, it's gonna be a while before I'm back at full strength," said Qrow. He held up his left hand and wiggled his fingers. "But, right now, I'll settle for being able to wipe my _own_ ass from now on. I tell ya, when you're laid up with both arms busted, those orderlies are nothin' less than saints."

"Ew... _way_ too much information," complained Nora, affecting a disgusted look.

"So this is where they sent you," observed Gin, gently taking Ruby by the shoulders and prying her away from Amber. "All we knew was that you'd been sent 'somewhere safe.'"

Amber giggled. "While there's a little concern that I might be a target, they don't believe that anyone from the Enemy has any real plans concerning me. The threats Cinder made, back at Beacon, were mostly just her being petty."

Ruby wiped her eyes. "So you don't have any..."

Amber shook her head slowly. "As far as I know, there's nothing left of the Maiden's magic in me. I used to be able to feel it, this empty feeling where the part that Cinder had stolen used to be. But now, I don't even have _that_. I think that basically means that it's all gone."

"So they sent you here," noted Gin.

"Yes," replied Amber, throwing a smile Taiyang's way. "After all, Tai is both competent and trustworthy. So Glynda figured I would be safe with him."

Ruby's eyebrow went up at Amber's casual use of Taiyang's nickname. Now that she thought about it, she could feel a distinct warmth from Amber's cheeks as she locked eyes with Ruby and Yang's father...along with a slight quickening of her pulse. To Ruby's amazement, she sensed a similar reaction from Taiyang.

"Does that mean you know?" asked Ren, realizing that they'd basically been talking about the Maidens and magic, right in front of Taiyang, who, as far as they knew, was out of the loop.

"Yep," said Taiyang. "Glynda filled me in. I'm not exactly happy with Ozpin getting you kids involved with something so dangerous."

"Trust me," said Qrow, flopping back down onto the couch, "at this rate, these kids are doing better than any of us adults. Even with the tournament going on, they were running rings around Cinder's crew, all while putting that plan of theirs into action. It was Jimmy's bullheaded stupidity that let Cinder get Amber's magic. And, from the sound of things, Ruby was more than a match for her."

"I did better than I had any right to," Ruby admitted. "Cinder didn't want to take me seriously, so I don't think I saw what she could _really_ do."

"And you won't now," muttered Gin.

"I still can't believe Pyrrha would do something like that," said Nora, recalling what Ruby had told them about Pyrrha's callous and cruel murder of Cinder. By all accounts, Cinder was apparently a despicable example of a human being. But Pyrrha's cruelty towards her was...almost incomprehensible.

"She did," said Ruby sadly.

"She's turning into a monster," whispered Jaune.

Ruby pursed her lips, not certain she could agree. After all, she was reminded of Yu, someone who insisted that his worst tendencies descended from his _humanity_. Perhaps that kind of "monster" slept within them all, waiting for just the right set of circumstances to call it forth into the light of day. It wasn't a pleasant thought to entertain.

Also, Ruby had been able to tell that Pyrrha hadn't been cruel simply for the sake of it. Cinder's gloating over Ruby had been nothing more than Cinder satisfying her own need for petty amusements. But Pyrrha's taunts had been carried out with the intent of drawing Cinder's anger, her hatred...any emotions that she could, so long as they were focused on her. Pyrrha wanted to be absolutely certain that she was the last person in Cinder's thoughts when Cinder's life ebbed away. Someone, possibly Cinder or Watts, had filled Pyrrha in on how the Maidens' powers were transferred, and Pyrrha had put that knowledge to use with the same brutal efficiency with which she wielded Milo and Akouo. Her words and actions were deliberate, calculated cruelty. Ruby wasn't certain if that made Pyrrha better or worse.

Taiyang sighed. "Well...this is taking some adjustment," he said. "At least it's over for now."

"Yeah...for now," said Gin.

Ruby shared a glance with the others. While Salem's minions now, presumably, had their Fall Maiden, they hadn't managed to find the Relic that was hidden at Beacon. Glynda had assured them of that much. Besides locking it behind a door that only the Fall Maiden could open, Ozpin had apparently hidden that door as well, making it all the more difficult for Salem's people to get what they were looking for. But that only ensured that they would be back, that their plans for Beacon Academy had not yet come to a definitive conclusion.

Taiyang sighed again, then grinned and clapped his hands together. "Well, enough with this doom and gloom talk. You're all here on vacation, basically. That means we should be enjoying ourselves. I happen to know a little place, down in town, with a table that has our names written all over it."

Qrow grinned. "We told 'em Beacon would cover the expenses, but the owners are so tickled pink that the Vytal Festival finalists are eating at their place that they said it's on the house."

"It helps that our champion is a Patch native," added Taiyang, ruffling Ruby's hair affectionately, and making her squeal.

Ruby pulled out of Taiyang's grip, only to find Amber had come up behind her, gently wrapping Ruby in her arms. Ruby was surprised by the comforting feeling of the embrace, leaning back into it, while Amber rested her chin atop Ruby's head. Ruby found herself relaxing, glad to have her friends and family around her.

* * *

Dinner had been quite the affair. Ruby was surprised to find more than a few of the diner's staff and patrons approaching her for autographs. On top of that, she and Ayumu wound up taking a picture with the owners, who planned on hanging said picture up in a prominent place, intending to show the world that the official champion, and the runner up, of the Vytal Festival Tournament patronized their establishment. Ruby wasn't sure if that counted as an official endorsement. But Taiyang told her not to worry about it. He was old friends with the owner, after all.

Had things been different, Ruby might have been more interested in what the owner of the diner thought about what Ruby and Ayumu had done _after_ their match. However, his behavior seemed to indicate that he either hadn't given much thought to it, or wholeheartedly approved of Ruby and Ayumu's advocacy for the faunus stuck beneath the Schnee Family's thumb. Of course, more recent events had wiped those particular thoughts out of most people's minds for the time being. Vale would have to stabilize more, before Ruby and Ayumu could continue calling attention to the plight of the SDC's workforce.

Following dinner, they made their way back to the house, spending the evening in the living room, chatting over cups of hot coco. The revelation that both Amber and Qrow were already staying with Taiyang altered living arrangements. Realizing that Amber had occupied the guest room, Yang decided that she and Jaune would avail themselves of one of the dorm rooms at Signal, with the others, deciding to leave Ruby and Gin with Yang and Ruby's room, an arrangement that Yang announced with a cheeky wink thrown at the younger couple, making them blush furiously.

Ayumu had also announced that he would be staying at Signal, a slight blush on his own face. He, Ruby, and Gin had sensed Neo's presence, shadowing them from a distance. At the moment, Neo hadn't revealed herself to Taiyang, Qrow, and Amber. Ayumu figured he could talk her into it, so that Neo wasn't left watching from a distance, while the others had all the fun.

As they talked, the subject shifted to their plans to the future. Despite Taiyang's desire to keep things relaxed, they once again began to talk about the battle with Salem's forces.

"Is there anything we can do?" wondered Yang, frowning. "I mean, we don't have any idea where they went. They could be anywhere by now."

"They might not have gone far," said Ren. "If they still need to retrieve the Relic, then they'll want to strike at Beacon again, sooner or later."

"I just wish we weren't just stuck reacting," said Blake. "The entire reason we managed to derail Cinder's plan for the Vytal Festival was because we managed to figure out what they were up to, and prepare a strategy in advance. Right now, we don't have any idea what the enemy's next move is going to be."

There was a knock at the door, odd at this time of night. Ruby, Ayumu, and Gin all perked up, immediately sensing who was waiting. Quickly, Ruby beckoned Gin to go answer it, while flashing a smile and a gesture of her hand at her father, getting him to sit back down.

"There has to be some angle we could work with," muttered Jaune, too absorbed with the conundrum to take notice of the late visitor.

"On that, I believe I could supply some information," said a familiar voice from the doorway, drawing everyone's attention.

"Professor!" exclaimed Blake, shooting to her feet. She wasn't the only one. Ren, Nora, Jaune, and Yang jumped up in surprise as well. Their eyes going wide at the sight of one of the last people they expected to see, here on Patch. Glynda Goodwitch stood in the doorway, a calm, yet stern, look on her face, while Gin returned to sitting next to Ruby, she and Ayumu betraying no signs of confusion at the presence of Beacon's current Headmistress.

And then two other people moved to stand in the open doorway, standing behind and to either side of Glynda...

* * *

 **One more chapter to go...**


	140. Chapter 140

**Chapter 140:**

"Torchwick!" exclaimed Blake, her hand straying reflexively towards the handle of her weapon.

"Weiss..." Yang's voice emerged as a growl, the single name loaded with such loathing and hatred that everyone else in the room flinched. Yang's eyes had already gone red at the sight of the former-heiress, and her body was beginning to shine with the radiance of her anger-fueled Semblance.

Roman flashed Blake a cheeky grin, and tipped his hat towards her, he and Weiss wearing their trademark outfits, rather than their prison clothes. Weiss, on the other hand, blanched at the palpable sensation of hatred she felt emanating from Yang, flinching back, but remaining where she stood. Her throat bobbed nervously, but she forced herself to keep from quailing away, instead steeling herself in preparation for the outburst that was sure to come.

"What are they doing here?" asked Jaune, unable to keep a harsh edge from his voice at the sight of two former-enemies standing behind Glynda.

"Yeesh," lamented Torchwick. "Talk about ungrateful...and after we threw in with you guys in the big battle."

"Simply changing sides does not absolve you of everything that you've done," said Ren firmly. "Besides, knowing you, you joined the side you felt gave you the best chance at surviving."

"Well...honestly, I actually threw in with the side that _Neo_ picked," Roman corrected. "It was still a bit of a tossup to me, before she made her choice."

There was a flash, and Neo appeared, hanging onto Ayumu's arm, as though she'd been there the entire time. Her sudden appearance made everyone, except for Yu's three students (who'd sensed her enter the house alongside Glynda and her two companions), jump in shock.

"I don't care about Torchwick," growled Yang, her eyes narrowing, her gaze focusing on Weiss in particular. "What I want to know is why that backstabbing _bitch_ is outside her cell... _again!_ "

Weiss leaned back ever so slightly, mustering all her self-control to keep from backpedaling away from the force of Yang's anger. Of course, Ruby had forgiven her, but Weiss was keenly aware that she had not asked, and had not been granted, forgiveness by anyone else present, least of all Yang. However, she had already resolved to face the consequences of her actions, and her determination was something that Ruby sensed quite clearly.

"I brought them with me, because they will be helping us," said Glynda, affecting a neutral expression in the face of Yang's rage, a rage that only slightly surpassed the look of anger on Taiyang's face. "You wondered what our next move will be, I arranged this mission, aside from the reasons I already gave, to enable that discussion to take place."

"No way can we trust her!" shouted Nora, pointing decisively at Weiss.

Once again, Weiss shivered, feeling the urge to back away, and having to stop herself. Her eyes went to Ruby, and felt a surge of relief as Ruby met her gaze and flashed her a calm smile.

"Do you trust Neo?" asked Roman, butting into the conversation suddenly.

That caused Nora to pause. "Yeah..." she said warily.

No one questioned the notion, considering all Neo had done that had enabled them to bring Cinder's plan down.

"I should probably remind you that the two of us turning over a new leaf doesn't erase the things we did," said Roman, giving Nora a teasing grin. "Yeah, Ice Queen here-"

"Hey," Weiss protested out of reflex.

"-did something seriously low, no question," continued Roman, without missing a beat. "But Neo and I were _career_ criminals. Weiss stabbed _one_ person in the back. I..." He paused, muttering to himself, and counting off his fingers, before shrugging. "I've lost count of how many people I've screwed over in my time. Neo's done a fair bit of that herself, right?"

He threw a glance at Neo, who affected a grave look, and nodded, before throwing a wary look at Ayumu. Ayumu met Neo's gaze, his regular smile in place. But he rested his hand over hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"When you look at it objectively, Neo and I are way worse," said Roman. "I think I've heard something to that effect about Red's boyfriend too," he added, throwing a glance Gin's way.

Gin shrugged. "He's not wrong."

"So...If you lot can work with Neo and I, then maybe...entertain the thought of working with her too," said Roman, gesturing to Weiss, who was looking at him in surprise, shocked that Roman, of all people, would stick up for her.

"Working with you is something that's still up in the air," Ren corrected. "We are very aware that your crimes haven't disappeared ."

"Good to know," said Roman cheerfully.

"That being said, we should at least hear out Professor Goodwitch's plan," said Ayumu.

"Forget it!" snapped Yang. "If _she's_ going to have anything to do with it, then I won't!"

Turning around, Yang marched out of the living room, taking the exit into the kitchen to avoid passing Weiss, which was probably for the best, as she might have been tempted to take a swing at Weiss, had she come within arms' reach of the former-heiress.

Ruby opened her mouth to call after her sister, but closed it without saying a thing, thinking better of it. She would have to talk to Yang about it later. She supposed it was Yang's right to forgive or not. Ruby could forgive Weiss, but she couldn't _make_ anyone else do the same.

"I'm more inclined to order you three out of my house," growled Taiyang, his own hands clenching into fists, his expression harsh, as his gaze latched onto Weiss, who swallowed and quivered, though managing to keep herself from cowering behind Glynda with considerable effort. "The things my girls have been involved with are bad enough, but to think that you'd have the nerve to bring that filthy backstabber here..."

"Dad," said Ruby, keeping her tone firm, yet gentle, as she rose up and turned to confront him, giving Taiyang the most imploring look she could manage. As much as she could understand her father and sister's feelings, now wasn't the time. There were much bigger things at stake. Still, Ruby would have to remember that those things couldn't go unaddressed either. After all, the whole affair they'd just been through, particularly the final rounds of the tournament, had showed just how badly awry a plan could go, due to a willingness to overlook minor details.

Taiyang's eyes met his youngest daughter's, and his expression softened.

"Please," was all that Ruby said.

Taiyang met her gaze a little longer, before letting out a slow breath. "Fine," he said, slumping in defeat. Turning, he ambled into the kitchen, where he could keep himself from being overcome by his frustration. Amber threw a small smile at Ruby, and then got up to join Taiyang. A few seconds later, Ruby could hear them talking in low voices, but kept herself from listening too intently, wanting to give them their privacy, as well as focus on the matter at hand.

Instead, Ruby swept her gaze across the rest, giving them searching looks. There was no effort to exert what authority she might have had. She was only the leader of Team RUBY after all, so she didn't have any right to tell anyone on JNAR what to do. With the exception of Gin and Ayumu, Ruby could see varying degrees of reluctance to work with Roman and Weiss, but everyone else apparently had enough self-control to keep from expressing it as explosively as Yang and Taiyang had. They were willing to at least listen.

Glynda and Qrow both watched the silent exchange, impressed. They too were aware that Ruby's authority only extended to her own team. But JNAR's willingness to defer to her showed the degree of respect Ruby commanded from RUBY's sister-team. It was clearly part of what Ozpin had seen in Ruby, on the day he'd made the fateful decision to invite her into Beacon two years early.

"What's going on, Professor?" asked Ruby, turning to Glynda.

Glynda frowned. "We have been trying to figure out the next move to make as well. Sadly, our intelligence is rather limited."

Roman raised a hand idly. "Neo and I were clearly too low on the totem pole for Cinder to tell us about the big picture, bigger than just Vale. I was only ever able to get a general idea of what they were going for, beyond wrecking things beyond all recognition."

"Not very helpful," groused Blake.

"I know, right?" lamented Roman, making a distinct point to sound as sincere as possible, probably to needle Blake a little. If that was intent, the soft growl that came from Blake's throat was a sign that he'd been successful.

"Sadly, our intelligence on the matter has not been much better," said Glynda with a frown. "After Cinder and her cohorts were identified, we tried to trace them back."

"They entered the tournament as Haven students," noted Ren. "That must have given you _some_ idea of where to look."

"It did...at first," said Glynda, looking as though she'd just bitten into something sour. "We reviewed their student profiles at Haven, with troubling results."

"What did you find?" asked Jaune.

"Nothing," said Glynda. "There were no inconsistencies, no red flags, nothing to suggest that their student identification was forged in any way. As far as anyone who matters is concerned, they are completely legitimate students of Haven Academy."

"And what does that mean, exactly?" asked Blake.

"That they really _were_ Haven students...on paper, at least," said Glynda. "That's extremely troubling."

"That means they have someone at Haven," said Ayumu, catching onto Glynda's worry.

"And someone highly placed, if they were able to produce all the necessary authentications," said Glynda. "That would imply someone only a step or two down from Headmaster Lionheart himself."

"Yeah, well, Leo hasn't exactly been doing the best job managing his people," commented Qrow irritably. "I mean, look at those scumbags on Beryl. If they got in, it's no surprise that someone there would be willing to create documentation for Cinder's people."

"Almost forgot about them," muttered Gin.

Glynda nodded. "If that is the case, then Haven Academy is compromised. Someone there is helping the enemy."

Ruby's eyes widened slightly. "But that also means that Haven is probably where we're going to find our next lead."

"Or trip over the bad guys' next plan," added Nora with an eager grin.

"Both are a distinct possibility," said Glynda.

"So...you want us to head to Haven then?" asked Blake, sounding strangely...reluctant.

"That is my hope," said Glynda. "After you finish out this school year, I would like to send Ruby and January to Haven, in hopes that we can find some leads on the enemy's actions, or stop their next move."

"That's a pretty vague set of orders," noted Jaune. "I mean, even if we go there, are we just supposed to...trip over the enemy's people?"

"Hopefully, it won't require an approach that...random," said Glynda. "Your primary mission there would be to investigate, and root out whoever is working for the enemy at Haven. If the enemy is planning something there, then hopefully you will be able to find out soon enough to stop it."

"Hopefully..." echoed Ren.

"And where do Ms. Schnee and Mr. Torchwick fit into all of this?" asked Ayumu politely.

Weiss and Roman stiffened slightly, both of them becoming somewhat nervous, now that they'd been pulled back into the conversation.

"When Cinder began putting her plans for Vale into action," explained Glynda, "she began by infiltrating the Kingdom's criminal underworld."

"Me," said Roman, adopting a cheeky grin and raising his hand.

Glynda lobbed a sideways glare his way, which, given his position behind her, Roman didn't even see. "From there, she incited criminal activities with the intent of arming her forces, as well as sowing as much negativity as she could amongst the civilian population."

"Normally, I try to keep my criminal activities on the down-low," elaborated Roman. "Good business is important, but a Grimm invasion is bad for _everyone_. Anyone on our side of the tracks with any sense did the same. But Cinder liked things noisy and messy. She wanted people scared."

"Well, if anyone on Salem's team wants to use Mistral's criminals, they're gonna have no shortage of resources," commented Qrow with a growl. "Thanks to the way that Kingdom is run, they have a pretty thriving illicit economy."

"Yep," agreed Roman cheerfully. "The old saying amongst crooks is, if you can make it in Mistral, you can make it anywhere."

"That why you're in Vale?" asked Nora.

"Low blow," groused Roman, pouting. "And that's coming from a guy who specializes in those."

"So...I'm guessing you want to use Roman and Weiss to try and get into Mistral's underworld," said Gin. "Since Roman knows the ins and outs of that business, he'd know where best to look, and who to look up."

Roman apparently was not aware that this would be his role in things, though he'd clearly anticipated the possibility. His skin paled, and he looked like his worst fear had been realized. "I'd have an idea," he admitted reluctantly, before glancing at Glynda. "That your plan, then?"

"It is," said Glynda, turning to face Roman and Weiss. "While Ruby and January investigate Haven, I wish for you to investigate matters in the underworld, and try to see if the enemy is repeating the tactic of infiltrating the Kingdom that way."

Roman was beginning to sweat. Reaching up, he tugged at his collar. "That's an awfully nasty tightrope act you're asking of us," he said uneasily.

"You don't like this," noted Glynda.

"That's putting it mildly," said Roman, "Carrot-top's assessment, as painful as it is, is depressingly accurate. In Vale, I may have been one of the big cheeses. But, in Mistral, I'm small-time, particularly since I wouldn't have any network of my own there. My resources would be pretty much nil." He swallowed. "Not to mention there's a few syndicates there who would probably say Yuletide came early, if I tried to walk in on their turf. I spent a lot of my time as boss in Vale working to keep Mistral's crooks _out_ of it. I know of a few bosses there who've called for my head on a platter, for disrupting their operations here."

"I don't like it either," said Blake, her eyes narrowing. "Can we actually trust these two? You're basically saying they should operate on their own. How do we know that they won't throw back in with the enemy, if they think it'll get them out in one piece?"

"Mainly because doing my best work for you people _is_ my best shot at getting out of this in one piece now," said Roman morosely. "Let me tell you, Cinder, and whoever she works for, are clearly not the forgiving types. I already turned on them once, so I know, even if I can convince them of my usefulness in the short term, that they aren't going to let me go in the end. The same goes for Neo. We're pretty much stuck with you guys for the long haul."

"That makes sense," said Gin. "I'd say we can trust them."

"And what about Weiss?" asked Ren, looking to Weiss.

"She'll be with me," said Roman.

"Her...decision before aside...she's not exactly the criminal type," Jaune noted.

"We can work on that," said Roman. "Weiss wouldn't be the first person with status to fall from grace. In fact, Mistral's underworld is full of people like that." He smirked sideways at Weiss. "The former Schnee heiress, barred from her family and resources, turns to a life of crime to reclaim some semblance of her old status...that's about as classic as criminal stories get."

"Weiss? Are you okay with this?" asked Ruby, looking to Weiss, wanting to get her view on this.

"I...I don't really have a choice," said Weiss, averting her eyes.

"Of course you do," Ruby assured her, giving Glynda a warning look. "She does, right?"

"Yes," said Glynda. "Naturally, forcing Ms. Schnee to do this would only be counterproductive, so we could accept her cooperation only if it was willing." She adjusted her glasses. "But that does not mean that acceptance and refusal both come without consequences."

"Consequences...?" Ruby blinked.

"Simply put, after Ms. Schnee made the decision to assist you during the battle, I was able to convince the Council to grant her special dispensation, concerning her punishment."

"What does that mean?" asked Nora warily.

"As you all know well enough, the punishment for Huntsmen and Huntresses who have committed serious crimes are quite substantial. Besides the regular sentence, even if Ms. Schnee serves it, she would be barred from ever wielding a weapon, or using Dust as a weapon, for the remainder of her life."

"Sounds pretty fitting," said Blake, narrowing her eyes at Weiss, who merely wrapped her arms around herself, and looked down and away.

"However, Ms. Schnee's willingness to change her ways, and even submit herself back into custody, despite having been effectively broken out and having every opportunity to escape, convinced the Council to grant her the extremely rare opportunity to regain at least _some_ of her former standing," continued Glynda.

"So, by cooperating with us on this, and doing her part, you're saying that Weiss would have a chance to be a Huntress again," said Ruby.

Glynda nodded.

"Heck no!" exclaimed Nora. "After what she did, why should _she_ get a second chance?"

Blake, Ren, and Jaune held their tongues, but the looks on their faces expressed their general agreement.

Glynda sighed. "It would not be the same as though she had graduated from Beacon. She would be able to get her official Huntress license, be permitted to carry a weapon and Dust, and take missions. However, her record will not be expunged, but will remain public, with her sentence being listed as 'served in full.'"

Ruby and the others could see how that would be a form of consequence. It would be true that Weiss would be able to get some of the opportunities she'd lost before back. However, her record would limit the kind of missions she would be entrusted with. People would be reluctant to hire and trust a Huntress who'd been convicted of what Weiss had done. On top of that, there was every chance that she would be harassed by people over what she had done. She definitely wouldn't be getting off easily.

And, in order to obtain this, she would have to join with Roman in his effort to infiltrate Mistral's underworld, something the normally confident and cocky Roman expressed genuine trepidation about attempting. The mission Glynda had put before them would be dangerous in the extreme, with life-threatening consequences, if they failed.

"And if she doesn't take this mission?" asked Gin.

"Then she returns to her cell to serve the remainder of her sentence," said Glynda frankly. "She will receive no other opportunities, and will only be able to hope that she can obtain parole."

Weiss swallowed and nodded.

Ruby pursed her lips. She didn't like the sound of this too much. There was a sense of coercion in all of this, even if Glynda was dangling one hell of a carrot to get Weiss' cooperation. The idea that this was the only hope Weiss had of getting any chance at becoming a Huntress again was one that Ruby didn't like all that much.

Glynda met Ruby's gaze. "I can see you don't like this," she said. "I understand your feelings. But Ms. Schnee's recent actions cannot be allowed to overturn the basis for our justice system. It is important that Huntsmen and Huntresses be held accountable for their actions, lest we lose the trust of the people. Overturning Ms. Schnee's sentence requires a serious demonstration of her commitment to being better. It is only thanks to the unique circumstances that she was a part of that she has this opportunity _at all_. There are other convicted Huntsmen and Huntresses who may be just as sincere about changing themselves for the better, who would still never have this chance."

"It's all right, Ruby," said Weiss. "I want to do this...I _need_ to do this."

"If you're sure..." said Ruby warily.

"I am," said Weiss, giving Ruby a small smile.

"I'm not," grumbled Nora.

Neo let go of Ayumu's arm, and lightly tapped Nora's shoulder. Nora turned to look at her, and Neo gave the other girl a cheerful smile, before flashing her a thumbs up.

"Well, if you're gonna be with them, I guess I can trust you," said Nora, finding it in herself to smile.

Roman chuckled and grinned. "Yeah...Neo's probably the least trustworthy person here. She does deception like it's going out of style."

Neo's expression indicated she took what Roman said as a compliment.

"Yeah, but she's Ayumu's girlfriend," said Nora.

Everyone gave Nora a deadpan stare...even Ayumu.

"I wonder about the way your brain works, sometimes," said Jaune.

"Only sometimes?" Blake muttered.

"Not to disparage my girlfriend, but I don't believe that is a suitable basis for establishing trustworthiness," Ayumu admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

Roman burst out laughing. "Well, she jumped right into the fire for you, boy. Never in a million years did I think Neo would do that for anyone besides me. Let me tell you, after what she's done, she's committed to this."

Neo walked up to Ayumu, resting a hand against his chest, looking up into his eyes with one of the warmest, most loving smiles anyone had ever seen on her face.

"Well then...I suppose that's reason enough," said Ayumu. Leaning down a little, he kissed Neo on the lips. "It's in your hands then."

Neo nodded and skipped back away from Ayumu, moving past Glynda to stand next to Roman.

"Welp...there you have it, kids," said Roman, raising his hands. "Are we doing this or what?"

"I suppose we are," said Jaune, letting out a resigned sigh.

"So...how are those three gonna get in with Mistral's underworld?" asked Qrow. "Last word was that they were still in Vale's custody. That's gonna make people suspicious."

"That's actually the easiest problem to solve," said Glynda, adjusting her glasses again. "To put it simply, we will stage Mr. Torchwick and Ms. Schnee's escape from custody. They will then 'flee' to Mistral, in order to escape the manhunt for them."

"That's still gonna be tricky," said Qrow. "The folks in Mistral are old hands at this. They've seen that trick before. It's a favorite way for the forces of law and order to make use of turncoats. Hell, I've seen some syndicates kill escapees on sight, just because they don't want to take the chance of him leading a sting."

Weiss swallowed, tensing uneasily. Roman didn't look much better, his expression grave. "Believe me, I'm aware of that," he said. "But it's still the best shot we've got. I guess it's just up to our ability to sell it."

"Good luck with that," said Jaune.

Blake laughed softly, to everyone's surprise. "Well, we don't have too much to worry about then," she said, actually giving Roman a smile. "After all, I remember you winning an entire warehouse full of angry, anti-human faunus with just a few well-chosen words. If anyone can do this, it's you."

"I'll certainly give it my best," said Roman, straightening and...amazingly...blushing at Blake's praise.

"So that's how it is," muttered Jaune.

"What?" asked Gin, looking at him.

"Roman and Weiss are going to 'escape,'" said Jaune, looking around at his friends. "And we're going to be sent to Mistral after them, by saying that we're 'pursuing' them."

"That will be your cover, correct," said Glynda, smiling approvingly at Jaune's insight. "As students, it's natural that you would approach Haven for assistance on this matter, which will provide opportunities to investigate their staff for Salem's mole, while the other three conduct their own investigation."

"We'll do it," said Ruby.

"Not much choice," said Jaune.

"We're in," said Ren, speaking for both himself and Nora.

"No need to ask us," said Gin, speaking for him and Ayumu.

"I can't," said Blake.

Once again, the conversation stumbled to an awkward halt, as everyone now turned to give Blake a questioning look.

"I thought you were okay with this," said Ruby, worried. She supposed that Blake harbored plenty of resentment towards Weiss. Perhaps she had underestimated that.

"It's not that," said Blake. "This is definitely the best option for us." She looked at Weiss intently. "I may have my misgivings, but...I don't have any legitimate reason to object. It's just...I can't come with you."

"Why not?" asked Nora plaintively.

"There's...somewhere else...I need to go," said Blake.

"Where?" pressed Ren.

"Home," said Blake simply, "Menagerie."

"Are you kidding me!?" exclaimed Nora. "The fate of the world is at stake, and you're gonna ditch us to make a home visit!?"

"Nora!" snapped Ren, giving Nora the most commanding glare he could muster. "You know better." He turned a warm smile on Blake. "We lost our families a long time ago. You need to treasure yours while you can."

"I know," said Blake, hugging herself. "This last battle made me painfully aware from that. I want to see my family again... _need_ to see them again...and make things right. But...that's not all."

"What else is there?" asked Jaune.

"Roman's group is going to investigate Mistral's underworld," said Blake. "The rest of you are going to be looking into Haven. But there's one other avenue that we need to consider."

"Oh!" exclaimed Ruby, realizing what Blake was getting at. "The White Fang."

Blake nodded slowly. "My father, Ghira Belladonna, is the Chieftain of Menagerie. Before that...he was the previous leader of the White Fang."

Jaws dropped around the room, with only Glynda showing no real surprise. Blake had never really talked about her family much, only making vague references to them, on rare occasions.

"Sienna Khan forced Dad to step down," Blake explained. "And now, at least a portion of the White Fang are working with Salem. I want to see my parents again. But I also think that they can help us to do something about the White Fang."

"Define...something," said Gin.

"I know that Dad is still in contact with Sienna," said Blake. "Hopefully we can use that to find a way to turn the organization around."

"I'm not sure...but you might be onto something," said Jaune. "I mean, I remember the Shrimps talking throughout that fight. They definitely didn't seem happy with whatever Adam's people were doing. So, yeah...If we can pressure the White Fang's leadership into splitting with Adam's faction, maybe we can keep the whole organization from falling under Salem's influence."

"Worth a shot," said Ruby, nodding.

"I agree," said Glynda, nodding slowly. "It was remiss of me not to consider your connections to the White Fang and Menagerie, when coming up with this plan."

"So...we're basically going three ways here," said Jaune. "Roman's group is going on ahead to Mistral. The bulk of us will be in Ruby's group, going after them. Then Blake's group is going to head for Menagerie."

"Wait! Group?" Blake blinked and frowned.

"Yep," said Ruby, both her and Jaune nodding. "We're not going to do this 'this is something you have to do yourself' song and dance, Blake. You're going to be going against at least part of the White Fang, so you'll need _some_ kind of backup. Someone's going with you."

"Well, it's not going to be me," said Gin frankly. "I go to Menagerie and I'll wind up touching off a single-target-race-riot. Blake's job's going to be hard enough without the townsfolk breaking out the torches and pitchforks."

"Well, yeah, but you were gonna come with me anyways," said Ruby with a giggle.

"I will need at least one of you to accompany Mr. Torchwick and Ms. Schnee," added Glynda.

Ayumu felt a gentle tug on his arm, and looked down to see Neo pulling at him. "Well, I suppose that I have just been volunteered," he said cheerfully.

Ruby and Nora made little effort to muffle their amused snorts.

"Well, that doesn't settle the question of who's going with Blake," noted Ren.

"I think I have an idea..." said Ruby.

* * *

Yang's fist slammed against the trunk of a tree, shattering it with a crash. With a flash of gold, a jet of pure energy lanced out from the splintering wood of the side opposite where she'd hit, smashing through a portion of another tree trunk, gouging out a half-circular indent. A few seconds later, the remainder of that trunk proved unable to support that tree's weight, and it too toppled over with a crash.

Yang paused, panting for breath. Scattered around her were several such remains. Leaves, dyed their autumn colors, danced down through the air. Briefly, she entertained the thought that she was looking a little like Gin, her breaths releasing puffs of condensed moisture into the chilly evening air, much the way Gin sometimes did unconsciously with his Semblance.

"Wow," was all that Ruby said, when she came into the Yang-made clearing. "And you weren't even using your gauntlets."

Yang found herself sporting a rueful smile. "Your boyfriend knows what he's talking about, that's for sure."

Ruby nodded, standing a short distance behind her sister, waiting.

"I'm not like you, Ruby," said Yang, after several moments of hesitation, still facing away from her sister.

"I know," said Ruby.

"I don't care if she knows what she did was wrong," continued Yang. "I don't care if she's trying to turn over a new leaf. I can't forgive Weiss...I _won't_ forgive her."

"I know," said Ruby.

Yang turned to face her. "If you can forgive her, that's fine. It's your prerogative. You're the one she tried to kill, after all."

"I know," said Ruby.

"But I won't," continued Yang. "When I look back on what happened, on what she did, all I can think about was how that double-crossing bitch lied to us. She had the gall to stab you in the back, then look us in the eyes and take over the team, and act as though it was in your memory." Yang's eyes had briefly returned to their original lilac color. But now they were turning red once again. "I won't accept that. Every minute that she was the leader of our team was an insult."

"I know," said Ruby.

Stepping forward, Ruby opened her arms. Yang accepted the invitation, the two girls wrapping each other in a tight hug.

"It's okay," said Ruby softly.

"It's just..." Yang sniffed. "I know it's petty. We've got so much to deal with. But I can't just..."

"It's fine," Ruby assured her, pulling back enough that she could look her sister in the eyes again. "Your feelings are important, Yang, because of what's at stake. I couldn't accept your help in anything, if your heart wasn't in it. The big picture is important, but I can't let that stop me from thinking smaller."

A snort escaped from Yang's nose. "It always comes back to that, doesn't it?"

"Yep," said Ruby. She stepped away, but slid her hands down Yang's arms to take her own hands, and hold them gently. "I can't completely understand your feelings. Just like you aren't me, I'm not you. I went through the experience of being betrayed and attacked. But I didn't go through the experience of losing my sister, going to her funeral, spending months on a team that was led by her murderer. Part of that is my fault. I could have come straight back, but I wanted...I needed to get stronger. So part of this is my fault too."

"Maybe," conceded Yang. "But I don't begrudge you doing what you did."

"Thanks," said Ruby. "That's why I understand, if you can't accept working with Weiss. But there are still things that need to be done."

"So I guess I don't really have a choice, do I?" asked Yang rhetorically.

"You do, actually," said Ruby. "A leader needs to know when to put her foot down and make someone listen to her. But a leader also needs to know when to compromise."

"What kind of compromise?" asked Yang.

Ruby's smile widened a little. "Well, because you left pretty early on, you don't know everything that we talked about. I guess I'll have to fill you in."

* * *

It was a restful few days that the group spent in Patch. Ruby had fun, catching up with her Signal friends again, especially now that she could share the truth about her weapon with them. Cobalt was the most ecstatic, eagerly beginning plans for his own materialized weapon, while Nina and Chloe ribbed Ruby for keeping them in the dark about her "magic trick." Besides Cobalt, many other students were fascinated by the notion, expressing genuine interest in the art. Some of the younger ones stated that they would like to try materializing their weapons, rather than forging them the way most older students did.

Besides that, Ruby and the others spent time with Taiyang, Qrow, and Amber; or wandered through the streets of Patch. Ruby and Gin took walks through the island's forests, enjoying the autumn colors washing across the trees. It was a wonderful, quiet respite from the burdens that awaited them, once they returned to Beacon, and the ones that awaited them at the end of the year.

It was probably more than just coincidence that the period of their "mission" just so happened to overlap with a rather important date...Ruby's birthday. For that, they received a special treat, once again arranged by Glynda, whose tenure as Headmistress of Beacon had apparently incited her to dote on Ruby a little. Glynda had arranged for a bullhead to fly them out to Withywindle, allowing Ruby to spend her birthday dinner, along with her friends and family, at a certain tavern.

Farran was true to the promise he'd made prior to the tournament finals, making full use of the wealth of ingredients afforded by the harvest season. He happily prepared some of his best dishes for the group, his skills winning over everyone in a heartbeat. Also true to his promise, Farran showed no concern at the thought of having a dragon-faunus in his establishment, even taking the time to make sure the tavern was closed down early for the evening, so that Ruby's group could have the place to themselves.

Finally, the time came for them to return to Beacon. Once again, it was a bit unsettling to settle back into student life. Of course, there were some added complications. The issue with the wall, and the fall of Beacon Tower had left everyone talking about those matters for a while. But now conversations were shifting back to other topics, including Ruby and Ayumu, and their statements after the tournament finals.

As students, Ruby and Ayumu were possessed of limited free time. However, they did what they could, accepting Lisa's requests for interviews, giving her an opportunity to get more insight into Ayumu's life as an SDC laborer, while they both emphasized that the importance of Dust as a resource should not give Jacques Schnee license to do what he pleased. Interestingly, they found themselves making quite a bit of headway. Of course, with the tower down, so too were transcontinental communications, meaning that there was no one from Atlas to confront Ruby and Ayumu over what they were saying.

It got other people talking as well. Ruby and her friends found themselves watching discussion panels set up by the VNN; moderated by Lisa, of course; where experts debated at length a number of topics; including Dust, its importance, legislation concerning it, and what corporations could be permitted to get away with. There were also panels about faunus relations, which, to Lisa and the VNN's credit, included actual faunus to provide a clearer picture of what life was like for them, raising awareness of issues that many humans overlooked.

It was all fascinating to watch. Of course, not all the developments were good ones. Word had finally arrived from Atlas that Jacques Schnee had officially challenged the tournament results, demanding both Ruby and Ayumu's disqualification for rule violations. Fortunately, Ruby and Ayumu were pleased to learn that the tournament committee was on their side, and had already produced an argument in favor of upholding the pair's tournament record.

And then there were the personal attacks. Ruby had never received much in the way of mail, back when she'd started at Beacon. Even after she'd returned, and amidst all the controversy that had stirred up, her inflow of mail remained largely unchanged. As she'd advanced through the Vytal Festival Tournament, that had gradually changed, with more letters coming in from prospective sponsors, asking Ruby for endorsements, or offering her various deals. Of course, once she and Ayumu had made their statement, many of those offers had stopped cold. Ruby certainly hadn't heard from any weapon or Dust purveyors since that day.

However, what _had_ replaced those offers was disturbing...and painful. Ruby had received letters calling her an assortment of names for her willingness to promote faunus rights. She'd been accused of sympathizing with the White Fang, even called a traitor to the Kingdom. And then there were those who decried her and Ayumu for bringing politics into the tournament, accusing them of sullying the affair, and trying to force their dogma down the throats of their audience. Occasionally, these letters contained not-so-subtle threats to her life.

Despite that, Ruby wasn't largely bothered. Death threats clumsily scribbled onto a sheet of paper tended to lose their sting, when Ruby had been targeted for death for real. She'd fended off much more dangerous people than the ones who scrawled out impotent threats onto letters, from the safety of their living rooms. She was a little bothered to learn that her father had been receiving some harassment as well, including threats of his own. But Taiyang had assured her that there was nothing to worry about. After all, he was a veteran Huntsman, and could take care of himself. Amber might not have been the Fall Maiden anymore, but she was no slouch in combat herself, now that she was fully recovered. Between the two of them, they could handle themselves.

Then some especially dark news arrived. Official word came from Atlas, the SDC in particular, announcing a complete embargo on Dust distribution in Vale. Not only did this apply to Dust from Atlas, but Dust that was obtained from the mines and quarries located in Vale's territories. Presently, Vale was the only Kingdom suffering from such an embargo, but there were signs that it might spread to the other three Kingdoms. After Jacques' attempt to challenge the tournament results had fallen through, he'd apparently decided to resort to more drastic measures. It was a shocking development, to say the least, that Jacques Schnee would be willing to do so much damage to his company's profits, primarily for the sake of punishing a small number of people for what they had said about his practices. It was even odder that this had been the consequence, instead of the legal actions that they had been sure were forthcoming. It was strangely drastic.

As a consequence, the price of Dust rose astronomically...but so did interest in alternatives.

The weeks continued to roll by. Unfortunately, despite the difficult mission they were about to take on, Glynda wasn't about to give the group leave from their lessons, or their exams. It appeared that Glynda had reached the limit of her willingness to dote on her students, as, this time, there was no automatic pass issued for their final exams, requiring that Ruby and the others study to the best of their ability. Fortunately, passing their exams didn't prove such a difficult task.

So it was, with the first snows of winter still fresh upon the ground, that RUBY and JNAR completed their first full year as students of Beacon Academy. Following that, they returned to Patch for their winter break, while awaiting word from Glynda that they could start out on their mission.

Finally, word reached them that Roman and Weiss had carried out their "escape" from Beacon. Glynda arrived personally to share that information with them, as well as to deliver their instructions.

* * *

"How much does the Council know?" asked Ayumu, a little concerned about the notion. After all, if the Council knew the particulars of Roman and Weiss' mission, then there was a chance that their mission could be compromised from the start.

"Just that they will be performing an extremely dangerous undercover mission," said Glynda. "I had to share that much with them, if only to assure their cooperation, and their willingness to provide favorable terms to Ms. Schnee and Mr. Torchwick, should they come through."

"Good enough, I suppose," mused Ayumu.

Glynda smiled. "Ironically, the loss of the tower works to our advantage, in this situation. Even if there is an information leak, there is no means for that information to rapidly make its way all the way to Mistral. So your team should be able to make progress in their mission, even if they are ultimately found out."

"I suppose," said Ayumu. "So I guess we'll be heading out soon."

Glynda nodded. "There's a transport already waiting at Signal's air-dock. Mr. Torchwick and Ms. Schnee are there. Once you and Ms. Capello join them, you'll set out for Mistral immediately."

Ayumu and Neo nodded.

"What about us?" asked Ruby.

"Ms. Rose, your team will set out about a day later," said Glynda. "Unfortunately, as rough as travel between the Kingdoms has been lately, the airship for Mr. Ao's team is all that we could spare, particularly since we are not likely to get that one back. Escaped criminals don't do returns, after all."

"So that means we're..." Ren already looked resigned.

"I'm afraid that you will have to get to Haven by foot," said Glynda. "It's an arduous journey, across the largest Kingdom in Remnant."

"It'll be fine," said Gin, sharing a sidelong smile with Ruby. "We can make our own way."

"I'm reassured," said Glynda, with a relieved smile. She turned to Blake. "And you..."

"We're ready," said Blake. "I know that we can find passage to Menagerie from Teleri."

"And that's well within the range of our regular air transports," noted Glynda. "Mr. Ao, Ms. Capello, you'll meet up with the rest of your team tonight. The rest of you will set out tomorrow." She stood up and headed for the door. "I'll leave you to say your goodbyes." On the way out, she paused. "Thank you...all of you. I couldn't be more proud to say you were my students." With that, she was gone.

"Well...I guess this is it," said Ruby, looking around at her friends. It felt surreal that, after tonight, they would all be going their separate ways.

In the end, it had been decided that Yang and Jaune would accompany Blake to Menagerie. Meanwhile, Ruby, Gin, Ren, and Nora would take the overland route to Mistral, while Ayumu went ahead with Roman, Weiss, and Neo. Hopefully, their paths would bring them all back together. But, for now, they were going their separate ways, each to do their own part in this larger battle.

"The path ahead is difficult," said Ren firmly. "But I believe in our strength to see it through to the end."

Yang looked worriedly at Ruby. "Just be careful," she said. "We all know that you have more than Salem to worry about."

Ruby and Gin nodded gravely. It was something that hadn't been brought up, that they hadn't needed to bring up. But there would always be an extra source of complication for three of them. Yu Yuen hadn't appeared since unleashing Typhon on Vale. But they knew he likely wasn't far, and that he wouldn't hesitate to add his own spin on matters, if that meant pushing his students to surpass their limits.

"On the bright side, as crazy as things are getting, I think we're doing a good job of pushing ourselves," noted Ruby. "We can hope that that'll keep him satisfied."

"But we can't count on it," muttered Gin. "The harder we push ourselves, the harder he'll want to push us."

"True," agreed Ayumu. "However, where Master Yu is concerned, there's nothing to do but take things as they come."

* * *

Ayumu and Neo set out for Signal after dinner. The next morning, Ruby and Yang headed up to a familiar cliff, overlooking the sea. Paying one last visit to their mother, before setting out on their journey. The two stood side by side, praying before Summer's grave, while their friends waited behind them. Finally, with their last matters taken care of, they exchanged one last fond goodbye with Taiyang and Amber, before setting out. Their paths would lie together until they reached the other side of Sanus. But, from there, they would be traveling separately.

Glynda used one of Beacon's bullheads to ferry the group to Teleri. As Blake had predicted, it wasn't difficult to find a ship to book passage to Menagerie on, while Ruby's group found another ship traveling across to Anima. Both ships would be leaving relatively soon, though the one to Menagerie would be departing first, with the one to Anima set to leave the next day.

At the docks, everyone exchanged their final goodbyes. Yang and Ruby hugged tightly.

"I feel like I should be going with you," Yang said.

"It's okay," said Ruby. "Even if we're going on different paths, we're all in this fight together. Look after Blake and Jaune."

"I will," said Yang.

Meanwhile, Jaune exchanged his own goodbye hug with Ren and Nora.

"It doesn't feel right, splitting up like this," said Nora, tears in her eyes.

"Hey, no matter what, you two are a part of my family," said Jaune fondly. "After Dad disowned me, you and the others are pretty much all the family I've got."

"I know that feeling," said Nora, throwing her arms around Jaune again.

"Be safe," said Ren. "Between your Semblance and your Legacy, you're much stronger than before, but you shouldn't overdo things."

"I know," said Jaune, reaching out and pulling Ren into another hug of his own. "I've got Yang and Blake with me, so I'll be fine. You guys are the ones who are gonna be trekking across an entire continent."

Nora sniffed, and wiped her eyes. "I feel bad for Ruby and Gin. We're probably gonna slow them down a lot."

"Hey, this is your chance to get a lot stronger," said Jaune. "Remember, this kind of trip was what Ruby used to train for her fight with Weiss and Pyrrha. You two can do the same. Heck, I'm sure that Ruby and Gin would be happy to give you some pointers."

"I think that will be helpful," said Ren, glancing over at Ruby and Gin, the latter now exchanging a hug with Yang, who leaned down to whisper something into Gin's ear, which resulted in his face going bright-red, and him leaping out of her arms. "At the very least, we can probably get a taste of the kind of training Ruby had, on the way back to Vale."

"As long as we don't wind up students of that Yu guy, I'm good," said Nora.

Jaune nodded. "I share that sentiment," he said.

Ren rested a hand on Jaune's shoulder. "You and Yang will need to be especially careful. You might be traveling with Blake, but I can't imagine that the people of Menagerie will be overly fond of humans."

"Hey, even if they aren't, most of them aren't the White Fang," said Jaune. "Ideally, we won't be there to start a fight. Besides, it's important to show that humans and faunus can be friends and work together."

"True," agreed Ren, now looking over at Blake, surprised to see that she was taking her turn to share a hug with Gin. It was remarkable to think that Blake had once been terrified by the presence of the dragon-faunus, but now regarded him as another member of Team RUBY's family.

A horn sounding from the ship was the final indicator that passengers needed to board. Reluctantly, Ren and Nora parted from Jaune, while Ruby and Gin watched Blake and Yang leave, the trio making their way up the ramp to the ship. Finally, with everyone aboard, the ship pulled out of port, steaming off towards the horizon. Ruby, Gin, Ren, and Nora watched it go for a while, until the vessel became nothing more than a gray blur against the blue plane of the sky, where it met the deeper blue plane of the ocean surface.

"Let's head back to the inn," said Ruby, turning around. "We've got a long trip ahead of us, and it starts tomorrow."

"Of course," agreed Ren.

The four of them headed back to the inn in a comfortable silence.

* * *

"'There will be no victory in strength.' You said that to Old Man Ozzy, once upon a time. That's a pretty good laugh, as though you understand anything about strength. Oh yeah, you know a thing or two about power...but that's another kettle of fish, though I imagine that someone like you wouldn't see the difference."

Even though Yu's body was somewhere on the continent of Sanus, his awareness was leagues away, tracing over the mountains of a distant, dark land, looked over by a white figure, dressed in black.

"What is strength? I've spent the whole of my life looking into all the answers to that question. You'd be amazed how many different ones there are. The tricky thing is figuring out the right strength for the right task. You know nothing about how many kinds of strength there can be. There's more strength in a grieving widower to find the wherewithal overcome his depression and meet the needs of his daughters than there is in all the monsters you could spawn from the ooze. So that means bringing you down is a matter of finding the _right_ strength to the task.

"Locks aren't just locks because they seal things away. Locks are also locks because they have keys. The key to your lock, the key to your destruction...it's not something all that difficult to find. There is a strength that those kids can find that will bring you down. It won't even be that much of a task for them now.

"I can't thank you enough for doing such a good job with my kids, by the way. Every attempt you and yours have made to bring them down has only served to forge them, temper them, sharpen them. With each attempt you make to bring their path to an end, you only serve to clear the next few meters of it for them to forge ahead. Keep up the good work, and they'll be at your door, one day, and they'll bring the end that you've wished for for so long. That's good. Once those kids are ready for you, they'll almost be at the point where they're ready for _me_."

Yu's awareness shifted, now focusing in the direction of Mistral, towards an airship carrying four people, one of whom was his oldest student. Then he drew his awareness back, and brought it closer to his own position, allowing him to follow his other two students, as they and their friends boarded a ship across the sea to Anima.

"Work hard, you brats. Work yourselves to the bone. Put your heart and soul into everything you do, otherwise, you won't have a chance of getting out of this alive. Salem's small potatoes. The real challenge comes afterward. After all, you're still _my_ students to the end. And I'll be waiting to give you your final exam. You'd best make the most of this opportunity. If you finally come up against me, only to go down like chumps, I'll be pretty cross with you.

"After all, all of this has been for _me_ , to slake my boredom, to finally find the ones who would push me to take the next step. People have scoffed at the reality behind my strength. They ignore the backbreaking effort, the desperate clawing along the line between life and death that allowed me to make it this far. Some call me a god, because they can't comprehend the notion that a mere man could accomplish what I have. I don't really care about that. Those who would know say that I might even stand upon the same plane as the creators, the Brothers of Light and Darkness themselves.

"Wouldn't that be neat. After all, if I am a god already, then that means that there's something beyond that, something greater than a god. It's my chance to discover what that is. You three will be the ones who illuminate that path for me. The ideal father wants to be surpassed by his son, the teacher by his student, so gods should look forward to being surpassed by their creations. You kids will be the ones to lay down your lives to make that possible.

"So put your noses to the grindstone. Follow your path of power, wherever it may lead. After all, no matter which way your path takes you, however much it twists and turns, the destination will always be the same. I'll be there at the end...waiting for you. So come and get me."

Relaxing, Yu took a deep breath, then let it out in a satisfied sigh. Then, with a quiet chuckle to himself, he vanished to parts unknown.

* * *

 **And Yu gets the closing monologue. Seems fitting.**

 **And so, we come to the end. Roll credits...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **But don't leave the theater just yet. These days, no good show is complete without a stinger...and this story has _two_ of them. Stay tuned for the mid-credits scene...next time.**


	141. Epilogue-1

**Epilogue 1:**

Alarms rang throughout the hallways of Albus Polendina's airship. Ciel quickly staggered out of bed, only finding the presence of mind to pull a robe on over her pajamas, before reaching out to grab her rifle from the rack where she'd left it. After that, she swiftly opened the door to her cabin and stumbled out into the hall, desperately trying to rub sleep from her eyes.

A pair of hands steadied her by her shoulders, and Ciel looked behind her to see Peter standing there. He hadn't deployed his armor yet, so he looked rather mundane, wearing what appeared to be curved plates of gray over a pale-green shirt, with black shorts covering his upper legs. Though his expression didn't shift, Ciel could feel that he was concerned.

"What's going on?" she asked.

There was a flickering light from Peter's eyes. Ciel knew that he was synced up with the ship's systems, able to monitor it as though it were an extension of his own body. Right now, he was processing the information that connection was feeding him.

"There is an unknown reading from the lab," said Peter, his flat voice betraying nothing, but Ciel knew him well enough to know he was worried.

"The lab!" gasped Ciel, her mind immediately going to what was there. "Penny!"

"There are no signs of intruders," said Peter. "I'm picking up odd signals though. They are disrupting the monitors there, so I can't see what's happening."

"We'll just have to go check ourselves," announced Albus, coming from farther down the hall.

Technically, now that he had been inducted as a member of Beacon's faculty, Albus Polendina was entitled to housing with the other teachers. However, until Penny was finished with whatever program she appeared to be running, Albus had felt compelled to remain onboard with her, a sentiment Ciel and Peter both echoed, so they chose to remain onboard the ship as well. Glynda had been willing to accommodate them, allowing Ciel to live there, even as she attended classes at Beacon.

Of course, classes were over for the year. The final exams had been a breeze for Ciel, though she still lacked a team of her own. Glynda had promised to place her in the next year. Ciel felt a little reluctant about it, wondering if she could put her heart into being a part of a team that didn't have Penny on it. Still, she owed it to Penny to keep moving forward, to be the best Huntress that she could become.

The year had concluded with a slightly bitter turn of affairs, when Team RUBY and Team JNAR revealed to her that they had been chosen to set out on a long-term mission. Like everyone else, Ciel had heard about Roman and Weiss' escape, though she had her doubts about how real the 'escape' had been. She still didn't know the full particulars of the conflict that Ruby and the others were a part of, but she strongly suspected that this turn of affairs had something to do with it. Still, she had chosen to stay out of it for the time being, so she kept her curiosity in check.

With little else to do, not having any hope of spending time with her own family over the winter break, Ciel spent her time with Albus and Peter. She'd grown close to Penny's father and brother, close enough that she'd even learned to sense and read Peter's emotions. Albus had apparently been working on upgrades to help Peter emote better, as he was slated to join Beacon at the beginning of the year as well, but it was slow going. He was going to base Peter's upgrades off of Penny's diagnostic data, but couldn't access that until whatever program Penny was running was completed.

Whatever it was had been slow. This wasn't like some regular software update a person might run on their scroll, the kind that finished itself within minutes. Penny's program had been running for months, sometimes taking a day or more for the progress bar to advance so much as a single percent. However, it had been close to finishing.

"What do you think is happening, Doctor?" asked Ciel, as the three of them headed down the hallways.

"I can't be certain," said Albus. "But I suspect it may have something to do with her program. By my estimations, it would finish running sometime tonight, so I've been sitting up to wait for it."

It was a testament to how groggy Ciel still was to fail to notice that Dr. Polendina was indeed fully-dressed, and not looking as though he'd just fallen out of bed. Indeed, he looked thoroughly awake.

It took them less than a minute to cover the last distance between their rooms and the door to the lab. Albus slapped his hand on the scanner at the door, unlocking it so that it slid open to admit him. When the three of them burst into the lab, Ciel holding her weapon at the ready. They looked around for signs of any kind of threat. However, what they found left them with their jaws hanging slack, even Peter's, all thoughts of threats forgotten.

Penny's body remained where it was, laying face-down on the examination table. The wires running into her auxiliary power-socket and data port were both still in place. Everything looked normal with her.

The air above her was a different matter entirely. A swirling mass of pale-green energy had exploded into being above Penny's unmoving body, whirling and condensing inward on itself. Ciel watched it, her eyes growing wider with each passing second. There was no mistaking the feeling in the air. It was Aura. More than that, it was _Penny's_ Aura. Where it was coming from, Ciel couldn't say. Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu had all confirmed they hadn't been able to sense Penny's Aura, after her body had been damaged so catastrophically, which had been taken as a surefire indicator of her death. But now it was surging into being, seemingly out of nowhere.

"What in the world...?" gasped Albus, clearly having an even harder time wrestling with what was going on than Ciel did. As a brilliant scientist, his mind was intensely rational and logical, so an occurrence like this, that seemed to defy all conventional logic, almost seemed to be even further beyond his understanding than it was for a mere student Huntress, like Ciel.

The cloud of pale-green light continued to condense inward, wrapping around itself, Within the center of that maelstrom, the light formed into what appeared to be a shining rod of some kind, stretching out. Gradually, as more and more energy streamed into it, its form and outline began to shift, remaining straight on the top, but gentle curves forming along the bottom, the two sides tapering together to form a point. Then, gradually, the features became clearer, the energy congealing to form green and black metal, and a dark-gray handle. Ciel gasped as she recognized a slightly-altered version of the wire-guided swords Penny herself had once wielded. Its outline was subtly different through, the blade being slightly more curved towards the tip, reminding Ciel of her weapon in its talwar-form, though the curve wasn't as dramatically pronounced.

Slowly, Ciel stepped forward, handing her own weapon off to a stunned Peter, who was too shocked to do anything but silently accept it, as he continued to stare at the sword that had appeared out of nothing in the air above his deceased sister's remains.

Slowly, Ciel reached out and closed her hand around the handle of the sword. She shivered at the touch, feeling a spark of contact with the weapon, sending a sharp jolt down the length of her arm. It wasn't painful. The handle was warm...warm in a familiar way. It reminded her of the feeling of Penny's touch, the strange way her touch gave no indication that she was an android, with a metal chassis wrapped with a layer of synthetic skin. The handle of this mysterious weapon exuded that kind of warmth. It felt...alive.

"It would seem my earlier guess was correct," noted Albus. "Penny's final effort was indeed for you."

Ciel sniffled, tears running down her face. She held up the sword, turning it in her wrist, testing its balance. It felt...perfect, like a weapon she had forged with her own hands, perfectly designed to suit her personal tendencies as a fighter.

Feeling a familiar urge, she flicked her wrist deftly, the same move she used to trigger the transformation function of her own weapon. As she expected, the blade began to transform with a clicking sound. The upper half folded back over itself, the two sections of the blade joining at the spine, while the handle clicked down at an angle, the hinged section at the hilt, which featured Penny's signature symbol, sliding forward along the remainder of the blade's edge, which either retracted or dulled as the hilt ran along it, until it came to a halt a short distance away from the end of the folded weapon, a small portion of which folded down to connect with the handle, forming a second grip and trigger-guard. The section of the blade that had folded back over the top slid back, the tip retracting back into the rest of it, so that when it slid all the way back, it projected out slightly, forming the stock.

The outline was different, but Ciel recognized the overall shape of the bullpup rifle that was Vasilisa's primary mode.

Ciel let out a hiccuping sob. "Oh Penny..." she whispered, reveling in the weapon's beauty.

 _"_ _Yes?"_

Ciel shrieked and dropped the weapon. The rifle fell towards the floor, lighting up with a brilliant flash of pale-green that momentarily blinded everyone in the room. The sound that reached their ears was not the metallic clank of a weapon striking the hard floor, but the low thud of something heavier, yet softer, striking the hard surface.

"Oof!"

The light vanished. Ciel and Albus opened their eyes, then found themselves gaping once again, utterly baffled by the sight before them.

Gone was the sword-turned-rifle. Before them now rested a young woman with pale skin, a familiar freckled face, and a head of curly, orange hair. Her eyes were scrunched shut at the moment, her mouth forming a pained grimace as she leaned back, rubbing her behind. She rested in a sitting position, as though she'd been standing, and simply fallen over backwards onto her butt.

She was also completely naked, but that was barely even a concern at the moment.

"Ow..." With that final whimper of pain, the girl slowly opened her eyes, revealing familiar pale-green irises. "Bad landing strategy..."

"P-P-P..." Ciel couldn't even find it in herself to finish a single word, too stunned by the miraculous vision in front of her.

"Salutations," said Penny Polendina, beaming up at the friends and family standing before her. "Father...might I have some clothes? I didn't realize that being cold would feel this...uncomfortable."

"PENNY!"

* * *

 **And she's back! It was shortly after writing this, that I looked back on this epilogue and thought to myself, "Wait a minute...did I just turn Penny into a Zanpakuto?" After thinking about it, the answer is...yeah, pretty much. Oh well. Part of this scene is to establish something that will become important later on, in the sequel. But more on that later.**

 **In other news, I have two omake chapters, both of them canon, both of them taking place during the story, but I didn't really find room for them, when I was writing the main narrative. The first one I will post the day after tomorrow, and the second will be up after the final epilogue chapter, which is actually _three_ separate epilogues, but they were all way shorter than this one, so I wound up sticking them all together.**


	142. Omake: Cookie Interlude

**Okay, I know the story is technically almost over, but I do have one last couple of little things I want to share with everyone. And so...**

 **The following takes place during RUBY and JNAR's vacation on Patch, before the Vytal Festival.**

* * *

When Gin had come to Patch, he had expected to see the home Ruby had grown up in (and hear Yang somewhat-snidely comment, "She grew up?"), and see her father again. However, the last place he'd really expected to find himself was in said home's kitchen...with Ruby.

It wasn't so much that Gin thought Ruby was a bad cook. To think that would require that he see her cook...at all. When they were on the road, Ruby had been too busy with her training under Yu to worry about food, so Ayumu and Gin had done the worrying for her, making sure that she had something substantial to eat every morning and night. When they had gotten back to Beacon, Ruby had gone straight back to taking her meals in the cafeteria, when Jaune and Ren weren't volunteering to cook for the group. Gin had never seen Ruby so much as pick up a whisk.

So the very last thing he had expected was to find her in the kitchen now, measuring flour into a skillet, of all things, set onto a scale.

He'd been reading a book in the living room, when Ruby had abruptly called him into the kitchen. Given that Taiyang had pretty much declared a moratorium on further attempts to practice their recharging via all-day practice sessions, Gin, Ayumu, and Ruby had been forced to look into other activities. Often enough, Taiyang himself came up with ideas for what they could do. However, on other days, mainly when he had work at Signal, they were left to their own devices. They could have set up another practice session, but Ruby wanted to keep her father happy, still feeling guilty over taking so long to get back in touch with him after she'd "died."

"You can cook?" The words came out of Gin's mouth before he had the chance to rein them in. Immediately, he winced at his own tactlessness. _I should have better control than this._

The response from Ruby was a wince as well, causing a little extra flour to come out of the bag, which wound up getting on her apron. Looking up, she glared at him with that characteristic puffing of her cheeks that Gin, and pretty much everyone else who knew Ruby, found irresistibly adorable.

"That's mean," Ruby countered...before looking away with a guilty expression, "...even if it's mostly true."

"So you _can_ cook?" asked Gin, stepping closer.

"Well...not really," said Ruby, before sighing softly. "I mean...I can bake...one recipe. And that's it."

Gin smiled and moved his fingers to Ruby's chin, pulling her face around so that he could kiss her lightly on the lips. "That's one more recipe than I can make," he told her, "in an actual kitchen anyway. I've never made anything that couldn't be cooked over an open fire. Ayumu's the actual chef, between the two of us. But you knew that already."

"Yeah," agreed Ruby with a giggle.

"So...you wanted me to watch you bake?" asked Gin, dreading the answer he was about to receive.

"No, silly," said Ruby. "You're gonna _help_ me bake."

 _I knew it,_ thought Gin with amused resignation. "Are you sure you don't want me to call Ayumu over? I'm sure he'd love to bake with you."

"I know he would," said Ruby, before giving Gin a loving look, the look that made his heart pound alarmingly in his chest. "But I want to bake with _you_. This recipe is _really_ special to me, and I want to share it with you."

"O-okay," said Gin, surprised by the sentiment in her voice. He supposed that it would have to be a pretty special recipe, if it was the only one Ruby had really bothered learning so far. "What are we making?"

"Chocolate chip cookies," declared Ruby proudly, throwing out her shoulders, and puffing out her chest proudly.

"Somehow...I'm not surprised," said Gin. One thing he had discovered, after their return to Beacon, was that Ruby had two absolute favorite foods, which she felt no meal was complete without. One was strawberries, while the other was chocolate chip cookies, which made it a little awkward, as the latter were hard to come by at breakfast.

"Giiiiiiin!" whined Ruby, pouting at him again, drawing a smirk and a quiet chuckle from the boy.

"So...where do we start?" said Gin, taking his place beside her.

"Right," said Ruby. "First things first, I need you to start cooking this flour."

Gin stared down at the skillet full of flour. "Cook...flour?"

"Yep," said Ruby, as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Um...I thought you baked flour," said Gin, looking back up at her.

"We do that too...later," said Ruby. "But this is quinoa flour. So you have to toast it into the pan, otherwise it tastes kinda bitter when you finish baking it. So you've gotta toast it first."

"Toast it...right..." Gin looked down at the pan again. "How do I do that, exactly?"

Ruby blinked, and looked at him, then down at the pan. "Maybe _I_ should start cooking the flour."

"Probably a good idea," agreed Gin.

"You can measure, right?" asked Ruby. She showed him the recipe, printed on a sheet of paper, resting on the counter. "If you have trouble with anything, I can help you."

"I think so," said Gin, looking at the measurements on the recipe. He would need to be careful, and make sure to double-check everything with Ruby first. But he supposed it was doable. "Here we go..."

* * *

"No, Gin! That's a _tablespoon!_ You only want a _teaspoon_ of salt!"

"Sorry! Is this the right one?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"Okay...And now I put this in?"

"That's baking _powder_. You want baking _soda_ , the other one."

"What's the difference?"

"You know...I'm not sure. I just know that, it you use the wrong one, the cookies end up really weird."

"Okay. What about this Xanthan stuff? It's called Xanthan gum, but it sure doesn't look like gum to me."

"If you mix it with water and stuff, it gets really sticky and...well...gummy, I guess."

"And we're putting it in the cookies?"

"Yep. Okay, that's the dry ingredients. Now start with the wet ingredients."

"Why is sugar a wet ingredient?"

"...I don't know. It just is."

"Okay."

Yang couldn't help but chuckle as she leaned against the kitchen door, watching the two lovebirds dance around one another. Well...Gin was doing most of the dancing, as Ruby was presently stuck at the stove, carefully stirring the panful of flour to make sure it didn't burn as she toasted it over the Dust-burner. In the meantime, Gin was questioning her incessantly about every measurement and ingredient, more often than not just making sure he didn't make any mistakes that could throw off her recipe, but also when something occurred to him that didn't make sense, which was fairly often, considering he'd never baked before.

"Well, I wasn't expecting this," said Ayumu, leaning over to peer through the door, watching Gin and Ruby work. "I'm surprised to see Gin in the kitchen, even if it is with Ruby."

"I'm not," said Yang, grinning. "I figured that, sooner or later, Ruby would be doing this with him." She sighed. "It really takes me back."

"I'm guessing that _you_ used to be the one baking, with Ruby helping you," said Ayumu.

"Yep," agreed Yang. "And it looked a lot like this, especially the first couple of times. Ruby had questions about everything, and was always really worried about making sure she didn't make any mistakes." Yang sighed wistfully, watching the pair with envious eyes.

"Wishing you were with her?" asked Ayumu, noticing her envy.

"A little," said Yang. "But most of me is just giddy as all get out that Ruby's grown up, and found someone she can do this with herself." A tear made its way down her cheek. "Someday...Ruby'll be doing this in a nice kitchen at her own place, with a little girl of her own to help her out...and pester her with questions the whole time."

"Someday," agreed Ayumu, patting Yang on the shoulder. "But I'm sure Ruby wouldn't mind doing this with you still. You could always instigate it next time."

"Yeah," agreed Yang. "But definitely not today. I'm just gonna let her and Gin have this..." Her grin turned mischievous, and she produced her scroll with all the flair of a conjurer pulling a coin from behind someone's ear. "...and take lots of pictures, of course."

"Of course," said Ayumu, with a small laugh, a laugh that he was soon struggling to keep from getting louder a few minutes later, as Ruby poured the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer a little too fast...and wound up with a dusting of flour over her face.

* * *

Gin had never really been much one for sweets. But even _he_ had to admit that the aroma of the baked cookies was heavenly. They tasted fantastic too. He'd had chocolate chip cookies before...on extremely rare occasions. But these cookies were nothing like those. "These are great," he said.

"Aren't they?" asked Ruby rhetorically, already on her third cookie, the glass of milk next to her halfway drained.

"How did you come up with this recipe?" asked Gin.

Ruby was silent for a moment, and Gin noticed that a solemn shadow fell over her face. "Ruby...?" he asked, worried that he'd said something wrong.

Ruby sniffled, then wiped her eyes, before giving Gin a sad smile. "I didn't," she said. "These...these are Mom's cookies."

Gin blinked, his mouth opening slightly, lips parting with a nervous, "Oh..."

"It's okay," said Ruby, rubbing her eyes again, before trying to smile more happily. "I'm...I'm glad we still have this recipe. It's one of the last things we really have left of her, you know." Despite her best efforts, tears began to run down her cheeks. "After she...died, and Dad was still depressed, Yang would make these cookies for me, to help me feel better. When we got older, she taught me how to make them myself. I love them so much, because...well...because it's Mom's flavor."

Gin leaned in, cupping Ruby's cheeks with his hands, wiping away her tears with slow motions of his thumbs, meeting her silver eyes with his amber ones. "Thank you for sharing this with me," he said. "I'll help you make these as often as you want."

Ruby sniffed. "Thank you, Gin."

Gin's smile widened, and he pulled Ruby in for a lingering kiss, able to taste the cookies on her breath. When their lips parted, he rested his forehead against hers. "But, you know, the cookies are wonderful. But they aren't the _best_ thing your mother left behind."

"Wha-what?" gasped Ruby. "But then...what's the best thing?"

"I'd think that would be obvious," said Gin. "The best thing she left behind...is _you_. After all...you're far sweeter than any cookie."

Ruby sniffled...then snorted. A second later, she was giggling hopelessly. "Tha-that's so cheesy!" she said, her voice warbling with mirth.

"Cheesy...but true," said Gin.

Ruby laughed a little louder, scooting her body closer. A few seconds later, she shifted out of her chair to sit on Gin's lap, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, while he held her by her waist. "Thank you, Gin," she said breathily.

Gin merely bent her head back with a much deeper kiss than before, holding her tightly in his arms. After a few minutes of that, they broke part again. Ruby wasn't crying anymore, though her cheeks were still a little wet. "I love you," she said.

"I love you too," Gin replied, kissing her once more.

The cookies were momentarily forgotten, not to be consumed until a good bit later.

 **Fin**

* * *

 **Summer Rose's Chocolate Chip Cookies:**

Ingredients:

10 1/2 oz Quinoa Flour

1 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Ground Cloves (freshly ground if possible)

1 1/2 tsp Orange Zest or Dried Minced Orange Peel (if using the latter, grind along with cloves)

8 oz Butter (2 sticks)

8 oz Dark Brown Sugar

2 oz Granulated Sugar

1/3 Cup Whole Milk

1 Whole Egg

1 Egg Yolk

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

10 oz Chocolate Chips (Dark Chocolate or Bittersweet recommended)

In a large skillet over medium heat, toast the quinoa flour, stirring continuously, for 10 to 15 minutes or until slightly browned. After toasting, set aside and allow to cool. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Allow butter to cool slightly before using.

Combine quinoa flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt together using a whisk or sifter to aerate as you work. In small measuring cup, combine milk, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and whisk until combined.

In the work bowl of a stand mixer, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, and butter. With the paddle attachment, mix by hand until the butter has been absorbed by the sugar (this keeps it from splashing out later on). Attach paddle to mixer and mix at medium speed until sugar and butter mixture is light and fluffy. Slowly drizzle in the liquid ingredients, mixing at low speed until fully incorporated. Add the cloves and orange zest.

Using a paper plate or flexible baking sheet, integrate the dry ingredients into the mixture slowly. Work in at least three installments and wait until each installment has been fully integrated before starting the next. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Add chocolate chips and mix until fully integrated.

Chill dough in the refrigerator for a minimum of one hour.

Set oven to 350 degrees.

Scoop dough into 1 1/2 oz portions onto baking sheet and portion six to a sheet, baking two sheets at a time. If not using nonstick bakeware, line baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes, rotating pans top to bottom and back to front halfway through the process. Cookies should be browned around the edges and only partly set in the center. Remove from oven and move cookies to cooling racks. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before eating.

* * *

 _Addendums:_

This recipe is based on the one Alton Brown used in his substitutions episode of _Good Eats_ , where he whipped up a variation of his chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe with a different flour, for the benefit of people who can't eat gluten. His recipe uses brown-rice-flour, cut with cornstarch, while mine uses quinoa flour. Unlike brown rice flour, quinoa flour doesn't need to be melded with anything to keep it from getting grainy. It technically doesn't need the xanthan gum either, but the resulting cookies are generally on the softer, cakey side, and I like my cookies _chewy_. Using quinoa flour also means that this recipe is technically gluten-free. But that was more of a happy accident than anything else. The main reason I went with quinoa flour is because I like the flavor of it, that nice, earthy tone.

The stated amounts of cloves and orange zest for the recipe are rough guestimates on my part. One thing I have noted is that cloves have a much stronger flavor, so using less than the orange is generally better, otherwise cloves will be the _only_ thing you taste. I recommend experimenting, until you find the amounts that work for you. I like my spices to stand out pretty strongly against the chocolate.

Besides cloves/orange zest, you can apply all manner of spice combinations. I've tried variants of this recipe using grains of paradise, black pepper, long pepper, Sichuan pepper (yes, really), and even miso. Of all of them, only grains of paradise and miso have really worked out so far. While the flavors the various peppers imparted were actually quite delicious in their own rights, the main issue with using any kind of pepper, but especially Sichuan, is that their flavor compounds have a relatively low volatilization temperature, and, by the time they've baked and cooled, a lot of their flavor just winds up...gone, to say nothing of how it fades after the cookies have been left sitting for a while. If you use miso, you might want to adjust the amount of salt you mix in with the flour. Heck, I've sometimes used soy sauce in place of salt, just to better complement the flavor.

* * *

 **So, this recipe takes its inspiration from two things. First things first, ever since I began my first foray into RWBY fanfiction, (well before I actually started posting anything), I was enthralled with the idea of Summer Rose having her own unique recipe for chocolate chip cookies. The other inspiration came from a museum exhibit. A few years back, the Natural History Museum in our area hosted an exhibit on the history of chocolate. That was a lot of fun, in and of itself. But the gift shop for that exhibit was basically a chocolate shop, and one of the things they had on offer was hot chocolate, with clove and orange zest. Tasting that gave me the idea to integrate those flavors into chocolate chip cookies, which, for added uniqueness to the flavor-profile, would use an alternative to regular flour, quinoa flour in this case. And thus, these cookies were born.**

 **I would have liked to slip this little anecdote into the main narrative, but it was jam-packed enough already. So I wound up coming up with this nice little omake, which I hope that everyone will enjoy. There's one more extra in the pipe, which will be posted after the final epilogue chapter. That one will probably be my final entry in this story for a while, but it's something that quite a few of my readers have been clamoring for. So I hope they enjoy it.**


	143. Epilogue-2

**Epilogue 2:**

"It's good to see you've recovered," said Glynda, looking over her desk at the familiar figure of Qrow Branwen. It was pleasant to see that he no longer needed the cast and bandages.

"Yeah, well, it's gonna take a bit to get back into fighting shape," said Qrow, letting out a breathy sigh. "I've gotta make a new weapon too, now that Harbinger is a pile of scrap."

"I'm sure you will do so quickly," said Glynda. "I trust Ruby and the others, but they could still use the guidance of someone with both skill and experience."

"Yeah," agreed Qrow. Raising his right hand, he examined the object he held. It was a silver handle, with a large knuckle-guard extending out from the rounded portion at one end, which also sported a set of gold gears. "You sure it's okay for me to hold onto this?"

"You always were the one he put the most trust in," said Glynda, giving Qrow a fond smile. "I know that he'd want you to make sure that we keep moving forward."

"That sounds like Oz," said Qrow with a sigh. "All right. I'll get my rear in gear, get up to speed, then catch up to the kids. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to do it before they get to Mistral."

Qrow turned to head towards the window.

"Good luck," Glynda called after him.

Qrow glanced back at her, and nodded. Sliding the window of Glynda's office open, he jumped out, headfirst. A second after he fell past the line of the sill, there was the sound of fluttering, and a black, winged figure flew upwards, a lone crow winging its way through the sky, heading east.

* * *

Emerald was tired. There was no helping that. Travel between the Kingdoms had been no picnic before the CCT had gone down, and it had grown even harder now. To make matters worse, walking away from Salem's cabal had cut Emerald off from the impressive set of resources she had enjoyed as Cinder's disciple. For the first time in years, ever since Cinder had taken Emerald under her wing, Emerald had been forced to rely on her wits, and the skills that had helped her survive on the streets, before Cinder had finally found her.

It had started in Vale, of course. Emerald was a fugitive, so it wasn't as though she could just walk up and _buy_ a ticket on an airship heading out of the Kingdom. What was more, she'd needed capital. For someone in her position, that had necessitated falling back on her old skills, picking pockets and using her Semblance to bilk people out of their money. Even then, getting out of the Kingdom legitimately was a difficult proposition, to say the least. So she'd been forced to stow away on an outgoing ship. (If she had learned that she was resorting to the same trick a certain meddling monkey-faunus had used to get _into_ Vale, Emerald would have probably been sick at the irony of it all.)

From there, she'd resorted to a variety of tricks to make her way across the sparse settlements that formed the Kingdom of Vacuo, the harshest of the four Kingdoms. Working by her wits, and her skill with her fingers, she'd managed to find passage from one settlement to the next. It was a long journey, passing through harsh, dangerous terrain. She used her stolen money to buy transport where she could. But, on more than one occasion, she'd been forced to travel by foot.

But then she'd made it to the Vacuo itself. the Desert Kingdom was no thriving metropolis to be sure. However, the presence of Shade Academy served as an anchor for the forces of law and order, ensuring that the center of the Kingdom was not as lawless and anarchic as some of the places outside of it.

Despite that, Emerald was surprised when she was caught. Almost as soon as she'd passed the borders, she'd found herself surrounded by hard-eyed, stern police, who'd calmly ushered her into the back of a prison transport and driven her off. Emerald figured that Vale must have done something to extend her criminal status to the other Kingdoms, which made it all the more galling. Her goal was just in reach, only to be snatched away at the last possible second.

However, much to her surprise, when she emerged from the back of the vehicle, she didn't see the surroundings of a prison yard. Instead, she found herself standing at the entrance to Shade Academy itself. There, she found herself facing a girl who looked vaguely familiar.

The girl in question sported blonde hair, and watched Emerald with violet eyes. A green dress covered a significant portion of her tanned skin. It took Emerald a moment to place her. "You were in the tournament," she said.

The other girl smiled. "Yeah, I was," said Dew Gayl. "The name's Dew. My aunt is the Deputy Headmistress of this dump. She asked me to show you in."

"Nice of her," said Emerald.

"Well...the Headmistress is expecting you," said Dew, turning and beckoning Emerald to follow.

The pair made their way through the Academy, ultimately making their way to the Headmistress' office, which was, predictably, in the tower. Upon exiting the elevator, Emerald found herself entering into an office that was very different from the one in Beacon Tower.

Compared to the austere setting of Ozpin's office, this place was positively garish. Brightly-colored cushions were scattered about. A bookshelf occupying one side of the room held a broad selection of books, primarily children's books. On the other side of the room, Emerald could see an assembled selection of toys that appealed to a broad range of ages. Save for the desk that dominated the side of the room opposite where she'd entered, this place seemed less like the office of Shade's Headmistress, and more like a daycare.

Ozma was already getting up from her seat, swiftly making her way around the obstruction of the desk itself. She quickly came to a stop right before Emerald, a warm, welcoming smile on her face. "You came," she said.

"I did," said Emerald, unable to keep a small smile from her own face at the Ozma's genuine happiness to see her.

Ozma looked up into Emerald's eyes, and her expression fell. "Oh..." she said softly. Then she turned her gaze to look past Emerald, at Dew. "Thank you, Dew. You may go now."

"All right," said Dew, stepping back into the elevator without hesitation.

Ozma returned her gaze to Emerald. "What happened?" she asked.

Emerald sniffed. She shuddered. Suddenly, the weight of everything that had happened, everything she had been through, the arduous journey and all that had come before it, pressed down on her at once. Her legs buckled, and Emerald sank to her knees.

"She's gone," Emerald sobbed. "Cinder's gone!"

"Oh no..." said Ozma, quickly drawing Emerald into a tight embrace. "I'm so sorry."

"Why?" asked Emerald. "I thought you wanted me to come here. I thought you'd be happy."

"And I am," said Ozma, smiling sadly. "I'm happy that you are here. And I'm happy that you are whole and healthy. But I wanted you to come because it was what you _chose_ to do. I never wanted you to feel that that choice had been made _for_ you. You shouldn't have to suffer like this."

"It doesn't matter," said Emerald. "What's done is done."

"It _does_ matter," said Ozma. "Whatever the situation, whatever the stakes, your choices will _always_ be important." She leaned in, and gently kissed Emerald's forehead. "But still, you are here, and that is enough for me. I have been hoping that I would see you again, Emerald."

Emerald sniffled, leaning into the embrace. For a while, she simply allowed Ozma to hold her. After her grief and pain had subsided, she pulled back. "I guess I should hear what you have to say about this role you have in mind for me."

Ozma closed her eyes, still smiling, and shook her head. "That can come later," she said. "For now, you need rest."

"But-" Emerald began to protest, only to stop when Ozma pressed a finger to her lips.

"I _do_ have something in mind for you," said Ozma. "But that will come later. Above all else, what is important is making sure that you can walk a path that makes you happy. I want to see your smile and hear your laughter. So, before we begin talking about paths and roles, there is other work to be done, in order to help you feel whole once more."

With that, Ozma pulled Emerald into her embrace once more. "So, for now, rest. Be at ease, Emerald. You are safe, welcome, and so very... _very_...wanted. Welcome home."

* * *

Flames flashed. Scorching light burned his eyes. Searing heat burned his flesh. Everything disappeared.

With a sharp gasp, the boy sat bolt-upright in his bed, grasping his chest. For a second, his breath was a series of sharp pants as he struggled to come down from the sense of intense exertion that he felt...even though he'd only been sleeping before. He might have been asleep. But, in his dream, he'd been fighting. It had been so intense and vivid, feeling so completely real, that he momentarily had to check his arms and legs for any signs of burn marks.

Everything was intact. His skin remained as it always did, darkened by exposure to the sun and elements that was a natural part of his everyday life. Reaching up, he ran a hand through the messy, black hair that covered his head. His breathing finally coming back under control, the boy slid out from under the covers of his bed, going to the window of his room, which allowed him to see his eyes reflected back at him, their color forest-green towards the outside, but with highlights of burnt-orange and yellow around the pupil.

Through the window, he could see a faint haze of light decorating the eastern horizon. Dawn wasn't far away. Going back to bed was pointless now. His work started when the sun began to crest the horizon, so he had about an hour, at best. The boy supposed he should just get dressed and get a head-start on the day's work. It would probably give him the chance to finish up early, and do some extra reading in the evening.

The boy turned towards the dresser, going to gather his clothes to get dressed. While shrugging off the light, short-sleeved shirt that he slept in, he grunted, feeling a sharp itching across his neck and collar. Reflexively, his hand went up to the bandages wrapped around the area. He supposed now was as good a time as any to change them, so he began to unwrap them. They came away easily, exposing more skin, a slightly lighter tone, from being hidden away from the sun, but still a slightly-tanned color. However, that color was broken by a series of narrow, raised ridges of reddened skin that ran at a diagonal angle across his neck, running down and over his collar. There were four of them, running parallel to each other, the imprint of a set of vicious claws.

The boy reached up, gently tracing his fingers along the scars, his expression falling into an angry scowl.

* * *

 **And so...here we are. _Lost Rose_ has finally come to an end. I want to thank everyone who stuck around for all 140+ chapters of this beast. I'm grateful that my first entry into the RWBY fandom was so well-received and that people have enjoyed my work. I'm also grateful for the criticism that many of you have chosen to offer, even if, for the most part, this story was already too far along for me to act on much of it, seeing as the story was already mostly complete by the time I started posting chapters.**

 **There is one last omake that I will be posting the day after tomorrow, a special treat that several of my readers have been requesting quite vigorously, and something that I hope will satisfy them. After that...I'm done...for now.**

 **Okay...so now what? Well, there will be a sequel, obviously. While _Lost Rose_ itself is finished, there is no way I will be leaving things hanging like this. I certainly wouldn't have bothered with the obvious sequel-hook epilogues if I _wasn't_ planning on continuing this. That said, it will be a while before any sequel is ready to be posted. I've only just started writing it, as; while I'm getting ideas of where to go, and even have an idea of where I want to end up; I'm just plain tired. Between the writing of this story, and the editing of each chapter in preparation for posting, I'm just plain worn out. I've been working on another project in the meantime, one which should be up and running sometime soon.**

 **The story I've been working on is called _Red Thorn_. It's another entry into the "RWBY, but X" sub-genre of RWBY fanfiction. Much like my other story, _Crimson Eyes_ , it is another quasi-crossover with _Samurai Deeper Kyo_. I'm aware that _Crimson Eyes_ wasn't for everyone, but I hope this one will have broader appeal as, while characters and elements are recycled from that story (I'm lazy like that), the overall crossover elements are going to be in the background for the most part, as it is a Ruby-centric story, with the basic premise being "RWBY, but Ruby is even _more_ badass than canon" (overarching debates of _how_ badass canon Ruby is aside, I know there's been some dissension on the subject). It was a fun little passion project of mine that's been in the works since before I had started posting _Lost Rose._**

 **While I can't guarantee anything, I might also post additional omakes and extras for this story, if any should occur to me, but I can't make any promises, right off the bat, as the two omakes I've written so far are the only ones I've had in mind.**

 **Again, thanks for all your support, and see you next time.**


	144. Omake: A Very Cliche Birthday Present

**Since some of my readers have been pestering me for a GinXRuby lemon, well...I went ahead and wrote it...unquestionably the longest piece of smut I've ever written. For those of you not interested in that sort of thing, feel free to skip. You will not be missing anything, as the scene in question takes up about ninety-five-percent of this chapter...maybe more, and contains zero pertinent story or plot information. It is canon though, so there is that.**

 **Warning: The following is NSFW.**

* * *

 **Omake: A Very Cliche Birthday Present**

Dinner had been delicious, the best he'd ever had. For someone with his background, Gin had a surprising breadth of experience in trying different culinary creations, more than most people would expect. He and Ayumu had traveled a great deal during their training. While between settlements. their meals, as one might expect, tended to consist of whatever they could forage and cook for themselves. However, when traveling from settlement to settlement, they had a great deal of leeway, when it came to setting their destination. Their training was more about the space between those stopping points, so their teacher didn't care all that much _where_ they went, so long as they were going somewhere most of the time.

So, when it came to deciding which settlement to head for next, they were free to decide their destination by whatever logic struck their whimsy. Picking a settlement because it was known for a particular foodstuff or dish was one of their favorite ways. As such, the pair of them had sampled a wide variety of foods, prepared by an equally wide variety of chefs. It was that motivation that had spurred them into making the journey to Brandywine, for the sake of trying the settlement's famous tomatoes. Because of that, they had encountered a girl Gin's age, alone in the woods, left for dead. When one got right down to it, Gin could say that Brandywine's tomatoes had changed his life.

Ruby had keeled over laughing when he'd told her that.

However, of all the places he and Ayumu had eaten at, all the foods they had sampled, all the chefs who'd cooked for them; none of them quite matched up to the dinner Farran prepared for them to celebrate Ruby's sixteenth birthday, at his pub in Withywindle. Eating there had been a special treat, personally arranged by none other than the acting Headmistress of Beacon Academy herself, Glynda Goodwitch. She'd generously arranged for the bullhead flight out to the settlement, and promised that Beacon would cover the meal's expenses. So it was that Team RUBY, Team JNAR, Neo, Amber, Taiyang, and Qrow had been flown out to Vale's Breadbasket for a special dinner, promised to Ruby by the owner and head chef of a particular pub, whom they had befriended on their way through.

And Farran had gone all out. Making full use of the ingredients afforded by the fall season, he'd prepared a slew of his best dishes for them to enjoy, even going so far as to close down his pub for their personal use as a special favor. Even Gin's status as a dragon-faunus didn't stop the wolf-faunus from showing them the best hospitality he had to offer.

It had been a wonderful birthday. There had been laughter and conversation, singing and presents. Ruby had enjoyed herself to the extreme, basking in the affectionate treatment of her friends and family. She, quite rightfully, cited it as one of the best birthdays she'd ever had.

Dinner had gone fairly late into the evening. Rather than take the bullhead back that night, they had instead chosen to book rooms at the local inn, and depart in the morning. Just as with dinner, Beacon would cover their accommodations for the night as well. Ruby, Gin, and Ayumu remembered that the owner of this particular inn was the exploitative sort, by virtue of the fact that his was the only establishment in the settlement that was willing to permit faunus to book rooms, and was known to jack up his prices, if he knew a faunus was going to be doing so. The last time Ruby and the boys had come through here, they'd been forewarned, and pulled a fast one on the man, by having Ruby book a room for three on her own, ensuring that the man wasn't aware that there were two faunus accompanying her.

Of course, that was a trick that would only work once. There would be no fooling the innkeeper this time. However, Ruby had another advantage this time. She and Ayumu were none other than the winner _and_ runner-up of the Vytal Festival Tournament. The good press that could be garnered from having two such exalted individuals staying at his inn was enough to convince the innkeeper to keep his prices at their regular level, despite there being _three_ faunus in their party this evening. More importantly, upon the promise of a good word by Ruby and Ayumu for his place of business, the man also promised to forgo ever raising his prices for future faunus customers. And, if he tried to pull a fast one, Ruby and Ayumu were good friends with the proprietor of the primary faunus-friendly dining establishment in the settlement, which would ensure they would find out quickly, should the owner of the inn try going back on his word.

Theirs was a rather large party, so it had taken a fair few rooms to hold them all, made a little difficult in that, with it being the harvest season, this was the time Withywindle was seeing some of its heaviest traffic, as merchants were coming and going to buy up the farmers' crops for sale in other settlements, and Vale itself. Fortunately, there were enough rooms to go around that everyone was fairly pleased with the arrangement...especially Ruby and Gin.

Given the celebratory nature of the occasion, Gin was looking forward to a night of intimate affection, much like the one he and Ruby had shared after her victory in the tournament. At the start, things went pretty much as he'd expected. They'd said good night to their friends, Yang and Nora winking knowingly Ruby's way, prompting a blush from her. They'd entered their room. Ruby had taken her shower first, while Gin waited patiently, sitting on the edge of their bed. Then, when she exited, still toweling off her hair, it was Gin's turn.

Gin was fairly quick in the shower, not really needing to do too much to maintain his cleanliness. He did linger a little bit, as he had come to perceive hot showers as a luxury, compared to washing off in the icy cold waters of a stream or lake. However, he was in and out in just a few minutes, quickly brushing his teeth, then putting on his the shorts and tank-top that served as his own pajamas, and returning to the room, where Ruby was awaiting him.

Upon entering the room again, Gin saw that Ruby had gotten _him_ a present of his own.

Ruby had changed out of her pajamas, while he'd been in the bathroom. She'd switched into a rose-red cheongsam, similar to the one she'd worn during the Ball they'd attended at Beacon, though this one was somewhat different.

The deep-red of the fabric was decorated with subtle flower-print patterns across its entirety. The bodice consisted of two pieces, the upper portion enclosing Ruby's neck, and joining with the lower portion, creating a diamond-shaped window, through which a generous portion of Ruby's cleavage was visible. Narrow straps extended out to wrap around her upper arms. The skirt had been slit on both sides, with the slits running well up past Ruby's waist, with the portion above her waist being closed with white ties. As Gin watched, Ruby leaned forward slightly, the slit portions of her skirt spreading to bare her thighs, and a not-insignificant portion of her sculpted posterior.

Beneath the skirt, Ruby had pulled on a pair of black leggings, which ran up to her mid-thigh, their tops decorated with lacy garters. In addition, she wore similarly designed cuffs over her wrists.

At the sight of her, Gin's mouth went dry, his eyes going wide. His heart thudded almost painfully against his ribs as, before he could even begin to think about reining his reaction in, a certain part of him became almost painfully erect.

"R-Ruby...wha-what is this?" asked Gin nervously.

Ruby smiled bashfully, her cheeks turning pink, which only increased her allure in his eyes. She leaned forward a little more, enough for Gin to easily see the one thing that Ruby was _not_ wearing underneath her new dress...her panties.

"Secret birthday present from Yang," said Ruby with a shy giggle. "Though, you could say it's a present for you."

Gin's eyes widened. "A present for _me_...on _your_ birthday? I'm not sure that makes sense."

"Well..." Ruby looked down bashfully, her cheeks heating up. "I guess you could say...it's the present I actually _want_ from you."

"And that is...?" Gin had an inkling of what the answer was.

"I want _you_ ," said Ruby, her voice emerging as a husky whisper. "I want you to make love to me, Gin."

"I...that's...A-are you sure?" Gin's member was throbbing at this point. On a visceral level, there was nothing he wanted more than to take Ruby in his arms, pin her down on the bed, and pound away. Yet there was another part of him that wanted him to hold back, a part he had been working to overcome for several months now.

Ruby stepped towards him, her dress emphasizing every movement of her gorgeous, sculpted legs, bearing her thighs through the slits in her skirt. "I'm sure," she said. "I've been thinking about it, about everything we've done, everything we've been through, everything we're going to do in the future. Thinking about that made me realize just how badly I want this."

She came to a stop right in front of him. Raising her hand, Ruby gently pressed it against the center of Gin's chest. "I know I can trust you, and I know I love you. If anything, this was a pretty easy decision to make. I've already been inside your soul, and you've been in mine. Compared to that..."

Gin didn't need her to finish, knowing exactly what she meant by that. For several months now, they had been passing through one another's wellsprings, the point where the soul entered the physical world as Aura. Doing so was an act of the utmost intimacy, engaging with the very essence of what made a person's Self. It required complete trust and trustworthiness from the participants. Compared to that, the physical intimacy of actual sex...was hardly anything at all. Ruby could trust Gin with her body, because she had already trusted him with her soul...and Gin had done the same.

"I know it's asking a lot of you," said Ruby. "But...I wanted to ask this. If you're even a little bit unsure, I won't press it. But..." She looked at him plaintively. "...please."

Gin stared at her. For a few seconds, Ruby was afraid that he was going to decline, to say that he wasn't ready. She knew that Gin had traumatized himself with guilt over stripping her naked the very first time he'd met her, when she'd been unable to refuse _or_ consent to such an act. At the time, it had been to assess the injuries of an unconscious girl he and Ayumu had happened to encounter. However, as they had grown closer, and he had developed intense feelings towards her, Gin had begun to feel guilty over what he had done, feeling that allowing himself to experience any form of sexual attraction to her was a violation of her trust.

It had taken time, but they had managed to overcome that block. It had been gradual, Ruby encouraging Gin into acts of greater intimacy, a little at a time. It had reached its furthest point when he'd been able to drive her to a climax, after the final match of the tournament. Now she was asking him to take the next step with her.

So Ruby was mentally preparing herself for Gin to step away...when he instead reached out, clamping his hands on her waist, and pulled her closer.

Gin practically slammed his lips against hers, actually prompting a muffled sound of surprise from Ruby, though that quickly melted away into a moan of pleasure, as Gin's tongue pushed its way out of his mouth, prying her lips apart, and slithering into her mouth to tangle with her own tongue. Her hands reached up to grasp his shoulders, while Gin's arms slid around her waist to pull her body flush against his.

They stood there, locked in an intense kiss, clinging to each other like their lives depended on it. Gin's arms roamed up and down Ruby's back, his touch cool at first, but gradually growing warmer, as his excitement seemed to result in him absorbing Ruby's heat, and heat up in turn.

Ruby felt him push against her, forcing her back. She'd lost track of which direction they'd been facing, so it came as a surprise when her back hit the wall with a solid thud, the kind of sound that might have been audible to the inhabitants of the room next-door. That was hardly a concern to her at the moment, as she was too busy being absorbed by the sensation of Gin's body, pressed tightly against her own.

It was honestly a surprise, how assertive Gin was being. In all their past acts, he had always waited for her cue, always letting her set the pace. But now, Gin was actively pushing the situation forward. It was almost a little frightening.

Actually, it was _thrilling_. There was a strange sense of danger, but that was paradoxically accompanied by a sense of safety. This situation was strange and unfamiliar, Gin engaging her with an unexpected intensity. He could dominate her, do whatever he wanted to her...and yet, Ruby felt no real danger, because she knew that Gin would _never_ do anything to actually hurt her. Because of that, she was happy to completely surrender control, and let him take the lead.

And lead he did. As Gin pressed Ruby up against the wall, he kept one arm wrapped around the small of her back, while the other descended down, tracing its way along the edge of the slit on her skirt, before it traced its way back up along her thigh, briefly playing with the frills of her garter, before continuing on to bare skin. Hooking his fingers around her leg, Gin pulled Ruby's left leg up, allowing Ruby to wrap it around behind him. From there, he continued to slide his fingers up even farther, until they slipped around the curve of her behind.

Gin didn't merely hold Ruby's butt, but squeezed it, kneaded it...almost like a piece of dough. Through their joined mouths, Ruby let out a constant onslaught of squeals and moans, unable to keep from expressing her pleasure at Gin's touch. And then...it only got better.

Their lips finally parted, a string of saliva briefly connecting them. Gin barely hesitated, leaning in, shifting his lips to kiss the smooth skin of Ruby's shoulder, his left arm sliding up her back to pull her upper body closer, allowing his lips better access as they transitioned along her shoulder, before being interrupted by the fabric of the collar of her dress, then finding the skin of her neck. There, Gin transitioned from kissing to licking, then to gently biting the skin of her neck, prompting pleased squeals and sharp gasps from Ruby in turn, all while he continued to fondle her behind.

"Giiiin!" Ruby groaned, her breath deserting her.

Gin moved his mouth again, no longer kissing and nipping at Ruby's neck. He descended past her collar, going down to the keyhole formed by the opening between her collar and her bodice. Extending his tongue, Gin licked down the line of Ruby's cleavage, prompting another sharp gasp from her, before beginning to pepper the skin of her upper breasts with quick kisses.

Ruby's own hands had not been idle. She'd started by wrapping her arms around Gin's shoulders, then moving up to grip the back of hiss head, pulling his face in closer as he'd kissed his way up and down her shoulder and neck. Now she moved her hands back to his shoulders, pushing him away slightly.

Gin allowed her to push him back, briefly wondering if she wanted to stop. However Ruby's hands instead moved down Gin's chest, her fingers making their way to the hem of his shirt, and pulling it upwards. Gin was forced to briefly let go so that she could pull his shirt up and over his head, before moving his hand back to where they'd been. From there, Ruby tossed Gin's shirt to the side, fully exposing his chiseled chest to her eyes. Breathing hard from her previous excitement, Ruby let her fingers wander, tracing their way along the lines of his pectorals, before moving down to run along his abs.

Then Gin released his hold on her back and butt, his hands moving to grasp Ruby's arms by the wrists. Before Ruby could ask what he was doing, Gin had forced her back against the wall again, pinning her arms up over her head as he rammed his lips against hers, forcing his tongue into her mouth again. Muffled shouts of surprise escaped from Ruby's throat, between their lips, before once again being replaced with moans.

Over her head, Gin brought her arms together, crossing her wrists, so that he could hold and restrain both of them with his left hand, while the other slid down her arm, gently tickling her armpit, before making its way to the hem of her bodice. Gin hooked his fingers over the fabric and pulled it down, exposing Ruby's left breast to the open air. He barely had the presence of mind to note that Ruby had forgone wearing a bra. He didn't bother remarking on it though, too busy smothering her mouth with his own, while his hand began to firmly knead her breast, squeezing it tightly, pressing his thumb against her nipple, then rubbing and tweaking it. Ruby's moans were undercut by sharp squeaks, prompted by the sudden, pleasurable sensations from her chest.

Reflexively, Ruby slipped her left leg up, rubbing her thigh against the side of Gin's own, before hooking her leg back around behind him again. Almost as a remonstration, Gin's hand left her breast, running down her side, trailing along the edges of her stomach, before pressing down against her thigh to push her foot back down to the floor. At the same time, Gin finally ended the kiss, pulling his lips away from Ruby, leaving her momentarily dazed tongue hanging out slightly as she panted for breath.

Still keeping her arms pinned against the wall, Gin brought his right hand back up, once again reaching to the hem of Ruby's bodice. Now he pulled her other breast free of confinement. Dipping his head down, Gin brought his tongue licking down along the line of Ruby's cleavage once again, prompting another gasp from her. From there, he slid her tongue up to her right nipple, briefly tracing circled around it, before closing his lips over it to suckle it, still teasing it with his tongue, even while it was in his mouth.

"Ah!" Ruby gasped, twitching sharply. She couldn't move much, still bodily pinned against the wall by Gin, her hands twisted and turned, fingers curling and grasping, but unable to actually hold anything, as they remained tightly pinned by the grip Gin had on her crossed wrists. The training that Gin had subjected himself to, in order to be able to use his claws in combat, had greatly enhanced the strength of his fingers. There was no way Ruby could force herself out of his grip, which only made the experience all the more exciting to her.

Things quickly got better still. Gin's right hand trailed down once more, this time brushing over Ruby's stomach, which she reflexively contracted. He slipped it back around the edge of her skirt, passing through the slight, this time tracing the line of her pelvis, and following it all the way down to her lower lips. Gin couldn't help but notice that, just as Ruby had not worn her bra, she hadn't worn panties either. She'd probably had the same thoughts that he did now; one less thing to get in the way.

Gin's fingers played along her labia, parting them, spreading them, brushing against her clitoris, before finally slipping inside.

"Oh God!" shouted Ruby, her head banging against the wall as she lurched back from the stimulation, only enhanced by Gin continuing to lick, kiss, and suck her breasts.

Gin started with one finger, gently feeling around inside of her, stroking it against her inner walls. Then he inserted a second. From there, he began to slide them in and out, starting slow at first, then moving faster with each insertion and retraction, putting a little more force into it as well.

Ruby started with squeaks, which transitioned to breathless gasps, then shouts. Finally, as her volume began to rise, Gin's left hand released its hold on her wrists. Ruby's arms dropped down to Gin's shoulders, before wrapping around the back of his head to pull it farther into her chest. Gin's left hand now dropped, and covered her mouth, muffling her sounds of pleasure, Gin being careful not to cover her nose as well.

Ruby couldn't help but find something erotic about being muffled like this, which only stimulated her more as Gin worked her with his fingers, while also continuing to feast on her breasts. As he pumped his fingers into her harder, the muffled sounds she made rose in pitch, Gin working her all the way up to the edge. Ruby found herself hovering at the very boundary of release, wondering if Gin could manage to drive her over it. What she'd experienced so far was fantastic. And then it got better.

Gin's scales emerged across his right hand, and up his forearm, forming like a rash, the sudden emergence of the textured surface against her inside driving Ruby into a frenzy. She spasmed, her back arcing, head bumping against the wall again, screaming against Gin's hand as her release sent a spray of fluids running down his hand to his wrist, and trailing between his scales.

Gin pulled his fingers free with a we sucking sound, also relenting his assault on her breasts. He removed his left hand from her mouth, allowing Ruby to pant loudly as she stared in amazement at him, shocked at the combination of competence and assertiveness, wondering just how Gin was able to pleasure her so effectively.

 _It's the_ Shingan _,_ she realized. Just as the _Shingan_ could be used to read countless different cues in a person to determine how to anticipate what they would do on the battlefield, Gin was now using that same skill to read Ruby's cues to determine what pleasured her. He was reading her, and using that to play her body like an instrument…and Ruby was loving every second of it. What was more, she realized that, if she ever felt uncomfortable or wanted to stop, she wouldn't even need to voice a single syllable, her intention communicating itself through her Aura. Gin would release her in an instant, which made it understandable why he'd been willing to cover her mouth.

Gin took a moment to simply take in the sight of Ruby as she was now; disheveled, breasts still exposed, panting from all the stimulation she'd received, still dazed and coming down from the high of her orgasm. More than beautiful, the sight of her like this was intoxicating. Leaning in, he pressed his lips against hers, the contact lingering, but chaste, his tongue remaining his mouth. After a few seconds, he pulled away, giving Ruby an uncharacteristically confident smile, before he let his legs give way beneath him.

Gin sank down to his knees, running his hands down the sides of Ruby's body as he went, scales emerging on his left hand and arm as well. His fingers brushed against the ties that held her dress closed on either side, then continued down to the slit in her skirt, slipping through and sliding back behind to grip her buttocks once more, kneading both cheeks this time. Meanwhile, Gin's face dropped down to the level of Ruby's pelvis, staring right at the center of her skirt, his intentions clear.

After playing with her behind a few more seconds, Gin brought his right hand back around to the front, using it to lift Ruby's skirt out of the way, giving Gin a clear view of her vagina, glistening like a jewel from the juices of her recent release. Leaning in, Gin began to lap at it. The feeling was electric, Ruby letting out another cry of surprised pleasure, her left hand flying up to cover her mouth, while her right made its way down to tightly grip Gin's hair, pulling at it, the pain only serving to excite him, as he went after her more forcefully, pushing his tongue inside, while he used his right hand to lift her left leg, draping it over his shoulder to help him get better access. The front of Ruby's skirt bunched up to the side of Gin's head, his left hand still sinking scaled fingers into Ruby's butt, his tongue licking at her inside, Ruby silencing her screams with her own hand.

A few minutes later, a second orgasm rocked Ruby's body, triggering another spasm, and an explosion of liquid across Gin's face. Pulling back, Gin reached down and out, picking up the first thing he could think of to wipe off the mess, his own discarded shirt. He was glad it was the one he wore to bed, and not the shirt from his everyday outfit. That would have made things awkward, come morning.

Rising back up, Gin caught Ruby by the armpits, right as her legs buckled and gave way beneath her. Were it not for his steady grip, she would have slid down the wall to the floor. Ruby found herself gazing at Gin's face. The _smile_ he wore as he looked at her sent chills of excitement down her spine. It was one of confidence, the look Gin wore during a fight, when he was facing off against a strong opponent. In a way, the look on his face made Ruby feel like they were sparring right now…and she supposed they were, in a sense. But Gin had definitely taken the advantage here…not that she found herself minding in the slightest.

Gin leaned in, taking her in another kiss, still dominating her, but with less force than the last few. As he did, his left arm slid around behind her shoulders, pulling his bare chest against her own, making Ruby squeal as her breasts pressed up against the bare skin of his chest. He let go with his right hand, which trailed back down her body, before leaving her entirely. Ruby felt him moving his hips and legs, and realized what he was doing. Gin worked his shorts down, before kicking them off. Now she felt something pressing up between her legs, something she'd been feeling throughout the night. But now there was only the thin barrier of Ruby's skirt between herself, and Gin's member.

She'd thought that Gin would have taken her to the bed at some point. But now, as he began to rub himself against her through her skirt, the realization struck Ruby. He was going to take her here, right up against the wall. It hadn't been what she'd wanted. If anything, it was _better_ than what she'd wanted. Gin had gone from being almost afraid to do this to taking complete control.

Still working his lips and tongue against hers, Gin reached down and pulled Ruby's skirt aside, one more time. She felt him, hot and hard, pushing against her entrance. Then he hooked his fingers around her thigh again, lifting it up, and slowly pushing himself inside.

Ruby heard it, a low groan pushing itself up from Gin's throat, she actually _felt_ it, more than heard it, as the sound echoed upwards into his mouth, and into her, through their conjoined mouths. A second later, Ruby was moaning along with him, both of them vocalizing their pleasure, but neither wanting to pull their lips away from the other, as Gin sank deeper inside of her. Ruby had no notion of how "big" Gin was. She'd guiltily watched the occasional adult video on the network, and sometimes discreetly borrowed Blake's books. But she'd been left with the impression that the sizes dictated in those things were not necessarily the most realistic ones.

The one conclusion she reached, as Gin inserted himself all the way inside her, was that he was big enough. She could feel the swell of him within her, but didn't exactly feel that he was in danger of tearing her apart with his girth. It just felt…right.

And then Gin started to move, pulling out, then pushing back in. Ruby's first sounds were muffled by their lips, until Gin pulled back. He wasn't smiling anymore, but releasing pleasured gasps of her own as he stared at her with a look of wonder and amazement, completely awestruck by this new side of her, which he wasn't merely seeing with his eyes, but experiencing with his entire body. Ruby's arms shook as she lifted them up, wrapping them around Gin's shoulders, holding onto him with every drop of strength he had left.

"Gin…please…!" gasped Ruby. "Don't stop!"

Not that he'd needed her to say that, but her needy voice drove his excitement to new heights, and, to Ruby's amazement, his skin grew warmer still…until she thought his body temperature might be higher than her own, almost feverish even. Gin's thrusts started to grow faster and harder. He put more power behind them, rocking Ruby's entire body, and thudding her hips back against the wall. His left arm slid down her back, finding its way to her right thigh. He lifted it up, just like the other one, prompting Ruby to wrap her legs around Gin's waist. Now he was supporting her weight entirely, up against the wall, as he began to drive himself inside her harder still.

Such a position would have been extremely difficult, if not impossible for most people. But Gin had the advantage of a lifetime of training, giving him the strength to hold Ruby like that, and the stamina to keep her there. He pressed his upper body against hers once again, completely pinning her against the wall, pushing his lips into hers, while he used his hips to continue driving himself inside her with all his considerable strength. For her part, Ruby held on with all her remaining strength, the thundering crescendo of her next orgasm already threatening to break over her.

Gin's hands slid along her thighs to her butt, squeezing her tightly with scaled fingers, their texture pulling and rubbing at Ruby's skin, exciting her even more. He was literally pounding her against the wall now, and Ruby felt her climax coming. When it did, she screamed into Gin's mouth with all the lung-power she had left. Gin felt her tighten around his member to an almost painful degree, the sudden stimulation causing his own control to snap. He managed to thrust into her a couple more times, before he too found himself releasing.

Ruby felt something warm, almost like liquid fire, spread inside of her, and she moaned deliriously against Gin's lips. It felt amazing, far better than her most wondrous imaginings. Through the haze of lust, she could feel Gin's total love for her, their previous mingling of their souls actually serving to enhance the feeling of this physical intimacy. Ruby pulled her lips free from Gin's, the remainder of her breath deserting her in a high-pitched wheeze.

She was coming down from an intense high. Gasping, and feeling as though she'd outright sprinted for miles, Ruby clung tightly to Gin feeling him continue to release inside her in small spurts, which stirred up brief flares of additional pleasure.

Not pulling out of her, Gin stepped away from the wall, carrying Ruby with him, continuing to support her with his hands on her rear. Now he finally took her to the bed, lifting her off of himself, letting his length slip free, allowing a small portion of his semen to leak out, staining their bedding as he set Ruby down, and laid her out.

For her part, Ruby was barely conscious. She began to feel Gin's hands tugging at the fabric of her dress, and she realized he was removing it from her. She didn't mind that. It was a nice dress, one that would already need a thorough washing, and she certainly didn't want to sleep in it, while her and Gin's juices were leaking out of her.

Gin pulled the red fabric off her body, tossing it aside, leaving Ruby clad only in her stockings and garters, along with the cuffs on her wrists. Despite having finished undressing her, Gin's hands continued to slide up and down Ruby's body, their touch stirring her, prompting a realization from Ruby. _He's not done yet!_

The realization sent a surge of adrenaline, which cut through the haze clouding her mind, prompting a gasp from her. Her vision cleared, giving her a clear view of Gin's smiling face as he lowered his head down once again.

This time, he began with her stomach. Ruby inhaled sharply, her toned abdomen dipping away from Gin's lips. He simply chased her skin down, peppering her with kisses, before focusing on her navel. Ruby groaned in ecstasy, squirming under Gin's assault. She'd known that he'd always liked her stomach, but it was one thing to have him running his hand along it, and another for him to actively worship it with his lips and tongue. In the meantime, Gin's hands slid up the side of her ribcage, reaching up to find her breasts, which he once again began to squeeze and knead.

Ruby squirmed and writhed, Gin working his way upwards now, kissing around the base of her ribcage, before making his way all the way up to her chest, and proceeding to lavish her breasts with his lips and tongue once more. A soft whine escaped Ruby's lips, her back arching, reflexively trying to give him better access.

"Oh God! Keep going!" she whimpered.

Gin smiled against the skin of her left breast, then began to work his way up her body farther, applying his lips to the areas that had been covered by her dress before, practically walking them up her neck, then her jawline, before finally reaching her mouth with his, where he engaged her with a languid kiss, far less forceful than his previous ones, inviting her to push her tongue out to mingle fully with his. Gin's arms slid around her and held her tightly against him, while his once-again hardened member began to slide back and forth between her legs, rubbing teasingly against her opening.

Ruby found herself squirming in his arms, not really trying to break free, just seeking the sensation of his skin against hers as much as possible. It was agonizing, when Gin finally broke off the kiss, pulling back away from her. But Ruby didn't have much time to miss his touch, as he rose up over her, on his knees, using his hands to pry her legs apart, and line himself up with her entrance once more. He paused, just long enough to pry another needy whine from Ruby...before he went to work.

This time, there was no build-up, no gradual increasing in speed and power. Gin fully hilted himself in the first thrust, then pounded Ruby with all the strength and speed he could muster. Ruby found herself gritting her teeth, clenching her jaw shut as tightly as she could, fighting back the urge to scream in ecstasy, as Gin made the bed groan and creak beneath them with the force of his efforts. Sliding his fingers along her legs, Gin gripped Ruby's butt, lifting her up to give him better access, and proceeded to ram himself into her even harder, the pain accompanying the pleasure of his member moving in and out of her mingling together in a sensation that was driving Ruby wild.

Her next orgasm hit like an explosion, so sudden that Ruby was caught off-guard, her mouth flying open, her voice deserting her completely. However, she had hardly any time to process it, as Gin kept going. Reaching up over her head, Ruby grasped the sheets in her hands, clenching them tightly in her fingers, arching her back, presenting a tantalizing opportunity to Gin, who leaned down to capture one of her breasts, even as he continued to thrust into her.

The sheer stimulation quickly pushed Ruby towards a fresh climax. This time, when she came, Gin did as well, releasing her breast with his mouth, and pulling his back up in the opposite direction, arcing it with a soft moan of his own, more of his seed spilling inside of her, making Ruby glad she'd thought to take precautions ahead of time.

Ruby's chest heaved, feeling on the verge of passing out. She couldn't believe the intensity of Gin's lovemaking. It reminded her the way he fought, always sussing out her weaknesses, and attacking them relentlessly, never really giving her a chance to fight back. Of course, in this case, the consequence was an overwhelming pleasure that was completely banishing any coherent thought from her brain.

And, somehow, despite all of that...Gin _still_ wasn't done.

Ruby was still trying to recover somewhat from the last round, when she suddenly found herself rolled over, resting on her stomach, hips pulled up into the air, propped up on her knees. This time, Gin didn't bother with any foreplay, pressing down on her from above and behind, slipping his length into her again, and picking up right where he left off. The rest of his body came to rest on her back, pinning her beneath him, his arms slipping around her front, sliding under her chest to play with her breasts again. Ruby bit down on the sheets beneath her face, struggling with all her might to keep from shrieking.

Gin leaned to the side, rolling Ruby along with them, transitioning to lying on their sides, Gin slipped his left hand around Ruby's left thigh, hiking it up to give himself better access while he worked, his right hand pushed underneath her, coming up to continue cupping and squeezing her breasts. Finally, Gin lifted his head, his face hovering over Ruby's head, until she turned to look at him, so that they could engage in yet another kiss, this one as vigorous as the pounding of Gin's hips against hers.

Finally, with one last scream from Ruby, and a loud groan from Gin, both vocalizations muffled by their joined lips, they came together, their bodies spasming, Gin's grip on Ruby's breast tightening to an almost painful degree.

Then it passed. And, with that, they were done.

Ruby collapsed, gasping for breath, her consciousness flagging. Her heart was pounding against her ribs, like the aftermath of a life-or-death battle. Then Gin slipped his arms around her, hugging her against his front. Now, his touch was rapidly cooling, taking the heat of Ruby's own excitement with it. Her sweat began to feel like droplets of ice against her skin. Ruby sighed with pleasure, the afterglow of their feverish lovemaking rapidly dissolving into a blissful, cool feeling. She was barely conscious of Gin pulling the covers over them, but she felt his lips press against the back of her neck in one last kiss.

"I love you," Ruby managed to breathe out.

"I love you too," Gin answered back in a voice just as tired as hers.

* * *

Morning came slowly to Ruby and, with it, the realization that she was sore. Her hips and pelvis both ached fiercely, leaving her wondering if she'd even be able to walk straight. Still, that was a minor concern, as Gin's scaled arms were still wrapped tightly around her. As usual, Gin was already awake, and was now simply holding her until she woke up too.

Ruby squirmed a little, prompting Gin to loosen his hold. She rolled over in his arms, until they were face to face. Ruby's silver eyes met his amber ones, and she smiled blissfully. "Morning," she said.

"M-morning," Gin stuttered back, smiling, but with burning cheeks that suggested he was just as surprised by his aggressiveness the previous evening as she had been.

Ruby giggled. "I know I asked you to make love to me, but...wow." She laughed softly. "I knew you were going to take my first time...but then you took my second...and my third…What a greedy dragon you are."

"S-sorry," stammered Gin, cheeks lighting up even more.

Ruby just laughed again, and nuzzled against his collarbone, even kissing it lightly. "Silly," she said. "I loved it. I never expected you to be so...aggressive."

"I...I wasn't expecting it either," Gin admitted. "I started...and I just...well...I almost felt as though my body was doing everything on its own."

"You've wanted to do this for a while," said Ruby.

"Yeah...yeah I have," said Gin, kissing the top of her head. "I guess I only thought I didn't. But what happened made me realize just how badly I wanted you like that."

Ruby smiled, glad...and more than little flattered to know he'd desired her so much.

"I guess we'd better get cleaned up," said Gin.

 _Oh...right,_ thought Ruby, becoming conscious of the sticky feeling across her body, especially centered between her legs. They'd made a pretty big mess last night, and Ruby hoped they didn't upset housekeeping, when they came to clean up the room. Still, when it came to the mess on their own bodies, it wasn't anything a good shower couldn't solve.

"You can have the first shower," offered Gin.

Ruby pulled away from his collar and gave him a sultry smile. "Actually...why don't we shower _together_?"

Gin stared at her for a long moment. All of a sudden, the cool arms that encircled her began to grow warmer. "Sure," he said, with a serious and earnest tone that made her skin quiver with excitement.

* * *

It was the best shower Ruby had ever had. They wound up showering until their skin began to wrinkle, with only a fraction of the time they spent actually devoted to getting clean.

First Gin started by hugging her form behind, playing with her breasts with one hand, while the other descended to begin teasing her entrance, all the while his lips and teeth leaving their mark on Ruby's shoulders and neck. Then, after Ruby had climaxed in his hold, he'd bent her forward, forcing her to brace her arms against the shower wall, as he started thrusting into her from behind.

At some point, Ruby's legs began to give out, so Gin pulled her upright, turning her in his grip and pulling her into a searing kiss, all while he pinned her up against the wall again, pulling up her legs and supporting her as he pushed into her, just as he had during their first time. A few minutes later, they both came together.

Only afterwards did they actually go about the business of getting clean, careful to avoid touching one another in a way that would get them excited again. Sex was wonderful, addictive even. But their time in the hotel was approaching its end, and they needed to get ready, before they were evicted by force. It didn't help that, after she got out of the shower, Ruby was distressed by just how hard a time she was having walking. So she chose to use a few extra minutes to recharge, shunting her Aura to the bruised and battered portions of her body. Gin did much the same, having done a number on his lower back.

Finally, they were dressed and ready to emerge, the last of their party to leave their rooms. Ruby and Gin reached the inn's lobby, and saw everyone else waiting for them. All it took was one look at the knowing looks on their friends faces, and Gin and Ruby turned bright red.

* * *

"So...how was he?" asked Yang, grinning ruthlessly at Ruby, from the seat next to hers.

Ruby groaned, banging the back of her head gently against the wall of the bullhead's cabin. For their return flight, Yang and Nora had forcefully separated Ruby from Gin, dragging her over to the other side of the cabin, the girls gathering in the seats around her, while Gin was consoled by Taiyang, Qrow, Jaune, Ren, and Ayumu; none of whom bothered trying to press Gin for information on his end.

"It sure _sounded_ like you were having fun," added Nora, a grin full of mischief decorating her own face.

"Oh God!" groaned Ruby. "You heard us?"

"Yep," said Yang. "You two weren't too loud, but Jaune and I were next door, so we got an earful."

"Same for me and Ren," added Nora.

Ruby whined and buried her face in her hands.

"Aw, come on, Sis," cajoled Yang. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. You love him, he loved you, you got him to have sex with you on your birthday. No big deal."

"Yeah," agreed Nora. "So spill! How was he?"

Ruby let out a slow breath, realizing that Nora and her sister weren't going to let this go anytime soon. It certainly didn't help that Amber, Blake, and Neo were listening in intently as well. "He was great," said Ruby. "I...I didn't expect him to be so aggressive though."

"Wow," said Yang. "You two were at it for a while. How many times did you do it?"

"Um...well..." Ruby began to count off her fingers, before pausing, unsure of what counted as "doing it" in this context. Did she count all the times she'd orgasmed, or all the times Gin had finished? She wasn't sure.

Her confusion alone appeared to be answer enough for Yang, who let out an impressed whistle. "Well damn, I never thought Gin had it in him."

"I knew he could," said Ruby, a happy smile appearing on her face, despite her embarrassment at being interrogated by her own sister. "I just never thought he'd be so...forward about it."

"Did he like the dress?" asked Nora.

"Oh yeah," replied Ruby, looking forward to wearing it again for him, sometime in the future.

"Glad we got it for you," said Yang. "So...best birthday ever?"

"Yep," agreed Ruby, leaning back and closing her eyes. "Best birthday ever."

* * *

 **Talk about your happy ending, huh?**

 **Credit for Ruby's dress once again goes to the talented fanartist-turned- _Chibi_ -concept-artist, mojojoj/iesupa, who's done no fewer than _three_ different images of Ruby in varying kinds of Chinese dresses, which look very good on her. This particular one is the most recent image they've put out, which is the one I've liked the most so far.**

 **I originally hadn't planned on writing this, but popular demand put the idea into my head, and I ultimately couldn't get it out, so I wrote it. Looking back, it's a good thing that I didn't put this in the main story, as it would have nearly doubled the length of the final chapter, which I imagine some people wouldn't have minded, I suppose. The sex scenes I've done so far were fairly simple ones, so I decided to make this one a bit more...extended. It made sense to me that Gin would be a little...pent up, mainly because he had such a tight rein on his libido. So once he was finally able to get himself to let loose, he got a bit carried away.**

 **And that's it for this story, for now. For those of you hanging on for a sequel, it'll be a little while. I'm not sure that it'll be as long as this one, but, knowing the way _I_ write, it's going to be pretty long all the same. Please be patient with me. In the meantime, _Red Thorn_ will start posting...soonish. Hopefully, that will tide you folks over for a while.**

 **See you next time.**


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